Bang!
With a snap, the door was shoved open by Hashirama Senju, and from the force alone, the ANBU still in the Hokage's office sensed his mood.
This was definitely a hostile visit!
As for the culprit who had angered Hashirama—Tobirama Senju—he wore his usual calm, unruffled face, but beneath the desk his palms were sweating… his elder brother's gloomy expression was really terrifying!
"Lord Tobirama, if there's nothing else, I'll take my leave at once."
Sensing danger, the ANBU prepared to slip out. One was Konoha's Hokage, the other Konoha's shadow Hokage—the Nine-Thousand-Year. If these brothers started arguing, it would be gods clashing; he didn't want to be collateral dust.
"Mm, you may go."
Tobirama nodded.
He didn't wish his subordinates to see him being lectured by his brother.
Then
the ANBU quickly left the room.
Only Hashirama Senju and Tobirama Senju remained.
"Tobirama, was it you this afternoon who ordered the ANBU to beat Konoha villagers and haul them all to ANBU? How could you do such a thing!!"
Hashirama didn't mince words. He questioned Tobirama directly, his roar rising as if, should Tobirama refuse to admit it, the next second… Hashirama would press his palms together.
"So, big brother, you think I was wrong?"
"Of course!"
"Konoha's ANBU must never lay hands on villagers!"
"Tobirama, I've always trusted you, so whether clan or village affairs, I've left them all to you. I believed you would help me govern Konoha well—but this time you've truly disappointed me!"
"Do you know the villagers now treat me like a plague god, avoiding me everywhere…"
"…"
Hashirama went full blast.
Pointing at Tobirama's nose, he lashed him, every word a knife, every sentence aflame.
He knew his younger brother kept his own little calculations, mostly about the Uchiha. Tobirama could never fully open his heart to the Uchiha; he was always on guard.
But this was within what Hashirama could accept.
He believed Tobirama was trustworthy. Even if he guarded against the Uchiha in his heart, he would never actually do them harm; at most he'd grumble in private. Small matters.
So he had handed clan and village affairs to Tobirama. He had never expected that entrusting Konoha and the Senju to his brother would lead to such disappointment.
Damn it!
Who would have thought…
Tobirama hadn't acted against the Uchiha—but he sent ANBU to beat villagers! Even worse, and utterly intolerable!
Not long ago
the fear and alienation in villagers' eyes, dodging him as if he were poison—those scenes still rattled Hashirama.
This was not the Konoha he wanted to see!
Thinking of this,
Hashirama grew more irritable and increased the pressure.
Tobirama kept silent, wisely choosing not to defend himself under this barrage… Knowing his brother, an enraged Hashirama could very well hammer him with Wood Release.
…
"Big brother, are you done?"
"From the moment you pushed in, you've been pointing at my nose and scolding, without asking why I did it!"
Seeing Hashirama's firepower easing and anger cooling, Tobirama began his counterattack.
He not only believed he wasn't wrong; he thought his handling was excellent—preventing a mob from storming the Hokage building, preserving the Hokage's dignity, and proving the Senju line's ability to govern.
He had also seized the chance to give the rioters a light but stern lesson, making them repent and preventing a repeat.
He had smelled the danger. Villagers, inflamed by opinion, dared question Senju governance, stand with the Uchiha, and even planned to gather and make trouble at the Hokage building!
Whether or not someone was behind it, such overbold villagers had to be taught. This already touched principle; there was no room to retreat.
Decisions of the village
are absolutely not for villagers to hinder or sway!
The methods were a bit rough, but otherwise faultless!
It was his big brother who was too naive!
"This goody-two-shoes of a big brother is always like this!"
"Can't you be realistic?"
He spoke while thinking it.
He had no intention of admitting fault.
Admit fault? Impossible!
Yield today on five cities, tomorrow on ten—where does it end? Even if his brother's fist was big, he couldn't be unreasonable!
Then
Tobirama recounted what had happened that afternoon.
"Those villagers not only interfered with the village's decisions, they smeared Konoha in Akatsuki Village's name, babbling about the 'three virtues of shinobi,' about Akatsuki's three straight wins and Konoha's defeats, about a so-called 'Konoha degeneracy'… Utter nonsense!"
"I already planned to deploy tomorrow to the Kumogakure front for armed mediation, and I meant to turn a blind eye to them."
"But today they attacked your honor as Hokage, questioned the Senju's governance, and even planned to gather and storm the Hokage building to force you to step down!"
"Do you know how serious that is?"
"They've grown that arrogant… they must be punished!"
He told it from start to finish.
