Upon hearing this, Tobirama's brows furrowed deeply.
"No matter what kind of misunderstanding there is, the fact remains that he destroyed Konoha!"
Moments ago, he had used his sensory abilities to take in the current state of the village.What he saw left him unable to calm his heart.
That man had completely wiped out ninety percent of Konoha!
At this moment, Tobirama wished he could appear before Uchiha Kaede immediately and then...well, probably just end up as the first casualty.
Hashirama let out a sigh. He too had sensed Konoha's current state.It was a miserable sight.
So, he could understand Tobirama's fury.
However, he still held doubts. The Uchiha would never betray Konoha for no reason, much less to such an extent—and now they had even gone as far as to destroy it completely.
"What about Itachi? How is he now?!"
At that moment, the long-silent Shisui finally spoke, looking anxiously at Hiruzen.
After all, Itachi was the one he had chosen as his successor. If Uchiha Kaede had turned against Konoha, then Itachi would also…
Hiruzen met his gaze, guilt flashing in his eyes.
"Shisui, Itachi was run through the chest by Uchiha Kaede's sword and then taken away by a masked man.Right now, we don't know if he's alive or dead…
"I'm sorry. If only we had followed your plan…"
"Itachi…" Shisui closed his eyes in grief.
As his close friend, this was something he could not accept.
Beside them, Uchiha Kagami turned to Shisui and asked, "You must be my descendant, right?I can sense a very familiar chakra within you."
Shisui looked at his grandfather and said, "Grandfather, I'm your grandson. I was born more than ten years after your death."
"I see," Kagami nodded, sighing softly. "I never thought Kaede would reach such a level…I can sense that you've awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan. So you must have died young, right?If you were still around, the Uchiha would never have come to this point."
Shisui's mouth twitched, his eyes shifting toward the silent Danzō.
Seeing this, Kagami's eyes narrowed sharply.Danzō again?
Tobirama also noticed Shisui's eyes. Anger stirred within him. Kagami was someone he acknowledged, and Shisui, being his descendant and trusted by Hiruzen, was undoubtedly Kagami's true successor.
But for the greater good, Tobirama forced down his anger and asked, "Kagami, how did you die?"
Kagami opened his mouth, glanced at Danzō, and then simply closed his eyes.
That was all Tobirama needed to see—his fury erupted instantly!
Though he never fully trusted the Uchiha, after the founding of the village, he had never committed such vile acts.
Just what had this Danzō done after his death?!
Tobirama cast a killing glare at Danzō. "Once this is over, we will have a long talk!"
Danzō's body trembled slightly, but he quickly calmed down. After all, Tobirama was summoned by him—if he lost control at a critical moment, it would be disastrous.
At that moment, the Sage of Six Paths spoke gravely."It seems we no longer have time to talk!"
Tobirama turned to his brother. "Has that Uchiha Kaede arrived?"
Hashirama nodded. "The feeling he gives me… he's stronger than Madara was back then."
His heart was filled with unease, for he had also sensed two other familiar chakras—Kurama, the Nine-Tails, and Kushina!
The revelation shocked everyone present.
Kaede… stronger than Madara? At his age?If given a few more years to grow, without them to stop him now, just how terrifying could he become?
Tobirama glanced at Danzō with a cold sneer. "This part you've done well.""Let's go see this Uchiha Kaede for ourselves!"
The group rushed out of the underground chamber.
…
"Konoha…"
Standing outside, even they could feel the weight of the devastation.
Descriptions and sensing abilities were nothing compared to seeing it with their own eyes.
Before them, the village they had protected for their entire lives was nothing but ruins.
In such a catastrophe, they could hardly imagine how many villagers and shinobi had perished.
At that moment, Hashirama turned his gaze toward the forest."They're here."
With his words, figures burst from the trees, quickly forming a force of two thousand elite shinobi.
The crowd parted, and Uchiha Kaede approached slowly, Orochi-hime at his side.
Looking over Hashirama and the others, Kaede smirked."Well, well… the former Hokage themselves. What a rare sight."
Tobirama's eyes went cold. He stepped forward and shouted,"Evil-born Uchiha! You're the one who did this to Konoha?!"
Kaede chuckled lightly. "I've rid you of Konoha's parasites. No need to thank me."
"You bastard!"
Tobirama's killing intent flared as he raised his hand to attack—
"Wait!"
Hashirama extended a hand, stopping his brother.
He studied Kaede intently. "I want to know—why have you led the Uchiha to this point?And furthermore…"
His eyes shifted to the troops behind Kaede."Tsunade, don't you want to see me?"
Tobirama's eyes went wide in disbelief.What? Tsunade was standing with Kaede?
In his earlier rage, he hadn't even sensed who was among Kaede's people.
And now, before his incredulous gaze, Tsunade and her group of medical-nin stepped out to stand behind Kaede.
"It's been a long time, Grandfather. Granduncle."
Tobirama could no longer contain himself. "Tsunade, what are you doing?! Why are you standing with those evil Uchiha?!"
Tsunade closed her eyes, speaking firmly."You've been gone too long. Konoha has rotted to its core.The only way to rebuild the ideal Konoha is to destroy the old one first."
"You…!" Tobirama pointed at her in outrage.This was madness. No matter Konoha's problems, they could be solved step by step—but Tsunade's stance was pure extremism, straight from the Uchiha way of thinking.
Hashirama lowered Tobirama's hand and looked at Tsunade with a sigh."I don't know what you've been through to make you think this way.But now that I'm back, you can tell me all your grievances. There's no misunderstanding that can't be resolved."
Then he turned to Kaede."So young, yet already stronger than Madara. You're truly remarkable.As I've said before—no matter the injustices you've suffered, tell me, and I will help you resolve them.
"The Uchiha and Senju built Konoha together. This place must hold countless memories for your clan.I believe you were forced into this. You couldn't have chosen such an extreme path without cause."
Kaede looked at Hashirama—and suddenly smiled.
Now, he wondered… where were Danzō and Hiruzen in all this?
(End of Chapter)[Check Out My P@treon For +20 Extra Chapters On All My Fanfics!!][[email protected]/euridome][Thank You For Your Support!]