Seeing the wavering hearts of the crowd, Sarutobi Hiruzen nudged the Shimura Danzo beside him.
"Danzo, you're the Hokage now. Say something."
Hearing that, Shimura raised his head.
But the moment he met Senju Tobirama's sharp gaze, an inexplicable fear rose in his heart.
In the end, he could only lower his head, stiff and silent like a child who had done something wrong.
Seeing Shimura's reaction, Sarutobi knew there was no hope relying on him. Gritting his teeth, he cleared his throat.
In a deep voice, he said, "What happened to the Senju clan was merely coincidence. Every one of their members inherited the Will of Fire, carrying the resolve to protect the village even at the cost of their lives. That's why they suffered such heavy losses in the first two Shinobi World Wars."
"But their deaths were meaningful. It was precisely because of their sacrifice that Konoha enjoyed long-lasting peace."
"As for the Uzumaki clan… to put it bluntly, they aren't a ninja clan of Konoha. Whoever they chose to support has nothing to do with us."
"The Hatake clan needs no further explanation. Only Hatake Sakumo and Hatake Kakashi remain. They colluded with the Uchiha clan long ago and have already betrayed the Will of Fire."
"And the Hyuga clan… not long ago, when I demanded they send clan members to help the village resist Kumogakure, they chose to defect instead. Such a clan is a disgrace to Konoha!"
"Even if the Uchiha and Senju clans once joined hands to found Konoha, those two clans cannot represent the entirety of Konoha."
"Konoha also has the Nara clan, the Yamanaka clan, the Akimichi clan, the Aburame clan, the Inuzuka clan, the Kurama clan, the Shimura clan… and countless ordinary civilian ninja."
"It is precisely because of these clans and civilian ninja who inherit and carry forward the Will of Fire that Konoha is truly Konoha!"
Sarutobi's voice grew louder and louder. In the end, he pointed at Uchiha Yuzuru and said coldly, "So even if your great noble clans unite, you will forever be traitors to Konoha!"
He already understood that today, death was likely his only path.
But even in death, he would brand the actions of the Uchiha clan and the others as usurpation and rebellion.
Even if the Uchiha clan ultimately seized control of Konoha, in the eyes of the people, their rule would forever be illegitimate!
Thinking this, a cold smile appeared on Sarutobi's face.
Uchiha Yuzuru had gone to such lengths—wasn't it all just to preserve the Uchiha clan's reputation?
Wishful thinking!
However, Yuzuru merely chuckled softly, his gaze toward Sarutobi filled with mockery.
In his eyes, Sarutobi now looked like a monkey leaping and shrieking about—the more he jumped and the louder he screamed, the more satisfied he felt.
You want to bind Konoha's ninja clans and civilian ninja together to preserve your last shred of dignity?
Then I'll tear off your final fig leaf and expose you to utter disgrace before everyone!
With that thought, Yuzuru gestured toward Might Duy.
Duy immediately understood. He led his subordinates and threw the freshly sealed Edo Tensei ninja, one by one, in front of the Konoha ninja.
"Second Hokage, you developed the Edo Tensei technique. Explain to everyone the conditions for using this forbidden jutsu."
Tobirama had long since been utterly disappointed in Sarutobi. He concealed nothing and began to speak calmly.
"The Edo Tensei technique summons the dead from the Pure Land to the living world. However, it requires a sacrifice prepared in advance."
"The stronger the body of the sacrifice, the more power the summoned deceased can exert compared to when they were alive."
"So the sacrifice is…"
Tobirama already understood Yuzuru's intention and said in a heavy voice, "A living human!"
The moment those words fell, not only the Konoha ninja, but even the Kumogakure ninja sucked in a sharp breath.
If Edo Tensei required living people as sacrifices, then the forty thousand Edo Tensei ninja previously summoned by Konoha…
Did that mean forty thousand living people had been used as sacrifices?!
Yuzuru snorted coldly and said in a low voice, "You can tear off the bandages and take a look. You might even see companions you lived alongside day and night."
The Konoha ninja exchanged glances. Some began unwrapping the bandages from the heads of the sealed Edo Tensei ninja on the ground.
In the next instant, one after another, ninja wearing Konoha forehead protectors with twisted, ferocious expressions appeared before everyone's eyes.
Cries of shock erupted from the crowd.
"Koizumi Yuji? He was my classmate—we graduated from the Ninja Academy together!"
"This is… Kameda Kazuya. Wasn't he conscripted by the village before the war even began?"
"Inuzuka Shi! A missing genin from the Inuzuka clan!"
The bodies were quickly identified one after another. Many even recognized their own friends and family.
At this point, the Konoha ninja finally understood.
Before the war began, those ninja who had been conscripted early had all been used as sacrifices for the Edo Tensei technique!
Looking at Sarutobi's ashen, despairing face, Yuzuru asked with a smile, "Third Hokage, how do you explain this?"
"The so-called Will of Fire—is it turning comrades into living sacrifices?"
"What exactly are these comrades to you?!"
Hearing Yuzuru's questioning, Sarutobi's lips trembled, unable to form words.
He could only mutter repeatedly, "I had no choice… I had no choice. To protect the village, this was the only way…"
Yuzuru gave a disdainful snort. "At this point, you're still making excuses for yourself?"
"If it was truly for the sake of protecting the village, then why isn't there a single ninja from the Sarutobi clan, the Shimura clan, the Utatane clan, or the Mitokado clan among these sacrifices?"
"The clans of the Hokage and the three advisors are naturally superior in Konoha, is that it?"
At Yuzuru's reminder, the Konoha ninja who had been lost in their emotions snapped back to reality.
That's right—if it was truly for the village, why weren't any sacrifices chosen from their own clans?
Was the purpose of using Edo Tensei really to protect the village, or to protect themselves and their families?
All that talk about the Will of Fire—it was all complete bullshit!
Seeing the expressions on the faces of the Konoha crowd, Yuzuru decided to add fuel to the fire.
He glanced at Orochimaru, who stepped out from the crowd.
Orochimaru extended his long tongue to lick his lips and spoke in a hoarse voice, "Everyone should be quite familiar with me, shouldn't they?"
"I admit that I did conduct human experiments using the village's ninja back then, but…"
He pointed at Sarutobi, Shimura, and the others. "Everything I did was carried out with their tacit approval!"