With Qingcheng's immense spiritual power bolstering him, the sleazy ninja was instantly caught in the illusion. One moment, his face was full of anger; the next, it twisted into manic madness, like a proud rooster.
He shouted arrogantly, "Listen up! My name is Shimura Ken. I'm a clansman of Lord Danzo, Konoha Advisor and leader of Root! How dare you talk about me? If you don't want to die, get the hell away from me!"
Many students had no idea what Root was, but the ninja parents all turned pale and said in shock, "The leader of Root, Shimura Danzō?"
Some clan ninja looked astonished. "Wasn't Root disbanded? The Third Hokage personally gave the order."
Shimura Ken shouted manically, "Who told you that? Lord Danzo is a Konoha Advisor, the next Hokage, the future Fifth Hokage!"
Shimura Ken continued wildly, "Once that old bastard, the Third Hokage, kicks the bucket, Lord Danzo will take office immediately! Who dares disband Root?"
All the students' parents were stunned. "So Lord Danzo has already prepared to take over as the Fifth Hokage? What is going on?"
Some clan ninja wore troubled expressions and said seriously, "How is that possible? The Third Hokage never said anything like that. Stop flattering yourselves."
Some senior ninja said furiously, "So you Root ninja don't obey the Hokage's orders and only listen to Advisor Danzo's orders, is that it?"
The ordinary villagers were confused. They did not even know Danzo and began discussing him among themselves. "Who is Shimura Danzō? That one-eyed old man with bandages over his eye? That creepy old guy who mutters to himself all day?"
Facing the noisy crowd, Shimura Ken laughed manically and shouted wildly, "What the hell is Hiruzen Sarutobi? If he hadn't betrayed and gotten the Second Hokage killed, the position of Third Hokage would have belonged to Lord Danzo! What right does the Sarutobi Clan have?"
The crowd was stunned, as if they had just heard an earth-shattering piece of gossip. They covered their mouths and stared at Shimura Ken in shock.
Among them were ninja from the Hyuga Clan, Nara Clan, Yamanaka Clan, Akimichi Clan, Aburame Clan, and Inuzuka Clan. All of these clans had younger members attending the academy.
Looking at Shimura Ken, who resembled a crowing rooster, they all showed displeasure. But when they remembered the terrifying Danzo, they froze in place and did not dare make a move.
The ANBU members in the crowd were already sweating profusely. He actually dared to slander the Third Hokage in public. This is outright provocation against the village!
The Root ninja were equally shocked. How could Lord Danzo's clansman be so arrogant and conceited?
Qingcheng said solemnly, "You're lying. The Third Hokage is not that kind of person, and Advisor Danzo cannot become Hokage."
Seeing Qingcheng still daring to provoke Shimura Ken, the clan ninja spoke up one after another. "What a reckless fool. You haven't experienced the terror of Root ninja yet."
Shimura Ken shouted manically again, "That Third Hokage you all keep thinking about is nothing but a living beast! Not only did he drive the Fourth Hokage to his death, he also sold out Konoha's intelligence and got the Second Hokage killed. Only our great Lord Danzo..."
Shimura Ken emphasized again, "Lord Danzo is the only one suited for the position of Hokage. Only when he becomes Hokage can Konoha prosper once more and reclaim its place as the overlord of the ninja world!"
Everyone was shocked. "Has this Shimura Clan ninja gone insane? How dare he spout such madness?"
But among some ninja, a seed of doubt had already been planted. They began to suspect that there had been something shady behind the death of the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze.
Qingcheng shouted in heartbreak, "Impossible! Absolutely impossible! The Third Hokage is a kind and benevolent man. He inherited the Will of Fire perfectly!"
Shimura Ken laughed manically. "You've all been fooled by that old fox! The Second Hokage was betrayed by Hiruzen Sarutobi, which was why the Second Hokage was surrounded and killed by the Kinkaku Force!"
The entrance to the academy was packed tight. Everyone watched this shocking gossip unfold and could not help saying, "This is insane! He keeps calling the Third Hokage an old bastard and a living beast!"
Since Danzo was not someone to be trifled with, these clan ninja felt as though they were watching immortals battle. They merely stood by and watched quietly.
Rumors had always been a mix of truth and lies. With the Sarutobi Clan already holding the position of Konoha's foremost great clan, and the Senju Clan completely wiped out, some people had begun to grow suspicious.
Just then, two ninja from the Sarutobi Clan rushed over. Looking at the defiant Shimura Ken, they angrily rebuked him, "What nonsense are you talking about? Publicly insulting the Third Hokage is a serious crime!"
The Sharingan beneath Qingcheng's sunglasses spun rapidly. He increased his power and controlled Shimura Ken into shouting again, "You Sarutobi Clan really think the Shimura Clan is easy to bully?"
Shimura Ken roared madly, "Back then, your Hiruzen Sarutobi stole the Hokage position from the Shimura Clan! Now I'm going to reveal everything! Why should the Shimura Clan fear the Sarutobi Clan?"
Watching the dogs tear at each other, everyone was delighted. The heavily suppressed Hyuga Clan members especially began fanning the flames. "Since he has something to say, why not let him speak?"
Shimura Ken shouted excitedly, "Hiruzen Sarutobi deliberately caused the Fourth Hokage's death in order to protect the power in his own hands!"
The more Shimura Ken spoke, the more worked up he became. He shouted passionately, "Hiruzen Sarutobi made the Fourth Hokage sit on the sidelines for an entire year while he clung desperately to power! The Fourth Hokage wanted to reform Konoha and improve the treatment of civilian ninja, but that old bastard Hiruzen Sarutobi refused to give up the Sarutobi Clan's interests. So during the Nine-Tails Attack, he made the Fourth Hokage fight alone, until he finally sealed the Nine-Tails with his life!"
After Shimura Ken finished shouting, the onlookers were all shocked. "Is that true? But the Fourth Hokage really was that kind of person."
The Sarutobi Clan ninja were so anxious they practically jumped in place, shouting furiously, "Stop slandering him! The Fourth Hokage did not fight alone. Some ninja helped him!"
Shimura Ken shouted excitedly, "Of course he didn't fight alone! There were also several ninja loyal to the Fourth Hokage, and Hiruzen Sarutobi got them all killed! It was Hiruzen Sarutobi who ordered, 'All ANBU members are to remain still. Let the Fourth Hokage and his guard ninja handle it!'"
Shimura Ken said angrily, "The ninja Hiruzen Sarutobi got killed included Kurenai Yuhi, Yui Yagi, Tetsuya Kimaki, and others!"
Those clear, forceful words instantly threw the area outside the ninja academy into an uproar. The civilian ninja all shouted, "The Fourth Hokage was a great man! Did the Third Hokage really do something so outrageous?"
Watching the enraged civilian ninja, Qingcheng knew that the Fourth Hokage held immense prestige among them and was deeply beloved by these civilian ninja.
Who could refuse a Hokage who was like a little sun? If the Fourth Hokage hadn't died, the Uchiha Clan wouldn't have been exterminated. In Uzumaki Menma's world, the Uchiha Clan is still alive and well.
Qingcheng continued to exert force, the Sharingan beneath his sunglasses spinning madly.
Seeing the enraged civilian ninja, the Sarutobi Clan ninja shouted loudly, "The Shimura Clan ninja have gone mad! Don't believe them!"
Shimura Ken shouted excitedly, "I'm not insane! Hiruzen Sarutobi must die, Lord Shimura Danzō must rise! Long live Lord Danzo! Long live the Shimura Clan!"
Looking at the crowd's heated discussions, Qingcheng thought, I need to push harder and make them swallow this whole shocking scoop.
Before you continue