Chapter 83: Sarutobi Hiruzen’s Scandals—Too Many to Count!

The Uchiha massacre, the suicide of the White Fang of Konoha, the Hyuga incident, the destruction of the Land of Uzumaki, and the miserable situation of Naruto, the orphaned son of the Fourth Hokage.

Even after exposing all of these things, Reiji still had no intention of stopping.

Instead, he continued questioning the two elders.

"The rumor that Naruto is the Nine-Tails itself was spread by Sarutobi Hiruzen."

"Then what about the Uchiha clan? Did Sarutobi Hiruzen spread any rumors about them?"

Mitokado Homura mechanically nodded and said,

"That was mainly done by Danzo’s people, but Hiruzen knew about it and tacitly allowed it."

"The rumor they spread was that the mastermind behind the Nine-Tails’ attack was the Uchiha clan."

"They also had people spread rumors that the Uchiha Police Force had a harsh and brutal style, deliberately turning the villagers against the Police Force."

The moment he finished speaking, the Uchiha ninjas immediately erupted in curses.

"During the Nine-Tails’ attack, we wanted to go help, but wasn’t that bastard Danzo the one who stopped us?"

"What do they mean by saying our Police Force had a brutal style? That’s literally what our job was!"

"Instead of criticizing the people who violated the regulations, they turned around and blamed the Uchiha? Is that even reasonable?"

"I really wish we could bring Danzo and Sarutobi Hiruzen back to life just so we could kill those two old bastards again!"

Ever since the Nine-Tails’ attack, the Uchiha clan’s situation had grown worse and worse.

They were forbidden from going to provide assistance, and afterward, they were even suspected of being responsible for the Nine-Tails’ rampage.

Then came the forced relocation of their clan grounds, followed by twenty-four-hour surveillance!

And now they had discovered that even the rumors circulating throughout the village had been spread by Danzo and the others!

The Uchiha clan and Danzo could practically be said to have a blood feud.

"Speaking of which, I also have a bit of a personal grudge against Danzo."

Reiji recalled the matter and said,

"Back then, on the Kirigakure battlefield, I was attacked by Kurogane Raiga precisely because Danzo leaked my information to Kirigakure."

"Sarutobi Hiruzen definitely investigated the matter, but in the end, he merely brushed me off, claiming that the information had been passed along by a Kirigakure spy."

As for this matter, none of the people present had anything to say in rebuttal.

Danzo simply wasn’t well-liked.

The title of the "Shadow of the Shinobi" was notorious throughout the village!

Everyone found it completely believable that he could do something like this.

"Next, let’s talk about the Senju clan."

Reiji continued questioning them.

"The Senju clan has been passed down for a thousand years. They fought against our Uchiha clan for a thousand years as well. So why is it that we basically don’t hear of anyone carrying the Senju bloodline anymore?"

Utatane Koharu answered,

"Second Hokage-sensei dissolved the Senju clan, making its members abandon their surname and integrate themselves into the village."

Everyone nodded.

They already knew about this.

But even so!

It still didn’t make sense.

Why were there practically no people left who had inherited the Senju bloodline?

Mitokado Homura mechanically said,

"After Hiruzen became Hokage, he was worried that the Uchiha clan would seize his position as Hokage, but he was also worried about the Senju clan."

"However, the Senju had already dispersed and integrated themselves into the village, so dealing with them was much easier."

"Hiruzen used his authority as Hokage to assign various dangerous missions to people who had inherited the Senju bloodline, gradually wearing down their strength."

"In addition, Danzo secretly conducted research into Wood Release."

"To find test subjects for implanting the First Hokage’s cells, Danzo secretly targeted quite a few people with Senju blood."

"Later, Hiruzen learned about this. He warned Danzo to stop the Wood Release experiments, but he didn’t pursue the matter, nor did he expose it publicly."

The Konoha ninjas in the meeting room were all dumbfounded.

The Senju clan!

This was the clan of Sarutobi Hiruzen and Shimura Danzo’s teacher!

Yet they had actually treated them like this?

How could they bring themselves to do such a thing?

No wonder people who inherited the Senju’s powerful life force had gradually disappeared.

So they had been eliminated bit by bit like this!

"Fortunately, Sarutobi Hiruzen and the others are dead..."

The Hyuga clan ninjas present couldn’t help feeling a lingering sense of fear.

The Senju had been almost completely wiped out.

The Uzumaki clan had been deliberately abandoned and their country destroyed.

And the Uchiha clan had nearly been exterminated just last night.

These were all great clans with histories spanning a thousand years!

Yet in the few decades since Konoha’s establishment, during Sarutobi Hiruzen’s decades as Hokage, they had nearly all disappeared!

If the Uchiha clan had also been exterminated last night, the next ones might very well have been the Hyuga clan.

For a moment, every Hyuga ninja, regardless of whether they belonged to the main family or branch family, felt a deep sense of unease.

