To Sarutobi Hiruzen, the daimyo had chosen the path of death.
Abolishing the shinobi village system had been his greatest mistake.
Worse still, after the reform, the daimyo didn't focus on restoring the livelihoods of the people or promoting beneficial policies. Instead, he engaged in one outrageous act after another—literary inquisitions, massacres, hyperinflation through reckless printing of money, encouraging citizens to snitch on each other… The methods of oppression were countless and unprecedented in their cruelty.
It was precisely because of this chaos that Sarutobi Hiruzen had found it so easy to win over many of the shinobi who had previously served the daimyo. The Third Hokage might not have been the most capable leader, but at least he wasn't a tyrant.
He told Tsunade, "Recently, the situation along the borders of the Land of Fire worsened due to the refugee crisis. There was a massive civilian uprising led by—well, whoever she was, doesn't matter now—she was assassinated. The daimyo then sent ninja to suppress the rebellion. But there were many unknown forces mixed into the rebellion. A small spark escalated everything, and the situation deteriorated even further."
"Ninja couldn't suppress a bunch of civilians?" Tsunade shot back.
Hiruzen exhaled a smoke ring, his expression heavy.
"Not unless they slaughter all of them. Otherwise, they'll just keep coming back."
Tsunade's eyes widened. "They're not afraid to die?"
"They're terrified of dying," Hiruzen replied. "That's why they're rioting. Some hidden force is pushing the refugees into chaos—destroying farmland and homes. Law-abiding citizens have been forced into becoming desperate rioters."
Historically, rebellions like these often involved dragging refugees along for the ride.
Take the Rebellion, for example—wherever the army marched, they looted and burned. Men, women, young, old—it didn't matter. Their homes and land had already been destroyed. With nothing left, they had no choice but to become 'bandits.'
This kind of scenario had never happened before in the shinobi world. But based on experience, Hiruzen could see the signs. Even though shinobi possessed great power, they couldn't feed the masses or give them shelter from the elements. Which meant they couldn't truly suppress the uprising—unless they annihilated every last one of them.
The daimyo had indeed issued an order for slaughter. But the ninja hesitated to carry it out—not just out of conscience. They feared that after quelling the rebellion, the daimyo would scapegoat them to appease public anger. Execute them to save face.
Given the daimyo's terrible reputation, it wouldn't be surprising in the slightest.
"The ninja sent to the frontlines are deliberately stalling. The civil war is spreading fast. One city after another is getting pulled into the conflict. The death toll keeps rising. The Land of Fire is like a rotting apple right now… and only Konoha has the strength to pull the nation out of this crisis!" Hiruzen's tone was solemn.
"Tsunade, I need your help!"
Tsunade was stunned. "I can't believe things have decayed this badly in just a few days..."
Hiruzen sighed. "This is war. Every moment brings change. You may stand still, but others will move ahead."
A nation ravaged by war might actually serve the interests of its rivals—like the Land of Earth and the Land of Lightning. Publicly, they called for peace, but behind the scenes, they were stirring the pot.
Especially the Land of Earth.
The Third Tsuchikage, Ōnoki, had seized power and declared himself daimyo. Strangely, the country's natural environment suddenly became favorable—stable weather and abundant harvests. While the rest of the shinobi world sank into chaos, the Land of Earth thrived.
Fertile land drove down food costs. Under the banner of "free trade," Ōnoki used his strong military to flood the Land of Fire with cheap grain, undermining the market. Meanwhile, he exported illegal drugs, spread subversive ideologies through trade, stirred up public discontent, supported anti-government rebel groups in secret—and quietly trafficked weapons…
Ōnoki had played his hand perfectly. Hiruzen could imagine him now, laughing at home. Even if the Land of Fire ended the civil war tomorrow, it wouldn't recover for another ten—maybe even twenty—years.
The title of "strongest nation" and "strongest shinobi village" had already been stripped away.
And whose fault was it?
—Uchiha Sasuke!
Sarutobi Hiruzen was certain—without a doubt—that Uchiha Sasuke was the mastermind behind it all.
Based on his analysis, Sasuke must have awakened a strange and powerful Mangekyō Sharingan. With such power, he could easily strike alliances.
After the Uchiha Clan was destroyed, Sasuke had become close friends with Hyūga Neji. At first, everyone thought it was just a coincidence. No one believed a branch family Hyūga could make waves—but they were all wrong.
Hiruzen suspected Sasuke's Mangekyō could bestow power on others. That would explain why both Neji and the daimyo acted with such force and loyalty toward Sasuke.
"Most people ignore Sasuke because of his age. Only Danzō constantly warned me to watch out for the Uchiha. I regret it so much—so, so much—for not listening to him…" Hiruzen's cloudy eyes brimmed with tears.
"I was wrong… I really was. From the very beginning, I should've listened to Danzō. If I had, Root would've kept Sasuke under control. If we'd controlled Sasuke, Konoha wouldn't have ended up like this..."
Ah, Danzō...
His childhood friend… his ideological comrade… his partner who emerged from the mud, stained a bit by it, but steadfast nonetheless...
You died so tragically!
Even in death, you had to stew in filth!
It was unspeakably cruel. Unforgivably inhumane. Too horrifying to witness!
Hiruzen had once snuck back to the ruins of Konoha. His three old comrades were still there… desperately devouring that awful stuff. When they saw him, they pleaded silently, begging him to end their suffering—he could even scatter their souls if needed. Anything to escape that hell.
But Hiruzen couldn't bear to give up.
"Don't worry… urk… I'll find a way… blegh… to save you… hurk!" After spitting out those words, he fled, clutching his face. The psychological trauma was too deep. To this day, he couldn't face Danzō's relatives without shame.
In short—everything was Uchiha Sasuke's fault!
That damn Uchiha Fugaku, giving his son a name like "Sasuke"… he must've been plotting something from the start!
Watching Hiruzen spiral into a meltdown, Tsunade had no choice but to interrupt his self-flagellation.
"You've said a lot. Do you actually have a concrete plan?"
"Of course I do!" Hiruzen immediately snapped to attention, his expression resolute. "Since Sasuke is the source of all these disasters, we should start with him. Defeat him, and everything else will fall into place!"
Tsunade cut straight to the point. "Do you actually have a way to beat him?"
A smug grin spread across Hiruzen's face.
"Not me personally. But there's someone who just might. Uchiha Sasuke's older brother—Uchiha Itachi!"
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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