That was Shimura Danzō's line

"The Second Anbu Training Department has more young Jonin from the Ino-Shika-Cho Clans than their respective clans Central City."

"These children were kidnapped by Shimura Danzō. They were rescued during the elimination of the Anbu, but you took them back under the guise of treating their psychological trauma, continuing to control these young Jonin."

"You stole someone else's best child, and you still have the nerve to ask: Why do they hate you?"

"Your rebuilt Second Training Department doesn't just house the children of the Ino-Shika-Cho clans; it has young Ninja from all the Ninja Clans."

Shazo sneered, "Before, Shimura Danzō bore everyone's hatred. Now that you personally take charge of the Second Root, everyone's hatred naturally focuses on you."

Hiruzen Sarutobi shouted, "Those excellent Ninja going to their respective clans is just scattering our strength. How can we be stronger if we concentrate our forces?"

Shazo: "Even if the combined strength is greater, each individual should join voluntarily, not be forcibly controlled by you!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi was enraged. He roared, "Everything I've done is for Konoha!"

Shazo Zuo:?

Shazo Zuo:!

Hiruzen Sarutobi:!!

He scratched his head and asked in confusion, "Hiruzen Sarutobi, doesn't that line sound familiar?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi also felt something was off; he missed it terribly, yet felt extremely uncomfortable at the same time.

Shazo suddenly slapped his forehead. "Holy crap, isn't that Shimura Danzō's catchphrase?"

"Hiruzen Sarutobi, you've actually fallen to the same level as Danzo! You've utterly degenerated into trash!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi panicked. "I didn't! I didn't! You're lying!"

He was so anxious to defend himself that he even spat out saliva and blood.

Shazo took a half-step back in disgust: "Ugh—"

Hiruzen Sarutobi argued for a few moments, then fell silent. After a long while, he finally asked, "Just because of the Second Training Department, Shikaku Nara conspired with you in that coup?"

Shazo approached and placed his hand on Hiruzen Sarutobi's chest, opening a wound in his lung to make the old man's breathing easier.

However, this wound will quickly develop into a pneumothorax, leaving him with no chance of survival.

After doing all this, Shazo Zuo continued, "Nara Clan Jonin is excellent, wise, and rational."

"After making the decision to change his stance, he solved many problems for my coup plan."

"For example, the problem of convening the Konoha Jonin Assembly. I also thought it would be very difficult to convene the Konoha Jonin Assembly, requiring at least a month of advance planning."

"The Nara Clan Jonin told me that he had calculated the fastest possible mobilization time: if 70% of the Konoha Jonin actively cooperated, all the preparations could be completed in just three days."

"So I'm not as powerful as you imagine. It's through everyone's cooperation that you were able to experience that sudden coup."

Hiruzen Sarutobi sneered, "You still want to hide your true abilities at this point?"

"Without you, a Wood Release Ninja, would Shikaku Nara be following you? He wouldn't even be able to handle Inoichi Yamanaka!"

Shazo said with slight surprise, "Hiruzen Sarutobi, your mind is still quite clear."

"Indeed, the reason we were able to form this alliance is because of my existence as Wood Release Ninja, and all the decisions were made by me."

"The reason why so many of my decisions have been accepted is because I know what people want; I'm just speaking for them."

"For example, launching a coup to oust you is not my idea, but a consensus among the Konoha Ninja."

"As long as you accept your fate of being removed from office and honestly consider yourself a Konoha Jonin, I really won't do anything more to you."

"Even when purging the Sarutobi Clan, I had to hold back and not go too far."

"After all, if I want to take over Konoha, my actions must meet the expectations of the Konoha Ninja to the greatest extent possible, so that I can get them to work for me."

"Even after you stepped down, you still acted like you were the Hokage, still wanting Konoha to operate according to your wishes, and interfering with the power of the Jonin everywhere."

"You've really angered everyone."

99

Hiruzen Sarutobi found it difficult to breathe again, but this time he didn't feel the pain he had felt before, only a suffocating feeling.

No matter how hard he tried to inhale, he could only take in a tiny bit of air into his lungs.

Hiruzen Sarutobi knew that he was about to die, and that his death would be extremely painful.

But he finally managed to speak, "Why, why have I angered everyone? I've always done it this way."

Shazo laughed, "That's your misconception. The past 30 years have been 30 years of your power constantly expanding, but you haven't always been doing that."

"You didn't feel anything before because you were so powerful."

"Your individual strength is formidable, your classmates are not weak either, and your three students are even stronger. Therefore, the Ninja Clans almost dares not compete with you, and they have yielded step by step to avoid conflict, which is why you haven't felt anything."

"But the last 10 years have been different. Shimura Danzō estranged from you, Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu have fallen from grace, and your own strength has also declined."

"But you continued to expand your power, and the resulting conflicts gradually intensified. Hatake Sakumo's death was a consequence of this power struggle."

Hiruzen Sarutobi weakly retorted, "Hatake Sakumo committed suicide; I didn't want him to die."

Shazo ignored him and continued, "You cleverly arranged for Shimura Danzō to be in front, shielding you from the pressure of the conflict, but you still don't seem to feel much of a difference."

"As a result, the boundaries of your power expanded faster and faster, to the point that you couldn't even tolerate your three disciples who had grown up, and expelled them from Konoha for various reasons."

Hiruzen Sarutobi felt increasingly suffocated; his eyes bulged out, yet he still managed to say, "They left on their own; I didn't chase them away—"

Shazo continued unfazed, "Then you continued to seize power from Konoha, quickly escalating to forcing various Ninja Clans to relinquish power, even offering up their best clansmen to serve you. At this point, it had already provoked outrage."

"But you were really lucky. The Uchiha Clan, who are not good at handling inter-clan relations, stepped forward, and the fierce conflict between you overshadowed your conflicts with other Ninja Clans."

"Once the entire Uchiha Clan's upper echelons are wiped out, and I've killed Shimura Danzō, your conflict with Konoha will be fully exposed."

"I thought you would realize the problem, curb your greed, improve your relationship with Konoha, and relinquish some power and benefits. That's why I said: you don't have much time left."

"Who knew you'd become senile, still clinging to power and personal gain?"

"When Naruto Uzumaki takes off his mask and directly tells you to return my parents' inheritance, that will be the last chance I give you to live."

"Who knew you were so greedy? Naruto directly asked for it back, but you stubbornly refused to return the inheritance you forcibly seized."

"So you deserve to die, Hiruzen Sarutobi!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi could no longer speak and died in agony.