Gentō let out a derisive laugh at those words.
"What a joke!"
"Before Minato even took office, I submitted intelligence to you in advance: someone would invade Konoha while Kushina was giving birth."
He stared at Hiruzen.
"But the Konoha High Command, with you at its head, never took that intelligence seriously!"
"Now that the Nine-Tails' Rampage has happened, you're saying it was Minato's responsibility?"
Hiruzen's face turned livid, and he slammed his hand on the desk.
"Insolent brat! You're in no position to lecture me!"
But Gentō refused to back down.
"How did Minato die? He died sealing the Nine-Tails!"
"He died precisely because you people in the high command did nothing!"
"He paid for your incompetence with his life!"
"Now that Minato is dead, instead of showing any remorse, you're pinning all the blame on him!"
"And now you've taken all his property, leaving Kushina and Naruto without a single coin!"
He looked at Naruto in Kushina's arms, his voice heavy with suppressed anger.
"As a Jinchūriki, Kushina can't leave the village to take missions."
"So tell me, how are Minato's widow and orphan supposed to live from now on?"
Hiruzen's face flushed under his questioning, but he forced himself to hold his ground.
"Hmph! That's none of your concern!"
"I'll give Kushina fifty thousand ryō a month for living expenses. That's enough for her and her son!"
As he spoke, his expression even carried a hint of self-congratulation at his own generosity.
Gentō sneered.
"Hahaha! Ridiculous!"
"A hero who died for Konoha ended up dead and stripped of everything he owned."
"And his widow's monthly allowance is only worth a single D-Rank mission?"
He fixed Hiruzen with a piercing stare.
"Also, you keep insisting this money is being 'invested in Konoha's development.' Then tell me, is there