"Tell me—shouldn't I be angry?!"
After hearing Harada Toru's explanation, everyone present first froze, then their emotions erupted violently.
"He's right. Back then, Uchiha Madara used the Sharingan to control the Nine-Tails, and the First Hokage defeated Uchiha Madara—that's how our village got the Nine-Tails."
"So if the Uchiha clan hadn't left Konoha, today's disaster could have been completely avoided?"
"This is outrageous. Why did those people leave the village? Wasn't Konoha built because of them in the first place?"
"The Hokage must give us all an explanation about what happened between the village and the Uchiha clan!"
"That's right. I don't believe the Uchiha clan would defect en masse without any reason. We have a right to know the truth."
"The Third Hokage should also take responsibility for this Nine-Tails rampage. During the First and Second Hokages' terms, the Nine-Tails never broke through its seal!"
Hearing the crowd's increasingly extreme rhetoric and their growing tendency to blame the Third Hokage, the ANBU members maintaining order immediately intervened.
They approached Harada Toru and examined him thoroughly but found nothing abnormal.
In the end, they could only take Harada Toru and the others away and order everyone present to cease discussing related topics.
Unfortunately, for villagers who had just experienced such a traumatic event, once they found an outlet, it could never be plugged again.
In a shadowed corner, Uchiha Yuzuru's lips curled into a cold smile.
Sarutobi Hiruzen, how will you handle this next?
Don't regret it too soon—that would be too boring...
I've prepared so many more things for you ungrateful lot to savor.
With a ripple in space, Uchiha Yuzuru's figure vanished.
The next step of the plan: attack Konoha!
"Sensei, what happened to the village?"
After returning from Mount Myoboku, Jiraiya was shocked by the state of Konoha Village.
The village...
Why had it become like this?
Sarutobi Hiruzen smoked his pipe, ignoring Jiraiya.
Only after his pipe had gone out did he speak flatly: "Jiraiya, away from the village so long—I thought you weren't coming back."
Jiraiya felt uncomfortable and explained: "I've been searching for the Child of Prophecy from the Great Toad Sage's dream..."
"Did your Great Toad Sage prophesy that Konoha Village would be destroyed like this?"
"If you'd been here then..."
Sarutobi Hiruzen sighed.
Not one of his three students could be counted on.
Tsunade had left the village without a word, gambling everywhere.
Jiraiya traveled the shinobi world continuously, hard to track down.
In recent years, Orochimaru had grown increasingly gloomy, either holed up in his laboratory or mysteriously disappearing for stretches...
If Orochimaru, Jiraiya, and Tsunade had been there the day the Nine-Tails rampaged, why would he have needed to fight it himself?
How would the village have ended up like this!
Seeing Jiraiya's silence, Sarutobi Hiruzen walked toward the exit: "Come with me."
Following him all the way to the underground chamber beneath the Hokage Building, Jiraiya saw Harada Toru, Tachibana Hikoya, and Yamada Koji.
The three men had chains piercing their collarbones and hung half-dead in midair.
"Do you know them?"
Jiraiya snapped back to his senses, somewhat angry: "I do. What happened to them?"
"They incited the villagers' emotions and disrupted the village's stability."
Sarutobi Hiruzen said flatly, "Unfortunately, the interrogation yielded nothing."
"Do you know anything?"
"I don't."
Jiraiya suppressed his emotions: "If the interrogation yielded nothing, doesn't that mean they're innocent?"
"No. According to their account, Uchiha Yuzuru deliberately held back in battle."
Sarutobi Hiruzen shook his head: "That brat is ruthless—he dared kill ANBU shinobi when he was still in the village. There's no reason he'd spare these few."
"I suspect the mysterious man who appeared beside the Nine-Tails that night was Uchiha Yuzuru. Only he could enter and exit the Barrier undetected."
"When he deliberately let Harada Toru and the others go, he'd already planned to use them to incite the villagers' emotions."
"After all...
after witnessing a perfect Jinchuriki, making such statements isn't strange."
"Originally, I thought there must be something we hadn't uncovered, but now with your testimony, the facts should match the investigation."
"No."
Sarutobi Hiruzen shook his head again. "The statements they made have already caused villagers to resent me. If I release them as innocent, what happens to my image as Hokage among the people?"
"What are you planning to do?"
