If today's incident wasn't about Danzo, then it was about his own prestige in the village.
He had already apologized proactively and made amends before.
But now things were different. Once he conceded, all the darkness within Root would be exposed.
At that point, the village's current power system would inevitably be purged, and he would lose control!
Not only that—judging from Kakashi's tone, the boy might even pull down Koharu and Homura along with Danzo.
He knew full well that Koharu and Homura had many private dealings with Danzo.
Otherwise, how could the Utatane and Mitokado clans have grown so rapidly?
As for himself, as the Third Hokage, he hadn't abused his power for personal gain.
But the Sarutobi clan elders had accepted Danzo's favors!
Hiruzen could only turn a blind eye.
Without the strong backing of those clans, there would've been no way for him to stay Hokage in the first place.
After all, he was only verbally appointed by Lord Tobirama—no written proof. His claim to the title had been fragile!
Since he had received such great favors from the four clans, naturally, he couldn't bear to see them suffer.
Even though he was Hokage once, he was still human after all.
And as long as one is human, it's impossible not to protect their own clan.
Hiruzen convinced himself with this reasoning.
He said sorry to Sakumo silently in his heart.
Then he steeled his will, looked at Kakashi, and said in a deep voice:
"Kakashi, I understand your desire to seek justice for your father. But words alone are not enough."
"Besides, even if Danzo really acted improperly, Sakumo did abandon his mission on the battlefield, causing losses to the Land of Fire!"
"Putting Danzo aside for now—does Sakumo bear no fault at all?"
Truly classic!
Worthy of the title "Third Hokage."
No wonder he could sit securely at the top, basking in praise.
With this level of sophistry, in a world of ninjas who rely on fists over words—and most with zero debating skills—this was practically a dimensional reduction strike!
Kakashi actually laughed in anger.
"Hahahahaha, what a joke!"
"So even you think it was wrong for my father to give up the mission in order to save his comrades, huh?"
"Perfect! Really perfect!"
"Then let me ask our beloved Third Hokage advisors—what are the duties of the Hokage Guard?"
"Of course, to protect the Hokage's life until death. When we guarded the Second Hokage, we fulfilled our duty without fail!"
Before Hiruzen could answer, Utatane Koharu puffed her chest and spoke proudly.
Serving in Tobirama's guard and fighting by his side was her lifetime's achievement—
—one of the key reasons she was qualified to sit as Hokage's advisor!
"Koharu!"
Hiruzen barked, trying to silence her.
After this extended verbal sparring with Kakashi, he realized the boy wasn't some ordinary ninja dabbling in politics.
He was a sharp mind—able to flip situations at will!
It had been ages since Hiruzen faced such a worthy opponent.
Compared to Kakashi, Fugaku and Hizashi were children.
And just as Hiruzen predicted, the boy had laid a trap.
But Koharu jumped right into it herself.
Ah… Danzo, he almost missed his presence.
Clap! Clap! Clap!
"Well said!"
"Advisor Koharu speaks true. As expected of one of Lord Tobirama's guards—you truly understand!"
Kakashi clapped in mock admiration.
What's going on?
Why did Kakashi suddenly change his attitude, praising her?
Could it be that he was finally moved by her charisma?
Koharu, puffed up and about to respond with pride, suddenly froze.
And then—
Kakashi's voice cut sharp:
"Then I would like to ask Advisor Koharu—why did you, whose duty was to protect Lord Tobirama with your life, abandon him and return alive?"
"You… you're spouting nonsense! Everyone here knows Tobirama-sama sacrificed himself to protect our retreat!"
Koharu bristled, like a cat with its tail stepped on.
"Oh, is that so?"
Kakashi tilted his head mockingly.
"Funny… I always thought being in the Hokage Guard meant throwing your life on the line to protect the Hokage. At the very least, you should've resisted his sacrifice, even if it meant dying uselessly."
"But instead… you just let him go and ran back?"
"Is that your grand enlightenment?"
"Excuse me, but are you telling me that Lord Tobirama—who had Flying Thunder God and could warp across the battlefield—just had to die because of you?"
"Elder Hiruzen, if I were you? The moment I learned of Tobirama-sama's death, I'd have gutted myself on the spot to atone!"
"At the very least, step down from every position and repent."
"But no—you sat in the Hokage's chair, smiling ear to ear. Truly shameless."
Kakashi sneered.
"You insolent brat! What nonsense!"
"It was Tobirama-sama himself who sacrificed his life and appointed Hiruzen as Hokage on the battlefield!"
"Hiruzen's succession was legitimate—who would dare oppose it?!"
Koharu jumped, shrieking with rage.
"Oh? Really?"
"But you just told me the Guard's duty is to protect the Hokage with their lives!"
"Doesn't that mean your actions violated the sacred 'ninja code'?"
"And think about it—Tobirama-sama, as Hokage, sacrificed himself to save you."
"But doesn't that contradict the principle of putting the village above all else?"
"After all, sacrificing a Hokage only to save a handful of jōnin like you—no matter how you look at it, that's a losing trade."
"So let me get this straight—"
"The Second Hokage abandoned his mission for his companions, right?"
"If that's the case, then why is the Second Hokage praised as noble, why did Sarutobi Hiruzen rise as Hokage, why did you two sit as Hokage's advisors—"
"—while my father, who made the same choice as Tobirama-sama, was crucified, disgraced, and slandered even after death?!"
Kakashi's barrage of questions left Koharu trembling in fury.
She pointed at him, sputtering: "Y-you dare slander Lord Tobirama—"
"Oh? Did I ever insult Tobirama-sama?"
Kakashi shrugged innocently.
"I'm just quoting your precious ninja code."
"The same ninja code you used to condemn my father, nailing him to the village's pillar of shame!"
"Or wait—does the 'ninja code' not apply to you? Is it just a leash for other ninjas?"
"Right, of course. After all, you were Tobirama-sama's personal students, practically raised under the same blanket!"
"So, I take it the ultimate authority to interpret the ninja code belongs to the Third Hokage, huh?"
"When he needs it—it's the law. When he doesn't—it's just decoration?"
Kakashi gave a theatrical shrug, as though baffled by the absurdity.
The clan leaders exchanged troubled glances.
Kakashi's words stung—because they were true.
They had all heard the stories.
Tobirama-sama died in battle, yet his guards somehow made it back alive.
And not just alive—they rose to the heights of Konoha. Hiruzen became Hokage, and Koharu and Homura became advisors.
But then… the same choice by White Fang was condemned as unforgivable?
Such blatant double standards—shameless indeed!