Chapter 92: Attacking the Hokage
"…"
Outside, the rain poured endlessly, the sky split by flashes of lightning that illuminated the Hokage's weary reflection in the glass. Sarutobi Hiruzen straightened his back, forcing himself to appear composed majestic, even though the exhaustion from three sleepless nights weighed heavily on him.
Yet as he looked at his reflection at the face that had grown lined and frail he couldn't ignore the truth. Time had stripped too much from him.
His drive. His ambition. His hunger to lead and to change the village.
In these three days of isolation, he had caught himself wondering more than once if it might be better to simply let go. Because deep down, Sarutobi Hiruzen knew Konoha might already be beyond saving.
Look at the Land of Lightning. They had learned from their failures, growing stronger, bolder, united. Their researchers were advancing at a terrifying pace, perhaps even close to developing teleportation techniques capable of bypassing Aizen's chakra blockade and striking Konoha directly.
Look at the Land of Wind and the Land of Earth. Their hidden villages had already reached near automation, transforming their nations into fortified machines of war. The sight alone was both awe inspiring and sickening.
And as for the Mist… no one truly knew what happened there anymore. The Land of Water had become shrouded in secrecy. Rumors spoke of them annexing the Land of Snow and acquiring strange, foreign technology.
Meanwhile, countless smaller nations were awakening trading secrets, forming alliances, even equipping themselves with outdated versions of the Blut Vene and Blut Arterie technologies.
The world was changing fast. Too fast. And in a world like this, hesitation was death.
Sarutobi Hiruzen's expression darkened. He knew what the truth was his decisiveness had long since faded.
Once, he had acted without hesitation. He had established Root. He had carried forward the Second Hokage's policies. He had mobilized Konoha's entire military for the Second Great Ninja War. He had commanded the clan shinobi to sacrifice everything for the village's sake.
Those had been bold, ruthless choices decisions that had shaped history. Back then, he hadn't flinched once.
Even if his choices were harsh, even if they caused turmoil, he had believed in them, because they were for Konoha. As long as it benefited the village, he would bear any sin.
But now… now he hesitated.
He second guessed every decision. He worried who might object, who might rebel, who might be hurt. He wanted to please everyone to find the perfect solution that left no one behind.
And every time he hesitated, the moment slipped away. By the time he reached his conclusions, it was already too late.
That was why he had handed everything over to Aizen.
At first, he had doubted the man his origins, his methods, his rapid rise to influence within Konoha. But the results spoke for themselves. Under Aizen's management, the village had flourished.
Even the scandal of leaked research had been traced back to Hiruzen's own carelessness, not Aizen's. Financial reports had balanced flawlessly, military training efficiency had doubled, and civilian morale had reached heights unseen since the First Hokage's era.
Aizen had no flaws at least none that mattered.
His political insight, his ability to handle crises, his control over Konoha's clans all of it was impeccable. Even if he had harbored secrets, even if he had manipulated things behind the scenes, it didn't change the truth: He had rebuilt Konoha's strength.
Hiruzen couldn't deny it. If Aizen had appeared openly, demonstrated his overwhelming power, and demanded the title of Hokage… Hiruzen might have given it to him willingly.
Because Aizen had done what no one else could.
He resolved clan conflicts with surgical precision. He defused crises others would have fled from. He transformed Konoha's chaos into order and gave it direction.
What more could a Hokage ask for?
Even if Aizen someday decided to destroy Konoha, what of it? If the name "Konoha" vanished but its people lived in peace and prosperity, was that truly destruction?
Sarutobi Hiruzen chuckled bitterly.
He wasn't one of those fanatics who worshipped the name "Konoha." All he wanted was for its people to live well. And if that required change true, sweeping change then so be it.
Maybe that was just how old men thought.
He exhaled, eyes dimming as thunder echoed outside.
And then the news came. The one message that shattered his fragile calm.
Aizen was dead.
For three days, Hiruzen had sat in silence, locked away, thinking again and again
He couldn't understand why Aizen had died like this.
If it were anyone else, Sarutobi Hiruzen might have believed the reports without question. But Aizen… no. The man was too careful, too intelligent, too precise in every move he made. If he truly was dead, then it could only mean one thing he had chosen to die.
So why?
Why fake his own death? What did he hope to achieve?
