At the entrance of the Hidden Leaf Village, the towering gates still stood, but the four characters for "Will of Fire" engraved beside them looked mottled from the erosion of wind and rain, having lost their former luster.
Jiraiya stopped in his tracks, gazing at the gates with a complex expression.
Behind him stood a group capable of making the entire ninja world tremble.
Orochimaru, the past Kage, Madara Uchiha, and Izuna Uchiha.
Every single one of them had once been a legend of their era.
And now, following Jiraiya, they stepped into this homeland that felt both familiar and foreign.
The air in the village was unusually oppressive. The moment they entered, the group keenly sensed an atmosphere entirely different from the past.
The streets were no longer filled with the laughter of children chasing each other in play; instead, they were replaced by hurried villagers with faces full of sorrow.
The pride that once belonged to the Hidden Leaf had vanished from their faces, replaced by the fear of war and resentment toward the village's higher-ups.
"Did you hear? Because of the village, the Uchiha clan is now going to war with the whole world!"
"It's all the Third Hokage's fault! If he hadn't constantly targeted the Uchiha, things would never have escalated to this point!"
"He is the Hidden Leaf's greatest sinner!"
In the taverns and along the streets, the villagers discussed these matters without any restraint.
In just a few short days, Hiruzen Sarutobi—the man once revered by the villagers as the "God of Shinobi" for decades—had become an object of universal disgust.
As the situation continued to ferment, more and more shocking inside stories circulated among the villagers.
"Hey, did you hear? The disappearance of the Senju clan wasn't because they integrated into the village at all!"
A middle-aged ninja who had just returned from the front lines lowered his voice, speaking mysteriously to his companion.
"Actually, in order to monopolize power, Hiruzen Sarutobi was afraid that the First Hokage's clan would threaten his authority, so he used schemes and tricks to completely eliminate the entire Senju clan!"
In another corner, a dead-drunk ninja slammed his cup onto the table, unwilling to be outdone.
"My brother was on the same team as Lord Nawaki back in the day!"
"He said Lord Nawaki's death was way too suspicious! How could such a powerful ninja be blown up by a single, measly explosive tag?! That was the First Hokage's grandson!"
"It must have been the work of those two bastards, Danzo and the Third Hokage!"
Tsunade had already heard this rumor multiple times over the past few days. Every time she heard it, those memories would be awakened, and the pain of losing her closest kin would resurface.
"And what about the White Fang of the Leaf?! He was my father's idol! A hero of the village!"
A young ninja leaning against a corner wall chimed in.
"I heard that because his achievements overshadowed the leaders, that old geezer the Third Hokage used public opinion to drive him to his death! Those villagers, those higher-ups—they're all murderers!"
"Yeah, exactly! I always thought it was fishy too. How could a Jonin's highly classified mission be spread throughout the entire village?! Those old fogies definitely fueled the fire!"
In truth, Kakashi had also heard this rumor long ago.
He recalled the disdainful, spitting faces of the villagers after his father's mission failed, and the agony his father endured before committing suicide.
The last shred of trust he held for the village's higher-ups completely vanished at this moment.
"Also, during the Nine-Tails' attack, did any of you see those elders lift a finger?"
"I don't think a single one of them did."
"They didn't do anything! They just watched helplessly as the Fourth Hokage and his wife sacrificed themselves! That way, they could logically reclaim power!"
These words caused the secretly observing Minato Namikaze's body to jolt violently.
He carefully recalled the battle from that night. From beginning to end, it really seemed like only he and a small number of Anbu were fighting the Nine-Tails.
Danzo, Koharu, Homura—those advisory elders hadn't shown their faces once.
A surge of anger welled up within him once more.
"The Hyuga clan defected? I say they should have run away a long time ago!"
"What do you mean?"
"Do you remember how Lord Hizashi died back then? Voluntarily going to his death to protect the main branch and for the sake of the village's peace!"
"But what was the reality? He was forced into it by the Third Hokage's faction!"
"Because they were terrified of the Hidden Cloud Village declaring war, they just let them come into our village and snatch people!"
