Looking at the unmistakable scrutiny—and the obvious "So that's how it is"—in Tsunade's eyes, Hiruzen Sarutobi could only force out a bitter smile that looked worse than crying.
"What if I told you..." he said helplessly, spreading his hands, "that I genuinely don't know anything about this? Tsunade... would you believe me?"
"I would. Of course I would."
Tsunade answered immediately.
Yet the smile on her face never reached her eyes. Her expression was all polite amusement, while her gaze remained as sharp as a blade.
"But whether I believe you doesn't matter."
"Old man, think about it. The Heavenly Curtain is showing this to the entire shinobi world."
"Do you really think most people are going to accept your explanation that you 'didn't know'?"
Hiruzen's bitter smile deepened instantly.
He fell silent.
Tsunade was absolutely right.
When it came to ancient secrets and the origins of Konoha's power structure, this sort of "coincidence" was far more convincing to the public than any personal denial he could offer.
Especially when people considered how, during his years as Hokage, he had repeatedly tolerated, tacitly approved of, and even supported Danzō Shimura and Root.
To outsiders, it was practically the perfect real-world proof that the Sarutobi and Shimura families had secretly ruled Konoha together.
It wasn't just shinobi from other villages or ordinary civilians.
Hiruzen could already imagine the chaos erupting inside the compounds of both the Sarutobi Clan and the Shimura Clan.
What would their clansmen think?
How would they begin viewing one another?
And how would they interpret the complicated relationship he and Danzō had shared throughout their lives?
That relationship had never been something as simple as friendship forged in battle or a political alliance.
But once people placed the label of "shared bloodline" upon it...
Everything suddenly seemed to make perfect sense.
Even Hiruzen himself couldn't help recalling the decades he had spent with Danzō.
From childhood rivalry...
To fighting side by side...
From ideological conflicts...
To quietly keeping one another in check...
Even he no longer knew how to describe the complexity of those feelings.
While the Hokage's Office remained wrapped in a tense silence—Tsunade's questioning clashing against Hiruzen's helplessness—another key figure paid no attention to the discussion of ancient family secrets.
Jiraiya stood beside the window with both hands in his pockets.
He appeared to be gazing outside, but his unfocused eyes revealed that his thoughts were elsewhere entirely.
His brows were tightly knitted.
The usual carefree grin and boisterous confidence were nowhere to be seen.
Instead, his face was filled with rare shock, confusion, and deep unease.
One sentence from the Heavenly Curtain echoed endlessly through his mind.
More precisely...
One single word.
Toad.
"...A toad..."
Jiraiya silently repeated the word to himself.
According to Sarutobi Hi, the plan that had driven his clan to divide—and ultimately to scheme against a goddess—had originated from...
...a toad?
What kind of toad could possess such extraordinary wisdom...
Such ruthless foresight...
And the audacity to manipulate both Kaguya and Hagoromo as pieces upon a game board?
An ancient, majestic, unfathomably wise figure slowly emerged in Jiraiya's mind.
The Great Toad Sage of Mount Myōboku.
The supreme being capable of glimpsing fragments of the future.
The one who had spoken to him of the Child of Prophecy.
If the Great Toad Sage had once delivered a similar prophecy—or even guidance—to a desperate clan a thousand years ago...
If it had personally taken part in plotting against Kaguya and Hagoromo...
Then everything would suddenly make sense.
But instead of bringing clarity...
The thought only filled him with even greater shock and dread.
If even the seemingly detached ruler of one of the Three Great Sacred Lands—a being revered as a guide toward justice—had secretly been involved in such an ancient and world-shaking scheme...
Then what about the Child of Prophecy?
What about Mount Myōboku's connection to the shinobi world?
What about everything Jiraiya himself had devoted his life to believing?
Did all of it need to be questioned again?
And there was something else.
No matter how many times he had sought answers...
The Great Toad Sage had always responded with only vague, understated explanations.
It...
...had hidden far too much.
Jiraiya's thoughts descended completely into turmoil.
"But it's fine..."
he muttered inwardly, trying to reassure himself.
"If it really is the Great Toad Sage..."
"...then it'll surely appear again in the Heavenly Curtain."
On the Heavenly Curtain, after Sarutobi Hi and Shimura Dan concluded their secret discussion, the clan convened the confidential meeting that would determine its fate.
The number of people gathered was heartbreakingly small.
Barely more than twenty remained.
Aside from a handful of determined yet exhausted young men and several anxious women...
The rest were almost all children, too young to understand what was happening.
This was all that remained of a clan that had once perhaps been prosperous...
Only to wither almost to extinction beneath Kaguya's brutal rule.
Facing the last survivors of his clan, Sarutobi Hi concealed nothing.
With solemn determination, he announced the decision.
To preserve the clan's final spark and prevent its complete annihilation, part of the clan would immediately abandon the Sarutobi name, adopt the surname Shimura, and secretly depart under Shimura Dan's leadership to establish a new branch family.
From that day onward, two bloodlines sharing the same origin would exist.
The Sarutobi Clan.
And the Shimura Clan.
One would remain in the open.
The other would survive in the shadows.
Together, they would support one another while giving the clan two chances to endure.
The announcement naturally triggered a brief wave of grief and unrest.
Separation was imminent.
No one knew what the future held.
Fear of the unknown mingled with sorrow and anger over the clan's tragic fate.
Yet, after repeated reassurance—and stern warnings—from Sarutobi Hi and Shimura Dan, everyone ultimately accepted the cruel arrangement.
All for the simplest of hopes.
To survive.
And to preserve a future.
Once the emotions of the crowd had settled somewhat, Sarutobi Hi swept his gaze across every face before him, whether young or old.
His voice suddenly rose, filled with hatred that had been carved into his very soul.
"My clansmen!"
"Remember this day!"
"Remember why we are forced to separate from our own flesh and blood!"
"Remember why we must abandon our names and hide our identities!"
"It is all because of that monster..."
"Kaguya Ōtsutsuki!"
"Our clan once numbered in the thousands!"
"Some were slaughtered beneath her oppression."
"Others were sacrificed to her horrific God Tree!"
"We of the Sarutobi Clan..."
"And the future Shimura Clan..."
"...must never forget this blood debt!"
"Not in this generation."
"Nor in the generations to come."
"As long as our blood continues to flow..."
"...the flames of our hatred must never be extinguished!"
Those words, overflowing with vengeance, were branded into the hearts of every clansman present.
Especially the children.
After everyone else dispersed to make their final preparations before parting ways, only Sarutobi Hi and his young son remained inside the room.
The boy's name...
Sarutobi Zan.
Kneeling before his son, Sarutobi Hi placed both hands upon the boy's slender shoulders.
His eyes carried both unbearable weight and boundless hope.
"Zan."
"My son."
"Everything you've seen and heard today marks the darkest and most humiliating chapter in our clan's history."
"But you must remember..."
"The blood flowing through the veins of the Sarutobi Clan is noble."
"We were once a great clan."
"And under no circumstances..."
"...will we allow ourselves to remain fallen forever."
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