Inside the Hokage's Office, killing intent mingled with the scorched smell left behind by lightning. The air had frozen solid like ice.
Kakashi did not say another word. He merely threw the scroll stained with his father's blood and tears onto the Hokage's desk. As the scroll unfurled, the crimes listed upon it carried more weight than any roar could have.
Hiruzen Sarutobi's gaze swept over those names—names he knew, or had long since forgotten. Every single one represented a bloodshed case buried beneath the dust of time. Beside him, Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura's expressions shifted from initial fury to suspicion, then to an incredulous pallor.
"...So this is the truth." Kakashi's voice was low, hoarse as if forced from his throat. "My father, Hatake Sakumo, did not die from the shame of failing a mission. He died because his comrades framed him, because of... the higher-ups' silent consent."
His scarlet Sharingan, like a red-hot branding iron, was nailed to Hiruzen Sarutobi's face, as though it intended to see through every hesitation and calculation hidden within his soul.
"Tell me, Third Hokage. Where were you when all this happened? And what did your crystal ball see?"
That question seemed to hammer Hiruzen Sarutobi several inches shorter.
He forcibly suppressed the storm raging in his heart. He could not admit fault here—at least, not on the surface. He first put on an expression of shock and deep grief, as though he too had only just learned of this horrifying secret.
Bang!
He slammed his palm onto the desk. In that instant, he forcibly drove the authority of the Hokage to its peak.
"Enough, Kakashi!" he roared, his booming voice making the entire office hum. "What Danzo has done is utterly treasonous! In the name of the Third Hokage, I swear