The Uchiha Clan's Sun

Everyone's gaze shifted between Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado, but finally settled on Homura Mitokado.

After all, Koharu Utatane is using this incident to attack the Uchiha clan, and she clearly refuses to admit it!

And all that's left is Mitoka's inflammation!

Uchiha Jin looked at Mitokado Homura and smiled, saying, "Elder Mitokado personally admitted to this yesterday, and Elder Shimura was there as a witness. You wouldn't deny it, would you?"

Danzo Shimura also spoke up at the opportune moment: "That's right. Yesterday, Elder Mitomon and I went to the Konoha Police Department precisely for this matter. I can testify that Elder Mitomon did indeed personally agree to the Uchiha clan managing the subsidy funds!"

"And I have absolutely no objection to this matter!"

Danzo Shimura knew that Uchiha Jin had stepped forward to help him divert attention, so he naturally returned the favor by confirming Uchiha Jin's claim!

"You, you..."

Seeing Uchiha Jin and Shimura Danzo working together in a coordinated manner, Mitokado Homura was so enraged that he fainted from anger!

"inflammation!"

"Clan leader!"

"Medical ninjas! Where are the medical ninjas from the medical department?!"

Seeing this, Hiruzen Sarutobi, Koharu Utatane, and some of the Mitokado clan ninjas present could no longer sit still and immediately got up and surrounded Homura Mitokado!

Everyone else in the conference room looked at each other in disbelief, never expecting that someone would actually faint during the meeting!

This is something that has never happened since the founding of Konoha!

Chapter 247 That's right, Danzo is to blame!

Koharu Utatane's appointment as head of Konoha's medical department wasn't solely due to connections. Her medical ninjutsu skills were among the best in Konoha. Furthermore, Mitokado's inflammation was merely a temporary attack of anger and not a serious problem, and she quickly recovered under Koharu Utatane's treatment.

After a period of busy work, Mitoka's condition stabilized, and he refused to go to Konoha Hospital for a check-up before returning to his seat.

This Jonin meeting is very important; it is essential to finalize the candidates for the Fourth Hokage and all related matters concerning the election.

Mitokado was worried that Koharu would be left alone after he left, so he forced himself not to go to Konoha Hospital.

The others returned to their original seats, and the Jonin meeting resumed.

Koharu Utatane and Hiruzen Sarutobi exchanged a glance. After receiving Hiruzen's instructions, Koharu spoke up: "The matter of the Uchiha clan managing the Daimyo's subsidies is too important. Even with... the approval of the two Konoha elders and the Daimyo, it will be difficult to gain the approval of everyone in the village!"

"After all, the Hokage is the leader of the village, and such an important matter certainly cannot be accomplished without the Hokage's approval!"

"So how about we discuss this matter again after we elect the Fourth Hokage?"

As Koharu Utatane spoke, she looked at Uchiha Jin, clearly asking for his opinion.

Uchiha Jin said nonchalantly, "This matter does indeed require the Hokage's approval, and I don't think even the Hokage would object to it!"

"After all, these subsidies are given by the daimyo, and the initiative is in the daimyo's hands. Whether the daimyo gives them or not, who they want to give them to, and how much they want to give are all decided by the daimyo!"

"Even the Hokage wouldn't steal money from a Daimyo!"

Uchiha Jin knew that Hiruzen Sarutobi and Koharu Utatane were trying to stall for time, but Uchiha Jin was fearless!

Hiruzen Sarutobi, Homura Mitokado, and Koharu Utatane thought that King Uchiha's trump card was the Daimyo, but they never expected that King Uchiha's true trump card was Minato Namikaze!

Once Minato Namikaze takes over, it will be time for a showdown. Let Hiruzen Sarutobi and the others drag it out if they want!

A hint of coldness flashed in Koharu Utatane's eyes. After a moment of hesitation, she continued, "Then let's continue with the matter of recommending candidates for the Fourth Hokage."

"Just now, Minister Uchiha Jin recommended Elder Shimura Danzo for the position of Fourth Hokage, but... Jonin Sarutobi Hiruzen raised objections and wants to hold Elder Shimura Danzo accountable for his actions during the Battle of Kikyo Mountain Fortress!"

After a pause, Koharu turned to Hiruzen Sarutobi and asked, "Jonin Sarutobi, could you elaborate on your opinion?"

Koharu Utatane didn't beat around the bush this time; her target was directly Danzo Shimura, clearly indicating that she didn't want to give Danzo Shimura another chance to change the subject.

“No problem!” Hiruzen Sarutobi interrupted Koharu Utatane almost the instant she finished speaking, saying, “What I want to say is that it is true that Konoha won the Battle of Kikyo Mountain Fortress, and it is true that the three villages of Kumogakure, Iwagakure, and Sunagakure also suffered great losses. However, we cannot ignore the mistakes made by some people because of such a tragic victory!”

"It can be said that this war was entirely instigated by Elder Shimura, but Elder Shimura undoubtedly made a wrong judgment, and the other side did not follow the script set by Elder Shimura!"

