Fujimoto Tōma watched the reactions ripple through the square and felt quietly satisfied.
This was the power of first impressions.
Danzō had always wrapped parts of his body in white bandages, giving off an austere, severe image even before he spoke. Now that the grotesque truth beneath those bandages had been exposed, no explanation he offered would ever sound clean again.
Especially not when he couldn't speak at all.
As for whether Danzō could have removed the Sharingan in advance? Impossible. A man as obsessed with survival as Danzō would never willingly weaken himself. And even if he did, who would help him reattach them later?
An eye socket was one thing. A grafted arm filled with transplanted eyes was another matter entirely. Maintaining that required constant care. There was no chance he would abandon it.
Once the mood was fully set, Tōma began.
"Danzō. His full name is Shimura Danzō. He is the leader of Root, a shadow organization that operates parallel to ANBU. His authority has long matched that of a Hokage advisor. His ideology has always been simple: protect Konoha through extreme measures."
Tōma paused briefly.
"In theory, even the ANBU commander answers directly to the Hokage. Advisors, however, can restrict the Hokage's decisions. That imbalance is why Root was allowed to exist in the first place."
And why it should never have.
"Root was never just a training division. It was a private force hidden beneath the village, answering to one man alone. From today onward, it will no longer exist."
A murmur spread through the crowd.
Tōma continued, his voice steady.
"Danzō is suspicious, paranoid, ruthless, and incapable of trusting anyone. He demands absolute obedience and allows no margin for error. He preaches sacrifice, calling himself 'the darkness that protects Konoha.'"
Tōma glanced at him.
"But he has never sacrificed himself. Only others."
Below, the crowd's expressions hardened.
"He claims to protect the village, yet he sold Konoha's intelligence. He emptied its storage facilities for personal gain. Every action he took benefited only himself, never the village as a whole."
Danzō's face darkened further, but he remained silent.
Too silent.
"Next," Tōma said, "are his confirmed crimes. These have been jointly verified by myself, the Fifth Hokage, the Third Hokage, and advisors Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura."
The two advisors stiffened.
They felt Danzō's glare burning into them, full of hatred. But Tōma's words also severed their remaining ties to him. Politically, this was the cleanest break possible.
The Third Hokage exhaled slowly and stepped back toward the Sarutobi clan.
"Asuma," he said quietly.
"Don't interfere anymore," Sarutobi Asuma replied, cigarette between his fingers. "You already promised Tōma."
Hiruzen looked at him, then at the rest of the clan. Seeing their agreement, he nodded bitterly.
"…I did."
"I also promised him," Asuma added. "If he aimed for Hokage, I'd support him fully."
Hiruzen froze, then let out a helpless laugh.
So even his own clan had chosen their side.
"You did the right thing," he said at last.
On the platform, Tōma began listing the charges.
"First. The murder of Konoha shinobi and the illegal transplantation of Sharingan."
He gestured to Danzō's exposed arm. Ten eyes stared back at the world.
Proof enough.
"Second. Unauthorized experimentation with the First Hokage's cells."
Gasps echoed. No explanation was needed. The First Hokage's name alone carried absolute weight.
"Third. Leaking intelligence to the Akatsuki."
The crowd erupted.
"This resulted in a trap during my mission to rescue the Kazekage. Had I been weaker, I would have died."
Now it was personal.
For the villagers, Tōma was already the Sixth Hokage. Betraying him meant betraying Konoha itself.
Shouts demanding execution filled the air.
Tōma raised a hand, unhurried.
"Fourth. Using Sharingan genjutsu to control warehouse officials and steal half of Konoha's stored resources, which were handed to the enemy."
Rage exploded.
Those resources weren't abstract. They were food, funding, jobs, missions. Every family felt the loss.
"And finally," Tōma said calmly, "human experimentation. Including the abduction of infants."
At this point, it no longer mattered whether every detail was verified.
No one questioned him.
The cries for Danzō's death became deafening.
Tōma listened, smiling faintly.
He could have executed Danzō quietly. That would have been simpler. Cleaner. It might even have earned the advisors' gratitude.
But that wouldn't have satisfied him.
He looked at Danzō, who now stood motionless, stripped of dignity and resistance.
You wanted to be Hokage.
You claimed to protect Konoha from the shadows.
So listen.
This is the village rejecting you.
"Being Hokage was never your right," Tōma said gently. "And Konoha never needed you to protect it."
The crowd roared.