Chapter 99: Scorned by the Masses! The Hypocritical Third Hokage!

Chapter 99: Scorned by the Masses! The Hypocritical Third Hokage!

In the Ninja World, Kakashi's face was grim as he said, "Aren't you supposed to be fearless in the face of death? Weren't you wholeheartedly devoted to Konoha? Why are you so afraid now that it's your turn to face the consequences?"

"Spare me! Spare my life, Kakashi! I was your father's teammate, and I even held you in my arms when you were a child..." Before the man could finish his plea, Kakashi's sword pierced through him, ending his life.

Witnessing the deaths of these two men and seeing the angry glares directed at Danzo and the Third, many in the crowd felt a mix of strangeness and terror. Yet, at the same time, they couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness for Kakashi.

"My old friend..."

"Teacher Kakashi..."

Those who knew Kakashi well had a thousand emotions running through their minds, and they could also understand his actions.

"It's not over yet," Empire Shanna said, turning to Princess Tsunade. "These two must have descendants in Konoha, right?"

"What do you intend to do? Kill them too? While these two have indeed committed grave sins, what about the others...?" Tsunade asked, her face stern.

Empire Shanna let out a loud shout, "Innocent? How laughable!

Those who enjoy the wealth, privileges, and connections gained through the crimes of evil people—do you call them innocent? If they had not relied on a single cent of the ill-gotten money, if they had not benefited from the privileges and connections of the guilty, then perhaps they could be considered innocent.

If we allow those who benefit from evil to go unpunished, it will only encourage more people to follow in their footsteps."

"So, you really intend to kill them?" Tsunade asked, her face unyielding.

"That's for Kakashi to decide. I think it's best to put them to death," Empire Shanna replied.

Kakashi remained silent for a moment before speaking, "Let's spare their lives. Instead, take away everything they have and banish them from Konoha, letting them fend for themselves."

"Very well," Tsunade nodded, while the others remained silent.

In these turbulent times, being cast out of the Ninja World meant becoming rogue ninjas and refugees, devoid of any legal protection or village shelter. It was a dangerous path, with a mortality rate of at least fifty percent.

However... a mere fifty percent chance of death didn't seem like enough. Kakashi, you useless waste, I'll take care of you later, along with tying up my own loose ends.

In the Ninja World, Sasuke's eyes gleamed with a reddish light.

"Now that the matter of Sakumo is concluded, let's talk about the second despicable act of Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Third Hokage—the abuse of the hero's descendant, the son of the Fourth Hokage, Uzumaki Naruto." Empire Shanna said, a cold smile on her face.

A group of Konoha ninjas had looks of surprise on their faces once more.

This time, they were not shocked by the revelation that Naruto was the son of the Fourth Hokage, as they had already learned this information from the Empire. What surprised them was Empire Shanna's claim that Naruto had been abused.

The Third Hokage, with his brows furrowed, said, "What do you mean? I have always treated Naruto well. Don't spout baseless accusations, Elder Shanna."

"Yes, Naruto made many mistakes when he was young, but the Third always forgave him," someone added.

"Hmph! Ridiculous!

The Fourth Hokage, Namikaze Minato, fought valiantly to protect the village from the rampaging Nine-Tails, ultimately sacrificing his life to seal it.

His son, Uzumaki Naruto, carried the same burden as a jinchuriki, shouldering the mission to protect the village. He deserved to be nurtured as a pillar of Konoha.

And yet, what happened? He lived in a cramped apartment, subsisting on instant noodles, drinking expired milk, and wearing cheap clothing. What happened to the inheritance of the Namikaze couple? Where did it all go...?" Empire Shanna asked, leaving the question hanging.

The Third Hokage couldn't help but interject, "I did what I did to protect Naruto..."

"Protect him from what? To keep others from knowing his identity as a jinchuriki?

How absurd! Have you forgotten what they call him behind his back? The Demon Fox! The Demon Fox! When spies from other villages hear this, do you think they won't suspect his identity as a jinchuriki?" Empire Shanna's voice rose with each word.

The Third's face changed as he heard these words.

The Konoha ninjas exchanged glances, their eyes reflecting their inner turmoil.

"You hypocrite!" Empire Shanna continued, her voice filled with contempt. "Answer me this—why was it the young Namikaze Minato who used the Dead Demon Consuming Seal during the battle with the Nine-Tails, and not you, the older and more experienced shinobi?"

"At that time, I was busy rescuing the injured villagers..." the Third Hokage tried to explain.

"Rescuing the injured? Is that a valid excuse? You were the first to engage the Nine-Tails, so why didn't you use the seal then?" Empire Shanna pressed.

"I..." the Third Hokage faltered.

"Let's be honest, you were simply afraid for your life back then!

And during the final battle with Orochimaru, you tried to portray yourself as a hero, which was truly nauseating.

Orochimaru's betrayal of Konoha is partly due to your failure as a teacher.

Moreover... wasn't it your decision to let Orochimaru go that enabled his smooth escape from the village?" Empire Shanna's words were like daggers.

"You..." The Third Hokage was shocked, finding it hard to believe that Empire Shanna knew about this.

"Your beloved disciple, Orochimaru, has long since joined the Empire. He told me everything with just a simple question," Empire Shanna said, a cold smile playing on her lips.

The Third Hokage was left speechless.

"Your use of the Dead Demon Consuming Seal on Orochimaru was nothing more than an attempt at self-redemption and a bid for a good reputation! If it weren't for your decision to let Orochimaru go, Konoha would never have faced the destruction it did," Empire Shanna mocked.

