["OK."]
"Monkey, Danzo."
"You two are so great!!!"
Tobirama Senju was genuinely amused and exasperated.
[And this action by Tobirama Senju.]
This clearly terrified the onlookers.
Nara Shikamaru was so shocked he couldn't maintain his lazy demeanor.
[This Second Hokage is just as legendary as everyone says.]
Below, in the audience seats.
[Shimura Danzo's expression changed drastically.]
Now, it finally realized what was happening.
This is no longer the time for greed; we must not let greed take control of our bodies.
We need to think of a way to escape quickly.
The worst outcome would be wasting a Sharingan.
[at the moment. ]
[The Root organization's underground bases can no longer be returned to.]
Otherwise, they'll be lying in wait.
Meanwhile, the onlookers from other villages held their breath.
It's clearly better to avoid this kind of shocking gossip.
Otherwise, you might get yourself into trouble.
[but. ]
[No one could hold out. If Konoha still exists and the Hokage becomes that young Naruto Uzumaki...]
[Thus, the allure of joining the new Konoha.]
[certainly. ]
The daimyo, however, were all terrified.
[As a daimyo.]
They understood even more clearly the true value of Konoha back then.
[And I understand even more now what it means to be the God of Ninjas.]
This is not a joke.
[Especially given Hashirama Senju's current state.]
No doubt about it.
[Tsunade can hit anything she points at.]
[As for Tsunade, if you pay a little attention, you'll notice that she seems to focus primarily on Naruto Uzumaki.]
[Their relationship is very close.]
This is not the point.
[The key point is that Tobirama Senju, who was able to stop Hashirama Senju, seems to be in the same state.]
[Tsunade, she hits exactly where she points.]
If they had hesitated even for a moment, they would have cut off their own heads.
Nobody's a fool.
[After seeing Hashirama Senju's murderous gaze, Hiruzen Sarutobi silently shut his mouth.]
[I've stopped struggling.]
It's pointless now.
Not far away.
[Sarutobi Asuma suddenly came to his senses.]
Looking at Hiruzen Sarutobi, who was receiving similar treatment.
A pang of pain shot through his heart.
Regardless of the circumstances, Hiruzen Sarutobi is still his father.
And all these years, his confidence has always come from his father.
His rebelliousness, his willfulness.
Even the treatment he resisted came from his father.
Despite the resistance, the process was complex.
But the result was that, despite his rebellious and willful nature, he accepted everything his father gave him.
Now, he has even become the Hokage's assistant.
Therefore, upon seeing that Hiruzen Sarutobi had stopped struggling and accepted the outcome, [the text continues].
This means that his greatest source of confidence has collapsed.
[certainly. ]
The most important reason is...
Sarutobi Asuma couldn't resist searching for Kurenai Yuhi.
This is the main reason.
Mei Terumi: "This isn't love, don't misunderstand."
Kurotsuchi: "I don't really understand, but what you said makes a lot of sense, Mei Terumi-neechan."
Mei Terumi: "Not bad~"
Mei Terumi: "Since you're so well-behaved and sensible, fine."
Mei Terumi: "From now on, I'll protect you, your older sister."
Mei Terumi: "If you get bullied, tell your older sister. She'll definitely help you and bully you with them."
Kurotsuchi: "Thank you, Mei Terumi-neechan~"
Kurotsuchi: "Mei Terumi is the best and most beautiful...older sister in the world~"
Everyone: "..."
...
The large screen with its black border continues to display the image:
Of course, at this moment, there is another group, also from Konoha, but different from the Konoha villagers and civilian ninjas who have been brainwashed by the Will of Fire.
They are all normal people.
[And then there's the Senju, who merged with Konoha.]
[At this moment.]
Looking at the scene above, their eyes reddened.
Don't worry about what happens next.
[at the moment. ]
A strange, exhilarating feeling shot straight to the top of my head.
Even worse.
[It's not that bad; we won't be forced to continue being brainwashed by the Will of Fire.]
[Disapproval or going against the will of fire will be dangerous.]
[Especially... after members of the Sarutobi clan became members of the Konoha Guard.]
[One Will of Fire after another.]
[Anything that displeases them.]
[Immediately raise the Will of Fire to conduct judgment.]
Living in such an environment, it's already a miracle not to break down; I almost went insane.
This high-pressure environment inevitably drives many originally normal people insane, who then merge into groups fanatical about the Will of Fire.
