Chapter 151: The Hokage's Fireside Chat, Hiruzen Sarutobi is the Inheritor of Madara's Will? (7K word)
Mountains' Graveyard.
Madara Uchiha flipped the roasting meat. The campfire in front of him let out a crackling sound as the wood burned.
The meat sizzled with oil. Beside him, a White Zetsu swallowed its saliva, its eyes shining brightly, but it didn't dare make a sound.
"Take it, this piece is your reward." Madara kept a cold face and handed the branch skewered with roast meat to the White Zetsu.
"Really? Lord Madara!" White Zetsu cheered and jumped for joy. "You are truly too kind!"
"Hmph."
The corners of Madara's mouth curled up imperceptibly. "Although you are a bunch of degraded products among Hashirama's degraded products, not even counting as human, I do not have the habit of breaking my promises!"
This White Zetsu froze for a moment. What did breaking a promise mean?
It then remembered that about a month or two ago, when Madara wrongfully accused it of failing to scout the specific intelligence on Isshin and Seisui, he had said he would bring it a portion of roast meat next time.
"You are truly a man who walks his talk, a man whose gold is a thousand promises!" White Zetsu racked its brains to find the right words.
"The idiom is 'a promise worth a thousand pieces of gold'." Madara sighed. He really didn't want to deal with these uncultured artificial humans anymore.
It really lowered his standards.
Back in the day, in the entire Uchiha clan, besides Izuna, he was the one who read the most classics and ancient books!
He was undoubtedly an intellectual.
"Oh wow, I'll remember that!" White Zetsu happily ate the roast meat. "Anyway, you are a man who never breaks his promises, the great Lord Madara!"
Madara's expression suddenly froze.
White Zetsu's words reminded him of Izuna.
Actually, he had broken a promise before.
And it was a promise made to the most important person.
"Brother, you must take good care of the clan and yourself." That was Izuna's dying wish.
Sensing the atmosphere was off, White Zetsu carefully observed Madara and wracked its brains to change the subject. "Lord Madara, by the way, why do you eat roast meat? Do you also get cravings? With Hashirama's cells and the Gedo Statue, you obviously don't need to eat."
Madara shot White Zetsu a sideways glance, suppressing the chaotic thoughts in his heart. "Hmph, this is a habit of celebrating victory!"
During the Warring States period, every time he and Izuna led their clansmen to win a war, they would light a bonfire, bring out fine wine and meat, and the clansmen would sit around listening to Izuna speak.
For Madara, this was his ritualistic way of destroying the Will of Fire.
And by taking big bites of meat instead of relying on Hashirama's cells and the Gedo Statue to absorb nutrients, it made Madara feel that he wasn't that old yet, that he could still stomach a meal!
"Everyone in the village, my friends, good evening. I am the Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi."
At this moment, the White Zetsu brand radio broadcasted Hiruzen's steady and powerful voice.
Madara sneered. He wanted to see exactly how Hiruzen would pass this hurdle.
"Hashirama's successor will definitely fall into Hashirama's bottlenecks and limitations!" Madara muttered to himself.
White Zetsu looked at Madara eagerly. "Lord Madara, can I listen with you?"
For White Zetsu, as long as the distance to its kind wasn't too far, they could connect via telepathy.
But this was obviously beyond the range.
"You really have a lot of demands. Fine."
Madara waved his arm, and a tube from the Gedo Statue plugged into this White Zetsu's body. The tomoe in his eyes spun slightly.
As the true owner of the Rinnegan, even without his eyes, Madara could still use a portion of its abilities. For example, this method of remotely connecting to White Zetsu was a variation of the Shapeshifting Jutsu.
"I believe that everyone in Konoha right now should be sitting by a warm fireplace, eating a meal with their families."
"In this chat, I want to talk to everyone about the recent problems that have occurred in the village, and discuss the new policies the village will implement in the future."
Hiruzen's tone was gentle, his speaking speed a third slower than usual.
It allowed the shinobi to hear clearly and created an atmosphere of a two-way conversation.
"Lord Madara, we are also sitting by the campfire eating together!"
White Zetsu, experiencing the wonderful feeling of a remote voice connection, whispered with a laugh, "The Hokage definitely wouldn't expect that besides the Konoha shinobi, we are also listening."
Madara gave a noncommittal cold snort. "Konoha shinobi?"
In his eyes, the Hokage was just a young brat. He was the one who gave Konoha its name!
The first Konoha forehead protector belonged to Hashirama, and the second one was his!
However, White Zetsu's words also gave Madara a strange feeling.
Wasn't his current state exactly like the Konoha shinobi?
Although White Zetsu really couldn't be considered family.
"Let's first talk about Yashiro Uchiha's incident."
"Regarding this matter, the core point of everyone's debate, in my view, is divided into two layers."
