"Tobirama, what do you think?"
Hashirama gazed at his younger brother.
He had always felt headaches over political affairs, and now that Konoha had become such a mess, he felt even more so.
Tobirama's expression grew solemn. He let out a long sigh and said coldly:
"Report the number of shinobi, including even genin, from each clan."
Hiruzen picked up the scroll with the shinobi numbers and opened it carefully.
This was a rough tally from the clan heads of those still alive after the war, stationed near Root's base.
His expression darkened as he read aloud:
"Hyūga Clan: 996. Shimura Clan: 124. Saru… Sarutobi Clan: 2,304…"
"Hmph!" Danzō's face darkened. He gave a cold snort and gritted his teeth in silence.
Before his death, the Shimura Clan had nearly a thousand shinobi. Yet less than a month after, under Hiruzen's leadership, the Shimura Clan had been reduced to this! Meanwhile, the Sarutobi Clan still had 2,304 members. That meant before the war, their numbers must have exceeded 3,000.
When Tobirama heard the vast discrepancy, his face grew grim to the extreme.
Hiruzen, guilty at heart, quickly reported:
"Before the war, including genin and logistics personnel, Konoha had a total of 11,211 shinobi. Now, after this war, the surviving total is 6,214."
He then reported the numbers of jonin, chunin, and genin for each clan.
The more Hashirama and Tobirama listened, the heavier their hearts became.
After finishing, Hiruzen fell silent. He had already prepared himself to be scolded by his teacher and the First Hokage after using Edo Tensei.
The atmosphere was heavy.
Hiruzen suddenly added:
"By the way, First Hokage-sama, Sensei, Mount Myōboku has agreed to cooperate with us to resist this calamity."
Tobirama ground his teeth.
He estimated that without Mount Myōboku's aid, Hiruzen would probably already be dead.
Seeing his younger brother's grim expression, Hashirama tentatively said:
"Perhaps… I should step forward and hand over the Nine-Tails to bring this war to an end?"
"No. If we give up the Nine-Tails, Konoha will lose its trump card. There will be no chance of revival."
Tobirama said coldly.
Once the Nine-Tails was handed over to the three great shinobi villages, although it might temporarily delay their encroachment, the beast would eventually fall into the hands of Uchiha Yu, who wielded the Mangekyō Sharingan.
"But Tobirama-sensei, right now we need time. As long as the First Hokage recovers his strength…"
Danzō cautiously spoke up.
Tobirama cut him off coldly:
"Do not pin your hopes on us. We are already dead. The only reason we agreed to help solve Konoha's crisis is because we cannot bear to see it destroyed."
Hashirama nodded in agreement:
"There won't be a next time!"
"If Konoha survives this crisis, you must hand the Hokage seat to someone truly capable."
Tobirama turned his gaze on Hiruzen.
"We intend to entrust the Hokage position to Tsunade."
Koharu spoke in a low voice.
"Little Tsuna… right, where is she? Why haven't I seen her?"
Hashirama looked around curiously.
At the mention of Tsunade, his mind immediately conjured the image of his granddaughter who had inherited his best traits.
Hiruzen's face turned full of shame as he bowed his head again, heavy-hearted.
Danzō immediately explained:
"After you passed away, Tobirama-sensei, Hiruzen took Tsunade as his disciple. Later, because of political disagreements… she left the village. To this day, her whereabouts remain unknown. Hiruzen never even tried to bring her back!"
"…"
Hashirama furrowed his brows tightly.
His expression was complicated as he stared at Hiruzen Sarutobi. This man had turned Konoha into a complete mess, and even drove his most beloved granddaughter out of the village?
If it weren't for this being a meeting, Hashirama would've taught that useless fool a harsh lesson on the spot.
Hiruzen bowed his head even lower, silently engraving Danzō's denunciation into memory.
After a round of discussion, Tobirama already had a countermeasure forming in his mind. He stood, fixing his gaze on Hiruzen.
Tobirama said coldly:
"Konoha stands on the brink of destruction. Under your incompetent rule, you have indirectly created countless enemies for the village. Among them, Uchiha Yu's power has already grown far beyond your ability to control."
"On the front lines, Konoha has no chance of victory."
"From this moment, abandon the village's territory. Hiruzen, you will find a way to lead the civilians out of the shelters. The remaining shinobi are to escort them in migration to the Fire Nation's capital."
