Please Decide the Matter, Lord Hokage!
Just as everyone was immersed in Kagami Uchiha's thunderous speech, Kakuzu, the Akatsuki representative from the Ninja Village representative seats, was the first to stand up. His hoarse voice, filled with anger, resounded throughout the venue.
"Kill them! They must be killed!"
Kakuzu's expression was cold as he spoke in a deep voice, "Due to the ravages of war, the Land of Rain has already suffered greatly in recent years. To make matters worse, these two damned Jinchūriki have been recklessly unleashing the ferocious power of the One-Tail and Four-Tails Tailed Beast has affected the entire Land of Rain of Land of Rain, causing countless civilians to die tragically, turning fertile fields into scorched earth, and destroying homes. This blood debt cannot be forgiven lightly! We beg the Hokage to avenge us!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the entire room fell silent once again.
Just then, Hanzo of the Salamander, seated on the other side, spoke slowly with a somber expression, "They truly deserve to die! I had no intention of making enemies with Iwagakure and Sunagakure; it was they who first betrayed peace, disregarded morality, and launched a massive invasion of the Land of Land of Rain's territory."
At this point, Hanzō's voice carried a hint of sorrow. "It's a pity that most of my people, who trusted me, didn't even make it to my rescue... Alas... I beg you, Hokage, to seek Hokage for the people of the Land of Rain who perished!"
Upon hearing this, Ōnoki, sitting on the Iwagakure seat, immediately lost his composure. He slammed his hand on the armrest and roared, "Shut up, Hanzō! You beast! You were the one who first declared war on the Three Great Nations and attacked Iwagakure. Now you're turning around and blaming us! You shameless, despicable scoundrel!"
Following closely behind was the Third Kazekage of Sunagakure, Sajie, whose expression was extremely ugly, his eyes filled with hatred. He shouted at Hanzō, "Hanzo of the Salamander! How dare you twist the truth? You were the one who first attacked the merchant caravans of the Five Great Nations within the Land of Rain. For your so-called ambition, even my teacher, the late Second Kazekage of Sunagakure, Lord Shamon, suffered a tragic fate at your hands."
At this point, the hatred in Sajie's eyes intensified. He glanced at the numerous Ninja Village representatives around him, his voice filled with sorrow, echoing throughout the hall. "In my opinion, before judging Bunpuku and Roshi, the two Jinchūriki, the first one who should be judged is you, Hanzo of the Salamander!"
"Hokage, Hanzō has instigated a great war and wreaked havoc on all sides. I believe he deserves to die!"
The moment the words were spoken, the room erupted in chaos.
Originally, the trial was to focus on two Jinchūriki, but now Sunagakure wants to try Hanzō?
"The Kazekage Shadow is right, Hanzō is the one who started the war!"
"Exactly! The Peace in the Shinobi World for over a decade, but it was all because of that ambitious guy, Hanzō, that another war broke out. In my opinion, he deserves to die!"
"Bullshit! It was clearly the Second Kazekage of Sunagakure, Shamon, who first led the invasion of our Land of Rain. It was only because of this that Lord Hanzō angrily resisted. If anyone is to be blamed, it's your Sunagakure's long-deceased Second Kazekage!"
"You, you fucking say another word, and I'll tear your mouth off right now!"
"Come on, you think I'm any better than you?!"
For a time, the meeting hall was filled with heated arguments, with the three factions of Sunagakure, Iwagakure, Amegakure pointing fingers at each other and confronting one another, making the atmosphere increasingly tense.
Meanwhile, the Third Raikage A, remained seated on the Kumogakure seat, never uttering a word.
But his angular face was already ashen, his brows furrowed tightly, and he was suppressing a torrent of anger.
He cursed silently in his heart: Damn it, that damned Kagami Uchiha!
The One-Tail of Sunagakure and the Four-Tails of Iwagakure can at least be considered serious crimes for wantonly unleashing the power of the Tailed Beast and slaughtering innocent civilians during the great battle.
But what about our Two-Tails from Kumogakure? What did it do to offend Konoha?
You forcibly took action and kidnapped the Two-Tails from the Land of Lightning. Now, you've transformed yourself into a saint who defends the Peace in the Shinobi World, standing on a high platform and openly judging others.
By what right? By what right does Konoha have the right to judge everyone?
Hmph! In the end, the Shinobi World is still all about the strong ruling!
Today, it's simply because your strength Kagami Uchiha, is overwhelming, forcing everyone to bow down and submit, daring not to speak out in anger!
One day...
Upon realizing this, a fierce glint flashed in the Third Raikage's eyes, but he did not retaliate, remaining silent.
On the high platform, Kagami Uchiha seemed to sense something. His gaze swept lightly over the Third Raikage in the Kumogakure seats before calmly looking away, his expression completely unmoved.
Hmph! Oh? Looks like you're still not convinced...
But what can we do about it?
There is no place for the weak in the presence of the strong!
--
Composing himself and looking at the factions still arguing, Kagami Uchiha raised his hand and gently pressed down. An invisible pressure swept across the entire area, and the people who had been blaming each other just moments before suddenly stopped arguing and noisily, as if their throats had been choked.
The entire arena fell silent once more. Sensing the overwhelming aura, everyone stared at Kagami Uchiha with grim expressions.
Kagami Uchiha's gaze swept over the crowd and landed directly on Hanzo of the Salamander in his seat. His voice was flat, revealing no trace of joy or anger.
"Hanzō, the Kazekage and Tsuchikage are right. You are indeed the culprit who started the Second Shinobi World War."
"So, how do you intend to atone for this sin?"
Upon hearing this, Hanzo of the Salamander froze, cold sweat instantly streaming down his temples. At this moment, in front of the Daimyo of the entire Shinobi World and the leaders of the major Ninja Village, any explanation would be pale and powerless. It was an indisputable fact that he had started the war. He knew in his heart that even if he did not confess, it would be impossible for him to escape.
Looking around, apart from the absent Mizukage, most of the Shinobi World's strongest ninjas were gathered here. There were at least ten Kage Level ninjas alone, not to mention the ever-watchful Kagami Uchiha; layers of oppressive aura enveloped him, and he had absolutely no chance to break through and escape.
With this thought in mind, Hanzō no longer hesitated. He immediately activated the Body Flicker Technique, and his figure suddenly disappeared from his seat, landing in the center of the plaza below in the next second.
As soon as he landed, Hanzō knelt heavily on both knees, kicking up a cloud of dust. He looked up at Kagami Uchiha the high platform, his voice low and hoarse. "Hokage! I, Hanzo of the Salamander, have been ignorant of fate. Born into such a small and insignificant country as the Land of Rain, I recklessly provoked war for my own ambition and selfish desires, causing countless tragedies. I am indeed a heinous criminal!"
"I should have died to atone for my sins; however, I am unwilling to die now. I should spend the rest of my life redeeming myself, dedicating my remaining years to the peace of the Peace in the Shinobi World. I beg you, Hokage, to spare my life, considering that the Land of Rain is a weak and small country, and Land of Rain people still need my protection!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Kakuzu, who was sitting behind him, immediately stood up, his voice cold and hard. "Ridiculous! When have the people of the Land of Rain ever needed to rely on you?"
"Having committed such a heinous crime, you should immediately atone with your death. Rest assured! The future of the Land of Rain rests on the shoulders of our Akatsuki!"
"Our Akatsuki will definitely protect the future of the Land of Rain and actively support Konoha's cause of Peace in the Shinobi World."
"So, Hanzō, go in peace!"
"Lord Kakuzu will take good care of the Land of Rain!"