"Let's first talk about the first layer, which is the conflict between the Shinobi Rules and the Will of Fire."
"As a shinobi, the iron rule that 'those who cannot complete a mission are trash' has continued for a thousand years on this cruel land of the ninja world. But just because it has always existed, does that make it right?"
Hiruzen paused for a moment, waiting for the shinobi to think.
And this sentence also made Madara's expression change.
Wait.
Why did this sound wrong?
Was he going to deny the Shinobi Rules?!
Was this still something a shinobi leader should do?
"The emergence of a rule is often determined by the factors of the era. In the Warring States period, wars were frequent and extremely intense. In order to survive, missions had to be given the highest priority."
"In the face of survival, other aspects indeed had to make way. This was the helplessness of our ancestors," Hiruzen said slowly.
In front of him, the Crystal Ball was reinforced by a special ritual to ensure the Hokage's voice could be smoothly and clearly transmitted to the ears of every shinobi.
Danzo sat on a chair to the side, staring straight at Hiruzen.
With a pipe in his mouth and a face full of smiles, even though there was no one in front of him, Hiruzen truly looked as if he was chatting about everyday matters with the villagers. His demeanor and tone were extremely affectionate.
"Even I, seeing Hiruzen in this posture, would subconsciously feel he is reliable." Danzo took a deep breath, putting away his thoughts of surpassing Hiruzen in the short term.
After this storm, he deeply realized his own shortcomings.
He still needed to learn!
He needed to learn from Hiruzen in all aspects and draw closer to him!
But he also had to utilize his own unique advantages.
"And Konoha was exactly created by Lord First, along with his brothers and partners, to change the terrible environment of the Warring States period."
"If we are not different and more advanced than the Warring States period, then what is the meaning of the village? It will just continue to make the shinobi suffer and endure hardships!"
Madara narrowed his eyes.
Hashirama's brothers and partners?
Leaving Tobirama aside, the only one who could truly be considered shoulder-to-shoulder with Hashirama was him alone!
"Next, let's talk about the Yashiro Uchiha incident."
"First of all, I have already had the intelligence squad and the Yamanaka clan shinobi confirm that the strength of the enemy Yashiro encountered was far superior to his, and their comprehensive qualities were at a rare level in the ninja world."
"This is also Lady Mito's judgment."
The corners of Madara's mouth curled up slightly. "She knows her stuff! At least she didn't ruin Hashirama's reputation."
In order to conceal his identity, Madara deliberately did not use any signature ninjutsu.
But true masters could always gauge the level of skill from the details.
And the moment Mito was mentioned, Madara's expression became serious.
Although he was confident that Mito couldn't see through his disguise, her sensory abilities combined with her terrifying sixth sense forced Madara to be cautious.
Mito was not just Hashirama's woman; her own name was worthy of respect.
"So, when facing such a strong enemy, Yashiro Uchiha still fought back with all his might, exhausting his chakra and visual prowess."
"He had already fulfilled his duty."
"Everyone might be wondering, what about the losses brought to the Land of Fire and Konoha by the mission's failure? I want to say, even though this was the mission Yashiro Uchiha was executing, it has nothing to do with him."
Hiruzen paused. "As long as you fulfill your duties and do your utmost to perform the task, then you have already fulfilled your duty as a Konoha shinobi."
"On this basis, if an accident occurs, then the village will help Yashiro provide a safety net. There is no need to be overly critical of him."
"Not just Yashiro, any Konoha shinobi who is loyal to their duties will receive the protection of the village, and this is the very reason why the village was created."
Madara's eyes widened slightly.
He miscalculated!
Hiruzen Sarutobi actually did not possess traditional shinobi thinking, he was different even from Hashirama!
"Lord Madara, things don't seem to be developing as expected."
White Zetsu, connected to the intelligence network, muttered, "Looking at the images transmitted from other White Zetsus, some Konoha shinobi are applauding!"
Madara shouted, "Shut up, I can hear it too!"
Although Hiruzen sat in the Hokage building, the Konoha shinobi were not in front of him, but in their own homes.
But at this moment, almost all Konoha shinobi genuinely applauded their Hokage, the sound transmitting into the Hokage building.
Danzo froze as he listened to the applause.
What terrifying popularity!
Even sitting here, the applause of the shinobi surged over like a tide.
A thought arose in Danzo's heart that even shocked himself.
Hiruzen's prestige was probably already running neck and neck with Sensei's back in the day.
Or perhaps, it had even surpassed... No, impossible, how could Hiruzen surpass Sensei! Danzo hurriedly denied this terrifying thought.
Although he held a learning attitude, Hiruzen couldn't advance this quickly.
Surpassing Sensei, what would that mean!
And at this moment, in the Uchiha compound.
Yashiro, Fugaku, Tobirama, Isshin, and others sat together, listening to Hiruzen's broadcast.
