Chapter 168: Make That bastard Sarutobi Pay!
While Naruto and Orochimaru were engaged in their battle, the three Shadow Clones of Minato had already dispersed and used the Flying Thunder God Technique to teleport to various destinations.
Root Base.
"How did it go?" Minato's clone asked.
At this moment, a gathering of forty Root ninjas stood in the base, waiting. Naruto's Shadow Clone was among them.
"It's almost time," nodded Minato's clone.
Receiving the affirmative response, the Root ninjas stepped forward together and picked up the documents that were piled up in front of them.
Each document contained evidence of the past actions of the Third Hokage and Danzo. They bore either Danzo's signature or the seal of the Third Hokage, leaving no room for doubt or forgery.
Their task now was to scatter these documents into every corner of Konoha, ensuring that all the residents and ninjas of the village would come across them. This would deliver the final devastating blow to the reputation of the Third Hokage, completely shattering the mask he wore.
Furthermore, these damning pieces of evidence would ignite the suppressed rumors that the Third Hokage had forcefully suppressed before. Even if there were doubts about their authenticity, the Third Hokage's character would plummet to the lowest point. No matter how forcefully they tried to suppress it, his image would be irreparably tarnished.
Under the swift teleportation of Minato's Flying Thunder God Technique, more than forty ninjas quickly arrived at different parts of Konoha. They scattered the documents in their hands like distributing leaflets, paying no heed to where they landed.
After accomplishing this task, Minato's Shadow Clone dissipated, having expended a significant amount of chakra.
In the Root base, there was a section where Naruto took in the remnants of the Senju clan. One of the clones came here.
Fortunately, Naruto had anticipated the situation. After Gaara returned safely and the Third Hokage resolved the issues with Sunagakure, he began to address the spreading rumors. Along with arresting some individuals, he dispatched Anbu to locate those who had changed their identities, including the Senju members who had assimilated into the people of Konoha Village.
Despite concealing their true identities, both the Third Hokage and Danzo had kept records, and they couldn't escape the Third Hokage's surveillance. The reason the Third Hokage had not taken action against them for so many years was that they maintained a low profile, and their combat abilities had diminished due to age.
However, even though they were not involved in the current incident, the Third Hokage still targeted them, fearing that they could be manipulated by those who sought to challenge his authority. They were on the verge of being erased from history, cast aside like mere dust.
Unfortunately, when the Anbu discovered their whereabouts, they found that the Senju members had already vacated the premises. This infuriated the Third Hokage, leaving him restless for several days. The feeling of constantly trailing behind and being outsmarted weighed heavily on his mind.
"Fourth Hokage-sama!"
"Has the moment finally arrived!?"
The Senju members became elated upon seeing Minato's arrival.
For a month, they had been eagerly awaiting the opportunity that Minato had promised.
They were also aware of the Third Hokage's intent to eliminate them and harbored intense hatred toward him.
It was not enough for the Third Hokage to annihilate the Senju clan; he desired to wipe them out completely!
If the Fourth Hokage hadn't intervened and sheltered them, the Senju members would have had no opportunity to seek justice for themselves.
"Yes, today is the day, and the First Hokage and Second Hokage have been reincarnated. They can serve as your leaders!" Minato announced loudly.
"The Second Hokage has been reincarnated!!"
"This day has finally arrived!!"
"Sarutobi Hiruzen, I don't believe you can argue against the First Hokage and Second Hokage!"
"That's right! Let the First Hokage learn the truth! Make that guy pay for his sins!!"
"Let's go, Fourth Hokage-sama!"
Upon hearing the news of Senju Hashirama and Senju Tobirama's resurrection, a surge of determination and power coursed through everyone's bodies. They were driven by the desire to hold Sarutobi Hiruzen accountable for the destruction of the Senju clan.
"I will have Naruto's Shadow Clone transport everyone to the vicinity of the First and Second Hokage, and Naruto's clone will also protect you," Minato explained.
"But, listen to the commands of Naruto's clone. It will let the First and Second Hokage make decisions on your behalf," Minato reminded.
"Understood!"
"We will follow your instructions, Fourth Hokage-sama!"
This time, Naruto's clone would directly use the Flying Thunder God Technique to teleport a large number of people. Minato's clone only needed to deliver the message. Once the task was completed, the clone vanished and relayed everything that had occurred back to Minato.
The last clone went where one of the bases of Root was hidden.
Around thirty Root ninjas were gathered in the area.
"Well, it's time to take action. Your task is to monitor the spies who have infiltrated Konoha, prevent them from causing trouble, and once the situation in Konoha stabilizes, extract them all at once," Minato's clone instructed the ninjas before him.
"Yes!" All ninjas replied in unison.
As for the intelligence and whereabouts of these spies, while they may not have discovered all of them, a significant portion had already been exposed. The Chunin Exams provided a rare opportunity to assess Konoha's strength, forcing the spies to reveal themselves.
*****
A large group of Konoha villagers, who had just experienced danger and witnessed the battle between the Nine-Tails and the Sunagakure ninjas, hurriedly gathered together to monitor the unfolding situation. Their focus was particularly on the safety of the Third Hokage, as he was the village's pillar, and his well-being was crucial to the village's security.
With the uncertainty surrounding the intruders, the potential outbreak of war by the Sunagakure ninjas, and the possible end of their peaceful lives, their concerns were urgent.
"Was that Naruto just now? It seems like he defeated that Sand Shinobi monster."
"That's him, but he's truly the reincarnation of the demon fox, the Nine-Tails."
"Even if he is the demon fox, he saved our lives! He's different from the Nine-Tails from over ten years ago."
"Exactly! If it weren't for him, we would have been buried alive just now."
"He's today's hero! Just like the Fourth Hokage-sama back then!"
"Hey, what's this?" At that moment, someone noticed the papers falling from above, but the Root ninja who had thrown them had already disappeared.
"The Third Hokage and Danzo experimented on young members of the Senju clan to obtain the
First Hokage's Wood Release?"
"To consolidate his position as Hokage, the Third Hokage used war to weaken and destroy the opposing Senju clan?"
"To obtain Uzumaki's sealing technique, the Third Hokage instigated the major ninja villages behind their backs and had them target the Uzumaki clan?"
"The Third Hokage instructed Danzo to force the war hero Hatake White Fang to commit suicide for the position of Hokage?!"
The villagers picked up the papers and read them one by one, their expressions filled with shock and disbelief.
"Furthermore... the traitor Orochimaru, who kidnapped children and conducted brutal experiments, is a disciple of the Third Hokage, and his research was supported by Danzo!"
"Danzo? Oh, it also mentions here that Danzo took advantage of the situation to kill Uchiha Kagami and steal his Sharingan, as Uchiha Kagami was a disciple of the Second Hokage!"
"Hey, it seems that the renowned Uchiha prodigy, Uchiha Shisui, had his eyes taken by Danzo as well!"
"All of this serves as evidence confirming the past rumors about the Third Hokage and Danzo!"
"So, the Third Hokage was such a person..."
The expressions of everyone around kept fluctuating as they processed this shocking information.
…