Hiruzen truly didn't dare admit that it was his own personality and actions that led to all these terrible consequences. So he actively blocked it all out and gave himself an unassailable excuse.
That excuse was, he only did those terrible things because Tsunade was forcing him. He didn't want to do them; he was pushed into it!
In everyone's own world, they see themselves as the righteous protagonist, no exceptions.
So what does a person do when they start to realize they might not be the hero, but the villain?
They constantly look for excuses, justifications, and eventually, they truly start to believe those excuses and justifications. They let them grow into their beliefs. And once those beliefs are formed, a person can become incredibly resolute. But at this moment, his belief had begun to crumble.
He even started thinking maybe he should just retire. Being Hokage really wasn't worth it anymore.
Yet, when he returned to the Hokage's office and sat back in the seat that symbolized Konoha's highest authority, his mindset changed again.
Tsunade, oh Tsunade, passing the Hokage title to you isn't entirely out of the question.
But it only belongs to you if I give it to you.
What you absolutely shouldn't have done, was to try and take something by force that was never yours to begin with.
After all, I am the Hokage!
Having reaffirmed his belief, Hiruzen opened the drawer, took out a document, and his gaze became colder than ever before.
---
After a full day and night of effort, the statistics for the strategic reserve warehouse had finally been compiled.
Nearly 30% of the supplies had been swapped or were outright substandard when delivered. But that wasn't the worst part.
Soon, new investigation results came in: the swapped supplies had never made it into Konoha at all.
Instead, Koharu had used these strategic resources to secretly trade with other major ninja villages for her own personal gain. And this was just the part that had been verified.
How much of the village's strategic resources she had sold out over the years was still under investigation.
This revelation immediately caused an uproar in Konoha.
But instead of anger, what many citizens felt in that moment was only sadness and numbness. This was the emotion that came after people had become completely disillusioned with Hiruzen.
A Hokage and a village elder, colluding in such underhanded schemes.
To harm the village's interests, to disregard the safety of its people and the village itself, how utterly tragic.
After a day of brewing, that sadness turned into full-blown rage among the populace.
Cries to denounce Hiruzen and Koharu, and support Tsunade in replacing Hiruzen as Hokage, began echoing everywhere, and were growing stronger by the hour. It had reached the point where it could no longer be suppressed.
Many even openly voiced their seething hatred toward Hiruzen and Koharu.
Some were even disgusted just hearing Hiruzen's name.
Even when Tsunade was about to enter the strategic reserve warehouse, Hiruzen had still stood in front of everyone stirring trouble, distorting the truth, and manipulating public opinion to turn people against her.
Someone like that, disgustingly hypocritical and vile.
Very soon, punishment from the Hokage's office was handed down on Koharu: She was stripped of her position as an elder, all illegal gains were confiscated, and she was temporarily imprisoned in Konoha's prison pending further investigation.
Based on the results of the ongoing investigation, she would be given appropriate punishment.
This time, Hiruzen had learned his lesson, there were no attempts to shift the blame, no explanations, only a cold, emotionless punishment notice. And this action did help to calm much of the public's anger.
Just as everyone was eagerly waiting for the final verdict on Koharu's punishment, Hiruzen arrived outside the cell where she was being held.
Seeing his former comrade now looking so miserable, he felt a pang of sorrow. But the next thing Koharu said instantly wiped away any sympathy he had.
"You actually betrayed me!" she snarled, her face twisted with rage.
"What do you mean by that?" Hiruzen asked with a frown.
Koharu rattled the shackles on her wrists and snapped, "Isn't it obvious enough?"
"I'm an elder of Konoha, the head of the Pharmaceuticals Department. If it wasn't you, who personally ordered this, who else would have the nerve to imprison me here?"
Hiruzen rubbed his temples, exasperated. "Yes, I gave the order, but I had no choice."
Koharu wouldn't let up. "You're the Hokage. Couldn't you at least let me wait at home for the investigation?"
"Do you even hear yourself right now?" Hiruzen was nearly exploding. "Public anger in Konoha is boiling over. If we just let you wait it out at home, neither of us would get away with it."
The delay tactic he had used before had finally backfired on him.
After ten full days of stalling with no investigation, the scandal had finally erupted, pushing the citizens to the peak of their outrage.
This was far beyond what any usual damage-control tactic could resolve.
"Heh!" Koharu sneered. "So now you're pushing me out as a scapegoat? But don't forget, everything I did, you were involved in too. Once all the truth comes out, you won't last even a single day as Hokage. And at such a critical moment, you won't even protect me? Are you really going to force me into a situation where we both go down together?"
"Enough!" Hiruzen finally lost it, shouting angrily, "Don't you get it yet?"
"What is it I'm supposed to get?"
"The only reason you're still able to talk to me right now is because I'm still the Hokage," Hiruzen said bitterly. "But Tsunade is clearly aiming for the Hokage seat. Once she takes power, you, me, Danzō, Homura, all of us are finished. You know the situation, what else could I do?"
"I can only retreat in order to advance. First, I must keep the Hokage position. Then, I'll find a way to eliminate Tsunade. That's the only way to save both of us, and only then will you be proven innocent and released."
Koharu finally calmed down after hearing this and asked, "And how soon is this plan supposed to work?"
"No more than three months," Hiruzen replied firmly.
"Three months?" Koharu looked like she couldn't believe what she heard. "Sounds to me like you never intended to save me at all. In fact, it's like you want me gone. In three months, I could be dead in this cell and no one would know. But let me warn you, if anything happens to me, don't think your dirty secrets will stay hidden."
Hiruzen was on the verge of losing his mind. "Can you please stop making a scene at a time like this?"
"I'm making a scene?" Koharu sneered. "You're practically trying to kill me, and I don't even get to say a few harsh truths?"
"I know exactly what kind of person you are, Hiruzen, even if no one else does. You're just trying to sacrifice me to protect yourself, using this 'righteous act' of punishing a close comrade to polish your reputation. I'm giving you one month. I must be released in a month, or else none of us are walking away from this clean."
Hiruzen was so furious that he barely managed to restrain himself from killing her on the spot.