Initially, when Uchiha Akira mentioned exposing the dark secrets of the Third Hokage, it was clear that once the Third's virtuous image was shattered, the Uchiha clan's takeover of Konoha would seem even more justified.
As a result, the Uchiha clan's leaders were eager, ready to dig into the Third Hokage's dirty secrets.
But when Uchiha Akira said that he had already compiled the Third Hokage's seven deadly sins, the entire room fell silent. The Uchiha leaders exchanged looks of surprise, each one staring at Uchiha Akira with a strange expression.
"Why are you all looking at me like that?" Uchiha Akira asked, half-amused, half-bemused by the looks he was getting from the clan leaders.
"The Third Hokage is truly pitiful—or rather, anyone who opposes you is bound to be the most pitiful!"
"Indeed, not only did you kill the Third Hokage, but you're also determined to ruin his reputation even after his death!"
It seems you had planned for this all along, hadn't you?
The Uchiha leaders spoke one after another, offering their condolences for the Third Hokage.
Yes, if Uchiha Akira had already prepared the seven deadly sins, it meant he had been planning this for quite some time.
First, kill the body, then kill the spirit?
If Uchiha Akira were ever to turn against the Uchiha, he would be even more terrifying than Itachi, wouldn't he?
"You're misunderstanding! I didn't—I wasn't—I didn't investigate ahead of time!" Uchiha Akira quickly denied it, shaking his head. While it was true he had compiled the seven deadly sins of the Third Hokage, he had done so based on his knowledge of the original story, not through any prior investigation.
But to the Uchiha leaders, it seemed he had been preparing this for a long time.
"This boy is truly cunning!" Even his grandfather, who stood nearby with a proud look on his face, stroked his beard and nodded approvingly.
"Nonsense! I'm naturally pure-hearted! Grandpa, how could you say such things about your own grandson?" Uchiha Akira protested, turning to his grandfather with a half-serious complaint.
Not only did his grandfather fail to clear his name, but he also seemed to take pride in the idea that his grandson was so cunning. Was "cunning" even meant as a compliment?
"Alright, Akira, you mentioned the seven deadly sins of the Third Hokage? What exactly are they? Let's hear them," Fugaku, the clan leader, said, waving his hand to dismiss any further argument, turning his attention to Uchiha Akira.
The Uchiha leaders all turned serious as they looked at Akira, their eyes full of curiosity.
Exposing the dark secrets of the Third Hokage?
To be honest, the Third Hokage had carefully maintained his virtuous image for so many years. Finding any real dirt on him wouldn't be easy. But Akira claimed to have already identified seven deadly sins—what could they be?
After taking a moment to gather his thoughts, Uchiha Akira began, "The first sin is that the Third Hokage was too weak during his reign!"
"When Hinata Hyuga, the princess of the Hyuga clan, was kidnapped by a ninja from the Hidden Cloud Village, the Hyuga clan leader killed the kidnapper in defense. But instead of holding the Cloud Village accountable, the Third Hokage allowed Hiashi's brother, Hizashi, to die in his place!"
"Similarly, when the Fourth Hokage's wife, Uzumaki Kushina, was kidnapped by the Cloud Village during her childhood, although she was rescued, the Third Hokage didn't dare pursue justice. Such a cowardly Hokage deserves to be called the weakest Hokage ever!"
"Yes, that's true," a few of the Uchiha leaders nodded in agreement after exchanging glances.
The Hyuga incident wasn't something openly discussed, but the Uchiha leadership was well aware of it.
"The second sin concerns the Land of Whirlpools," Uchiha Akira continued. "The friendship between the Land of Whirlpools and Konoha was well known throughout the ninja world. Even our village's headbands and vests bear the Uzumaki swirl as a symbol of that friendship."
"But when the Land of Whirlpools was under attack, Konoha deliberately delayed its assistance. As a result, the village was destroyed, but not before Konoha managed to obtain a large collection of top-tier sealing techniques from them. This is a clear case of being skilled at internal affairs but incompetent in external affairs!"
Once again, the Uchiha leaders exchanged looks, silently nodding in agreement.
While it's not certain that the Third Hokage intentionally allowed the destruction of the Land of Whirlpools, the situation was certainly suspicious. And it was during the Third Hokage's reign that the Land of Whirlpools was destroyed, so it's hard to argue he had no responsibility at all.
