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"Aside from that, we also need to guard against other villages. If the information leaks out, other villages will definitely believe that Konoha has a way to replicate Wood Release. They will keep a close watch on us, use this against us, smear us, slander us, and even send spies continuously into the village to gather intelligence."
The Third Hokage, unable to control his emotions, picked up his pipe, lit it, and took deep puffs, filling the meeting room with smoke.
"I will give the villagers an explanation."
"That's easy for you to say."
Tsunade wanted to lash out at the Third Hokage but ultimately decided to hold back, not going too far. She sat back down in her chair, gritting her teeth, and said:
"Old man, make everything public. The people have the right to know, and we want to know what exactly happened."
"I agree."
Jiraiya, who had always chosen to avoid the issue, decided to stand with Tsunade on this. He felt that he shouldn't remain silent any longer, otherwise, his conscience wouldn't be at peace.
He could kill enemies, gather intelligence, and disrupt other villages without batting an eye. But the fact that the village experimented on war orphans, and even on Konoha's own villagers and ninjas, was something Jiraiya could not accept.
"Tsunade, what's most important right now is to deal with..." Koharu tried to suppress the matter.
The Third Hokage interrupted her.
"Koharu, that's enough. I think Tsunade is right; everyone has the right to know all of this."
"But..."
Koharu was unwilling to let it go, but Homura shook his head slightly at her. It was already too late to come up with a plan. They had to be prepared to face the storm. Continuing to hide the truth now would be meaningless; it would be better to come clean.
With Homura's persuasion, Koharu reluctantly sat down.
"It all started with my teacher," the Third Hokage put down his pipe and began to reminisce:
"To maintain order and peace in the ninja world, my teacher initiated experiments on Wood Release. Although the research inevitably involved the cells of the First Hokage, my teacher did not touch the First Hokage's remains, only retaining some cells for research."
"The research faced many obstacles, and eventually, the Ninja World War broke out."
"After the war, my teacher died in battle, and I became the Third Hokage of the village, inheriting my teacher's will and continuing the experiments on Wood Release."
"After years of experimentation, the replication of Wood Release was fraught with difficulties. In the end, I halted all experiments and research related to Wood Release."
"What about Danzo and Orochimaru?" Tsunade didn't believe that the Third Hokage was unaware: "Don't tell me you didn't know. Without the village's support, Danzo and Orochimaru wouldn't have had the authority to mobilize sufficient funds and equipment."
Faced with Tsunade's questioning, the Third Hokage hesitated for a moment. Homura , sitting beside him, quickly intervened:
"This is where Koharu and I were negligent. Danzo applied for a lot of funds and equipment to expand the size of Root. We didn't know he was using them for experiments, so we approved it."
This was their fault, no way around it, because initially, the Third Hokage really didn't know.
"Such negligence," Tsunade sneered. She had finally seen through these two advisors. They had no part in good deeds, but they sure could stir up trouble.
After Tsunade's ridicule, the two were embarrassed, but they had nothing to retort. They could only curse Danzo and Orochimaru in their hearts. It's all your fault. If it weren't for you, things wouldn't have turned out this way. What a disgrace!
The Third Hokage didn't mind this and continued:
"During the Third Ninja World War, Danzo and Orochimaru's behavior became strange. They used the war as an excuse to experiment on the war orphans collected from the battlefield. Even after the war ended, they didn't stop."
"The cells of the First Hokage are terrifying. Once transplanted into a human body, they would mutate, turning the test subjects into trees."
"The experiments encountered many difficulties, and many people died. Because the war had ended, there were not enough test subjects. When I began paying attention to the orphanage, Orochimaru turned his attention to the villagers and ninjas of the village."
"....."
The expressions of everyone present grew increasingly grim. Like Jiraiya, although they didn't agree with such cruel experiments, they only had an instinctual aversion. But extending this to villagers and the village's ninjas was something that couldn't be accepted.
"According to the records of the police department, during the time after the Third Ninja World War ended, many people, including ninjas, indeed went missing in the village, some of whom were even from the Uchiha clan," Fugaku Uchiha inserted a comment just in time.
'Experimenting on clan ninjas? The bottom line was being crossed repeatedly!'
Everyone present became unsettled. Experimenting on villagers and the village's ninjas had already crossed the line. Experimenting on clan ninjas was like stabbing the ninja clans of Konoha in the back.
"The most missing people were from the Shimura clan. Whether they were captured or sent voluntarily is unknown," the Shimura clan leader tried to deflect the blame in a critical moment.
The Shimura clan strongly supported Danzo, didn't they? Well then, let's see if they can handle this.
All eyes turned to the Shimura clan leader.
"....."
The Shimura clan leader's face turned pale. Damn you, Fugaku Uchiha, nobody asked you to speak! Who asked you to open your mouth?
"Nonsense! The Shimura clan would never support such heinous acts!" The Shimura clan leader was desperate to protect himself: "Hokage-sama, the Shimura clan never participated in these actions, and it's impossible that we sent our clan members and ninjas for experiments."
This blame could not be taken, or the Shimura clan would be finished, completely finished.
"Alright, I believe you, and I believe in the Shimura clan," The Third Hokage didn't let the Shimura clan take the fall. Whether they supported Danzo in this or not, he wouldn't let them bear the blame.
"Thank you, Hokage-sama, for your trust." The Shimura clan leader was so moved he was about to cry. He didn't forget to glare viciously at Fugaku.
'Fugaku Uchiha, you're something else.'
"What happened afterward, everyone knows. I realized that Orochimaru had a dark heart, so I recommended Minato to become the Fourth Hokage of the village. Orochimaru's actions were quickly uncovered by the Anbu."
"The occurrence of such events is my fault and my dereliction of duty. I will give the villagers an explanation. Now, let's discuss the election of the Fifth Hokage."
This incident would definitely cause an earthquake, and the Third Hokage was well aware that he would no longer be able to remain in his position. So he took the opportunity to suggest stepping down and let everyone elect a suitable candidate.
"Wait!"
Tsunade raised her hand, not giving the Third Hokage any chance to back down. She directly asked:
"We can postpone the matter of the Hokage candidates for now. I want to know, old man, how will you deal with Danzo?"
This was a hot potato, one that would burn anyone who touched it.