"Yashiro Uchiha is an excellent Konoha shinobi. He dedicated himself fully to his work in the Police Force, and after transferring to the frontline sequence, he also received widespread praise. The vast majority of his missions have received sincere gratitude from the employers."
"He has a heart of gold!"
Yashiro covered his face. Even though he was a grown man, he burst into tears at this moment.
He wanted to rub the tears back into his eyes, but he couldn't stop them no matter what.
The corners of his mouth parted uncontrollably, letting out a whimpering sound like a wild beast.
Tobirama watched this scene in silence, feeling deeply emotional inside.
Leaving everything else aside, when it came to soothing and winning over people's hearts, Hiruzen had already graduated as a master.
Inside Tobirama's body, Izuna also listened silently and slowly began to applaud.
"Truly worthy of being Hashirama's disciple."
"To stand up for the Uchiha without hesitation using systems and regulations. With Konoha in the hands of such a Hokage, even I feel very reassured!"
Izuna spared no words of praise, heavily complimenting Hiruzen.
An ancient from the Warring States period received a little shock from the Will of Fire.
It was just that Tobirama felt a bit sour listening to it.
"By the way, shouldn't Lord Third be Tobirama Senju's disciple? Why do you always say he is Lord First's disciple? Are the two of them really that similar?" Tobirama couldn't help but ask.
If it weren't for the fact that he couldn't expose his identity, he really wanted to use a Flying Thunder God Slash to sew this guy's mouth shut! If you don't understand, don't talk nonsense, okay?
"Hmph."
Izuna coughed lightly. "Although according to the ancient books you showed me, Hiruzen Sarutobi is indeed Tobirama Senju's disciple, some people are special."
"Just like a lotus flower, although it grows in the mud, it can bloom a clean flower!"
Tobirama pretended to nod in sudden realization, but his body temperature rose slightly.
Calling me mud, huh? What a terrible character, only capable of badmouthing people behind their backs!
Oh wait, in the past, Izuna also said plenty to his face. They used to trash-talk face-to-face.
"Hehe, since you are so amazing, then help me deal with Mito!"
"Let me see if Mito will whip you with chains. Don't think just because you're a soul body, she'll let you off." Tobirama made up his mind. If Mito really investigated the chakra issue in his body, he would just throw Izuna out directly and let him face it himself!
Anyway, he was just a youth. Wasn't it normal to seek out an ancestor when encountering problems?
When encountering problems, Tobirama had a very flexible bottom line and accepted his setting as an Uchiha youth.
"Seisui, you also have this kind of potential."
Izuna said, completely unaware, "Look, even though you hail from the mud of Kusagakure, you can still grow into a noble shinobi like a lotus within the Uchiha and Konoha!"
Tobirama nodded with a half-smile.
Praising me now?
I'm telling you, it's too late!
Beside them, Fugaku and Isshin exchanged a glance, both feeling a bit uncomfortable in their hearts.
The Hokage treated people with such sincerity that it made their testing intentions seem a bit despicable.
Fugaku sighed deeply. "Lord Hokage."
"We must work hard for the village. The 'veterans leading rookies' work in the Police Force, the guidance for clansmen integrating into the frontline sequence, must be implemented quickly. We absolutely cannot have a single problem."
Isshin said in a deep voice, "Did you hear that, Fugaku?!"
"Yes, Clan Head Isshin," Fugaku replied solemnly.
Lord Hokage gave them so much face, if they didn't catch it, that would be refusing a given honor!
People who are given an inch and take a mile will not receive anyone's sympathy.
"Yashiro's encounter is a pain point that has existed in the ninja world for a long time. It won't be an isolated case. In the future, it is visibly clear that similar situations, big or small, will still occur."
"Therefore, the village plans to push forward a new system, named the Konoha Mutual Aid Fund."
Next, Hiruzen began to explain carefully.
The mission commission cut for shinobi increased by five percent, but the village would subsidize an equal amount into their personal accounts.
Although it could only be used in specific scenarios, they were all solid, rigid demands.
In Minato's house, En Uchiha held a wine cup and said excitedly, "Good, good!"
"Some junior shinobi blow all their money the moment they get it, completely not understanding how to keep a foundation to prevent crises!"
"This way, the shinobi can have a safety net, and when encountering unexpected situations, they can find a way to solve it themselves first."
"Damn it, this is so much better than whatever Tobirama Senju did! If you ask me, he died too late. If the Third had taken power earlier, how could Konoha have had so many dog-shit messy affairs?"
"Good, Hiruzen Sarutobi is a good Hokage!" En Uchiha downed the wine in his hand in one gulp.
The words of the Hokage deserve a large toast!
In the entire Uchiha clan, he was perhaps the only one not currently in the clan compound.
Minato scratched his head, not knowing what to say, and could only casually refill En Uchiha's glass.
