Ch 159 : Master and Apprentice

Kakashi stood nervously in front of the meeting room door.

He had been informed beforehand about who he would be meeting, and he understood why he had been called in.

To lie in front of the past Hokages would undoubtedly betray the faith he had held all his life.

But the threats Orochimaru had made that day still echoed in his mind.

The door slowly opened, and inside he was greeted by Tsunade.

Upon seeing the four figures seated in the upper positions, his mind immediately tightened.

He stepped into the quiet room, and all eyes turned to focus on the young man.

"Are you Hatake Kakashi?"

"Greetings, Lord Hokage," Kakashi bowed respectfully, lowering his head and saluting the four.

Before Kakashi's arrival, the Anbu sent to investigate the prison had returned.

As Orochimaru had said, they found nothing.

The guarding ninjas were all dead, and all the prisoners in the prison had disappeared.

The latter situation clearly indicated that someone had dealt with it.

After reviewing the situation, Tobirama turned to Orochimaru and asked, "Fourth Hokage, what can this witness prove?"

Orochimaru's gaze shifted back and forth between the Third Hokage and Minato: "Sarutobi-sensei, Minato, Nara Shikaku has approached you more than once. What were the matters you discussed?"

"...."

Both the Third Hokage and Minato fell silent in response to Orochimaru's questioning.

Minato was not good at lying.

His identity and position had never required him to deceive others.

The Third Hokage, after a moment of silence, chose to deny it.

"Nara Shikaku often came to visit me. What exactly do you mean by 'discussions'?" the Third Hokage asked.

Orochimaru sneered and continued, "Kakashi, do you know?"

Hearing his name, Kakashi's body stiffened involuntarily.

He instinctively glanced at Minato, but Minato was too preoccupied, lowering his head in silence.

He had never felt such fear before—not from facing an invincible enemy, but from knowing that his words and actions now carried the weight of countless lives.

"Kakashi," Hashirama said gently, "Don't be afraid. Just tell us everything you know."

"..."

At this moment, Yamanaka Inoichi attempted to connect to Kakashi's mind using the clan's mind-link technique, but he suddenly realized there was a barrier around Kakashi, completely blocking his chakra.

After a long silence, Kakashi finally spoke. "Mr. Shikaku... approached me and instructed me to monitor Lord Makoto and the Fourth Hokage."

His words instantly caused a stir, making many present visibly tense.

"Mr. Shikaku told me that the current Fourth Hokage is unfit for the position. He wanted me to gather incriminating evidence against Lord Fourth to use for a future coup."

"Mr. Shikaku also said that to bring down the Fourth Hokage, the only way was to find the right moment for Minato-sensei to kill him personally. Then, once the incriminating evidence was made public, Minato-sensei could smoothly ascend as the next Hokage."

The conference room fell into a dead silence.

Plotting treason and conspiring to assassinate the Hokage—this was an unforgivable crime.

Kakashi's testimony immediately defined the nature of the incident.

Minato, seemingly unable to believe that Kakashi would say such things, looked at his student in a daze.

Jiraiya, the Third Hokage, and Yamanaka Inoichi all wore grim expressions.

After finishing his statement, Kakashi lowered his head, not daring to meet anyone's gaze.

Hashirama and Tobirama took note of the changes in everyone's expressions.

A falling out between mentor and student...

"If you were so against him, why did you let Orochimaru become Hokage in the first place?" Tsunade couldn't help but question.

Her words were directed at the Third Hokage.

Once again, these people's actions had shattered her understanding.

Had they all already decided to kill Orochimaru?

"Minato, is what Kakashi said true?" Orochimaru asked.

"..."

"Nara Shikaku was guilty beyond redemption. Dying by my hand was already a mercy for him."

Minato clenched his fists silently.

He couldn't respond to Kakashi's words.

What Kakashi said had indeed been Shikaku's thoughts.

When Shikaku had shared these plans with him, Minato neither agreed nor decisively rejected them.

Looking back now, if his stance had been clearer back then, perhaps Shikaku could have coordinated everything with him earlier, and maybe Shikaku wouldn't have died.

On the battlefield, too—if he had followed Shikaku's advice and returned to the village immediately when Orochimaru took office, perhaps, with his influence, the outcome might have been different.

If he had been more resolute when it came to Kushina's situation, perhaps she wouldn't have had to endure all that suffering.

