Big Brother! That's Cruel—Are You Trying to Ruin Me Socially?!
With Uzumaki Mito stepping in as the mediator, the situation eased—at least on the surface.
Although Senju Hashirama often neglected home life thanks to his… complicated relationship with Uchiha Madara, Uzumaki Mito was still his wife in name and reality. She had borne his children and managed the household. No matter what, her position in Hashirama's heart was far from light.
So—
Out of respect for Mito, Hashirama decided not to continue pressing Tobirama relentlessly. After giving it some thought, he proposed what he believed to be a reasonable solution.
First—
His younger brother Senju Tobirama had to deeply reflect on, and admit fault for, his reprehensible actions that afternoon.
If Tobirama acknowledged his mistake sincerely, Hashirama felt he could "let bygones be bygones."
If he knows his error and corrects it, he's still my good little brother.
Of course, Hashirama's forgiveness alone was far from enough.
Those poor, innocent villagers—who had been beaten and locked up by ANBU—also deserved Tobirama's apology.
Therefore!
Tobirama had to immediately release the detained villagers and publicly apologize to them.
With these two measures together, Hashirama believed Konoha's citizens would surely be won back.
Everything would return to the way it used to be.
The villagers would once again trust and love Konoha—and greet him warmly and naturally, just like before.
Unfortunately…
This was nothing more than Hashirama's personal fantasy.
Standing beside him, Tobirama felt his head start to throb.
How is my big brother still this stubbornly naive?!
This was completely absurd.
Admit fault? Reflect?
I didn't do anything wrong—so why should I admit fault?
If I'm not wrong, what's there to reflect on?!
And now Big Brother wants me to apologize to those unruly civilians who tried to storm the Hokage Building?!
Apologize my ass!
I am the Shadow Hokage, Konoha's so-called Nine-Thousand-Year Elder!
Which clan head in Konoha doesn't treat me with respect and courtesy?!
(Uchiha Madara excluded!)
And now I'm supposed to lower my head over something I did right and apologize to a mob of rabble?!
What would the Uchiha clan think of me?
What would the other ninja clans think of me?
How would I ever operate in Konoha again?!
And worse—
That arrogant, innately evil Uchiha Setsuna would probably laugh himself to death behind my back!
Impossible.
Absolutely impossible.
Just imagining the consequences of apologizing made Tobirama's scalp go numb.
Big Brother was basically asking him to turn himself into a pathetic clown—a complete social death in front of every ninja clan in Konoha.
What's more—
Big Brother spends his days basking in the sunlight, enjoying the love and admiration of villagers and ninja alike.
Meanwhile, Tobirama works in his shadow, handling all the dirty, exhausting tasks—constantly cleaning up after Hashirama's habit of siding with outsiders.
Even this time, sending ANBU to conduct Konoha's so-called Unlimited Free-Sparring Tournament with the villagers—
Wasn't that for Big Brother?
Wasn't it for Konoha?
Merit and toil alike—he bore them both!
Shouldn't he be rewarded instead?!
That Hokage ceremonial robe would make a fine reward, if you asked him.
After all—
Tobirama fully intended to inherit the Hokage position one day.
Second Hokage—who else but him?
And if Big Brother insisted on favoritism toward Madara—
Then Third Hokage—who else but him?!
But before that…
His political record could not have a single stain.
On this point, Tobirama was perfectly clear.
"Big Brother, I did nothing wrong."
"I will not admit fault. I will not apologize."
"And those villagers have already, without exception, repented."
"These—" he said, pointing at the desk piled high with papers,
"—are their written confessions. They wrote them the moment they entered ANBU custody."
Tobirama's attitude was unyielding.
This involved his principles, his dignity, and his future as the Second—or Third—Hokage.
So—
Admitting fault was impossible.
Apologizing was even more impossible.
The villagers had already written their confessions.
They'd been lightly punished, detained for a week for "ideological education," and would then be released.
As far as Tobirama was concerned—
This matter was already settled.
Everything had been prepared.
Big Brother, stop being so stubborn.
"What?!"
"Tobirama… you didn't use genjutsu or some other technique on them, did you?"
Hashirama rushed to the desk the moment he heard this.
He grabbed several of the confessions and read them from beginning to end.
Instantly, his expression darkened.
This just got worse.
Had Tobirama secretly used ninja techniques on civilians to appease him?
Otherwise, how could all those villagers obediently confess and write apologies?
It was unthinkable.
"Big Brother, how could you think that of me?"
"Do you take me for one of those innately evil Uchiha?"
"How could I ever use such methods on villagers?!"
"I've poured my heart into Konoha too!"
"This is the result of ideological education!"
"They've all truly repented!"
"If you don't believe me, investigate! Ask every ANBU member—use the Yamanaka clan's memory-reading techniques if you want!"
Tobirama immediately widened his eyes and defended himself, firmly denying any use of genjutsu or similar methods—while casually taking another jab at the Uchiha.
Of course…
Even Tobirama knew his explanation sounded ridiculous.
He hadn't ordered ANBU to use genjutsu—but after a round of baton-based education, the villagers were dragged into ANBU headquarters.
Ordinary civilians had never experienced anything like that.
The moment they were told to write confessions—
Every single one of them rushed to repent.
If they hadn't, Tobirama would've simply ordered another week of "advanced education."
Only batons + ideology, working together, could guarantee true repentance.
"Then they must have been frightened by your ANBU subordinates."
"They're just ordinary civilians."
Hashirama still refused to relent.
After thinking it through, he did believe Tobirama wouldn't stoop to genjutsu—but that didn't mean he accepted those confessions.
Villagers writing apologies out of terror was just as unacceptable.
The matter was still extremely serious.
Those villagers had been traumatized.
And for that—
Tobirama had to take responsibility.
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