"Silence!"
Hiruzen raised his voice only after giving the room enough time to digest the bombshell.
The uproar slowly died down.
For all that had happened today, his prestige still carried weight.
When he spoke, people listened.
All eyes turned back to him.
Hiruzen drew a slow breath.
"Yes. The village was at fault in that matter."
"But the village also had its difficulties."
"Since Konoha was founded, true peace has existed only during the First Hokage's tenure."
"For over a decade, Lord First's overwhelming strength deterred all who dared covet us."
"But the moment he passed…"
"The First Shinobi World War erupted."
"The entire shinobi world descended into chaos. And because the Land of Fire is rich in resources, Konoha became the primary target."
"At that time, the Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama, deeply felt his own limitations."
"And thus… he conceived the idea of recreating Lord First's unique secret art—Wood Release."
The room grew still.
Hiruzen continued slowly.
"So, under the Second Hokage's decision, the village began human experimentation with the goal of reproducing Wood Release."
He paused briefly before going on.
"In the beginning, Lord Second used members of his own clan—the Senju—as test subjects."
"After all, Lord First was a Senju. Bloodline compatibility made them the most likely candidates."
"But Lord First's uniqueness exceeded all expectations."
"His cells were highly invasive. Even the Senju, who shared his blood, could not withstand them."
"The Senju suffered devastating losses."
"And in desperation… Lord Second expanded the scope."
"He hoped to find a compatible host elsewhere."
"And that… led to the events that resulted in the Uchiha rebellion."
He lowered his gaze.
"In this matter, Lord Second was indeed at fault."
"But his original intention was not selfish."
"He first sacrificed his own clan."
"It was for the future of the village."
"That was Senju Tobirama's cold-blooded arrogance."
Uchiha Jin cut him off sharply.
"He may choose to sacrifice himself."
"But he does not have the right to sacrifice others to achieve his goal."
"Regardless of whether that goal is good or bad."
"To spend another's generosity, to warm oneself with stolen fire—"
"That is the morality of a thief."
"That is the root of this village's decay."
The hall stirred.
Hiruzen frowned.
"Minister Uchiha, your words go too far."
"Lord Second acted for the village."
Hiruzen knew what was coming next.
He himself had once restarted such experiments.
He was laying groundwork—softening public perception—before addressing his own responsibility.
If Jin branded Tobirama a "moral thief," then what would that make him?
He could not allow that narrative to harden.
"Too far?"
Jin gave a cold laugh.
"Then let me ask you, Sarutobi jōnin."
"What is the village?"
"And what is the individual?"
Hiruzen hesitated.
The question was deceptively simple.
Village versus person.
Greater good versus the small family.
There was no absolute answer.
And without knowing Jin's angle, any answer might become a trap.
Seeing the hesitation, Jin sneered faintly.
"If you cannot answer that…"
"Then perhaps you can answer this."
"Do you know the original purpose behind the founding of Konoha by the Uchiha and the Senju?"
Hiruzen remained silent.
In this matter, the Sarutobi clan had no standing to define the founders' intent.
Jin stepped forward slightly, meeting the gazes in the hall.
"During the Warring States Era, the Uchiha and Senju were mortal enemies."
"The only reason the village could be founded at all was because of two men."
"Uchiha Madara—the leader of my clan."
"And Senju Hashirama—the God of Shinobi."
"They were childhood friends."
"They shared the same dream."
"But the tides of war forced them into opposing sides."
"Only after they grew strong enough to command their clans could they finally act on that shared ideal."
"To end war."
"To protect children."
"To stop sending children onto battlefields."
Jin's voice softened slightly.
"Both Madara and Hashirama were eldest sons."
"They had younger brothers."
"And those brothers…"
"Died on battlefields before they were even ten."
"From that pain came their resolve."
"At the time, wars were fought between clans."
"So their solution was to gather clans into a single village."
"If clans no longer fought, children would no longer die."
"That was the founding principle."
"To protect children."
"To protect individuals."
"I believe your ancestors joined Konoha for the same reason."
The hall grew contemplative.
Many nodded.
Even Hiruzen, Homura, and Koharu did not refute it.
Their clans had indeed sought shelter.
Safety.
Survival.
Then Jin's tone shifted abruptly.
"You all know that Uchiha Madara became Konoha's first missing-nin."
"But do you know why he truly left?"
The room froze.
Most people's first thought was simple:
He lost the Hokage election.
That was what the history books said.
But a few more thoughtful shinobi frowned.
Madara… seemed far too proud to rebel over something so petty.
Jin chuckled softly.
"From beginning to end, Madara pursued peace."
"Power meant nothing to him."
"He would not abandon his ideals over something so trivial."
"He left because he saw danger in the village's future."
"Because the First Hokage was already entangled within that danger."
"Their ideals diverged."
"And in that rift…"
"Madara walked away."
The chamber was utterly silent now.
Everyone leaned forward slightly.
What had the two founders disagreed about?
What hidden crack lay beneath Konoha's shining legend?
Even Hiruzen's expression had grown grave.
The truth about the founders…
Was not something lightly invoked.
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