Disclaimer: Naruto and all of its character belong to Masashi Kishimoto. I own nothing but the original characters I make.
Chapter 200: Aftermath
With the confirmation from both Uzumaki Mito and Senju Tsunade, the first Hokage finally reclaimed his rightful position as the Hokage of Konoha. The people welcomed him back with a mix of awe and disbelief. Meanwhile, Tobirama wasted no time. Burning with fury, he ordered the immediate arrest of his former, unfilial disciples and personally saw them thrown into prison.
His anger overwhelmed his usual rationality. Unable to hold back any longer, Tobirama made public a detailed list of crimes committed by the Third Hokage and his inner circle, years watching them planning made it easy for him to list out their crimes. Though he knew this exposure might damage the Hokage legacy and even administrator including his own, he no longer cared about it. After decades of watching Sarutobi Hiruzen and Shimura Danzo slowly corrupt the village they had once sworn to protect, he had reached his breaking point.
Sarutobi Hiruzen and Shimura Danzo were sentenced to life imprisonment. They would never again walk free. Mitokado Homura received five years in prison for enabling their actions, and Utatane Koharu, who had mostly stayed under the radar, received two years. Her crime was siphoning village funds to benefit her clan while turning a blind eye to Hiruzen misdeeds.
As for the Daimyo?
He, too, was not spared from judgment but his punishment was delayed. There were more pressing matters that needed immediate attention.
---The Truth---
"Sister-in-law... why did you support us earlier?" Tobirama asked quietly. "You told them you were the one hiding us. That was a lie, wasn't it?"
Mito gave him a sharp look. "It was a half-truth. I wasn't the one who placed you in that astral form."
Hashirama, Tobirama, and Mikoto froze. All three had spent years in that strange form, they are able to see and hear, but unable to interact with the world. Until now, none of them had known it was called an astral form.
"Wait... wait... Mito, are you saying someone else trapped us there?" Hashirama asked in disbelief.
Tobirama furrowed his brow. "Then who did it?"
Mikoto nodded in agreement. "Yes. Who had such a strange and powerful technique?"
Mito's eyes softened. "It was Setsuna."
"Uchiha Setsuna?" Tobirama asked for confirmation.
"Yes. His Mangekyō Sharingan possesses a unique ability to place someone into a healing dimension, an astral space that restores their physical body under specific conditions. When Hashirama was near death, Setsuna placed him there to heal. The same with you, Tobirama. You were both kept alive in that form and even was sent to monitor the action of your former student"
Tobirama's eyes widened in shock. "That's a Mangekyō Sharingan ability? I never knew the Uchiha had such techniques..."
Mito nodded. "Yes. And the reason he didn't release you earlier is because he wanted you to see for yourself the legacy you left behind. The decay. The betrayal. The corruption."
Then she gave a knowing smile. "Now, tell me... are you satisfied with how you treated the Uchiha Clan?"
Tobirama was taken aback by the pointed question.
"Is that a message from Setsuna?" he asked, his voice tight.
Hashirama laughed. "I told you from the beginning not to oppress the Uchiha Clan."
"Shut up," Tobirama muttered in response.
Mito nodded. "Yes. That message came directly from Setsuna. He wanted you to witness how your legacy twisted your students into monsters."
Suddenly, Mikoto stepped forward with hopeful eyes. "Mito-sama... my parents. They left the village long ago. Are they... still alive?"
Mito smiled warmly. "Yes, they are. And congratulations you now have a younger brother. Setsuna knew you survived, and he brought your family to Uzushiogakure."
Mikoto smiled, her heart finally at ease. Even Tobirama allowed a rare look of happiness to cross his face. Years spent together in the astral space had quietly nurtured a deep bond between him and Mikoto.
"So," Mito turned to Hashirama, "what will you do now? Setsuna has released information that the recent attack was orchestrated by the Daimyo. He wants to abolish the current system... and replace it."
"Replace it with what?" Tobirama cut in sharply.
"An absolute monarchy," Mito replied calmly. "He wants to rule all five great nations under one banner. Right now, the villages are weak, scattered, and vulnerable. He believes this is the best chance to unite them... and become their king."
"What?!" Tobirama growled. "How can he—"
But his words trailed off, for even he couldn't deny that perhaps, for the first time, unification might be the only way forward.
---Madara---
"Hashirama and Tobirama are still alive," said White Zetsu.
Upon hearing this, Madara burst into laughter. His eyes lit up with a rare spark of joy and excitement. "They're alive? That's unexpected... and amusing," he said with a smirk.
"But there's something strange about them," White Zetsu added, his tone more cautious now.
Madara raised an eyebrow. "Strange? What do you mean?"
"They haven't aged," White Zetsu replied. "They still look young—like they're in their early thirties. Madara-sama, you're much older than them now. Doesn't that seem odd?"
The question made Madara pause. He had lived a long, harsh life, and his body had also grown older, gray hair, wrinkled skin and weak body. The idea that Hashirama and Tobirama still appeared young unsettled him and left him dumbfounded, how can they are still look young, even they are senju they should look a lot older.
"Wait... how young exactly do they look?" Madara asked.
"They both appear to be in their early thirties. Not a single gray hair on their heads," said White Zetsu.
Madara narrowed his eyes. "Are you sure?"
"Yes, absolutely," White Zetsu confirmed.
Madara crossed his arms, now deep in thought. "Any other information?"
"Yes," White Zetsu continued. "When they arrived in Konoha, it was Uzumaki Mito who stopped the other ninja from attacking them. She told everyone that the Hokage had been in hiding to ensure that the village would be lead by a good hokage, if they got a bad hokage the first Hokage himself will personally deal with a new Hokage. Her words were powerful and so convincing that the people handed the Hokage title back to Hashirama without question. Then, Tobirama personally threw his former disciples into prison."
Madara's expression broke into a grin. "Tobirama imprisoned his own students? Hahahaha! Now that's something I never thought I'd hear. The irony!"
He laughed harder, amused by the twist of life where Hashirama are still alive. It seemed they are many thing he still don't know for example how to become young eventhough you have become 70 years old grandpa.
Author Notes: Should I released all the chapters?
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