The Hyuga Shall Stand Above, In The Heavens!

Konoha. 

In the central plaza. 

When Fugaku continued his outburst and mentioned the fall of the Senju, Sarutobi Hiruzen and Danzo could no longer keep their composure. They were both drenched in cold sweat. 

It's over! 

They exchanged a look and understood that things were spiraling out of control. 

Especially Sarutobi, still standing on the stage. He was under far more pressure than Danzo below, worried that Tobirama might ask the next question and direct it straight at Fugaku, asking him about the village's happenings or about the Senju clan. 

What should we do? 

Sarutobi Hiruzen glanced at his old companion in the distance, his eyes filled with questions. 

But his companion's calm demeanor reassured Sarutobi a little. 

After all, Tobirama was resurrected by Danzo, and the caster of the Edo Tensei can control the summoned dead. If things go south, Danzo could take control of Tobirama and act to escape the situation. 

But that would mean the strategy of using the resurrected Tobirama to bring down Fugaku would fail completely. 

No, maybe it already has failed. 

Danzo narrowed his eyes, feeling like even if he tried to control Tobirama now, he couldn't take control of the situation. 

But thankfully, he had prepared a backup plan. 

Danzo squinted his eyes and met the frustrated face of the Land of Fire's Daimyo in the distance. 

Just as Senju Tobirama had said, Danzo had evolved through repeated blame. After obtaining the power of Edo Tensei, he became the leader of the anti-Uchiha rebellion, and his heart had transformed. He now understood deeply the weight of Sarutobi Hiruzen's words about doing everything for the village. 

The current situation had become clear, and he might no longer have the power to change it. Soon, he might become the target of Tobirama's questioning, and he could only force himself into hiding.

But for the sake of the village, temporarily stepping back and enduring humiliation wasn't shameful.

From the start, Danzo had prepared a two plan and successfully met with the newly appointed Land of Fire Daimyo.

Just like Sarutobi, who had been busy all along, Danzo had also been active.

Although his previous attempt to seek financial aid from the Daimyo's residence had ended with him being thrown out, it had at least helped him get acquainted with the new Daimyo. This time, their collaboration went surprisingly smoothly.

The Daimyo wanted to support the establishment of a new hidden village outside the Land of Fire, one that could grow to a certain scale and be used to counterbalance Konohagakure. Danzo, on the other hand, wanted to become Hokage again and crush everyone beneath him. Their goals aligned perfectly, and they prepared two plans.

The first plan was for Tobirama-sensei to successfully overpower the Uchiha and appoint Danzo as the new Hokage. Once Fugaku's legacy was completely dismantled, Danzo would gain the Daimyo's support and repair his relationship with the Daimyo.

The second plan was for Tobirama-sensei to fail. In that case, Danzo would leave Konohagakure with the Daimyo's support and establish a new hidden village. Using his trump card, the Reanimation Jutsu, he would make a grand entrance. Once his army of reanimated shinobi was fully formed, he would launch a counterattack on Konohagakure.

However, when discussing the details of establishing the new village, they disagreed on the name. The Daimyo wanted to call it the Hidden Flame Village, with the ultimate goal of replacing Konohagakure. Danzo, on the other hand, believed that Konohagakure was Konohagakure, and the temporary name of the new village didn't matter. He insisted on calling it the Hidden Root Village, with himself as the first Root Shadow. He planned to collaborate with former Land of Fire guardian shinobi, Kazuma, and his subordinates, as well as the remnants of the Root organization, to lay the foundation for the Hidden Root Village.

In the end, Danzo, the first Root Shadow, won the argument and convinced the Daimyo to finalize the location of the Land of Roots and the name of the Hidden Root Village.

It couldn't be helped.

Kazuma, the former Land of Fire guardian shinobi and a loyalist to the Daimyo, also possessed a technique called Earth Release: Resurrection—Soil of the Dead, which could revive the deceased for battle. However, its combat effectiveness paled in comparison to the Edo Tensei. Moreover, the revived individuals could only be brought back once, and the technique had obvious weaknesses.

If there had been no alternative, the Daimyo might have relied on Kazuma as his trusted ally. But now, Danzo was clearly the better choice.

However, strength wasn't the only factor.

