Chapter 335: The Landscape of the Shinobi World, Sarutobi's Suggestion
The izakaya was a chaotic sea of clinking sake cups, raucous laughter, and the heavy, savory scent of grilled skewers. Tucked away in the dimmest, most inconspicuous corner of the tavern, three figures sat in heavy silence, entirely detached from the lively atmosphere around them.
The wooden floorboards creaked as Hiruzen Sarutobi slid back into his seat. His weathered face was drawn tight, casting dark shadows over his aged features. He had just returned from the bar, having pried the latest news of the shinobi world from a loose-lipped traveling merchant.
Hiruzen poured himself a cup of sake, his hands trembling slightly. "Sunagakure... has been completely annihilated by Uchiha Akira."
The words hung in the air, heavy and suffocating.
"Kirigakure has relocated entirely. They have been swallowed whole, absorbed into Konoha's ranks." He took a slow, ragged breath. "As for Iwagakure and Kumogakure... those two sworn enemies who have bled each other dry for a lifetime? They have cast aside all their hatred."
Hiruzen paused, his dark eyes scanning the faces of his two predecessors. "They have united every small and medium-sized shinobi village they could find. They formed a grand Shinobi Allied Forces with one singular purpose: to resist Konoha."
Destroying Sunagakure. Swallowing Kirigakure. Suppressing a massive alliance of two Great Nations with the sheer, terrifying might of a single village.
Hiruzen stared into his cup, the reflection of his face rippling in the clear liquid. He remembered the endless nights of paperwork, the agonizing compromises, and the bitter concessions he had made just to manage minor border skirmishes during his reign. Yet, for Uchiha Akira, erasing a Great Shinobi Village from the map was as casual as brushing dust off his shoulder.
Across the table, Senju Tobirama sat rigid. His crimson eyes narrowed, masking the violent storm of emotions churning in his chest. He had dedicated his entire existence, his very blood and soul, to elevating Konoha's supremacy while systematically crippling the other hidden villages. To think that an Uchiha, a member of the clan he despised above all others, had actually achieved the absolute dominance he had only theorized.
Beside him, Senju Hashirama slumped. The initial shock on his face melted into a deep, suffocating sorrow. He stared blankly at the polished wood of the table.
"Alas..." His voice was hollow, stripped of its usual booming warmth. "Why... why did it have to turn out like this?"
Hashirama closed his eyes. "War only breeds more hatred. I built the village to end the endless bloodshed of the Warring States period. I built it so children would never have to hold a kunai and march to their deaths again." He clenched his fists, his broad shoulders sagging. "I wanted everyone in this world to sit down, to open their hearts and understand one another. Not to conquer through sheer, brutal force. If this cycle continues, how will true peace ever take root?"
"Elder brother!" Tobirama slammed his ceramic sake cup onto the table. The sharp crack cut through the ambient noise of the tavern, causing a few nearby patrons to glance over before quickly looking away.
"Do you still have the nerve to spout such naive ideals?" Tobirama's voice was a low, dangerous hiss. "Mutual understanding? Tell me, how exactly did your mutual understanding work out back then? You took the Tailed Beasts, weapons of mass destruction you captured with your own sweat and blood, and handed them over to the other four villages for free!"
Tobirama leaned forward, his sharp features illuminated by the flickering lantern light. "And what was your reward? The moment you died, they turned those very weapons against us and ignited the First Great Shinobi War! If you had not been so foolishly soft-hearted, the world would not have drowned in decades of ceaseless slaughter!"
Tobirama exhaled sharply, the anger bleeding out of him, leaving behind a cold, pragmatic calculation. "This Uchiha Akira... his methods are tyrannical, yes. But the results are absolute."
He crossed his arms over his chest. "Sunagakure and Kirigakure are gone. The eastern and western fronts are permanently secured. Even with Iwagakure and Kumogakure forming an alliance, they are reduced to barking dogs pacing along the border. Who else in this entire world dares to bare their fangs at Konoha now?" Tobirama looked at his brother, his red eyes piercing. "Is this absolute suppression not its own form of peace?"
Hiruzen listened carefully, his expression unreadable. When Tobirama finished, the aged Third Hokage finally spoke, his voice grave.
"Lord Second, your assessment is correct." He nodded slowly, validating his former teacher's logic. "On the surface, Konoha has reached an unmatched peak of military might."
He let the statement settle before his tone darkened, shifting the atmosphere at the table. "But... this overwhelming strength is merely a facade hiding a catastrophic crisis."
Tobirama frowned, his white hair shifting as he turned his sharp gaze toward his student. "Explain."
