"What the hell is going on?!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi was on the verge of losing his mind.
He could not accept this outco.
The enemy he had been desperately searching for had been hiding right under his nose all along.
After Danzo was captured, Hiruzen had reviewed Root's records and noticed sothing odd.
Given Danzo's usual thods, once he got his hands on Uzumaki Shuji, how could he possibly send the boy ho every day?
That was completely unlike Danzo.
Now he finally understood.
Danzo must have already been placed under Uzumaki Shuji's Kotoamatsukami at that ti.
"Impure World Reincarnation!"
Uzumaki Shuji, anwhile, had no intention of being reckless.
He used the Chains of Heaven to seize a Konoha ninja, then rcilessly turned him into a sacrifice.
From the Gate of Babylon, he withdrew a test tube containing Hashirama's cells and placed it on the ground.
Then he activated the forbidden technique.
White ash and dust erupted, engulfing the unfortunate ninja.
Everyone around him froze, unsure what they were witnessing.
Very few people in the village even knew this forbidden jutsu existed.
At the sa ti, more and more enemy ninja converged on his position.
Golden ripples continued to appear behind Uzumaki Shuji.
Countless Chains of Heaven lashed out in all directions.
Hiruzen arrived with his forces.
But before he could focus on Uzumaki Shuji, his attention was drawn to the figure materializing in front of him.
"That's impossible…"
"Impure World Reincarnation?!"
Staring at the face that looked exactly like the one carved into the Hokage Monunt, Hiruzen's heart sank.
For the first ti in years, he felt genuine pressure.
"What is it, Third Hokage?"
"Seeing your old teacher again… does it make you feel guilty?"
"After all, you nearly exterminated his clan and drove the Senju to the brink of extinction."
Uzumaki Shuji's calm voice cut through the battlefield.
The flickering firelight from the surrounding explosions cast alternating shadows across his face.
"Is that… the First Hokage?"
Koharu Utatane asked uncertainly.
She and Homura were disciples of Tobirama.
Only Hiruzen had studied directly under both the First and Second Hokage.
"Who are you?"
"A child cannot possibly possess this kind of power!"
"You were watched every day since birth!"
"You never showed anything unusual until recently!"
Hiruzen ignored Hashirama for the mont and glared at Uzumaki Shuji with a twisted expression.
This was what he found hardest to accept.
He had been deceived for years.
Even with Danzo, Hiruzen had always believed he was in control.
Any abnormality would have been detected.
Yet this child had hidden everything from him.
"Not knowing was the natural result."
"I've seen every single thing you've done."
"So Naruto and I owe Konoha nothing."
Uzumaki Shuji's voice remained calm.
He had no intention of explaining himself in detail.
To a man like Hiruzen, the fact that he and Naruto were still alive was considered an act of rcy.
But the village their parents died to protect had treated them like trash.
Hiruzen opened his mouth to speak.
But at that mont, Hashirama Senju awakened.
"What is this?"
"Konoha ninja?"
Hashirama looked around in confusion.
The surroundings felt strangely familiar.
Without hesitation, Uzumaki Shuji ford a hand seal and exerted direct control over him.
Hashirama's power was on an entirely different level from Hiruzen's.
"First Hokage."
"There is sothing I want you to witness."
"Tonight is the night I defeat the Third Hokage."
Uzumaki Shuji spoke clearly.
"Oh?"
"Impure World Reincarnation?"
"And the caster is… a child?"
Hashirama imdiately understood the situation through the connection created by the jutsu.
Even so, he could not hide his surprise.
The one controlling him was only a boy.
"Hiruzen?"
"What exactly is happening?"
Hashirama turned and recognized the aged Third Hokage.
Though bent and weathered, the face was unmistakable.
"First Hokage…"
"The Uchiha have rebelled."
"I am leading the suppression effort."
Naturally, Hiruzen could not bring himself to say that a child was responsible for throwing Konoha into chaos.
"After fearing that the Senju would threaten his authority, he persecuted your clan."
"Now, aside from your granddaughter, almost no trace of the Senju remains in Konoha."
"He did the sa to the Uchiha."
"He feared the influence their power gave them, steadily stripped away their authority, and is now attempting to exterminate them."
Uzumaki Shuji spoke just as calmly.
The battle around them gradually ca to a halt.
Both sides unconsciously drew back, dividing the battlefield with Hashirama standing at its center.
The atmosphere beca strangely surreal.
The Konoha ninja regarded the First Hokage with instinctive reverence.
The Uchiha did the sa.
For the mont, both sides seed content to let their founding ancestor judge the truth.
"Is that true, Hiruzen?"
Hashirama's voice carried disbelief.
He found it difficult to imagine that the respectful young boy he once knew could beco such a man.
"After Tobirama-sensei's death, war broke out again."
"The Senju suffered heavy losses, but I never persecuted them."
"And eight years ago, an Uchiha controlled the Nine-Tails and nearly destroyed the village."
"That is why I have always been wary of the Uchiha…"
Hiruzen began defending himself.
Uzumaki Shuji did not attack imdiately.
He wanted Hashirama to act as judge.
Hiruzen had always justified his actions as sacrifices made for the village.
So Uzumaki Shuji would let the very man who founded that village decide whether those actions were right or wrong.
If Hashirama condemned Hiruzen…
Then the Third Hokage's credibility among Konoha's ninja would collapse.
And once that happened, whether anyone would still obey his orders was far from certain.
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