Chapter 220 (Patreon)

Although they had already agreed to hold the Five Kage Summit in Konoha, neither Ōnoki nor the Third Raikage could simply leave for the village immediately.

For one thing, the two Kage still needed to make arrangements for the shinobi forces stationed in the Land of Grass, as well as settle matters back in their respective villages.

More importantly, both sides needed time to prepare the necessary security measures.

Konoha had presented more than enough evidence concerning Uchiha Madara. They had even produced a handwritten letter from the Fourth Mizukage.

Even so, Ōnoki and the Third Raikage could not afford to ignore the worst-case possibility—that all of this was somehow an elaborate scheme devised by Konoha.

Believing Konoha's evidence was one thing.

Entrusting their lives completely to Sarutobi Hiruzen and entering the heart of Konoha without making any preparations was another.

Thus, after discussing the matter inside Konoha's camp, Ōnoki, the Third Raikage, and Hiruzen eventually reached an agreement.

They would meet here again in three days and travel to Konoha together.

After seeing the two Kage off, Hiruzen immediately began making arrangements of his own.

He ordered Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane to take the medical and logistical units back to Konoha ahead of the main force. Once there, they were to assist Kizaru in preparing for the Five Kage Summit.

Neither advisor had any objections.

In fact, they accepted the assignment rather enthusiastically.

Ever since Hiruzen had informed them that the First Hokage had been brought back through Edo Tensei, both of them had been eager to return to the village.

After all, this was Hashirama Senju.

Their founder.

Their elder.

A legendary shinobi they had respected since childhood.

Naturally, they wanted the opportunity to meet him again, listen to whatever guidance he had to offer...

And perhaps mention some of the things they had accomplished for Konoha over the years while they were at it.

That afternoon, the two advisors departed with the returning Konoha shinobi, both in remarkably good spirits.

At that very moment, however, their teacher was sitting inside the Hokage's office.

And Senju Tobirama's mood could not have been more different.

Documents covered nearly the entire Hokage's desk.

Account ledgers.

Confidential reports.

Administrative records.

Internal orders.

And countless files documenting the decisions made during the decades Hiruzen, Danzo, Homura, and Koharu had stood at the center of Konoha's government.

Tobirama was an extremely rational man.

Even when disciplining his own students, he had no intention of relying purely on anger or accusations.

If he was going to judge what they had done, he wanted evidence.

And since arriving that morning, he had already gone through most of it.

To be fair, the four of them—particularly Hiruzen as Third Hokage—had undoubtedly contributed a great deal to Konoha.

The overwhelming majority of village affairs had been handled properly.

There was no denying that.

Unfortunately, there were also several matters in which personal feelings, personal interests, and old relationships had clearly influenced their decisions.

Some of those decisions had violated Konoha's own regulations.

Others had directly harmed the village's long-term interests.

The Uchiha clan was one example.

Tobirama's expression darkened slightly as he looked at the documents before him.

His policies toward the Uchiha had never been as simple as suppressing them.

His approach had always relied on both pressure and concessions.

Suppress the dangerous hardliners within the clan.

Support the moderates.

Give capable Uchiha meaningful positions within the village.

Divide the extremists from the rest and ensure that the majority still had something to gain by remaining loyal to Konoha.

That had been the entire point.

Yet after Hiruzen succeeded him as Hokage, the policy gradually lost one half of that balance.

There was pressure.

More pressure.

And then even more pressure.

But almost nothing was done to draw the Uchiha closer to the village.

Instead, Konoha had steadily driven more and more of them toward the hardline faction.

Their movements were monitored more heavily.

Uchiha shinobi were increasingly restricted from taking positions outside the Konoha Military Police Force.

Even the Police Force's funding had been reduced.

Tobirama's temple twitched as he continued reading.

What exactly had Hiruzen and the others been trying to accomplish?

Were they planning to corner the entire Uchiha clan until rebellion became inevitable, then destroy them afterward?

After reading through the policies issued by Konoha's upper administration concerning the Uchiha, Tobirama genuinely could not decide whether his students had been foolish, malicious, or some unfortunate combination of the two.

For a brief moment, he even found himself questioning his own ability to judge character.

Had he chosen his students that poorly?

Or had he simply failed that badly as their teacher?

The Uchiha issue was enough to make Tobirama question Hiruzen's ability to govern.

What he found afterward nearly made him grateful that an Edo Tensei body did not possess normal blood pressure.

If it did, his might have risen high enough to kill him a second time.

For more than a decade, Koharu had been responsible for overseeing a large portion of Konoha's logistical procurement.

The prices recorded in the ledgers were absurd.

Tobirama stared at one particular entry for several seconds.

Eight thousand ryō for an ordinary kunai?

Had prices in Konoha somehow become that ridiculous?

