Go on, then

"If he hadn't died, how could certain people have held on to that position?"

"They used him and threw him away. Murder without spilling a drop of blood!"

For an instant, the front rows fell silent.

Then the voices rose again, louder and fiercer.

Every accusation was more vicious than the last, each one aimed straight at the heart.

The members of the neutral ninja clans in the middle rows frowned even more deeply. A few even nodded.

The Uchiha Clan members gritted their teeth, but without a word from Uchiha En, none of them dared move.

The tension had reached its breaking point.

Sarutobi Ryota pressed his advantage, his voice trembling harder.

"If you won't send anyone to recover his body... then how do you intend to hold Lord Third Hokage's funeral?!"

He pointed at the ebony coffin in the center of the square and drove each word home.

"With an empty coffin?"

"With nothing but a Hokage Robe and a hat?"

The crowd stirred.

"You expect to fob off Lord Third Hokage with a piece of clothing?"

"What kind of funeral is that for a Hokage?"

"Lord Third Hokage gave his whole life to Konoha, and in the end, he won't even have a body to bury!"

The murmurs surged from the crowd in the front rows like a rising tide.

Gradually, sharper voices cut through them.

"Lord Hokage, don't tell me you're going to pinch pennies on Lord Third Hokage's funeral too?!"

"Do you think burying an empty coffin will save you a fortune in compensation, so you can spend it on your own statue?!"

"Look at that grand face you had carved on Hokage Rock! And this is all you can spare for Lord Third Hokage's funeral!"

"The new Hokage's vanity matters more than the old