Inoue Reina's retort struck straight at the heart!
Although, as a key figure in the Yamada Faction, she knew better than most outsiders that Soji's role in this plan had been far more than that of a mere advocate for technical expertise... the "truth" clearly did not stop a professional politician from twisting black and white before an audience of gawkers.
She precisely seized upon the flaw in the Yamanaka Clan representative's statement, separating "the achievements of reform" from "the Third Hokage Cabinet's administration"! She even directly placed Sarutobi Hiruzen and Shimura Danzō on the same level, using that to support her argument that "the previous generation was ruined by its hesitation during reform"!
With that, the Yamanaka clansmen could only immediately choose silence and hold their tongues for the time being...
After all, if they continued dissecting the issue and began discussing who in the Third Hokage Cabinet counted as progressive forces and who had obstructed reform, then the Ino-Shika-Cho trio, as part of the vested-interest establishment, might also end up taking some of the blame!
In that case, it was better to maintain the current direction of discussion and let the Sarutobi Clan take all the damage...
Thus, everyone's gaze naturally shifted back to Erina—as the Sarutobi Clan's sole representative at this meeting, everyone was eager to see where she stood.
Todo, the chubby boy who had gradually begun to fill out, could not help worrying for his classmate and comrade when he saw this...
But before he could speak up and draw some of the fire, Erina lightly tugged at his scarf beneath the table, stopping him from carrying out his plan to speak. Then, she took the burden upon herself.
"Different voices within the Sarutobi Clan have long opposed Shimura Danzō's reckless and perverse ways. It