Chapter 216: The Four Kage Summit, The Fourth Great Ninja War is Coming, Target—Konoha Village!
Tobirama didn't speak, just stared coldly at Orochimaru.
Orochimaru continued, "However, as expected of my sensei, Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage! Not only did he win over the two most talented geniuses of the Uchiha clan—Shisui and Itachi Uchiha—he even got them to massacre their own families and clan, young and old, for the sake of Konoha's peace."
Hashirama spoke up at this moment, his tone heavy with a sigh: "Tobirama, how many times have I warned you? You cannot underestimate the Uchiha!"
Tobirama's expression showed disdain for this statement, but his work remained ceaseless: "I gave the Uchiha jobs only they could do! It was just so we could deal with it immediately if another Madara appeared. Brother, you know it well too, the Uchiha are a clan born evil!"
Orochimaru then asked Tobirama, "Lord Second, Madara is practically like your psychological trauma. Are the Uchiha really that terrifying?!"
"Kid! You don't understand the Uchiha! The Uchiha clan understands love more deeply than any other clan, but they seal that love away. When an Uchiha learns to love, the suppressed emotions are released, awakening power surpassing the Senju clan. However, once they lose the love in their hearts, that intense love turns into even stronger hatred, changing their entire personality."
"In this process, a special chakra is produced in the Uchiha's brain, stimulating the eyes to become the Sharingan. The power of the Sharingan increases with the hatred in the Uchiha's heart. Combined with the fact that most Uchiha are naturally sensitive, after awakening this power, they are easily swallowed by darkness and led astray."
"The deeper the darkness, the stronger the ocular power, and the harder they are to deal with! Their path to self-destruction was inevitable; it shows they at least did a good thing for the village."
Hashirama wanted to speak, but Orochimaru laughed out loud first.
"Heh heh~ Is that the only reason?!"
He clapped his hands, and an android walked out from behind him. When the android opened its eyes after closing them, they revealed the three-tomoe Sharingan!
"Now, take a look. As you can see, these are my latest creations."
"Through deep research into the Uchiha bloodline, I have preliminarily mastered the mass production of the Sharingan."
"Lord Second, you always worried that the Uchiha's power going out of control would bring disaster. Now, disaster is right before your eyes. Moreover, this power is no longer exclusive to a few; it can be 'manufactured.' Does your precaution back then seem a bit overly anxious now?"
Orochimaru's tone was full of boasting. "Even the secrets of the Mangekyo Sharingan are not beyond reach."
Suddenly, the eyes of all the androids behind Orochimaru spun violently, transforming into various grotesque patterns of the Mangekyo Sharingan! An ominous and powerful fluctuation of ocular power instantly filled the air.
"You see, the Mangekyo Sharingan is not unreachable."
Orochimaru's voice carried a fanatical edge. "I discovered that intense mental stimulation is indeed one of the factors for awakening. Some, witnessing the tragedy of genocide, only awakened a single tomoe. While others, merely having a friend slandered or experiencing a change in 'cognition,' could achieve it in one step, awakening this more powerful Mangekyo Sharingan."
Tobirama's face became extremely ugly. He stared fixedly at those androids flashing with the light of the Mangekyo, his eyes full of wariness and disgust: "Hmph, the evil power of the Uchiha… just as I expected, this power would eventually be abused!"
His gaze turned to Hiruzen Sarutobi, his tone even harsher: "Sarutobi, look at what your student has done!"
Hiruzen lowered his head, unable to refute his teacher's accusation.
Orochimaru watched the conversation between them with interest, seeming to enjoy this feeling of controlling everything.
"Heh heh, Sensei, you don't need to rush to blame yourself. Soon, you will also experience the joy of 'progress'."
He smiled meaningfully. Then, in Orochimaru's deep snake eyes, three pitch-black tomoe slowly emerged, spinning rapidly into crimson Sharingan.
Hashirama, Tobirama, and Hiruzen's pupils contracted sharply.
But it wasn't over. Under their shocked gazes, the three tomoe shifted rapidly again, forming various grotesque and powerful Mangekyo patterns! A wave of ocular power even stronger than the android collective just now acted directly on the three Hokage.
"Alright, 'great Hokage's," Orochimaru said with cold pleasure, "enjoy this endless labor."
He then turned and left, leaving the three Hokage and the mass-produced Mangekyo androids in the cold factory.
Hiruzen watched Orochimaru's retreating figure, his heart filled with bitterness and regret. Hashirama and Tobirama, after a brief silence, could only return to work. The Mangekyo androids replaced the old ones and began their new tasks.
Meanwhile, in other corners of the ninja world, news of the Fire Daimyo and several other Daimyo being assassinated in Konoha had set off monstrous waves.
Land of Lightning, Hidden Cloud Village.
"The Fire Daimyo is dead? And Daimyo from several other small countries were murdered at the same time? If we don't attack Konoha and the Hidden Sound, they'll cut off our funding?!"
Fourth Raikage A slammed the table, his tone full of shock and anger. "Who did it? Are those Konoha fools incapable of even protecting their own Daimyo?!"
Land of Earth, Hidden Stone Village.
Third Tsuchikage Onoki floated in the air, his aged face etched with gravity: "Multiple Daimyo killed at the same time… this is definitely not accidental. Moreover, the murderer struck within Konoha, and it was the Third's student…"
Land of Water, Hidden Mist Village.
Fifth Mizukage Mei Terumi frowned, gently exhaling an acidic mist: "Konoha Crush Plan… Hidden Sound Village… Orochimaru… It seems the ninja world is about to become turbulent again. The Water Daimyo is going to start nagging again…"
Land of Wind, Hidden Sand Village.
The Hidden Sand, having lost its Kazekage, was in panic. The elders held an emergency consultation, feeling unprecedented pressure in the face of such drastic changes.
A storm affecting the entire ninja world was brewing. Several days later, due to the panic of the Daimyo of various great nations and their constant pressure on the ninja villages…
A letter initiated by the Raikage, inviting the Kage of the other three major villages to an "Emergency Four Kage Summit," was sent to the Hidden Stone, Hidden Mist, and the leaderless Hidden Sand.
There was only one agenda item: The Fourth Great Ninja War!
Target: Konoha Village and the Hidden Sound Village!
The dark clouds of a new war began to loom over the ninja world.