"Tobirama, what exactly happened?!!"
Hashirama Senju shouted furiously at Tobirama.
Clearly, he was extremely anxious.
After all, one side was his own Senju Clan,
and the other was his wife's Uzumaki Clan.
Both had been utterly destroyed!
This was even more tragic than a clan massacre!
Anyone in his position would have found it unbearable!
"Me? I..."
Tobirama felt his scalp tingling and looked genuinely confused.
But facing his older brother's rage, he could only force himself to explain:
"Brother, after you died, during my leadership, the Ninja World experienced two major wars.
Our Senju Clan led the charge both times, and therefore suffered the heaviest casualties.
But by the time I died, there were still many of our clan members left!
They shouldn't have gone extinct by all rights!"
What Tobirama said was indeed the truth.
Back then, before his death, there had truly been many members of the Senju Clan remaining in the village...
"What about the Uzumaki Clan?
That was your elder sister-in-law's family!
When I left, I specifically asked you to take special care of the Land of Whirlpools!"
Hashirama pressed further, his voice rising with anger.
This made Tobirama's tone grow even more hesitant as he went on explaining:
"Brother, during the Second Great Ninja War, I did hear rumors that many countries had their eyes on the Land of Whirlpools.
But at that time, our village was also deeply mired in the quagmire of war, unable to extricate ourselves.
We simply didn't have spare hands to send reinforcements...
And until I fell in battle myself, I hadn't heard any news of the Land of Whirlpools being destroyed!
If such a tragedy truly occurred, it must've happened after I was gone...
You can't hold me responsible for that!"
As soon as they touched upon matters concerning the Uzumaki Clan, Tobirama clearly became much more hesitant.
Obviously, regarding his inability to provide sufficient aid to the Land of Whirlpools back during the war,
he'd secretly blamed himself too.
After all, giving aid was just like lending money—when your own pockets were empty, how could you lend anything to others...
"You... this——"
Hashirama clenched his teeth in anger.
Then slowly exhaled.
Truth be told, Tobirama hadn't done anything wrong.
And judging from the situation, the destruction of both the Senju and Uzumaki Clans had occurred after his death.
He couldn't be held responsible for everything...
Still, this bitter resentment
was difficult to swallow.
It was like going all out to fight for your country overseas, only to come back and find your wife, children, and entire clan living in squalid conditions—barely fed and clothed in rags.
Even worse, they'd been completely wiped out...
Who could possibly tolerate such injustice?
Even Hashirama, who was usually gentle-natured, couldn't help but feel furious.
If not for little Tsunade still being alive, his rage might have been even greater.
...
"How does it feel? The Senju are gone—do you still want to fight desperately for this hypocritical Konoha?"
Seeing his "burst of genuine fury" strategy had worked,
Shimoku further launched a word barrage attack.
If he could truly shatter these two men's beliefs and determination through words alone,
then today would certainly mark Konoha's doom!
"Phew—"
Hashirama Senju took a deep breath, swiftly suppressing all his inner emotions.
As one of the great warring rivals of the Warring States Era, his faith and willpower far surpassed ordinary men—he was incredibly resilient.
Even if the Senju Clan were to vanish...
Even if the village still harbored its darker sides...
His determination to protect the village, and his belief in carrying forward the Will of Fire, would never change!
"Kid!"
"Perhaps you're absolutely right."
"Perhaps today's village is very different from the one I used to know!"
"But I still firmly believe there are truths that will never fade."
"Just like your own conviction—to protect your clan and fight for their future."
"Our belief to protect the village remains unchanged..."
"Today, let's end this here."
"You should leave now..."
"It seems Konoha indeed has many things needing correction."
"When everything settles down, I will personally visit the village you've built for a proper conversation..."
"We can talk in depth then!"
Hashirama lifted his gaze and locked eyes with Shimoku, his voice steady and resolute.
From over a hundred meters apart, they held each other's stare for several seconds, followed by a few more of silence.
Sighing, Shimoku finally turned away.
Clearly, that unwavering gaze had already shown Hashirama's stance.
If he insisted on continuing the battle,
The other side would certainly stop at nothing to destroy [Homuragakure]...
Thus, Shimoku had no choice but to end this fight here.
After all, trading their [Homura Hidden Village] directly for [Konoha]...
The other great hidden villages would probably laugh about it at home.
It was better to retreat for now.
Wait until he earned enough money and officially stepped into the Six Paths tier...
Then return and crush Hashirama completely, annihilating [Konoha]!
...
Tobirama: "Brother, that brat left!"
Hashirama: "Is he gone for sure?"
Tobirama: "Definitely! He left decisively, without a moment's hesitation..."
"So decisive? Such composure already surpasses most adults!"
Hashirama sighed again.
Judging the situation accurately on the battlefield—knowing when to press forward and when to retreat—was no easy feat.
It demanded ironclad resolve and unshakable discipline.
Otherwise, history wouldn't be littered with desperate gamblers staking everything, only to fall flat time and again.
Judging solely from this aspect, that kid truly deserved praise.
"Yeah... If this kid weren't our enemy, the next Hokage seat would likely belong to him..."
Tobirama also nodded in agreement, smirking slightly.
Though he still disliked the Uchiwa,
When it came to talent, he always valued merit above all else.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have promoted Kagami Uchiha back then.
And judging from today's performance,
This kid's talent, strength, and temperament surpassed all previous generations.
If he became Hokage, perhaps he could lead Konoha into another era of brilliance!
"Sigh..."
"It's too late to say these things now."
"Brother, what's our next move?..."
Hashirama nodded silently, his expression darkening.
"Let's return to the village first."
"There's a lot of work to be done in the Village after this battle."
"By the way, we should also conduct a thorough investigation."
"In recent years, who exactly has been undermining the Village? Who has thrown the entire Village into such chaos..."
Upon hearing this, Tobirama quickly nodded.
He agreed with a murderous expression:
"We definitely need to purge it thoroughly!"
"If things keep going like this, the Village could collapse on its own—no enemy needed."
They exchanged glances, their tacit understanding still there.
Then, Hashirama quickly withdrew his Wooden Buddha. Together with Tobirama, he returned within Konoha Village.
Although this major battle capable of destroying Konoha had ended,
It could already be foreseen.
The whole of Konoha won't stay peaceful...
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