Danzo sneered when he heard this, stood up straight with a cane, and recounted Root's achievements over the years one by one in a tone of ignorance facing the younger generation.
"Root is the darkness of Konoha, an indispensable presence in some actions that can never be made public in the sun."
"Assassinate the core figures of the hostile forces, penetrate the enemy's intelligence network, eradicate internal rebels, and eliminate hidden dangers that may threaten the security of the village in advance!"
"These tasks were completed silently by Root."
"Without Root, Konoha would have been riddled with holes by enemies hiding in the dark."
"No one is qualified to question Root's contribution and loyalty to Konoha. Root's action efficiency even surpasses ANBU in some aspects."
Danzo spoke calmly and forcefully. Some elderly Jōnin in the conference room changed their faces slightly after hearing Danzo's words.
Some of them do know that Root has contributed to several major crises. Although those contributions are invisible, they cannot be denied that they do exist.
Naruto patiently listened to all the statements made by Danzo and nodded without any expression of rebuttal on his face.
After Danzo finished speaking, Naruto said calmly, "So during Chunin Ninja Exams, when Orochimaru launched Konoha Crush Plan, where was Root?"
"From the time Orochimaru disguised as Kazekage to launch a surprise attack, to Third Hokage being trapped on the roof by Four Violet Flames Formation, to the joint forces of Sunagakure Ninja and Otogakure Ninja destroying everything in the village, this period of time is long enough, right?"
"During this period, did Root take any action?"
"Even once?"
"I said that Root was attacked by Tailed Beast Bomb before the exam started. A large number of casualties were caused, the base was destroyed, and it was impossible to organize effective combat forces for defense in time."
Danzo's voice became a bit colder, but still maintained restraint.
"Elder Danzo, I'm very curious. In that case, why didn't Root's remaining combat power be mobilized for follow-up defense?"
"Only the base was attacked, not all the personnel of Root. You should still have manpower that can be mobilized, right?"
"And it lasted a lot of time from the time Orochimaru launched the raid until Three-Headed Giant Snake was solved by Jiraiya."
"If Root is really as efficient as you just said, this period of time is enough for a well-trained elite ninja team to make several trips back and forth from the edge of the village to the center of the battlefield."
"But where is the shadow of Konoha Crush Plan, Root in the whole scene?"
"The patriarchs of the major families were leading their own clansmen to fight back. Inuzuka Clan, Hyuga Clan, Aburame Clan, and even the retired ninjas of the older generation were fighting back with all their might."
"As for Elder Danzo's Root, who is known as Konoha's most elite force of darkness, when the village was riddled with holes, not a single person came out."
"Is this the contribution you just mentioned to Konoha? Is this Root's outstanding mobility?"
"Naruto Uzumaki You know so clearly the time when Root was attacked. You even know the specific time period when it happened. Is that attack related to you?"
Danzo looked directly at Naruto with cold eyes, trying to tell something from Naruto's expression, even a hint of panic.
Naruto chuckled lightly, not showing the panic of being hit.
"Elder Danzo, during Chunin Ninja Exams I was chasing One-Tail Jinchuriki Gaara, Shukaku went berserk, and I fought Shukaku head-on."
"Shukaku and I fired Tailed Beast Bomb without any difference in the battle, so I naturally know the time."
Danzo Hearing this, his fingers tightened on the crutches and made a subtle clicking sound.
He opened his mouth to refute, but Naruto didn't give him this chance, and turned directly to all Jōnin and the heads of each family present, his voice clear and steady.
"Everyone, I oppose the request of Elder Danzo, and I even propose to directly cancel Root!"
In an instant, everyone was in an uproar, and Danzo revealed his murderous intent without any concealment.
Naruto spoke slowly without fear of Danzo's murderous intent, "This is not out of personal grudges, but for Konoha."
"After my father Fourth Hokage died in the war, and the third generation grandfather took over Hokage again, until now, there has been a very obvious talent gap in Konoha."
"After the death of the third-generation grandfather in the war, Konoha couldn't find anyone who could immediately take charge."
"Kakashi-sensei is very good, Teacher Kai is also very strong, but they are still one step away from Kage Level."
"This step has been stuck Konoha for more than ten years, why?"
Naruto turned around and slowly glanced at Danzo, Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura.
"What causes this phenomenon is the institutional problems left over from the previous generation."
"Hokage's power has been divided, resources and talents have been diverted, and the best seedlings have been taken away by different forces before they have grown up."
"It is true that Elder Council holds power in his hands, but most of the time these powers are only used to maintain their respective spheres of influence rather than cultivating the next generation who can take over."
"Especially Elder Danzo, you hold Root in your hands, and you also hold far more political influence than an elder should have. This directly divides the power of Hokage."
"The destruction of a country is never caused by a punch from an external enemy. It is first divided from within and then disintegrated by itself."
"The endless internal fighting consumes Konoha too many resources, and these resources should be used to cultivate more ninjas who can stand alone."
"So I not only oppose the replacement of Root, I propose to completely withdraw Root, merge Root with ANBU, and unify all resources and command rights into Hokage himself."
"Only when Hokage's power is no longer divided, can Konoha truly become powerful."
After Naruto finished speaking, his eyes fell on Danzo: "Elder Danzo, what I just said is not for you, but for Konoha."
Danzo heard this, the muscles on his face twitched, and his crutches made several cracks, and he was furious in his heart. "Those are my words!"
"For Konoha!"
He Shimura Danzō has used his signature lines all his life.
Relying on these words, he persuaded Hiruzen Sarutobi many times, relied on these words to annex many resources that should have been directly under Hokage, and relied on these words to gain a firm foothold in countless power games.
And now, this sentence is not only spoken from the mouth of Naruto Uzumaki, but also used to take away the Root that he has worked so hard to build.
The two elders sitting next to Danzo looked at each other and then chose to wait and see.
Utatane Koharu picked up the tea cup, Mitokado Homura folded his hands on his knees and said nothing.
The two of them have been able to sit in this position to this age and have a keener sense of power than anyone else.
Although what Naruto just said was literally directed at Danzo, the issues mentioned by Hokage about infighting and dispersion of power are common to all Elder Council.
However, compared to Danzo, they have no armed force and only some rights. Therefore, as long as Hokage does not put the knife directly on their necks, they will not take the initiative to jump out to block the knife.
What's more, they really can't stand the way Danzo has used Root to monopolize power for so many years.
"Hokage Is this what you mean?"
Danzo did not look at Naruto anymore, but turned his attention directly to Tsunade.
Tsunade stood up, placed her hands on the conference table, and the white Hokage Cloak was slightly unfolded behind her.
He said without any doubt, "Yes, I came back to serve as Hokage, not to become the second Third Hokage."
"I am Fifth Hokage, and I will not tolerate anyone trying to support themselves and divide the power of Hokage during my term."
"Danzo You are old. Your Root suffered a devastating blow during Chunin Ninja Exams. This is an indisputable fact."