Hiruzen's thoughts chased themselves in endless circles for three days and nights, but not once did he find an answer.
Aizen had everything.
Power? If he revealed even half of his strength, he could have risen to unrivaled authority in Konoha, perhaps even led the entire world under one banner. Influence? He already sat among Konoha's elders; claiming the Hokage title would have been effortless if he had desired it. Trust? No one truly doubted him not even Hiruzen himself, who, despite his lingering caution, had long accepted the man's presence as a blessing to the village.
So what was he lacking? What could Konoha possibly withhold from a man like Aizen?
The more he thought about it, the less sense it made. There was no answer that satisfied him no reason strong enough to explain Aizen's "death."
Seventy two hours passed. Still nothing.
But the village outside his window had already begun to burn.
Reports reached him in waves the younger ninjas from the Mutual Aid Association had turned against the clans, inciting chaos across the district. Worse still, the Uchiha were involved. And even the Hyuga seemed to be quietly assisting them.
Hiruzen's hand trembled as he set the report down. His anger flared, hot and sharp.
The two greatest clans of Konoha turning their youth loose to pillage their own families?
What madness was this?
Did they plan to dismantle the one village one clan balance completely? The Uchiha and Hyuga, the two pillars of Konoha's power, were tearing each other apart over differing visions and now, other minor clans were being dragged into the conflict as well.
Suppressing the rage boiling within him, Hiruzen took a deep breath and reached for the Hokage's hat resting on his desk.
As Hokage, he bore the authority and the duty to command every shinobi in Konoha.
He remembered all too vividly the night Uchiha Madara had enslaved the Nine Tails with his Mangekyō Sharingan, sending it rampaging through the village.
And now, multiple Mangekyō existed within Konoha's walls.
Even with the advancements in chakra stabilizers and Blut Arterie technology, the risk was too great. If just one of those eyes turned against the village…
He could not allow history to repeat itself.
This was his failure his hesitation, his indecision, his fear of acting too late. But not this time. He would stop this crisis with his own hands, and then… pass the title of Hokage to another, someone more decisive, before it was too late.
(Danzo… could he bear that mantle? Could he save what remained?)
The question lingered as Hiruzen stepped outside. The storm greeted him instantly, rain hammering his robes, washing over his aged face.
He frowned as the sound of the storm shifted subtly.
Something was wrong.
Though the rain still fell, it made no sound when striking certain shadows along the street.
"...A trap?" he muttered under his breath. "Has it come to this? The Uchiha? Or perhaps one of the other villages?"
He took a defensive stance, scanning his surroundings. The world was quiet too quiet.
Then, through the heavy rainfall, came a voice.
A voice so familiar that it stopped his heart cold.
"Hey… monkey."
Hiruzen froze. That tone half amused, half commanding hadn't graced this world in decades.
"...What?" he whispered.
"Don't move," the voice replied calmly. "If you're here in person, you'll only make things worse."
"That's impossible…" Hiruzen turned sharply, his chakra flaring in disbelief. "This this must be one of Aizen's illusions! His technique!"
"Aizen's technique?" the voice said, stepping out from the darkness. "No. This is my jutsu."
The figure emerged from the shadows tall, broad shouldered, clad in armor that gleamed faintly beneath the rain. His white hair was slicked back, his expression stern yet composed.
The man crossed his arms.
"The Impure World Reincarnation technique," he said, voice low and steady. "It was my creation. Aizen merely refined it. Remember that."
Hiruzen's breath caught in his throat. His eyes widened as the truth sank in.
Standing before him was a man without cracks, without the pallor of the dead. A man who looked exactly as he had decades ago alive, unwavering, terrifyingly real.
The Second Hokage.
Senju Tobirama.
The younger brother of the God of Shinobi. The architect of Konoha's forbidden techniques. The one who had taught him everything.
And now… he was back.
"Why… why are you here?" Hiruzen managed, his voice trembling despite himself.
Tobirama's gaze sharpened, his red armor glinting in the storm.
"If you want this village to survive," he said quietly, "then what comes next is necessary."
He tilted his head slightly, eyes narrowing with cold calculation.
"My foolish brother would never allow anyone to harm Konoha. But I" his lips curled faintly, "I understand that sometimes, to protect the tree, you must cut off the diseased branches."
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