"Sigh..."
Watching as Uchiha Shingen fell dead, both Uchiha Makoto and Hiruzen Sarutobi let out long, heavy sighs, looking deeply dejected. But strangely enough...
Every Uchiha clansman surrounding Makoto had eyes burning with fierce light, and beneath it all lay an excitement they could barely suppress.
"He actually killed Elder Shingen!"
"This is perfect! Now, no one can hold the Uchiha clan back anymore."
"And Aoi is finished... completely finished!"
After a flurry of hushed whispers, the Uchiha clansmen began shouting and roaring openly:
"Aoi is a murderer! Aoi is a murderer!"
Seeing this, Hiruzen patted him on the shoulder and spoke in a low, consoling tone. "Aoi, let's go back to the estate first. We can talk there."
As the bloodlust faded and Aoi slowly calmed down, he began to realize: from the very moment Uchiha Shingen appeared, the entire situation had reeked of conspiracy...
Shingen was an Elder of the Uchiha clan; there was no way he didn't recognize who Aoi was.
More importantly, he had barely put up a fight at all. It was almost as if he had wanted, even expected, Aoi to kill him.
But what weighed on him most was that he hadn't fully recovered from his experiences in that trial world.
Unconsciously, after witnessing the life and death of hundreds of thousands of people, his personality had grown far more ruthless and violent.
In the past, he never would have killed Uchiha Shingen right there in front of everyone like that.
Over a year of chaos and lawlessness had changed him; he could no longer recognize the person he used to be.
Along the way, Uchiha clansmen spread the news loudly and openly: that Aoi had brutally murdered an Uchiha Elder in broad daylight, right in front of witnesses.
"Did you hear? The so-called 'Hero of Konoha' Aoi is actually alive!"
The Uchiha clansmen, seemingly prepared long in advance, spread the news with lightning speed.
"What? He's alive? Then where has he been all this time?"
"Hmph, who knows? Probably off having fun somewhere." The Uchiha clansman sneered disdainfully.
This drew questioning looks from passersby. "How can you say that? Weren't we fighting a war for ages precisely because we thought he was dead?"
"And not only that, but the moment he came back, he butchered one of our Elders right in public!" The Uchiha clansman gnashed his teeth as he spoke.
"Elder Shingen risked his life for this village year after year, and in the end, he was killed by one of our own!"
Hearing such words, even those who had once admired or liked Aoi turned completely against him. Many now felt such hatred they wanted to tear him apart with their bare hands.
Listening to it all, Aoi was seized by an impulse to ignore everything and kill every single one of them. Thankfully, Hiruzen stepped in quickly and held him back...
Later, sitting in the Hokage Residence, Aoi scratched his head in confusion, his expression blank.
"Why are they doing this? Why go so far as to sacrifice an Elder's life just to ruin my reputation?"
Hiruzen chuckled bitterly and shook his head. "Because they want to compete for the position of Hokage..."
"Compete for Hokage?"
Aoi's eyes widened in shock. "Does that mean... Tobirama Senju is dead?"
"I am not dead yet."
Before Aoi could finish speaking, Tobirama Senju appeared, seated in a wheelchair, slowly pushed forward by Uchiha Kagami.
"What happened to you?"
Aoi stared, stunned. The man once known as the fastest shinobi in history... was now crippled?
"During the campaign to conquer the Sand Village, they resisted desperately. In a last, suicidal move, they released the One-Tail." Hiruzen sighed heavily.
"Lord Tobirama... in order to shield and protect the village's shinobi... lost both his legs..."
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