Chapter 145: A New Year's Gift for All of Konoha

"Did I hear that right?" Tobirama touched his nose, feeling as if his ears were playing tricks on him.

"No, you didn't mishear," Madara replied coldly, casting a sharp glance his way before continuing.

"The Nine-Tails incident may have been masterminded by Obito, but at its core, it's deeply tied to me as well..."

Madara glanced at Tobirama, who seemed ready to speak, but didn't give him the chance.

"Yes, Tobirama, you can resurrect those who perished in the Nine-Tails attack. But this tragedy stems from my actions. The mistakes I made shouldn't be paid for by you."

"Besides, even if that brat can counteract the side effects of the forbidden jutsu, don't you think it's inefficient? At this rate, reviving all those people would take who knows how long."

"Now that I have the Rinnegan, I can use the Rinne Rebirth Technique to bring back a large number of the deceased—and I can even revive you. With that slick-haired kid around, there's no need to worry about the price of the jutsu."

As Madara finished speaking, his deep gaze settled on Tobirama.

Hearing this, Tobirama stroked his chin thoughtfully and nodded slightly.

"What you're saying… makes sense."

It was true. Relying on Hidan to resurrect people one by one was too slow. Who knew how many years it would take at that pace?

Now that Madara possessed the Rinnegan, he could act as a conduit for life energy: reviving the dead while Hidan supplied the life force. It was a perfect system.

"Also, the Uchiha clan, Nagato and Yahiko, and my brother Izuna," Madara added.

Although the Uchiha Clan Massacre wasn't directly his doing, it was hard to ignore how sparse the clan had become. Including Obito, there were only four Uchiha left. It felt… lonely.

Given that Uchiha Itachi had a relatively tolerable younger brother, Madara figured he might as well clean up Itachi's mess.

As for Yahiko and Nagato, they were both casualties of his grand plans. Yahiko, a fiery youth reminiscent of Hashirama, had died as a pawn to incite Nagato's despair. And Nagato had lived his life as little more than a puppet.

Reviving Izuna, on the other hand, had originally been Tobirama's responsibility. But since Tobirama had revived Madara and restored his Rinnegan, Madara decided to handle this one himself.

"Since you insist, I'll allow it… but I never thought I'd see the day when the cold-hearted demon who once pursued the Eye of the Moon Plan at any cost would…"

Tobirama looked up slightly, his voice tinged with emotion.

"People change," Madara replied as he drained his teacup. "Just as Hashirama once changed for Konoha and broke ties with me."

"The Hokage has declared: all families who lost loved ones in the Nine-Tails attack of Konoha Year 48 should gather at the Hokage Tower at midnight on New Year's Eve to receive a special gift!"

On the bustling streets, several ANBU ninjas wearing animal masks announced the Hokage's decree. Their words were met with a mix of curiosity and trepidation from the surrounding villagers.

The Nine-Tails incident was a scar that would forever mar the hearts of Konoha's people.

In Konoha Year 48, the Nine-Tails broke free of its seal and wreaked havoc on the village. The Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, gave his life to re-seal the beast.

The death toll from that chaos was incalculable.

Hearing the words "Nine-Tails incident" during the New Year stirred discomfort among many. However, the promise of a "special gift" piqued their curiosity.

Decades ago, compensation for the families of those who perished had already been distributed. Could it be that the Hokage was planning to distribute additional funds?

Though Konoha was now prosperous, the thought of receiving financial support still excited many. Soon, both villagers and shinobi began spreading the news far and wide.

By midday, the announcement had reached every corner of Konoha.

Thanks to the holiday season, most who had been away had returned to the village. The news sparked an uproar.

"What's all the commotion outside?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi rubbed his still-throbbing head and quietly asked the two ANBU guards stationed outside his quarters.

Once a celebrated Hokage and the revered Professor of Ninjutsu, Hiruzen now cut a rather pitiable figure.

Age spots dotted his face, his bald head looked comical without the cover of his hat, and his sparse, graying beard only added to his weathered appearance.

Not long ago, after learning of the atrocities Hiruzen had orchestrated against the Uchiha Clan, Madara had paid him a personal visit. Whatever transpired between them remained a mystery.

Even now, Hiruzen struggled to recover, plagued by the lingering horrors of Madara's genjutsu.

And when Jiraiya brought Naruto Uzumaki, newly aware of the truth about his lineage, to confront Hiruzen about why he had concealed Naruto's heritage while publicizing his jinchūriki status, Hiruzen's stammering, ineffectual explanations left him utterly humiliated.

The disappointment on Naruto's face that day still haunted him.

"Lord Hiruzen, the Hokage has announced a New Year's gift for the families of those who suffered during the Nine-Tails attack. That's what everyone is talking about," one of the ANBU guards explained.

Though Hiruzen had been stripped of his title and placed under de facto house arrest, the guard spoke with a measure of respect, acknowledging Hiruzen's decades-long reign.

"Haha… cough, cough…" Hiruzen chuckled bitterly as he puffed on his pipe, the smoke triggering a fit of harsh coughing.

Despite his confinement, he gleaned bits of information about the outside world from the guards' conversations.

Sunagakure conquered, Iwagakure crushed, Kumogakure obliterated, Kirigakure subdued…

In less than a year, the four great shinobi villages that once stood alongside Konoha had been either destroyed or brought to their knees.

Recently, rumors swirled that Tobirama Senju, acting through the Daimyō of the Land of Fire, had issued an ultimatum to all nations: abolish the Daimyō system or face Konoha's wrath.

Such a bold move was beyond anything Hiruzen had ever dared to dream of.

Even without stepping outside, Hiruzen could see the prideful smiles on the faces of Konoha's shinobi and villagers.

Those smiles reflected the confidence of living in a powerful village and the contentment of material security.

"Not even ten of me could compare to him," Hiruzen muttered self-deprecatingly.

Turning his gaze to an old photograph on his desk, he murmured, "Old friend, our teacher was always on a different level. We, who schemed in the shadows, were never worthy of the spotlight..."

He looked wistfully at the image of Danzo Shimura, lost in memories of the past.

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Pls Drop some Power Stones

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