To say he wasn't loyal to Konoha... he just cursed Lord Second, yet he praised Hiruzen.
Moreover, Minato implicitly glanced at En Uchiha's arm, which was no longer a stump.
"Forget it, forget it. Lord Second chopped off Uncle En's arm, but Grand-Sensei reattached it."
"If he curses a few sentences, let him curse. No one else can hear it anyway."
Minato said this in his heart. "Besides, Grand-Sensei really did a great job."
What Minato didn't know was that En Uchiha had already planned to vigorously spread this exact viewpoint among the clan once he returned to the compound.
And there was a young man in the Uchiha named "Seisui"...
Madara massaged his temples, carefully looking for loopholes in the system.
But he found that there seemed to be no problems.
The shinobi lost a portion of their money upfront, but the village compensated for it, and added a layer of security for mission failures.
"Why would he think of such a solution?"
"He doesn't act like a shinobi, he is very strange," Madara muttered to himself.
This was the first time Madara couldn't understand a junior's operation.
Seeing Madara's state, White Zetsu no longer interrupted, silently pouring wine for Madara.
As a smart White Zetsu, it knew that once Lord Madara entered a soliloquy state, his mental state wasn't too beautiful, and he could do anything.
Hiruzen's tone became slightly more serious.
"The Will of Fire is a concept advocated by Lord First. The desire was for the shinobi of various clans to merge into a whole, breaking the cold boundaries of the Warring States period."
"This concept is extremely pioneering. But because Lord Hashirama passed away due to excessive grief, overexertion, and other reasons, he didn't have the time to perfect it."
This wasn't Hiruzen talking nonsense.
In his memory, after the battle with Madara Uchiha, Hashirama seemed to lose his vitality and rarely smiled again.
Classifying Hashirama's death as being due to excessive grief was Hiruzen's way of slightly untying some of the historical baggage of the Uchiha clan.
Madara was Madara, and the Konoha Uchiha were the Konoha Uchiha.
Moreover, based on Hiruzen's past understanding and current analysis of Hashirama...
Even if Hashirama were standing in front of him right now, he probably wouldn't want him bringing up Madara's bad deeds.
Hashirama's feelings for Madara and the Uchiha were very deep and abundant, even somewhat incomprehensible.
So doing this could also be considered respecting the dying wish of the previous Hokage.
Madara listened, stunned.
Excessive grief? What do you mean? Didn't Hashirama—
Madara sighed unconsciously, feeling somewhat uncomfortable all over.
Didn't you kill me? Why did you grieve yourself to death!
Madara only felt a bit stifled in his chest, but couldn't articulate why. He yanked out the tube behind him and paced back and forth incessantly in the underground cavern.
It seemed that only doing this could make his heart feel a bit better.
"Before he died, Lord Hashirama specifically instructed me to continue perfecting and carrying forward the Will of Fire, to closely follow the era's development, and to absorb some of the mistakes the village made to avoid taking detours again."
"I didn't fully comprehend this until recently. Lord Hashirama actually foresaw the village's future problems long ago."
Tobirama listened, his eyebrows twitching violently.
There's no way Big Brother ever said that!
Hiruzen was inventing history again!
He was waving Big Brother's banner with absolute vigor!
If this continued, Big Brother's image was going to turn into a far-sighted, strategic mastermind.
"The Hokage wasn't very old back then, right?" Tobirama said faintly.
It wasn't that he wanted to tear down Hiruzen's stage, but rather he was checking for gaps and filling loopholes for his beloved disciple.
"Oh, you don't understand this, Seisui!"
"Although you are a peerless genius, don't speak carelessly about some things."
Isshin waved his hand. "Lord Hokage was highly valued by Lord First since childhood. He was practically raised by Lord First patting his head. All of us elders know this."
"Lord Hokage is humble, so he hasn't mentioned Lord First's matters in the past. But now the village is in a transitional period, and he is forced to mention some past events to let everyone understand that Lord First also harbored intentions for change."
"He is forced by circumstances," Isshin said, shaking his head. "It's all for the village!"
Tobirama nodded on the surface in agreement, but he couldn't hold it in inside.
Having an Uchiha tell him he didn't understand his Big Brother.
He really never thought this would happen!
And what was with this favorable impression of Hiruzen? Did he cast a genjutsu on you?
"Seisui, you must read more books and think more!"
Fugaku said with a face full of seriousness, "You are still a youth, you must maintain a thirst for knowledge!"
This time, Tobirama even had to use chakra to barely maintain his expression.
Illiterates and psychopaths are giving him pointers now, huh?
Enough already!
"Yes, yes, Big Brother Fugaku is right," Tobirama said with pursed lips.
"How about this, I'll go call in a favor and borrow a copy of Lord Hokage's quote collection from High Commissioner Hiruko for you. You must definitely study it earnestly." Fugaku patted Tobirama's shoulder. "You must seize this opportunity to delve deeply! The clan's future depends all on you."
