"And Fourth Hokage Minato Namikaze."
"His talent, military exploits, and popularity are all sufficient, but has he really controlled the core power of Konoha since he took office?"
"Root is still in the hands of Danzo. The key power of ANBU is still restricted by the top management. The coordination of various races depends on the faces of you old people. Intelligence and dark tasks still cannot bypass Elders Council."
"The so-called Fourth Hokage is just a young hero who was pushed to the forefront. The real power of ANBU and the shadow in the village are always tightly held by you."
After saying this, there was a dead silence in the conference room.
The expressions of many Jonin finally changed from simple shock to deep shake.
They used to think that Konoha was full of talents and was the largest village in Shinobi World.
But when Ren counted them one by one, they discovered that Konoha had lost too many people over the years.
Senju withered, Hyuga was humiliated, White Fang committed suicide, and Three Legendary Ninja was separated.
Four generations died in the war, but the power system left behind has not been truly transferred.
Taken individually, there is a reason for each of these things.
But connected together, it is a bloody line of decay.
Ren's voice was lowered again.
"Internally, you suppress the ninja clan, fear geniuses, and push those who may threaten Hokage's authority to the edge one by one."
"Externally, you are weak and compromise. In the face of the Kumogakure threat, you dare not fight back forcefully. Instead, you want to sacrifice the dignity of your fellow tribesmen in exchange for short-term peace."
"Kumogakure tied up Kushina, tied up Hinata, tied up Uchiha children, tied up Yaonai, why do they dare to do it to Konoha again and again?"
"Because they know that under Hiruzen Sarutobi, as long as Konoha puts out the threat of war, Hokage Building will first think about settling the matter."
"You call giving in to the overall situation, calling weakness peace, and sacrificing your fellow tribesmen called bearing the burden of humiliation."
"But what's the result?"
"Kumogakure did not respect Konoha for this reason, nor did Iwagakure, Kirigakure, Sunagakure fear Konoha."
"They will only feel that Konoha is getting easier and easier to bully."
"After decades of rule, Konoha talents have withered, all ethnic groups have declined, Root has become powerful, ANBU has been neglected, and human experiments have been rampant. Even First Hokage's body and Uchiha's companions' Kekkei Genkai can be desecrated by Danzo."
"Konoha, who once stood at the top of Shinobi World, has been governed by you to this point today, and still dares to say that he did not make a big mistake?"
After the words fell, no one on both sides of the long table could easily refute.
Jonin, who just stood up to defend Hiruzen Sarutobi, now all turned pale.
Inuzuka Clan's Jonin opened his mouth, but no sound came out.
Aburame Clan's tribesman lowered his head, and the insects on his fingertips crawled slowly, showing that his master was not in a calm state of mind.
Shikaku Nara raised his head and glanced at Hiruzen Sarutobi. His eyes were no longer just in awe, but filled with unprecedented scrutiny.
Inoichi Yamanaka had a complex expression, and Choza Akimichi remained silent for even longer.
Hyuga Hiashi sat there coldly, showing no intention of relenting for Hokage Tower.
Ren stood in front of the long table, the black Divine Robe was hanging down, and the sound spread throughout the conference room.
"Hiruzen Sarutobi."
"You suppress talents internally, divide ethnic groups, and allow Danzo to trample on Konoha laws in the name of Root."
"You are weak and incompetent externally, sacrificing your own people, losing power and humiliating the country, and letting foreign enemies step on Konoha's head again and again."
"You are no longer qualified to continue to be in charge of Konoha."
"Uchiha Clan, as the founding ninja clan Konoha, can't bear it anymore."
"Today, on behalf of the Uchiha Clan, I formally completed the impeachment complaint against Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi."
After the last word fell, the entire conference room seemed to be held down by an invisible hand.
All Jonin's expressions changed.
They finally realized that the decline of Konoha over the years could not be explained by a few wars and accidents.
Third Hokage has been in power for decades, and it has indeed made Konoha weather the storm, but it has also caused the village to slip from its peak through repeated compromises, indulgences, and internal friction.
