The powerful accusation sent the entire stadium of tens of thousands into utter silence.
It was a long while before anyone finally reacted.
"It seems like Orochimaru does have a point. I don't recall ever hearing about the Third going into battle."
"As the Hokage's personal guard, he didn't fight to protect him. And as Hokage himself, he always stayed safely in the village... yet he kept preaching about the Will of Fire. Thinking back now, it's truly ironic."
"I used to think the Third Hokage was the greatest Hokage in the world, but who'd have thought he was faking it all along? How despicable!"
"Hiruzen Sarutobi is nothing but a complete hypocrite, a petty man who only criticizes others from atop his self-proclaimed pedestal of morality!"
A group of Konoha ninja started cursing at Hiruzen Sarutobi furiously.
After learning so many dark secrets, Sarutobi's glorious image completely collapsed.
As the saying goes, the higher one flies, the harder the fall.
To the people of Konoha, Sarutobi had fallen from a revered Hokage to a despised vermin no one wished to see alive.
Ninja from other villages couldn't help but feel a bit of sympathy after hearing so much dirt about Hiruzen Sarutobi.
"Such loyalty wasted on a Kage like him—it's really tragic for Konoha's ninja."
"That's right. We used to envy Konoha ninjas for having such comfortable working conditions, but now it's just terrifying."
"Hahaha… After all, nobody would want to become material for human experiments in their own village!"
Listening to the ridicule and curses from the crowd, the Fourth Raikage, Third Tsuchikage, and others all displayed expressions of disdain.
Orochimaru was right—wasn't every one of them a Kage who had fought through blood on the battlefield?
Yet Hiruzen Sarutobi had always remained in Hidden Leaf Village, never stepping foot on any battlefield.
If it weren't for the village's legacy and strength, could someone like Hiruzen have defeated them during The Great Ninja World War?
Yet this petty, self-serving man—afraid even of death—claimed credit for victories in two Ninja World Wars and shamelessly boasted of being the strongest Hokage...
How strong, exactly?
Truthfully, Onoki and the others had long been annoyed by Sarutobi's self-praise, but since they had indeed been defeated by Konoha, they couldn't say anything against it.
Now that his true face had been exposed, they finally got to vent the anger built up deep inside.
Inside the protective barrier.
Orochimaru gazed down at the crowd's reactions, arching an eyebrow as he glanced at Sarutobi. "Sensei, look at their faces now. They wouldn't care if you dropped dead."
At that moment, Sarutobi seethed with fury, his gaze piercing with cold, murderous intent.
Try as he might to comprehend it, he never imagined that the reputation he had diligently cultivated over his entire lifetime would crumble so completely in such a short time.
Especially the look in the eyes of the people of Konoha—even someone with his vast experience couldn't help feeling panic begin to creep in.
Death itself wasn't terrifying. What was truly horrifying was dying amidst curses and abuse from everyone.
Judging from the current situation, even after his death, there was a strong possibility that angry villagers would exhume his body just to continue their humiliation.
However, Orochimaru clearly had no intention of letting Hiruzen Sarutobi off that easily.
He had been commanded by Mirai Uchiha to properly carry out this final rite for his teacher—there was absolutely no room for carelessness.
Thinking about this, Orochimaru suddenly clapped his hands together.
Immediately afterward, the barrier enclosing them—[Four-Corner Sealing Barrier]—was lifted.
Orochimaru and Hiruzen Sarutobi were thus exposed before everyone in Konoha.
Yet strangely enough, not a single person stepped forward to save the village's Hokage…
"Ahhh…"
Hashirama Senju couldn't help but sigh.
Although what Hiruzen had done went completely against his own ideals, seeing the man reach such a state of betrayal by all still stirred some sense of empathy within him.
Tobirama Senju, on the other hand, clenched his fists tightly, wishing he could personally clean house with his own hands.
To have trained such a disciple was nothing but a stain upon his life!
Hiruzen knew everything was already over. Orochimaru removing the barrier meant he had lost even his final modesty cloth.
While the barrier still existed, he could at least comfort himself with the thought that nobody could rescue him because of it.
But now…
Everyone stared at him coldly, not a single person stepping forward to help.
Hiruzen painfully covered his chest with both hands.
He knew that from today onward, his name would forever be nailed to Konoha's pillar of shame.
The Raikage, Tsuchikage, and others were filled with mixed feelings of sorrow and disbelief watching this unfold.
Placing themselves in his position, if they had ended up in such a situation, they would have preferred to die outright.
No! Even death would come too late by then.
For a Kage to meet such an end… They would rather have never been born at all!
Hiruzen's eyes turned vacant, his entire body seemingly aging decades in an instant.
Suddenly, Hiruzen caught sight of a familiar figure.
The person stood below the platform, watching him with a cold expression.
"Mirai Uchiha! This is all your scheme!" Hiruzen roared. "You conspired with Orochimaru to orchestrate all of this!"
Though he had already lost, he would not let Mirai Uchiha escape unscathed.
Hiruzen Sarutobi's sudden accusation caused every gaze to turn toward Mirai Uchiha.
Mirai Uchiha scoffed in disdain, "What have I colluded with Orochimaru? Did he make you repeat everything you've done?"
The crowd snapped back to attention, glaring angrily at Hiruzen Sarutobi.
"You idiot! Don't smear Mirai-sama!"
"Mirai-sama is the hero who saved the village! How could she possibly conspire with Orochimaru?"
"As soon as Orochimaru struck, Mirai clearly showed up with her men right away. You think everyone's as despicable and shameless as you are!"
"After all the damage you've done to the village, you still have the nerve to slander Mirai before your end?!"
The crowd turned on Sarutobi Hiruzen unanimously, completely disbelieving what he had said.
If he had revealed these accusations initially, perhaps there might have been some confusion.
But now? Not a soul would buy it!
After all, in everyone's hearts, Mirai Uchiha was the hero who had saved the village during the Great Ninja World War. She had also led reforms within the Konoha Military Police Force, enabling civilian-born ninjas to obtain official registration.
With Mirai-sama's status and identity, how could she ever collaborate with Orochimaru?
Hiruzen Sarutobi stared wide-eyed in disbelief, as if witnessing something utterly unimaginable.
When had things turned around like this?
Once upon a time, the Uchiha Clan was always the ostracized group, while he was the leader loved and supported by everyone.
Yet now, the situation had completely reversed.
He had become public enemy number one, while Mirai Uchiha became the one revered by all...
How dare the Uchiha Clan do this!!!
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