"I want you to testify that the three of them were controlled by Uchiha Yuzuru's Genjutsu."
Jiraiya clenched his fists: "Impossible!"
"Suit yourself, but..."
Sarutobi Hiruzen walked toward the exit. "Jiraiya, even for the village's sake, you should mature."
Watching Sarutobi Hiruzen's back, a defeated expression appeared on Jiraiya's face.
Sensei...
how did you become like this?
"Flying Thunder God?"
"Third Hokage, may I really learn this forbidden technique?"
Namikaze Minato held the jutsu scroll, asking with delight on his face.
Hearing this, the smile vanished from Namikaze Minato's face, replaced by guilt: "No, I failed to control the Nine-Tails, which is why the village suffered such losses."
He now somewhat understood why Uzumaki Kushina had adamantly refused to become the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki.
This feeling—that one moment of carelessness could cause countless deaths—he truly didn't want to experience again.
Seeing Namikaze Minato's state, Sarutobi Hiruzen shook his head: "Minato, don't blame yourself. Apart from special physiques, few can resist the Nine-Tails' power."
"Before you can control the Nine-Tails' power, travel outside the village."
"Jiraiya will go with you."
After hearing Sarutobi Hiruzen's words, Namikaze Minato looked resolute: "I will work hard!"
"Good. Go."
"Yes!"
After Namikaze Minato left, Jiraiya appeared in the office: "Sensei, even without Flying Thunder God, the Reverse Summoning Technique can remove Minato from all kinds of danger."
"Then I'll take my leave."
Jiraiya turned and left, no trace of attachment in his eyes.
He couldn't be as mature as his teacher demanded, so leaving was the best choice.
Land of Lightning.
Kumogakure.
Atop a mountain peak, thunder rumbled.
Uzumaki Kushina, dressed in black, faced the direction of the Land of Fire.
"Grandma Mito..."
"Rest in peace."
After speaking, she carefully placed a white flower on the ground.
Footsteps sounded behind her. Uzumaki Kushina wiped the tears from her face.
Seeing it was Uchiha Yuzuru, Uzumaki Kushina said with a bitter smile: "Yuzuru, I'm not strong enough, am I?"
She'd already said goodbye in advance, but now, hearing the news of Grandma Mito's death, she still couldn't help crying...
Someone like Yuzuru must dislike such a weak personality, right?
"Being strong doesn't mean not shedding a tear in the face of sadness—it means drying your tears and facing life ahead with a smile."
Uchiha Yuzuru said seriously, "Besides, didn't I already tell you back then..."
"The meaning of my strength is to let those around me live as they please."
Uzumaki Kushina paused, then said: "I didn't expect you'd still remember after all this time."
"Of course."
Uchiha Yuzuru pointed at himself. "Keeping my word is my shinobi way, dattebane!"
"Pfft~"
Uzumaki Kushina shot Uchiha Yuzuru a look and reached out to pinch his waist: "Don't imitate how I talk."
"Ha ha ha ha ha..."
Seeing Uchiha Yuzuru laugh heartily, Uzumaki Kushina took the initiative to throw herself into his arms and said softly: "Yuzuru, from now on in this world, you're my only family."
"Not from now on—right now."
"Huh?"
Seeing Uzumaki Kushina's puzzled look, Uchiha Yuzuru explained: "In the future, you'll have little Yuzuru or little Kushina—they'll be your family too."
"You!!!"
"I'm not talking to you anymore."
Uzumaki Kushina buried her face in Uchiha Yuzuru's arms and bit down in embarrassment.
Uchiha Yuzuru winced.
Sharp teeth. He'd have to be more careful in the future.
Crunch, crunch~
The snow made satisfying sounds as Uchiha Yuzuru stepped into the Raikage Building.
Inside the Raikage's office, the Third Raikage and A were already waiting.
Seeing Uchiha Yuzuru enter, the Third Raikage spoke: "Yuzuru, you're here."
"Ohayo~ Third Hokage!"
Uchiha Yuzuru's eyes suddenly widened as he looked at A: "How did you know Mikoto knitted me a scarf and Kushina knitted me gloves?"
Excuse me?
Who asked?
A looked at Uchiha Yuzuru in disbelief, unable to imagine such shamelessness existed in the world.
But before he could retort, the Third Raikage's large palm had already smacked the back of his head.
"Look at Yuzuru, then look at yourself!"
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