Ch 161 : Flip the table

After hearing what Hashirama said, both Inoichi and Jiraiya's hearts instantly sank.

If Minato couldn't become Hokage, all their efforts so far would be in vain, and didn't that mean that Shikaku's death was also for nothing?

But at this point, they had no power to change anything, especially since Minato had actively acknowledged Hashirama's words.

If Minato couldn't become Hokage, who would be the next Hokage?

If Hashirama was the one to decide, aside from everyone present, Inoichi and Jiraiya couldn't imagine anyone else in the village who would be a suitable candidate.

"I understand, Lord First Hokage," Hiruzen muttered slowly.

"The root of all this lies with me…"

"I was the one who handed over the position of Hokage to him. I allowed Konoha to suffer such a disaster, and I brought shame to the Hokage…"

"Can I be the one to end all this, to resolve these grudges?"

His voice was filled with determination, and a sense of finality, which moved Hashirama slightly.

Orochimaru sneered, "Do you really think you can do this?"

Hashirama looked at Orochimaru and said, "Orochimaru, isn't this what you've been seeking all along?"

Orochimaru realized he had been seen through, and just snorted, saying, "Just you alone probably wouldn't be enough. There's another person who wants to put me to death."

Minato stepped forward calmly and said, "You're right!"

Orochimaru burst out laughing, letting all his emotions spill out.

He then turned his gaze to the final person, pressing, "Jiraiya, don't you want to take action?"

Jiraiya remained silent.

Now that he knew all of Orochimaru's actions, he still didn't want to act.

Master, disciple, fellow disciples, and brothers—all had now come to an end.

Suddenly, Orochimaru formed hand seals in front of him, and the entire meeting room started shaking.

In fact, the entire Hokage building was trembling.

A massive white snake suddenly burst out from the floor beneath everyone's feet.

Boom!

The ceiling above began to disintegrate, with beams and shattered bricks falling down.

In the end, the Hokage building, which had been established for decades in Konoha, collapsed with a tremendous crash, turning into a heap of rubble and ruin.

The sealing barrier that had been set up by the Second Hokage earlier was also directly shattered.

The massive noise alarmed many ninjas in the vicinity, and the Anbu swiftly surrounded the area.

Green vines pushed through the broken stones and bricks, and the group coughed as they got up from the dust and smoke.

It was the First Hokage who had used Wood Release to shield them.

"Orochimaru!"

Tsunade shouted angrily from below.

"What are you trying to do?!"

Orochimaru stood atop the massive snake, looking down coldly at everyone.

He spoke in a chilling tone: "Today, someone is going to die. Tsunade, who do you hope it will be?"

Tsunade paused for a moment, stunned.

"The one who will die is you!" Minato suddenly shouted, dashing towards Orochimaru in a flash.

The surrounding Anbu were horrified.

Did Minato just make a move against the Hokage?!

Despite their shock, the Anbu swiftly acted, rushing forward to protect their Hokage.

However, as soon as they moved, they felt an invisible force restraining them, rendering them unable to move.

"All Anbu, step back," Makoto suddenly spoke.

"This isn't your concern."

The Anbu exchanged looks and stopped. While protecting the Hokage was their duty, the one giving orders was their clan leader.

Minato's attack failed to land, as the giant snake lunged at him with its massive mouth wide open, forcing Minato to retreat.

"If you want to kill me so badly, then come at me all at once!"

Orochimaru, riding the giant snake, sped toward the direction of the Hokage Rock.

Minato quickly followed.

For people of their level, the destructive power was immense, and it was very likely that others could be caught in the crossfire.

Moving the battlefield was the best option.

The Third Hokage's face darkened, and he also leaped into the air to follow.

Jiraiya, however, hesitated in place.

He knew what was about to happen, and now, as the moment approached, he found himself indecisive.

Should he kill Orochimaru...

As the three of them went further away, Hashirama did not make any move.

He reached out and patted Tobirama on the shoulder, and the overwhelming chakra immediately broke the seal on his body.

Once Tobirama regained his freedom, he immediately shouted angrily, "Big Brother, you're just going to let them do whatever they want! How is this any different from what happened at the beginning?"

Hashirama remained silent.

At this moment, Makoto suddenly spoke, "How can it be 'doing whatever they want'?"