After understanding the true nature of these hidden villages, the Daimyo had lost trust in these reckless shinobi who dared to challenge his authority. In his heart, Kazuma remained his most loyal confidant, someone whose loyalty was beyond question.

If Hyuga Hitoshi represented the radical faction that believed the Hokage should stand above the Daimyo, then Kazuma represented the conservative faction that believed the Hokage was unnecessary and that real power should belong to the Daimyo. His beliefs were firm, and for this reason, the Daimyo agreed to Danzo's proposal but placed Kazuma in a high-ranking position within the Hidden Root Village. He also gave Kazuma the order to secretly learn the Edo Tensei.

In the end, the Daimyo and Danzo, each with their own hidden agendas, successfully joined forces.

With the escape route set, Danzo no longer needed to worry about using Senju Tobirama to topple the Uchiha rule. Instead, it was time to think about how to make his own escape.

His thoughts returned.

Danzo's eyes flickered as he looked at his old partner in the crowd, seemingly considering the value of Sarutobi Hiruzen's presence.

After a long silence, he let out a deep breath, and a flash of sharpness appeared in his eyes.

"Hiruzen, back then, you gained Tobirama-sensei's trust and became Hokage because you wanted to protect us. But in the end, you never did what you promised—to protect your comrades."

Now, it was time to fulfill that old promise!

On the platform.

Unaware that he was about to be betrayed, Sarutobi stood behind Senju Tobirama, still walking on thin ice.

He wanted to say something, but Fugaku kept speaking to Tobirama.

As Uchiha Fugaku continued his barrage, the Second Hokage's face grew darker and darker.

"Arrogant, ignorant, and arrogant? Ha, what a joke! Why can't I, as Konohagakure's true hero with my Mangekyō Sharingan, show off? Is showing off really arrogance and ignorance? I'm not like your disciple, who looks busy every day but doesn't actually do anything. I'm a straightforward person."

"Indulgent? Ridiculous. That money I earned myself. Is it wrong to prepare a grand succession ceremony for myself? Did I use your money? Even if I hold a celebration for a month, that's still me, the Uchiha, helping to boost Konohagakure's economy. What have you, the Senju, done? Oh, I forgot, if the Senju were still around, we'd have to protect them."

"The guard? The guard patrols every day and works until midnight. Shouldn't they be treated better for their hard work?"

The more Fugaku talked about the guard, the angrier he got. He had felt something was off before, but it wasn't until his brother Hitoshi explained the Uchiha guard issue to him that he truly understood.

It was the hardest job, but they had to endure insults. How was that fair?

"You evil old Senju, don't think I don't know why you put Uchiha in charge of the guard! But you were wrong. Thinking you could push Uchiha to the sidelines using the guard was just a pipe dream!"

"And don't talk about losing control of emotions. If you had the guts, you'd get the Uchiha's approval. Just wait and see how the Uchiha avenge you after you're gone! Do you want brothers like that?"

They really did want brothers like that.

Hyuga Hitoshi on the platform couldn't help but applaud. He thought of his two sisters-in-law and the third one about to marry into the family and couldn't help but respect Fugaku even more.

"That makes sense. He's doing fine as Hokage. His loyalty is unquestionable. This time, I'm with Fugaku!"

No doubt about it!

Fugaku stood proudly, patted Senju Tobirama's shoulder, and slowly spoke, facing Tobirama's dark expression.

"I can easily offer my brothers a wife. If one's not enough, I'll give them three! And you doubt my mental state? Are you out of your mind?" 

It's exactly because of what you did that your mental state should be in question!

How did Uchiha produce someone like you? You've somehow earned the recognition of both the villagers and the ninjas, and can even team up with the Hyuga clan. You shamelessly offer your own wife to the Hyuga clan, and then go around talking about selling land in such a refreshing and unconventional way.

Tobirama's face twisted in anger. He swore, he'd never seen such an Uchiha before and didn't know how to deal with someone like this.

"But don't be jealous. Your Senju clan's last descendant is still doing well. Didn't Tsunade go up on her own? It won't be long before you see your great-grandson or great-granddaughter."

Fugaku smiled slightly.

"Speaking of which, you should thank Brother Hitoshi. With his strength, he can definitely create the strongest Senju bloodline in history with Tsunade. Surpassing your older brother wouldn't be a problem."