When Tobirama had been alive, large-scale village purchasing had allowed him to keep prices low. The same quantity of kunai would have cost no more than three thousand five hundred ryō during his administration.

Then there were military ration pills.

Five hundred ryō per pill.

Tobirama's eyes narrowed.

What exactly were they putting inside them?

Ground gold?

This was village money.

If someone intended to steal from Konoha, they could at least make the numbers less insulting.

Based on the documents and accounts he had examined so far, Tobirama estimated that the money siphoned away through logistical procurement alone amounted to hundreds of millions of ryō.

And that was merely logistics.

The situation became even worse once he reached the records concerning Konoha's commercial partnerships.

Over the years, the village had used research developed by the Scientific Research Institute to establish numerous cooperative projects with nobles, merchants, and wealthy businessmen.

Those projects generated considerable revenue.

They also contained a suspicious number of miscellaneous expenses.

Travel expenses.

Entertainment expenses.

Hospitality costs.

Public relations expenses.

And several other conveniently vague categories.

Added together, those expenditures alone amounted to seventy or eighty million ryō.

Then there was the information Nawaki had previously given him concerning the benefits Homura and Koharu had privately received from nobles and wealthy merchants.

Once all of that was taken into consideration...

The amount of village money the two advisors had personally benefited from in a single year alone reached into the hundreds of millions.

Tobirama slowly lowered the ledger.

For several seconds, he said nothing.

This was beyond disappointing.

He had originally assumed his students' greatest failing would be favoritism—that they might give additional opportunities to their clans, friends, or trusted subordinates while convincing themselves it was for the village's benefit.

He had not expected this.

With a sharp movement, Tobirama tossed the account book onto the desk.

His expression turned cold.

There was still one question he needed answered.

Did Hiruzen know?

And more importantly...

Had he participated?

If Hiruzen had taken part in the corruption himself, then Tobirama could only admit that he had completely misjudged the man he had once chosen as his successor.

That would be an unforgivable disappointment.

But even if Hiruzen had never taken a single ryō for himself, another problem remained.

These numbers were obvious.

Far too obvious.

How could the Hokage possibly fail to notice?

And if Hiruzen had noticed...

Had he simply chosen to look the other way because Homura and Koharu were his lifelong comrades?

Neither possibility reflected well on him.

Whatever the truth was, Hiruzen had failed in his duty as Hokage.

Danzo, on the other hand...

Surprisingly, Tobirama had found several things about that particular student that left him somewhat more satisfied.

His thoughts drifted back decades.

Near the end of the First Shinobi World War, Tobirama had led his escort unit to Kumogakure to negotiate an armistice with the Second Raikage.

Then Kinkaku and Ginkaku launched their coup.

The Second Raikage was killed during the attack, while Tobirama himself was wounded in the ambush.

He escaped Kumogakure with his escort unit, only for Kinkaku and Ginkaku's forces to pursue them.

At that point, Tobirama had already realized that someone would need to remain behind.

Not merely to slow the enemy.

But also to determine who among the younger shinobi was truly capable of placing the village above himself.

And so Tobirama had deliberately tested them.

Someone needed to stay behind and act as the decoy.

Hiruzen volunteered first.

That answer had satisfied Tobirama, confirming his decision to entrust Konoha to him.

However, the truth was that the test had always been weighted in Hiruzen's favor.

Even if someone else had volunteered first, as long as Hiruzen had also stepped forward, Tobirama still would have seriously considered selecting him as the next Hokage.

Among the members of his escort unit, only two had truly been considered possible successors in Tobirama's mind.

Sarutobi Hiruzen.

And Shimura Danzo.

Uchiha Kagami and Akimichi Torifu were trusted members of Tobirama's escort unit, but they had never been among his primary candidates to inherit the position of Hokage.

Between Hiruzen and Danzo, Hiruzen had held the advantage.

There were several reasons.

The first was talent.

Hiruzen had mastered transformations in all five basic chakra natures, giving him extraordinary versatility and a far greater ceiling than Danzo, who specialized primarily in Wind Release.

The second was temperament.

Hiruzen was comparatively gentle and preferred peace.

Danzo was far more severe.

More aggressive.

More willing to resolve problems through force.

Tobirama had worried that if Danzo became Hokage, Konoha might be dragged into conflict far too frequently.

Those two considerations had ultimately pushed him toward choosing Hiruzen.

But now...

Tobirama's gaze returned to the reports spread across the desk.

Perhaps choosing Hiruzen over Danzo had not been as unquestionably correct as he had once believed.

According to the files, Danzo had certainly gone too far on numerous occasions.

He had committed more than his share of ruthless acts.

Yet the overwhelming majority of those actions had been directed toward threats and forces outside Konoha.

Inside the village, Danzo's efforts had largely focused on preventing the major shinobi clans from accumulating too much independent influence.

Tobirama did not entirely approve of the methods.

