"We cannot falsely accuse an innocent man..."
"Especially when Tobirama-sensei was a former Hokage and the man who taught me my Nindō."
Hiruzen exhaled a thick cloud of smoke, flicked his hand to extinguish his pipe, and spoke in a deep voice.
"If it wasn't him, then it wasn't him."
"What does the failure of the Impure World Reincarnation prove? Leaving aside the possibility that Tobirama-sensei prepared a safeguard for himself, he was ambushed by the Gold and Silver Brothers using the Treasured Tools of the Sage of Six Paths!"
"The sealing properties of those tools may have imprisoned or damaged Tobirama-sensei's soul, preventing it from ever reaching the Pure Land..."
Danzō, Mito, and Orochimaru stared at him with their mouths slightly open, their reactions strangely synchronized.
Tsunade, Isshin, and Izuna did the same.
Even Tobirama himself could no longer keep a straight face.
What an eloquent debater Hiruzen had become!
He could even find an argument involving the Treasured Tools of the Sage of Six Paths?
He really could explain away anything...
"Moreover..."
"I believe everyone has overlooked one issue."
"Everyone believes this man is Tobirama-sensei because he has imitated Tobirama-sensei's way of doing things and because the structure of his ninjutsu is extremely similar..."
"But is Tobirama-sensei truly impossible to imitate?"
"If one powerful shinobi wished to imitate another powerful shinobi whom he knew well, it would not actually be difficult."
Hiruzen turned toward Danzō.
"Danzō, what you said earlier gave me an idea. You mentioned that both Uchiha Madara and Tobirama-sensei once shouldered the darkness on Hashirama-sama's behalf, correct?"
Danzō nodded instinctively.
"Orochimaru, you know what Fugaku intends to do, don't you? To help the village transplant kekkei genkai, he plans to use a Transcription Seal to activate Izanagi, allowing himself to revive automatically and endure the risks of repeated surgeries..."
Orochimaru hesitated before answering.
"That is correct."
Hiruzen slowly continued.
"I possess some modest understanding of fūinjutsu. In Fugaku's case, if the Transcription Seal were driven by sufficiently powerful ocular power, it could be delayed not merely by ten minutes, but potentially by several days..."
"And considering Hashirama-sama's personality and his relationship with Madara, would he have inspected Madara's corpse?"
"He would not have. He did not even permit Tobirama-sensei to touch it. Not even Mito-sama knows where Madara was buried..."
"As for comparing Madara to Tobirama-sensei, forgive my bluntness. Tobirama-sensei may have been extremely powerful, but he was no match for Madara."
"For a powerful shinobi to imitate someone slightly weaker than himself—especially while possessing the Mangekyō Sharingan and extensive knowledge of ninjutsu—would not be difficult."
"The Uchiha clan was more familiar with the Impure World Reincarnation than anyone else. I believe that Madara and Izuna must have tried to study and devise a countermeasure against it back then."
"Moreover, Madara once held the second-highest position in Konoha."
"He had access to the Scroll of Seals."
"As for that spatial movement technique that bears an uncanny resemblance to the Flying Thunder God Technique, along with the repulsive-force kinjutsu, I believe that after his battle against Hashirama-sama, the emotional shock of his defeat stimulated Madara's Mangekyō Sharingan and awakened a new ocular ability."
"Everyone, does anyone here actually know what Madara's Mangekyō ability was? Throughout the entire Warring States Era, no one knew. People merely speculated that it either amplified the power of his techniques or enhanced his chakra and Susanoo..."
Hiruzen looked toward Tobirama, though in reality he was directing the question to Izuna within him.
"Well..."
"My brother never actually awakened a Mangekyō ability. He was simply born with extraordinary control over Susanoo. I always assumed his ocular ability came naturally the moment he awakened the Mangekyō..."
Izuna answered hesitantly.
How had the suspicion suddenly shifted onto his brother?
His brother was such a straightforward man.
There was no way he could have been some mastermind operating behind the scenes!
Tobirama and Hiruzen both nodded, acknowledging Izuna's answer.
Indeed, no one knew what Madara's Mangekyō ability actually was...