"The only downside is that your Senju clan is nearly wiped out. The only one you can count on now is Tsunade. Otherwise, the Senju clan would have thrived again under my brother's influence! But relying only on Tsunade... even if my brother is unbeatable, your sister-in-law can't bear more children."

Fugaku clearly didn't hold back with his words.

Well, it's hard to argue with someone who's not afraid to speak their mind!

The younger generation found a dangerous path, and their future might be spent struggling to have children?

Tobirama's expression changed at once, and his concern for his granddaughter's future grew stronger.

But,

 how many times had Uchiha Fugaku brought up the issue with the Senju clan?

The Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama, whose defenses were nearly broken, grew cold-eyed and glanced at Sarutobi Hiruzen behind him, his body slightly trembling.

He was never a fool, and in fact, he was quite smart.

Excluding his prejudice against the Uchiha clan, he was a true Hokage. Like his older brother, he put the village's interests first, ahead of himself and his family.

But that didn't mean he could let the Senju clan die out. Back then, he followed the wishes of Senju Hashirama to integrate the Senju into the village. He thought his older brother's reasoning made sense—this way, not only could they protect the Senju from being targeted after their deaths, but it would also help continue the bloodline and make Konohagakure stronger.

But now… there seemed to be a problem with the Senju clan.

Things had reached this point, and Senju Tobirama could see that the current Konohagakure was no longer the same as the one before. Even as a dead man, he couldn't influence the emotions of the villagers and ninjas to push this evil Uchiha clan off the stage.

Since that's the case, there was no point in continuing to waste effort. After the initial anger and worry, he had come to the conclusion that having an Uchiha as Hokage was the best choice for the village at this moment. It was Konohagakure's decision, and what the future would hold would be left to future generations to judge.

His mindset was quietly shifting. 

Especially after overhearing some of the whispers around him. 

"Even if the Fifth Hokage sold out the land and ignored the Daimyo, it still seems like he's done better than the Third Hokage. Honestly, whether it was the Third or Danzo-sama, the fact that they're still alive is probably a gift from the Fifth Hokage, right?" 

"That's true. I don't know about other things, but since Lord Fugaku took over, the village has definitely been in better shape than when the Third Hokage was in charge. The Uchiha in the guard team are still as loud as ever, but the village's security is much better now." 

"But what's up with the Second Hokage? From a family perspective, the Second Hokage, the Third Hokage, and Danzo should be enemies. So why would he go so far to oppose the Fifth Hokage for those two?" 

Is he crazy or something? 

Such thoughts only darkened Senju Tobirama's mood further. The village's fate was tied to good and bad, and since he was dead, he had no right to interfere. If he tried to act now, he would only make a fool of himself. 

But what about the Senju clan? 

Suddenly, his sharp senses, enhanced by the power of the Edo Tensei, spread out in all directions, moving quickly. 

What he heard might be wrong. 

But what if he saw it with his own eyes? 

A token flashed through his hand, and Tobirama began to channel chakra into it. 

As a noble family that had survived from the Warring States period to the era of Konohagakure, they had hidden their presence after he and his brother died to preserve themselves. But before fully integrating into the village, Tobirama had a sudden idea. He had secretly created something—a token that recorded the chakra of his clan members. 

His sensing ability spread. 

The chakra that had once been contained to hide his presence now surged up. 

He had never doubted his two disciples before, so he never used this method to verify Uchiha Fugaku's words. 

But now... 

The token didn't react at all. 

In the vast village, there was not a single trace of chakra belonging to his clan! 

Had he been dead too long? 

No, when he died, it was just after the First Great Ninja War. Monkey and the others were his guards, and even though Monkey and Sarutobi were older now, when the Senju clan first integrated into Konohagakure, there were still many younger, new generations who were not older than Monkey or Danzo. 

And those people were all recorded in the token. 

Where were they now?! 

It wasn't just him. After his older brother gave the order, he had done something similar, leaving a mark for future generations. For instance, the scroll his brother always carried had hidden information about the Senju clan members. 

No response. No movement. 

After a long pause, Senju Tobirama slowly turned his head, his gaze locking onto his proud disciple. 

He didn't ask any questions, but his stare alone was the best form of interrogation. 

Just now, his body—originally one that should have felt no pain due to the Impure World Reincarnation—felt his heart twitch, and for the first time, he felt a sense of despair, as if the earth itself was collapsing around him. 

