Page 107

"Enough, I don't want to hear any more explanations." Tobirama Senju was in a bad mood as he looked at Hiruzen Sarutobi in front of him.

I never expected that after his death, his successor, Hiruzen Sarutobi, would be so incompetent. Look at the mess he's made!

The Hokage of Konoha are getting worse with each generation.

However, despite the criticism, Tobirama Senju knew in his heart that Hiruzen Sarutobi hadn't really done anything wrong at the time.

From his perspective, the First Shinobi World War had just ended, and the war had finally come to a close.

Now, we're going to fight against various ninja villages over the Uzumaki clan, which isn't of much value to Konoha. This could easily trigger a Fourth Shinobi World War.

It's really not worth it for Konoha!

But looking at it from another angle, the current situation is ultimately caused by Hiruzen's limited abilities, and this lack of ability is Hiruzen Sarutobi's biggest original sin.

Hiruzen Sarutobi has neither the strength of the First Hokage nor the political acumen of his own. What can he do in this situation?

Perhaps sacrificing the Uzumaki clan to avoid dragging Konoha into the war would be the best option.

"Ugh..."

Tobirama Senju sighed, looking at Hiruzen Sarutobi, who was bowing his head and remaining silent, and felt a pang of sadness.

The situation was urgent at the time, with the elite troops of Golden Horn and Silver Horn relentlessly pursuing him and his disciples.

The situation was dire, so he chose to act as bait and cover the retreat, appointing Hiruzen Sarutobi as the Third Hokage from among his disciples and entrusting the entire Hidden Leaf Village to him.

Among all the disciples, apart from Uchiha Kagami, who had a special status, only he and Danzo were truly promising.

Choosing Hiruzen Sarutobi was the best outcome at the time; at least he hadn't chosen Danzo, that heinous criminal.

After a brief period of anger, Tobirama Senju came to understand Hiruzen Sarutobi's approach to dealing with the Uzumaki clan, but there were still some things he wanted to clarify.

Thinking this, Tobirama Senju looked at Hiruzen Sarutobi and asked, "Monkey, do you know Sakumo Hatake of the Hatake clan?"

How did the teacher know about this person's existence? Hiruzen Sarutobi had a bad feeling.

Seeing that Hiruzen Sarutobi hadn't answered for a while, Tobirama Senju's face darkened. "You must be very familiar with this person, right? I want to know if you know about Sakumo Hatake's death, and whether you were involved."

“Teacher…I…” Hiruzen Sarutobi opened his mouth, but didn’t know what to say.

Tobirama Senju coldly said, "Don't try to lie to me. Don't think that I, a dead man, know nothing. You'd better tell me the truth."

These words struck Hiruzen Sarutobi as if he had been struck by a heavy blow.

Does the teacher know everything? Orochimaru probably told him.

Damn it!!! That damned Orochimaru!!

This rebellious student told the teacher everything! The teacher is obviously going to settle scores with me now!

Although he owed the dispelling of his illusion to his teacher, Hiruzen Sarutobi felt no joy whatsoever from his teacher's current accusatory attitude.

Chapter 144 Impure Thoughts

That damn Orochimaru!! He's driving me to my death!

Why didn't I kill this traitor back then?! Now trouble has come knocking, how am I supposed to handle this?

Hiruzen Sarutobi felt more and more regretful the more he thought about it.

Hiruzen Sarutobi deeply regretted letting Orochimaru escape back then, but there's no going back, and there's nothing he could do about it.

Hiruzen Sarutobi couldn't look Tobirama Senju in the eye; he didn't know how to explain himself to him.

To say he had nothing to do with Sakumo Hatake's death? That Sakumo Hatake committed suicide out of guilt for failing to complete Konoha's mission? Would someone as shrewd as the teacher choose to believe that?

Hiruzen Sarutobi knew without a second thought that Tobirama-sensei would never believe his story.

Tobirama-sensei is such a shrewd person; for me to use these tricks in front of him is no different from children playing house.

Orochimaru, that rebellious disciple, explained these things to his teacher, who, with his keen insight, could immediately see the problem.

The problem lies with himself, the Hokage.

It's true, as Hokage, I did nothing about Sakumo Hatake's situation, letting rumors spread throughout the village without taking timely action. This resulted in Konoha losing such an important fighting force as Sakumo Hatake.

Hiruzen Sarutobi acknowledged that he was directly responsible for Sakumo Hatake's death, admitting that he bore a great deal of responsibility.

But what Hiruzen Sarutobi feared most was how Tobirama would treat him if he told the truth.

Is it severe punishment, or just a show, taking one's own affairs seriously but letting them go easily?

Hiruzen Sarutobi, already uneasy about being controlled by Danzo's illusions, is now even more terrified by Tobirama Senju's interrogation.

The nearly sixty-year-old Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, pondered what kind of explanation he could use to minimize his own responsibility.

Just as Hiruzen was pondering, Tobirama Senju on the field lost his patience.

Tobirama snorted coldly and said to him, "Monkey, why aren't you saying anything? Have you run out of things to say?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi gritted his teeth. He knew he couldn't hide this any longer, so he could only honestly confess to Tobirama-sensei and try to get leniency.

"I have failed my teacher's trust."