Or rather, everyone had assumed it was either a passive ability or one that had never awakened.
At that moment, Tobirama himself was completely bewildered.
How had this suddenly become about Madara?
Although Tobirama often enjoyed telling the occasional white lie or spreading a few harmless rumors to tarnish Madara's reputation—a useful psychological and diplomatic tactic during the Warring States Era...
This was the first time he had ever seen someone as ruthlessly dump the blame onto Madara as Hiruzen was doing now!
"Everyone, it's not that I hold any prejudice against Madara, nor am I deliberately slandering one of Konoha's founders simply to protect Tobirama-sensei..."
Hiruzen established his position first, putting Isshin somewhat at ease.
Only someone with Hiruzen's impeccable reputation could make such a statement.
Everyone had witnessed firsthand how fairly he treated the Uchiha.
The village patrols.
The Military Police Force.
Providing them with a public stage.
Allowing Seisui to learn the Flying Thunder God Technique...
One example after another stood as undeniable proof.
Had anyone else said these words, Isshin would have assumed they were simply trying to suppress the Uchiha once again.
Why was everyone always obsessed with digging up what happened when the village was first founded?
"It's because Madara has done something very similar before."
"Doesn't his battle with Hashirama-sama at the Valley of the End closely resemble what has been happening recently?"
"Creating conflict in order to drive change within the village. Making a tremendous spectacle of it without harming the village's foundations—just as Madara refrained from using the Nine-Tails to bombard Konoha back then..."
The more Hiruzen thought about it, the more naturally the logic flowed.
"If it were Madara, then everything would make much more sense."
"His relationship with Konoha was inherently contradictory. He was both one of its founders and its enemy."
"Given the bond between Madara and Hashirama-sama, it is perfectly reasonable that after fighting one another, Madara would become obsessed and express those conflicted feelings toward Konoha in such a twisted manner..."
After everything that had happened recently, the mysterious powerhouse's identity had already been narrowed down to a very small group:
A highly influential powerhouse from the Warring States Era...
Someone intimately familiar with Tobirama...
And someone whose abilities were at least on Tobirama's level.
With Izuna now confirmed to be inside Tobirama, only two people still fit those conditions:
Uchiha Madara.
Or Uzumaki Ashina.
As for the possibility of some other shinobi quietly reaching that level after years of training in secret, it wasn't impossible...
Just extraordinarily unlikely.
Of those two...
Uzumaki Ashina had never been interested in Konoha.
His only obsession was the Ten Thousand Seals Body Integration Seal. That was universally acknowledged, and he had pursued it until the day he died.
Madara, meanwhile, was universally believed to have been killed by Hashirama.
However...
Danzō's earlier remarks, together with Fugaku's proposal, had suddenly inspired Hiruzen.
He had realized a critical blind spot.
Madara...
...might never have died at all.
If Fugaku could accomplish such a thing...
Then could the strongest Uchiha in history truly be incapable of doing the same?
As for whether Hashirama would have discovered the truth...
Hiruzen could only say that, judging from how Hashirama had fallen into despair after Madara's death, it was difficult to say.
The moment Madara died...
Hashirama's own heart had likely died with him.
"This..."
"Isn't that a bit far-fetched, Hiruzen?" Mito blinked.
The reasoning itself was remarkably coherent...
But she had never expected Madara to suddenly enter the discussion.
It had been nearly fifty years since anyone had spoken that name aloud.
At most, members of the Uchiha clan would occasionally refer to their "Great Clan Head," but they usually avoided saying his full name because of how sensitive it was.
"Hiruzen, then are you suggesting we use the Impure World Reincarnation to determine whether Madara is still around?"
Mito asked hesitantly.
"To summon Madara with the Impure World Reincarnation, we'd first have to summon Hashirama. Only he knows where Madara was buried..."
"And even if we did summon Hashirama, he would never tell you."
"From Hashirama's perspective, he had already failed Madara once. He would never disturb his peace in the Pure Land."
"Especially when all of the evidence clearly points to Tobirama. If you insist on making Madara bear responsibility for something his own family did..."
"...then once Hashirama becomes angry, no one will be able to calm him down."
