Chapter 353: Exposed
Faced with Hiruzen Sarutobi's questions, Kakashi no longer felt the anxiety he once might have. Instead, he looked directly at the Third Hokage with a gaze carrying an unspoken threat.
"How did I obtain them?" Kakashi repeated, his voice mocking. "What a foolish question. Tell me, dear Third Hokage Sarutobi Hiruzen how did you think I'd get them?"
Kakashi's unexpected boldness left Hiruzen speechless, and the room full of jounin exchanged shocked glances. Few dared challenge Hiruzen so openly, especially with such sarcasm. But those who understood Kakashi's newfound strength were quick to realize he no longer feared the consequences.
Kakashi placed a hand on the six scrolls arrayed on the table. "These scrolls…" he began, but before he could finish, Hiruzen's chakra flared intensely as he shouted, "Kakashi, you mustn't speak another word! Do you want to destroy this village?"
But Kakashi's response was equally forceful. He instantly activated his newly acquired Hanhai Chakra Mode, unleashing a surge of energy even greater than Hiruzen's. The shockwave cracked the walls of the Hokage's office, and the jounin inside looked on, both stunned and confused.
The jounin glanced nervously from Hiruzen to Kakashi. They had gathered to elect a new Hokage, but this was spiraling into a confrontation they hadn't anticipated. Meanwhile, Hiruzen was reeling; he had underestimated Kakashi's strength, and in a flash, was reminded of his own late master, Tobirama Senju. Tobirama had wielded a similar skill controlled chakra bursts of remarkable intensity, requiring both vast chakra reserves and exceptional control. Hiruzen could scarcely manage such power even in his prime, and here was Kakashi, wielding it with ease.
Trapped in an awkward standoff, Hiruzen hesitated. But the secrets within those six scrolls left him with no choice but to act. Clenching his teeth, Hiruzen tried to retake control. "Kakashi, are you trying to commit treason?"
Kakashi's calm gaze betrayed no reaction. He dismissed Hiruzen's words with a slight smirk. "Treason? Such a big word, Third Hokage. Don't you think you're overreacting?"
Kakashi's authoritative presence brought the room under his control. After that brief exchange, he turned his attention back to the scrolls, tapping one of them before slowly unbinding its ties.
Hiruzen's eyes filled with horror, and he instinctively moved to stop him. But two shadow clones of Kakashi appeared on either side of the Hokage, holding him in place, preventing him from intervening.
The Hokage's erratic behavior piqued the curiosity of the jounin gathered. What secrets lay hidden in these scrolls that Hiruzen, a man known for his composure, would so desperately try to conceal?
As Kakashi unfurled the first scroll, the contents slowly revealed themselves to the room. One by one, the jounin's faces grew grim as they took in the documented evidence of human experimentation conducted secretly in the name of Konoha.
Kakashi's voice broke the tense silence. "What you see here, as you may have guessed, is a record of human experiments conducted by the village, experiments too dark to be acknowledged openly."
Turning to face his stunned audience, Kakashi gestured to the remaining scrolls. "The second scroll contains records of secret missions, ones aimed specifically at eliminating individuals who threatened certain power structures within the village. The third details the forced conscription of children into the Root organization, taken from clans, orphanages, and even civilian families. The fourth holds analyses of bloodline limits and secret techniques, with research data extracted from living subjects. The fifth… well, it tracks the misappropriated funds and estates meant to honor the legacy of the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze."
Pausing, Kakashi observed the crowd's response. Clan leaders and civilians alike stood in silent fury, absorbing the horrifying details. Clan ninjas seethed at the thought of Konoha's leadership prying into their cherished secret techniques, the essence of their heritage and strength. And for civilian ninja, Root's reputation was an open secret, a ghostly threat whispered in dark corners. But seeing it laid bare in black and white knowing their children could be taken and reshaped into mindless weapons was more than they could bear.
A fierce hatred arose in the room, directed at the man they once considered a wise and caring leader. Hiruzen had become the symbol of betrayal, the source of Konoha's deepest grievances. For the first time, Sarutobi Hiruzen felt the combined force of Konoha's scorn bearing down on him.
Shikaku Nara, normally composed, stole a quick glance at the remaining scroll, realizing there was still one more revelation. Kakashi wasted no time. He placed his hand on the final scroll, gripped the end, and tossed it open on the floor. This one bore the symbol of the Sarutobi clan.
Eyes widened as the contents became visible. At last, Kakashi announced, "The final scroll is the Sarutobi clan's current family register, which I took the liberty of verifying."
A murmur spread through the crowd as they processed his words, and Kakashi drove his point home. "The Sarutobi clan currently boasts over ten thousand members, with seventy two registered as jounin, seven hundred and twenty nine as chuunin, and a staggering thirteen hundred genin. And that's without accounting for the unregistered members."
The number was staggering, and the assembled ninja were silent with rage as they compared it to the sparse resources granted to other clans. The revelation that the Sarutobi clan alone had amassed such a disproportionate presence of elite ninja sent waves of shock and fury through the room.
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