Hiruzen Sarutobi and the two elders' faces changed drastically.
"Kaede, stop trying to stall with your lies!"
But Kaede completely ignored them.
As if speaking to himself, he muttered, "Where should I start…?"
"Hard to decide, so let's begin with something recent."
He narrowed his eyes at the crowd of shinobi.
"Do you all remember six years ago, when the delegation from Kumogakure came to Konoha to sign a peace treaty?"
The shinobi glanced at each other, some confused.
But from within the crowd, Hiashi's expression changed as he sharply looked at Kaede.
Other Hyūga who knew the truth and could never forget that day also showed signs of unrest.
Was Kaede about to talk about that?
Kaede chuckled. "That event wasn't as simple as you think."
"That night, while the Kumo delegation was in Konoha, one of their envoys snuck into the Hyūga compound and abducted the clan leader's daughter—Hinata Hyūga."
"But as he tried to leave, he was discovered by Hiashi, who killed him and brought the body to Hiruzen Sarutobi."
"Then, the other Kumo delegates stormed the Hokage's office. When they saw the corpse, they flipped the situation, accusing the Hyūga of murdering a peaceful envoy. They threatened war unless Konoha handed over the 'culprit'!"
At that, several shinobi in the crowd couldn't hold back their gasps.
"There was such a thing?!"
"Kumogakure are such bastards!"
"How come we never heard about this before?!"
Kaede had amplified his voice with chakra, making sure his words reached all of Konoha.
Even Hinata and Neji, far away, turned their heads instinctively toward the source of the voice.
Kaede continued without pause.
"By now, I think it's obvious that Kumogakure's real goal… was to steal the Byakugan."
Kaede smiled coldly.
"Why don't you all take a guess—how was this incident resolved?"
Everyone turned toward the Hyūga.
The Hyūga had always treated this event as a disgrace, and many of them now wore grim expressions.
Even Hiashi shut his eyes tightly in shame.
They didn't even need to guess anymore.
The Hyūga had yielded.
And that was…
Many shinobi couldn't help but shift their gazes toward Hiruzen and the two elders.
How could they let something so humiliating happen to Konoha?
Feeling the weight of countless accusing stares, Homura and Koharu's faces turned pale.
Koharu growled, "Kaede, what exactly are you trying to do?!"
Kaede answered flatly, "I just want everyone here to know the truth. They're all part of Konoha, after all."
"And if you interrupt me again… I'll detonate the explosive tags near your clan's district."
Kaede's cold gaze sent a shiver down Koharu's spine, making her stumble back a few steps in fear.
Shame instantly followed.
Was she really too scared to even meet Kaede's eyes?
Kaede smiled slightly as he watched the unrest grow among the shinobi.
"Seems everyone has guessed already. So let's not play riddles anymore."
"Kumogakure demanded that Konoha hand over Hiashi Hyūga. The Hyūga refused and even vowed to fight on the front lines if war broke out."
"But Hiruzen, Danzo, Homura, and Koharu—Konoha's top leadership—folded first!"
"They didn't even reprimand Kumogakure. Instead, they joined them in pressuring the Hyūga, not caring if the Byakugan bloodline would end up in enemy hands!"
"In the end, when the Hyūga were at a loss, Hiashi's younger brother Hizashi stepped forward."
Hiashi shut his eyes in pain at the memory.
His little brother… died to protect him.
Kaede went on.
"As a member of the branch family, Hizashi's death meant the Byakugan would be destroyed by the Caged Bird Seal, preventing it from being stolen."
"So in the end, Kumogakure walked away from Konoha triumphant, with Hizashi's corpse in tow."
Silence fell over the shinobi.
This was the first they'd ever heard of this.
The village that won three ninja wars—Konoha, the supposed strongest in the world—was slapped by the enemy right in its own territory?
And the Hokage and elders didn't fight back?
They offered the other cheek?
"Woah—!"
The hush exploded into chaos.
"How could the Hokage agree to that?!"
"Shameful! This is a disgrace to Konoha!"
"Is this true? Is Kaede making it up?"
"It has to be true… just look at the Hyūga's faces."
…
'It's over… the reputation I worked so hard to build… it's gone.'
That was Hiruzen's only thought as he watched the crowd react.
What he didn't know was that the shinobi behind him desperately wanted him to deny Kaede's claims.
Even if they knew it would be a lie—
Even if it was just a cover to save face—
But Hiruzen stood frozen, completely shattered by Kaede's words.
At his age, the thing he cared most about was his title and reputation.
And now, both had been utterly destroyed.
He might not even keep the Hokage position after this.
"Well, looks like Hokage-dono has nothing to add," Kaede mocked with a cold smile.
From the expressions around him, he could already tell what most of them were thinking.
Hiruzen's silence had cost him the last of his political backing.
Without it, Kaede could manipulate Konoha's leadership however he wanted.
'And this is just the beginning.'
Kaede narrowed his eyes.
"Since Hokage-dono has no objections to what I've said so far, let's move on to the next secret."
"This one took place two months after the Fourth Hokage gave his life to stop the Nine-Tails from destroying the village…"
The shinobi leaned in unconsciously.
They wanted to know more.
Just how deep did the rot in Konoha run?
Kaede said, "Orochimaru. I believe you've all heard that name before, yes?"
…
(End of Chapter)
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