"And finally—the Sarutobi clan will stay behind to cover the retreat!"
"The Sarutobi clan will intercept Uchiha and block the forces of the three great ninja villages. Here are the details of the plan… listen carefully."
With that, Tobirama laid out the entire strategy in one breath. This was not a suggestion—it was an order.
Everyone knew very well that if Konoha stubbornly chose to defend the village, the only outcome would be total annihilation.
"Lord Tobirama!"
Hearing this, Hiruzen's face flushed red, his breath coming in ragged gasps, unable to recover for a long while.
Rear guard…
That meant the Sarutobi clan's remaining 2,304 shinobi would all be sacrificed in Konoha's defense.
But if the Sarutobi clan refused, Tobirama would surely abandon Hiruzen and his kin entirely. At that point, even the elderly, women, and children of the Sarutobi would be used as bargaining chips—either handed to the three great villages or to Uchiha Yu.
"Ahh…" Hashirama sighed heavily and rose to his feet, ready to leave.
This was the last thing he ever wanted to see happen.
But all of these consequences… were the bitter fruits sown by Hiruzen Sarutobi himself.
Hiruzen had been willing, for the sake of Konoha, to exterminate the Uchiha clan—who harbored rebellious intent but had not yet actually revolted.
Now that Konoha was collapsing, the well-prepared Sarutobi clan, in Tobirama's eyes, was the perfect sacrifice to placate the rage of the other great families.
Tobirama then said:
"Move out. Hiruzen, you will organize the civilians. Koharu and Homura, gather the clan heads to coordinate the migration. Big brother, come with me—we're going to the underground prison."
"Alright."
After a long while, only Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzo Shimura remained in the meeting room.
"Hahaha…" Danzo sneered coldly. "So you've finally fallen this low!"
"Guards!"
Hiruzen ignored Danzo's mockery and summoned the Anbu. He immediately ordered:
"Have the Sarutobi clan and the Shimura clan's shinobi stand by. They will follow me to the Hokage Rock to organize the evacuation of the villagers!"
Danzo's expression twisted in shock. He roared, "Hiruzen! The Shimura clan only has a handful of young shinobi left. Are you insane? You can't do this!"
"You're coming with me as well."
Hiruzen's tone was ice-cold.
"Hiruzen, you'll regret this!"
Danzo glared at him venomously, hoping he would relent and spare the Shimura clan.
"Danzo, I am the Hokage!"
With that, Hiruzen flung his robe's sleeve and stormed out of the room.
Even with the First and Second Hokage looming above him as "retired emperors," Hiruzen Sarutobi was still the Third Hokage of Konoha.
"Yes, sir—"
The Anbu, watching the bitter power struggle between the two, sighed silently before respectfully answering and departing.
Danzo stood frozen, staring blankly into the distance. Hiruzen had already said during the meeting that Uchiha Yu had led his people to the evacuation shelter.
Confronting Uchiha Yu now— even with himself and Hiruzen leading the charge— was no different from walking to their deaths.
Hiruzen surely knew this, yet he was willing to gamble everything to secure the Sarutobi clan's survival.
…
…
The Hokage Rock.
The stone faces of Hashirama Senju, Tobirama Senju, Hiruzen Sarutobi, and Minato Namikaze glared down under the sunlight, shining with a blinding brilliance.
The Hokage Building.
At the side, over a hundred Konoha shinobi originally stationed to guard the building spotted Uchiha Yu and his companions, instantly surrounding them.
Uchiha Yu ignored the shinobi blocking their path and turned to Nono Yu at his side.
"Check the situation inside the shelter."
"Yes, sir—"
Nono Yu activated her Byakugan and gazed beneath the Hokage Rock into the shelter below.
In the next moment, cold sweat trickled down her forehead. Her face went pale as she whispered in dread:
"Captain… I see it. A mass of black mist. It's cold, oppressive, and exactly as you described before."
It was a force even darker than Yin Release chakra— so dark that even the Byakugan could not pierce into its core.
Facing it was like staring into the abyss itself.
"Mm."
Uchiha Yu cast a glance toward the shelter. Clearly, the shinobi sage he was seeking lay within.
But just as the two exchanged words—
The Konoha shinobi had already begun hurling volleys of kunai, shuriken, and senbon at them.
Shua—!
From above, countless black specks filled the sky, descending like a rainstorm of death.
°°°
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