Of course, he could choose to deny Kakashi's words, putting all the blame on Shikaku.

Given the current circumstances, perhaps that wouldn't be a bad decision.

If he lost here, everyone around him might face a dead-end.

Tobirama asked, "Minato, are you thinking of killing the Fourth Hokage?"

"Minato." Inoichi's voice once again echoed in his mind.

"..."

"You just need to deny it, and we'll handle the rest—"

Unexpectedly, Minato suddenly spoke in a suppressed voice, "Why can't I kill him?"

That voice, filled with hatred and killing intent, sounded completely unlike anything Minato would normally say.

Everyone present was shocked.

Even Kakashi couldn't help but lift his head to look at his teacher.

Tobirama frowned. "Do you know what you're saying?"

Minato questioned back, "Is the Hokage always right?"

Tobirama's expression darkened, and he was about to retort when Hashirama raised a hand to stop him.

Minato stood from his seat and slowly walked toward Kakashi.

Facing his teacher, Kakashi was overwhelmed with guilt, lowering his head, not daring to meet Minato's gaze.

Minato placed a hand on Kakashi's shoulder, speaking with his last bit of gentleness.

"Kakashi, you chose not to believe in me. I can understand that. You're not the only one disappointed in me."

Kakashi's body trembled uncontrollably.

Tobirama's eyes locked firmly on Minato.

"The intent to harm the Hokage is a crime worthy of death a thousand times over!"

But Minato, with an indifferent expression, spoke words that made the Third Hokage and the others' faces turn pale with shock.

"Orochimaru is no longer the Hokage in my heart. As long as I live, I will kill him!"

"If you, Second Hokage, intend to stop me just because of Orochimaru's title as the Fourth Hokage, then in my eyes, you are an unworthy Hokage as well."

Tobirama was both shocked and furious, abruptly slamming his hand on the table as he stood up. "Brat, do you really think I can't kill you?!"

A torrent of overwhelming chakra erupted from him, surging directly toward Minato!

Boom!

The chakra swept up a fierce whirlwind, causing Minato's clothes to flap wildly and his hair to dance in the air.

Yet, faced with such intimidation, Minato stood firm, his expression resolute as he stared unwaveringly at Tobirama.

Seeing this, Jiraiya immediately stood up, frowning as he moved to stand in front of Minato.

Inoichi wanted to step forward as well to show his loyalty, as his life was already intertwined with Minato's.

However, under the oppressive force of the Second Hokage, he was unable to move freely.

"Tobirama."

Hashirama suddenly placed a hand on Tobirama's arm, his voice calm.

Tobirama was momentarily stunned, and the mountain-like pressure instantly dissipated.

The room returned to peace, as if nothing had just happened.

Hashirama's voice was steady as he spoke slowly, "The Hokage isn't necessarily always right. Between the Third and Fourth Hokage present here, does there have to be one who is wrong?"

"The mistakes of a Hokage aren't just their personal matter; they concern the entire village. When you made mistakes, did you ever think about how to take responsibility or make amends?"

"Third Hokage," Hashirama suddenly called out.

Hiruzen's nerves immediately tensed upon hearing his name.

"I want to ask you—do you agree with Minato's words?"

"I..." Hiruzen suddenly found himself at a loss for words, even though just moments ago, he had angrily rebuked Orochimaru.

Rephrased, Hashirama's question essentially meant: Do you want to kill Orochimaru?

At this moment, Tobirama also asked in a deep voice, "Saru, did you participate in Nara Shikaku's plot?"

"..."

Hiruzen remained silent, with Orochimaru sitting right beside him and Minato and Jiraiya across from him.

"Heh... heh heh..."

Hiruzen gave no answer, but Orochimaru suddenly started laughing for no apparent reason.

His laughter grew from low and muted to wild and unrestrained, his expression gradually twisting into something sinister.

He casually wiped the corner of his eye and yawned.

"Hearing such questions is so dull—it's making me tired."

Orochimaru looked at Hiruzen, sneering coldly. "Sarutobi-sensei, are you still trying to act out this charade of deep teacher-student affection in front of me?"

His expression grew colder, and his voice became equally icy, as if stripped of all emotion—or perhaps driven to an extreme by some twisted feeling.

"Do you think you can survive today?!"