So, Hiruzen forced a smile and said, "The death of Hatake Sakumo is my responsibility as the Hokage. It was all because I, as the Hokage, failed to handle the rumors and gossip in the village properly, which led to the suicide of this powerful man, Hatake Sakumo."

"It is my fault for failing to manage Konoha properly; I am guilty."

"All the blame lies with me, the Hokage. Please punish me, Master." Hiruzen bowed deeply, his voice filled with sorrow.

Upon hearing this, Tobirama Senju looked Hiruzen Sarutobi up and down, then said with disappointment, "Monkey, you've been the Third Hokage of Konoha for so long, have you made any progress whatsoever?"

"The disciple is guilty..."

After Tobirama Senju uttered those words, Hiruzen Sarutobi's hunched body trembled slightly.

Tobirama Senju said in a deep voice, "Monkey, do you think I can't see through your thoughts? I know everything in my heart."

“If I said your political abilities were mediocre, that would be fine! I could tolerate that. But what you shouldn’t have done was to let the rumors about Sakumo Hatake spread in the village.”

"As the Hokage of Konoha, what do you spend your time thinking about all day?"

"Did they waste all their time scheming against their own people?!" Tobirama Senju couldn't contain his emotions and shouted angrily.

Hearing Tobirama's angry rebuke, Hiruzen Sarutobi, who was once a shining star in Konoha, lowered his head and obediently listened to Tobirama's scolding.

Tobirama Senju's anger remained unabated. "Remember you are the Hokage of Konoha. No matter what political means you use, you cannot harm the interests of the village."

"But look at what you've done!"

"That Hatake Sakumo single-handedly wiped out the entire invading Sunagakure force during the Second Shinobi World War. Instead of protecting such an important fighting force, they harmed him."

Tobirama Senju sternly questioned Hiruzen Sarutobi, "Is this how you treat Konoha's elite forces? Do you think Konoha's elite forces can be so easily destroyed? Do you even care about Konoha's interests?"

At this point, Tobirama Senju closed his eyes, his face showing a pained expression. "I truly feel sorry for Sakumo Hatake. He didn't die on the battlefield, but at the hands of his own people."

"Teacher...it's my fault, I'm guilty..." Hiruzen Sarutobi lowered his head, feeling deeply ashamed.

Unable to contain his anger, Tobirama Senju unleashed a series of soul-searching questions at Hiruzen Sarutobi, "You still know it's your fault! As Hokage, your mind is not pure. Instead of trying to suppress the unfavorable public opinion against Sakumo Hatake, you let the rumors and gossip in the village weigh heavily on Sakumo Hatake. What are your true intentions!?"

"Anyone with eyes can see that you deliberately wanted to force Sakumo Hatake to his death. Do you think everyone else is stupid? That they can't see what you've been doing?"

"Are you worried that his prestige in Konoha might threaten your position as Hokage?"

Tobirama Senju's last words almost stunned Hiruzen Sarutobi.

He couldn't accept this huge accusation! If he did, he would be finished, and he would have no place in Konoha anymore.

If word gets out, what will the other people in Konoha think of him?

Hiruzen Sarutobi hurriedly explained to Tobirama Senju, "This is absolutely not true, absolutely not true, Master! I'm innocent!!"

"This disciple had absolutely no intention of harming Hatake Sakumo! When the rumors first started, this disciple failed to stop them in time, and this disciple admits his mistake. But by the time the rumors had spread throughout the village, it was too late to stop them! It was not this disciple who intentionally wanted to harm Hatake Sakumo!"

Tobirama Senju clearly did not believe Hiruzen Sarutobi's explanation.

But what could Tobirama do if he didn't believe him? Sakumo Hatake was already dead, and pursuing his past now would be pointless.

After a sigh, Tobirama Senju said softly, "Enough, enough. I have no desire to pursue right and wrong anymore. Let's put this aside for now."

"Thank you for your forgiveness, teacher." Hiruzen Sarutobi breathed a sigh of relief; it seemed that Tobirama-sensei still remembered their past friendship.

After Tobirama Senju chose not to pursue the matter, Hiruzen Sarutobi began to make his own plans.

Although he lost his position as Hokage due to Danzo's genjutsu, now that Tobirama-sensei has arrived, he may still have a chance to regain the position.

Hiruzen Sarutobi knew that Tobirama-sensei had come with ill intentions and was clearly there to settle scores with them, the high-ranking officials of Konoha.

Chapter 145 Wild Ideas

But Hiruzen Sarutobi also had his own ulterior motives. His old buddy Danzo, needless to say, was a prime example of how evil deeds inevitably lead to one's downfall. He had committed so many heinous and outrageous acts that angered both heaven and man.

Given Hiruzen Sarutobi's understanding of Tobirama Senju's personality, he would certainly not let his old friend Danzo Shimura off easily.

And after his old friend is punished by Tobirama-sensei, will he still be able to get away with it?

Given all that Danzo did, he deserved to die no matter what. The fact that he was able to die with a whole body is all thanks to his teacher's mercy.

Hiruzen Sarutobi was utterly astonished that Danzo would actually target him, using Sharingan genjutsu to control him and even forcing him to abdicate and become the Fifth Hokage himself. How could Danzo possibly come up with such a thing?

Has Danzo forgotten who's been cleaning up his messes all this time? What an ungrateful wretch!

Now that Tobirama-sensei has broken the illusion for him, he has regained his freedom.