— — — — — —
At this moment, Kaito had already deactivated his Susanoo and dispelled the Four Violet Flames Formation.
With a wave of his hand, he used a simple Wind Release technique to blow the lingering smoke from the explosion out of the hole in the roof caused by the formation.
Then, he surveyed the scene, his gaze sweeping over the crowd. Under their awed and curious eyes, he began to speak:
"Senior Shikayama and Senior Hizashi were right. I managed to retrieve both Hanzō's and Danzō's bodies in time. They haven't been destroyed!"
"So, I'll leave it to you, Senior Yuya, to continue examining their memories."
With that, Kaito lightly stomped his foot on the ground.
Two rectangular earthen platforms rose from the center of the area.
Kaito waved his hand again, and the bodies of Hanzō and Danzō reappeared on the platforms. He gestured toward Yamanaka Yuya and his team.
He didn't even dismiss the shadow clones stationed at the four corners of the open space, ensuring no one else could stir up trouble.
"Understood!"
Yamanaka Yuya and his team stepped forward without hesitation to inspect the memories of Hanzō and Danzō.
After half an hour, they withdrew their hands.
They exchanged glances, whispered briefly among themselves, and nodded.
Finally, Yuya spoke up:
"Lady Tsunade was telling the truth. Elder Danzō indeed conspired with Hanzō to set a trap meant to eliminate all the Senju and Uzumaki ninjas on the frontlines."
"This includes Lady Tsunade and Lord Kaito as well."
"If anyone doubts this, we can bring in other interrogation experts to verify it."
"Furthermore," Yuya paused here, glancing at Kaito and Tsunade. He hesitated, unsure whether to continue.
Tsunade and Kaito exchanged looks and gave him a firm nod of approval. Kaito even pulled out several confidential letters exchanged between Danzō and the Third Hokage, saying, "Speak freely. I've also uncovered these secret letters between Danzō and the Third Hokage."
These letters weren't forgeries.
Though Danzō had destroyed some of his correspondence with the Third, he had kept key letters—ones in which the Third ordered him to eliminate certain ninjas, including the Senju.
It was his habit to retain evidence that could be used to counter-threaten the Third or shield himself from being coerced.
The destroyed letters were mere decoys to mislead spies planted by the Third Hokage's Anbu in Danzō's ranks.
Hearing this, Yuya was momentarily stunned but quickly nodded.
"Oh? There's even more evidence?"
He turned to the crowd and declared,
"Actually, Danzō's collusion with Hanzō to target the Uchiha, Senju, and Uzumaki clans was all under direct orders from the Third Hokage!"
"In fact, we've uncovered numerous instances in Danzō's memories of him targeting ninjas from other clans in the village over the years.
"This may include your families and clans!"
Yuya's voice grew angrier as he spoke. He had seen in Danzō's memories how his own clan had been manipulated and had lost several genius members to Danzō's schemes.
"This bastard truly deserves to die. And the Third Hokage, for turning a blind eye to it all—he's no better!"
"What?!"
"No way!"
"Is this real?"
The crowd erupted in disbelief and shock.
One by one, shinobi from various clans began to step forward.
"It's true! Ever since the Third took office, Danzō has taken several talented youths from our clan under various pretenses. None of them ever came back!"
"Our clan too!"
"And ours as well!"
The atmosphere quickly shifted.
The tides had turned against Danzō and the Third Hokage. The evidence was overwhelming, and their actions had enraged powerful clans like the Uchiha, Senju, and Uzumaki.
These clans, despite past struggles, had regained strength over the years. The Uchiha, in particular, were in no mood to forgive.
The crowd's anger only intensified when Kaito presented the letters written by the Third Hokage.
"How could the Third Hokage do this? Colluding with Danzō to trap and kill comrades on the frontlines! Do they even care about the village or their fellow shinobi?"
"All they care about is their selfish ambition. There's nothing they wouldn't do for power!"
"For years, he has used his 'pro-civilian' policies as an excuse to plunder the village's resources!"
"And what did civilian ninjas actually gain? Almost nothing!"
"Instead, most civilian shinobi were sent on the most dangerous missions, while the elite clans avoided the risks!"
"Their favoritism only benefited the Sarutobi and Shimura clans!"
"That's right! Ever since the Third became Hokage, his clan and his advisors' clans have grown stronger while smaller clans and civilian ninjas have suffered."
"This has to end! The Third Hokage must step down!"
"Absolutely! It's time to elect a new Hokage!"