Hiruzen Sarutobi was sitting on the main seat, the wrinkles on his face seemed to have been carved deeper by a knife.
Humiliation, unwillingness, anger, and a kind of desolation after having his bottom peeled off in public, all pressed on his chest.
He looked up at Ren, then at the Jonin whose expressions changed on both sides of the long table, and finally laughed softly.
There was no relaxation in that laughter, only indescribable bitterness.
"Ren, you said it happily."
"But do you think that seat Hokage is as easy to sit in as you think?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi's voice became much hoarse.
"I succeeded to the throne hastily when I was young, Second Hokage died in battle, and Konoha just struggled out of the war. The major ninja clans are powerful, and the rules within the clan are greater than the village's political orders. Many people obey Hokage's orders on the surface, but behind the scenes they each guard their own clan territory and protect their own interests."
"Sarutobi clan is indeed famous in Konoha, but compared with big families like Senju, Uchiha, and Hyuga, their foundation is too shallow and their power is too weak."
"The reason why I was able to sit firmly in Hokage Position at that time was largely due to the support of Lady Mito, and also because Mrs. First was willing to stand on the side of the overall interests of Konoha and suppress the voices of those who were dissatisfied with the Hokage government order."
He slowly raised his head and looked at Danzo's half-kneeling figure, his voice filled with deep reluctance.
"But Lady Mito can't suppress all races for me forever, and Konoha can't always rely on one person's prestige to maintain it."
"I want to push forward the executive order. If Hokage Building can truly control all ethnic groups, it must have its own strength."
"So I support Danzo, support Koharu, Homura, and let the second generation disciples stand in front of the stage and use Shimura, The powers of the Utatane Clan and Mitokado Clan are used to check and balance the major ninja clans, and Root is also used to do things that ANBU cannot do."
"At first, I thought that as long as we could stabilize the regime and implement administrative orders, Konoha would be able to survive the most difficult years."
"But I gave in time and time again, delegated power again and again, and relied on Shimura's support to stabilize my rule, and also allowed Danzo to become bigger step by step."
"Because of this, I have been conniving and delegating power to Danzo all year round, which has led to catastrophe step by step."
Hiruzen Sarutobi After saying these words, no one in the conference room spoke immediately.
Many Jonin looked at him with more complicated expressions than before.
For the first time, they heard Third Hokage say what he had buried in his heart all these years.
He succeeded to the throne at a young age, with a shallow foundation and dissatisfaction from various clans. He relied on the support of Uzumaki Mito to secure his position as Hokage.
In order for Hokage Building to suppress the major ninja clans, he supported Danzo, Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura, using his identity as a second-generation disciple and the power of Shimura to check and balance the wealthy clans in the village.
These words are not only explaining, but also acknowledging.
Admit that Konoha's current power structure was not purely for the village from the beginning, but to allow Hiruzen Sarutobi to sit Hokage Position firmly.
Shikaku Nara's eyes darkened.
Inoichi Yamanaka took a deep breath, his face looking indescribably ugly.
Choza Akimichi was silent, his fists pressed on the table, his knuckles turning white.
Hyuga Hiashi looked at Hiruzen Sarutobi coldly.
He understood.
Hyuga has been gradually reduced to a vassal over the years, it is not accidental.
It is not accidental that Uchiha was moved, monitored, and isolated.
This is the choice Hokage made on its own initiative in order to suppress the wealthy people.
Hiruzen Sarutobi continued, "I didn't want Danzo to get to this point from the beginning."
"At that time, Konoha had just experienced a war. There were powerful enemies outside and interests of various ethnic groups inside."
"Uchiha, Hyuga, Aburame, Inuzuka, Nara, Yamanaka, Akimichi... Each clan has its own rules, each clan has its own inheritance, and each clan is unwilling to completely hand over the core power of the clan to Hokage."
"If Hokage Tower does not have enough power, the decree cannot leave the building, and the village will be just a loose alliance of many ninjas working together."