The room fell into dead silence, as though the situation had spiraled completely out of control.

Sitting silently in the corner, Fugaku felt numb inside.

He had only one thought at this moment: They're all mad... completely mad!

Looking at Orochimaru in his current state, Tsunade suddenly felt a wave of sorrow.

Orochimaru, were you crying just now? Why are you forcing yourself to act like this?

"Saru! Saru!" Tobirama suddenly shouted sharply, snapping the Third Hokage out of his daze.

Hashirama let out a long sigh, feeling he had been too naive.

Things had already escalated to a life-and-death confrontation.

How could relationships that had become so deeply entangled be explained or resolved with just a few words?

When I founded this village, bringing together different clans to build bonds, how did it come to this?

We were supposed to be as close as family—why have we turned against each other? Is it really just for that elusive power and authority?

He suddenly thought of the person he had killed with his own hands—the words that person had spoken to him before their death: A village born from bonds, yet the village itself has come to take precedence over everything else—this is turning things upside down.

"Everyone," Hashirama spoke up.

"Could we all return to our seats first?"

Jiraiya, deep in thought, pulled Minato back to their seats.

Even if a fight were inevitable, even if it came to blows, this was not the right time.

Without the First Hokage's permission, any rash move would be suicidal.

"I think everyone needs to calm down. How about taking a break for now?"

"The First Hokage is right. Let's all take a break," Fugaku quickly added, feeling it was time for him to help smooth things over.

The group was assigned to different resting rooms, and they were allowed to move freely throughout the Hokage Building.

The First and Second Hokage didn't care whether people colluded with each other or not.

Kakashi, however, was kept by the Senju brothers' side.

In the Hokage's office, Hashirama gazed thoughtfully at the photographs of himself, his brother, and Hiruzen hanging on the wall.

He then wandered over to the desk, casually flipping through the files on it.

Tobirama stood by the large floor-to-ceiling window, lost in the scenery outside.

He had often stood there, admiring the view back in the day.

But time had passed, and he was now a dead man.

Hashirama walked over to him and said, "Tobirama, don't simply view these people as juniors. They may have experienced far more than we did. Hiruzen's age has actually surpassed ours. You need to treat them as equals."

Tobirama's expression was calm.

After a long silence, he suddenly said, "Big brother, it's just that we didn't live long enough."

Hashirama was momentarily stunned and surprised. "Why... would you think that?"

Tobirama replied, "Is it wrong for me to think that? Returning to the living world, I realize there's so much here I find myself attached to."

"Death... is truly painful."

"..."

Meanwhile, in the conference room:

Orochimaru still sat in his seat, completely motionless, his gaze calmly fixed on the window.

The door to the conference room was left wide open, and the Anbu guards at the entrance had quietly left.

Aside from Orochimaru, Tsunade was the only other person in the room, leaning quietly against the wall near the doorway, silently watching him.

"Tsunade," Orochimaru suddenly called her name.

"I can let you meet Nawaki. Do you want to see him?"

Tsunade's expression faltered slightly. "Why?"

"..."

Orochimaru lowered his eyelids, a glint flashed in his snake-like eyes before they returned to calm.

"On second thought, it's better not to see him. Otherwise, he might grow attached to the living world, yet remain powerless to stay—that would be the greatest pain."

The room fell silent again.

In another resting room.

Only Makoto and Fugaku were present.

"Are you afraid, Fugaku-senpai?"

"Ah... I'm just thinking that you're far too bold, Makoto-kun."

"Don't worry. Fugaku-senpai just needs to act when you're confident. I won't force you this time."

"It's good that you understand me, Makoto-kun. After all, I am the head of a clan."

The break lasted half an hour.

One by one, everyone gradually returned to the conference room.

As Makoto entered the room, his gaze briefly swept over Orochimaru, who now appeared calm, no longer carrying the confident demeanor he had at the beginning.

Hashirama spoke up, "Let's continue, shall we?"

Everyone sat upright, though their expressions varied.

At that moment, Kakashi suddenly raised his hand.

"Lord First Hokage."

"Kakashi, is there something else you wish to say?"

"...Yes." Kakashi took a deep breath.

"When Nara Shikaku asked me to investigate the Fourth Hokage, I did discover some things... May I speak about them?"

Hashirama looked thoughtful.

Everyone instinctively turned their gaze toward Orochimaru.

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