Chapter 72: Hiruzen Saw the Future
Powerful chakra surged through the kunai, and the genjutsu took hold in an instant.
This was Hiruzen's only chance.
If he tried to use ninjutsu, even at close range, his movements would be far slower than Kei's. The other party would most likely evade, and Hiruzen would only waste chakra for nothing.
Only a genjutsu, something that could be cast instantly, could turn the situation around and give him even a sliver of victory.
The moment the illusion settled, the figure behind him went quiet, no further movement at all.
It worked!
Hiruzen let out a long breath, relief washing over him.
He turned, intending to seal Kei first, then bring him back to Konoha and interrogate him carefully about the truth behind all of this.
But the instant he faced him, he froze.
Kei stood there calmly, completely still, his expression composed.
He stared at Hiruzen in silence, serene and steady, with not the slightest sign of being bound by genjutsu.
In his eyes, a pair of crimson three tomoe Sharingan spun into view, and within that gaze, something eerie seemed to bloom.
Not good!
In that heartbeat, Hiruzen realized how badly he had misjudged the situation.
Kei had blended in too well for too long.
Most of the time, unless he absolutely had to, he never revealed his Sharingan or used its power.
Because of that, Hiruzen had almost forgotten what Kei truly was.
A descendant of the Uchiha clan.
Not just any Uchiha, but the most top tier genius among them.
A natural awakener of the Sharingan, with dōjutsu talent so overwhelming that even within the entire clan, very few could rival him.
And Hiruzen had tried to cast genjutsu in front of an Uchiha genius.
The world lurched.
The forest blurred, the scenery twisting and shifting like ripples across water.
His genjutsu had been reflected.
Because it was reflected, Hiruzen fell instead into Kei's illusion, sinking deep, unable to break free.
One hazy vision after another emerged.
Within the genjutsu, he forgot everything related to Kei.
It felt like a blissful dream.
In that dream, he successfully brought his comrades back to Konoha. He became the Third Hokage before a sea of shinobi, then led Konoha through endless conflict, earning the title of Shinobi Hero.
But as decades passed, he gradually grew old.
Then, one by one, events began to spiral beyond control.
The White Fang committed suicide.
His disciples, the Sannin, drifted apart and went their separate ways.
Aside from old comrades like Danzo, he no longer had a single person he could truly trust.
He wanted to retire and pass the burden to the next Hokage, but the next Hokage died in the chaos, forcing the old man to take up the mantle once again.
"Itachi… must it really come to this?"
One night, a youth approached and knelt on one knee.
He wore Anbu attire, yet carried the unmistakable marks of the Uchiha.
Most striking of all were his eyes.
A pair of Mangekyo Sharingan.
In Konoha's history, eyes like these had only been recorded in the hands of the legendary Madara.
"Hokage sama, there is no other way."
Itachi remained on one knee, his expression cold.
"They are already planning a coup. If we do not prepare, the village will suffer immense losses…"
"For the sake of Konoha, I am willing to carry out this mission…"
"Itachi…"
Facing Itachi's request, the elderly Hiruzen let out a long sigh, his heart heavy with complexity.
But in the end, he still agreed.
A few days later, the prestigious Uchiha clan was massacred.
Itachi bore the name of traitor and became Konoha's spy within the Akatsuki, operating from the shadows.
Then the years accelerated, rushing by in a blur.
Hiruzen saw the orphan of the Fourth Hokage suffer inside the village, discriminated against, isolated, living a lonely and bitter childhood.
He saw the Chunin Exams, and his beloved former disciple return.
He saw that disciple duel him using Impure World Reincarnation and kill him with his own hands.
Yet even after death, the vision did not end.
It continued.
He saw Tsunade return to become the Fifth Hokage.
He saw Sasuke defect, the last blood of the Uchiha severing ties with Konoha, betraying Itachi's hopes.
He saw the leader of the Akatsuki come to the village and destroy Konoha itself.
He saw Danzo sink into darkness, hiding underground when the village was in crisis, turning into a monster who only knew power and profit.
The Sharingan on that arm reflected Konoha's darkness more clearly than anything else ever could.
At that moment, Hiruzen could not hold back tears.
The hero of Konoha was framed and driven to suicide.
The Uchiha, founders of Konoha alongside the Senju, were wiped out through internal strife.
