Xuandou paused, then continued:
"Hiruzen used the fact that the Nine-Tails' Catastrophe occurred during Minato's term as an excuse to forcibly confiscate all of Minato and Kushina's property as a contribution."
"That included..."
"Not just Minato's years of mission earnings, but even the inheritance Granny Mito left Kushina."
"He only allotted Kushina and Naruto a meager monthly stipend."
"And because Kushina was the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, no matter how strong she was, she couldn't leave the village to take missions."
"They could only scrape by on that tiny pension."
Everyone's expressions shifted.
Tsunade's breath caught slightly.
The languid look vanished from Jiraiya's face, and he focused his attention on Xuandou.
Xuandou paused for several seconds, his voice growing more impassioned:
"In fact, Hiruzen had already received intelligence reported by the Uchiha before the Nine-Tails' Catastrophe. The root cause was the inaction of Konoha High Command, led by Hiruzen at the time."
"That was what led to the horrific losses during the Nine-Tails' Catastrophe."
"Yet Konoha High Command, led by the Third, actually twisted all of this and pinned the blame on Minato, who had sacrificed himself."
He continued:
"Asuma, now you tell me whether Naruto has the right to judge Hiruzen."
"You took his family's belongings, and now you want Naruto to keep his mouth shut? How can you expect everything in the world to work out in your favor?"
"If you dared to help yourselves back then, why are you afraid of people talking now?"
"If your pride mattered so much, you shouldn't have taken anything!"
Xuandou braced both hands on the table and waited for Asuma's response, his eyes blazing with anger.
As for these old grievances...
Following the principle that those who were happy could afford to give ground, he and Kushina had intended to say no more