Sarutobi Hiruzen's Seven Deadly Sins

"It is not enough. Sarutobi Hiruzen must pay the price for his actions."

Senju Nawaki unconsciously stroked his knees, which felt devoid of warmth, a flash of ferocity crossing his eyes.

He felt as if he had been transported back to that moment on the brink of death—the agony, the silence, the despair.

Sarutobi Hiruzen must pay for what he had done.

The first step was to dismantle the reputation he had spent years cultivating.

This would be easy, for Sarutobi Hiruzen's actions were inherently controversial; it was only because he was the Hokage that he had been able to suppress all information unfavorable to himself.

Now was the perfect opportunity.

The Senju Clan had departed, and dissenting voices were rising within Konoha.

The Ninja World was unstable, and other ninja villages and nations were scrutinizing this Hokage, who lacked the substance to match his title, questioning whether he possessed the capability and prestige to shoulder such a great responsibility.

The people in the conference room felt a chill and set aside their spectator-like detachment.

They were all victims of Sarutobi Hiruzen's administration; they needed to seek justice for themselves and for the Senju Clan.

Senju Tojian noticed Senju Nawaki's demeanor, his eyes filled with heartache.

"Since Sarutobi Hiruzen enjoys using such methods, let us let him experience how rumors can wound."

Senju Nawaki realized he had lost his composure, regained his gentle expression, and pulled out a stack of papers to distribute.

A few large characters caught their eyes.

[The Seven Deadly Sins of Sarutobi Hiruzen!]

[The First Sin: Illegitimate Ascension. He was merely a guard for the Hokage, tasked with protecting Senju Tobirama during negotiations with Kumogakure. Yet, in the end, it was Senju Tobirama, who possessed the Flying Thunder God technique, who died. The so-called order for him to succeed as Hokage was nothing more than a conspiracy among a few guards to shirk their own responsibilities...]

Fundamentally, they refused to acknowledge the legitimacy of Sarutobi Hiruzen's position as Hokage.

They questioned not only Sarutobi Hiruzen but also the Konoha Council of Elders. During that alliance ceremony in the 16th year of Konoha, Senju Tobirama had died in a Kumogakure plot, while Sarutobi Hiruzen and the current Council of Elders, who were his guards, had survived.

That was Senju Tobirama, a master of the Flying Thunder God technique.

Those few guards, who had been mediocre at the time, had now become the rulers of Konoha, the beneficiaries of the system, and had even forced the Senju Clan to leave the village.

[The Second Sin: Desecrating the corpse of the First Hokage, Senju Hashirama. He dug him out of his coffin to study the unique bloodline limit of the Senju Clan and conduct human experiments...]

He showed no respect for heroes, denied the very foundation of Konoha, and desecrated the remains of the village's greatest hero.

If those who sacrificed themselves for Konoha received no respect and could not rest in peace after death, how could anyone be expected to give their all for the village?

[The Third Sin: A Hollow Reputation. He built a false name for himself as a "Professor" of ninjutsu. Yet, every ninjutsu and forbidden technique he mastered is recorded in the Scroll of Sealing.

His so-called profound knowledge is all a facade, entirely the legacy of Senju Tobirama.

Ordinary civilian ninjas and clan ninjas must perform great deeds to earn a high-level ninjutsu or forbidden technique, but not him—he used the Scroll of Sealing to pad his own reputation.]

What famous ninjutsu did he create? What were his battle achievements?

None!

Everything was a success he had boasted about.

Everything was the achievement of Senju Tobirama.

[The Fourth Sin: Inability to distinguish public from private. He treats everything in Konoha as his personal property. He uses his authority to embezzle assets belonging to the village.]

From the Scroll of Sealing to the Ninja Academy, the Anbu, and the hospital—everything was under his control.

[The Fifth Sin: Jealousy of the talented. He controls Konoha's rankings and the distribution of ninja missions, disregarding the facts.

Ninjas with great strength receive rewards that do not match their abilities because of the mechanisms he manipulates.

A large number of ninjas who clearly possess the strength of Jonin are forced to accept the base pay of Genin.]

[The Sixth Sin... Lining his own pockets... Using the power granted to him by the villagers, he allowed the Sarutobi Clan and the Nara Clan to take over the channels once held by the Senju Clan, profiting immensely from the war.

They purchased grain and medicinal herbs from the Land of Fields at prices inflated several times over, and it was the treasury of the Land of Fire and the villagers of Konoha who bore the consequences.]

[The Seventh Sin... Repeated murder and unfair treatment of the Senju Clan's heirs... He claims Senju Nawaki is incompetent, yet the resources he receives are inferior to Tsunade's, and far, far inferior to Sarutobi Shinnosuke's.

The shameless Sarutobi Hiruzen even selected a Special Jonin who specializes in basic instruction to teach his own descendants...

It is unheard of. This is what he calls "valuing education"—he simply wants to keep the position of Hokage within the Sarutobi Clan, turning Konoha into the private property of the Sarutobi family for generations to come!]

At first, everyone was indifferent.

Seeing the title, they felt a sense of mockery, assuming Senju Nawaki was merely seeking revenge.

The so-called "Seven Deadly Sins" attacked Sarutobi Hiruzen's private character.

Over the years, Sarutobi Hiruzen's lechery was known even to the Daimyo of the Land of Fire.

Was such a reputation even worth attacking?

But the more they read, the more astonished they became.

Every single point was backed by substance and evidence that could be verified.

It wasn't just a lack of private morality—lechery didn't even make the list—but he had committed unforgivable errors regarding the very fate of the nation and its people.

Half of the fury igniting within them was tied directly to the Senju Clan.

When they pieced together the history of the Senju Clan, they realized that the clan's decline had been orchestrated by Sarutobi Hiruzen, and everything they had lost had been swallowed up by the Sarutobi Clan.

The mention of Senju Hashirama's corpse brought back memories of the incident from several years ago.

A large number of Senju clansmen had died in a bizarre fashion, their bodies transforming into trees.

That unique method of death was the backlash of Wood Release.

Konoha had been using members of the Senju Clan as subjects for Wood Release experiments.

The other half of their rage stemmed from something they could no longer tolerate.

The Senju Clan had sacrificed everything for Konoha, while the Sarutobi Clan, represented by Sarutobi Hiruzen, had clung to the village like a parasite, draining its blood to fuel their own transformation.

The two clans had acted in diametrically opposite ways, yet the results they achieved were vastly different.

The Senju Clan was on the verge of extinction, while the Sarutobi Clan flourished.

They could not believe it, they could not understand it, and they refused to accept it.

Was this truly how the world worked? That the kind-hearted would be the first to die, serving only as stepping stones for the wicked?

A gloomy expression clouded the face of every Senju clansman as they realized how foolish they had been to be so easily deceived.

A bitter smile appeared on Senju Tojian's face; he had never imagined that Sarutobi Hiruzen could hide his true nature so deeply or commit such heinous acts.

He exchanged a smile with Senju Zuoren; having Senju Nawaki at the helm gave them a sense of peace they had not felt before.

The other jonin also regained their composure, though some still wore expressions of deep shame. They had been deceived so thoroughly, but at least such things would not be allowed to continue.

Yet, the fire of rage burning in their hearts refused to be extinguished.

"Clan Leader, this has been an eye-opener. But I still don't feel satisfied. For crimes as grave as these, is mere condemnation and exposure enough? I want to take action myself."

Senju Tojian spoke with sincerity.

The other jonin nodded in agreement, their conviction in Senju Nawaki only growing stronger.