"You monkey!" The First Hokage shook his head, his expression one of disappointment.

The Second Hokage remained silent.

"So, when I say that Sarutobi Hiruzen is a hypocrite, a coward who fears death, and an abuser of the hero's descendant, are these statements true or false?" Empire Shanna asked, sweeping her gaze across the shinobi of Konoha.

The Konoha ninjas remained silent.

"It's a pity that Naruto is currently captured by Akatsuki and can't hear this news. Otherwise, I'd really like to see the expression on his face when he learns that the Third Hokage, whom he has admired since childhood, is such a despicable person," Empire Shanna said maliciously.

The Third Hokage hung his head, seemingly unable to speak.

"Of course, that's not even the worst of it. The most despicable act was the annihilation of the Uchiha clan by Sarutobi Hiruzen and Danzo Shimura, leaving almost none alive, regardless of age or gender!" Empire Shanna exclaimed harshly.

As her words landed, the Third Hokage, along with the other ninjas, trembled violently.

In the Ninja World, Sasuke's eyes widened as his Mangekyo Sharingan activated. "So, we've finally come to this, Sarutobi Hiruzen! Danzo Shimura! Mito Menma! Uzuki Oboro! You four old fools! Do you know how difficult it has been for me to suppress the killing intent I've held towards you all these years?"

Sasuke, having already learned the truth from the Empire, could no longer contain his killing intent. The powerful purple chakra he emitted caused cracks to appear on the ground.

"What? The Uchiha clan was wiped out? Monkey, is it true that you and Danzo did such a thing?" The First Hokage asked angrily.

"Lord First Hokage, the Uchiha clan had intentions to rebel, so Danzo..." The Third Hokage tried to explain, his face filled with difficulty.

"Don't try to shift all the blame onto Danzo! As the Hokage, if you had firmly opposed it, could Danzo have done such a thing? Let's be honest, you were just being hypocritical, not wanting to stain your hands with the Uchiha's blood and leaving Danzo to take the fall!" Empire Shanna rebuked.

"I... I didn't want that either, but if the Uchiha clan truly rebelled, Konoha would have been finished, already weakened as it was after the Nine-Tails incident," the Third Hokage hurriedly explained.

"Finished? If they really wanted to finish Konoha, they could have done so during the Nine-Tails incident! You damn old fool!" Sasuke shouted.

"Sasuke..." The Third Hokage tried to say something more.

But Sasuke's Susanoo slashed forward, reducing him to countless fragments, which then slowly reformed due to the effect of Edo Tensei.

"Old fool! Hundreds of Uchiha, including infants in their cradles—you wanted to kill them all? You and that Danzo scum, don't you feel any shame?" Sasuke roared. His Susanoo swung its sword again, intending to slash Danzo, who was immobilized, along with the Third.

At that moment, Danzo's bodyguards, Torune Aburame and Fu Yamanaka, rushed to his aid.

Torune released a swarm of insects, intending to carry Danzo away to safety.

Fu attempted to use Shinsei KaiTen on Sasuke within Susanoo.

However, Sasuke merely glared at them, and black flames engulfed both Torune and Fu, causing them to writhe and scream in agony as they rolled on the ground.

As for Danzo, he was slashed along with the Third.

Witnessing this, Mito Menma and Uzuki Oboro were shocked: "Danzo! How dare you!"

The other Konoha ninjas, on the other hand, felt a sense of relief at this turn of events.

But this feeling didn't last long.

A puzzling scene unfolded before them.

Danzo, who had just been slashed by Sasuke, reappeared in his original position, his face filled with resentment as he glared at Sasuke.

"Why? How did Danzo come back to life?

"How is this possible?"

The Second and First Hokages frowned, a suspicion forming in their minds.

Sasuke, on the other hand, covered his face and laughed maniacally: "How is it possible? Of course, it's thanks to a forbidden jutsu of my Uchiha clan! Izanagi! This is a forbidden jutsu that can only be performed by permanently damaging one's Sharingan eye!"

Even with Sasuke's explanation, many people still didn't understand how Danzo was connected to the Sharingan.

Until...

Sasuke teleported next to the immobilized Danzo and tore off the bandages on his arm and around his right eye, revealing the Sharingan eye and the multiple eyes on his arm.

As they gazed upon the red light and the countless eyes, the group of ninjas widened their eyes in shock.

They cried out in disbelief: "How is this possible!"

"Sharingan! They're all Sharingan!"

"Damn old fool! You killed hundreds of my Uchiha clan members and took their eyes.

And this scum has been living as an advisor to Konoha all this time? It's ridiculous!

How long have the other three fools been shielding him?"

Sasuke roared in anger.

The crowd of ninjas immediately turned their gazes towards the Third Hokage, Mito Menma, and Uzuki Oboro, their faces no longer able to contain their anger and disgust.

"We... we didn't know..."

The three of them spoke almost simultaneously.

"The same old excuse, it's disgusting! A Hokage and two advisors, claiming ignorance of everything—what have you been doing in your positions of power? It's time to end this charade of deceiving children, isn't it?

Especially you, Sarutobi Hiruzen! You take all the credit for good deeds, while Danzo is the scapegoat for all the bad? You damn scum!"

Sasuke roared and slashed once more with his sword, reducing the recently reformed Sarutobi Hiruzen to pieces.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end