pdf-ebookys Chapter 70: The Third Hokage, Danzo Lives On, Justice Is Hard to Achieve
Chapter 70: The Third Hokage, Danzo Lives On, Justice Is Hard to Achieve
Uchiha Ikezumi's voice wasn't loud, but everyone gathered around could hear it clearly.
"Besides Uchiha Shisui... was Hatake Sakumo also indirectly killed by Danzo?"
An older Konoha Jonin was taken aback. He had worked with Hatake Sakumo before, but he only knew that Sakumo had suffered a lot of verbal abuse because of some things back then.
He had no idea that someone had been deliberately manipulating negative public opinion against Sakumo Hatake behind the scenes back then!
Slow!
Could the negative public opinion surrounding Danzo be related to this?
At this moment...
Some of the ANBU ninjas couldn't help but turn their attention to Kakashi Hatake—because Kakashi Hatake, the captain of the ANBU squad, is the son of Sakumo Hatake!
Hiruzen Sarutobi's gaze darkened slightly. He glared coldly at Danzo before turning his head to look at Kakashi to his right rear.
When Hiruzen Sarutobi saw Kakashi, who was usually listless, his fists clenched tightly without him even realizing it.
"Kakashi!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi suddenly offered a reminder. The situation was already chaotic enough; if Kakashi couldn't control his anger and did something impulsive, it would be even more troublesome.
"...Hokage-sama, I am very calm." Kakashi was silent for half a second before answering with only this sentence.
No one could see what his expression was beneath the mask of the secret service officer.
Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed inwardly.
Even he could hear the emotional fluctuations in Kakashi's tone.
How could I possibly be calm?
Uchiha Ikezumi revealed Danzo's past deeds in public, something Hiruzen Sarutobi hadn't anticipated.
Can't Chi Quan consider the balance of the village?
They roasted Danzo over a fire...
This situation is getting out of control!
……
"Several years ago, in order to study the First Hokage's Wood Release cells, you and Orochimaru conducted extreme research, which resulted in the deaths of a large number of volunteers. After the research was stopped, you still colluded with Orochimaru to secretly kidnap infants for experiments, directly or indirectly causing the deaths of 67 innocent babies."
Uchiha Ikezumi, as if seeing through all evil deeds, slowly read out what others could not see.
"And how do you explain that?"
"as well as……"
"Enough!!!" Danzo glared and shouted, "This is just your one-sided story, you evil brat! Uchiha Ikezumi! What evidence do you have to prove that you can truly see through the evil of the past and future? What evidence do you have to prove that what you say is true?"
His interruption seemed abrupt, and he appeared somewhat flustered.
Danzo felt that all the gazes—whether hostile, angry, or suspicious—were focused on him.
That chilling feeling of being about to become the enemy of the whole world.
It made the hairs on his body stand on end.
He then turned to the crowd around him and demanded, "Are you all going to believe this brat's one-sided story? Don't you have any doubts about whether what he says is true or false? I've dedicated most of my life to Konoha. You don't believe me, but you believe him?"
"Senior Ikezumi never lies!!!" A sudden voice made Danzo's eyelids twitch.
He discovered that the one speaking was also a brat from the Uchiha clan!
Unable to bear it any longer, Izumi gritted her teeth and mustered her courage to stand up. She confronted Shimura Danzo, a high-ranking Konoha official, saying, "Senior Izumi has never misjudged anyone's evil deeds. You can't just slander him with a few words!"
Danzo's anger intensified.
Danzo gritted his teeth and barely tolerated the impolite words spoken to him by people like Hiruzen Sarutobi and Izumi Uchiha.
But what right does this Uchiha brat, who looks like he hasn't even grown any hair yet, have to confront me?
"Fugaku, keep your clan in check!" Danzo felt that even bothering with Izumi would be a demotion to his own status.
Those brats from the Uchiha clan really have no respect for their elders!
"Danzo, the one who should be taking care of himself... is yourself!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi's cold tone infuriated Danzo.
"Monkey, you..."
Before Danzo could finish his sentence, Hiruzen Sarutobi turned to Ikezumi Uchiha with a taut face and asked, "Ikezumi, can you be sure what you're saying is true? Shisui, Sakumo... are their deaths all related to Danzo?"
"Third Hokage, are you deliberately interrupting me?" Uchiha Izumi didn't answer, but instead asked, "You're interrupting me before I reveal more of Danzo Shimura's past misdeeds, so you can do your best as Hokage to continue protecting him, right?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi paused, his eye twitching involuntarily.
"You've misunderstood me." Hiruzen Sarutobi felt that he only wanted to end this conflict in the most peaceful way possible as soon as possible.
Instead of continuing down this path of open hostility.
But who would have thought that Chi Quan wouldn't cooperate with him at all?
Most importantly... although Danzo did hide many things from him, Hiruzen Sarutobi was aware of some of them and silently condoned Danzo's actions.
Hiruzen Sarutobi is the Hokage standing in the sunlight, while Danzo Shimura is the root of Konoha standing in the shadows. The two complement each other, which is why Konoha is so powerful today.
If Danzo's affairs involve him...
A barely perceptible shadow crossed Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes.
Uchiha Ikezumi glanced at him, clearly seeing the Third Hokage's subtle displeasure, but he didn't care. Instead, he continued in an icy tone, "Three years ago..."
One by one, the evil deeds related to Danzo were recounted by Uchiha Ikesen.
The Konoha ninja were horrified by what they heard.
Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression grew increasingly helpless upon hearing this.
This was driving Danzo to the brink of madness—no matter how stubbornly he insisted that Uchiha Izumi was lying, he had to admit in his heart that what this evil Uchiha brat said was true!
Some of the past events were almost forgotten even by Danzo himself, but Uchiha Ikezumi could clearly recount them, stirring up long-forgotten memories for him.
Danzo felt that many Konoha ninjas were looking at him as if he were some kind of human "scum" from a sewer!
Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!
How could this happen?!
……
"So, Third Hokage..." Uchiha Ikezumi suddenly stopped talking about Danzo's past misdeeds. He turned to Hiruzen Sarutobi, his expression unchanged, and said in a low voice, "As the Hokage of Konoha, how do you intend to deal with Shimura Danzo?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi, his old face grim, remained silent.
"Third Hokage, with Danzo alive, justice will be impossible. Do you, the 'Hokage-sama,' intend to protect this villain who deserves to be torn to pieces?"
"Or is it that, in your eyes, [justice] is merely a tool to maintain politics? Something you can take as you please and discard as you please?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi's breathing quickened slightly.
He understood.
Uchiha Izumi ostensibly roasted Danzo over a fire, but in reality, he was targeting Danzo, the Third Hokage!
They roasted Hiruzen Sarutobi over a fire!
Hiruzen Sarutobi had already sensed that many people's attention, which was originally directed at Danzo, was now focused on him.
He, as the Hokage, must give an answer!
"……monkey!"
Danzo's angry gaze also fell on Hiruzen Sarutobi.
……
……