Jiraiya, meanwhile, the entire time watched Orochimaru smirk and Tsunade stand beside Ryusei, and something inside him tightened.
Not anger.
Something more helpless.
More bitter.
He had already lost Orochimaru years ago.
His teammate had slipped further and further away until there was nothing left to reach.
But Tsunade…
She was the one he still hoped for.
The friend he always chased.
The woman he had always cared about.
The one person who made him believe he wasn't meant to be alone.
Now she stood next to Ryusei without hesitation.
Jiraiya felt something sharp jab through his chest.
He remembered the day she refused to listen to the village anymore and go back from the Land of Hot Water.
He had tried to talk her down.
First through letters and then in person.
Begged her to go back.
Called her family.
And she had told him quietly, clearly:
"You don't understand me. You never have. And you don't understand him either."
Hearing her say that still hurt.
And now, seeing her look at Ryusei with a loyalty she never once showed him…
Jiraiya felt a flash of jealousy he wasn't proud of.
Hashirama tried again, voice strained.
"Tsunade… please. I know you are angry. But Konoha is your home. Your place is here. Not with someone who dragged you into rebellion."
Tsunade's eyes narrowed.
"My place? You think you decide that for me even now? You who let the Senju fade away while pretending everything was fine? Nawaki died because of this village and the people you trusted. And neither of you lifted a finger for the truth."
Hashirama looked genuinely startled.
"Tsunade… he was my grandson too. My heart breaks the same way yours does. But that was Danzo's doing, not all of Konoha, and not the rest of Tobirama's successors. You need to let go of this blind rage before it destroys you completely."
"And you believe those kinds of stupid lies," she snapped. "You always believe whatever helps keep your illusion intact. I see it clearly now."
Tobirama's gaze sharpened, but Tsunade ignored him.
Ryusei stepped forward.
He looked straight at the two founders.
"At least she learned faster than I expected."
Silence fell again.
Ryusei's tone remained calm but cut deeper than any blade.
"Hashirama. Tobirama. You sold our clan's thousand-year legacy for an illusion, for the approval of civilians who mean nothing in the grand scheme of things. You sought power and fame among people who don't even matter. Hashirama, you handed out tailed beasts like gifts and only created larger wars despite preaching peace. You diluted our bloodline and let the great Senju name disappear among those who never valued clans to begin with, people who only understand one thing: power."
Hashirama's expression tightened with a pain he couldn't hide, yet he argued right away.
"You understand nothing. Your view of the world is very twisted. You're even worse than Madara ever was, because at least he believed in something beyond himself. You think only of your own strength, your own grudges, your own rise. Everything we did was to protect the future."
Ryusei's voice grew sharp.
"And you failed spectacularly. You created a system where war only got worse. From one catastrophe to the next. The world would have been at least much quieter without you."
Tobirama stepped forward.
"You speak lightly for someone who knows nothing of the burden of leadership and about doing things for the greater good."
Ryusei didn't even blink.
"You call it a burden and tough choices. I call it incompetence."
Hashirama clenched his fists.
"Enough."
Ryusei didn't stop.
"You two had every opportunity to shape a world where our clan thrived. Instead, Konoha thrives, at least a portion of it, while the Senju blood thins out and gets hunted until I am the last one left. That is your legacy."
A quiet voice spoke next.
Nagato stepped forward.
His golden Rinnegan gleamed under the morning light.
Jiraiya's heart almost stopped.
Nagato… alive.
Standing behind Ryusei.
And his eyes…
"Those eyes… why are they gold…" Jiraiya whispered.
Nagato answered simply.
"Because Ryusei saved me. Because the peace you dreamed of was impossible in the world Hashirama created. Because the Sage of Six Paths favored the wrong people."
Jiraiya staggered slightly.
"You… sided with him…?"
Nagato nodded once.
"I saw the truth."
Ashina Uzumaki stepped forward next, red hair swaying.
"The truth is simple. Your village used the Uzumaki and abandoned us when we needed help. You let our home burn. You let our people die. For that, we are here for repayment."
Orochimaru's laugh slid into the air to join in on the fun.
"And I am here to finally take the Hokage seat this hypocritical village denied me. To spit on every legacy that failed to evolve."
Fugaku followed in the end as well, with Sharingan glowing.
"And we are here because Konoha persecuted the Uchiha for generations. Especially you, Tobirama. And you, Hashirama, stayed silent while it continued."
Kiyomi stepped beside him, eyes burning.
"We were always convenient weapons to you. Always watched. Always distrusted. Today, we return the favor."
The tension became suffocating now.
Two sides.
No more misunderstandings.
No more illusions.
Just truth.
And the inevitable clash.
Ryusei lifted his chin slightly.
"Today, all debts come due. Clan to clan. Name to name. I will reclaim what you wasted. And I will break the destiny you forced onto this world."
Even the wind stopped moving.
The founders faced him like mountains.
Ryusei stood before them like a storm. The final battle line was drawn.