The domineering Uchiha drove the Third Hokage mad!

Chapter 556 The Real Reason for Hatake Sakumo's Suicide

On the high platform, Uchiha Mitsumine's crimson Sharingan rotated, continuing to radiate ocular power.

"Shimura Danzo, was the death of Hatake Sakumochi your doing?"

Upon hearing this, the villagers held their breath, and the square instantly became quieter.

Hatake Sakumo, the legendary ninja who once protected Konoha, the hero who single-handedly turned the tide of the battle in Sunagakure.

Everyone thought he committed suicide out of guilt for failing his mission, but today, Uchiha Mitsunori's questioning was like a pebble thrown into a calm lake, creating ripples on the surface.

An elderly villager sighed softly, "Lord White Fang is such a good man. It would be such a shame if he were really framed."

Danzo Shimura, who was being controlled by the Sharingan's genjutsu, shook his head slightly after hearing the question.

His empty eyes had no focus, as if he were repeating a past unrelated to himself: "A scheme? I don't have that kind of ability to make a strong person like Hatake Sakumo commit suicide."

"During the Second Shinobi World War, the enemy was stronger than us on the Sunagakure battlefield. As the commander-in-chief of the Sunagakure battlefield at that time, Hatake Sakumo took the initiative to step forward, using himself as bait, and led more than a dozen elite ANBU to risk their lives to invade the heart of Sunagakure. They destroyed their logistics base and assassinated important personnel, which ultimately turned the tide of the battle and won the victory."

As he spoke, Danzo Shimura's tone remained calm, but a hint of struggle flickered deep in his eyes.

That was his remaining consciousness, resisting the suppression of the illusion, but it vanished in an instant, replaced by endless emptiness.

"After that battle, Hatake Sakumo became famous, and thousands of Konoha ninjas admired him greatly, showing a tendency to form their own faction."

"Even dozens of Jonin from commoner backgrounds jointly petitioned for his nomination as a candidate for the Fourth Hokage... But how could Hiruzen tolerate such a threat existing in Konoha?"

"As the Third Hokage, who has controlled Konoha for many years, how could he possibly stand by and watch Hatake Sakumo rise to power and threaten his position?"

A slight commotion arose in the crowd, and some villagers couldn't help but whisper among themselves, their eyes filled with disbelief.

The veteran ninjas who had experienced the Second Shinobi World War wore complex expressions, vividly recalling the bravery of Hatake Sakumo.

But they never imagined that the Third Hokage would turn against such a hero for the sake of power.

An old ninja sighed, his eyes filled with disappointment: "If that's really the case, then Konoha's sky has fallen."

Danzo Shimura spoke mechanically, without any emotional fluctuation, as if he were recounting someone else's conspiracy, his empty gaze fixed on the void.

"Hiruzen deliberately sent Hatake Sakumo to Kumogakure to carry out an impossible mission... It was the core stronghold of Kumogakure, heavily guarded, with dozens of Jonin stationed inside. To put it bluntly, it was a mission to send them to their deaths."

"But he didn't expect that Hatake Sakumo's strength was far greater than he had imagined. He actually fought his way out of Kumogakure and returned to Konoha alive."

"His greatest crime is that he came back alive. Hiruzen was enraged. He came to me and told me to take immediate action to eliminate Hatake Sakumo and prevent future troubles."

"I then had members of Root disguise themselves as ordinary villagers and spread rumors throughout the village, deliberately saying that Hatake Sakumo had failed his mission in Kumogakure. Not only did he fail to achieve his mission objectives, but he also caused irreparable damage to the village."

"The rumors spread wider and wider, and voices in the village began to question White Fang. Then, people deliberately sent people to throw rotten vegetable leaves at his doorstep and curse him as a sinner of Konoha."

"Immediately afterwards, I sent people to capture Hatake Sakumo's teammate, and used his family to blackmail him, forcing him to come forward and frame Hatake Sakumo, and then commit suicide to atone for his sins."

"But I still underestimated Hatake Sakumo. He was already in his thirties at the time. As the head of Konoha's Anbu, he had seen too much darkness in the ninja world and experienced countless life-and-death trials. His will was exceptionally firm. No matter how I pressured him or spread rumors, he never bowed his head... So my plan failed."

The commotion in the square grew louder and louder, and the villagers' faces showed anger. Several people couldn't help but break free from the ninjas' obstruction and rush forward a few steps.

He cursed loudly, "Shimura Danzo, you demon! How dare you use such despicable means to frame Lord White Fang!"

The ninjas frowned even more deeply, their gazes towards the interrogation table filled with disgust and vigilance, but even more so with confusion.

"If Shimura Danzo's plan failed, then how exactly did Hatake Sakumo die?" A Jonin couldn't help but ask in a low voice, his tone full of doubt.

