The four came face to face, their eyes instantly turning red with hostility.
Orochimaru's laboratory was torn apart by four terrifying bursts of chakra.
Jiraiya and Orochimaru huddled in the corner, cautiously watching the four ninjas in the center of the room.
Any one of the four before them was a legend who had once stood at the absolute pinnacle of the ninja world.
And now, they were gathered together in one place.
This situation had already exceeded the realm of what human power could control.
Amidst this tense, deathly silence, a voice rang out without warning, breaking the stagnation.
"What a deeply moving reunion."
The voice was hoarse and cold, as if squeezed out from a rift in the abyss, carrying an extremely uncomfortable malice.
Everyone looked toward the source of the sound.
A pitch-black, amorphous humanoid substance slowly emerged from the ground.
It had no facial features, yet it made everyone present feel a chilling sensation, as if they were being maliciously watched.
Before anyone could ask questions, Black Zetsu looked at Madara Uchiha.
"Lord Madara, your plan has encountered a slight accident."
"During the years you were asleep, the Uchiha clan gave birth to a true monster."
"He is a peerless genius named Ian Uchiha."
"Using a technique I cannot comprehend, he directly led the entire Uchiha clan to awaken the Mangekyo Sharingan."
"Then, he led the Uchiha to defect from the Hidden Leaf, and now he has even declared war on the entire world."
'The entire clan... Mangekyo?'
'Declared war on the entire world?'
Even Madara was momentarily stunned upon hearing these words.
"The Daimyos of the Five Great Nations and their direct bloodlines have all been assassinated by the Uchiha's Assassination Squad."
"The old order of the ninja world has already collapsed."
"Even Obito was captured while gathering intelligence, and his current fate is unknown."
Hearing this, Hashirama Senju and Tobirama's expressions changed drastically.
However, Madara Uchiha's reaction completely exceeded everyone's expectations.
After a brief moment of astonishment, he actually threw his head back and began to laugh.
The laughter grew louder and more frantic, ultimately turning into a maniacal roar.
"Haha... Hahahahahaha—!"
"To actually dare to make an enemy of the entire world?"
"This is exactly how the Uchiha should be!"
A gleam of excitement erupted in Madara's eyes.
"Leading the entire clan to awaken the Mangekyo? Ian Uchiha?"
"Excellent! I can't wait to meet him!"
In stark contrast to Madara's joy was Tobirama Senju's fury.
He abruptly turned his head, pointing right at Hashirama Senju's nose, and began to scold him.
"Do you see this, brother!"
"This is the consequence of your soft-heartedness back then!"
"I told you long ago that the Uchiha is a clan born of inherent evil! Your naive theories will only drag the world into the abyss!"
Tobirama's words instantly provoked Izuna's displeasure, ultimately devolving into a shouting match among the four of them.
While the four argued endlessly, Orochimaru silently completed the final Edo Tensei.
In a corner unnoticed by anyone, a fifth coffin slowly rose.
The lid opened, and a blond young man wearing the Fourth Hokage's cloak stepped out.
Minato Namikaze.
"Is this the Underworld?"
Minato looked around in confusion. When his gaze fell upon the four arguing figures, he paused slightly.
"Lord First... Lord Second..."
Hashirama Senju also noticed him, spotting the familiar Hokage cloak on Minato.
"You are the Fourth Hokage? Why did you pass away at such a young age..."
When Jiraiya explained that Minato had sacrificed himself to seal the Nine-Tails, Hashirama's brows furrowed deeply.
"To seal the Nine-Tails?"
"A Hokage actually couldn't defeat a mere Tailed Beast?"
In his understanding, Tailed Beasts were nothing more than slightly stronger Summoning Beasts.
Had the Hokage of this era truly weakened to such an extent?
On the other side, Tobirama Senju forced himself to calm down, knowing that intelligence was the most important thing right now.
His sharp gaze turned to Jiraiya.
"Who is the current Hokage of the Hidden Leaf?"
Jiraiya's expression was somewhat complicated as he replied, "My teacher... Hiruzen Sarutobi recently stepped down. Now, Tsunade has succeeded him as the Fifth Hokage."
"Tsunade actually became the Hokage."
