Chapter 133: Danzo No Longer Pretends

Shimura Danzo felt guilty.

He had been stubborn for half his life, and even when facing Sarutobi Hiruzen, his catchphrases never left his lips.

"I do it all for Konoha!"

"Hiruzen, you will regret this!"

"I am protecting Konoha!"

But these words, which could leave Konoha Ninja speechless and make the Third Hokage burn with anger, were words he dared not utter a single syllable of in front of his teacher, the Second Hokage Senju Tobirama.

Senju Tobirama's logic was clear and his actions decisive; he was by no means someone who could be deceived by a few words, and certainly not someone who could be suppressed by the status of a Konoha Elder.

But Danzo was not thinking about any of this right now; his mind was filled with the grievance of having been deceived.

Because Senju Tobirama had replied coldly: "Ah, isn't that a matter of course?"

Senju Tobirama's gaze swept across the battlefield, seeing the corpses of the Mist Ninja and Root ninja floating on the water, and his tone grew even colder: "Shimura Danzo, my judgment was correct; you have truly become the very image of a blight upon Konohagakure."

"What is Sarutobi Hiruzen doing, and why would he condone you surrounding and killing a hero of the village?"

Danzo's heart was full of resentment, but under Senju Tobirama's gaze, he found he could not vent it at all.

He suppressed the fear in his heart and argued stubbornly: "Teacher, we had to surround and kill Orochimaru for the sake of Konohagakure."

Senju Tobirama pressed: "Why?"

Danzo recited the standard lines directly: "Because Orochimaru's reputation is too high, he is obsessed with Ninjutsu research, and his methods are cruel; he must have a heart of rebellion."

"In order to protect the peace of Konohagakure, we had to eliminate him."

When Senju Tobirama heard "obsessed with research" and "cruel methods," his face twitched involuntarily; he stared at Shimura Danzo and observed him repeatedly before confirming that this bastard student wasn't mocking him.

So, first impressions are truly important.

When Orochimaru was suppressed and became a Konoha Rogue Ninja, and as the destroyer of Konohagakure, summoned the Second Hokage via Reanimation, Orochimaru was someone who deserved to die in Senju Tobirama's eyes.

But the current Orochimaru is a Konoha ninja, a hero who defeated Kumogakure and Kirigakure.

Defying the Third Hokage's orders is indeed a problem, but in the face of such a great victory, that is truly a minor issue.

The Second Hokage firmly believed that the Hokage is not some supreme god; the Hokage's orders are only inviolable when he is correct, or at the very least, when it cannot be proven that he is wrong.

If Orochimaru launched an attack and achieved a great victory, then the Hokage's order to stop him was wrong.

Thus, Senju Tobirama felt quite favorable toward the Orochimaru before him, and not just because he won, but because Konohagakure finally had a Konoha ninja who was like himself.

My path is not lonely!

A change in mindset affects one's stance, and one's stance affects one's judgment.

Senju Tobirama questioned Danzo: "You want to purge the sect and protect the peace of Konoha, so what exactly has Orochimaru done to harm Konohagakure?"

"Do not give me the standard lines used to fool low-level ninja; do not tell me your guesses. I want facts that can be concretely proven and evidenced, which have caused harm to Konohagakure!"

Shimura Danzo opened his mouth with a cold sneer, but Senju Tobirama waited for a long time without hearing a single word.

Because Danzo discovered that he could not name a single thing.

Did Orochimaru conduct human experiments?

Of course he did!

But that was proposed by him, Danzo, and approved by Sarutobi Hiruzen; Orochimaru was merely the executor.

Are Orochimaru's methods cruel?

Of course they are cruel; this is something the entire Ninja World knows.

The problem is that he has not yet been cruel to Konoha ninja; no matter how vicious the methods, they were all used on enemies. How can this be called wrong?

Senju Tobirama waited in vain for an answer and began to sneer.

The next instant, Senju Tobirama flashed, appearing before Danzo, with the tip of a kunai pressed against Danzo's throat.

"If you cannot say it, then you are framing him; you are not protecting the village, but eliminating dissenters to seize power!"

He looked at the corpses of the Mist Ninja all over the ground: "You even colluded with foreign enemies; you truly deserve to die..."

Danzo's face turned deathly pale, and he hurriedly defended himself: "Teacher, you misunderstand! It is Orochimaru who..."

"Shut up!"

Senju Tobirama interrupted him sternly, his tone full of disappointment: "I gave you five minutes, and you couldn't say a single word!"

"Now, no matter what you say, I can only take it as sophistry."

"I, Senju Tobirama, have seen countless people and have never misjudged anyone. I chose you as a student back then because you had talent and ability, as well as the determination to protect the village."

"However, I also discovered that your mind is muddled; you cannot distinguish between the importance and urgency of matters, you start things but fail to finish them, and you give up the moment you encounter a setback."

"But that is not the most serious problem; your biggest flaw is that you are overly paranoid and vicious, foolishly believing that as long as you have absolute power, you can accomplish anything."

"And in order to obtain the absolute power you imagine, you ignore the interests of Konohagakure and ignore the lives and deaths of Konoha ninja and villagers."

"Someone like you is not fit to govern Konohagakure."

"Therefore, when I selected a successor back then, I disqualified you and did not entrust Tsunade to your tutelage."

Senju Tobirama's words were like a sharp blade, fiercely piercing Danzo's obsession and breaking his heart.

He raised his head abruptly, the fear in his eyes having turned into shame and anger: "On what grounds?!"

"I have sacrificed so much for Konoha over these years; I gave up an eye, I gave up my reputation, and in the end, you say I am not fit?"

Senju Tobirama did not indulge him and retorted directly: "On the grounds that you colluded with Kirigakure to kill Konoha ninja, and that you were willing to damage the foundation of Konoha for the sake of power!"

"Do not use that womanish tone to pester me; I, Senju Tobirama, only look at facts!"

"Orochimaru won two wars and destroyed the enemies of Konohagakure; he is a hero of Konoha."

"You, without any evidence, united with enemies to surround and attack Orochimaru, a hero; you are a sinner of Konoha!"

"A sinner, which only proves that my judgment back then was accurate, and also proves that it was a mistake for me to be soft-hearted and allow you to return to Konohagakure."

"I should have taken you with me to die in the Land of Lightning!"

Senju Tobirama was indeed worthy of being the Hokage who built the Konohagakure system; his logic was clear, speaking only of evidence and facts, not sentiment or human favors.

His words were like a Dragon-Slaying Saber, splitting open all of Shimura Danzo's disguises and lies head-on.

After everything was exposed, Shimura Danzo knew he was finished.

Like a beast driven to a desperate corner, he went completely mad, suddenly tearing off the bandage covering his right eye to reveal a crimson-red Sharingan.

Senju Tobirama spoke instinctively: "The naturally evil Uchiha scum..."

"Damnable Shimura Danzo, where did you get that Sharingan from?"