Chapter 87: Calculated Ruthlessness

"Uchiha Madara?"

Aside from Natsuhane and Uchiha Itachi, everyone else was stunned.

Tsunade recalled, "I remember, it's that guy with the leopard-print mask!"

Jiraiya corrected, "I think it was tiger stripes..."

Orochimaru interjected, "It doesn't matter what pattern it was. That's not the point..."

Uchiha Itachi continued, "The first time I met him was in the forest surrounding the village. He indeed claimed to be Uchiha Madara and invited me to join his organization after I finished the massacre."

Tobirama Senju, with a stern expression, said, "I can confirm he's Uchiha Madara! That hairstyle, that tone of voice, I'll never forget them."

"No..."

Hashirama Senju shook his head with a smile, "Even though the appearance and voice were perfectly imitated, no one knows Madara better than I do. I can tell that he isn't Madara, absolutely not, no objections accepted."

Seeing his elder brother's certainty, Tobirama felt reassured. However, to be sure, he turned to Orochimaru and asked, "Have you used the Impure World Reincarnation on Madara?"

Orochimaru shook his head, "No… I did have that intention, but I haven't found his body yet."

Tobirama advised, "You should abandon that idea. Madara is very familiar with the Impure World Reincarnation technique. If you use it on him, you will definitely regret it. Also, I hid Madara's body, so it's normal that you couldn't find it."

After warning Orochimaru, Tobirama turned his attention to the visibly tense Hiruzen Sarutobi, standing stiffly.

"Hiruzen, even though I'm just an Impure World Reincarnation, I can still discern right from wrong. The things shown by that Uchiha crow… were they really slander?"

"I…!" Hiruzen began to explain but was immediately cut off by Tobirama.

"Hiruzen! You were one of the two people I valued the most, alongside Danzo. The reason I chose you as my successor was because I sensed your willingness to give your life for the village and its people."

"But Danzo, while having a darker nature and occasional selfishness, would never lie to me. This was the reason I valued him. He revered me, upheld my will, and executed tasks efficiently."

"If I get to hear from him, I will choose to believe his words."

"Before that, I'll ask you one last time. Are the events we saw in the genjutsu world true?"

Tobirama's words, though few, nearly shattered Hiruzen Sarutobi's mental defenses. Facing his former teacher's soul, Hiruzen lowered his arms, giving up his struggle.

"It's… true…" Hiruzen admitted. "I confess, I did have personal ambitions."

"From a young age, I worked hard, hoping to surpass everyone, to show that even without a powerful bloodline, one could achieve greatness through sheer effort."

"The day I became Hokage, I thought I had fulfilled my dream, but the Senju and Uchiha clans didn't recognize my authority."

"In their eyes, I was unqualified, lacking the Uchiha's near-invincible Sharingan and the Senju's immense chakra reserves. They believed only a Senju or an Uchiha could be Hokage."

"To secure my position, I strengthened my political record outwardly, embraced all clans, and displayed warmth to everyone. In secret, I used Danzo's ambition to suppress the Senju and Uchiha clans."

"The Uzumaki clan, distant relatives of the Senju, suffered the same fate."

"Before the Second Shinobi World War, the other nations feared the Uzumaki clan's sealing prowess and allied to crush them. Though I didn't participate, I didn't intervene either, despite knowing how much the Uzumaki had helped Konoha."

"Thus, the Uzumaki clan was annihilated, and the Senju clan, depleted by constant wars and transplantation experiments, faced extinction."

"Only the Uchiha remained…"

"Unfortunately, after the Third Shinobi World War, my compromise with Iwagakure caused me to lose public support, forcing me to step down."

"But once you've tasted power, it's hard to let go."

"Years ago, during the Nine-Tails' rampage when Kushina was giving birth…"

"When the chaos began, Uchiha Fugaku approached me, offering the Uchiha's help to control the Nine-Tails with their Sharingan. I refused."

"I assigned the Uchiha to evacuation and crowd control tasks, not wanting them to claim the glory."

"I couldn't accept the Uchiha gaining accolades. It was my bias, and I also suspected them in the Nine-Tails incident."

"The result was that Minato and Kushina died, my wife died, many elite ninjas and innocent villagers perished."

"In the end, I resumed the role of Hokage."

"My first task upon resuming office was to deal with the Uchiha."

"The Nine-Tails incident was the perfect opportunity."

"The rest, you know. It matches what you saw in the genjutsu world."

"I used Itachi to massacre the Uchiha clan."

"Finally, the threat was eradicated."

"Although Danzo occasionally acted out, he wasn't a threat to me. I thought I could enjoy my twilight years peacefully, but then… he appeared."

At this point, Hiruzen raised his hand, coldly pointing at Natsuhane.

"I never expected that someone once deemed a useless pervert, chased and beaten by everyone in the Uchiha compound, would become my greatest threat."

"This plan was supposed to eliminate you."

"Hmph… it seems I underestimated you."

"Danzo didn't actually commit suicide; I killed him."

"Before he died, he warned me to watch out for you, Natsuhane Uchiha."

"Alas… it's all too late now."

"The day you revealed your true power, summoning Susanoo and unleashing that immense chakra, I knew… I couldn't defeat you."

"Natsuhane Uchiha, I don't know how you became so powerful or when you decided to disguise your strength with the image of a pervert."

"I just want to say… you win."

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