The Sarutobi Clan Betrayed the Village?
Shisui's speech sent ripples of doubt through the gathered shinobi.
It wasn't that they distrusted his words, but rather that Shisui's argument was too objective. He neither slandered the Third Hokage nor defended the Uchiha, but instead criticized Hiruzen Sarutobi's passivity and favoritism.
Many Jōnin of Konoha found themselves resonating with his statements. Unlike Chūnin and Genin, they had direct contact with the Third Hokage and had, at times, sensed the consequences of his inaction.
Among them, Hiashi Hyūga's expression darkened momentarily before he composed himself. The incident with the Kumogakure emissary still lingered in his mind—how the Hyūga Clan had been forced to sacrifice his twin brother, Hizashi, to avoid conflict. The Third Hokage had framed it as a choice, but in reality, the Hyūga had been left with none. If they refused, Konoha risked war, and the Hyūga Clan would bear the blame.
To many, Hiruzen's weakness in such critical moments was unbecoming of a Hokage.
At the edge of the crowd, Sasuke Uchiha trembled with rage, his nails digging into his palms. The cursed seal on his body pulsed ominously.
"Don't stop me! I demand answers!" Sasuke's voice cracked with fury.
Even the combined efforts of Karin and Haku failed to restrain him. Ultimately, it was Kushina Uzumaki who stepped forward, stabilizing Sasuke's chakra with a firm grip.
"Foolish boy," she whispered. "Don't forget—your clan still has survivors in Uzushiogakure."
Sasuke's breathing slowed, but the truth of that night—the Uchiha Massacre—remained seared into his mind. Three figures stood at the heart of it:
Uchiha Itachi, who had wielded the blade.
Danzō Shimura, who had orchestrated it from the shadows.
Hiruzen Sarutobi, who had allowed it to happen.
Hiruzen was dead. Danzō had disappeared. That left only one person to take revenge upon—Itachi.
Shisui, having finished his speech, stepped back behind Kakashi, awaiting his next move.
Kakashi allowed a small smile to tug at the corners of his mouth before stepping forward.
"The truth of the Uchiha Massacre must be known," he declared. "But what I am about to reveal is something even more recent—something connected to the invasion of Konoha by Orochimaru."
A tense silence filled the air. Among the crowd, the Sarutobi clan's jōnin visibly stiffened, and Asuma Sarutobi's brow furrowed deeply. Despite his personal conflicts with his father, he did not want his family's name dishonored.
"You all know that Orochimaru allied with Sunagakure and assassinated the Fourth Kazekage before attacking during the Chūnin Exams," Kakashi continued. "But have you ever wondered how the invasion was carried out so smoothly? How was it that no one detected such a large-scale operation beforehand? With so many sensory ninjas and Anbu in Konoha, how was this possible?"
His gaze fell upon the Sarutobi clan members in the crowd, his implication clear.
One of them snapped. A Sarutobi jōnin, unable to contain his rage, drew a kunai and flickered forward in a blur of movement, aiming straight for Kakashi's throat.
But Kakashi did not move.
In an instant, Shisui appeared like a phantom, delivering a devastating kick that sent the attacker flying. Before the jōnin could recover, Shisui's Sharingan spun into focus—just a three-tomoe pattern, yet enough to ensnare him in genjutsu.
A pained cry echoed as Shisui plunged a kunai into the jōnin's thigh, blood splattering onto the ground. The sheer agony snapped the man out of the illusion, and he stared at Shisui in sheer terror.
Though not as powerful as the heads of the great clans, he was still a jōnin. Yet Shisui had immobilized him with a mere glance.
Is this... the terror of the Sharingan?
If Shisui had heard the man's thoughts, he would have smirked.
That wasn't even a Mangekyō genjutsu. Just a simple Sharingan illusion. The gap between us is simply too large.
"Leave now," Shisui warned coldly. "Next time, I won't be so merciful. It will be your throat that gets pierced."
Asuma stepped forward, berating the disgraced jōnin before having Anbu take him away. But the damage was done.
The murmurs in the crowd grew louder. The realization dawned upon them—many of the Anbu present at the funeral had been Sarutobi clan members. At first, they had assumed it was simply to honor their fallen leader. But now, suspicion crept in.
Had the Sarutobi clan betrayed Konoha?
Shisui's testimony regarding the Uchiha Massacre had been damning, but at least the Uchiha had never colluded with an external force. If the Sarutobi clan had truly allied with Orochimaru, their actions were far worse than the Uchiha's planned coup.
Now, only one question remained—was there definitive proof? If the Sarutobi clan had indeed betrayed the village, could there be others among Konoha's ranks who had done the same?
Only two people could confirm the truth: Jiraiya and Tsunade. Both wielded Konoha's military and political power.
The crowd turned toward Jiraiya, who had remained silent throughout Kakashi's speech. He stood still, weighed down by an invisible burden.
This decision would shape Konoha's next decade.
Would he uphold the Will of Fire with fairness? Or would he follow in the Third Hokage's footsteps, favoring his own people at the cost of the village's trust?
His heart wavered. Hiruzen Sarutobi had raised him, shaped him, and ultimately died protecting Konoha. Could he truly condemn his sensei's clan as traitors?
Yet, if he refused to acknowledge the evidence, the Will of Fire—already flickering—might be extinguished forever.
For a fleeting moment, Jiraiya considered abandoning it all. Resigning as Hokage. Returning to the life of a wandering sage.
But then he saw Naruto—saw Minato's son watching him with unwavering eyes.
The Son of Prophecy stood before him, waiting for his verdict.
Jiraiya took a deep breath.
"Kakashi is correct," he finally declared. "According to Anbu's investigation and the intelligence we have gathered... the Sarutobi clan colluded with Orochimaru. They have betrayed Konoha."
A stunned silence fell over the village.
The truth had been spoken.
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