[Konoha Village]
[Hokage Building Conference Room]
When the reanimated Danzo appeared, everyone erupted in an uproar.
Koharu Utatane leapt to her feet, "Danzo? You were dead, weren't you?"
Danzo sneered, staring hard at the Third Hokage, "I was dead, but I crawled back from the Pure Land."
At that moment shadows surged, and a figure moved quickly toward Danzo and cleaved him in two.
Although Rengoku and the others were only a short distance away, they made no move to help.
Everyone watched as Danzo was sliced open and found to have no flesh or blood inside, only strips of summoning paper and seals.
Though Danzo split apart, under the Reanimation jutsu he slowly repaired himself.
A meaningless smile hung on Danzo's face, "Old trick, huh, Hiruzen? Trying to kill me to silence me again."
"Too bad I was already dead, so I won't die again."
By now Sarutobi Ishishu's figure could no longer be hidden; he stepped back and stood behind the Third Hokage.
Hiruzen's face darkened as he glared at Orochimaru, "You actually researched this forbidden jutsu!"
"This was developed by the late Hokage, Senju Tobirama."
"It has little to do with me," Orochimaru replied, "Only some things required a witness, so I had to use this forbidden jutsu to call Danzo back."
Orochimaru spread his hands to feign innocence.
But from the way his tongue licked his lips, it was obvious he was very excited.
Which elder present wasn't sharp? Everyone knew what Danzo had been up to before. If Danzo had truly died before, many things would have died with him, no proof left.
Now that Danzo had been dug out of his grave and called back, clearly troubles were being sought for Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Sure enough, Rengoku swept his gaze over the room and then stared at the Third Hokage.
"I, Uchiha Rengoku, together with Akimichi Torifu, jointly exercise the authority of advisor elders to announce:"
"Effective immediately, we forcibly remove the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, from office!"
"Shhh—"
The elders below first gasped, then looked at one another.
Many recalled the village's statutes and remembered: there is a provision allowing two advisor elders to forcibly remove the Hokage.
Only, this was the first time it had been used, so everyone felt unfamiliar.
Hiruzen stared at Rengoku. He had imagined being removed from the Hokage position, but he hadn't expected to be forcibly deposed.
"When I first helped establish Konoha, many systems weren't perfect—"
"SHUT UP!"
Rengoku cut the Third Hokage off, "You are no longer the Hokage. You are a detainee pending review."
"With what you've done, you still dare to trick others."
At that moment Jiraiya stepped in front of the Third Hokage, shouting angrily, "Uchiha Rengoku, the old man made us Sannin and brought Konoha to what it is today. That kind of merit can't be erased just because you say to remove him."
"Heh!"
Rengoku sneered coldly, "Is that so? Causing the death of White Fang counted as merit?"
Jiraiya's face registered shock, then he snorted, "White Fang committed suicide. What does that have to do with the old man?"
Rengoku looked at Jiraiya as if at an imbecile, "What? You never failed a mission?"
"When you lost to Hanzo in the Rain Village and returned, why weren't you reprimanded?"
"Or is it that the Anbu scattered across the village still can't stop rumor-spreaders?"
Danzo added in a sinister tone, "I can testify, the one who had me spread that public opinion back then was Hiruzen."
"Because at that time, Hatake Sakumo had threatened his position."
Jiraiya opened his mouth but had no rebuttal.
He glanced around and saw other elders wearing expressions that said they'd known all along.
After all, at that time White Fang's reputation was at its peak while the Third Hokage was in decline.
If White Fang hadn't died, he would have been the inevitable Fourth Hokage, Orochimaru and Minato would not have had the chance to contest it.
Rengoku looked at the Third Hokage, half-smiling, "Third Hokage, anything else to say?"
Hiruzen, ever crafty, kept his composure and calmly waved a hand, "These are all one-sided words from you, there is no proof."
"People brought out by Reanimation are controlled by the caster; you can make Danzo say anything you want."
Rengoku smiled lightly, "You really think I need you to confess?"
"I'm not showing this for you to hear."
The Third Hokage's face immediately went dark.
The other elders were not fools, the primary beneficiary of this affair was clearly the Third Hokage himself.
How many Anbu served directly under the Hokage? Only collusion between Hiruzen and Danzo could have made this possible.
Rengoku raised his first finger, "Charge one: seizing the Fourth's couple's assets, making Naruto an orphan."
Jiraiya snorted, "Isn't Naruto fine now?"
Rengoku didn't even glance at Jiraiya. Some people will never wake from pretending to sleep.
He pulled out documents and handed them out.
"These are the asset records of the Fourth Hokage's wife, Kushina Uzumaki."
The other elders truly hadn't known this. Even if they knew the Fourth had money, they didn't know the specifics.
When they received the files, all inhaled sharply.
Why? Because the inns, storage, and five streets' worth of holdings were all Kushina's.
"Last time, regarding Danzo's affairs, the Third Hokage compensated us Uchiha with the inns and two streets, these are factual proofs, right?"
Hiruzen replied calmly, "Naruto was too young. If we moved those assets—"
Rengoku let out a derisive snort, "You'd only be able to fool fools like Jiraiya with that."
Jiraiya's expression changed. Before he could speak, Rengoku continued, "Naruto never ate his fill before seven years old. You didn't give him extra money, at least make sure he ate."
Rengoku's half-smile continued, "And when others beat him until his head was split open, you had the Anbu stand by and watch."
"After he was beaten, you showed up pretending to care."
"What, the Anbu are everywhere but can't see Naruto being bullied?"
Rengoku now ripped Hiruzen's face off and threw it on the ground, stomping continuously.
Hiruzen shut his mouth and coldly watched Rengoku perform.
But these were only appetizers. Rengoku glanced at Tsunade, whose murderous intent was about to become real, and then said, "Of course, compared to what I'm about to say next, these matters are trivial."
Rengoku pointed at Hiruzen, "After becoming the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, in order to control Konoha, instructed Danzo to kill Kato Dan, and forcibly carried out Wood Release experiments when conditions were not met, causing the Senju clan's destruction."
Rengoku's words dropped like a heavy bomb into a lake, sending up a spray of waves.