"The four traitors are dead—order has been restored!"
"Long live Lord Yuzuru! Long live Konoha!"
"Long live the Uchiha clan!"
As Sarutobi Hiruzen, Shimura Danzō, Mitokado Homura, and Utatane Koharu were all beheaded one after another, everyone present erupted into cheers.
Konoha's ninja were especially enthusiastic.
After all, during the years when Sarutobi Hiruzen and Shimura Danzō ruled, they had suffered terribly.
Now that the four were dead and the Uchiha clan had returned, their good days were finally coming.
Listening to the thunderous cheers, Uchiha Yuzuru was in high spirits.
"Expose the corpses of these four at the village entrance for three days. Everyone else, rest and reorganize on the spot!"
Without needing further instruction, Tōdai, Mabuma, and the others began organizing things on their own.
The ninja of Kumogakure methodically set up camp within Konoha, while Konoha's ninja were tacitly gathered in the center.
Seeing everyone busy at work, Yuzuru walked over to Senju Hashirama and Senju Tobirama.
Observing his triumphant look, Tobirama felt an unbidden surge of annoyance. He said coldly, "Now that your goal is achieved, you can release the Impure World Reincarnation, can't you?"
Yuzuru shook his head. "No. This is exactly when the First Hokage's power is needed."
At those words, both Tobirama and Hashirama froze.
Tobirama snorted. "As expected of an ambitious schemer. You plan to use my brother to wage war on the other villages, don't you?"
He had already sensed it—these Edo Tensei bodies could exert about seventy percent of their original strength. That was more than enough to stir up a storm in the shinobi world.
Yuzuru smiled faintly. "Don't measure my capacity with your filthy heart."
With a thought, Hashirama's body moved against his will.
Clap!
Hashirama slammed his palms together, and a massive wooden building rose straight up from the ground.
"Let's go."
Yuzuru walked forward first, with the Third Raikage and the others following closely behind.
Hashirama and Tobirama exchanged stunned looks.
He hadn't summoned them… just to build houses, had he?
Inside the room, Yuzuru slowly took a seat on the wooden chair at the center.
"Fugaku!"
"I'm here."
Yuzuru said in a low voice, "Take people and gather all members of the Sarutobi, Utatane, Mitokado, and Shimura clans. Get a clear picture of their population, assets, land, and ninjutsu resources…"
Fugaku immediately replied, "Understood."
After Fugaku left, Yuzuru turned to the Third Raikage. "Third, take people to watch over the Konoha ninja who surrendered. Anyone who makes a move—kill them on the spot."
The Third Raikage nodded and left to carry out the order.
"Sakumo, gather the village civilians."
"Kakashi, Obito, Shisui… you'll lead people south. Secure the Land of Fire as quickly as possible and bring it firmly under our control."
"Nagato, you're in charge of clearing debris and rubble. Clean up Konoha's land as soon as you can."
"…"
Orders were issued one after another, until only Hashirama and Tobirama remained in the room.
Hashirama's expression was grave as he looked at Yuzuru. "Now that Konoha is in your hands, what do you plan to do?"
Yuzuru tapped his fingers lightly on the table. "Nothing special. Just postwar reconstruction."
"The Land of Fire is riddled with wounds. It can't take any more turmoil."
Hashirama nodded. "If there's anything you need my help with, just say the word."
Tobirama, however, said coldly, "What about the Land of Lightning?"
"You used their power to defeat Hiruzen and the others. They won't be content to just leave like this."
Yuzuru smiled softly. "Why would they leave? The population of the Land of Fire has been reduced to less than one-tenth. We're in dire need of people."
"Anyone from the Land of Lightning willing to settle in the Land of Fire can all relocate here."
According to his original plan, he had intended to drive all the people of Konoha and the Land of Fire into barren, inhospitable regions to make room for the Land of Lightning's populace.
But even Yuzuru hadn't expected Hiruzen and the other three to be so destructive.
In just a few short years after overthrowing the daimyō, they had nearly turned the Land of Fire into a desolate wasteland.
One could only say that the 'value' of those four kept rising.
After hearing Yuzuru's words, Tobirama spoke again. "You said you wanted to end the system my brother created. How exactly do you plan to do that?"
Hashirama also looked over with curiosity. "Yuzuru, what's wrong with my system?"
"What's wrong?"
Yuzuru snorted coldly. "The system you created is like children playing house. Too many of its measures were naïve."
"With the power you and Uchiha Madara possessed back then, you could have unified the entire shinobi world. Instead, you were short-sighted and only seized the most fertile Land of Fire, breeding resentment in the other villages and planting the seeds for future wars."
Hashirama sighed. "That wasn't something Madara and I could decide on our own."
"The Land of Water lies isolated overseas, the Land of Wind is all desert, and the Lands of Lightning and Earth are also extremely barren… The clans that followed me weren't willing to have their people die fighting for those places."
Back then, Madara had proposed unifying the entire shinobi world outright, but most opposed it, and the idea was ultimately dropped.
Yuzuru glanced at Hashirama and spoke softly. "That's why I say you were too naïve. You held absolute power, yet allowed yourself to be constrained by others."
"If it were me, I'd just kill anyone who refused to obey."
Hashirama couldn't help retorting, "That goes completely against what I wanted to achieve."
"If you force other clans with violence, they won't unite or trust one another. The alliance we struggled to build could collapse in an instant."
Yuzuru gave a light snort. "I've killed so many ninja clans in Konoha. Why haven't I seen them dare to fall apart?"
Seeing Hashirama fall silent, Yuzuru continued, "And occupying the most fertile land would've been one thing—but you even went and distributed the Tailed Beasts, trying to balance the power of each nation. That was stupidity upon stupidity."
"If every country had similar strength, then on what basis did your Land of Fire deserve the most fertile territory in the shinobi world?"
At that, even Tobirama couldn't help agreeing. "Indeed. Not long after your death, brother, the shinobi world erupted into an unprecedented great war."