Tobirama took a deep breath. "Well then, thank you very much, Big Brother Fugaku!!"
And in Madara's ears, these words carried a different flavor.
"Mistakes?"
Madara chewed on the word, sighing once again.
Inside the Hokage building, Danzo also sighed along.
His old brother's qualifications and roots were far deeper than his!
As a companion from childhood to adulthood, Danzo also never doubted that Hashirama had said these things to Hiruzen.
"When we were young, Hiruzen indeed was always called over by Lord Hashirama for private tutoring."
"But every time he came back, he said he didn't learn anything, looking very embarrassed."
Danzo recalled the past. "So he wasn't teaching ninjutsu, but the Will of Fire?"
"No wonder, how old was Hiruzen back then."
But actually, Hiruzen really was learning ninjutsu, and he really didn't learn anything.
What kid could learn to just clap their hands together and summon whatever they wanted!
Hiruzen glanced at Danzo and smiled.
What was he thinking about now? His eyes were glazed over like he was trapped in a revolving lantern of memories.
"The establishment of the village is to protect everyone. And in order for the village to have power, everyone also needs to provide help to the village."
Hiruzen said slowly, "The collective provides a safety net for the individual, and the individual fulfills their duty for the collective."
"But just like when we usually take on missions, the reward and the difficulty must be directly proportional."
"In the past, due to the wartime environment and some old ideas from the Warring States period, the village had problems in this regard."
"This is exactly the Root problem raised by Seisui Uchiha."
Hiruzen's tone became heavy and forceful. "At that time, in order for the village to have stronger armed forces, the establishment of Root employed coercive methods. This is a phenomenon that must be eradicated and guarded against from now on!"
"Shinobi hand over a portion of resources, join the village, and obey the rules, in exchange for safety, protection, and dignity."
"However much the shinobi give, the village should do its utmost to return as much! Equality between power and responsibility, equality between contribution and security, this is the substantial manifestation of the Will of Fire."
"We absolutely cannot use the name of the village to let the shinobi over-contribute without limits!"
Hiruzen said powerfully and resonantly, "Shinobi are not tools!"
"The village is the tool! It is a tool to protect the Konoha shinobi, to protect everyone!"
"If these two are reversed, then the Will of Fire will turn into a terrifying monster, and Konoha will transform from a warm big family into an abyss, swallowing the very people it was meant to protect!"
Hiruzen said with unparalleled sincerity, "I cannot say the village can satisfy everyone's needs, or that every decision I make is correct."
"But I will do my best to coordinate, making Konoha the ideal village. If some problems arise during the development process, please supervise, correct, and remind me in a timely manner!"
"Only by joining hands can we overcome one hurdle after another and step forward steadily."
Madara's heart shook violently.
Hiruzen's words perfectly resembled what he had said to Hashirama during their final battle.
"Protecting the village is the most important thing! No matter if the other party is my good friend, brother, or even my child, I cannot forgive anyone who brings harm to the village!"
And Madara's viewpoint was:
The Uchiha was a member of Konoha, and even one of the founders.
Should they give up the legitimate rights of the clan for the sake of the village?
Madara didn't believe that the Uchiha would have good days ahead after Tobirama Senju became the Second Hokage.
When he was pierced through the chest from behind by Hashirama's longsword.
Madara left his final words for Hashirama: "Hashirama, you've changed. Doing this is putting the cart before the horse. Sooner or later, you will become the darkness of the village."
Madara's brows furrowed tightly, his heart unable to calm down for a long time. He muttered to himself, "What is going on with this Hiruzen Sarutobi?"
"Isn't he Hashirama's disciple? And he was even led by that bastard Tobirama for a period of time. Yet not only was he not polluted, he managed to comprehend my will without a teacher!"
One question mark after another popped up over White Zetsu's head.
Wait.
Lord Madara, you're really crazy, aren't you?
That is the Third Hokage of Konoha Village. What do you mean he comprehended your will?
How could you even say that!
How many sentences did you even speak to him back in the day?
"Let me think, let me think." Madara sat on the wide stone bench, his brows tightly twisted into a knot.
"I attacked Konoha using the weakness of Hashirama's Will of Fire."
"But Hiruzen Sarutobi countered using my will?"
"So did I beat myself?"
Two swirling circles appeared in this White Zetsu's eyes. Lord Madara's words were way too convoluted.
"This kid, interesting. Very interesting!"
Suddenly, Madara burst into loud laughter. "I haven't met such an interesting brat in a long time. No, I, Madara Uchiha, can call you an opponent, Hiruzen Sarutobi!"
"If I had taken you as a disciple back then, perhaps I wouldn't have been able to explore the flawless Eye of the Moon plan, and might have just lived my days out in a blur."