"Elder Shimura wanted to let a small group of Kumogakure ninja in to devour them and deal a blow to Kumogakure, but he did not expect the Kumogakure ninja to launch a surprise attack on Kikyo Mountain!"

"Elder Shimura wanted to mobilize troops to besiege the Cloud Village ninjas, but he did not expect that the Cloud Village, Iwagakure, and Sunagakure had already reached a cooperation agreement. His actions instead gave Iwagakure and Sunagakure an opportunity, leading to the complete collapse of Konoha's border defenses!"

"If it weren't for Minister Uchiha Jin leading the Konoha Guard and the Hyuga clan ninjas to defend Mount Kikyo and buy time for the village, the allied forces of the three villages would have already been heading straight for Konoha Castle!"

"If it weren't for the village's ninjas fighting to the death, the allied forces of the three villages would have already trampled Konoha Village!"

"It can be said that Elder Shimura is entirely to blame for this war, but the victory in this war has nothing to do with Elder Shimura!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi showed no mercy to Danzo Shimura, even praising King Uchiha a few times, attempting to sow discord between the two.

However, everything Hiruzen Sarutobi said was true, and there was no exaggeration in it.

This time, the blame really did fall on Danzo Shimura himself!

If this had happened before Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzo Shimura's relationship broke down, Danzo Shimura would have at most been cursed at by Hiruzen Sarutobi in private, and it would have been forgotten if no one brought it up!

But now that Hiruzen Sarutobi has brought this up at the Jonin meeting, if Danzo Shimura can't give a reasonable explanation, he'll probably be in serious trouble, if not dead!

Danzo Shimura's single eye gleamed. He knew that Hiruzen Sarutobi wouldn't let this matter go easily today. His rambling and changing of the subject was partly to disrupt Hiruzen Sarutobi's rhythm and partly to buy himself time to think.

Facing the gazes of the crowd, Shimura Danzo spoke in a deep voice: "I'll say it again, there's no war without death!"

"You say that I started this war, and I admit that!"

"I can also tell you all frankly here that I intend to start a war!"

Upon hearing this, the people in the conference room looked at Shimura Danzo with some strange expressions.

For most Konoha ninjas who yearned for peace, Shimura Danzo, who sought war, was indeed an anomaly.

Danzo Shimura continued, "First of all, I must make it clear that my instigation of war does not mean that I like war! If we could develop peacefully, I would not deliberately provoke trouble!"

"But this world isn't one where no one will bother you if you behave yourself!"

"In the First Shinobi World War, the Second Shinobi World War, and the recently concluded Third Shinobi World War, was there any war that Konoha initiated?"

Danzo Shimura slammed his hand on the table, his voice rising several decibels, and said, "Not a single one!"

"Our Konoha Village has always been the one passively taking hits!"

"Even if my Konoha Village wins every war, they will turn their spears against Konoha again after they go back to recuperate for a while!"

"why?"

"Because every time they were forced to retreat, they saw the weakness of Konoha! They were convinced that even if they lost the war, they wouldn't suffer too much loss!"

"Therefore, we must take the initiative, strike hard enough to inflict pain and terrify them in order to achieve lasting peace!"

"Everything I do is for Konoha!"

Chapter 248 For the Village!

Shimura Danzo's words were so righteous and awe-inspiring that they changed the way everyone in the meeting room looked at him.

Danzo Shimura was clever; he did not deny his responsibility, but instead downplayed the facts and emphasized his 'original intention'!

In this way, those who are unaware of the truth will only think that Shimura Danzo is somewhat radical, but will not think that he is a bad person.

Hiruzen Sarutobi could naturally see through Danzo Shimura's little tricks. When it came to controlling people's hearts, Danzo Shimura was always a junior in front of him!

Hiruzen Sarutobi immediately spoke up, saying, "Elder Shimura, please don't evade the main issue! I didn't ask you why you started the war; what I want to know is whether you admit that it was your actions that caused such great losses to the village!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi's question hit the nail on the head, rendering most of Danzo Shimura's previous words futile.

"I don't believe it!" Shimura Danzo's eyes turned cold, and he said in a deep voice, "Sarutobi Jonin, it seems you've been in the village for too long and don't understand the situation of ninjas carrying out missions outside!"

"You have to understand that the situation on the battlefield is constantly changing, and anything can happen!"

"You say that it was because I transferred the border guards that a breach appeared in Konoha's defenses, and I admit that!"

"But I refuse to admit that I caused the complete collapse of Konoha's defenses!"

"You should know that after I transferred five hundred ninjas from the border garrison, five thousand ninjas from Iwagakure and four thousand ninjas from Sunagakure stormed in!"

"What does this mean?"

"You have to understand that mobilizing thousands of troops takes time! Especially when thousands of troops have gathered on the border before we've even discovered them!"

"This is enough to prove that Iwagakure and Sunagakure were prepared in advance!"

"It is true that I have given Iwagakure and Sunagakure an opportunity by transferring 500 men from the border garrison, but will Iwagakure and Sunagakure's nearly 10,000 troops abandon their original objectives because of the existence of these 500 men?"