"The current Uchiha Akira is no different from Uchiha Madara," Hiruzen said, his voice laced with bitter resentment. "The moment he seized the Hokage seat, he initiated a brutal purge. Any clan that dared to voice a dissenting opinion was slaughtered. My Sarutobi clan, Danzo's Shimura clan... he annihilated all of us. He ripped out the village's roots to feed his own ambition. Konoha is no longer a village of united clans. It has become an absolute dictatorship ruled solely by the Uchiha!"
Hiruzen leaned in, his eyes burning with urgency. "Such tyranny will rot Konoha from the inside out!"
Those words struck the deepest, most volatile nerve in Tobirama's psyche. Decades of ingrained suspicion and prejudice flared to life. The pragmatic respect he had shown just moments ago vanished, replaced by a cold, familiar disgust. His jaw locked.
"Those evil Uchiha..." he muttered, the old curse slipping from his lips like a reflex.
Sensing his teacher's shifting mood, Hiruzen pressed the advantage. "The dominance you see is an illusion, Lord Second. Akira's actions may look like strength, but he is actively turning Konoha into the mortal enemy of the entire world. By erasing Sunagakure and swallowing Kirigakure, he shattered the delicate balance of power that held the Five Great Nations in check. His sheer brutality is the only reason Iwagakure and Kumogakure dropped their blood feuds to unite against us."
Hiruzen gripped his cup, his knuckles turning white. "Konoha is now the public enemy of the shinobi world. The moment that alliance senses a moment of weakness, they will mobilize every single mercenary, rogue, and hidden village they can muster. They will launch a war of annihilation unlike anything we have ever seen. Uchiha Akira is not protecting the village. He is dragging everyone in Konoha straight into the abyss!"
The logic clicked perfectly into Tobirama's existing worldview. The Uchiha were inherently unstable, driven by a curse of hatred that always ended in fire and ruin. Leaving the village in the hands of a man walking Madara's path was a guaranteed death sentence.
"We must stop him," Tobirama declared, his voice dropping to a lethal register.
Beside him, Hashirama let out another long, heavy sigh. "Tobirama. Monkey." He looked at both of them, his dark eyes carrying the weight of a bygone era. "We are already dead."
The absolute finality in his tone made the air grow heavy. "This era no longer belongs to us. Whether they choose war or peace, it is a path that must be decided by the generation currently drawing breath. Why should relics like us, ghosts who should have turned to ash long ago, claw our way out of the grave to dictate their future?"
Hashirama offered a small, melancholic smile. "Perhaps... this junior named Uchiha Akira can walk a path we never could."
The atmosphere at the table instantly plummeted to freezing.
"Elder brother!" Tobirama slammed his hand against the wood again, the sheer force threatening to splinter the table. His crimson eyes blazed with fury. "Are you truly going to sit there and spout such pathetic, naive garbage again?"
He leaned in, his face inches from Hashirama's, his voice trembling with barely contained rage. "Are you really going to cross your arms and watch the village you built with your own two hands be burned to the ground by an evil Uchiha?"
Hashirama opened his mouth to reply, but the raw intensity in his brother's roar forced the words back down his throat. He fell silent, looking away.
"Lord First. Lord Second. Please, listen to me," Hiruzen interjected, his calm, authoritative tone pulling their attention away from the brewing argument. "The most urgent task at hand is finding a way to strip Uchiha Akira of the Hokage title."
Tobirama gave a sharp, cold nod of agreement.
"Only by removing him can we pull Konoha back from the brink of total destruction," Hiruzen continued, his voice steadying. ", I already have the perfect candidate in mind. Someone who can replace him and guide the village back to its true path."
"Who?" Tobirama demanded.
Hiruzen shifted his gaze directly to Hashirama. "That person is your granddaughter, Tsunade." He let the name hang in the air before pressing his point. "As a direct descendant of the First Hokage, her claim to the title of Fifth Hokage is absolute. Her ascension would be entirely legitimate, and her presence alone would reunite the fractured hearts of the village."
Tobirama's eyes lit up with sudden clarity. A descendant of the Senju clan. Yes. Replacing an arrogant Uchiha with a true heir of the Senju was without question the best tactical move.
Even Hashirama, who had been sulking in silence, perked up instantly. The heavy gloom vanished from his face, replaced by a bright, beaming grin. "Oh! Little Tsunade!"
However, the joy lasted exactly two seconds.
The beaming smile froze, melting rapidly into a look of deep, uncomfortable awkwardness. Hashirama hunched his shoulders, leaning slightly across the table. He glanced left and right before lowering his voice to a tentative, guilty whisper.
"Tell me... is little Tsunade... still gambling?"
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