"Hm?"
"Lord First! I truly knew nothing about any of this. If I had known beforehand that Danzo intended to move against the Senju and the Uchiha, how could I have stood by and done nothing!"
"Everyone knows what Danzo is like now. He spent his entire life trying to bring me down and become Hokage. Out of consideration for our childhood friendship, I didn't hold it against him. I thought he would mend his ways, but who could have imagined he would secretly go even further..."
"This... may have been a failure on my part, and I accept that guilt. But I absolutely refuse to be lumped in with Danzo!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi spoke firmly, his expression open and untroubled:
"The Senju Clan had always been a source of apprehension for Danzo. He feared that after I stepped down, an outstanding ninja from the clan would emerge as his rival..."
"So, through research into Hashirama cells and the two previous wars, he indirectly eliminated many members of the Senju Clan. Tsunade, the only one left, had little interest in becoming Hokage herself, and she was also my student. That was why Danzo never targeted her..."
"As for the Uchiha Clan, when the Nine-Tails went berserk eight years ago, Danzo believed the Uchiha Clan's Sharingan had to be behind it. But no evidence was found afterward..."
"I thought the matter would end there. What I never expected was that Danzo would secretly collude with Uchiha Itachi to slaughter the Uchiha Clan!"
"After the truth came out, Danzo kept insisting he had done it for Konoha. But I knew full well that he only wanted to increase his own strength so he could stand against me!"
"Danzo not only transplanted several Sharingan into his own body, but also implanted Lord Hashirama's cells.