Chapter 69: Justice Cannot Prevail
Uchiha Ikeizumi's voice wasn't loud, but everyone present could hear it clearly.
"Besides Uchiha Shisui… Sakumo Hatake was also indirectly killed by Danzō?"
A slightly older Konoha jōnin paused, stunned. He had once worked with Sakumo Hatake but only knew that, due to some events back then, Sakumo Hatake had suffered much verbal abuse.
He didn't know that someone was actually deliberately manipulating negative public opinion against Sakumo Hatake behind the scenes!
Wait a minute!
Could it be that the surge of negative public opinion was also related to Danzō?
At this moment…
Some ANBU ninja couldn't help but cast their gazes upon Kakashi Hatake—because as an ANBU squad leader, Kakashi Hatake's father was Sakumo Hatake!
Hiruzen Sarutobi's gaze deepened. He glared coldly at Danzō, then turned his head to look at Kakashi to his right-rear.
Hiruzen Sarutobi saw that Kakashi, who was usually listless all day, had his fists clenched at some point.
"Kakashi!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi suddenly warned him. The current situation was already chaotic enough; if Kakashi couldn't suppress his anger and made any impulsive moves, it would be even more troublesome.
"…Hokage-sama, I am very calm." Kakashi was silent for half a second, only answering this much.
No one saw the expression beneath his ANBU mask.
Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed inwardly.
Even he could hear the emotional波动 in Kakashi's tone.
How could he be calm?
Uchiha Ikeizumi revealing Danzō's past deeds in public was also something Hiruzen Sarutobi had not expected.
Can't Ikeizumi consider the village's balance?
Putting Danzō on the hot seat…
This will spiral out of control!
....
"Several years ago, to research the First Hokage's Wood Release cells, you and Orochimaru conducted extreme experiments, killing a large number of volunteers. After the research was halted, you still colluded with Orochimaru to privately kidnap infants for experiments, directly or indirectly causing the deaths of sixty-seven innocent infants."
Uchiha Ikeizumi, as if seeing through all evil, slowly read out content invisible to others.
"How do you explain this?"
"And…"
"Enough!!!" Danzō glared furiously, retorting: "This is merely your, an evil brat's, one-sided story! Uchiha Ikeizumi! What evidence do you have that you can truly see through past and future evil? What evidence do you have that what you say is true?"
His interruption was abrupt and revealed some panic.
Because Danzō could already feel gazes—some hostile, some angry, some suspicious—all focused on him.
That chilling sensation of becoming an enemy to the entire world.
Made all the hairs on his body stand on end.
He then questioned the crowd around him: "Are you going to believe this brat's one-sided story? Do you not question whether what he says is true or false at all? This old man has dedicated most of his life to Konoha; you don't believe this old man, but you believe him?"
"Senior Ikeizumi never lies!!!" A sudden voice made Danzō's eyelids twitch.
He discovered that the speaker was also a Uchiha clan brat!
Izumi, who could no longer listen, gritted her teeth and bravely stepped forward. She confronted Shimura Danzō, a Konoha elder: "Senior Ikeizumi has never misjudged anyone's evil deeds; you cannot casually slander Senior with a few words!"
Danzō's anger intensified.
He could begrudgingly tolerate Hiruzen Sarutobi and Uchiha Ikeizumi speaking disrespectfully to him.
But what right did this Uchiha brat, who looked like he hadn't even fully matured, have to confront him?
"Fugaku, control your clan members!" Danzō felt that even acknowledging Izumi was a condescension to his status.
Uchiha brats are indeed undisciplined!
"Danzō, what needs to be controlled… is yourself!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi's cold tone left Danzō fuming.
"Monkey, you…"
Before Danzō could finish his sentence, Hiruzen Sarutobi, with a grim face, turned his head and asked Uchiha Ikeizumi: "Ikeizumi, can you guarantee that what you're saying is true? Shisui, Sakumo… are their deaths all related to Danzō?"
"Third Hokage, are you deliberately interrupting me?" Uchiha Ikeizumi didn't answer but instead countered: "Interrupting me before I reveal more of Shimura Danzō's past evil deeds, so you, as Hokage, can do your best to continue covering for him, right?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi froze, his eye twitching involuntarily.
"You misunderstand this old man." Hiruzen Sarutobi felt he simply wanted this conflict to end as smoothly as possible.
Not to continue in this manner, where all pretenses were dropped.
But who would have thought that Ikeizumi wouldn't cooperate with him at all?
The most crucial thing was… although Danzō had indeed hidden many things from him, Hiruzen Sarutobi was aware of some matters and had silently condoned Danzō's actions.
Hiruzen Sarutobi was the Hokage who stood in the light, while Shimura Danzō was the Root of Konoha who stood in the shadows. The two of them complemented each other, leading to the current powerful Konoha.
If some of Danzō's affairs involved him…
A hint of almost imperceptible gloom flashed in Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes.
Uchiha Ikeizumi glanced at him, clearly seeing the faint displeasure on the Third Hokage's face, but he didn't care. Instead, his tone turned icy as he continued: "Three years ago…"
One by one, more evil deeds related to Danzō poured from Uchiha Ikeizumi's mouth.
Listening to them sent chills down the spines of the Konoha ninja.
It made Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression grow increasingly helpless.
And it made Danzō's sanity almost explode—no matter how much he insisted that Uchiha Ikeizumi was lying, he couldn't help but admit in his heart that everything this evil Uchiha brat said was true!
Some past events Danzō himself had almost forgotten, yet Uchiha Ikeizumi could clearly articulate them, stirring up long-buried memories.
Danzō felt that many Konoha ninja were looking at him as if he were a "scum" from the gutters of humanity!
Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!
How could this happen!!!
...
"So, Third Hokage…" Uchiha Ikeizumi suddenly stopped detailing Danzō's past evil deeds. He turned to Hiruzen Sarutobi, his expression unwavering, and spoke in a haunting tone: "As the Hokage of Konoha, how will you deal with Shimura Danzō?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi's aged face was grim, and he remained silent.
"Third Hokage, if Danzō doesn't die, justice cannot prevail. Are you, 'Lord Hokage,' going to protect this villain who deserves to be cut into a thousand pieces?"
"Or is it that 'Justice,' in your eyes, is merely a tool for maintaining politics? You pick it up when you want it, and discard it when you don't?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi's breathing involuntarily quickened slightly.
He understood.
Uchiha Ikeizumi was ostensibly putting Danzō on the hot seat, but in reality, he was targeting him, the Third Hokage!
He was putting Hiruzen Sarutobi himself on the hot seat!
Hiruzen Sarutobi could already feel many people shifting their accusatory gazes from Danzō to himself.
He, as Hokage, had to give an answer!
"…Monkey!"
Danzō's exasperated gaze also involuntarily fell upon Hiruzen Sarutobi.
....
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