"What a pity... No, it's not a pity!"
Madara wanted to say something else, but heard Hiruzen continue speaking, and subconsciously fell silent.
Hmm.
This was to scout the enemy's intelligence first!
"Everyone might be feeling slightly excited in their hearts right now."
Listening to the bursts of cheers outside the window, Hiruzen coughed lightly. "But we must stay calm. We must realize that Konoha is only at the beginning stage of development. We still have many things to do."
"The challenges we face and the difficulties we must overcome are diverse."
"Take the enemy Yashiro Uchiha encountered as an example."
Hiruzen deliberately paused.
And a gleam of interest flashed in Madara's eyes.
How would Hiruzen, who inherited his past will, analyze this?
"This enemy did not harm Yashiro, but his methods were extremely brilliant."
"He forced Yashiro into exhaustion without leaving a wound, making it difficult for him to defend himself. This struck directly at a critical juncture in Konoha's development, aiming right at the subconscious conflict between the old and new ideologies of the Will of Fire and the Shinobi Rules!"
"This person understands Konoha extremely well and has researched the Will of Fire."
"Based on my and Lady Mito's judgment, it is highly likely a Konoha shinobi who left the village during a past stage of the village's development," Hiruzen said softly.
Madara's eyes instantly widened!
This guess was a bit too accurate, completely analyzing his intentions thoroughly.
"The specific identity is difficult to verify for the time being."
"Konoha's development, for the sake of exploration, indeed walked down some muddy paths. Some shinobi left with misunderstandings." Hiruzen said slowly, "It's possible that at this moment, the shinobi Yashiro encountered is also listening to me speak. His grasp on the entirety of the village forces me to believe he has firsthand information about the village."
"But it doesn't matter. I am not afraid of others hearing my speech. Konoha's shortcomings are also not afraid of being exposed, because I and everyone will work together to correct them and progress!"
"When the enemy attacks us, we must strike back, but we must also reflect on where we fall short, which becomes the weakness others attack!"
Madara slowly exhaled a long breath.
He began to think about a question.
Why didn't he take Hiruzen Sarutobi as a disciple back then? What a true pity!
Seisui was certainly very good.
But compared to Seisui, Hiruzen Sarutobi was the perfect spokesperson for the Eye of the Moon plan in his heart!
"A pity, a real pity!"
Madara shook his head.
"What's a pity, Lord Madara? How about you find an opportunity to talk to the Hokage about the Eye of the Moon plan?" White Zetsu scratched its head, saying casually.
"Hmph."
"Hiruzen Sarutobi, although he speaks with restraint, deep in his bones he has the same personality as the past me!"
Madara crossed his arms and said with emotion, "For someone who can inherit my will, if they were still in their youth it would be easy to manage. But having already established himself, how could he easily believe others? Even if the Eye of the Moon plan is completely correct!"
Madara couldn't help but wonder.
If his youthful self met his current self...
Communication would probably be difficult!
His youthful self would absolutely never have imagined that one day, the Ghost of the Uchiha would hide inside a cave.
How heroic he was back then!
Even if he lost to Hashirama, he absolutely wouldn't admit defeat, seeking only a swift end!
As for attacking his clansmen for the Eye of the Moon plan and breaking his promise to Izuna.
Madara explained it to himself that these would all be compensated for in the Infinite Tsukuyomi, and his subconscious prevented him from thinking deeply about these things.
Just as Hashirama said, for the sake of the village, everything could be sacrificed.
He wouldn't go that far, but letting those close to him suffer a bit temporarily was unavoidable.
"Regarding that enemy, I have already asked Lady Mito to step in and analyze it, and I will secretly deploy corresponding methods to deal with his possible continued attacks."
"As long as he makes a move, the clues we grasp will definitely increase! Sooner or later, we can root him out!"
Hiruzen said with powerful resonance.
However, Hiruzen actually didn't care too much about this matter.
He was essentially singing an Empty Fort Strategy.
Dumping massive resources into this kind of lone-wolf attack yielded extremely low returns.
Based on the opponent's degree of understanding of Konoha, Hiruzen believed the enemy certainly grasped some kind of jutsu unknown to him, bypassing the surveillance forces.
But the enemy wasn't omniscient and omnipotent. Hiruzen believed in Mito's sensory abilities. The core area of the village was protected by the Mind's Eye of the Kagura and the Nine-Tails.
The opponent clearly did not want to expose their identity, and without knowing his methods, would not act rashly.
"Oh? Asked Mito to step in?"
Madara frowned. "Troublesome. I thought Mito was about to die. I didn't expect a terminal lucidity to last until now. Truly worthy of the princess of the Uzumaki clan."
And even if Hiruzen didn't sing the Empty Fort Strategy, Madara was unwilling to attack the juniors again.
Lowering his status once was already enough.