They were all secretly relieved that Sarutobi Hiruzen and Shimura Danzo had already been killed.

Seeing this, Reiji nodded in satisfaction.

He had achieved the effect he wanted.

Did Sarutobi Hiruzen really think everything would be over just because he died?

Even after death, he would have to become completely infamous!

After that, Reiji asked about several other matters.

For example, when Orochimaru defected, Sarutobi Hiruzen had deliberately allowed him to escape.

For example, Sarutobi Hiruzen had used various means for personal gain, rapidly promoting members of the Sarutobi clan so they could occupy important positions with substantial benefits.

For example, after the Third Shinobi World War ended, Sarutobi Hiruzen had been overly weak. In order to end the war as quickly as possible, he abandoned Konoha’s demands for compensation from the other villages, resulting in Konoha gaining nothing despite winning the war.

For example, Sarutobi Hiruzen had manipulated the Fourth Hokage election, allowing the more easily controlled Minato Namikaze to take the position.

For example, Sarutobi Hiruzen had people alter the textbooks at the Ninja Academy, promoting the claim that he was the strongest Hokage in history.

And so on.

There were simply too many examples to count.

At first, the Konoha ninjas in the meeting room were still shocked and furious.

But eventually, they became numb.

Sarutobi Hiruzen had simply accumulated too many scandals.

There were practically too many to count.

And all of this had come from the mouths of the two advisory elders.

It couldn’t possibly be fake!

Who would have thought that Sarutobi Hiruzen, who normally presented himself as a kind and benevolent old man, was actually darker than the bottom of a cooking pot behind the scenes?

Among everyone present, even Might Guy’s impression of Sarutobi Hiruzen had undergone a complete transformation.

With so many scandals added together, Sarutobi Hiruzen could have died ten times over and it still wouldn’t have been enough!

As for Danzo, there was no need to even mention him.

Even if that man died a hundred times, it would still be getting off lightly.

"Enough. We’ll stop here."

Reiji snapped his fingers, releasing Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu from the genjutsu.

The genjutsu disappeared, and control returned to their bodies.

Yet Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu didn’t dare move.

Cold sweat covered their foreheads.

Although they had been under genjutsu just now, that didn’t mean they had been completely unaware of what was happening around them.

They remembered everything they had said!

Their entire history had been exposed!

This was truly going to cost them their lives!

Just then, Hatake Kakashi narrowed his eyes and walked toward them with an unfriendly expression.

Mitokado Homura immediately turned and fled, while Utatane Koharu nervously tried to explain,

"It was a misunderstanding. It was all a misunderstanding. The White Fang incident was designed by Hiruzen and Danzo. It had nothing to do with us..."

"Misunderstanding my ass!"

Kakashi directly cursed.

The Sharingan in his left eye immediately placed Utatane Koharu under genjutsu.

Then he drew the short blade at his side and, filled with hatred, lunged forward.

With a single slash, he struck Mitokado Homura in the back!

Afterward, he dragged the two elders away like a pair of dead dogs.

Clearly, he intended to take them somewhere else and figure out how to kill them in a way that would satisfy his hatred.

Yet no one in the meeting room tried to stop him.

Kakashi was going to avenge the father who had been killed.

What reason could they possibly have to stop him?

Meanwhile, Reiji instructed the members of the clan to expose all of Sarutobi Hiruzen’s scandals.

At this moment, Nara Shikaku stepped forward hesitantly.

"Sir, you don’t intend to succeed the position of Hokage?"

"If you still intend to become Hokage, publicly exposing all of this may have some unfavorable consequences."

Sarutobi Hiruzen had, after all, been Konoha’s Third Hokage.

If all these scandals were suddenly made public, what would the villagers think?

And what would the other countries think of Konoha?

"If I become Hokage, wouldn’t I have to go pay my respects to the Daimyo and obtain his permission before I can officially take office?"

"What meaning is there in merely becoming Hokage?"

Reiji’s face was filled with disdain.

"If you intend to succeed as Hokage, then naturally."

Nara Shikaku answered.

Becoming Hokage required visiting the Daimyo and obtaining his approval.

This had been a rule passed down ever since the First Hokage established the system of one country, one village.

Of course, the Daimyo generally wouldn’t reject the Hokage chosen by the village.

"Then that’s that."

"I have no interest in dealing with that useless Daimyo."

"Besides, the system of one country, one village, and the position of Hokage, should have been changed long ago."

As he spoke, Reiji walked toward the exit.

But then he suddenly turned around and looked at everyone in the meeting room.

"I’m going to examine the Scroll of Seals."

"If anyone wants to stop me, be my guest."

With that, he turned around and left.

Not a single one of Konoha’s elite shinobi in the meeting room stepped forward to stop him.

Nara Shikaku was left completely bewildered.

He didn’t intend to become Hokage, yet he said the system of one country, one village and the position of Hokage needed to be changed?

What exactly was Uchiha Reiji planning?

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