"They won't give up!" Shimura Danzo sneered. "They've had their eyes on Konoha for a long time. Even without my intervention, this war would still have happened!"

"If I hadn't ignited this war prematurely, who knows what would have happened? The village might have suffered even greater losses!"

"So, Jonin Sarutobi, you can say that I made mistakes in this war, but if you want me to take all the blame for this war, that's absolutely impossible!"

Danzo Shimura's words were reasonable and well-founded.

The key point is that the garrisoning of troops at the border by Iwagakure and Sunagakure was indeed planned in advance. Once this is confirmed, it will be easy for Shimura Danzo to escape!

After all, Konoha couldn't figure out the specific plans of Iwagakure and Sunagakure in troop deployment at the time, and Konoha couldn't directly ask Iwagakure and Sunagakure. Even if they did ask, they might not answer, and even if they did answer, their answer was unbelievable!

Therefore, once Shimura Danzo grasps this point, it will be very difficult for Sarutobi Hiruzen to bring him down using this matter!

Hiruzen Sarutobi's face was grim; he hadn't expected Danzo Shimura to find a way to break the deadlock so quickly!

The gazes of the people in the conference room toward Shimura Danzo softened slightly. After all, Shimura Danzo was right; Iwagakure and Sunagakure were prepared. So whether Shimura Danzo was the one who started this war was no longer important!

Danzo Shimura pressed his advantage, turning to Hiruzen Sarutobi and saying, "Jonin Sarutobi, I have explained everything clearly. Do you still have any questions?"

"If there are no more doubts, may I run for the Fourth Hokage?"

"Still not enough!" Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes sharpened, and he gritted his teeth as he said, "I have no more doubts about the Battle of Kikyoyama Fortress for the time being, but there is one more thing I want Elder Shimura to explain!"

If you don't kill the snake, you'll only get hurt. Hiruzen Sarutobi came to this meeting today with the determination to kill Danzo Shimura with one blow, so he naturally wouldn't let Danzo Shimura off so easily!

Hiruzen Sarutobi was very well prepared for this, not only focusing on the Battle of Kikyoyama Fortress, but also preparing a backup plan for emergencies!

only......

Hiruzen Sarutobi glanced at Orochimaru beside him, a hint of guilt flashing deep in his eyes!

His backup plan would involve Orochimaru, his personal disciple, and he didn't want to use it unless absolutely necessary.

However, Orochimaru's entanglement with Shimura Danzo was too deep, and for the sake of Konoha, he had no choice but to sacrifice Orochimaru!

Danzo Shimura noticed the resolute look in Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes and a bad feeling arose in his heart. He quickly said, "Jonin Sarutobi, don't push your luck! What are you trying to do by targeting me again and again!"

"Don't forget, you have many doubts about me, but I have many doubts about you too!"

Shimura Danzo's gaze was fierce. He certainly had many stains on his body, but Sarutobi Hiruzen wasn't exactly clean either!

Danzo Shimura also knew many things that could overturn Hiruzen Sarutobi's original image. If Hiruzen Sarutobi really didn't know what was good for him, he would just destroy himself along with Hiruzen Sarutobi!

Hiruzen Sarutobi was not intimidated by Danzo Shimura, and said calmly, "Elder Shimura, I have indeed made some wrong decisions in the past, but if I had to say what I did wrong, it would be to indulge someone!"

"I had to do that before because I had to consider the bigger picture. But I'm no longer the Hokage, and I think it's time to mend things!"

Upon hearing this, Danzo Shimura's expression changed, and his brain began to work at lightning speed.

As Shimura Danzo recalled his past with Sarutobi Hiruzen, he suddenly realized a very serious problem!

Although most of the things he did in the past had been tacitly approved by Hiruzen Sarutobi, it was only tacit approval!

Afterwards, Hiruzen Sarutobi would even symbolically scold him a few times and punish him!

As a result, he fell into the stinking ditch, while Hiruzen Sarutobi got away scot-free!

Previously, Shimura Danzo was a root buried deep in the ground, while Sarutobi Hiruzen was a leaf bathed in sunlight, so Shimura Danzo didn't think there was anything wrong with what Sarutobi Hiruzen did.

But now that the two are at odds, this has become a fatal problem!

Although Shimura Danzo was able to say many things about Sarutobi Hiruzen, none of these things were supported by evidence!

If Hiruzen Sarutobi uses these things to target him, then it just proves what Hiruzen Sarutobi said: Hiruzen Sarutobi's biggest mistake was simply indulging him too much!

Chapter 249: Clearing the Name of the Uchiha!

Shimura Danzo stared intently at Sarutobi Hiruzen, while Sarutobi Hiruzen met Shimura Danzo's gaze without flinching.

Danzo Shimura suddenly realized that his old comrade-in-arms had changed. He was no longer as protective of his reputation as before, and he was also more decisive than before!

In the past, Hiruzen Sarutobi was always hesitant when dealing with external affairs because of the so-called big picture, and he also hesitated when dealing with internal affairs because of the reputation of the Hokage!

But now, Shimura Danzo actually saw in Sarutobi Hiruzen's eyes a resolute determination to die rather than live in dishonor!