A: "Well said. These so-called 'reasons' are nothing more than excuses. In our Kumogakure, if I truly couldn't suppress my subordinates, it would simply mean the village has found a ninja stronger than me to lead. That would be a cause for celebration for the whole village, not a reason for internal strife!"
Onoki: "At the end of the day, the Hokage Sarutobi lineage simply didn't want to return power to the Uchiha. The marginalization of the Uchiha has existed since the founding of Konoha; it's only natural it ended up like this."
Uchiha Madara: "This so-called peace is nothing but a sham."
Madara remained indifferent. Back when he left Konoha and not a single soul followed him, he had already given up on the Uchiha. He no longer felt a shred of emotion for the clan.
Senju Hashirama: "Madara... I didn't know the rift between the Uchiha and the village was so deep. I'm sorry..."
Senju Tobirama: "Brother, there's no need to apologize. Ultimately, the Uchiha are inherently evil. Their rebellion was predestined from the very beginning."
Tobirama's words were immediately met with a torrent of abuse from countless Uchiha. His prejudice against the clan was seemingly etched into his very bones.
[ "You're lying! Grandpa Third said he was helpless to stop the Uchiha's downfall, but he tried his best. The Will of Fire teaches us..."
Hearing Uchiha Hoshi belittle the Third Hokage, Naruto couldn't sit still. He stepped forward to stand beside Sasuke and pointed at Hoshi, shouting at the top of his lungs.
"The Will of Fire? That's just the rhetoric that old man uses to brainwash the public, turning them into dogs to be sent to their deaths."
Hoshi cut him off before he could even finish.
"Essentially, it's a psychological tactic used to oppress the other ninja clans and ninjas of Konoha to secure profit for himself. Only a brat like you would believe in it so blindly!"
Uzumaki Naruto's face turned bright red. "You... you... you're only a few years older than us! Aren't you a brat too? I know for a fact you never even went to school. What could you possibly know!?"
At this, a vein popped on Hoshi's forehead. She was incensed by the kid's words.
"Never went to school? What do I know?"
"Don't you know that ninja clans have their own Clan Schools? Every clan educates their own children. Whether it's reading, writing, or learning ninjutsu, there are specialists to train them."
"Furthermore, I have read every single book in the Uchiha archives. My parents constantly brought books back for me from every nation. I know more than all of you combined!"
"So... so what does that prove?" Naruto retorted, still stubborn.
"What does it prove?" At this point, Hoshi found the conversation tedious. "It proves I saw through that old man's boring rhetoric, and I saw through Konoha!"
"Heh~ what's the use of me talking to a bunch of idiots who understand nothing?"
"Go ahead and drown in your pathetic Will of Fire."
Hoshi opened a void leading to Old Konoha, preparing to leave.
"Oh, right. I almost forgot one thing." Hoshi looked back at Sasuke and Naruto. Her strange gaze made their skin crawl.
"Last time it was just a fleeting glance, so I didn't pay attention. But seeing you again, I've noticed the Chakra on your bodies is... a bit much."
With a chuckle, Hoshi stepped through the void and vanished, with Star Eater following close behind. The void then sealed shut. ]
Orochimaru: "Hehe~ As expected of the Herrscher of Reason. That ability to perceive the truth is truly admirable."
Jiraiya: "Orochimaru, if you'd just shut up for once, nobody would take you for a mute!"
Onoki: "Perhaps the First Hokage's Will of Fire was originally good, but by the time it reached the Third... tsk tsk~ it's certainly lost its flavor."
Sarutobi Hiruzen: "Ridiculous. This is merely the devil's rhetoric used to bewitch people. How can anyone believe her?"
Watching the shifts on the Sky Screen, Sarutobi Hiruzen felt the gazes of those around him changing repeatedly. He felt that if he didn't say something, he would be nailed to the pillar of shame forever. Though, it was arguably too late for that...
Damn it, where is Danzo? Where did he go? At this moment, Hiruzen missed Danzo terribly. If he were here, he would surely be able to bail him out.
Curse it! Danzo was the one who did all of this, so why is everyone blaming me? Hiruzen didn't understand, but that didn't stop his hatred for Uchiha Hoshi and the others!
And what was Danzo doing at this moment?
He had secretly snuck back to Konoha, overlooking the recently destroyed village from the outskirts. It wasn't that he felt any lingering attachment to the place; rather, after seeing the Sky Screen, he realized that the Honkai Beasts possessed immense power.
Meta-Morph Activators, fusion... wasn't that basically the same as the Wood Release experiments? As long as he could fuse Honkai Beast genes with a human body, he could obtain their constitution and power.
I see! Having conducted countless human experiments and researched related knowledge, Danzo understood the concept the moment he heard it. Thus, he risked everything to return, intending to capture a Honkai Beast. Even just one would be a monumental harvest for him!
"As long as I can obtain the power of the Honkai Beasts, the Hokage title and Konoha won't matter!"
At this moment, what he craved was the power of the Herrschers shown on the Sky Screen—and the entire Ninja World! When that day came, even the legendary Sage of Six Paths would be no match for him. He would become an existence even greater than the Sage!
The thought made Danzo tremble with excitement.
"Quickly! No matter the cost, you must capture a Honkai Beast alive!"
"Yes, Lord Danzo!"
Following Danzo's orders, the Root ninjas he had trained into tools dove into the ruins of Konoha without a moment's hesitation. Since they had already witnessed the power of these creatures, they didn't aim too high, sensibly choosing the smallest Archangel-class Honkai Beasts as their targets.
Even Uchiha Hoshi hadn't expected that old fox Danzo would have the audacity to return! Furthermore, while "Konoha" sounds like a village, its actual land area was vast. Since Danzo's group was operating on the periphery, neither Hoshi nor Star Eater noticed them.
By utilizing a series of luring tactics, the Root ninjas actually managed to lead an Archangel-class Honkai Beast out of Konoha. Their coordination—luring the beast, switching targets between multiple ninjas to break line of sight, and hiding their presence to drop aggro before pulling again—was flawlessly executed.