Shimura Danzō's face darkened upon hearing this.
In truth, he originally didn't want to step forward and draw attention, but he simply couldn't stand Uchiha Izuna shouting and making a scene.
He figured that with two First Hokage and two Second Hokage present, Izuna wouldn't be able to do anything to him.
After all, wasn't Hiruzen not cut down?
"The Uchiha's Sharingan contains dangerous power. Their ambitions have been expanding day by day, even repeatedly planning clan meetings to launch a coup."
Shimura Danzō spoke with a gloomy expression, listing the crimes of the Uchiha.
"For the stability and peace of Konoha, to avoid even greater casualties from civil war, we had no choice but to sacrifice the Uchiha clan!"
As he spoke, he looked at the two Senju Hashirama and Senju Tobirama, speaking earnestly.
"First-sama, Second-sama, I believe you can understand the actions Hiruzen and I took."
Senju Hashirama and Senju Tobirama fell silent.
If things were truly as he said, then the Uchiha clan indeed would have to make some sacrifices.
But they hadn't expected that Sarutobi Hiruzen and Shimura Danzō would be so ruthless as to completely exterminate the Uchiha clan.
If it were them, they would only arrest those hawks attempting a coup; there was no way they would slaughter the entire Uchiha clan!
"That's bullshit!" Uchiha Izuna glared fiercely at Shimura Danzō. "Excuses, all of it is just excuses!"
He didn't believe for a second that this ugly Danzō was a good person.
He must have feared the Uchiha, which is why he exterminated them!
It could only be said that he truly lived up to being a disciple taught by the inherently sinister Senju Tobirama—like teacher, like student!
This guy perfectly inherited his teacher's will!
Shimura Danzō met Uchiha Izuna's gaze without changing expression. The moment something went wrong, he would immediately form hand seals and use Izanagi.
Otherwise, by the time he finished forming the seals, he wouldn't even have a chance to revive.
"Exterminating the Uchiha is not something to be proud of," he said in a deep voice, trying to move the First and Second.
"But for the continuation of the great tree that is Konoha, for the survival and peace of more people, someone must carry out the things that cannot see the light."
"This is the meaning of 'Root's existence, and also the path I, Shimura Danzō… have chosen!"
"Enough!" Uchiha Madara interrupted Danzō's speech impatiently.
Although he didn't care about the lives of those Uchiha, this guy was truly annoying, constantly finding grand-sounding excuses for himself.
He couldn't even compare to the one beside Renya.
The Shimura Danzō and Sarutobi Hiruzen of this spacetime were simply hypocritical to the extreme!
The Uchiha's attempt at a coup was nothing more than wanting to become Hokage; launching a coup wasn't about destroying Konoha Village.
At the end of the day, they were just afraid the Uchiha would seize their positions, which is why they exterminated the clan.
Seeing this, Shimura Danzō wisely shut his mouth, not daring to say another word.
His goal had already been achieved—raising his prestige in front of everyone.
Once this matter was over, if nothing unexpected happened, he would be the Fourth Hokage!
"I'm very curious—how exactly did you exterminate the Uchiha clan?"
Edo Tensei Tobirama suddenly asked.
The Uchiha clan was a major clan in the village; logically, it shouldn't have been so easy to wipe them out.
Otherwise, during the Warring States period, the Senju and Uchiha wouldn't have fought for so many years.
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone's gaze fell upon Sarutobi Hiruzen and Shimura Danzō.
The two exchanged glances, neither daring to speak.
"Heh, not talking, are you?"
Uchiha Izuna sneered. He stepped forward, grabbed Shimura Danzō by the throat, and cast a Sharingan genjutsu.
He wanted to see whether this hypocritical guy was really as righteous as he claimed!
Shimura Danzō originally wanted to resist, but seeing that the First and Second had no intention of stopping it, he could only grit his teeth and let Izuna read his memories.
Very quickly, Uchiha Izuna learned the full sequence of events.
"Heh, just as I imagined. Truly worthy of being a fine disciple taught by Senju Tobirama!"
Edo Tensei Tobirama: "…"
Wait, what does this have to do with me again?!
He hadn't participated in the Uchiha extermination at all.
Seeing this, Sarutobi Hiruzen let out a soft sigh, knowing the truth could no longer be hidden.
He took a deep breath and slowly began:
"The conflict was not formed overnight. The Uchiha possessed powerful kekkei genkai, but ever since the Nine-Tails' attack on the village, speculation that the Uchiha could control the Nine-Tails continued to spread throughout the village."
"The village leadership, myself included, out of fear of a second Nine-Tails disaster, made the decision to relocate the Uchiha clan compound to the edge of the village and increase surveillance…"
"This was the beginning of the mistake. It not only hurt the Uchiha's dignity but also planted seeds of distrust and estrangement in their hearts."
Regret filled Sarutobi Hiruzen's eyes.
"I tried to make amends, tried to communicate. But once the seed of suspicion is planted, it grows wildly. Within the Uchiha, dissatisfaction with the village's policies intensified, and the voices of the radicals grew louder and louder."
"At the same time, within the village leadership, vigilance and a hardline stance toward the Uchiha were also increasing. Caught in the middle, I was torn. I wanted to soothe the Uchiha's anger, yet I had to consider the overall safety of the village."
"My indecisiveness, my naive illusions, caused the situation to deteriorate step by step."
...
"And the extermination of the Uchiha was carried out by the Uchiha prodigy, Uchiha Itachi. He reached an agreement with Danzō. In exchange, the village had to guarantee the absolute safety of his younger brother, Uchiha Sasuke, and conceal the Uchiha's attempted coup—at the very least preserving the clan's reputation."
Sarutobi Hiruzen suppressed his tears, his voice trembling.
"Thud!"
In the crowd, Uchiha Sasuke fell to his knees, tears uncontrollably streaming from his eyes.
"Why… why did it turn out like this!"
The brother he had hated all these years had actually chosen to personally kill their parents and clan—for his sake.
No one had ever told him this!
"Sasuke, are you okay…"
Uzumaki Naruto and Haruno Sakura stepped forward in concern, only to be violently shaken off by him.
Everyone was still in shock from the truth; no one paid attention to the three children.
"After saying all that, it just proves your incompetence in governance."
Uchiha Izuna stared coldly at Sarutobi Hiruzen.
"If Konoha Village had been able to accept the Uchiha, things would never have fallen to this point."
He had once told his brother that no matter what, the Uchiha must never surrender.
But after he died in battle, his brother failed to defeat Senju Hashirama and was ultimately forced to join Konoha.
The result was the Uchiha being ostracized, and his brother leaving the village alone.
Uchiha Madara: "…"
When Sarutobi Hiruzen mentioned the Nine-Tails twice, the first time should have been when he fought Hashirama.
As for the second time, if nothing unexpected happened, it was that guy Obito.
So, in a way, the Uchiha extermination was partly related to him.
After all, in his view while carrying out the "Eye of the Moon" plan, nothing in the ninja world was beyond sacrifice.
Even his own clan was no exception…
However, he didn't dare say these words in front of Izuna.
Let his younger brother vent his anger on Tobirama's disciple instead.
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