Starting with Naruto, I'll become stronger through my own efforts.

Chapter 105 Maintaining the situation for nine years is too long.

Controlling his expression with all his might, Uchiha Shisui said in the most indifferent tone, "Mitomon Jonin, the word you want to use is—'Reversed Heavenly Gang'."

"But you're wrong. At the Konoha Ninja Tournament, the Third Hokage's status was not higher than that of a Jonin."

"According to the rules set by the Second Hokage, only Konoha Jonin can participate in the voting at the Konoha Jonin Tournament, but it does not restrict other people from participating in activities such as providing evidence and conducting inquiries."

"Because Lord Xia Zuo is here to prove that the Third Hokage has made enough mistakes to be worthy of the position of Hokage, so the Chunin questioning the Hokage is not considered a betrayal of the Heavenly Gang."

"Otherwise, no matter what the Third Hokage does, we can only raise our hands and shout 'Long live the Third Hokage, the strongest Hokage of all time!'"

Uchiha Shiki spoke sarcastically, which thoroughly enraged Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu, causing them to stand up together.

Mitokado Homura shouted, "You bastard, how dare you insult the Third Hokage like this! You truly are the evil Uchiha!"

Koharu Utatane angrily retorted, "Even a mere Chunin can question the Hokage; what dignity does the Hokage have left?"

Her voice, no longer gentle, shrieked shrilly: "Konoha ninjas, are you just going to stand by and watch the Uchiha insult the Hokage?"

The Konoha Jonin who supported her and the Third Hokage stood up and shouted, "No!"

"The Uchiha clan has gone too far!"

"We should kick him out, arrest that Chunin, and torture him!"

"The Hokage must not be humiliated like this!"

The cheers of the supporters did not please the Third Hokage, because there were too few of them, less than 70.

The number of people is far less than one-fifth of the total number of Jonin in Konoha.

Because of their small numbers, their shouts failed to make a sound in the huge conference room, appearing weak and feeble.

Just like the aura of the Third Hokage himself.

Uchiha Shisui was filled with astonishment, but his face remained stiff and calm: "Now please raise your hands to vote on my proposal. Those who agree with Lord Xia Zuo questioning the Third Hokage—please raise your hands."

The vast majority of Konoha Jonin ignored the shouting guys, their arms flailing up like a dense forest.

Hiruzen Sarutobi's face visibly darkened; a Konoha ninja dared to oppose him to his very face.

His angry gaze swept over Hyuga, Nara, Yamanaka, Akimichi, Aburame, Inuyasha, and others.

Some of the Jonin looked away guiltily, some pretended not to see, and some glared angrily, their reactions varying.

But not a single Jonin lowered their head, nor did a single Jonin lower their hand.

Hiruzen Sarutobi felt a chill run through him.

But no matter how unhappy the Third Hokage was, no matter how much Mitokado Homura, Utatane Koharu and their supporters objected, once the vast majority of Konoha Jonin raised their hands, Natsumi was qualified to appear in the meeting room and question the Third Hokage.

This was essentially a rule set by the Second Hokage, which overshadowed the personal prestige of the Third Hokage.

If the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, were standing here, he could have easily turned the tide with a casual statement, winning over the vast majority of Konoha Jonin to his side.

If it were Hashirama Senju, a powerful figure who dominated the ninja world, standing here, he wouldn't even need to say a word; the Konoha Jonin would have already subdued Shisui for offending the Hokage.

The Konoha ninja would never oppose the First Hokage and the Second Hokage; they would only worry that they weren't fast enough and feel incredibly ashamed of it.

Hiruzen Sarutobi lacked the prestige of the Second Hokage and the strength of the First Hokage; he could only watch helplessly as Natsume walked into the conference hall.

Xia Zuo looked at the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, and asked without any politeness, "Third Hokage, I remember you're already 67 years old, and you still have to worry about all the affairs of the village. Isn't that very tiring?"

The Third Hokage was wondering what questions Xia Zuo would ask him, but he never expected that it would start with his age.

He paused for a moment before replying, "There's nothing I can do about it. I have to work harder so that Konoha Village can function properly."

Xia Zuo shook his head repeatedly: "Yes, you've worked so hard, but there's something I've been wondering about."

"Why was it you, the Third Hokage, who continued as Hokage after the Fourth Hokage's sacrifice, instead of Orochimaru becoming the Fifth Hokage?"

This question, like a heavy and sharp kunai, pierced straight into the heart of the Third Hokage.

Hiruzen Sarutobi felt his heart clench with pain.

Orochimaru was Hiruzen Sarutobi's favorite student, and his defection was Hiruzen Sarutobi's most painful loss over the years.

For this reason, he didn't speak to Danzo for two whole months.

Fortunately, Hiruzen Sarutobi was a master of acting. He suppressed his heartache and loudly replied, "Orochimaru is the murderer who harmed the ninja of Konoha, a traitor who betrayed the village. How could I possibly choose him to become the Fifth Hokage?"

Xia Zuo shook his head and said, "No, Orochimaru's evil deeds hadn't been exposed at the time, so he was the most suitable successor to the Hokage. What exactly was your purpose in skipping him and restoring yourself to the position?"

"Could it be that you already knew Orochimaru had conducted large-scale human experiments?"

Upon hearing Xia Zuo's question, which was fraught with trap, the Third Hokage retorted without hesitation, "I didn't know Orochimaru was conducting human experiments at the time."

He then answered according to the official line: "I chose to return to the position of Hokage to maintain the situation so that Konoha could overcome the danger."

Xia Zuo smiled and nodded: "Oh, right, to maintain the status quo."

Then he pressed on bluntly, "But you've maintained this for 10 years and 2 months—not 10 days, not 10 months, but 10 years!"

"How long are you going to maintain this situation?"

The Third Hokage was speechless, unsure how to respond.

If the dangerous situation is over, then what reason does he have to stay in the position of Hokage? Why not select the Fifth Hokage?

If the danger facing the village is not over, and he has tried for 10 years but has not been able to resolve the situation, shouldn't such a Hokage feel ashamed and voluntarily bow down and step down?

Seeing his old classmate being questioned like this, Mitokado Homura couldn't help but step forward and retort, "It's not that the Third Hokage doesn't want to abdicate, it's just that there's no one else in the village who can shoulder the responsibilities of Hokage besides him."

Xia Zuo's face darkened: "No ninja can become Hokage?"

"Yes, there are indeed no young ninjas who can become Hokage."

"Our Konoha Village is famous throughout the ninja world for producing so many geniuses. In the past 20 years, so many outstanding ninjas have emerged and become famous throughout the ninja world."

"Where did they all go?"

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