[A measure for self-preservation.]
[But after witnessing how the Will of Fire could be used to openly and legitimately profit...]
Everything changed.
From forced to proactive.
[And as time goes by.]
[Gradually, under the relentless brainwashing of the Will of Fire.]
Finally, I became a staunch supporter of the Will of Fire.
[Or perhaps, he's a supporter of Hiruzen Sarutobi.]
[He's chanting "The Will of Fire."]
[But they were engaged in utterly despicable acts.]
Being hypocritical and having one's own agenda is always the most detestable thing.
Caught in the middle, pleasing neither side.
If the upper beam is crooked, the lower beam will be crooked too.
[Of the modified Will of Fire, only the words "Will of Fire" remain true.]
[...]
[far away. ]
Jiraiya, who had been brought out by Kakashi, remained silent for a long time.
He could still endure the physical pain.
But what he was facing was clearly unacceptable to him.
Although the Will of Fire within him was, in some ways, inherited from Hashirama Senju.
But, that ninja god who created the Will of Fire.
His current performance clearly indicates that even he himself believes there's a problem with his Will of Fire.
For Jiraiya, this was tantamount to negating most of his life.
This is something most people would find difficult to accept.
Just as one falls silent when faced with a difficult question, Jiraiya, in a state of drowning, naturally thought of that ever-reliable lifeline again.
Why did things turn out this way?
[No...no, suffering will eventually be overcome!]
["If only we could find the Child of Prophecy…if only we could find the Child of Prophecy!"]
[She has a pretty strong ability to self-regulate.]
Kakashi glanced at him, and could roughly guess what he was thinking.
But at this moment, Kakashi only wanted to brew a pot of tea; he didn't want to think about anything else.
After beginning to confront himself and constantly reviewing everything that had happened, Kakashi suddenly realized a terrifying possibility.
Therefore, Kakashi is not choosing to run away, but is instead... struggling to process it.
Accept this outcome.
[...]
[Not long after.]
[Boom!]
Above the arena, a gigantic tree rose.
[The moment Orochimaru revealed the cause and manner of Nawaki's death.]
Despite having anticipated Tobirama Senju's reaction and been mentally prepared, Hashirama Senju was still enraged.
Hashirama Senju unleashed Wood Release: Advent of the Flowering Tree World, beyond his control.
The huge commotion immediately attracted the attention of everyone in Konoha.
The ninja clan leaders exchanged glances. Without much thought, Nara Shikamaru ordered them to arrest the two former Hokage advisors and take them away.
[And Hashirama Senju did not unleash the Flower Tree World Advent for nothing.]
He wanted to confirm one last time... one last time.
Therefore.
*Snap*
[Clap your hands together.]
[The enormous tree roots shot out a multitude of vines.]
[A moment later.]
The remaining number of Sarutobi clan ninjas, even after a large number had been wiped out, still left Hashirama Senju speechless.
Of course, the matter is not over yet.
The ninja clan leader has not yet arrived.
The details of each family's situation haven't been clarified yet.
Moreover, given the current situation.
[Of the three major questions raised earlier, there is now another serious one.]
"Old man!"
"Stop playing dead! Tell me, what's going on with the Uchiha clan?!"
Sasuke immediately kicked Hiruzen Sarutobi in the face.
Clearly, Sasuke was getting impatient.
[at the same time. ]
Orochimaru, having finished acting as a messenger.
[Suddenly, I was under an illusion.]
Then he silently withdrew.
[Uchiha Izumi arrived beside Naruto.]
[The moment I saw Uchiha Izumi.]
Both Hashirama Senju and Tobirama Senju were stunned.
[Next.]
[Whoosh—]
A kunai shot out.
[At some point, Tobirama Senju had created a kunai with the Flying Thunder God Technique-like properties.]
[Shimura Danzo is still thinking about how to escape.]
[For a moment, I was distracted.]
Tobirama Senju's deathly face appeared before him.
[So close!]
"Do you think you've hidden it well?"
P.S.: Actually, I also feel this has been a bit wordy, "Judgment in the Arena," but after so many chapters, ending this abruptly wouldn't be appropriate. This is a complete release of emotions.
It could have been glossed over, but it would have felt like something was missing, lacking responsiveness... But I accidentally... accelerated the escalation of the Senju brothers' emotions too quickly at the beginning, causing me to force a slowdown later... So I sped up the pace a bit later.