1novels Chapter 102 Disgrace and Ruin
Chapter 102 Disgrace and Ruin
Hiruzen Sarutobi seemed to have all his strength drained away in an instant, and slumped into the Hokage's chair.
In truth, he wasn't entirely unaware that Danzo might be engaging in some shady dealings behind the scenes. But when these suspicions were presented to him in such a concrete and shocking way, the impact was still devastating.
The scroll records one crime after another... These crimes, if committed in any ninja village, would be enough to execute Danzo dozens of times over!
Although the terrifying Nine-Tails chakra in the distance had just subsided, seemingly a temporary relief from the crisis, the Third Hokage felt no relief whatsoever. An overwhelming sense of exhaustion and guilt engulfed him like a tsunami, and he slumped into his chair, his wrinkles appearing even deeper.
"Heh..." The sneer of the face numb rang out again, "How should I put it, old man? You may not have been directly involved in these dirty dealings, but your indulgence, your indecisiveness, and your so-called 'considering the big picture' have undoubtedly provided the most fertile ground for this bastard's rampant arrogance."
"Now that I remember... You know, this guy actually plotted to assassinate you, even with real weapons, for the Hokage position."
"In that situation, you actually chose to 'forgive' him... Now, expecting you to thoroughly investigate and hold him accountable for his crimes seems rather strange, doesn't it?"
Menma's sarcasm left the Third Generation without even the strength to refute.
"...I have a few more conditions. Of course, these should be perfectly reasonable for both of us. However, given your usual style, I'm really not sure if you'll comply."
The third generation struggled to lift his head. He didn't understand what other "reasonable" conditions needed to be imposed on him.
"Konoha has a tradition... all the ninjas who died in missions or wars have their names solemnly engraved on that memorial stone, so that future generations can pay their respects and remember them, right?"
The third generation remained silent and nodded.
Menma's voice suddenly turned even colder, "So—Shimura Danzo's name...you don't intend to have that name engraved on it too, do you?"
The Third Hokage's body trembled uncontrollably. To place Danzo's name alongside those heroes who shed their last drop of blood for Konoha? This was the greatest desecration of the dead! A complete betrayal of the Will of Fire!
However... to deny everything about Danzo and completely erase him from the history of Konoha is also an incredibly heavy and painful decision.
After a suffocating silence, the third generation nodded very slowly and heavily.
He agreed to Mianma's conditions.
"Very good." Menma seemed unsurprised by the Third Hokage's submission. "Then, the second condition. I need you, with the authority of the Hokage, to actively spread the 'truth'."
"The truth?" The third generation looked up.
"That's right. I'm looking forward to the day when the people of the village find out that their trusted Konoha leader—your close friend Shimura Danzo—is trying to control the First Hokage's 'God of Shinobi' Wood Release."
"He didn't hesitate to kidnap his fellow villagers for inhumane human experiments, secretly colluding with the infamous S-rank rogue ninja Orochimaru to continue those forbidden studies, and even repeatedly targeting fellow Konoha ninja Uchiha clan members, and other Sharingan users, in order to seize the power of the Sharingan..."
"I remember that guy even seemed to have his eye on Kakashi Hatake's Sharingan, right?"
With each crime Menma uttered, the Third Generation's face grew paler, and his knuckles turned white from gripping the armrest so tightly.
"Aside from the fact that the full truth about the Uchiha clan massacre needs to be suppressed for now and revealed a few years later,"
Menma concluded, "Spread these 'truths' clearly and completely. Let everyone see just how much evil this so-called 'root' has nurtured in the darkness. Understand?"
"..."
The Third Hokage fell into a long silence, which was tantamount to asking him to personally uncover Konoha's ugliest scar and expose its internal rot to the sunlight.
But he knew all too well that what the other party was giving him was not a choice, but an order. He gripped the armrests of the chair tightly, but in the end, he slowly and helplessly let go.
"...I understand." His voice was hoarse, and he almost squeezed out these words through clenched teeth. Once again, he reluctantly and with great difficulty agreed to the other party's request.
"...Alright, I'm glad we finally reached an agreement." Menma nodded, seemingly satisfied.
Then, his tone suddenly became somewhat meaningful, no longer sounding like he was making a condition, but more like he was casually giving advice, "And... old man, you've been in this position for far too long. It's time to consider retiring."
He said something that was a bit puzzling: "If you keep lingering like this... you might attract someone even more 'creepy'."
After uttering this ambiguous warning, Menma didn't linger. He turned around and, with Shisui who remained silent, walked straight towards the Hokage's office door, their figures quickly disappearing into the shadows of the corridor.
Only Hiruzen Sarutobi remained in the office. He slowly and somewhat unsteadily stood up from his chair, feeling an unprecedented exhaustion wash over him.
He knew the other person might be right; he had indeed been in power for too long, long enough for too much darkness to fester right under his nose. But… his disciples… one by one…
Next time! If that bastard Jiraiya comes back to the village again... no matter what! Even if we have to force him, we have to keep him here!
He shook his head sharply, temporarily suppressing his chaotic thoughts. The Third Generation knew very well that now was not the time to wallow in grief and self-blame; a mountain of messes awaited him.
He forced himself to stay alert and immediately strode out of the office.
Menma and Shisui were nowhere to be seen outside the door. His most urgent task was to immediately gather all available Anbu and rush to the Uchiha clan's territory—no matter how slim the hope, he had to go and confirm in person whether there were any survivors!
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(One more chapter to come, will be posted in an hour. The Night of the Extermination will finally be finished in the next chapter.)