Chapter 155: Prologue to the Truth

"Sorry, Tsunade," Naruto said, glancing her way with a sheepish smile. "I'm gonna be saying your granduncle's name without honorifics. No disrespect."

Tsunade waved it off with a faint smile, her golden eyes soft. "It's fine. I appreciate the respect, Naruto. Say what you need to."

Naruto gave a thankful nod, then picked up the Tobirama figure and held it between his fingers.

"Tobirama… he hated the Uchiha Clan," Naruto began, his voice steady, but heavy. "We can guess why. Maybe his brother was killed by them. Or someone he loved. A best friend. Someone close during the warring states era… but whatever the reason, his hatred was deep. And he didn't hide it."

He placed the Tobirama toy on the table and added a few vague, unnamed figures—representing casualties, fallen comrades—then followed it with tiny Uchiha figures in battle poses.

"This… this hate didn't die with him. He passed it down—to his students. The ones who went on to become Hokage, or Elders of Konoha."

Naruto reached forward again and carefully placed the four current Konoha higher-ups' figurines before the Tobirama one. The weight of his statement hung in the air like a storm cloud ready to burst.

"They inherited more than just his jutsu or teachings," he said. "They inherited his fear… his suspicion. And that shaped how Konoha was run for decades."

The room went silent. Not a single breath wasted. Even Orochimaru, who usually slithered through tension with a smirk, was dead quiet.

History wasn't just something they read in scrolls anymore.

It was alive.

And it had been haunting them all along.

"When all four were placed into positions of power—whether as Hokage or Elders—by Tobirama himself," Naruto continued, "they used that power wisely at first. The village was fragile. The First Great Ninja War had just ended. Stabilizing Konoha came first."

He paused, then held up a single finger. "But… there's something else. Something that changes how we view all of this."

His voice dropped a little, just enough to make everyone lean in instinctively.

"Tobirama feared the Uchiha Clan. But there was one Uchiha he feared above all. One he believed no one—not even himself, not even five Kage together—could defeat."

Naruto reached into the box again and slowly placed a new toy on the table.

And this toy was different.

It radiated presence. Even in its tiny form, it felt like the air had grown heavier.

"Even my granduncle feared this one…?" Tsunade murmured, eyes narrowing. "Must've been a legend."

Fugaku, with quiet certainty, spoke the name like it was an ancient spell.

"Our clan's ancestor. The man who called himself… the Ghost of the Uchiha. Madara Uchiha."

Even those who barely knew the name felt the weight of it. As if just hearing it pulled the room into a deeper silence.

Just a name.

Yet it shook them.

Naruto nodded solemnly. "Bingo. The rival, the brother-in-battle, and the other half of the strongest duo this world has ever seen—the one who stood toe to toe with Hashirama Senju himself."

He placed another toy across from Madara—this one, a figure of the First Hokage, his wooden arms raised in combat stance.

"You know the story. The two fought at the Valley of the End. And when the dust settled… Madara fell."

He moved the Hashirama figure forward dramatically, pressing it against the Madara toy in a stabbing motion.

"Hashirama won. But even victory has a price."

Naruto gently picked up the Hashirama toy and laid it on a small cloth he'd folded earlier—symbolizing a deathbed.

"His strength deteriorated. His body gave out. He passed a few years later."

A silence followed again, heavier than before.

This wasn't just a history lesson anymore.

This was the prologue to Konoha's darkest secrets.

"These things… even if you went straight to Hiruzen himself," Naruto said, leaning forward with a serious expression, "even he wouldn't tell you the full truth. Not because he didn't know—but because he chose not to."

He let that sit in the air, and then huffed, scratching his head.

"Okay, okay, I know—we're spiraling again. Let's reel it back."

He picked up the Tobirama figure, his tone turning sharper, firmer.

"Tobirama knew Madara better than even Hashirama did. He knew that Madara wasn't just a power-hungry maniac—he was ambitious. Obsessively so. A 'dream big, destroy bigger' kinda guy."

Naruto's eyes narrowed.

"He couldn't fight him head-on. But instead of confronting that fear properly, Tobirama chose a scapegoat."

He glanced around, then placed a handful of Uchiha clan toys beside the Madara one.

"The Uchiha clan."

A beat passed before he added, "Don't get me wrong—he didn't hate the clan the same way his successors did. He respected their strength. He respected their brilliance. But he also… feared what they could become."

Naruto let those words hang heavy in the air.

He picked up toys representing each of the Konoha elders and lined them beside Tobirama.

"His students, though? Nah. They didn't just respect the Uchiha's strength—they feared it."

He placed additional toys for other prominent clans—Senju, Uzumaki, and Hyuga.

"They started fearing any clan with ancient power and deep roots. The Uchiha. The Uzumaki. Even the Senju—ironically, Tobirama's own."

Then, he moved to place the Hyuga figure aside from the rest, setting it a little distance away.

"But the Hyuga clan?" he said, glancing toward Hinata. "They were safe. Mostly because they were already dealing with their own internal struggle. The branch-main house system… yeah, it kept them in check."

He turned to Hinata and gave a little bow of apology. "Sorry, Hinata. If that crossed a line…"

Hinata shook her head softly. "Don't worry, Naruto-kun. I already know my clan isn't innocent. Hearing this only confirms what I've come to understand—when a system treats its own members like tools, it's only a matter of time before others exploit that weakness."

Naruto gave her a grateful nod, clearly moved.

"Thanks, Hinata. You always were one of the real ones."

He then turned back to the group, his expression firm.

"Now let's get to the heart of the storm. You ready to hear how all this fear… all this hate… turned into a massacre?"

"Alright," Naruto said, sitting up straighter, his tone shifting from casual to resolute. "Let's focus on these four—our so-called protectors."

He nudged the Tobirama toy aside, gently but firmly.

"We'll keep Tobirama out of this for now. Let's talk about them—the ones who inherited not just power… but fear. The four who sat atop the village and started to embrace the perks of their positions like royalty, not guardians."

His eyes narrowed as he placed the four Hokage/Elder figures closer together.

"As time passed, they stopped protecting the village… and started protecting their thrones. They grew scared—of anyone who could rise and take their place. They feared strength that wasn't their own. And you know what that led to?"

He paused and turned his gaze toward Kakashi, solemn but unflinching.

"They feared people like your father, Kakashi. Sakumo Hatake."

Kakashi's expression didn't change, but something flickered in his eyes. A dull ache. The ghost of an old wound.

"I know what happened to my father," Kakashi said softly. "I've… tried to make peace with it. But when you lose everything that matters, you stop feeling. You just go numb."

Naruto raised a hand, gently cutting him off. "Not completely, Sensei. Back then, you still had a few people who stood by you. And now, you've got way more. You didn't fail."

He pointed at the Hokage toys again, tone sharper.

"They feared your father's heart. His kindness. His strength. They painted him as a disgrace, as if saving comrades was some unforgivable sin. But in truth… they were just terrified that someone like him would rise too high, shine too bright."

Naruto's voice hardened, pain echoing through it.

"So don't carry their shame. Don't shoulder their failure. They should feel the guilty. Not you."

There was a silence after that. A heavy one. The kind that fills a room like fog.

Even Orochimaru didn't speak—just sat there watching, unnervingly quiet.

Then finally, Naruto sighed and looked around.

"This is what Konoha was built on. Power… fear… control. Not trust. Not unity. And now you know why I brought you here."