"Damn it, who leaked the news?!"
In the Hokage's office, Senju Tobirama sat at his desk with a dark expression.
After Hashirama's death, he had sealed off the information immediately. Almost no one knew about it.
And yet, just one day later, the news of Senju Hashirama's death was already spreading through Konoha.
Not just the village—word had spread throughout the entire shinobi world!
Clan leaders from all the major families had already come to him to inquire about the truth.
Senju Tobirama could only declare that the news of Hashirama's death was false.
"He's retired now. Staying home and taking care of his granddaughter."
Senju Tobirama understood that this couldn't be hidden for long. He had to prepare before the truth was fully exposed.
If he guessed right, the other nations were already starting to stir.
Their Kage would definitely send large numbers of spies to Konoha to confirm the truth.
And if they found out the news was real, they wouldn't hesitate to start a war.
He had hoped to keep his brother's death secret for a while, but now that the truth had leaked and spread across the shinobi world, it had completely derailed his plans.
Senju Tobirama had no choice but to create the illusion that Senju Hashirama was still alive, hoping to buy more time for development.
"Go bring Renya here," Tobirama said toward the corner of the room.
"Yes!" A masked ninja wearing an animal-faced mask left the office.
This was the organization he had created after becoming Hokage—called the ANBU.
The original purpose of founding the ANBU was to consolidate the Hokage's authority.
Under the current system, the Hokage could mobilize the power of ninja clans during wartime, but not directly control them.
In essence, the shinobi still answered to their clan leaders, not the Hokage.
So Senju Tobirama established the ANBU—a reliable military force completely under the Hokage's control.
The Uchiha clan had created the Konoha Military Police Force.
The Uchiha were already a powerful clan, and being granted law enforcement powers made other families uneasy.
Senju Tobirama took advantage of this sentiment, creating the ANBU and recruiting ninjas from other clans.
ANBU members wore masks and operated covertly, severing ties with their original clans. Over time, they swore loyalty solely to the Hokage.
...
"Hey, I'm here," Renya said as he pushed open the door.
"Kid, the news leaked," Senju Tobirama rubbed his temples.
He had sealed everything tightly—how could it have come out so fast?
If some time had passed and people noticed something, that'd be one thing.
But this was only the second day!
He had already interrogated everyone involved in the matter.
And in the end, he found that none of them were the source of the leak...
There were only three people left unexamined:
Uzumaki Mito, Tsunade, and Renya.
Senju Tobirama didn't believe any of them would leak the news, so he hadn't interrogated them.
"I know. What should we do now?" Renya asked.
On the way here, he had already heard villagers gossiping about Hashirama's death and knew the secret was out.
At this point, if the situation couldn't be contained, Konoha was in trouble.
"We won't be able to hide it for long..." Senju Tobirama's expression was grim. "Spies from other countries are probably already on their way."
"During this time, you'll lead a squad to patrol the village. No spies are to be allowed in."
He couldn't implement large-scale security measures—it would be like openly admitting that Konoha was hiding something.
Instead, this was the only way to delay other ninja villages from discovering the truth.
To Senju Tobirama, war was inevitable.
With the Land of Fire's rich lands, no nation would be able to resist.
Unless he surrendered without a fight and gave up land and reparations.
Senju Tobirama would never do such a thing!
Even if he died in battle, surrender was not an option.
If Konoha ever opened the door to surrender, the village would be finished!
"Let Hiruzen and the others patrol the village with you," Tobirama added.
He remembered that Hiruzen's squad had just returned from a mission not long ago.
With their strength, they were more than capable of handling village patrols.
Konoha had a sensory barrier. The Sensory Division was in charge of detecting intruders. Once a spy was discovered, Renya and his team could be dispatched to apprehend them.
"Understood, Tobirama-san." Renya turned to leave.
"Wait…" Tobirama suddenly called out to him. "Don't tell anyone about my brother."
Renya paused for a moment, then quietly replied, "Got it."
Even without Tobirama's reminder, he wouldn't have said a word.
The fewer people who knew the truth, the better.
After Renya left, Senju Tobirama walked to the window and gazed out over the prosperous Konoha, deep in thought.
"Brother… I won't let anyone destroy the village you built."
"Pass down the order. Konoha is to prepare for war!"
...
"Renya, is it true what they're saying about the First Hokage?"
At the Konoha training grounds, Sarutobi Hiruzen couldn't help but ask.
As soon as he said that, everyone turned instinctively toward Renya.
When they first heard the rumor, their minds rejected it outright.
The First Hokage of Konoha—the legendary God of Shinobi!
How could someone like that just die so easily?!
To them, Senju Hashirama dying was unthinkable.
Under their tense gazes, Renya spoke.
"That news is false."
Hearing that, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
"Haha, I knew it was just a rumor," Mitokado Homura laughed.
"Exactly! How could the First Hokage possibly die?" Shimura Danzō echoed.
"Why hasn't sensei arrested the people spreading the rumor?" Uchiha Kagami muttered.
"Maybe Tobirama-san has his reasons," Renya explained.
"I think Renya's right. Sensei must have his own thoughts," Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded in agreement.
Compared to those spreading baseless rumors, they were far more willing to trust Renya.
"Renya-kun, why did you call us here?" Koharu Utatane asked, her expression curious.
Only now did they remember that Renya had summoned them here for a reason. All eyes turned to him.
"Tobirama-san wants us to assist the Sensory Division in capturing any spies that infiltrate the village," Renya said.
When they heard this, their expressions turned serious.
This concerned the safety of the village—it had to be handled carefully.
Renya began assigning tasks.
"Split into pairs. Follow the Sensory Division and patrol Konoha."
...
"Did you hear? The God of Shinobi, Senju Hashirama, is dead!"
In a tavern somewhere in the shinobi world, several wandering ninja were chatting loudly.
"Is that info reliable?"
"It came from the bounty exchange station—so there's a good chance it's true."
"Tch tch… Even someone that powerful can die, huh?"
As the men talked, a hooded figure in the corner set down his chopsticks.
His wide cloak hood cast a shadow over his face, making it impossible to see clearly.
"Hashirama… is dead?"
Now that Senju Hashirama was gone, there was no one left in the shinobi world that interested him.
Hidden beneath the hood, the man's face twisted with a complex expression. His eyes flashed blood-red.
"This time… I've finally won, Hashirama."
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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