The Third Hokage's image collapsed

"Lord Dan Katō died on the battlefield."

"Hatake Sakumo committed suicide after being subjected to unprecedented rumors following a failed mission."

"But the mission that caused enormous damage to Konoha is still strictly confidential, and the enormous damage suffered by the village is also a secret."

"Lord Orochimaru became missing-nin because of his Human Body experimentation."

"Lady Tsunade and Lord Jiraiya, for their own different reasons, resolutely left the village."

"Konoha truly has no successors. The young Ninja who could become Kage-level Ninja are either dead or have left or defected."

"Therefore, the Third Hokage had no choice but to disregard his advanced age and continue serving as Hokage year after year, reluctantly, until—forever!"

The Konoha Jonin couldn't help but whisper among themselves, their voices filled with apprehension.

Amidst the buzzing discussion, Shazo stared at the Third Hokage and said, "By the way, two years ago we still lost Fugaku Uchiha and Uchiha Itachi defected."

"If I hadn't intervened, Konoha would have lost Shisui Uchiha, and completely lost all members of the Uchiha Clan."

Shazo's expression turned extremely serious, and he roared, "Konoha Ninja, have you forgotten that this village was founded by the Uchiha Clan and my Senju Clan?"

"This land beneath your feet originally belonged to the Uchiha Clan. Even the 'fire' in the title 'Hokage ' comes from the Uchiha Clan!"

"Is Konoha still Konoha without the Uchiha Clan?"

"A Hokage who swore to protect Konoha, under his leadership, all the best young Ninja died."

"Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi! What right do you have to claim that you are protecting Konoha and maintaining Konoha peace?"

Shazo's accusations were extremely serious, and what he said was true. In front of all the Jonin of the village, Hiruzen Sarutobi had no way of trying to cover it up by downplaying the seriousness of the matter.

With Shazo's meticulous explanations and guiding words, the Konoha Ninja finally pieced together the events of the past nine years, or even more than a decade.

The Ninja ' discussion instantly grew louder.

At Shazo's prompting, the Konoha Ninja discovered that if they included Dan Katō Fugaku Uchiha, it would be clear that Konoha had been experiencing a major incident every few years for the past 20 years in a very regular pattern.

Every time something happens, a young Konoha Kage-level Ninja disappears from the village.

The greatest loss suffered by Konoha did not come from enemies from other villages, but was related to Hiruzen Sarutobi, either openly or covertly.

Although none of these events seem to be Hiruzen Sarutobi's doing, the vast majority of them are closely related to him.

At least during his time in office, so many serious losses happened by coincidence.

It all seems like a coincidence.

But Ninja don't believe in coincidences.

If it's not a coincidence, then it must be deliberate. And to accomplish so much, to make so many Kage-level Ninja disappear, that's not something an ordinary Ninja could do.

The discussions among the Konoha Ninja gradually subsided, but their attention gradually focused on the Third Hokage.

For example, the white- Anbu Ninja sitting behind the Third Hokage immediately thought of his father, who was driven to the brink of collapse by rumors and ultimately committed suicide under mysterious circumstances.

His eyes burned with fury.

Hiruzen Sarutobi felt the Ninja ' gazes and, thinking about the coincidence, he pondered how to explain it.

At that moment, Shazo uttered the vicious speculation that no Konoha Ninja could say, delivering a fatal blow to Hiruzen Sarutobi.

"Third Hokage, I can't help but suspect that you did this on purpose, deliberately eliminating all the young Ninja who had the potential to become Hokage Position."

Hiruzen Sarutobi was completely enraged. He roared with all his might, "You're talking nonsense! Why would I do such a thing?"

Shazo was completely unaffected by the Hokage's aura. He spread his hands and said with a smile, "Why? Of course, it's so that you can still occupy the Hokage's position even when your strength declines."

Hiruzen Sarutobi was absolutely furious. "I didn't, that's not what I thought, and I had no reason to think that way."

"How could it not be necessary?" Shazo Zuo said sinisterly, "If you want to transform Konoha into the Sarutobi Dynasty, of course you need to secure the Hokage position."

"After all, your eldest son passed away unexpectedly, and your second son is very immature and keeps arguing with you. You can only force yourself to persevere for another ten years or so."

"Only in this way can you wait for Asuma Sarutobi to mature, wait for him to become a true Jonin, and have the qualifications to become the Fifth Hokage, so that he can continue your legacy."

"By the way, is your ideal Sixth Hokage —your grandson Konohamaru?"

Shazo's words are completely baseless and malicious speculation, the essence of countless fan fiction authors' wild imaginations.

However, regardless of the circumstances, it is an undeniable fact that Konoha declined under the Third Hokage.

Putting together the facts of the losses suffered by Konoha over the past 20 years, it looks so shocking.

The Third Hokage had no idea how to explain, and Shazo didn't give him a chance to explain either, instead connecting everything together with a malicious speculation.

It sounds so obvious, so logical, and so dark about human nature.

In order for the Sarutobi Clan to maintain permanent control over Konoha, and for the Hokage position to be inherited by a descendant of Hiruzen Sarutobi, just like the Daimyo of the Land of Fire—

Holy crap!

The Konoha Ninja present stared wide-eyed. Not to mention the Ninja had already been persuaded by Shazo, even the Sarutobi Clan Ninja couldn't help but believe it.

It's perfectly reasonable for the Third Hokage to work so hard for such a significant benefit, and even causing people to die is entirely justifiable.

Shazo's speculations may be true or they may not, but he doesn't care.

He has successfully manipulated the emotions of the Konoha Ninja, pushing the Third Hokage into a position where he must prove his innocence.

Next, Hiruzen Sarutobi produce evidence to prove that he didn't do it.

But how can one possibly prove their innocence? There are so many things that need to be proven, it's simply impossible.

At this moment, the best defense is not words, but decisive action.

Stand up, use Ninjutsu to attack Shazo, swiftly subdue him, and interrogate him.

Even accusing him of being a spy from some ninja village would be better than trying to defend himself verbally.

However, Hiruzen Sarutobi cannot make a move.

Because directly taking action contradicts the Third Hokage's character, the Third Hokage did not refute the accusations but instead used violence to stop the other party from speaking.

This is tantamount to him personally proving through his actions that Shazo's slanders were true.

However, remaining silent only meant that nothing was confirmed, and in the hearts of the Konoha Ninja, the image of the Third Hokage as a kind-hearted person collapsed.