These words completely overturned the one-sided narrative of "village above individuals" and "unconditional obedience" deliberately created by some senior leaders in the past, and put "people" and "bonds" back into the core of the Konoha spirit.
The venue fell into a deathly silence.
Everyone's eyes were involuntarily cast on the silver-haired figure in the front row.
Hatake Sakumo.
Although this former "Konoha's White Fang" is now in the body of Impure World Reincarnation and unable to shed tears, his eyes are trembling violently.
His hands on his knees were clenched tightly into fists, and his knuckles were slightly white from the exertion.
More Young Naruto...
He failed the mission because he was rescuing his companions, and was criticized after returning to the village. From the villagers to some senior officials, and even the companions he once rescued, they all chose to remain silent or criticize under the pressure of public opinion.
He saw clearly the hypocrisy of Third Hokage and others who appeared to defend but actually acquiesced and even contributed to the situation. He also saw clearly how the "Will of Fire" they promoted was feeble in the face of real interests and power struggles.
The collapse of faith is more despairing than being struck by a sword.
In the end, he was disheartened and could not see the way forward, so he chose to end his life in his house with the short knife that he had kept with him all his life.
He thought that his name would always bear the stigma of "loser" and "coward" and be deliberately forgotten or distorted in the history of Konoha.
He never thought that he would be able to see and hear this day with his own eyes!
Rehabilitate!
So open, so thorough, so... a resounding vindication!
From the new and extremely powerful Sixth Hokage.
In this highest meeting to decide the future direction of Konoha, vindicate him!
Reanimated Body had no tears, but the decades of accumulated grievances, grief and anger, as well as the surge of excitement and comfort at this moment, almost made his soul tremble and leave this Reanimated Body.
Kakashi's eyes were red, and for countless days and nights, he was sad and entangled because of this incident.
Unexpectedly, today, my father's grievances would be cleared.
"Father! Rock Lee! Kakashi's father... he... he finally..."
Kai's voice was so choked that he could hardly speak complete sentences, and his tears were mixed with snot, but he didn't care.
"Teacher Guy! I understand! This is youth! The bond that never gives up and the flower of justice that finally blooms!"
Rock Lee shouted loudly while crying, trying to vent his emotions with his accustomed passionate slogans, but the effect only made the crying louder.
"Hmm!"
Might Duy nodded heavily. Although he could not cry, the tightly embracing arms and the twinkling light in his eyes said everything. The three of them hugged each other and cried bitterly, not caring about the eyes of others.
The cries of the three people were without scruples, loud and full of sincere emotions, which stood out in this solemn venue.
But the strange thing is that their cries did not arouse many people's emotions.
Because more people were the silent majority in that tragedy, and there were even accomplices in the slander.
A few people are happy for Hatake Sakumo.
Naruto stood quietly behind the podium without interrupting the emotional catharsis. He understood that this was not only a consolation for Hatake Sakumo, but also a collective emotional release and farewell for Konoha to a distorted history of his own.
After the crying gradually subsided and turned into intermittent sobs and heavy breathing, Naruto spoke again. His voice was softer than before, but also deeper:
"I know that bringing up the past today has touched the pain of many people and made everyone look at the past again."
His eyes swept across the venue, scanning the faces with complicated expressions, either sad, relieved, or thoughtful.
"About Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi."
Naruto mentioned that name, and the atmosphere in the venue became condensed again.
"When we look at a person, especially a person who is in a complex position and shoulders great responsibilities, we cannot simply use 'black' or 'white' to summarize him."
Naruto's tone is objective and calm.
"People are all complex and contradictory. We must learn to look at a person dialectically and comprehensively, not only seeing his achievements, but also facing up to his faults."
He paused slightly and seemed to be organizing his words:
"Third Hokage, in the early days of his administration, especially when Second sacrificed his life, Konoha was experiencing internal and external troubles, and was in turmoil, he really stepped forward and, with his wisdom and prestige, guarded the foundation of Konoha, led the village through the most difficult period, and achieved valuable post-war recuperation.
In this regard, his contribution cannot be ignored.
Many people in Konoha, including the elders here, have directly benefited from that relatively stable development period."
Naruto affirmed Hiruzen Sarutobi's achievements, but then the conversation changed:
"However, in the later stages of his administration, especially as he grew older, his energy declined, and... the influence of certain people around him grew, many of Konoha's problems began to grow and spread."
His voice became deeper:
"Konoha's power was greatly weakened in the later period of his administration.
This is not only reflected in the lack of access to top combat forces, but also in the growth of corruption, factional strife within the village, and cancerous individuals like Root acting recklessly under the guise of 'for the village'."
"He may not have any malicious intentions, and may even think that he is balancing all parties and maintaining stability.
But this kind of unprincipled compromise, indulgence of the dark side, and deviation from the true core of 'Will of Fire' eventually led to Konoha's vitality and buried many tragedies for Seed.
What happened to Hatake Sakumo Senior is just one of the heartbreaking examples."
Naruto did not make fierce criticism, but calmly stated the facts and analyzed them.
"We mention these again today not to simply criticize or deny our predecessors, but to draw lessons from history and clarify the direction for the future."
His eyes became firm and bright again:
"We must inherit the precious legacy of our ancestors in protecting and developing Konoha, and at the same time, we must thoroughly clean up and correct the mistakes and shortcomings they left behind.
Only in this way can Konoha truly step out of the shadow of the past and gather new, healthy and progressive strength to meet the challenges of the future."
"The third topic is not only about education, but also about the complete reshaping and rebirth of the Konoha spirit.
Please think carefully and vote."
"In addition, as a side note to the third issue."
Naruto's eyes turned to a certain direction in the front row of the venue, where three people whose "tears of youth" had not completely dried up were hugging each other in a slightly funny posture.
The corners of Naruto's mouth seemed to bend upward almost imperceptibly, but his tone remained formal:
"I propose that Might Guy be elected as the new principal of the Konoha Ninja Academy."
Might Guy, who was crying for Kakashi's father, suddenly raised his head.
Ah? Me?