"We need to figure out what's going on first."
Hearing Senju Tobirama's reminder, Senju Hashirama finally snapped back to his senses.
With just a brief glance, he was already certain this was Konoha.
But the village he remembered—prosperous, thriving, full of life—why had it become nothing but ruins?
Standing opposite them were ninja wearing Konoha forehead protectors.
The ninja beside him, however, all wore the headbands of the Hidden Cloud.
Hashirama couldn't help blurting out, "T-This… what in the world is going on?"
Compared to Hashirama, Tobirama was far calmer.
He turned his gaze to Uchiha Yuzuru beside him and spoke flatly, "You're the one who summoned us, aren't you?"
Yuzuru nodded. "That's right."
Tobirama sighed and shifted his gaze toward the two elderly men surrounded by Konoha ninja ahead.
"So, Monkey, you've grown this old already. Looks like quite a lot happened while I was gone."
Hearing this, Sarutobi Hiruzen and Shimura Danzo exchanged a glance, both of their expressions turning unpleasant.
Hiruzen said gravely, "Second Hokage, you were the one who developed the Impure World Reincarnation Technique. If you have a way to undo it, please release it as soon as possible."
"Otherwise, you and the First Hokage will become accomplices in the destruction of Konoha."
Upon hearing this, Hashirama's expression changed. He pointed at Tobirama and said, "Tobirama, I told you long ago not to research these strange jutsu, but you just wouldn't listen."
"Now look at this—we're going to end up fighting for the enemy. It's all because—"
"Shut up!"
At Tobirama's sharp rebuke, Hashirama immediately drooped his head in dejection. "I-I understand…"
Everyone around them stared in shock, mouths agape.
In their subconscious, the man who ended the Warring States Period and founded the most powerful ninja village in history had to be a decisive, authoritative figure.
Yet here he was, being scolded in public by his younger brother, and he didn't even seem to have the courage to argue back.
This so-called God of Shinobi… had absolutely no authority at all.
Seeing that Yuzuru wasn't in a hurry to control him, Tobirama asked unhurriedly, "Monkey, what exactly is going on? The Impure World Reincarnation Technique is a forbidden jutsu. How could Hidden Cloud ninja use it?"
"And besides… how did they obtain cells from my brother and I?"
Seeing Tobirama's confusion, Hiruzen gritted his teeth. "Because there was a traitor within the village!"
"The one who reincarnated you two brothers this time is the current head of the Uchiha clan… Uchiha Yuzuru!"
Tobirama's eyes sharpened as he turned back to look at Yuzuru, snorting coldly. "So you betrayed the village after all. As expected, the Uchiha are inherently evil."
The moment his words fell, his body slammed to the ground against his will, and several black rods pinned him firmly in place.
Yuzuru crossed his arms and said coldly, "This really does make dealing with you much more comfortable."
Tobirama didn't care about Yuzuru's attitude.
After struggling a bit and realizing he couldn't break free from the Impure World Reincarnation's control, he couldn't help praising him. "You brat do have some talent. To think you could improve my technique to this extent."
Back then, he had developed the Impure World Reincarnation solely to pair it with the Mutually Multiplying Explosive Tags, so he hadn't put much effort into fully restoring the deceased's original strength.
The original version could only bring out less than half of a person's power.
But now, he could clearly feel that he possessed at least seventy percent of his strength from when he was alive.
Hashirama had already been unable to hold back. He looked at Yuzuru and asked, "Your name is Yuzuru, right?"
"Konoha was founded jointly by the Uchiha and the Senju. Why would you defect to another village?"
"If there was a problem, couldn't it have been discussed? Why resort to such extreme actions and destroy the village?"
Yuzuru snorted lightly and raised three fingers.
"First, the Uchiha clan did not defect. We merely left for a period of time. What we're doing now is taking back what rightfully belongs to us."
"Second, before leaving Konoha, we communicated with the village leadership more than once. The Hokage faction colluded with one another, persecuted their comrades, suppressed dissent, and turned Konoha into a cesspool. Leaving was a last resort."
"Third, the system you created is riddled with flaws and has caused nothing but trouble for later generations. That's why I intend to establish a new order."
Hashirama stared blankly at Yuzuru, as if he saw the shadow of an old acquaintance in him.
Back then, Uchiha Madara… seemed to have said something very similar.
At this thought, Hashirama murmured, "Could it be… that the system I created really wasn't good enough?"
Tobirama said coldly, "Brother, don't listen to this man's nonsense. As early as Madara's time, I already saw that the Uchiha clan was the root of chaos."
"What he's saying is nothing more than a high-sounding excuse to justify betraying Konoha."
After hearing Tobirama's explanation, Hiruzen and Danzo almost couldn't help applauding.
As expected of their teacher—his insight was truly sharp.
Hiruzen said in a deep voice, "That's right. No matter how nicely you dress it up, you are traitors to Konoha. Don't even think about using the power of the First and Second Hokage!"
Yuzuru raised an eyebrow, a trace of amusement flashing in his eyes. He smiled and said, "Words are meaningless. The truth will speak for itself. Who the real traitors are will be obvious soon enough."
"And unlike you, I didn't reincarnate Hashirama and Tobirama to fight for me. I merely wanted them to serve as judges."
Yuzuru shifted slightly to the side and continued with a smile, "This is the head of the Hyuga clan. Under pressure from Sarutobi Hiruzen and Shimura Danzo, he led the Hyuga to abandon darkness and turn to the light."
"This is Hatake Sakumo of the Hatake clan. He made outstanding contributions to the village, and his prestige was second only to the Hokage. Yet because he wasn't the Hokage faction's chosen successor, he was pushed out by the village leadership and made a scapegoat for a failed war—despite doing nothing wrong."
"This is an ordinary civilian ninja of the village. Even though his strength surpasses that of elite jōnin, he was unable to advance because he only used taijutsu, and was mocked throughout the village as a perpetual genin."
"This is Orochimaru, once the disciple of the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen. Nearly everyone regarded him as the next Hokage. Yet after helping Hiruzen and Danzo conduct human experiments, he was abandoned and eventually became someone everyone wanted to kill."
Yuzuru introduced them one by one, unhurried and composed.
"And this is the last heir of the Uzumaki clan, who was likewise driven into a dead end by Sarutobi Hiruzen and Shimura Danzo, and ultimately left Konoha together with our Uchiha clan."
At this point, Hashirama couldn't help interrupting, "The last heir of the Uzumaki clan?"
"What does that mean?"
The Uzumaki clan had been Konoha's most loyal allies. Though they lived in the Land of Whirlpools for generations, they had contributed greatly when Konoha was first established.
His wife, Uzumaki Mito, had once been the clan's eldest princess.
So upon hearing news of the Uzumaki clan, Hashirama couldn't help but ask.
Yuzuru wasn't angered by the interruption. After glancing at Hashirama, he explained, "Because the Land of Whirlpools was destroyed, and the Uzumaki clan was nearly wiped out."
"Of the Uzumaki clan members known to still be alive, there are no more than a handful."