Moreover, Madara didn't want to repeatedly attack his own clansmen.
In his view, the chess match against Hiruzen Sarutobi felt like a duel with his youthful self.
It was a clash of ideologies!
Underhanded tricks that couldn't be brought to the table would not only disgust himself but also achieve no real effect.
"Speaking of Root losing control, it reminds me of a story Lord Hashirama once told me."
"About a name that makes people feel complex."
"Madara Uchiha," Hiruzen said softly.
At this moment, the Uchiha compound boiled over.
Lord Hokage actually brought up the name of the Grand Clan Head?
Isshin and Fugaku exchanged a glance, their eyes full of disbelief. Lord Hokage was way too trustworthy with his words.
"Why feel complex?"
"Because Madara Uchiha is one of the founders of Konoha, second only to Lord Hashirama, and had also established great merits for the village. This must be acknowledged."
"But later, due to ideological disputes, he fought with Lord Hashirama, causing disastrous consequences and bringing huge losses."
"As for the specific reason, after learning a bit from Lady Mito, I can roughly guess his thoughts."
Hiruzen sighed softly. "I think it was because he believed that if the village couldn't take care of the interests of the various clans, then it would instead become a terrifying tool that oppressed the shinobi."
"From today's perspective, Madara Uchiha's thoughts had a certain degree of reason."
"But we must understand one point!"
"During the course of development, various problems will definitely arise. A good rule requires continuous iteration to be produced."
"As long as I am here for a day, I will do my best to solve problems. So, I hope that when everyone encounters matters they cannot figure out, they can chat more with their comrades."
"I will also take time to look at the problems everyone reports back to the High Commissioners, and use a format like today to centrally answer questions and resolve doubts."
"Do not tunnel-vision alone. Extremism cannot solve problems; it will only make your loved ones suffer and your enemies rejoice," Hiruzen said incredibly seriously. "Even if the purpose is good!"
Hiruzen didn't know Madara Uchiha was still alive.
But as the director of the Konoha Psychiatric Hospital, Hiruzen knew deeply that the ninja world was one giant Uchiha.
The radiance of humanity would naturally attract them.
But Hiruzen worried that the shinobi would become paranoid in pursuit of self-righteous perfection.
So, Hiruzen chose to bring out Madara Uchiha as a typical case study for key analysis.
Using his example, he vaccinated the shinobi ideologically, so that if they ever relapsed, they would at least have some antibodies.
"Lord Madara, Lord Madara!"
"The Hokage is talking about you!" White Zetsu exclaimed loudly. "It sounds like he actually acknowledges you!"
Madara, however, remained silent.
He never expected that Hiruzen Sarutobi could grasp his psychology so accurately.
"Hashirama, did you tell Mito? No, I never told you these things. With your brain full of illusions about the village at the time, it's impossible you could understand that I had already seen the opposite shore."
"Hiruzen Sarutobi guessed this himself!"
Madara exhaled a long breath, a nameless flavor in his heart.
In the ninja world, bloodlines were certainly important.
But the Ninja Way would form an even tighter connection, and even Hashirama and Madara were no exception to this point.
The friendship between them was the best proof.
But the problem lay in that, in Madara's view, although Hiruzen Sarutobi had inherited his will and Ninja Way.
It was his youthful self, not his current self!
"Lord Madara, what do we do now? It seems like we messed up the play." White Zetsu scratched its head.
"Heh."
"Messed up? No, Hiruzen Sarutobi just proved that he has the qualifications to make me treat him seriously."
"This is all just the beginning!"
Madara's smile carried a trace of distortion. "His thoughts are as naive as mine used to be."
"Even if Konoha looks a bit better under his governance."
"But how can he change the other hidden villages? The greed, belligerence, and ruthlessness of shinobi are carved into their bones, and wars will endlessly catalyze because of this."
"With war, the chains of hatred will continuously multiply and can never be severed!"
Madara stared at White Zetsu, as if treating it as Hiruzen Sarutobi. "Moreover, no matter how correct the ideology is, without power to carry it out and protect it, it's all empty talk! The weak do not have the right to speak of dreams!"
"If his path is correct, then use power to prove it to me!"
"He is ultimately just a mortal," Madara said softly. "And Konoha, without me and Hashirama, cannot possibly defeat the combined power of the other hidden villages."
"I will educate him thoroughly! Educate this brat who inherited my youthful will!"
White Zetsu felt dizzy listening to this.
What on earth was Lord Madara talking about?
"I will draw the chains of hatred toward Konoha! Let them know the true cruelty of the ninja world."
"Within this cruelty, Seisui, or other Uchiha, and even Hiruzen Sarutobi will be the first to understand—true peace can only be brought by the Eye of the Moon plan!"
Madara looked off into the distance.
Dark clouds obscured the moon.
He was thinking.