In his mind, the conversations about the Senju clan echoed again, the topic now unmistakable in the crowd. 

If it's true. 

No, maybe it already is. 

"Sarutobi, I haven't treated you badly." 

Why are you treating me like this? 

At this moment, the cold, violent aura from the Iron-Blooded Hokage made Fugaku, who had been showing off earlier, immediately change his expression. He quickly took two steps back and hid behind his son. 

The Second Hokage is about to explode! 

Danzo and Sarutobi clearly understood this as well. Even Danzo, who had prepared an escape plan, started sweating. As for Sarutobi Hiruzen, who was facing Senju Tobirama directly, his fear was obvious. 

Sarutobi instinctively remembered the terror he had felt when he had been under the control of his former teacher, Tobirama. He even gave up on the excuse he had prepared. 

Originally, he had planned to blame the disappearance of the Senju clan on the Nine-Tails incident and the Stone Statue disaster. After all, many people died in those two disasters that destroyed Konohagakure, so it was not unreasonable. Besides, the few remaining Senju clan members who were supposed to be displayed as mascots—the ones handling the ninja school—had indeed died in the previous disasters, so he wasn't entirely lying. 

But now, as Tobirama's gaze fixed on him, Sarutobi completely lost his composure and blurted out the truth. 

"Danzo did it! It was all Danzo!" 

I'm done for now! 

Danzo, who was not far away, stood up and glared at Sarutobi. 

This was completely different from the script they had agreed on earlier! 

But this works too. Sarutobi betrayed me first. Given that, it's only natural for me to stab him in the back. Don't blame me for being ruthless! 

"Stop talking nonsense!" 

Danzo shouted back, meeting Senju Tobirama's gaze. 

"You're the one who was afraid the Senju clan would produce another Senju Hashirama or Senju Tobirama. You were afraid their presence would threaten your Hokage position, so you had me send them to their deaths! Otherwise, how could I have lost every battle?" 

**Gasp!** 

The crowd was in an uproar. 

No wonder Danzo had never won in all these years. It turns out the outcome of the war was already decided before it even started! 

"That's a lie! I just mentioned it casually. I never ordered you to do any of that!" 

Sarutobi's face was full of frustration and anger. 

By all that's good, after all these years, the unspoken understanding between him and Danzo had been set in stone. Especially when it came to the Senju clan, their attitudes were always in agreement. Sarutobi didn't even need to give orders—Danzo always knew what to do. 

As the Third Hokage, Sarutobi only had to turn a blind eye! 

That's how things had always gone, even with the White Fang incident. 

"Pure nonsense! Wasn't it your order to send Nawaki, the kid who had just graduated, to the battlefield as cannon fodder with Orochimaru?" 

Danzo didn't hold back any longer, continuing to speak his mind. 

"And Hatake Sakumo—he saved those three subordinates. I might've just persuaded them a little, but how did they end up dead? You know exactly who took care of them!" 

So this is how we're playing it, huh?

Sarutobi clearly decided to go all in, firing back at Danzo with a sharp retort:

"Did you dig up the First Hokage's grave? It was you who kept pushing Orochimaru to mess with the First's body after I ordered the Wood Release experiments to stop, right?" 

"Is that really an order to stop? I worked hard to train someone like Yamato, and you just stole him from me!" 

As the argument between Danzo and Sarutobi escalated, the atmosphere became more and more tense. The onlookers were stunned, exchanging looks while enjoying the long-hidden gossip about Konoha. 

There were even things brought up about the late Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura, and the complicated relationships between a few people. In the end, an angry Danzo went as far as to say that the feel of Lake Biwa wasn't as good as Mitokado Homura's, leaving everyone in complete shock. 

This circle is really messy. 

The guests in the VIP section exchanged confused glances, but Fugaku, on the other hand, was clearly enjoying himself. He grinned at the Second Hokage, who was on the verge of losing it:

"So, is this the Hokage successor you chose?" 

"Tch." 

"Compared to these two, I really don't deserve to be Hokage!" 

What qualifications do I have to even compare with these two? 

Seeming to enjoy the mocking even more, Fugaku leaned closer to Tobirama's ear and whispered the most soul-crushing words: 

"Second Hokage, you really have great taste~"

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