Both Mito and Tobirama involuntarily recalled Hashirama's behavior after Madara's death.
The God of Shinobi...
Whenever anyone even entertained the idea of disturbing the deceased Madara...
...would reveal an exceedingly rare killing intent.
Mito could hardly imagine how furious Hashirama would become if he learned that, despite all the evidence pointing squarely at Tobirama, Hiruzen still insisted on making him reveal Madara's burial place and summon him through the Impure World Reincarnation for questioning.
Danzō, Orochimaru, Tsunade, and the others were equally dumbfounded.
They were literally surrounding Madara to rescue Tobirama...
Using Madara's overwhelming strength as the perfect scapegoat to shoulder Tobirama's black pot.
Hashirama's overwhelming strength had simply been etched too deeply into everyone's minds. The same was true of his relationship with Madara and his understanding of the Uchiha.
No one believed that the God of Shinobi could make such a mistake during a battle to the death—not even being able to tell whether his enemy was truly dead.
Isshin exhaled heavily and gave a bitter smile.
Was Lord Hokage planning to make the Great Clan Head take the blame for Senju Tobirama?
At this rate, the Uchiha clan's reputation probably wouldn't be able to rise any further...
Izuna was also somewhat displeased.
In his heart, his brother would never do something like this!
Even if he had grievances against Konoha, he would have acted openly and dramatically, confronting the village head-on. He would never have hidden himself behind the name of that bastard Senju Tobirama...
Just how much would he have needed to change for that to happen?!
"Whether it was Madara or Tobirama-sensei ultimately makes no difference. There is no need to determine the mysterious powerhouse's identity."
"No matter who he is, once a powerful shinobi descends into obsession, he cannot possibly be persuaded with a few simple words. Only overwhelming strength and ironclad facts can force him to calm down."
"Therefore, there is no need to disturb Hashirama-sama right now and risk upsetting him."
Hiruzen slowly continued.
"Let us end our speculation about this person's identity here. I am not certain that it was Madara. It is merely one possibility."
"However, we must understand that our opponent may not be Tobirama-sensei. That means he may not show Konoha any restraint. We must heighten both our vigilance and our sense of urgency."
"Furthermore, under the assumption that he is Madara..."
Hiruzen paused. He imagined himself as Madara, simulating the thought process of a Warring States Era fanatic and Konoha Shinobi Registration No. 002.
A moment later, he narrowed his eyes and said, "We must intensify our efforts to reinforce the Uchiha shinobi's belief in the Will of Fire. We must also pay close attention to changes in the mentality of talented Uchiha clan members who are going through adolescence."
"If I were Madara, I would consider the stability of the Uchiha clan a major test for Konoha. Like the clan elders of the Warring States Era, he may attempt to destabilize the Uchiha through extreme incidents..."
"Seisui, Isshin—you two will be responsible for this matter. Take the necessary preventive measures."
Isshin and Tobirama nodded blankly.
Why was he speaking as though all of this had actually happened?
"We must also accelerate our preparations for war. Madara is a traditional militant. If he intends to test every aspect of the village, our military strength will undoubtedly be the most important one."
"We must prioritize a joint defense with Amegakure. Iwagakure, Sunagakure, or Kumogakure could all launch a sudden war against Konoha after being provoked by Madara!"
"From this moment onward, Konoha will enter a state of emergency readiness. The Research Department must accelerate its efforts to absorb the Sky Village's technology, while medical chakra scrolls must be produced at full capacity. At the very least, we must stockpile enough supplies for one war."
"The village's surplus funds and emergency reserves must also be mobilized so that we are prepared for unexpected situations at any time."
"However, there is no need to become overly burdened by this. Even if it truly is Madara, he cannot possibly be at his peak."
Hiruzen issued one order after another, his voice firm and forceful.
Even though Mito tried to speak several times, Hiruzen never stopped.
He was the Hokage of this village!
Whenever a major decision was involved, Hiruzen would not accommodate anyone—not even Mito.
He knew Tobirama was innocent, so he could not indulge everyone's suspicions. Instead, he had to treat Uchiha Madara as a hypothetical enemy and mobilize Konoha accordingly...
