Sasuke's voice carried a hint of disbelief as he suddenly realized that the man before him looked exactly like the face of the First Hokage carved into the Hokage Rock in Konoha Village.
"Ahaha, so you know me." Hashirama Senju's hearty laughter echoed through the forest, a smile beaming across his face as if he was delighted that Sasuke recognized him.
The laughter was as loud as a tolling bell, brimming with vitality.
"Alright, keep it down. Even though the barrier is up, you should still be a bit more restrained."
Roy frowned slightly and said to Hashirama Senju in a somewhat irritated tone.
Hearing Roy's words, Hashirama Senju scratched his head awkwardly, a slightly apologetic smile appearing on his face as he lowered his voice a bit.
This time, Hashirama Senju had actually requested Roy to let him see the current world of the ninjas.
When Hashirama learned that the Uchiha clan had been annihilated, his feelings became extremely complicated.
He then strongly requested to see the last remaining member of the Uchiha clan – Sasuke.
"That face looks a lot like Izuna," Hashirama Senju thought to himself, a glimmer of nostalgia in his eyes.
Looking at Sasuke, he couldn't help but think of Uchiha Izuna, and also of his friend Uchiha Madara.
Those memories from the past came flooding back.
"The First Hokage, how are you here? Have you been alive all this time?" Sasuke's heart was filled with shock and doubt as his eyes scanned Hashirama Senju, trying to find some answers from him.
"Ahaha, I've been dead for a long time. I was just summoned by someone to take a look at this world," Hashirama Senju said with great openness, stating his situation frankly without a trace of sadness or regret.
Just then, Roy suddenly reached out and tossed a wanted poster to Sasuke.
Sasuke caught it instinctively. When his eyes landed on the poster, his expression immediately turned to one of horror upon seeing its contents.
"History's Most Heinous Criminal – Hashirama Senju?"
Sasuke could hardly believe his eyes.
In his understanding, the First Hokage was the great founder of Konoha Village, a revered hero. How could he have ended up in the world of pirates and become a major criminal there?
This tremendous contrast left him utterly shocked. He felt this world was increasingly exceeding his comprehension, with many things becoming difficult for him to understand.
"Ahaha, that's all a misunderstanding," Hashirama Senju said with a helpless look, spreading his hands and shaking his head slightly.
Becoming inexplicably branded as "History's Most Heinous Criminal" in the pirate world was truly a mess Roy had dragged him into.
"Alright, let's focus on the main issue," Roy interrupted Hashirama Senju.
Sasuke had been immersed in shock over the startling news of Hashirama becoming a "major criminal," but hearing Roy's words, his body involuntarily tensed slightly.
A strong curiosity welled up within him.
But after all, having now seen the First Hokage Hashirama Senju with his own eyes and having experienced so many incredible things, he felt that seeing other bizarre things probably wouldn't faze him anymore.
Nevertheless, he was still eager to know what exactly this main issue Roy mentioned was.
"Do you think the annihilation of the Uchiha clan back then was all done by one person, Uchiha Itachi?"
Roy's voice was unhurried, but it struck Sasuke's heart like a hammer blow.
"That man admitted it himself," Sasuke said, grinding his teeth, hatred blazing in his eyes.
Just mentioning Uchiha Itachi, anger instantly consumed him.
The older brother who had once stood so tall in his heart had personally destroyed their clan – a fact he couldn't come to terms with.
"One person, killing off an entire clan in one night?" Roy questioned.
Sasuke opened his mouth to respond but found himself speechless.
Doubt surged within him. Yes, could one person, no matter how powerful, truly massacre an entire clan in a single night?
Moreover, the Uchiha clan had its fair share of strong ninjas. How could they have been wiped out so easily by one person?
"And besides, in a large village like Konoha, no one noticed anything unusual?"
Roy followed up with another question, his tone carrying a hint of guidance.
Seeing the confusion and contemplation gradually appearing on Sasuke's face, he knew his words had planted a seed of doubt in Sasuke's mind.
Sasuke's brows furrowed deeply as he sank into thought.
He recalled that bloody night, the pungent smell of blood filling the Uchiha clan's compound, the bodies of his clansmen lying haphazardly on the ground.
But back then, because he was too young and overwhelmed with shock, combined with being blinded by hatred for Itachi, he hadn't considered these inconsistencies.
Now Roy's words made him reexamine those painful memories, and unprecedented doubt regarding the truth behind Itachi's annihilation of the clan arose within him.
"Yes, the clan had Father, the Elder, so many jonin," Sasuke said, somewhat lost.
In his memory, the Uchiha clan was full of talented people. His father, Uchiha Fugaku, as clan head, was powerful, and the jonin of the clan were all battle-hardened veterans.
Could Itachi truly have accomplished all this by himself?
Sasuke had just recently learned that the person who attacked him in the Forest of Death was Orochimaru, the one who had attacked Konoha.
That man's strength was undoubtedly on the level of a Kage.
Sasuke vividly remembered the overwhelming pressure he felt when facing Orochimaru in combat.
Yet, even with Orochimaru's great power, Sasuke understood that wiping out the entire Uchiha clan single-handedly and silently was nearly impossible.
After all, the Uchiha clan had deep roots and immense strength – they weren't something that could be destroyed so easily.
"Konoha..." Sasuke murmured again. This place he once called home now felt incredibly foreign and suspicious in his heart.
"From that perspective, Konoha is highly suspicious," Hashirama Senju remarked with a grave expression, stroking his chin with his finger.
As the First Hokage of Konoha Village, Hashirama Senju held deep affection for the village.
Yet, hearing Roy and Sasuke's analysis regarding the Uchiha clan massacre, he had to reevaluate the matter.
"Was it Tobirama? No, the timing doesn't match either," Hashirama Senju muttered, a flicker of confusion in his eyes.
"Then could it be the monkey?" Hashirama Senju's brow furrowed tightly as a sense of foreboding welled up in his heart.
The "monkey" he referred to was the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Hiruzen Sarutobi was a junior he had watched grow up. In his impression, Hiruzen had always been a kind person, utterly loyal to Konoha Village.
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