Given the situation of the ninja world, the uniquely thriving Konoha would sooner or later attract everyone's dread. The reignition of war was only a matter of time, and no one could stop it.
This wasn't targeting Konoha, nor was it intentionally destroying peace.
The wars of the ninja world were destined to arrive anyway; he wasn't creating them out of thin air.
He was merely making Konoha endure the tribulation it was meant to experience, using his hands to increase the intensity a few degrees, and smashing the cruel truth into Hiruzen Sarutobi's face ahead of time!
Waking up early from a false dream of peace was a good thing.
"Lord Madara, are we just ignoring Konoha then?" White Zetsu asked in confusion.
Madara waved his large hand. "There is no need to make a move on Konoha."
"Mito's sensory abilities combined with Hiruzen Sarutobi's strategies might lead to my identity being exposed, which would trigger the vigilance of the entire ninja world."
White Zetsu let out an "oh", its eyes darting around without making a sound.
It felt that Lord Madara was hiding some other thoughts.
This look gave off a bit of the feeling he had when "Hashirama" was brought up!
"Prove it to me, Hiruzen Sarutobi."
"No, not prove—wait for my education, my foolish inheritor from my youth," Madara muttered to himself.
"Lord Madara, um, I will help you!"
This White Zetsu raised its hand. "Lord Madara, you gave me roast meat today, can I call myself A-Huo from now on?"
Madara glanced at it and gave a noncommittal nod.
He was very tolerant toward White Zetsus that possessed intelligence and could communicate.
Although the Gedo Statue could create a massive number of White Zetsus, apart from Tobi, the child of the Divine Tree, who was exceptionally capable, only about a hundred White Zetsus had the ability to act as scouts.
The rest of the White Zetsus had intelligence so low they could only be used as cannon fodder, completely incapable of tasks requiring thought.
"Let's serve Hiruzen Sarutobi an appetizer first."
"Transfer the White Zetsus from other hidden villages to conduct an all-around search across the ninja world for intelligence on Soragakure! I want them to make a comeback and give Konoha, briefly immersed in peace, a lesson!"
Soragakure, the Hidden Sky Village, was a small hidden village that clashed with Konoha during the Second Great Ninja War.
Due to its special aerial combat capabilities, it wasn't completely destroyed by Konoha but instead moved into the shadows to accumulate power for revenge.
In Madara's eyes, it couldn't be more suitable as the first attack against Konoha.
It was just that he seemed to not have considered one point.
If Konoha withstood Soragakure's attack, with their current scientific research level, they were capable of reverse engineering.
Which meant devouring Soragakure's technological resources.
In a sense, if he commanded improperly, this could turn into an act of "funding the enemy".
But obviously, Madara felt the advantage lay with him!
Meanwhile, in Konoha.
Danzo faced all the Konoha shinobi and made a profound self-criticism.
This action won the understanding and approval of the vast majority of Konoha shinobi.
After all, Hiruzen Sarutobi had explained things on his behalf.
The Root of the past was considered a historical remnant of the wartime era, a product born from a special environment.
As Hokage, he also bore the responsibility of poor oversight.
But Hiruzen also solemnly emphasized:
Even though relevant members of Root had received corresponding compensation, from now on, Konoha would only recognize proper procedure, not retroactive compensation.
He absolutely would not allow anyone to use retroactive remedies to replace proactive compliance.
If anyone reoffended, they would be dealt with strictly and severely, without leniency!
However, what was interesting was...
After Danzo's self-criticism, he spoke the following words:
"From now on, I will still monitor every Konoha shinobi with the strictest attitude."
"Should anyone touch the village's systems and bottom lines, or endanger the Will of Fire, I will severely punish them, clearing out all parasites for the village and the Hokage!"
"Externally, my style of action will not change. Internally, I will fulfill my role as an auditor."
"I hope that everyone here will not give me the opportunity to step in and discipline our own people."
Hiruzen applauded lightly for Danzo.
What a sharp blade!
And in the village, quite a few people actually applauded Danzo as well, expressing their support.
"Today's fireside chat will end here. I look forward to chatting with everyone again next time."
Hiruzen deactivated the Crystal Ball Jutsu.
At this moment, Konoha instantly turned into an ocean of celebration.
The name of the Hokage was shouted with reverence.
Many people rushed out of their homes, excitedly discussing the Hokage's words and the village's future with their comrades and friends.
Three days later.
The Senju Ancestral Estate.
Mito Uzumaki and Hiruzen Sarutobi sat in the reception room, chatting with smiles.
They were waiting for the arrival of Seisui Uchiha and Isshin.
"You're saying that Seisui has Izuna's chakra in his body?" Hiruzen felt genuinely shocked by the bonds of the Warring States period. "Is it the Izuna Uchiha I'm thinking of?"
Tobirama-sensei, what exactly were you doing?
Your experiments were way too wild!
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