The son of the Hokage who died for the village was pushed to the margins, forced to live alone since childhood.
A loyal Uchiha genius was ordered to slaughter his own kin with his own hands, bearing the name of rogue shinobi.
The disciples he had loved left one after another, and the one he cherished most betrayed the village outright, bringing disaster to Konoha.
His former friend fell into darkness, becoming an ambitious man who cared for nothing but power and gain.
The village he loved was destroyed again and again by foreign enemies.
He failed his teacher's trust.
He failed the people who believed in him.
"Agh!"
Hiruzen roared.
Before he even realized it, his eyes were soaked with tears. The shock finally tore him free, and he woke from the genjutsu.
"Was that real?"
He stared at Kei, desperate for an answer.
Even if it was an illusion, it felt painfully real, as if those decades were a future he would truly live.
And that future was something he could never accept.
"It is an illusion, yet it is also reality."
Kei met his gaze, expression calm.
"That is the future you were originally meant to experience."
"It's real… it really is real…"
Absurdity and despair flooded Hiruzen's chest.
Just thinking about that future made him feel suffocated.
Two voices battled within him.
One screamed that it was all false, a lie crafted to deceive him.
The other insisted it was true, undeniable.
And at this moment, Hiruzen had to admit something.
Kei had no reason to lie.
If Kei wanted him dead, Hiruzen would have died countless times already. There was no need for such an elaborate step.
"You went through all this… just to reverse the Uchiha clan's destruction?"
Hiruzen looked at Kei and asked, voice rough.
"So that's why you were waiting for me here?"
At this moment, he felt as if he finally understood a motive.
After all, no matter how he looked at it, Kei had no reason to move against him.
And based on what Hiruzen knew of him, Kei was not someone who valued the Hokage's seat.
But now, he seemed to have found a reason.
"Not exactly."
Kei shook his head, voice soft.
"I do not have particularly deep feelings for the Uchiha clan. I'm doing this only to achieve my goals."
Hiruzen fell silent for a moment, then spoke.
"Promise me. Protect the village."
"Do not let the village come to harm."
"I will."
Kei nodded once.
"If there is a chance in the future, perhaps you can see my results with your own eyes."
"As for now, please go to sleep, Sensei."
He raised his hand, and the kunai thrust forward, striking true, piercing Hiruzen's heart.
Hiruzen simply watched, having lost any desire to resist.
It was as if, along with that vision, his will to fight had vanished too.
Unlike many others, Hiruzen might be weak willed at times, and far too lenient toward his companions, but his love for the village was real.
Without that love, Tobirama would never have chosen him as Hokage.
For someone who loved Konoha from the depths of his soul, if his rule would lead to such an outcome, then yielding the Hokage's seat to someone more capable might not be the worst fate.
As the kunai pierced his chest, Hiruzen's consciousness faded, slipping into a long slumber.
However, Kei did not actually kill him.
Even if killing one's master was a Hokage tradition, Kei was not truly of this world.
He could not be that heartless.
Hiruzen was his teacher. They had spent years together, and their relationship had been, in its own way, pleasant.
If it was not necessary, he did not want to kill.
"Just sleep for a while."
Kei sealed Hiruzen, then placed him inside a coffin prepared in advance, speaking quietly.
"Perhaps when you wake up, everything will already be different."
With that, he performed Reverse Summoning Jutsu, teleporting Hiruzen away.
If nothing unexpected happened, Hiruzen would sleep inside that coffin for several years before waking.
And after several years, everything would already be settled. Someone else would already sit in the Hokage's seat.
Even if Hiruzen returned then, it would not matter much.
"This place needs to be disguised a bit more."
After sealing Hiruzen away, Kei looked at the traces left behind and spoke softly.
On the other side, Koharu guarded Danzo and the others, unease rising by the minute.
Earlier, Hiruzen had gone to search for food and water, but far too much time had passed.
With Hiruzen's strength, he should not have been delayed this long.
"Could something have happened?"
The thought made her chest tighten.
"With Hiruzen's strength, even if he ran into Kumogakure shinobi, he'll be fine."
Nearby, Danzo had already woken and spoke in a deep voice, staring into the distance.
As Hiruzen's partner, he had full confidence in Hiruzen's strength.
And just as his words fell, a sudden, violent explosion echoed through the forest.
.....
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