Before Tsunade could speak, Naruto had already risen.
Seeing this, Danzo's eyes turned cold, and his fingers tightened on the handle of his cane.
Those present looked at Naruto in surprise.
How long had this meeting been going on?
This young man had been clashing with Danzo for just as long, and now he had actually stood up again.
How much more did he have to say?
"I object."
As expected.
Hearing these two words, many people present sighed in their hearts simultaneously.
It seemed that this Jonin directly under the Hokage was truly determined to lock horns with Danzo until the end today.
"Naruto, what qualification do you have to object?" Danzo asked coldly.
"As a Jonin directly under the Hokage, I have the qualification to express opinions on behalf of the Hokage herself on issues involving major decisions for Konoha. My opinion is, naturally, the will of Granny Tsunade."
"However, before that, I would like to ask Elder Danzo a question."
Naruto looked straight at Danzo. "Elder Danzo just spoke a lot about Root's contributions to Konoha."
"Then I would like to ask, of what use is Root to Konoha? Or rather, what has Root done for Konoha?"
Danzo sneered upon hearing this. He stood up straight and began to recount Root's achievements over the years one by one, using the tone of someone addressing the ignorance of a junior.
"Root is the darkness of Konoha, an indispensable presence for actions that can never be made public under the sun."
"Assassinating key figures of hostile forces, infiltrating enemy intelligence networks, rooting out internal traitors, and eliminating potential threats to the village's safety in advance. Root has completed all these missions in silence."
"If it weren't for Root, Konoha would have long been gnawed to pieces by enemies hiding in the shadows."
"No one has the right to question Root's contribution and loyalty to Konoha. In some respects, Root's operational efficiency even surpasses that of Anbu."
Upon hearing these words, some of the older Jonin in the conference room had their expressions change slightly.
Some of them did indeed know that Root had contributed during several major crises. Although those contributions could not be brought into the light, their existence could not be denied.
Naruto listened patiently to Danzo's entire statement, then nodded, his face devoid of any expression of rebuttal.
Once Danzo finished speaking, he said, "Then, during the Chunin Exams, when Orochimaru launched the Konoha Crush, where was Root?"
"From the moment Orochimaru disguised himself as the Kazekage to launch the surprise attack, to the Third Hokage being trapped on the rooftop by the Four Violet Flames Formation, to the joint forces of the Sunagakure and Otogakure ninjas wreaking havoc throughout the village—that was plenty of time, wasn't it?"
"During that time, did Root lift a finger? Even once?"
Danzo's voice became a bit colder. "I have already stated that Root suffered a Tailed Beast Ball attack, resulting in heavy casualties and the destruction of our base, making it impossible to organize effective combat power to join the defense in time."
Naruto said, "Elder Danzo, I am curious. Since that was the case, why didn't you mobilize Root's remaining combat power to join the subsequent defense?"
"It was only the base that was attacked, not all of Root's personnel. You should still have had manpower at your disposal, right?"
"Furthermore, from the start of Orochimaru's surprise attack until the three-headed snake was dealt with by Jiraiya-san, quite a significant amount of time passed."
"If Root were truly as efficient as you just claimed, that time would have been enough for a well-trained elite ninja squad to run back and forth from the edge of the village to the center of the battlefield several times."
"Yet, throughout the entire Konoha Crush, where was Root?"
"The heads of all the major clans were leading their people in the counterattack—the Inuzuka Clan, the Hyuga Clan, the Aburame Clan, and even those retired, older-generation ninjas were fighting back desperately."
"And yet, Elder Danzo's Root, touted as Konoha's most elite dark unit, didn't send a single person out while the village was being battered to pieces."
"Is this what you just called a contribution to Konoha? Is this Root's outstanding operational capability?"
Danzo stared coldly at Naruto, trying to discern something from his expression, even if it were just a flicker of panic in his eyes.
"Naruto, you understand the timing of the attack on Root so clearly, even knowing exactly when it occurred. Could it be that the attack had something to do with you?"
Naruto chuckled, showing no panic. "Elder Danzo, during the Chunin Exams, I was chasing the One-Tail Jinchuriki, Gaara. One-Tail went berserk, and I was fighting it head-on. During my battle with One-Tail, it was firing Tailed Beast Balls indiscriminately, so naturally, I know the timing."
Upon hearing this, Danzo tightened his fingers on his cane, emitting a faint clicking sound.
He opened his mouth to retort, but Naruto didn't give him the chance, turning to all the Jonin and clan heads present.
"Everyone, I oppose Elder Danzo's request. In fact, I propose that we disband Root immediately."
In an instant, the crowd was in an uproar, and Danzo didn't even bother to hide his killing intent.
Unfazed by Danzo's killing intent, Naruto spoke, "This is not out of personal vendetta, but for the sake of Konoha. Since my father, the Fourth Hokage, died in battle, and the Third Hokage resumed the position of Hokage, Konoha has experienced a very obvious generational gap in talent."
"After the Third Hokage died in battle, the entire Konoha couldn't even find a single person capable of immediately stepping up to take the lead."
"Kakashi-sensei is excellent, and Guy-sensei is also very strong, but they are still one step away from the Kage level."
"This step has held Konoha back for over a decade. Why?"
Naruto turned around, his gaze slowly sweeping over Danzo, Koharu, and Homura.
"What caused this phenomenon is the institutional problem left behind by the previous generation."
"The Hokage's power has been divided, resources and talent have been siphoned off, and the most promising seedlings are snatched up by various factions before they even have a chance to mature."
"It is true that the Council of Elders holds power, but most of the time, this power is only used to maintain their respective spheres of influence, rather than cultivating the next generation to take over."
"Especially you, Elder Danzo. You hold Root in your hands, and you wield political influence far exceeding what an Elder should have, which directly splinters the Hokage's power."
"The destruction of a nation is never caused by external enemies smashing it with a single blow. It starts from internal division, and then it collapses on its own."
"Endless infighting consumes too many of Konoha's resources, resources that should have been used to cultivate more ninjas capable of standing on their own."
"Therefore, I don't just oppose replenishing Root. I propose the complete reclamation of Root, merging it with the Anbu, and centralizing all resources and command authority under the Hokage personally."
"Only when the Hokage's power is no longer divided can Konoha truly move toward strength."
After finishing, Naruto let his gaze fall on Danzo. "Elder Danzo, what I just said is not aimed at you, but for the sake of Konoha."
Upon hearing this, the muscles on Danzo's face twitched, and he squeezed his cane until several cracks appeared, inwardly raging, 'That's my line!'
For the sake of Konoha!
It was the signature line that Danzo had used his entire life. Relying on this phrase, he had persuaded Hiruzen many times, annexed many resources that should have belonged directly to the Hokage, and had stood firm in countless power struggles.
And now, this phrase was not only spoken from the mouth of Naruto, but it was also being used to take away the Root he had worked so hard to build.
The two Advisors sitting next to Danzo exchanged a look, and then chose to wait and see.
The two of them had been able to sit in these positions to this age because their sense for power was sharper than anyone else's.
Although Naruto's words just now were aimed at Danzo, the issues of infighting and the dilution of the Hokage's power that he mentioned were ailments shared by the entire Council of Elders.
However, unlike Danzo, they did not hold armed forces, only some authority. Therefore, as long as the Hokage didn't put a knife directly to their throats, they wouldn't jump out to block the blade themselves.
Furthermore, they disliked the way Danzo had been monopolizing power using Root for so many years.