Tobirama furrowed his brows and looked over, seeing that it was the young Hyuga from the clan who was speaking.

Makoto slowly said, "They've all gotten the answers they wanted. They are Hokage, so why should they let others arrange their fate? For them, this is what they deserve, and it's the best outcome. The First Hokage understands this, which is why he didn't stop them."

Hashirama couldn't help but glance at Makoto, then continued to remain silent.

Tobirama didn't argue with Makoto.

After understanding his brother's thoughts, he frowned and fell into deep contemplation.

Soon, the figures of the Third Hokage reached the Hokage Rock, and the sounds of jutsu being cast echoed.

Boom... Boom...

Everyone looked over and saw that the Fourth Hokage's rock face, Orochimaru's, was collapsing.

Makoto looked at all of this, feeling a hint of melancholy in his heart.

"Hakumen," he suddenly spoke.

As soon as he spoke, a masked figure instantly appeared beside him.

"Lord Makoto."

"Take action."

"Understood."

After Hakumen responded, he immediately vanished.

Tobirama stared at him and asked, "What are you doing?"

Makoto calmly replied, "Naturally, I'm going to protect the villagers from being caught in their battle. You Hokage, who decide the future of the village, need someone to manage the villagers."

Tobirama's face darkened, clearly catching the sarcasm in Makoto's words.

But this was not the time to dwell on that.

The Third Hokage, Minato, and Orochimaru were currently locked in a fierce battle.

If they didn't intervene and allowed the fight to continue...

How would they handle the winner of the three?

He suddenly looked at Tsunade. "Tsunade, is Nawaki in the village?"

Tsunade was momentarily stunned, her expression filled with sorrow.

"Nawaki... has long been dead."

Tobirama's pupils contracted sharply. "What did you say?!"

Hashirama was confused. "Nawaki... who is that?"

"...He was my younger brother, and your biological grandson. He was born after your death."

This left not only Tobirama but also Hashirama in shock.

Tsunade continued, "Nawaki always admired you, Grandpa, and wanted to become Hokage like you. He tried desperately to prove himself, but he died on the battlefield. He was only twelve years old and still just a Genin."

Hashirama and Tobirama snapped out of their shock, exchanging a wordless glance.

Tsunade hesitated before suddenly saying, "Nawaki... was also Orochimaru's student. Orochimaru witnessed his death with his own eyes... After that, Orochimaru seemed to change into a different person."

A silence fell, and the atmosphere grew heavier.

Hashirama sighed deeply.

Though he had never met this grandson, he felt a wave of sadness.

Another person who wanted to become Hokage...

Makoto found it somewhat ridiculous when he heard Tobirama mention Nawaki.

The Second Hokage still wanted to cling to the old ways.

The times had changed.

The Senju clan was no more, and Konoha was no longer anyone's personal possession.

The ruins became quiet, with everyone's thoughts wandering in different directions.

But soon, many figures slowly appeared around, all watching the scene and whispering to each other.

These were the ordinary villagers.

The earlier prison revolt had subsided, and all the rebels were executed.

The villagers had come out of their shelters.

However, they didn't return home.

Instead, they gathered at the Hokage building.

Fortunately, the Anbu still formed a perimeter, preventing them from getting too close.

But the crowd continued to grow, and soon the entire street was filled with people.

"Is that the First Hokage?" Finally, someone couldn't hold back and asked loudly.

Hashirama, lost in thought, recalled that he should have instructed others, so how had the news still spread?

He immediately stood and walked forward, smiling as he addressed the crowd, "Hello everyone, I am Senju Hashirama."

At these words, the entire scene erupted in shock.

"It really is the First Hokage!"

"Then the other one must be the Second Hokage?!"

"The previous Hokage really came back to life?!"

"Let me see, let me see!"

The villagers instantly became excited, many pushing forward in an attempt to get a look at the legendary Ninja God.

"Everyone, don't get too excited, don't push, be careful not to get hurt," Hashirama quickly called out to calm them down.

Tobirama looked at the villagers in front of him, sensing something was off.

At that moment, a loud voice suddenly rang out from the crowd.

"Lord First Hokage, is the Fourth Hokage really a traitor?"

The people in the ruins froze at this question.

