It seems you've forgotten the terror of our Uchiha Clan!

As Hiruzen Sarutobi gave his order, the elite Sarutobi Clan ninja who had long been hiding nearby rushed out without hesitation and swiftly surrounded Gengetsu and the others.

Faced with this sudden encirclement, Gengetsu showed no fear at all. Instead, his face was full of disdain.

"Protect the Fifth Hokage!"

Uchiha Inabi, standing beside Gengetsu, roared.

The ninja blades in the hands of Uchiha Inabi and the several elite Uchiha ninja behind him instantly left their sheaths.

Their scarlet Three-Tomoe Sharingan activated, their eyes fixed on the surrounding Sarutobi Clan ninja.

"Sarutobi Clan ninja! What are you doing?"

"You dare attack me, the Hokage? Are you trying to betray Konoha?"

Just as the two sides stood with weapons drawn, Gengetsu shouted.

At Gengetsu's words, the furious Sarutobi Clan ninja, who had been brimming with killing intent, suddenly stiffened.

That was right!

The man standing before them was Konoha's legitimate Fifth Hokage!

Attacking the Hokage was an act of treason punishable by death!

For a moment, cold sweat poured from the foreheads of these Sarutobi Clan ninja. They all turned to look at Hiruzen Sarutobi, their expressions somewhat panicked.

Hiruzen Sarutobi frowned deeply. He truly had not expected Gengetsu to remain so composed when faced with pressure to step down from all the village's clans, much less turn the accusation back on them and use his position as Hokage to bear down on them.

However, as an old fox who had ruled Konoha for decades, Hiruzen Sarutobi reacted very quickly and immediately shouted a rebuke.

"Uchiha Gengetsu! You killed the Land of Fire's daimyo! Your crimes are heinous!"

"Your actions have pushed all of Konoha to the brink of destruction!..."

"You have no right to be Hokage! In the name of the Third Hokage, and in accordance with the Will of Fire, I hereby expel you from Konoha!"

Claiming the moral high ground, Hiruzen Sarutobi shouted with righteous conviction.

Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura, who stood beside Hiruzen Sarutobi, immediately stepped forward as well and loudly echoed him.

"Sarutobi is right! Uchiha Gengetsu, someone as heinous as you has no right to be Hokage!"

Utatane Koharu pointed at Gengetsu and shouted shrilly.

Mitokado Homura also rebuked him with a righteous expression. "Surrender at once! Stop putting up pointless resistance!"

Faced with the joint attack from Hiruzen Sarutobi and the other two, the other ninja clans present remained unusually quiet.

None of them were fools. Before the situation became completely clear, no one wanted to become cannon fodder.

They were all waiting to see just how Gengetsu would strike back in such a desperate situation.

Upon hearing Hiruzen Sarutobi's righteous condemnation, Gengetsu froze slightly at first, then burst out laughing.

"Pfft! Haha! Hahahaha!"

Seeing that Gengetsu showed no fear whatsoever and instead laughed without restraint, Hiruzen Sarutobi and the others immediately looked extremely displeased.

The surrounding Konoha ninja were also utterly puzzled.

Death was staring him in the face, and the entire village was here to denounce him. What could he possibly be laughing at?

After laughing wildly for a while, Gengetsu abruptly stopped and turned a sharp gaze on Hiruzen Sarutobi and the others.

"Hiruzen Sarutobi, Utatane Koharu, Mitokado Homura, haven't you three old fools gotten something wrong?"

"You keep talking about expelling me from Konoha. Have you forgotten how Konoha was founded?"

At Gengetsu's words, Hiruzen Sarutobi's heart lurched, and a bad feeling welled up inside him.

He grew even more puzzled, unsure what Gengetsu was playing at by bringing up the village's founding at a time like this.

"Since you've all gone senile, let me tell you today!"

"Konoha was founded by our Uchiha Clan and the Senju Clan!"

"In other words, Konoha belongs to our Uchiha Clan and the Senju Clan!"

Then Gengetsu pointed straight at Hiruzen Sarutobi and spoke with utter disdain.

"As for your Sarutobi Clan, Utatane Clan, and Mito Clan!"