But from his perspective, the fundamental principle itself was not necessarily wrong.

More importantly, Danzo had applied that pressure broadly.

The Nara.

The Akimichi.

The Aburame.

The Hyūga.

The Uchiha.

Even his own Shimura clan had not been spared.

That last point was particularly obvious.

Compared with the years when Tobirama had still been alive, both the population and the number of active shinobi belonging to the Shimura clan had declined considerably.

Meanwhile, the Sarutobi clan had continued growing.

The same was true, to varying degrees, for the clans behind Homura and Koharu.

From that perspective, the Shimura clan had genuinely sacrificed a great deal for Konoha.

Tobirama leaned back slightly.

Danzo might have been extreme, but at least he had been consistent about it.

He did not demand sacrifices from other clans while protecting his own.

If the village needed something, even the Shimura clan paid the price.

That student of his truly was ruthless.

Even toward himself.

For the first time in many years, Tobirama found himself reconsidering the choice he had made that day.

If Danzo had become the Third Hokage instead, with Hiruzen beside him to temper his harsher tendencies...

Perhaps the two might have balanced each other better.

A leader could not afford to let sentiment interfere with every difficult decision.

Hiruzen's heart had always been too soft.

As that thought crossed his mind, Tobirama suddenly remembered something.

He turned away from the documents and looked toward the reception area.

Kizaru and Hashirama were sitting there, speaking casually with one another.

"Kizaru."

Hearing his name, Kizaru turned his head.

Tobirama asked, "The current Third Raikage... he was the Second Raikage's student, wasn't he?"

Kizaru tilted his head slightly.

"Mm~ that's right."

His tone remained as relaxed as ever.

"He was the Second Raikage's disciple."

Tobirama nodded.

Then he fell silent.

For some reason, thinking about Kumogakure immediately reminded him of the two brothers responsible for his death.

Kinkaku and Ginkaku.

Even after all these years, Tobirama still could not understand those two idiots.

They had successfully ambushed and killed the Second Raikage.

They had launched a coup inside Kumogakure.

At that point, any remotely sensible rebel would have remained in the village, secured control of the military, eliminated political opposition, and taken the position of Third Raikage before anyone could react.

What did Kinkaku and Ginkaku do instead?

They gathered nearly all of their followers...

And chased Tobirama.

They abandoned the center of their own rebellion just to hunt him down.

In the battle that followed, Tobirama killed Ginkaku along with the rest of their pursuing force and left Kinkaku grievously wounded before finally reaching his limit.

Tobirama's expression became complicated.

What exactly had those two been thinking?

Was that how someone carried out a coup?

Idiots.

Complete idiots.

Thinking back on his life, Tobirama suddenly felt an inexplicable weariness.

His elder brother had been an idiot.

Some of his students had grown into idiots.

And in the end, he had actually died because two other idiots refused to behave rationally.

"...What a life."

Tobirama sighed.

He glanced once more at the documents covering the desk.

"I've seen enough of the accounts and confidential records."

His expression hardened.

"When Koharu and Homura return, I'll deal with them personally. Every ryō they improperly took from this village will be returned."

He paused.

"And Hiruzen..."

Tobirama's voice grew colder.

"If I discover that he was also involved in the corruption, then I—"

"Oooh~ I can guarantee Sarutobi-sensei didn't take any money."

Kizaru's lazy voice interrupted him.

Tobirama looked over.

Kizaru remained comfortably seated, one leg crossed over the other.

"I had Kakuzu go through the accounts already."

He gave a slight shrug.

"Sarutobi-sensei never embezzled village funds, and neither did the Sarutobi clan."

That much was true.

During his decades as Hokage, Hiruzen had never secretly taken money from Konoha.

Neither had his clan.

However...

The Sarutobi clan had obtained a considerable number of intermediate and advanced ninjutsu from Konoha's archives during Hiruzen's administration.

As a result, the clan's accumulated foundation had grown considerably stronger than before.

Tobirama's expression did not soften.

"Even if he never took money, deliberately overlooking the misconduct of relatives and lifelong friends is still a serious failure."

He folded his arms.

"As Hokage, Hiruzen had the authority to stop Koharu and Homura. If he saw what they were doing and allowed it because he could not bring himself to punish them, then his indecisiveness became a weakness that harmed the village."

That, more than anything, irritated Tobirama.

Hiruzen had always been too hesitant when dealing with people close to him.

"Hahaha! Exactly!"

Hashirama suddenly clapped his hands.

A broad smile appeared on his face.

He looked almost absurdly pleased to hear Tobirama say it, as though his expression alone were shouting, See? I told you so.

Tobirama glanced at his brother.

His eyelid twitched.

Meanwhile, outside the Hokage's office...

The only member of their old four-man leadership still remaining inside Konoha was making his way through the corridor.

Shimura Danzo.