Hiruzen was not certain either, but he believed there was a considerable possibility.
Just as the Nine-Tails had once muttered while telling stories to the children...
Hashirama had deceived Madara with a Wood Clone and won that battle.
Wouldn't it be perfectly natural for Madara to find a way to deceive Hashirama in return?
The two of them had never truly settled who was superior throughout their entire lives...
And if it really was Uchiha Madara, then members of that clan did not know how to hold back once they made a move. If Konoha failed to respond properly, the village could suffer enormous losses!
That was something Hiruzen could not accept.
"Mito-sama, do you have any thoughts?" Hiruzen finally asked after finishing.
Mito remained silent for a moment before sighing.
"No. The village should operate according to the Hokage's orders."
Although Mito still believed that Hiruzen was forcibly making excuses for Tobirama...
Sensei and disciple truly were cut from the same cloth when it came to tarnishing Madara's reputation...
Even so, she said nothing more.
She had seen in Hiruzen's eyes the same resolve Hashirama once possessed. Once that expression appeared, there was no point trying to persuade him further.
Whether it was Madara or Tobirama, perhaps there truly was not much difference between them.
Although the two could not stand each other's personalities, in Mito's eyes, many of their views regarding external affairs actually coincided perfectly.
Both were classic militants...
They were also roughly equal in how extreme they could become when fighting outside enemies.
After all, both were men who stood behind Hashirama...
"Furthermore, given the Uchiha clan's outstanding performance during this war and in their daily duties, I believe we can now establish an official position regarding Madara and gradually promote it throughout the village."
Hiruzen spoke thoughtfully.
"We must affirm that Uchiha Madara was one of Konoha's founders and made major contributions to the village's construction. His later battle with the First Hokage should be defined as a dispute over the village's path of development, rather than an act of defection. It was a tragedy caused by the mindset of the Warring States Era."
"We must add a predominantly positive account of Madara to Konoha's public notice boards and the Ninja Academy's textbooks, giving him roughly the same amount of coverage as Tobirama-sensei."
"We must acknowledge Madara's foresight in opposing the distribution of the tailed beasts, as well as the accuracy of his prediction that future wars would break out across the shinobi world..."
"Through the friendship and regrets shared by Madara and Hashirama-sama, we must make shinobi understand that when conflicts arise between comrades, they should first sit down, talk things through, and resolve the problem."
"Rather than resorting to extremes, which only cause pain to those close to you and delight your enemies."
Everyone present was left unsure of what to say after hearing this.
Wait...
Hadn't you just said that the mysterious powerhouse might be Uchiha Madara?
What was the meaning behind immediately elevating Madara's historical standing within Konoha?
Wasn't that logically contradictory?!
Hiruzen smiled without offering an explanation. He merely said calmly, "Carry it out!"
As Hokage, Hiruzen had once conducted extensive research into the deeds of the shinobi world's most renowned figures in order to better understand the world.
Madara and Hashirama had naturally been among the most important subjects.
He had discovered something...
Obsessive shinobi all shared one remarkably similar trait:
They lacked love!
Not romantic love, but recognition, understanding, and bonds between people willing to face life and death together...
This was especially true of the Uchiha clan.
Therefore, in Hiruzen's view, if their opponent truly was Uchiha Madara, this smooth little combination of measures would probably not be enough to make the Ghost of the Uchiha change his mind...
Especially if Hiruzen's guess was correct. An elderly Madara's behavior would be even more unpredictable.
However, given the temperament of the Uchiha clan—and especially Madara, who embodied practically every stereotype associated with them—he would undoubtedly hesitate somewhat before striking and would be less likely to go too far.
It was something ingrained in his very bones.
It was somewhat akin to the principle that one did not strike a smiling man...
'Even if my guess is wrong, it doesn't really matter...'
'The historical issue surrounding Uchiha Madara would have needed to be resolved sooner or later anyway. If the Uchiha clan is to become fully integrated with Konoha, this is a necessary step we would eventually have to take.'
'I'm merely seeing whether I can kill two birds with one stone.'
Hiruzen reviewed the reasoning in his mind.
"As for the Zero-Tails..."
