"Ahh..."
Even though Hashirama Senju's vision had long transcended the boundaries of his own clan, hearing about the Senju Clan's tragic fate still left him with a strange sense of melancholy.
He looked at Hiruzen Sarutobi. He never would have imagined that the one who used to follow them everywhere would end up committing such grave offenses.
Tobirama Senju glared at Hiruzen angrily. "Monkey, you've really outdone yourself."
"Your talent is truly impressive!"
Defending himself, Hiruzen retorted, "Everything I did was for the village."
"Once other ninja clans grow too powerful, they become uncontrollable."
"For the peace and stability of the village, these measures were necessary."
"Both the Senju Clan and the Uchiha Clan had to be suppressed—only then could the village prosper!"
"Wasn't that exactly what the teacher did during his leadership?!"
Before Tobirama could respond to Hiruzen's defense, Orochimaru sneered coldly, "If oppressing the ninja clans is truly for the good of the village, then I can't help but ask…"
"Why is it that during your reign, while all the other ninja clans were continuously suppressed, the Sarutobi Clan has grown stronger and stronger?"
"The Second started with his own family when suppressing the clans, but under your rule, your own clan has grown into a gluttonous rat feasting on the village's resources?"
Orochimaru said solemnly to Hiruzen, "Persecuting ninja clans and oppressing the innocent—this is your third crime!"
Seeing Hiruzen speechless, Orochimaru continued, "Usurping properties, seizing assets, and conspiring with Danzo Shimura, Koharu Mitokado, and Homura Utatane to plunder other clans' resources—that is your fourth crime!"
"Betraying allies, breaking trust, and watching helplessly as the Land of Whirlpools was destroyed—leaving Konoha vulnerable both internally and externally—that is your fifth crime!"
Hashirama was stunned again.
The Land of Whirlpools was destroyed?
So much had happened after his death!
Tobirama looked at Hiruzen with frustration.
How could he have trained such a disciple?!
Stupid!
Utterly foolish!
Trying to mimic his methods without an ounce of wisdom.
All the policies mentioned so far had only served to weaken Konoha itself.
If he weren't being controlled by Orochimaru's Impure World Reincarnation technique, he'd probably knock some sense into Hiruzen with a few hard slaps.
What was going through that idiot's head?!
How could you let the Land of Whirlpools fall when it had been an ironclad ally of the Senju since the Warring States era?!
Damn it all!
Unfazed by the others' reactions, Orochimaru continued, "After winning the Great Ninja World War, you showed leniency toward other villages and failed to fight for Konoha's interests—even though we were the victors, you still ended up compromising and putting ourselves at a disadvantage."
"Cracking down hard internally, yet overly accommodating externally."
"That's the sixth offense!"
Outside the barrier.
When Orochimaru revealed the negotiation details, the Konoha ninja lost it completely.
They had risked their lives on the battlefield, and countless families had been torn apart as a result.
Yet this hard-won victory was so easily compromised.
Not even holding the perpetrators accountable—now compensation hinged entirely on the enemy's goodwill...
"That bastard Hiruzen Sarutobi! Does he think our comrades' sacrifices are nothing?!"
"Cursed! No wonder the negotiation details were kept secret. We actually made concessions to other villages!"
"We won the war! How can the Hokage be such a coward?"
"Cowardly? Considering all the previous issues, I seriously suspect Hiruzen Sarutobi is a spy sent by another village to sabotage Konoha!!"
After Orochimaru exposed those incidents, Sarutobi's reputation had completely shattered.
Among the Konoha crowd present, the gazes directed at Sarutobi turned increasingly hostile.
Orochimaru glanced around, nodded satisfiedly, and continued speaking.
"And there's Nawaki... Back then, Nawaki possessed vitality far beyond ordinary Senju clan members. He'd dreamed of becoming Hokage since childhood, yet died on the battlefield during the Second Great Ninja War."
"As his teacher, I always kept Nawaki close. But the moment he left my side for just an instant, he fell into an explosive tag trap..."
"Worse, the enemy seemed aware of Nawaki's extraordinary vitality. They hollowed out his internal organs; even Tsunade couldn't rescue him in time before he died."
"At that time, Nawaki had already abandoned the Senju name. His title was merely a Konoha Genin. I thought long and hard but couldn't figure out who would go through such lengths to kill Nawaki."
"Until the entire Senju Clan vanished..."
Sarutobi couldn't help roaring, "You're lying!"
Orochimaru gave a light scoff, "If Nawaki's death was mere coincidence, what about Dan Kato's death?"
"Exactly the same—organs shattered, exactly like when Tsunade was right beside him but couldn't save him in time before he died..."
"After these two incidents, Tsunade left the village, and Jiraiya chose to wander across the ninja world."
"In fact, everyone knows deep down—that's the seventh accusation!"
Orochimaru continued coldly, "And you, back when you were young—you survived as part of the Shadow Guard while the Second sacrificed himself to protect you all. That's the eighth accusation!"
Hearing this, Sarutobi finally found some courage and shouted back, "I stayed behind voluntarily to cover your retreat! The Second knowingly sacrificed himself to protect the new generation!"
"This is precisely the embodiment of the Will of Fire!"
Orochimaru scoffed lightly, "No matter how you justify it, choosing to abandon the hokage and flee alone during a crisis—as one of his personal guards, that alone is a crime!"
"And..."
Orochimaru dramatically waved his hand, rasping, "Sensei, what exactly do you mean by the Will of Fire?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi replied immediately, "Wherever Konoha's leaves dance, fire shall never fade. The flames will continue to illuminate the village, nurturing new saplings until they sprout."
Orochimaru lifted his arm and mockingly clapped, "Very smooth delivery."
"That passage means the youth are the future's hope. The old must trust and protect them. Elders' sacrifices aren't in vain—they inspire the young to grow into pillars that support what's to come."
"But what have you done?"
Orochimaru suddenly shifted focus, pointing directly at Hiruzen. "Sensei, you yourself hold the title of hokage, with even the Second setting an example through sacrifice, yet you cowardly hide inside the village."
"No matter how desperate the battles became on the frontline, you've never once gone there to reinforce our warriors."
"Young ninja in the village keep falling one after another, yet you and old-timers like Danzo Shimura, Koharu Utatane, and Homura Mitokado remain comfortably behind in the village."
"It's not just you staying back—your subordinates and clan members all hang back too!"
"Look at other ninja villages—the Raikage, Tsuchikage, Kazekage, Mizukage… haven't they all fought fiercely on the battlefield?"
"But you? What have you ever done!"
"According to the tradition of the Will of Fire, you should be the one to voluntarily sacrifice yourself to protect this village!"
"Hypocrite! Coward! That makes your ninth sin!"
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