Toadzo hurriedly changed his words: "I had my fortune told—he will definitely come back to take part in the Chūnin Exams."
Too suspicious!
Sarutobi Hiruzen thought this in his heart.
Whether it was Toadzo's movements or his tone!
Sarutobi Hiruzen shook his head. The changes recently had been too great, so fast that it felt like a nightmare—everything had slipped out of his grasp.
It was time for a storm to cleanse away the wind brought by Kairen!
Looking at the lightning outside the window, Sarutobi Hiruzen felt a bit emotional.
"In the blink of an eye, so many years have passed. We've all grown old, yet the past is still vivid—replayed again and again in the afterglow."
Toadzo's attention was on the mosquitoes flying around the room, and he did not echo Sarutobi Hiruzen's sentiment.
Sarutobi Hiruzen shook his head. If it were the normal Danzō, he would surely have mocked him by now.
"People all say: the older one gets, the more nostalgic one becomes; the older one gets, the harder it is to have grand ambitions."
"Looking back, how formidable the Senju family once was—so bold as to merge the glory of the Senju into the villagers, all to fulfill the First Hokage's Will of Fire."
"Croak~"
"I am inferior to him. Clan, village… In my view, the village is composed of clans. When a village loses its clans, it loses the very foundation that supports it."
"Croak~"
Sarutobi Hiruzen sighed faintly: "The Senju's boldness was truly immense. Tobirama-sensei had already planned to integrate all ninja clans into the civilians."
"The clan elders all opposed it, yet they could not resist the teacher."
"Croak~ Croak~"
Sarutobi Hiruzen looked at Toadzo. The aged wrinkles on his face crowded together as he forced an ugly smile:
"Tell me… back then, did Tobirama-sensei notice… that in fact his two disciples had already betrayed him and poisoned his food?"
"Croak~ Probably, croak~"
Sarutobi Hiruzen clenched his fist: "But I didn't want that either. It was a unanimous decision by the elders of the major ninja clans. Tobirama-sensei's 'Ninja Clan Assimilation Plan' was the beginning of all the killing."
"And…"
Sarutobi Hiruzen did not continue.
After Senju Tobirama's death, everyone benefited.
The Sarutobi clan gained the Hokage position; the Shimura clan gained the right to establish Root; the Ino–Shika–Chō, the Inuzuka…
More accurately, they carved up the Senju clan.
"Bang!"
Sarutobi Hiruzen slammed his fist onto the table, scattering all the game pieces.
"I will prove that the teacher was wrong. A Konoha without ninja clans will be destroyed."
"Boom!!"
Thunder roared once more, illuminating the two pale faces.
At that moment, it was as if an endless vortex swallowed the human heart.
...
"Tobirama-sensei didn't notice the poison in the food. To deal with someone who possessed the Flying Thunder God, we had to start with his chakra. Facts proved that no matter how powerful a ninja is, they will still fear a ninja blade from behind."
"Everything was already planned. The Sarutobi clan would obtain the Hokage position. Though I was unwilling, Sarutobi was indeed more outstanding— even Tobirama-sensei chose him."
"But being able to obtain the Sarutobi clan's consent and possess an organization independent of Anbu—this was acceptable to me as well."
"I will protect Konoha in my own way."
Pangolin No. 1 read word by word, and Yakushi Nono felt a chill in her heart.
That past history—when the white dress was lifted, what was revealed was a field of pitch-blackness.
A mouth full of benevolence and righteousness—yet in truth, it was the act of devouring people.
Pangolin No. 1 concluded: "The Monkey and Danzō poisoned the Second Hokage, preventing Senju Tobirama from refining chakra. That is why Senju Tobirama was besieged and killed by the Gold and Silver Brothers' unit."
"The motive is already obvious—it was the Second Hokage's 'Ninja Clan Assimilation Plan.'"
"These ancient and decayed families always wanted to stand above others. Letting them walk alongside civilians would be tantamount to killing them."
Yakushi Nono looked at Pangolin No. 1: "Then… what will you do?"
Pangolin No. 1 closed the notebook and punched himself apart.
He could not make up his mind. These horrifying truths needed to be weighed by the main body.
...
Land of Demons, the daimyō's residence.
The high priestess held a big orange cat; Kairen held the high priestess. Each stroked their own, minding their own business.
Suddenly, a stream of chakra information transmitted from afar was absorbed by Kairen.
Kairen opened his eyes. The black-and-white clarity of his gaze instantly turned blood-red. The Mangekyō Sharingan resembled the eyes of a celestial serpent, exuding a domineering power capable of annihilating all life.
"Meow~"
Kairen's vast ocular power put the big orange cat in the high priestess's arms on alert, meowing incessantly.
The high priestess also sensed Kairen's abnormality: "What's wrong?!"
Kairen shook his head, hiding the strange color on his face.
You see the Earth as square, but in truth it is elliptical.
You think sows can't climb trees—yet they can even pole-dance.
Kairen gently rubbed the high priestess's cheek with his chin and said softly: "I'm leaving!"
The high priestess did not try to keep him, but her eyes were full of reluctance:
"Remember to come back! I… I…"
Her words were hesitant, yet she still expressed it: "I still need to rely on your power to conceive a new priestess."
Kairen smiled, lightly kissed her cheek, then grew serpent fangs and stamped a mark on her neck.
To the high priestess, Kairen was not merely a substitute tool.
Young people should exercise some restraint.
Kairen still had to spread the rain evenly—there was a woman at home waiting to be supported by him!
Kairen stood up, placing two fingers on his forehead.
Before leaving, he said one sentence: "This trip… will put an end to the farce among ninjas!"
Kairen-version Instant Movement activated!
First, he severed his own life force; finally, he chose to reincarnate at the position of the reincarnation body.
In the Death Forest.
A group of shadow clones stood ready in strict formation, all waiting for the main body's arrival.
Yakushi Nono's neck went numb. A naked, robust figure grew out from her neck.
Yakushi Nono's face flushed red. She covered her eyes with both hands and cursed Kairen as a pervert.
Kairen smiled indifferently and explained: "This is returning to the primitive—using heaven and earth as clothing."
"Quickly put some clothes on."
A puff of smoke flowed over Kairen's body. In the blink of an eye, he changed into a simple minor general's uniform, filled with heroic bearing.
Kairen looked at Pangolin No. 2 and asked: "That matter… does Tsunade know?!"
Pangolin No. 2 nodded: "She's already been told. Princess Tsunade is alone in the bamboo garden now—she looks very desolate."
After all, it was a teacher she had respected since childhood. No matter how conflicted, there were limits.
But now—this was hatred that would not end until death.
It was only natural for Tsunade's heart to be worn.
Kairen nodded: "I'll go see her."
Kairen turned around, opened the Byakugan, and walked toward Tsunade's direction.
Pangolin No. 2 asked: "Boss, what should we do now?"
Without turning his head, Kairen replied: "Raise troops tomorrow, uphold justice!"
"Understood! Boss!"
What remained was a burst of noise, accompanied by thick reverberations.