"If you ask me, we might as well just surrender directly to the Uchiha!"
"Aside from being a bit arrogant and having resting bitch faces, they don't really have any other flaws."
"Yeah, yeah! I think so too. The Uchiha are definitely way tougher than trash like the Third Hokage!"
The villagers' discussions made the First and Second Hokage acutely aware that the current Hidden Leaf Village had long since rotted to the core.
Immediately after, more of Danzo's crimes were exposed one by one.
Assassinating Shisui Uchiha to steal his Mangekyo Sharingan.
Constantly sowing discord between the Uchiha and the Hidden Leaf.
Provoking friction with other ninja villages and starting wars to consolidate Root's power.
Controlling the orphanage, turning it into a reserve troop source for Root to supply it with fresh blood.
Hearing of those cruel, cold-blooded, and utterly inhumane methods sent chills down Jiraiya's spine.
He couldn't believe that his once-kind teacher would actually indulge his best friend in committing such monstrous crimes.
...
Inside the Hokage's office.
Tsunade leaned back in her chair exhaustedly, looking at the mountain of various documents piled on her desk.
The panic of the villagers, the shortage of supplies, the desertion of ninjas, coupled with the Uchiha's threat of war.
Added to that was the fact that the current Hidden Leaf was suffering from a lack of capable successors, beset by both internal strife and external threats.
She exchanged a glance with Kakashi, who stood to the side, and both saw deep despair in each other's eyes.
They both understood that rather than passively waiting for the village to be destroyed in lies and decay, it was better to proactively tear open all these festering wounds, even if it meant shaking the village's very foundation.
Looking over the roster in her hands once more, Tsunade let out a bitter laugh.
She sorrowfully realized that the current Hidden Leaf—if one excluded the Sarutobi, Shimura, Mitokado, and Utatane clans, the four families acting as leeches sucking the village dry—
Couldn't even compare to Amegakure.
'Maybe we should just surrender to the Uchiha.'
This absurd thought suddenly surfaced in her mind.
Right at that moment, the office doors were pushed open from the outside.
Jiraiya walked in, leading a group of people.
When Tsunade's gaze swept over those familiar faces and finally locked onto the last two figures, her body stiffened.
That was...
Tsunade could no longer hold it together. The strong facade she had maintained for so long finally crumbled.
Her eyes reddened as tears welled up within them.
"Grandpa... Second Grandpa..."
Tsunade's voice trembled. This ninja, renowned for her bold and tough demeanor, now acted like a wronged child.
Hashirama Senju looked at his granddaughter, his face revealing heartache. He took a step forward, wanting to comfort this wronged child just like he did when she was little.
However, Tsunade abruptly took a step back, shaking her head vigorously.
Tears streamed down her cheeks.
With endless guilt and self-blame in her voice, she spoke hoarsely.
"I'm sorry..."
"I failed to protect the Senju clan, and I failed to protect the village you built."
Faced with Tsunade's self-blame, a hint of helplessness appeared on Tobirama Senju's face.
"It's not your fault, Tsunade."
"Back then, it was me who intentionally had the Senju clansmen integrate into the village to dilute the clan's presence. It was to prevent the Senju name from interfering with future Hokage governing the Hidden Leaf."
However, in the next second, Tobirama's tone turned icy.
"But I never expected that my most trusted disciples would turn out to be even worse than the Uchiha. They only had eyes for power, unable to even wait that little bit of time."
"Hmph. Tobirama Senju, is this what you call your so-called wisdom?"
Madara Uchiha, who had been standing to the side with his arms crossed watching the show, let out a cold sneer.
"The fine successors you chose have bled your Senju clan and the entire village dry."
"Idiot Hashirama! Looking at it now, I was the one who was right all along!"
Hashirama Senju did not refute Madara's mockery.
He merely turned around in silence. Looking through the office window at the now desolate, dilapidated village filled with resentment and despair, his face was etched with profound sorrow.
'Could it be that my past dreams, my past ideals... were all wrong?'