Such things cannot be allowed in any village. Mere civilians—what right do they have to presumptuously judge the village's decisions?
A heavy fist was necessary!
As for the core issue—"delaying deployment."
Tobirama disposed of it in a sentence: he was the commander of the shinobi army; when he said they were ready, they were ready!
He had in fact completed preparations; they could depart tomorrow. It was those villagers who picked a fight and disrupted his plan (face of certainty)!
"Uh…"
Only now did Hashirama grasp the ins and outs.
It did sound grave.
A mob of villagers.
That alone violated the village's public order ordinances.
Tobirama was, in a sense, acting within emergency discretion.
Anyone thinking normally would stop here, even commend him as shrewd and proper for averting a public-opinion crisis—but… he was Hashirama.
"I don't care about your reasons! Ordering ANBU to beat villagers is wrong, period!"
Hashirama showed his obstinate side. He could not accept ANBU beating villagers… the village's warm harmony had been ruined, and villagers feared even greeting him.
This was not his Konoha!
"Then let me ask you!"
"If I'm wrong, how do you want this handled?"
"Why can't we just explain to the villagers? Their hearts are for Konoha. Why use force… these things could have been avoided!"
As ever, Hashirama was adorably naive. He thought the villagers acted out of concern for Konoha's honor.
Though excessive, if they explained clearly, wouldn't it all be solved?
As for attacks on his honor and doubts about Senju governance… he could laugh those off!
But…
his brother had sent ANBU to mass-beat villagers.
How could that be allowed?
"Big brother, why can't you use your head and consider what it means? I was defending the village's authority—the Hokage's authority. Villagers, merely dissatisfied with orders, dream of gathering to storm the Hokage building. If we open that gate once, then…"
"So we must strike hard, to make clear the village's decisions are not for them to debate or meddle in!"
"If the Uchiha seize this chance… I won't allow it!"
Tobirama rubbed his face.
Helplessness tinged his tone. How could his big brother be this naive—trying to persuade with words when they were already planning a mob at the Hokage building?
In such matters…
Take one step back, and those would-be rioters will push further, thinking they forced the village to yield. Next time, they'll rush even harder.
And there must be a mastermind.
The Uchiha clan.
And that Uchiha Makoto.
They were certainly the organizers and planners.
If allowed to succeed now, they would only escalate such encirclements of the Hokage building.
When would this outside-leaning big brother grow up!
"Enough, Tobirama, don't speak like that!"
Hashirama's chakra flared, a dangerous aura surging as he cut off Tobirama's attempt to recalibrate his thinking.
The brothers' understandings of the village had diverged sharply.
Hashirama wanted a peaceful, harmonious atmosphere, mutual trust and understanding between shinobi and villagers, maintained always… and he believed he had the power to sustain it. That was his striving and sense of achievement.
But
Tobirama's view was more realistic, and longer-term—planning even decades ahead.
The village could not live forever under his brother's shelter; it needed sound order to sustain normal development.
And he would use this chance to remove hidden dangers.
Now Uchiha Makoto and the Uchiha clan were itching to disrupt the village. If his brother backed him, he was confident he could eliminate all hidden dangers; even together they could not endanger Konoha.
Their principles were hard to reconcile—one prized the present, the other planned the future.
"Hmph!"
Tobirama shut his eyes and turned his head aside. (Not listening!)
Though unconvinced, he kept his mouth shut.
His brother was at the edge of losing it… If he didn't want a Wood Release greeting, he had to stop.
The room's atmosphere was sour.
Hashirama felt his brother's thinking had grown dangerous; Tobirama felt his brother was always naive.
On matters of principle, neither would yield.
Both sulked in silence.
"What now—you two are at it again! Every time! Can't you spare me the worry!"
Uzumaki Mito, who had been eavesdropping next door and felt the flare of chakra, stepped in neatly, breaking the standoff.
"Sister-in-law, you're here."
Reinforcements!
Tobirama's nerves eased. Good thing he'd asked Mito to listen in next door for this awkward moment—he didn't want to be grilled forever!
"Mito, you're here. Tobirama went too far this afternoon."
"And he's still quibbling!"
Hashirama's face softened a touch as he managed a smile for Mito.
"All right, stop it, both of you. I heard you from the next office. Since you both care for Konoha, don't fight like this—especially you, Hashirama, stop flaring your chakra!"
Mito's mere entrance halted the quarrel, and she specifically called out Hashirama's "bullying."
"Sorry, sorry—I got too worked up."
"But Tobirama, I will not accept what you did this afternoon!"
"You must reflect and admit fault, then immediately release those villagers and make a public apology to them!"
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