"Lord Kaito would be a great choice! He defeated over 2,000 Rain ninjas, took down Danzō, and even killed Hanzō the Demi-God. His strength and achievements are unmatched!"
"I agree! Kaito should be the Fourth Hokage!"
The crowd's shouts grew louder, their anger at the Third Hokage turning into unanimous support for Kaito.
Amused, Kaito finally released an overwhelming wave of chakra, silencing the crowd.
"Such power!"
"He's like Madara and the First Hokage combined!"
Even the older generation began comparing Kaito to the legendary figures of the past.
Raising his hand, Kaito addressed the crowd:
"Thank you for your support, but the war isn't over yet. Electing a new Hokage can wait."
"Once the war is won and we return to the village victorious, that will be the time to deal with the Third.
"For now, the frontlines must remain stable, and Konoha cannot fall into chaos!"
Hearing this, the crowd calmed down, nodding in agreement.
Many felt relieved and happy. They had feared that Kaito might let his emotions take over and cause chaos within the ranks.
Now, seeing that he remained level-headed and understood that this wasn't the time for internal conflict, they were reassured. Ending the war and achieving victory were clearly the priorities.
"Of course!"
Kaito shifted the mood. "You don't have to worry or feel disappointed. The downfall of the Third Hokage is inevitable."
"Half a day ago, after killing Danzo and extracting his memories, along with evidence of his and the Third's conspiracy, I used the Flying Thunder God Technique to sneak back to Konoha. I secured evidence from Danzo's underground base—the proof of their years of crimes—and handed it to Lady Mito and my mother."
"Right now, with them overseeing the situation in the village and supported by the Uchiha, Uzumaki, and Senju clans—as well as allied families—I'm confident that the Third Hokage will be detained within the next day or two."
"The village will remain stable, without any major unrest."
"When the war is over and we return victorious, that's when the real reckoning and trial will take place."
He continued with a calm smile, "As for the logistics of maintaining order in the village and providing supplies to the front lines, you don't need to worry about that either. My mother, Uchiha Mikoto, and Lady Mito will handle everything."
"Everyone knows the Uchiha clan is wealthy now," he added with a chuckle. "Even without village support, the Uchiha alone can easily fund the front-line supplies for quite a while."
The tension eased, and many chuckled along with him.
It was true—there wasn't a soul in the shinobi world who didn't know how ridiculously rich the Uchiha clan had become in recent years. Profits from selling nutritional pills, healing tonics, antidotes, and other miraculous remedies had skyrocketed their fortunes.
"Enough side talk for now!" Kaito declared. "Later, I'll send the bodies of Hanzo and Danzo, along with their incriminating letters, back to the village for Lady Mito and my mother to deal with."
"The village's internal affairs aren't our concern for the moment."
He paused, glanced around, and then stamped the ground. The two earthen platforms merged into one large base.
A massive map was unfurled atop it, and he continued, "Our priority now is to take advantage of the confusion among the Sand, Stone, and Rain ninjas. Before they can regroup, we'll strike Rain Village and claim it entirely, ending this conflict with the Rain!"
"Simultaneously, we'll prepare for any potential attacks from the Sand or Stone forces. If they choose to engage us, we'll confront them head-on."
"I promise to lead you to victory, to crush them completely, and to return to Konoha in triumph."
"With that, we'll usher in a new era!"
His voice softened, but his words carried weight. "And if I am chosen to lead Konoha, perhaps basic nutritional pills will become a standard welfare item for all shinobi."
A wave of excitement rippled through the crowd. It was a clever move. By offering such incentives, he deepened their trust and goodwill toward him, increasing their support for his potential rise as Hokage.
As for the profits from the pills?
Kaito knew that his operations in the One Piece world were scaling rapidly. With more skilled workers, efficient production lines, and improved techniques, the output of nutritional pills was skyrocketing, and costs were dropping just as fast.
Sacrificing some profits to earn widespread loyalty and goodwill was a worthwhile trade.
It was a virtuous cycle.
Even without relying on nutritional pills, the Uchiha had countless other sources of income. And who said making the pills a village-wide welfare program couldn't still generate profits?
After all, why should the Uchiha bear the cost? It made perfect sense for the village to fund bulk purchases of the pills.
By offering them at a discounted rate through the village, everyone could benefit.
For now, the Uchiha and Konoha's interests would remain distinct. That is, until the day came when the entire village—and perhaps the shinobi world—belonged to the Uchiha.
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