In today's Konoha, after decades of political maneuvering—alliances forged, rivals quietly removed—Hiruzen Sarutobi had long since secured his position.
The village might not have been a single, seamless block of iron, but his seat as Hokage was unshakable.
Had it not been for this war, Hiruzen might well have remained Hokage until his dying breath.
But Konoha of several decades ago was a very different place.
Back then, the village had only recently been founded. The Second Hokage's policies had only just begun to take effect, and Konoha's true military strength still lay in its great clans.
The Sarutobi clan, while respected, could not compare to giants like the Uchiha, the Senju, or the Hyūga.
Especially the Senju.
Founders of Konoha.
Producers of two Hokage in succession.
At that time, the Senju clan's prestige in the village was at its absolute peak.
Under such circumstances, the unexplained death of Tobirama Senju—followed by Hiruzen and his companions returning with Tobirama's "final will," declaring Hiruzen the next Hokage—
It was inevitable that doubts would erupt.
Jin continued calmly,
"In short, Hiruzen's rise to the Hokage seat was anything but smooth. He faced intense resistance from the major clans."
"And among them, the Senju voiced the strongest opposition."
"But at that time, Konoha still had a supreme powerhouse—someone who prioritized the village above all else."
"That person forcibly suppressed the dissent."
"And only then did Hiruzen manage to sit firmly as the Third Hokage."
"The strongest in the village…" Minato's heart stirred. "You mean Lady Mito?"
Jin nodded.
"Yes. Mito Uzumaki."
"She was Konoha's first Nine-Tails jinchūriki. In terms of strength, she was likely second only to Hashirama Senju and Uchiha Madara."
"Even compared to the Second Hokage, the difference was negligible."
"And more than that—she was Hashirama's wife."
"Her authority within Konoha and the Senju clan was unparalleled."
Jin paused, then added casually,
"To put it bluntly—if Lady Mito had wanted the position, even the Third Hokage's seat wouldn't have been beyond her reach."
Minato nodded slowly.
He had met Mito before.
He still remembered the suffocating pressure she exuded without even trying—the kind that made breathing difficult.
Her power was unfathomable.
Jin continued,
"And Hiruzen truly lived up to his reputation as a natural politician."
"Once he secured the Hokage seat, he began consolidating power immediately."
"Perhaps after experiencing early resistance, he came to view the great clans as obstacles to Konoha's long-term stability."
"And so, once his position was secure, he began targeting them."
"First and foremost—"
"The Senju clan."
Minato's thoughts drifted to the Senju district he had seen in his youth—quiet, desolate, almost abandoned.
A clan that had stood tall for thousands of years, even through the Warring States Era…
Gone.
Reduced to a single surviving bloodline in mere decades after Konoha's founding.
To say there was no hidden truth behind that—
Who would believe it?
Jin's voice grew heavier.
"What exactly happened may have been buried by history."
"But according to certain Uchiha records, most of the Senju's prime fighters died on the battlefield."
"And many of their infants and young children vanished within the village itself."
"Vanished? Inside Konoha?" Minato frowned. "How could that happen? Wasn't it investigated?"
"It was," Inuzuka Gaku interjected. "And it wasn't limited to the Senju."
"Other clans lost children too."
"But nothing was ever found. The war situation was tense, and in the end… it was quietly shelved."
Akimichi Dōtō added in his low voice,
"I remember it as well. I was still young. The adults said enemy spies had infiltrated the village."
"They even warned me not to wander around alone."
Minato's brow furrowed.
He had been born later—he had never known this.
Jin fell silent for a moment, then spoke slowly,
"In this world, there is no wall that doesn't leak."
"I happen to know part of the truth."
All eyes turned to him.
Jin didn't hesitate.
"After the deaths of the First and Second Hokage, Konoha remained the strongest village—but it had lost its absolute dominance."
"Hiruzen and a handful of high-ranking elders decided to restart a forbidden project."
"A forbidden project?" Minato caught the key words instantly. "Restart?"
The others were visibly shaken.
Human experimentation was a taboo across the entire shinobi world.
To think the village leadership would dare…
Jin continued evenly,
"The project was originally proposed by the Second Hokage himself."
"After the death of the First Hokage, Hashirama's cells retained terrifying vitality."
"Tobirama, ever the researcher, began studying those cells—attempting to reproduce Wood Release."
"And since the cells came from Hashirama—"
"The most suitable test subjects were, naturally, members of the Senju clan."
"But the cells were too aggressive."
"Almost no one survived."
"In the end, Tobirama came to his senses and terminated the experiment."
Jin's eyes darkened.
"But Hiruzen and the others restarted it."
"And they expanded the scope."
"No longer limited to the Senju."
It explained far too much.
Otherwise, they would never have discovered the strange compatibility between Hashirama's cells and the Uchiha Sharingan.
Minato's gentle expression twisted with fury.
"How could they do this…?" he growled. "How does that align with the Will of Fire?"
The kindly face of Hiruzen rose in his mind—
And shattered.
Minato had believed he understood the darkness of this world.
Now he realized—
He had only been scratching the surface.
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