"First Hokage… I did it for Konoha's peace and stability…"
Getting slapped out of nowhere, Hiruzen didn't feel pain—Edo Tensei bodies didn't work like that. But his pride still cracked.
He grit his teeth and pushed back, voice lacking conviction.
"As Hokage… everything I did was for Konoha."
Of course, he kept one sentence buried deep in his throat:
After you died, the Senju's influence was too overwhelming. If I didn't suppress them, how could I maintain the Hokage's authority and control?
Hashirama snorted coldly.
"What you did it for—you know."
Then his gaze snapped to Tobirama, irritation flaring.
"Tobirama, what kind of people did you choose? The Will of Fire—no one should understand it better than you."
He exhaled, anger sharpening into ridicule.
"To take a perfectly good Konoha and turn it into this… Hiruzen, Danzō, Homura, Koharu—what a 'talented' bunch."
Tobirama looked awkward for once. He shook his head, not bothering to argue.
Because he couldn't.
Hiruzen Sarutobi. Danzō Shimura. Koharu Utatane. Homura Mitokado.
Tobirama had chosen them with his own hands. Even their hostility toward the Uchiha carried traces of his influence.
So yes—if they'd twisted the Will of Fire into something extreme, he bore responsibility too.
What Tobirama hadn't expected… was how far they would go.
That they'd be ruthless enough to crush the Senju to the brink of extinction.
But the dead couldn't rewrite the past.
Time didn't rewind.
No matter what they said now, it wouldn't change the facts:
The Senju were nearly gone.
Konoha had been forced into a desperate situation.
Jiraiya let out a bitter laugh.
"First Hokage-sama… Second Hokage-sama… Konoha is being besieged. What's happened has happened—blaming my teacher won't fix it. We should focus on solving Konoha's problem."
Hashirama drew a long breath.
"Konoha was founded by the Senju and the Uchiha—together."
His voice steadied.
"So in a sense… the Uchiha taking power isn't inherently wrong."
Tobirama frowned.
"Big Brother, the Uchiha went too far."
His tone turned sharp with worry.
"If this Uchiha Ren becomes a second Madara… then Konoha will be in real danger."
"Then after we resolve the siege," Hashirama said without hesitation, "we'll test Uchiha Ren properly."
"I don't think you'll need to."
The Great Toad Sage—silent until now—suddenly opened his eyes.
For the first time, something like disbelief appeared on his ancient face.
"Shima just sent news."
"That battle shaking the entire shinobi world… is already over."
"Konoha won."
"Uchiha Ren annihilated the allied shinobi forces of the four great villages—alone."
"He captured the Jinchūriki of the Three-Tails, Five-Tails, and Eight-Tails."
"Only the Third Tsuchikage, Ōnoki, and the Fourth Raikage, A, escaped."
Silence.
The temple went dead-quiet.
Against four great villages…
Konoha won?
And it wasn't a narrow victory—it was a complete rout.
Jiraiya froze in place.
Hiruzen's face tightened with shock.
Even Hashirama and Tobirama looked genuinely stunned.
After several seconds, Jiraiya finally forced out a breath.
"Great Toad Sage… that's… real?"
"How strong is this Uchiha Ren… to beat a four-village alliance by himself?"
The Great Toad Sage shook his head slowly.
"I can't see through him."
"Konoha's crisis has been resolved. You can choose: I release Edo Tensei now… or you go to Konoha."
Hashirama's mood visibly eased.
"Let's go to Konoha."
He spoke calmly, but there was unmistakable curiosity in his eyes.
"A new 'God of Shinobi' has appeared. I should see him for myself."
"An Uchiha 'God of Shinobi'…"
Tobirama's brow tightened, but he nodded.
"I'm going with you, Big Brother."
"I'm going too."
Hiruzen hesitated for only a moment before speaking, voice low.
Jiraiya's expression stiffened.
"Old man… you don't need to go."
Hiruzen's eyes turned dark.
"Why not?"
"The Uchiha killed Konoha's leadership and seized power," he said through clenched teeth. "I'm not satisfied."
Jiraiya hesitated.
He couldn't say it out loud:
Konoha printed "The Third Hokage's Ten Great Sins." Right now you're a street rat everyone wants to stomp. The moment you show up, you'll be drowned in curses.
"I must go," Hiruzen said, tone final.
"I'm already dead. I'm not afraid of dying again."
"I want to see what the First and Second intend to do."
"…Alright."
Jiraiya gave a bitter smile and swallowed the truth.
Hashirama took a slow breath, eyes deep and unreadable.
"Then we move."
"We're going to Konoha… to meet the Uchiha 'God of Shinobi.'"
Meanwhile — The Shinobi World Erupts
In less than half a day, the news swept across the world:
Uchiha Ren annihilated the allied forces of four great villages.
Captured the Jinchūriki of the Three-Tails, Five-Tails, and Eight-Tails.
Killed the Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, and Kirigakure's elder, Gen'yūshi.
If wiping out Hiruzen's faction had only made Ren infamous—
this proved something else:
He had reached the summit of the shinobi world.
Those weren't nameless enemies.
They were Kage, Jinchūriki, and war-era monsters.
And they'd been crushed.
The aftermath came quickly.
Sunagakure, Iwagakure, Kirigakure, and Kumogakure announced surrender to Konoha, one after another.
With Rasa dead, Chiyo was forced back into the spotlight in Suna.
In Kirigakure, Mei Terumī stepped forward—becoming the Fifth Mizukage.
And almost without anyone noticing, Uchiha Ren gained a new title whispered across nations:
A man standing above the shinobi summit…
A "God of Shinobi" who could rival the legend of Hashirama Senju himself.
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