As Hiashi followed Neji away, the remaining members of the Hyuga clan ceased their hostilities. They stood to the side, waiting patiently for the final outcome.
It was, quite frankly, a massive irony for a village like Konoha that incessantly preached the "Will of Fire." Since the time of the First Hokage, the village leadership had continuously emphasized that the village stood above the clan. Yet, lamentably, most shinobi today still viewed their clan's interests as far outweighing those of the village.
The Uchiha were like this, and the Hyuga were no different. Only the pioneering Senju clan had truly integrated themselves into the village to the point of total fusion, their surnames and titles had gradually faded away, leaving only Tsunade as the final bloodline struggling to hold on.
"You're not going to kill me?" Tsunade's eyes widened, her expression one of utter disbelief.
From the moment her assassination attempt failed, she had prepared herself to face his overwhelming wrath. Incredibly, however, Allen had shown neither terror nor rage from start to finish. It was as if the events that had just transpired had been directed at someone else entirely.
"Kill you?" Allen shook his head with a smile. "No. That task isn't mine to handle. You should worry more about how to settle the centuries-old blood feud between the Senju and the Uchiha."
"That's right! The one who will kill you is me!"
Sasuke approached from behind, controlling Susanoo. His eyes flickered with naked, undisguised hatred.
"Do you truly believe the Uchiha's extinction was entirely the responsibility of Konoha and the Hokage?" Tsunade looked up, meeting those Mangekyō Sharingan eyes without fear.
Sasuke replied without hesitation, "Of course! Without your day-to-day suspicion, exclusion, and marginalization, would the Uchiha have ever chosen to revolt? The answer is obviously no! Especially Danzo and those two disgusting advisors, from beginning to end, they treated the Uchiha as enemies."
"But have you ever wondered," Tsunade questioned with a cold sneer, "why from the night of the massacre until now, not a single person in all of Konoha has been willing to stand up and speak for you?"
This question clearly gave Sasuke pause. He furrowed his brows in deep thought for a long time before turning to Allen. "Do you know why?"
Clearly, he was more inclined to trust Allen's word over anyone from Konoha. It was Allen, after all, who had first exposed the truth of that fateful night, bringing the village's filthiest and darkest secrets into the light.
"Of course," Allen nodded slightly, explaining with a faint, knowing smile. "Regarding this point, you can actually find the reason within yourself. Think back to your childhood and your days at the Academy. Why did your peers exclude you? Aside from those infatuated young girls, almost no boys were willing to be your friend. Except for Naruto Uzumaki, of course. Compared to him, your childhood was blissful. At least you had a home, and parents and a brother who loved you."
"Are you saying... the Uchiha were simply too arrogant?" Sasuke wasn't stupid; he immediately grasped the implication.
"More than that. Remember what I told you about the awakening and evolution of the Sharingan? Nearly everyone who possesses it has witnessed their most precious things being torn away. That pain, sorrow, and despair gradually drive a person mad. Every possessor of the Sharingan has suffered severe mental trauma; thus, in the eyes of outsiders, they often appear as the embodiment of isolation, arrogance, and danger. In my view, while the Konoha leadership holds at least sixty percent of the blame for the Uchiha massacre, the remaining thirty to forty percent lies with yourselves."
Allen stated his perspective bluntly. He felt that the alliance between Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha was, at its core, a mistake.
Setting aside the thousand-year struggle between Indra and Asura, the inherent flaws in their temperaments dictated that the unique Uchiha clan could never truly integrate into an overly complex social environment. Furthermore, the two had failed to fully reconcile their political ideals and ambitions before forming the alliance, leading to the violent conflict that claimed both their lives and planted the seeds for the eventual massacre.
"I see..." A look of contemplation appeared on Sasuke's face. "And what about Naruto?"
"Naruto?" Allen cast a meaningful glance at the Konoha shinobi. "That is a long story, and it involves another of Konoha's unspeakable black histories. First, why don't you guess: who were Naruto's biological parents?"
"Parents? You mean Naruto isn't just a simple orphan like he said?" Sasuke's eyebrows shot up in surprise.
"An orphan? Hahaha! Do you really think Konoha would seal the strongest Tailed Beast inside just any random orphan? Think carefully: who have the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki been throughout history?" Allen countered with a cryptic question.
"The first Nine-Tails Jinchūriki was Mito Uzumaki, the wife of the First Hokage. The second was Kushina Uzumaki, the wife of the Fourth Hokage..."
In an instant, Sasuke seemed to realize something. He looked up and asked in a voice full of disbelief, "Naruto is the child of the Fourth Hokage and Kushina Uzumaki?!"
"Exactly. It seems you're not completely dim-witted. Incredible, isn't it? The child of the Fourth Hokage and his wife, who sacrificed their lives for the village during the Nine-Tails' attack, lived like a beggar, unable to even guarantee three meals a day. He was even subjected to rumors calling him a demon fox. More interestingly, the Third Hokage knew the truth but remained silent. Jiraiya, the Fourth's teacher, and Kakashi, his student, similarly turned a blind eye. How tragic and farcical! Tell me, Fifth Hokage, is this the 'Will of Fire' passed down by your grandfathers and your teacher?"
Allen stared into Tsunade's eyes, issuing his challenge without mercy.
As these words left his mouth, every Konoha ninja present fell into a state of shock and silence. Those who were shocked were hearing this for the first time, unable to believe the leadership would treat a hero's son in such a manner. Those who were silent already knew the truth but lacked the courage to speak it.
Clearly, Allen had dealt another fatal blow to the sinking ship of Konoha. This time, he was attacking the very will and convictions of every individual. As the saying goes, the best way to completely destroy an organization and ensure it can never rise from the ashes is to utterly demolish the things they believe in.
"Hahahaha!!!! Fascinating! Simply too fascinating! So this is the so-called Will of Fire! Tell me! Is such a village truly worth risking your lives to protect? If you die in battle, could you trust them to look after your relatives, friends, and family? Who can guarantee that something like this won't happen again?"
Sasuke laughed maniacally, scanning the surroundings.
At this moment, he was no longer in a hurry to destroy the buildings of Konoha. Instead, he was thoroughly enjoying the pleasure of dismantling his enemies psychologically, piece by piece.
Tsunade clearly realized that Allen's words were far more terrifying than a direct invasion or physical slaughter.
This was because he was destroying the heart.