The ninjas around him nodded in agreement, their faces full of confusion... They simply couldn't understand how someone with Hatake Sakumo's intelligence could ultimately choose to commit suicide.

Danzo Shimura seemed oblivious to the confusion around him, and continued to speak mechanically, his voice completely flat, yet clearly carrying throughout the entire plaza.

"My plan failed, so Hiruzen took matters into his own hands. He found Sakumo Hatake's weakness... his son, 5-year-old Kakashi Hatake."

These words, like a thunderclap, exploded across the square!

A sudden gust of wind whipped up, making the villagers' clothes flutter and the camphor tree leaves rustle as they fell onto the gray stone bricks, adding a touch of desolation.

"Whoosh..."

The villagers erupted in an uproar, their voices a cacophony of discussion, anger, and disbelief echoing throughout the square, drowning out the sound of the wind.

"What? The Third Hokage is using a child to blackmail us?"

"That's impossible! The Third Hokage was so kind, how could he do such a thing?"

"Sakuga Hatake, such a hero, being forced like this... It's outrageous!"

The ninjas on both sides frowned so deeply that their brows were almost knotted together, and their faces were even more solemn. Some of them couldn't help but clench their fists, their knuckles turning white, and a hint of anger and disappointment flashed in their eyes.

"I can't believe the Third Hokage would do something so despicable," a young ninja said in a low voice, his tone full of disbelief.

He had admired the Third Hokage since childhood, but now his faith began to waver.

Kakashi Hatake, standing at the front of the crowd, suddenly shuddered as if struck by lightning. His clear eyes, beneath his silver-gray hair, instantly turned bloodshot.

His knuckles, which were originally slightly white, were now clenched so tightly they turned white, and his nails dug deep into his palms, causing a sharp pain, but he was completely unaware of it.

His body trembled slightly, his teeth biting his lower lip hard as he tasted a hint of blood. His mind went blank for a moment, leaving only Danzo's words echoing in his ears.

He stared intently at Shimura Danzo on the interrogation table, his eyes bloodshot, and suppressed sobs escaping his throat.

The words kept echoing in his ears: "He used Kakashi's life to force Hatake Sakumo to commit suicide."

So that's why my father died, not because of guilt, not because of mission failure, but because of me! It was me who dragged my father down!

It was Hiruzen Sarutobi who, with his own life, forced his father to his death! A deep sense of guilt and hatred instantly overwhelmed him.

He desperately wanted to rush forward and question Shimura Danzo and Sarutobi Hiruzen, but his body seemed to be nailed to the spot, unable to move.

He remembered the last time his father saw him. His father gently patted his head and smiled, saying, "Kakashi, grow up well, become a strong ninja, protect Konoha, and protect the people you want to protect."

A surge of overwhelming rage erupted from the depths of Kakashi's heart, scorching his internal organs.

His body trembled slightly, his teeth biting his lower lip hard. He tasted a hint of blood, and his mind kept replaying his father's gentle smile with the image of his father lying in a pool of blood, which almost drove him to the brink of collapse.

After he finished practicing ninjutsu, his father would gently pat his head, share the best ninja tools with her, and tell her to be a ninja who protects Konoha and those around her.

This gentle father was driven to his death because of me! It's all my fault. If I had been stronger, my father wouldn't have been threatened and wouldn't have died!

"hateful......"

Kakashi murmured to himself, his voice hoarse, and crimson fury burned in his eyes.

He abruptly raised his head, roaring towards the Hokage Building, "Hiruzen Sarutobi... I will definitely kill you!"

These words, filled with endless hatred and guilt, resounded throughout the square, drawing everyone's attention.

He spoke these words softly, yet with unwavering resolve, as if he had made an indelible vow in his heart.

His fists clenched tighter, as if he wanted to crush his palms. The deep-seated hatred and guilt, like vines, tightly wrapped around his heart, making it almost impossible for him to breathe.

The ninja beside him wanted to step forward to comfort him, but he stopped in his tracks, frightened by the ferocity in his eyes.

Uchiha Mitsunaga's expression remained icy, his Sharingan spinning even faster. He raised his hand, waved it towards the area below the plaza, and said in a deep voice, "Silence!"

His voice, imbued with powerful chakra pressure, instantly drowned out the discussions and shouts in the square, silencing everyone.

The two simple words carried a powerful pressure, instantly silencing the discussions in the square, leaving only the heavy breathing of the crowd and Kakashi's suppressed sobs.

Uchiha Mitsunaga's gaze returned to Shimura Danzo, his tone still icy, carrying an unyielding command: "Shimura Danzo, confess everything about the human experimentation from the beginning! Don't hide anything!"

"Human experimentation?"

Danzo Shimura's eyes flickered slightly, an instinctive reaction under the suppression of the illusion. As if stung, he shrank his shoulders, but quickly returned to his empty and blank expression.