Tobirama nodded and pressed further, "What about my disciples? Hiruzen Sarutobi, Danzo, Koharu, and Homura. How are they doing?"
"Danzo, Elder Koharu, Elder Homura..." Jiraiya's tone was incredibly heavy. "They have already been killed by Ian Uchiha."
"What?" A cold glint flashed in Tobirama's eyes.
Before he could angrily denounce the Uchiha's brutality, Black Zetsu chuckled mockingly from the side.
"Jiraiya, you shouldn't only tell half the story."
Relishing the drama, Black Zetsu continued to explain to Tobirama Senju.
"Second Hokage, after your death, your good disciples Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzo teamed up to manipulate the power of the Hidden Leaf for decades."
"During this time, the village's development stagnated, and power was completely monopolized by them."
"How many of the younger generation in the Hidden Leaf today still remember your achievements as the Second Hokage? The Ninja Academy only teaches them the quotes of the 'Strongest Hokage in History,' Hiruzen Sarutobi."
"Today, half of the ninjas in the Hidden Leaf come from the clans of those four."
"Pfft—"
Izuna Uchiha could no longer hold back and burst into laughter, his voice full of sheer delight.
"Tobirama Senju, you really have a 'great eye for talent'!"
Tobirama's face instantly turned ashen.
In a heavy and bizarre atmosphere, the group followed Jiraiya and set off on the road back to the Hidden Leaf. They had to see the current state of the village with their own eyes.
Along the way, more shocking truths were gradually revealed by Black Zetsu.
The Uzumaki clan, distant relatives of the Senju and the Hidden Leaf's most steadfast allies, had long since been wiped out.
When their nation was destroyed, the Hidden Leaf stood by and did nothing, only bringing back Kushina Uzumaki afterward to serve as the new Nine-Tails Jinchuriki.
The "Root" established by Danzo had been secretly conducting inhumane human experiments with Wood Release cells, kidnapping genius children from various clans to mold them into tools.
Hearing this, the gentleness on Hashirama Senju's face vanished completely.
"And you, Fourth Hokage," Black Zetsu said, turning to Minato Namikaze.
"The legacy left behind after you and your wife sacrificed yourselves was entirely embezzled by the higher-ups."
"Your son, Naruto Uzumaki, was isolated and bullied by the entire village under the orchestration of the higher-ups, living a childhood worse than a stray dog."
Minato Namikaze's body jolted violently, and the Nine-Tails' chakra began to leak out uncontrollably.
"Minato, it's not like that, the village..."
Seeing Minato's emotional state, Jiraiya hurriedly stepped forward, but was interrupted by Black Zetsu.
"What the hell do you know? While Naruto Uzumaki was being bullied, you, Jiraiya, were always out wandering, looking for the Child of Destiny, weren't you!"
Seeing Jiraiya fall silent, Black Zetsu continued dropping bombshells. "Finally, speaking of the Uchiha clan's rebellion,"
"Its root cause was that the Hidden Leaf higher-ups had long conspired with a mysterious man and the rogue ninja Itachi Uchiha, preparing to massacre the entire Uchiha clan."
Upon hearing the name "Itachi Uchiha," a faint glimmer flashed in the depths of Tobirama Senju's eyes.
'To place righteousness before family and annihilate the evil Uchiha for the sake of the village? What a good child. It seems not all Uchiha are irredeemably evil.'
After hearing all of this, Hashirama Senju fell into a long silence.
His once unwavering conviction, his trust in the Will of Fire, wavered for the very first time.
Beside him, the Tailed Beast chakra surrounding Minato gradually subsided, replaced by endless guilt.
Guilt for failing the trust his wife had placed in him.
Guilt for his son's tragic experiences.
Ultimately, all this guilt transformed into killing intent.
Hashirama Senju raised his head and looked at the Fourth Hokage beside him.
Minato Namikaze happened to look toward him at the exact same moment.
Their eyes met.
They both saw the exact same emotions in each other's eyes.
Disappointment, sorrow, and anger.
And... a trace of wavering.
Such a Hidden Leaf—decaying, dark, and sickening.
Did this village, which they had built and protected with their own hands, truly still hold any value worth protecting?
Perhaps the Uchiha clan's approach was the correct one all along.