Inside the Hokage Office, the atmosphere was so stagnant it felt as if it could drip like water.
Kushina stood before the desk, her eyes burning with a terrifying rage, like a sea suppressing thunder before a storm.
Her chest heaved violently, her fiery red hair moved without wind, and the fluctuations of Chakra emanating from her body caused the air to warp slightly.
In her hand, she was single-handedly lifting someone up, as if she were holding a disobedient little chick.
That person was none other than the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi.
The aged Sandaime's white beard trembled, and the wrinkles on his face deepened with shock and a hint of embarrassment.
He seemed to want to say something, but in the face of Kushina's almost physical rage, any words of explanation appeared pale and powerless.
Jiraiya, despite being a giant of a man at 1.9 meters tall, wished he were just a small frog right now, huddled in a corner and not daring to make a sound.
He was terrified that Kushina's fist might land on him.
"You old geezer!"
Kushina's voice wasn't particularly shrill, yet it carried a cold, bone-chilling fury; every word seemed to be squeezed out from between her teeth.
"How dare you hide something so important from me? From everyone!"
Just moments ago, Kushina had finally learned the truth that had been hidden under layers of deception from the Sandaime's own mouth.
The one who issued the purge order against the Uchiha Clan...
...was actually Danzo Shimura, who had just been designated a rogue Ninja but had long been entrenched in Konoha's Root.
And the Third Hokage and the others, even if they weren't the direct masterminds, could not escape the guilt of acquiescence, indulgence, and even the subsequent cover-up!
This news was like a spark hitting a powder keg, instantly blowing away all of Kushina's rationality.
She remembered how yesterday, due to a misunderstanding, she had thought about restraining Itachi and making him repent before his parents' graves... thinking back on it now, what a cruel irony and tragedy it was!
"That child... that child is also a fool!"
In addition to anger, a piercing pang of pity surged in Kushina's voice; the hand holding the Third Hokage was trembling slightly.
"If someone told you to kill your whole Family, to slaughter your entire clan... you actually... you actually did it..."
She couldn't go on. Images of Itachi's quiet, precocious childhood self flashed through her mind, followed by Mikoto's gentle smile and the once-bustling scenes that might have existed in the Uchiha compound... Her gaze pierced like a sharp sword toward the ashen-faced Hiruzen Sarutobi in her hand, her rage soaring once more:
"Yesterday I was thinking of locking him up and making him repent before his parents' tombstones? Now I see clearly!"
She suddenly hoisted the Third Hokage even higher, her voice making the office windows buzz and rattle.
"The ones who should be kneeling in repentance before the ruins of the Uchiha compound are you!"
"Usually, you marginalize, suspect, and target the Uchiha at every turn, forcing them to the edges of the Village! And then..."
She took a deep breath, every word carrying a blood-and-tear-filled accusation.
"And then you indulged a lunatic like Danzo to orchestrate such a clan-extermination tragedy!
Forcing a teenage boy to carry the darkness of the entire Village and the blood debt of his entire clan!
The Uchiha... such a great clan, gone just like that!"
She looked around this office, which symbolized the highest power in Konoha, her eyes full of mockery and desolation:
"Konoha... under 'rule' like yours, it's a miracle it has managed to survive until now without completely destroying itself... thank heavens for that!"
These final words were like the heaviest whip, lashing against Hiruzen Sarutobi's heart, and against the hearts of the other Advisors and Ninjas in the office who knew the truth or parts of it.
No one dared to provoke Uzumaki Kushina at this moment, as she was like an enraged Tailed Beast.
After Kushina finished speaking, she slammed the Third Hokage onto the floor.
The old Hokage stumbled, barely managing to stand steady. His face was gray and defeated, his head bowed, unable to utter a single word of defense.
The red-haired woman's chest was still heaving violently, and the fire in her eyes hadn't died out, but it was now mixed with a deep sense of sorrow and resolve.
She gave one last cold sweep of her eyes over everyone in the office, especially those few elders who had participated in the decision back then, and left behind a sentence:
"This matter isn't over."
Then, she turned and her fiery red figure, carrying a chilling Aura, slammed the door as she left, leaving behind a room of deathly silence and a thunderclap that had thoroughly stirred things up and would be hard to calm.
The loud bang of Kushina slamming the door still echoed in the hallway. The Hokage Office fell into a dead silence, leaving only the sound of uneven, heavy breathing and the palpitations of those who had survived a disaster.
Utatane Koharu and Homura Mitokado instinctively looked at each other, both seeing a trace of lingering fear and a hint of... relief in the other's eyes.
Fortunately, Kushina's rage seemed mainly directed at Hiruzen. As Advisors, although they knew and even participated, they weren't the direct decision-makers; perhaps they could escape unscathed... Thud! Thud!
Two muffled sounds, occurring almost simultaneously, interrupted their brief moment of luck.
Two strong, powerful arms precisely and ferociously gripped their necks!
Before either could even cry out, they were slammed against the wall behind them by an irresistible force. Their backs hit painfully hard, and their vision momentarily went black.
The ones choking them were two of Senju Tobirama's Shadow Clones, their faces expressionless and their eyes cold as knives.
"Hmph."
Behind the desk, Senju Tobirama had stood up at some point, his arms crossed, his face under his silver hair shrouded in a layer of frost.
His eyes were like lightning as they swept over Utatane Koharu and Homura Mitokado, who were pinned against the wall with flushed faces. He then glanced at the nearby Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi, who had just breathed a sigh of relief but was now frozen in fear. The irony in his tone was like a poisoned ice needle:
"You few... are quite 'impressive'."
He deliberately emphasized the word "impressive," and the anger and disappointment contained within it made the air feel frozen.
Back then, although he was wary of the Uchiha, he never wanted to eliminate them. The Uchiha had already joined the Village; killing them or forcing them into rebellion would only bring a hundred harms and not a single benefit to the Village.
These fellows did a great job!
Truly great!
It's a miracle Konoha Village survived at all.
Before his voice had even faded, Tobirama had already flashed in front of Hiruzen Sarutobi.
The Sandaime's pupils shrank. Before he could make any reaction, he felt his collar tighten, and he was hoisted up with his feet off the ground.
"Teacher..."
Hiruzen Sarutobi's throat was dry as he tried to speak.
"Shut up."
Tobirama interrupted coldly, but after all, the person before him was the student he had personally taught and placed high hopes in.
Anger, heartache, and disappointment flashed in his eyes, eventually turning into a barely audible sigh.
He didn't smash him against the wall like he did the two Advisors. Instead, with a flick of his wrist, he threw Hiruzen Sarutobi somewhat clumsily onto the floor.
"And you."
Tobirama sat back in the Hokage's seat and looked down at Jiraiya in the corner. His tone was still stern, but it lacked some of the previous violence. "You're a grown man, and yet... seeing your student's wife... you're scared like this. How unseemly!"
Rather than scolding Jiraiya for his loss of composure, it was more that he was annoyed by Jiraiya's weak performance earlier, showing almost no resistance as he allowed himself to be hauled around in front of Kushina.
With that, his hands formed a simple seal.
With two soft 'poof' sounds, the two Shadow Clones choking Utatane Koharu and Homura Mitokado dissipated into white smoke.
Losing their support, the two of them felt their legs go weak and slid down the wall to the floor, clutching their necks and coughing violently, their faces still filled with lingering fear.