Then another voice came, "Lord First Hokage, did the prisoners in the prison and the Raikage really get released by Namikaze Minato?"

"Lord First Hokage, please answer us!"

"Can we still trust the Hokage?"

The voices from the crowd rose one after another, continuously questioning the First Hokage, seeking answers from him.

Hearing these words, Inoichi in the back felt his mind go blank for a moment, with only one thought remaining.

It's over!

This news was definitely being spread intentionally!

Tobirama also thought the same.

Otherwise, why would so many villagers appear here at the same time?

He thought that with his older brother present, no one would dare to stir up trouble.

Who did this...?

Tobirama's mind raced, but he was too unfamiliar with the current state of the village.

Aside from the people in the meeting, he had no idea who else was involved.

But he quickly locked his gaze on Makoto from the Hyuga clan.

The words that this kid just spoke...

Makoto seemed to have noticed Tobirama's gaze.

He calmly glanced at him, then stepped forward and came to Hashirama's side.

"Please, everyone, quiet down!"

Makoto's voice immediately spread across the area, and when the villagers saw it was Makoto speaking, they all fell silent.

Makoto's work wasn't just about sitting in an office reviewing documents.

He was personally involved in the village's affairs, helping the villagers solve many problems, and had a high reputation in the village.

Hashirama's expression grew somewhat numb as he watched it all unfold.

So, it's my turn after your performance…

Makoto spoke loudly to the villagers, "Everyone, just listen to Lord First Hokage. He will give us an answer."

All eyes turned to Hashirama.

He had never felt this awkward before.

These were his villagers, but he didn't recognize a single one of their faces.

They spoke of admiring him...

Hashirama took a deep breath and slowly began to speak, "The Fourth Hokage..."

The words had been rolling in his throat for a long time, hesitating for a long time.

His gaze flickered, and in the end, all he could say was one sentence.

"He is a traitor!"

After these words were spoken, the villagers fell into a dead silence.

What they had heard and what had been confirmed by the First Hokage were entirely different things.

Just a short time ago, they had been cheering for the Fourth Hokage as a savior, the one who saved the village when Konoha was in danger!

The Fourth Hokage was also the proud disciple of the Third Hokage, a doctorate in ninjutsu, and had trained the famous Three Ninjas of Konoha.

A great teacher and student, truly a wonderful story!

"Impossible!" A voice suddenly rose from the crowd in anger.

"Impossible! How could the Fourth Hokage be a traitor?! He's the hero who saved the village! He even healed my leg!"

The villagers began to whisper among themselves.

Makoto watched this unfold and slowly stepped forward, speaking to everyone, "The saving of the village was a play he directed himself. It was he who put the village in danger. He was the one who passed information to the Iwa ninja, and it was he who led the reinforcements!"

This revelation was shocking.

In the past, even if such a thing had occurred, it would never have been made public.

This meant that the image of the Hokage might completely collapse in the hearts of these villagers.

This meant that the village might lose the trust of the Daimyo and be isolated by the nations.

This meant that Konoha would become the laughingstock of the entire ninja world!

But whether he spoke up or not, someone else would, or else why would these villagers come here to question him?

Was there any hope left for Konoha like this?

Hashirama felt a deep sadness.

The ideal village he had created—how had it come to this?

Makoto continued speaking, "Not only the Fourth Hokage, but also Namikaze Minato!"

"They both did terrible things to their fellow villagers. They fought for power, disregarding the lives of their comrades and the safety of the village. This prison revolt was secretly orchestrated by Minato. Our judgment has been passed, and both of them have admitted to their wrongdoings. Now, the Third Hokage is fighting them in order to bring them to justice."

The crowd was in an uproar.

Compared to the aloof Fourth Hokage, Orochimaru, Namikaze Minato's image and reputation were far better.

Even though he was not Hokage, nearly everyone present had seen him and knew he was a kind-hearted, approachable person with a strong sense of humility.

He was also a powerful ninja who had led the village to victory over enemies numerous times.

Before Orochimaru took the position, many had hoped that Minato would be the Fourth Hokage.

How could such a person possibly do anything to harm the village?

Yet now, the First Hokage stood before them, revealing the harsh reality!

No matter how noble or upright someone may appear, when they turn, what is revealed is only their shame.

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