Keeping things going for nine years was too long

Controlling his expression with all his might, Shisui Uchiha said in the calmest tone, "Jonin Mitokado, the word you really want to use is—'Rebellious Heavenly General'."

"But you're wrong. At the Konoha Ninja Assembly Meeting Hall, the Third Hokage's status wasn't higher than that of Jonin."

"According to the rules set by the Second Hokage, only Jonin can participate in the voting at the Konoha Jonin Assembly, but this does not restrict others from participating in activities such as providing evidence and conducting questioning."

"Because Lord Shazo Zuo is here to prove that the Third Hokage has made enough mistakes to be worthy of the position of Hokage, so Chunin questioning the Hokage doesn't count as going against the Heavenly Gang."

"Otherwise, no matter what the Third Hokage does, we can only raise our hands and shout, 'Long live the Third Hokage, the strongest Hokage of all time!'"

Shisui Uchiha spoke sarcastically, which thoroughly enraged Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu, causing them to stand up together.

Mitokado Homura shouted, "You bastard, how dare you insult the Third Hokage like this! You truly are the evil Uchiha!"

Utatane Koharu angrily retorted, "Even Chunin can question the Hokage; what dignity does the Hokage have left?"

Her voice, no longer gentle, shrieked shrilly. "Konoha Ninja, are you just going to stand by and watch the Uchiha insult the Hokage?"

The Konoha who supported her and the Third Hokage Jonin up and shouted, "No!"

"The Uchiha gone too far!"

"We should kick him out, arrest that Chunin, and torture him!"

"The Lord Hokage must not be humiliated like this!"

The cheers of the supporters did not please the Third Hokage, because there were too few of them, less than 70.

The number of people is far less than one-fifth of the total number of Jonin Konoha.

Because of their small numbers, their shouts failed to make a sound in the huge conference room, appearing weak and feeble.

Just like the aura of the Third Hokage himself.

Shisui Uchiha was filled with astonishment, but his face remained stiff and calm. "Now, please raise your hands to vote on my proposal. Those who agree with Shazo Zuo questioning the Third Hokage —please raise your hands."

The vast majority of Konoha Jonin ignored the shouting guys, their arms flailing up like a dense Forest.

Hiruzen Sarutobi's face visibly darkened; Konoha Ninja dared to oppose him to his very face.

His angry gaze swept over Hyūga, Nara Clan, Yamanaka Clan, Akimichi Clan, Aburame Clan, Inuzuka Clan, and others.

Some of the Jonin looked away guiltily, some pretended not to see, and some glared angrily; their reactions varied.

But not a single Jonin lowered their head, nor did a single Jonin lower their hand.

Hiruzen Sarutobi felt a chill run through him.

But no matter how unhappy the Third Hokage was, and no matter how much Mitokado Homura, Utatane Koharu, and their supporters objected, once the vast majority of Konoha Jonin their hands, Shazo was qualified to appear in the meeting room and question the Third Hokage.

This was essentially a rule set by the Second Hokage, which overshadowed the Third Hokage's personal prestige.

If the Second Hokage Tobirama Senju, were standing here, he could have easily turned the tide with a casual statement, Jonin over the vast majority of Konoha to his side.

If it were Hashirama Senju, a powerful figure who dominated the Ninja World, standing here, he wouldn't even need to say a word; the Konoha Jonin would have already subdued Shisui for offending the Hokage.

The Konoha Ninja would never oppose the First Hokage and the Second Hokage; they would only worry that they weren't fast enough and feel incredibly ashamed of it.

Hiruzen Sarutobi lacked the prestige of the Second Hokage and the strength of the First Hokage; he could only watch helplessly as Shazo walked into the conference hall.

Shazo looked at the Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi, and asked without any politeness, "Third Hokage, I remember you're already 67 years old, and you still have to worry about all the affairs of the village. Isn't it very tiring?"

The Third Hokage was wondering what questions Shazo would ask him, but he never expected it would start with his age.

He hesitated for a moment before replying, "There's nothing I can do about it. For the sake of Konoha's operation, I have no choice but to work harder."

Shazo shook his head repeatedly. "Yes, you've worked so hard, but there's something I just can't figure out."

Why was it the Third Hokage who continued as Hokage after the Fourth Hokage's sacrifice, instead of Lord Orochimaru becoming the Fifth Hokage?

This question, like a heavy and sharp Kunai, pierced straight into the heart of the Third Hokage.

Hiruzen Sarutobi felt his heart pounding from the pain.

Orochimaru was Hiruzen Sarutobi's favorite student, and his defection was Hiruzen Sarutobi's most painful loss over the years.

For this reason, he didn't speak to Danzo for two whole months.

Fortunately, Hiruzen Sarutobi a master of acting. He suppressed his heartache and loudly replied, "Orochimaru is the murderer who harmed the Konoha Ninja, missing-nin who betrayed the Konoha. How could I possibly choose him to become the Fifth Hokage?"

Shazo shook his head and said, "No, Orochimaru's evil deeds hadn't been exposed at the time, so he was the most suitable successor to the Hokage. What was your purpose in skipping him and taking back the position yourself?"

"Could it be that you already knew Orochimaru had conducted large-scale Human Body experiments?"

Upon hearing Shazo's question, which seemed to be laced with trap, the Third Hokage retorted without hesitation, "I didn't know Orochimaru was conducting Human Body experiments at the time."

He then answered according to the official line, "I chose to return to the Hokage Position to maintain order so that Konoha could overcome the dangerous situation."

Shazo smiled and nodded, "Oh, right, to maintain the status quo."

Then he pressed on bluntly, "But you've maintained this for 10 years and 2 months, not 10 days, not 10 months, but 10 years!"

How long are you going to maintain this situation?

The Third Hokage was speechless, unsure how to respond.

If the dangerous situation has ended, what reason does he have to cling to the position of Hokage? Why not select Fifth Hokage?

If the danger facing the village is not over, and he has tried for 10 years without being able to resolve the situation, shouldn't the Hokage feel ashamed and voluntarily step down?

Seeing his old classmate being questioned like this, Mitokado Homura couldn't help but step forward and retort, "It's not that the Third Hokage doesn't want to abdicate, it's just that there's simply no one else in the village capable of shouldering the responsibilities of Hokage besides him."

Shazo's face darkened. "No Ninja can become Hokage?"

"Yes, there are indeed no young Ninja who can become Hokage."

"Our Konoha is renowned throughout the Ninja World for producing so many geniuses. In the past 20 years, so many outstanding Ninja, famous throughout the entire Ninja World, have emerged."

Where did they all go?