Hiruzen looked toward Orochimaru.
"I believe the Box of Ultimate Bliss would make an excellent source of negative emotions. See whether the abundant negative emotions stored within the box can be converted into energy for Konoha's various production and research projects."
"The village must accelerate its progress. You and Hiruko will need to shoulder more of the burden. I know it will be difficult."
Orochimaru's eyes lit up.
His teacher's boundless imagination never failed to surprise him.
"Yes, Sensei!"
Hiruzen nodded.
"Everyone is dismissed. I'll be leaving first, Mito-sama..."
With that, Hiruzen rose and headed toward the Hokage Building.
Aside from completing his training for the day, he also needed to consider the possibility of a joint offensive by the three great hidden villages and make the necessary preparations in advance.
As for Kirigakure, it did not factor into Hiruzen's calculations.
As long as the Third Mizukage still possessed the mind of a normal person, there was no chance he would take military action against Konoha after seeing Konoha's Sky Village mothership and hearing the exchange students' descriptions of the village's true circumstances...
There was only one thing Hiruzen had failed to account for.
Uchiha Madara possessed far more resources than he imagined!
He commanded an enormous number of White Zetsu, as well as Kaguya's third son...
The Ghost of the Uchiha may have grown old, but he still possessed terrifying power—enough to reverse the very logic by which wars unfolded...
"Dismissed, dismissed..."
Mito waved her hand.
"Go attend to your duties. Remember that everything discussed today must remain confidential!"
After everyone had left, Mito and the Nine-Tails began talking, one woman and one fox.
"Who do you think it is, Nine-Tails...?"
"It has to be Tobirama! Hiruzen only made all that up on the spot to protect his sensei. Maybe he simply wanted to use Madara's name to put pressure on the village..."
The Nine-Tails swished its tails.
Merely hearing Madara's name still made it instinctively uncomfortable.
"How could someone like Madara possibly hide in the shadows and conceal his identity? It isn't realistic..."
"Even if he were still alive, he would be very old by now, but his personality couldn't possibly have changed that much. Just look at yourself, Mito. You're almost the same as you were before, aren't you?"
Mito did not think too deeply about it and nodded in agreement.
"It certainly isn't realistic. However, I believe that Hashirama will eventually be summoned with the Impure World Reincarnation."
"Once Tobirama begins using shinobi summoned through the Impure World Reincarnation to 'attack' Konoha..."
"Given Hashirama's temperament, he would no longer oppose bringing the dead back into the world of the living. The other side would have broken the rules first. It would also give Hashirama a chance to see how Konoha has developed..."
The Nine-Tails chuckled.
"Then I'm really looking forward to seeing that guy again!"
The Nine-Tails had originally been somewhat afraid...
But the moment it remembered that it was now a protected tailed beast of Konoha, it suddenly became excited.
The Nine-Tails intended to give Hashirama a thorough scolding!
Had he spoken to it properly back then and tried persuading it with the Will of Fire sooner, none of their later conflicts would ever have happened!
...
While the winds of change swept through Konoha, the rest of the shinobi world did not remain idle.
The same was true of Kirigakure, Sunagakure, Iwagakure, Kumogakure, and Madara's faction.
The chain reaction caused by the Sky Village's invasion of Konoha began to make tensions across the shinobi world openly apparent!
Three months later...
Madara finished creating two more large figurines.
They were the Gold and Silver Brothers.
"Damn you, Senju Tobirama! You loser who was defeated by us!"
The Gold and Silver Brothers roared.
However, with a casual wave of Madara's hand, they were suspended upside down from the ceiling, their senses completely blocked.
They were nothing more than controlled puppets...
At that moment, Hi-kun rushed over in a flurry.
"Madara-sama, the other hidden villages have begun preparing for war! They're holding meeting after meeting..."
Madara gave a grunt of acknowledgment.
Everything was proceeding as he had anticipated.
Hi-kun continued, "Also, you've been added to Konoha's textbooks! And they have nothing but good things to say about you!"
Madara showed no reaction.
Hi-kun could not help admiring Madara-sama's composure.
But the next moment, Madara abruptly whipped his head around.
"What did you say?!"
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