After hearing what Uchiha Yato had said, everyone present froze as if struck by a binding spell, stunned for a full second.
Setting aside what Konoha's higher-ups thought of Hiruzen Sarutobi, the various forces from the other villages were now looking at him with entirely different eyes.
Originally, these people could still understand some of Hiruzen Sarutobi's actions.
After all, the Uchiha Clan and the Senju Clan were simply too powerful—powerful enough to inspire fear. So whether it was weakening their combat strength or suppressing them, these people felt it was understandable.
These were special measures necessary in the politics of a village, and they had all done similar things behind the scenes to some extent.
But they absolutely could not accept killing a Kage-level powerhouse from one's own village merely to gain a better puppet—or, rather, more power.
What they did not know was that Konoha's higher-ups had done this kind of foolish thing before.
Hatake Sakumo's death was the best proof. Perhaps, in the beginning, they had merely wanted to weaken his public support and reputation.
But they had overplayed their hand.
Hatake Sakumo choosing suicide directly was something Hiruzen Sarutobi and Shimura Danzō had never expected.
After all, a village's Kage-level combat strength was an extremely important strategic resource, not cabbage that could be squandered at will.
If not for Hiruzen Sarutobi and Shimura Danzō holding sufficiently high positions, the battle situation at the time being relatively urgent,
and Hatake Sakumo's reputation having already been utterly ruined by them, all these factors piling together gave them room to maneuver.
Otherwise, Hatake Sakumo's death alone could have caused a huge uproar.
(You may refer to what Uchiha Yato did in a parallel world.)
And now, what had everyone present heard?
Hiruzen Sarutobi believed Minato Namikaze was not obedient