While Fang Xu and his group were busy traveling, another storm was brewing in Konoha.
Deep within the Root Base, the owl stood beside a long table.
The table was piled high with thick stacks of incriminating evidence.
Human experimentation records, assassination lists, Root operations files, records of the Sheer Force recruitment of ninja clan members, and evidence of Shimura Danzō's private mobilization of resources and collusion with other villages were all meticulously compiled.
A Root ninja asked in a low voice, "Lord Owl, are we really going to distribute all of these things?"
Xiao flipped through the dossier in his hand, his voice completely flat.
"The master has given the order."
"From this day forward, everyone in Konoha will know what Shimura Danzō has done."
The Root ninja fell silent.
Having spent many years at the Root, he naturally understood what this evidence of guilt meant.
Any one of these factors alone would be enough to cause Shimura Danzō to lose his status as an elder.
Now that all the evidence has been laid out together, Shimura Danzō can no longer cover it up with the excuse of "for the sake of Konoha."
"Copy in batches."
The owl raised its head.
"Don't release it all at once."
"We'll release a portion each day, so the villagers and ninjas can see for themselves."
"Yes."
The Root ninjas acted immediately.
A large amount of evidence was copied again and then put into paper bags.
That very night, these paper bags appeared all over Konoha.
On the bulletin board in the mission hall, there are records of Shimura Danzō's secret human experiments.
At the entrance of the Ninja Tools shop, a list of ninja clan members Sheer Force recruited by Shimura Danzō appeared.
In a roadside teahouse, a file detailing the Root organization's assassination attempts on Konoha Ninja lay on the table.
Some people even delivered the materials directly to the victims' families.
The next morning, just as the streets of Konoha were starting to bustle, the first burst of angry curses came from a street corner.
Is everything written here true?
A young ninja clutched the dossier, his hands trembling.
" The Root, Shimura Danzō, once assassinated our squad?"
His companion snatched the materials and quickly flipped through them.
His expression grew increasingly grim.
Not a small team.
"This records more than a dozen operations."
"Two of those instances were against Konoha Jonin."
People immediately gathered around.
People were scrambling to look at the case files.
Someone muttered curses under their breath.
The news quickly spread from one street to another.
" Shimura Danzō actually used Konoha Ninja for experiments!"
He also Sheer Force arrested members of other ninja clans and sent them to Root!
"Does this kind of person deserve to be an elder of Konoha?"
" Shimura Danzō immediately!"
The Rage shouts grew louder and louder.
Many victims' families have also come forward.
An elderly woman with gray hair stood in front of the mission hall, clutching her son's belongings.
"The mission my son received back then was anything but ordinary!"
Her voice was hoarse, yet it carried throughout the surrounding area.
"He was sent by Shimura Danzō to silence him!"
"After the mission failed, Root even fabricated his death record, claiming he died in battle!"
As the old woman finished speaking, her legs gave way, and she knelt down on the ground.
I've waited for him for over a decade!
"A full ten years!"
A middle-aged ninja quickly helped her up.
The old woman, however, clung tightly to the file in her hand.
" Shimura Danzō my son's life!"
This one sentence seemed to ignite everyone's anger.
More victims' families took to the streets.
Some people have accused their relatives of being assassinated by the Root.
Some people have accused their clansmen of being Sheer Force taken away.
Some people even held up yellowed mission notices, accusing Shimura Danzō of murdering their father and brother to cover up a secret.
The same voice soon echoed throughout Konoha.
"Execute Shimura Danzō!"
"Make Shimura Danzō pay for the dead!"
"Shoulder the Root!"
"Thoroughly eliminate Shimura Danzō!"
The controversy continues to escalate.
Even the Sarutobi Clan was dragged into it.
Many villagers began to question Hiruzen Sarutobi.
"Did the Third Hokage really know nothing about all the things Shimura Danzō did?"
" Danzo controlled Root for decades, didn't he do so without the Hokage's permission?"
"If the Third Hokage didn't know, how could he have become Hokage?"
"If he knew, why did he keep protecting Shimura Danzō?"
The ninjas of the Sarutobi Clan quickly stood up to defend Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Don't make unfounded claims!
" The Lord Hokage has always worked tirelessly for Konoha."
" Shimura Danzō's crimes should not implicate the entire Sarutobi Clan!"
These words did not quell the debate; instead, they provoked even fiercer rebuttals.
"What's posted now is the evidence!"
"Don't you Sarutobi Clan know how much Konoha's resources you've taken?"
" Danzo has fallen, and you're trying to pretend you know nothing?"
"If Hiruzen Sarutobi is innocent, why was the Root never thoroughly investigated?"
The argument spread from the street to the teahouse, and then from the teahouse to the vicinity of the Ninja Academy.
Hiruzen Sarutobi certainly couldn't have been deaf to it.
In the Ninja Academy's office, he had just picked up a piece of evidence when he saw it was covered with densely written records of Root's operations.
Hiruzen Sarutobi very quickly.
But the further I looked, the stiffer my fingers became.
He had heard Danzo mention some of these actions before.
There were also some actions that Danzo never reported to him.
Regardless of which one it is, it is enough to prove that Shimura Danzō had already crossed the line.
Hiruzen Sarutobi down the file, his face extremely grim.
"This is Fang Xu and Tsunade's reckoning."
He made his judgment quickly.
It's impossible for so much complete evidence of a crime to suddenly appear in the village.
It's even less likely that anyone would know all the actions happening inside the Root.
Only Fang Xu was capable of doing this.
Fang Xu's decision to release the evidence at this time was not intended to allow the Konoha to easily understand the truth.
This is to nail Shimura Danzō to the pillar of shame.
Cold sweat gradually broke out on Hiruzen Sarutobi's back.
If the controversy continues to escalate, Shimura Danzō will inevitably be despised by everyone.
As the Third Hokage, he would be seen by the villagers as a licentious and protective figure.
If the Sarutobi Clan gets involved, the consequences will be unimaginable.
Hiruzen Sarutobi immediately got up, left the Ninja Academy, and headed to the underground Root Base.
But when he opened the hidden door leading underground, all that was left was an empty corridor.
The documents that were originally placed against the wall have all disappeared.
The training ground was deserted.
The armory's seal has been broken.
Traces of daily life were quickly removed.