"Monkey."
"I've always hated that look on your face."
Shimura Danzo's eyes lifted slightly, his gaze as sharp as a blade attempting to pierce the other: "The one who's willing to do anything to protect the village is me, the one who compromises with enemy nations at the cost of the village's interests is you, yet you still have the nerve to say such grandiose words..."
Sarutobi Hiruzen didn't care about Shimura Danzo's slander against him, and coldly retorted: "You have never been willing to do anything to protect the village; it's only for your own greed and power, even going as far as harming the comrades in the village!"
"I did it for Konoha!"
Shimura Danzo snorted angrily, opening his mouth to release bullet-like gusts towards Sarutobi Hiruzen: "Wind Release: Vacuum Orb!"
As an old friend of many years, Sarutobi Hiruzen was extremely familiar with Shimura Danzo. The moment Shimura Danzo pursed his lips, Sarutobi Hiruzen already anticipated the jutsu he was going to use, and had dodged in advance!
"Danzo!"
"Ask yourself this!"
"Are you really doing this for Konoha?"
Sarutobi Hiruzen wanted to tear off Shimura Danzo's mask completely: "All along, you've been secretly gathering power, forcing the major Ninja Clans to provide you manpower under the guise of doing it for Konoha, yet you wantonly assassinate those in the village who oppose you..."
"Monkey, how are you any different!"
Shimura Danzo coldly stared at Sarutobi Hiruzen, unveiling Hiruzen's hypocrisy: "For the so-called peace, you were willing to sacrifice fellow village ninjas, forcing them to commit suicide to ask enemy nations for peace. What's the difference between us then?"
Shimura Danzo looked at Sarutobi Hiruzen and sneered continuously: "Back then, everyone knew The Hidden Cloud Village wanted Konoha's Kekkeigenkai, yet you pathetically forced the Hyuga Clan leader to commit suicide as a so-called price for peace..."
"It was for the peace of the village!"
Sarutobi Hiruzen felt that Shimura Danzo had forgotten the situation back then!
At that time, Konoha Village was beset by internal and external troubles, Namikaze Minato had just sacrificed himself, the Uchiha Clan was eyeing covetously, and aside from sacrificing the Hyuga Clan, what could have been done?
"Again with the peace!"
Shimura Danzo spread his palms and mocked coldly: "For the peace you claim, for the so-called reduction of unnecessary sacrifices, you fawn over enemy nations. Just how many sacrifices has Konoha made, and if not for me, how many more would have been sacrificed..."
Shimura Danzo looked at Sarutobi Hiruzen, speaking harshly: "You claim to want to grasp power, yet stubbornly maintain the Hokage's facade of virtue. Whenever new power emerges in Konoha, you hold it in your own hands, having them sacrifice for the weak peace you speak of..."
"Now you've seen the price of peace!"
Shimura Danzo pointed to the Hidden Mist Ninjas being taken away outside the Red Sun Array Barrier, speaking coldly: "Back then, I asked you to hand over the Fourth Mizukage Karatachi Yagura to let me handle, to completely suppress The Hidden Mist Village, yet you insisted on negotiating with them. Now do you see the price of peace!"
"This was due to your collusion with The Hidden Mist Village..."
Sarutobi Hiruzen wanted to place the blame on Shimura Danzo.
But Shimura Danzo wasn't going to take the fall, directly exposing the truth, ignoring Sarutobi Hiruzen's verbal pressure: "Do you think it was me colluding with The Hidden Mist Village? Everyone from The Hidden Mist Village had long decided to go to war with Konoha..."
"..."
Sarutobi Hiruzen was speechless.
If he could, Sarutobi Hiruzen wanted to explain that it was because Akihara Kagura had once pressured The Hidden Mist Village into capturing the Fourth Mizukage that led to this crisis of war, but now was not the right time.
As Sarutobi Hiruzen understood Shimura Danzo, Shimura Danzo also understood his old friend well: "Are you trying to say that Akihara Kagura capturing the Fourth Mizukage Karatachi Yagura, almost breaking The Hidden Mist Village, is what brought this war crisis?"
"..."
Sarutobi Hiruzen remained silent.
Shimura Danzo seemed somewhat helpless as he shook his head: "You always presumptuously impose your will on them, turning wolves into lambs ready to be slaughtered, and you think this is the legacy of the First Hokage..."
"Have you forgotten..."
"Our teacher was the Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama!"
Shimura Danzo stared at Sarutobi Hiruzen, coldly reminding him: "Sensei Tobirama would never consider bargaining away Konoha's interests with people from other Ninja Villages. You only use the First Hokage's pursuit of peace to mask your own cowardice..."
Shimura Danzo had long been dissatisfied with Sarutobi Hiruzen's governance approach!
All along, Shimura Danzo has been the hardline hawk, whether externally or internally, advocating for a strong stance, unlike Sarutobi Hiruzen, who chooses so-called peace, affecting the entire atmosphere of Konoha.
Under the leadership of Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Third Hokage, the ninjas of Konoha began to think it was only natural to sacrifice the village's interests, even the lives of village ninjas, to persuade enemies to negotiate peace!
The villagers of Konoha even believed that peace could be negotiated!
Throughout history, when has peace ever been negotiated? Peace is always fought for, achieved through the blood and sacrifice of Konoha ninjas on the front lines!
However...
Many people naively believed peace could be negotiated, not seeing the disgrace in peace achieved through humiliation, the result of Sarutobi Hiruzen's forty-year governance of Konoha!