His expression was calm as he walked through the Hokage Building.

Danzo had come directly from Root's headquarters.

Unfortunately for him, he had no idea that Tobirama had also been brought back through Edo Tensei.

His reason for coming here was far simpler.

He wanted to speak with Kizaru.

A member of the Nara clan working within Konoha's administration had informed him that Kizaru had suddenly ordered a large number of old classified files and financial ledgers to be removed from storage.

That immediately caught Danzo's attention.

More accurately...

It made him uneasy.

He knew exactly what could be found inside some of those records.

Danzo had no objection to settling old accounts.

He also had no objection to dealing with Homura and Koharu if it became necessary.

But not now.

The timing was terrible.

Uchiha Madara had yet to be dealt with.

The Five Kage Summit was about to begin.

Konoha needed stability.

Starting a purge of the village's old leadership at this exact moment would only create unnecessary chaos.

Soon, Danzo reached the Hokage's office.

The shinobi standing guard outside immediately stepped forward.

"I need to see Kizaru."

Danzo's tone was calm.

The guard stiffened slightly.

"Elder Danzo, Hokage-sama is currently speaking with guests. He gave orders that no one was to disturb him."

Danzo regarded him for a moment.

Then a surprisingly pleasant smile appeared on his face.

"Then go inside and tell Kizaru that I'm here."

The guard swallowed.

"...Understood. Please wait."

He opened the door just enough to slip inside, quickly closing it again behind him.

"Hokage-sama."

Kizaru looked over.

"Elder Danzo is outside. He wishes to see you."

Kizaru did not answer immediately.

Instead, his gaze drifted toward Tobirama, who was still seated behind the Hokage's desk.

Tobirama immediately understood the meaning behind that look.

He hesitated briefly.

Then nodded.

Of the four students whose records he had examined, Danzo's mistakes were currently the least offensive to him.

Tobirama was willing to speak with him first.

And perhaps give him a warning while he was at it.

Kizaru slowly rose from the sofa.

"Let him in~"

The guard bowed.

"Yes!"

He returned to the hallway and opened the door.

"Elder Danzo, you may enter."

Danzo stepped inside.

The guard withdrew and shut the door behind him.

Danzo's gaze immediately swept across the room.

Kizaru.

Hashirama.

And the unfamiliar middle-aged man sitting behind the Hokage's desk.

Both Hashirama and Tobirama were currently using the Transformation Technique to disguise their true appearances.

Danzo had already seen the appearance Hashirama was using before, so he recognized the First Hokage immediately.

The other man, however...

Danzo frowned.

His pleasant expression disappeared.

Who was this?

And more importantly...

Why was some stranger sitting in the Hokage's chair?

Danzo's eyes narrowed.

Even he, Kizaru's own uncle, had never casually seated himself there.

What made this man think he had the right?

"Ignorant fool."

Danzo's voice became sharp.

"Get up."

Tobirama stared at him.

Danzo continued sternly.

"The Hokage's seat isn't somewhere just anyone can sit."

Kizaru's eyes widened slightly.

Even he had not expected Danzo to start the conversation by scolding the Second Hokage.

Tobirama, surprisingly, did not become angry.

He simply stared at his now-aged student for several seconds.

Then he spoke calmly.

"Danzo."

Danzo froze.

Tobirama continued.

"It's been a long time."

His gaze moved slowly over Danzo's face.

"You've gotten old."

Something about that voice...

Something about those words...

Danzo suddenly felt that something was very wrong.

His gaze shifted from the unfamiliar middle-aged man to Kizaru.

Then back again.

He stared pointedly at his nephew, clearly demanding an explanation.

Before Kizaru could say anything—

"Hahahahaha!"

Hashirama suddenly burst into laughter.

He clutched his stomach, completely unable to contain himself.

Danzo's unease immediately grew stronger.

Why was the First Hokage laughing?

Could this unfamiliar man actually be someone he was supposed to recognize?

"Brother."

Tobirama slowly rose from the Hokage's chair.

"Is this really that funny?"

Brother?

Danzo's entire body stiffened.

A bead of cold sweat appeared on his forehead.

No.

Surely not.

Tobirama walked around the desk and began approaching him.

Danzo's eyes widened.

Then realization struck him all at once.

Kizaru, you little brat...!

His nephew had never told him!

When had Tobirama-sensei been brought back?

Was Kizaru trying to get him killed?!

Danzo, who had entered the room with all the dignity of one of Konoha's senior elders, seemed to shrink slightly where he stood.

He watched his teacher approach.

Then, with considerably less confidence than before, he spoke.

"...Tobirama-sensei."

"Hahahahahaha!"

Hashirama laughed even harder.

And this time, even Kizaru could no longer keep a straight face.

A low laugh escaped him as he watched his uncle stand there beneath Tobirama's gaze.