19: The Embarrassed Sarutobi, Second Hokage Begins to Doubt
Fourth Raikage: "The mastermind is finally exposed!"
Ohnoki: "Hahaha! Sarutobi, let's see how you explain yourself this time!"
Terumi Mei: "Our Mist Shinobi operates openly, but Konoha hides in the shadows!"
Uchiha Madara: "Heh! Senju Tobirama, you raised quite the apprentice."
Sarutobi Hiruzen: "Slander, utter slander!"
Sarutobi Hiruzen was trembling all over.
Uchiha Sasuke from the parallel world had actually thought of investigating the situation in the Uchiha district!
He had no way to justify this!
Senju Tobirama: "Monkey, explain what's going on."
The Second Hokage spoke.
Sarutobi Hiruzen's heart trembled.
Swallowing hard, his mind raced.
He couldn't talk about it—the Uchiha district, at least, had to remain undisclosed!
Such a vast Uchiha estate... Shops, residential areas, all filled with the Sarutobi clan's emblem.
It was clear that the Sarutobi clan had taken over the Uchiha land!
Even though the Uchiha clan had been wiped out, that land should have been used differently.
But for it to be almost entirely occupied by the Sarutobi clan? That couldn't be explained!
How could he justify something like this?
He could only try to divert the issue.
Sarutobi Hiruzen:
"Teacher, I'll admit my fault. I may have been a bit lax in controlling my clan."
"After the Nine Tails attack, the village lost many of its elite ninjas. The situation was critical on all fronts, and I was under a great deal of pressure."
"I was busy every day with official duties, receiving intelligence from all sides, responding to threats, and deploying our forces."
"The pressure was overwhelming, and I didn't have time to manage the affairs of my clan."
"I didn't know what my people had been doing. If I had known, I would have strictly controlled them!"
Shimura Danzō also spoke:
"Teacher, I can vouch for that."
"After the Nine Tails Rebellion, other villages saw an opportunity and tried to take advantage. Cloud Shinobi, Rock Shinobi, and Mist Shinobi all attempted to invade the Land of Fire!"
"At that time, we were under enormous pressure. It's understandable that Sarutobi struggled to control his own clan."
At this point, Danzo had no choice but to stand by Sarutobi Hiruzen.
If Sarutobi went down, he, the darker leader of the Root, would be done for as well.
Iwagakure.
Ohnoki couldn't help but curse in anger.
Sarutobi Hiruzen, that old fox, was truly skilled with words!
He had managed to twist such a disgraceful situation in just a few sentences.
He went from a behind-the-scenes manipulator of internal strife to a diligent Hokage who simply lacked control over his own clan!
If Ohnoki didn't know Hiruzen so well, he might have believed him!
In the chat room.
Some Konoha shinobi were quick to support Sarutobi Hiruzen.
Iruka: "I believe in Lord Third Hokage. The Sarutobi clan may have lacked control, but…"
Ebisu: "I trust Hokage-sama! There's no way he could be the mastermind behind all of this!"
Might Guy: "I think so too! Konoha can't be that dark!"
Seeing this, Sarutobi Hiruzen couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
Thankfully, the image he had carefully maintained over the years was still paying off.
Most of the Konoha shinobi still trusted him.
In the Pure Land.
Senju Tobirama frowned.
With his sharp political instincts, he didn't fully believe Sarutobi's words.
In fact, he was certain his disciple was hiding something from him.
Regardless of the reasons, Sarutobi, as Hokage, had allowed his clan to expand recklessly. That alone was a serious dereliction of duty.
"Sarutobi, don't let me down too much..."
Senju Tobirama narrowed his eyes.
The full truth would likely be revealed through the comparison broadcast eventually.
All he had to do was wait.
---
After the uproar died down, the gold-framed screen continued to play.
[Sasuke composed himself, as if nothing had happened, and went home directly.]
[He knew his current strength wasn't enough.]
[Compared to the entire village of Konoha, his power was still too insignificant.]
[If he did anything suspicious, he might disappear the very next day!]
[He could only continue to build his strength.]
[But!]
[In Sasuke's mind, Sarutobi Hiruzen and the village had completely changed.]
[To Sasuke, Konoha no longer seemed as peaceful as it appeared on the surface.]
[There was blood hidden behind this supposed harmony.]
[A lot of historical truth had been deliberately buried by certain people.]
"I must keep working to strengthen myself."
[Sasuke thought silently.]
[He was determined that one day, he would uncover the truth behind the Uchiha massacre.]
[From that point on, Sasuke's daily life remained much the same as before.]
[He practiced diligently every day, even harder than before.]
[He constantly refined his chakra, enhanced his chakra control, and worked on chakra nature transformation.]
[His physical strength and taijutsu training followed the same rigorous routine.]
[He also mingled with various girls at school.]
[His relationships with Hinata, Sakura, and Ino continued to grow closer.]
[The time for his graduation at age 12 was gradually approaching.]
---
The gold-framed screen paused.
The parallel world Sasuke's story had come to an end for now.
Senju Tobirama: "The difference is obvious. The contrast in every aspect is stark!"
Even with his deep-seated hostility toward the Uchiha, Senju Tobirama had to admit that Sasuke from the parallel world was a true genius, excelling in every area.
Although Sasuke from this world could also be considered a genius, the gap between them was undeniable.
The Sasuke from the parallel world would likely have Jōnin-level strength by the time he graduated!
He had no major weaknesses in any area of his abilities.
Moreover, he had a mature mind, a stronger learning capacity, superior critical thinking, and even good fortune!
Uchiha Sasuke: "Damn it..."
Sasuke's eyes were bloodshot.
His fists were clenched so tightly that his nails dug into his flesh.
Why was there such a big difference between his other self and him?
He knew he could achieve the same, if only given the chance!