"The third sin relates to the Senju clan," Akira went on. "The Senju clan, like the Uchiha, was one of the founding clans of Konoha and produced two Hokage. But during the Third Hokage's reign, the Senju clan's numbers dwindled drastically, ultimately leading to its extinction within the village."
"If Tsunade, the princess of the Senju clan, hadn't been a personal disciple of the Third Hokage, she likely would have met with an untimely end as well."
"Why did Tsunade leave the village? If the destruction of the Land of Whirlpools can be attributed to a delay in aid, how does one explain the disappearance of the Senju clan?" Akira's words left the room in a heavy silence.
Indeed, the Senju clan, once so powerful, had vanished during the Third Hokage's tenure. It's hard to think of that as mere coincidence.
"The fourth sin…" Akira continued without hesitation, "is the handling of the Nine-Tails' attack. The clan leader's Mangekyo Sharingan had the power to suppress the Nine-Tails, but because of the suspicions of the higher-ups, the Uchiha were forbidden from participating in the battle. As a result, countless ninja died that night, including the Fourth Hokage."
"The casualties caused by the Nine-Tails that night were at least half the fault of the Third Hokage and his council!"
"Yes, after the Nine-Tails' attack, the villagers blamed us Uchiha for releasing the beast and for not helping to stop it, when in fact, it was the village's leadership that prevented us from intervening!"
"If the clan leader's Mangekyo Sharingan had been used, the village wouldn't have suffered such heavy losses!"
The mention of the Nine-Tails attack filled the Uchiha leaders with frustration and anger.
Akira didn't pause, moving on to the next point: "The fifth sin involves one of the Three Legendary Sannin, Orochimaru. He collaborated with Danzo to secretly kidnap Konoha's ninjas and civilians for cruel experiments in forbidden jutsu."
"Even though the Third Hokage had a chance to stop Orochimaru, he let him go because Orochimaru was his favorite student. Such a blatant disregard for duty shows he was unfit to be Hokage!"
"What? The Third Hokage let Orochimaru escape on purpose?"
"Danzo and Orochimaru working together, experimenting on villagers and ninja?"
"The Third Hokage was clearly mixing personal feelings with his duty! What about the lives of the Hyuga clan members, those innocent ninja and civilians? How could he let Orochimaru go free?" The Uchiha leaders were furious upon hearing this.
It was hard to believe how much darkness lurked beneath the Third Hokage's virtuous facade.
Ignoring the outcry from the elders, Akira continued, "The sixth sin concerns Konoha's White Fang, Hatake Sakumo."
"Sakumo was one of the village's strongest shinobi, his fame surpassing even the Three Sannin at the time. But the village leadership felt threatened by his power and deliberately stirred public opinion against him, leading to his suicide."
"Thus, the village lost another of its greatest warriors!"
"Think of how strong Konoha once was, and look at it now."
"The Fourth Hokage and White Fang are dead, the Three Sannin have left the village, and now the old guard sits comfortably in power, free from the threat of the next generation. Such jealousy of the talented is the Sixth Hokage's sin!"
Konoha's White Fang…
Hearing Akira's words, many of the Uchiha leaders sighed in regret.
He had been one of Konoha's greatest shinobi, and even the Uchiha had felt his loss deeply. Now it seemed that the deaths and departures of so many of Konoha's strongest were no coincidence.
Finally, Akira revealed the last and most damning sin: "The seventh sin is about Uzumaki Naruto."
"After the Nine-Tails attacked, the villagers were filled with hatred."
"Who is Uzumaki Naruto? He is the son of the Fourth Hokage and the vessel that contains the Nine-Tails—a hero of Konoha."
"But the Third Hokage falsely spread the idea that Naruto was the incarnation of the Nine-Tails, turning the villagers' hatred towards a child."
"The son of the Fourth Hokage, a hero of the village, was made to live a life of scorn and isolation!"
"How could the Third Hokage do this to the child of the man who gave his life to protect Konoha?"
Uchiha Akira revealed Naruto's true identity as the final, devastating blow.
This was the ultimate strike.
The fact that Naruto, the son of the revered Fourth Hokage, had suffered so much due to the Third Hokage's deception was the most damning evidence of all.
Even now, the Fourth Hokage was still highly respected in Konoha.
But the more revered the Fourth Hokage was, the more tragic Naruto's suffering seemed.
And the heavier the burden of guilt on the Third Hokage's shoulders became, making it impossible to justify or defend.
Note: If you are interested, you can read up to chapter 136 at patreon.com/Emik01.