"You're merely clans that depend on Konoha and live under its protection. What right do you have to expel a member of the Uchiha Clan?"

Boom!

Gengetsu's words were like a massive bomb, detonating right in the crowd.

The entire gathering fell deathly silent.

All the Konoha ninja were left dumbfounded by these subversive remarks.

Yet when they thought about it carefully, they could not refute them at all!

Because what Gengetsu had said was an ironclad fact!

Konoha had indeed been founded by the Uchiha and the Senju.

As for clans like the Sarutobi, Utatane, and Mito, they had indeed been obscure little clans back then. They had attached themselves to Konoha, and only after Hiruzen Sarutobi became Hokage and they gained power had their respective clans begun to flourish.

For a moment, Gengetsu's words left Hiruzen Sarutobi and the others unsure how to respond.

Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura trembled all over with rage. They pointed at Gengetsu, their lips quivering, unable to utter a word for a long time.

Gengetsu's merciless exposure of their past was like several resounding slaps delivered straight to their faces.

"Gengetsu is right!"

"Our Uchiha Clan founded Konoha!"

"You, Hiruzen Sarutobi, have no right to expel ninja from our Uchiha Clan!"

Along with that voice, Uchiha Fugaku arrived leading the Uchiha Clan's ninja and took his place behind Gengetsu.

The Uchiha Clan had finally produced a Hokage in Gengetsu after so much difficulty. As clan leader, Uchiha Fugaku would absolutely not allow Gengetsu to be stripped of the Hokage position.

Thus, when he heard that Hiruzen Sarutobi was leading Konoha's ninja clans in an attack against Gengetsu, he immediately brought the Uchiha Clan's ninja over.

The arrival of Uchiha Fugaku and the Uchiha ninja instantly unleashed an extraordinarily terrifying presence.

The imposing presence Hiruzen Sarutobi and the others had built through their numerical advantage instantly plummeted.

"Sarutobi, what should we do now?"

"Yes! Sarutobi, say something!"

Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura immediately found themselves at a loss and completely panicked. Both turned to look anxiously at Hiruzen Sarutobi.

Originally, they had intended to use Gengetsu's killing of the daimyo to claim the moral high ground, expel him from Konoha, and regain control of the village.

But they had never expected Gengetsu to bring up the Uchiha Clan's founding of Konoha, denying their very right to challenge him.

For a moment, faced with the strange, subtle looks from the surrounding great clans, they truly did not know what to do.

Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression was also extremely ugly at that moment.

However, as an old fox, he would not admit defeat so easily.

Moreover, Hiruzen Sarutobi understood very well that he absolutely could not let this continue.

If he allowed Gengetsu to keep speaking in front of everyone and lay bare every last shameful detail of their clans' past, his prestige would be utterly ruined.

Then he would truly have no way to deal with Gengetsu.

Since he could not win through reason, he could only resort to force!

As long as he captured Gengetsu, wouldn't the victor decide how history was written?

At this thought, a trace of ruthless killing intent flashed through Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes, and he spoke loudly.

"Uchiha Gengetsu, now is not the time to discuss that!"

"You killed the daimyo! Your crimes are heinous, and you must be punished!"

"Seize Gengetsu!"

The reason Hiruzen Sarutobi dared to decisively launch an attack at this moment was that he had confidence in the forces under his control.

Over the years, the Sarutobi Clan had developed rapidly under his leadership, secretly training more than a dozen elite jonin.

In his view, with these ninja's strength, catching Gengetsu off guard and capturing him should pose no problem.

"Let's see who dares!"

Uchiha Fugaku immediately shouted as well. All the Uchiha Clan's ninja drew their weapons in unison and activated their Sharingan.

Just as the two sides stood with weapons drawn, Gengetsu burst out laughing again.

"Hahahaha!"

"Hiruzen Sarutobi, you've got some nerve, daring to attack our Uchiha Clan."

"It seems you've forgotten the terror of our Uchiha Clan!"

As his words fell, Gengetsu activated his Mangekyō Sharingan.

Immediately afterward, terrifying chakra erupted from Gengetsu's body like a volcanic explosion.