Uchiha Ryōsuke ignored the Third Hokage's fury and spoke with a cold sneer.
"You still dare to claim it wasn't your fault? You failed to support the Fourth Hokage and instead went out of your way to stop the Uchiha Clan from taking action. How can you say you didn't cause his death? What were your true intentions? Did you purposefully want the Fourth Hokage to die? Are you worthy of Konoha? Are you even fit for the title of Third Hokage?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi's face was a mask of pure rage. Nothing angered him more than being slandered as unfit for the title of Hokage.
"During the Nine-Tails Rampage, the Nine-Tails' eyes clearly displayed the pattern of the Sharingan!" he roared. "Who knew if your Uchiha Clan was controlling it? At the time, your clan was under the heaviest suspicion. Naturally, I had to keep you under guard to ensure you couldn't create further chaos."
Ryōsuke's sneer deepened. "Absurd. Konoha was founded by the Uchiha and Senju clans. Now, the Senju have been driven to ruin by you and Danzō, leaving the Uchiha as the sole remaining founders. Konoha is our home. To suggest we would destroy our own village, the very place we live—what benefit would that possibly bring the Uchiha? The Third Hokage is not only incompetent but also suffers from delusional paranoia. It was your baseless suspicion that led to the sacrifice of the Fourth Hokage and his wife. Or perhaps you wanted them to die so you could retake your position of power."
Inwardly, Hiruzen seethed. He absolutely did not harbor such thoughts. The Fourth Hokage was one of his own. Minato was Jiraiya's student, and Jiraiya was his own disciple. Minato was essentially his grandson in terms of lineage; he had been perfectly happy to see him lead.
He immediately retorted, "I did no such thing! You are spouting baseless slander! I personally promoted the Fourth Hokage and recommended him for the position. What reason would I have to oppose him, let alone plot his murder?"
Ryōsuke countered, "Then why didn't you support him? The excuse of an Uchiha rebellion doesn't hold water. Or were you naive enough to think the Fourth Hokage could handle the immensely powerful Nine-Tails all by himself? Regardless of the reason, the death of the Fourth Hokage and his wife is tied to you. It's a tragedy that such a genius received no backup during the Nine-Tails Rampage. His death is the very reason the Cloud Village dared to launch another offensive against Konoha."
The surrounding Clan Heads were silent, unsure of what to say. At the time, they hadn't felt the Third's actions were wrong, but reflecting on it now, perhaps his poor judgment had indirectly caused the Fourth's death.
Take the recent, high-profile incident with the Cloud Village. The reason they dared to try and kidnap Hinata from the Hyūga Clan during peace negotiations was that they saw Konoha no longer had its greatest general. Back then, Minato Namikaze had held the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Lightning single-handedly. He had fought the Cloud Village's AB Combo—the current Fourth Raikage and the Eight-Tails Jinchūriki—without falling into a disadvantage. His strength was legendary. Had he still been alive, the Cloud Village wouldn't have dared to look at the Land of Fire, let alone try to steal the Hyūga Clan's Kekkei Genkai. It was a pity such a powerful man died so young.
Fugaku felt a surge of secret joy. He hadn't expected Ryōsuke to link the Fourth's death to the Third, effectively dismantling Hiruzen's prestige. When the Third's reputation hit rock bottom, that would be the time to strike.
The trial would be legitimate—a righteous judgment. The Uchiha Clan, as the architects of this reckoning, would be seen as icons of justice.
The Third Hokage felt helpless and incensed. This brat was pinning the Fourth's death entirely on him. Any explanation regarding the need to prevent an Uchiha uprising fell on deaf ears now. He even began to wonder if he had made a mistake. If he had ignored the Uchiha and supported Minato, perhaps Minato really wouldn't have died.
The thought weighed heavily on his heart. The boy might be right. If the Fourth were here to share the burden, he wouldn't be in this predicament. He felt a pang of regret.
Ryōsuke then pivoted to a question he had long suspected the answer to. "On that note, the Fourth Hokage and his wife sacrificed themselves for the village. Their child, Naruto, should have grown up safely under the Third's care, right? Why, then, is Naruto treated as a monster by the villagers? Even if the villagers are ignorant and mistake the hero's son for a monster, how did they get such sensitive information? How did they know Naruto was the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki?"
The expressions of several Clan Heads turned sour. Ryōsuke was essentially calling them 'ignorant commoners.' They felt a sting of guilt; they too had once looked down on Naruto or even insulted him. But if they had known his true identity, they never would have done such a thing. Minato and Kushina had protected the village from the Nine-Tails and even sealed the beast within their own child. Such selflessness was profound.
They began to resent the Third Hokage. Why was the news of the Jinchūriki leaked while Naruto's identity as the Fourth's son was kept under such tight wraps? If the truth had been known, they wouldn't have committed such shameful, ungrateful acts.
Faced with this sudden interrogation, the Third Hokage reflexively defended himself. "I had Kakashi inform you before. I only did this to protect Naruto! The Fourth Hokage made a name for himself in the ninja world and killed many enemy shinobi. He had countless enemies. If Naruto's identity were known, wouldn't they seek revenge on a young child? Naruto was small and defenseless; it would have been too dangerous. I had no choice. This was entirely for his protection."
The Clan Heads considered his words. There was some logic to it. Minato Namikaze had indeed killed many enemies. The fame of the Yellow Flash was built on a mountain of bodies. In that context, Naruto would have been in danger.
But Ryōsuke wouldn't accept that logic. "You hid the identity of the Fourth's son to prevent revenge, yet you leaked his status as the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki? Is that not dangerous? Do you honestly believe that someone seeking revenge is a higher priority than those wanting to steal a Jinchūriki? Revenge is sought by individuals, but every major power in the ninja world wants an Indigo Beast. Furthermore, you failed your duty to protect him even within the village. He was bullied by bratty children to the point of being bloodied. Aren't you afraid Naruto will grow to hate Konoha and eventually betray it? Third Hokage, how do you explain this?"s