He looked at Ren, his voice hoarse.
"I must make Konoha a real ninja village, not a ninja alliance disguised as a village."
"So I need roots."
"We need a dark organization that is not restricted by all races and only listens to the orders of the Hokage system."
Danzo was half-kneeling on the ground, his eye sockets were bleeding, and the seal in his throat suppressed his voice, but he still stared at Hiruzen Sarutobi with his one eye.
Hiruzen Sarutobi didn't look at him.
"But Root later lost control."
"Danzo is becoming more and more extreme and more and more accustomed to using extreme means to solve problems."
"After Nine-Tails' Attack, there was suspicion in the village about Uchiha. I also admit that I did not prevent this suspicion from continuing to expand."
"Because at that time, I was also afraid."
Many people in the conference room were breathless.
Hiruzen Sarutobi closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, the fatigue on his face was even heavier.
"I'm afraid Nine-Tails' Attack will happen again."
"So I acquiesced to the surveillance, Military Police Force was restricted, and Danzo used root to suppress Uchiha."
"I told myself that this is only a temporary measure. As long as the truth is found out and Uchiha can prove himself again, the village will one day repair the relationship."
Ren sneered.
"Then what?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi's voice was a little lower.
"Then, step by step, things deviated from my control."
"The Uchiha are becoming more and more dissatisfied, the villagers are becoming more and more disgusted with the police department, the hard-liners in the clan association are getting louder and louder, and Danzo keeps putting the danger theory of Uchiha in front of me."
"Every time, I think about pressing it again and delaying it."
"I thought that as long as there was no war and no bloodshed, there would be room for easing the situation."
Ren looked at him with frighteningly cold eyes.
"What you call easing is to suppress Uchiha to the point of almost a coup."
Hiruzen Sarutobi was silent.
Ren Take a step forward.
"Hiruzen Sarutobi, you are still talking about fear, the situation, and how helpless you are."
"But what's the result?"
"Uchiha was moved to the edge of the village and was monitored day and night by ANBU and Root. Military Police Force became the target of the villagers' grievances. Even their children were recorded when they went out."
"The people within the clan are filled with resentment. The elders advocate a coup. Military Police Force is completely disappointed with Hokage Tower."
"If I hadn't suppressed the hard-liners in the clan after taking over Clan Leader, reorganized Temple, and pointed the sword of Uchiha at foreign enemies instead of Konoha, you sitting here now would have faced the Uchiha coup."
His voice suddenly became louder.
"This is not Uchiha's intention to rebel."
"This is government forcing the people to rebel."
After these four words fell, the expressions of many people on both sides of the long table changed again.
This time, no one objected.
Because what Ren said is true.
Uchiha Clan Once upon a time, we were only one step away from a coup.
If Ren hadn't risen, if he hadn't used a tougher and more direct method to turn Uchiha's anger into a foreign war, Konoha would have exploded internally.
Hiruzen Sarutobi His lips moved, but he did not speak immediately.
Ren didn't give him time to breathe.
"Uchiha is just one of them."
"You have been in power for decades. In the name of balancing various ethnic groups, what you have done is weaken all the forces that may threaten Hokage Tower."
"Senju clan has been strong for thousands of years and is the founding ethnic group of Konoha. But now the name Senju has almost disappeared from Konoha."
"You say they integrated into the village, but in the end, the clan's territory is gone, their clan's reputation is gone, and their political influence is gone."
"Is this integration or being torn apart?"
Mitokado Homura looked ugly, and just as he was about to speak, Ren's eyes had already glanced over.
"Shut up."
Mitokado Homura froze stiffly.
Ren continued, "Hyuga clan, Konoha and the most important Byakugan Kekkei Genkai were bullied by Kumogakure to the point where the eldest daughter Main Family was almost kidnapped, but in the end she asked Hyuga to hand over the corpses of her clansmen in exchange for peace."
"A top-notch wealthy family has been suppressed by you and turned into a vassal who can only swallow humiliation."
Hyuga Hiashi's eyes grew colder.
Ren added, "Hatake Sakumo, Konoha's White Fang, they have outstanding military exploits and their reputation is so high that even the enemy countries are frightened."
"But such a hero was forced to commit suicide by public opinion because he saved his companions."
"Why was he forced to die?"
"How can ordinary villagers come up with such neat caliber?"
"Why does the responsibility for the failure of the mission outweigh all his past military exploits?"
"His reputation was so high that even Hokage Tower and Root were afraid of him, so he died."
In the conference room, an older generation Jonin lowered his head.
White Fang's death is Konoha's old injury that many people dare not mention.
Ren ripped open the wound word by word without any mercy.
"Let's talk about Three Legendary Ninja."
"Orochimaru has an amazing talent. He was supposed to be Konoha's sharpest knife. In the end, with your connivance, he went to human experiments and defected from Konoha."
"Tsunade's relatives died in the battle, his faith was shattered, and he was so disappointed with Hokage Tower that he did not want to return to the village."
"Jiraiya has been wandering away all year round and refuses to stay in the Konoha center of power."
"The three most proud disciples of your Hiruzen Sarutobi, one rebelled, one left, and one drifted."
"This is not because the disciples are unfilial. It's because you, the teacher, and Hokage, cannot retain truly talented people."
Hiruzen Sarutobi has deeper wrinkles on his face.
His fingers clenched the pipe tightly, his knuckles turning slightly white.
Ren stared at him.
"And Fourth Hokage Minato Namikaze."
"He is a Konoha war hero, a Shinobi World famous Yellow Flash."
"But after he took over, did he really control Konoha?"
"Root is still in the hands of Danzo, Elders Council still controls the power in the dark, ANBU's key tasks cannot bypass you old people, and many of the darkness in the village are still controlled by the previous generation of senior officials."
"He is Hokage, but not the complete Hokage."
"He stood in the sun, endured Nine-Tails' Attack for Konoha, and finally died fighting with his wife."
"And those of you who hold the power of shadow, where were Nine-Tails' Attack that night?"
These words made Hiruzen Sarutobi turn pale.
In the conference room, many people subconsciously looked at Danzo, who was half kneeling on the ground, and then at Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Root Nine-Tails' Attack did not participate in the war.
Danzo has Sharingan and Hashirama's Cells.
These facts put together are like nails driven into everyone's heart.
Ren's voice became colder and harder.
"Internally, you fear the ninja clan, suppress geniuses, and allow Root to become powerful."
"Externally, you are weak and compromise, sacrificing the dignity of your fellow tribesmen time and time again in exchange for a brief respite."
"Kumogakure ties Kushina, ties Hinata, ties Uchiha children, ties Yaonai."
"Why do they dare to take action again and again?"
"Because they know that under Hiruzen Sarutobi's rule in Konoha, as long as they threaten war, Konoha's top brass will first think about giving in."
"You call giving in to the overall situation, you call weakness peace, and you call sacrificing your tribe members patience."
"But after decades, what has Konoha gained?"
"Talents withered, all races declined, Root rotted, ANBU was neglected, and human experiments were rampant. Even First Hokage's remains and Uchiha's companions' Kekkei Genkai were used as tools by Danzo."