"Damn it—those bastards!"
"This absolutely has something to do with them!"
Senju Tobirama's face was ashen as he slammed his palm against the desk, venting the fury boiling in his chest.
That innately wicked Uchiha brat—Uchiha Makoto—was a member of the Uchiha Clan!
Tobirama simply did not believe that the Uchiha within Konoha had no involvement in this matter. Blood was thicker than water—break the bones and the tendons were still connected.
Moreover, the fact that Makoto had broken away from the Uchiha Clan on the eve of Konoha's founding to establish his own village was suspicious in and of itself.
The Uchiha were clearly colluding both inside and outside the village!
Their goal was obvious—to seize Konoha, the legacy forged by him and his brother, and commit a classic case of "the cuckoo stealing the magpie's nest."
That could never be allowed to happen!
Tobirama swore to himself, forcing his emotions down and beginning to analyze the situation calmly.
And that was when a deep sense of helplessness washed over him.
The current circumstances left him almost powerless.
The Uchiha had clearly planned this far in advance.
He had been careless.
Recently, he'd been buried in village affairs and had loosened his surveillance of the Uchiha Clan. That single lapse had allowed Makoto to link up with the Uchiha inside Konoha.
Makoto stirred chaos outside.
The Uchiha fanned the flames inside.
Konoha would be plunged into turmoil almost instantly.
Worse still, the Uchiha had already hijacked public opinion.
If Konoha now stood united with Akatsuki Village and declared war on Kumogakure for refusing those so-called "compensation terms," the result would be inevitable.
Victory—or defeat—didn't even matter.
What mattered was that Makoto and the Uchiha Clan would reap enormous prestige.
Their influence within Konoha would surge yet again.
That was the last thing Tobirama wanted to see.
But if Konoha slammed on the brakes now—
That would mean acting against public sentiment.
Even if it was for the sake of peace, emotionally charged villagers and ninja wouldn't care.
When people vented their anger, they were no different from beasts.
His brother's authority and reputation would suffer.
And that, in turn, would indirectly elevate the Uchiha Clan's influence.
An open stratagem with no solution.
Advancing was impossible.
Retreating was impossible.
"Tobirama… is the situation really that bad?"
"These are just your assumptions."
With his chest tight, Tobirama poured all his worries out to Uzumaki Mito.
His sister-in-law was someone he trusted.
Perhaps she could offer him some advice.
But although Mito trusted Tobirama's abilities, she felt that in this matter he was simply overthinking things.
She had met Uchiha Makoto.
As the man who had awakened her awareness as a woman, she naturally viewed him through a favorable lens.
That handsome, devoted husband with progressive ideals—
How could he possibly be the scheming conspirator Tobirama described?
Impossible.
Absolutely impossible!
This had to be Tobirama maliciously misjudging Makoto's intentions.
"Sister-in-law, you and Big Brother are both too kind," Tobirama said grimly.
"You haven't seen the true nature of the Uchiha."
"The Sharingan grows stronger the more extreme the emotions. They're latent dangers—there's nothing they wouldn't dare do!"
He looked like the lone sober man among the drunk.
He had seen through the Uchiha's essence.
There would be no mercy, no naïve fantasies.
They had to be guarded against.
"Tobirama… then what do you plan to do?" Mito asked.
She knew she couldn't persuade him, nor did she intend to argue further.
The situation was urgent.
She simply wanted to know if he had a solution.
"First, we need to bring Big Brother here," Tobirama replied.
"At this point, only he can preside over the situation."
As he spoke, he dispatched ANBU to summon Senju Hashirama to the Hokage's office.
At the same time, Tobirama ran through several countermeasures in his mind.
Every one of them required Hashirama's cooperation.
After all, the Shadow Hokage was still only a shadow.
But—
His brother had always been prone to siding with outsiders.
And that left Tobirama deeply frustrated.
Not long after—
"Tobirama, what's going on? I feel like Konoha's atmosphere is… off."
"Big Brother, are you really this slow?"
Hashirama was escorted into the Hokage's office by ANBU.
He was always late to sense shifts in public mood—more so now than when he'd been clan head.
Tobirama suspected Madara was the reason.
He briefly outlined the situation for Hashirama, then went into detail about his suspicions regarding the Uchiha Clan.
Whether his brother believed him or not didn't matter.
What mattered was that he spoke the truth.
"Big Brother, the situation is extremely dangerous," Tobirama concluded.
"Your decision will shape the village's future."
"For Konoha's sake—use True Several Thousand Hands on the Uchiha!"
He genuinely hoped his brother would strike decisively.
Anyone daring to undermine the village deserved to be crushed.
One fist—one Uchiha.
"That's enough, Tobirama!"
Hashirama slammed the table.
"What you're saying is speculation!"
"I don't believe Madara—or the Uchiha—would do something like this."
"If Madara wanted to be Hokage, he could've just told me!"
"For Konoha's peace and future, Madara could absolutely be the Second Hokage!"
Silence exploded.
Tobirama's eyes went wide.
He wanted to swear—badly.
But he held it in, screaming internally.
Even Mito covered her face, stunned by Hashirama's shocking declaration.
The most absurd part?
It was entirely possible.
"Big Brother, I'm not arguing with you!"
"Let me ask you—let me ask you!"
"Akatsuki Village has blown this up!"
"Makoto's so-called compensation terms—how are they any different from surrender terms?!"
"What do you think he's trying to do?"
"He clearly wants to escalate this and deliberately provoke a war!"
"Konoha is already in an uproar!"
"With public opinion pushing like this, war could break out at any moment!"
Tobirama no longer wanted to argue about internal–external collusion.
He was afraid.
Truly afraid.
What if his brother really did something impulsive?
What if he announced to Konoha that Uchiha Madara would be the Second Hokage?
Then all the nights Tobirama spent working himself to death—
Wouldn't that mean he'd been laboring for Madara all along?!
Absolutely unacceptable!
The Second Hokage should be me!
The Shadow Hokage was meant to step into the light one day!
"Th-this…"
Hashirama fell silent under the barrage.
Even he had to admit Makoto's demands were excessively harsh.
They left Kumogakure no room to maneuver.
Whoever signed those terms would become Kumogakure's criminal.
The village would be the laughingstock of the shinobi world.
"…Still," Hashirama said after a pause,
"Makoto really has gone too far."
"I think Madara should quickly send Uchiha representatives to communicate with Makoto."
"That should solve it."
Tobirama snorted.
"And what if Madara and the Uchiha Clan think exactly the same way Makoto does?"
"That's impossible! Madara loves peace!"
"Even if Madara doesn't think that way, he doesn't represent the entire Uchiha Clan," Tobirama shot back.
"Otherwise, how could Makoto have founded his own village?"
In Tobirama's eyes, his brother was hopelessly naïve.
Hashirama and Madara were close, yes.
But the Uchiha Clan didn't necessarily share Madara's views.
Makoto himself was proof.
The truce between the Senju and Uchiha existed largely because Hashirama and Madara held authority.
How could a millennium of blood feud vanish in just a few years?
The Uchiha in Konoha still harbored resentment.
This was simply another way of reclaiming dominance.
Unless Madara personally went—
But even then, Tobirama wouldn't feel safe.
What if Madara, too, had been influenced by that innately wicked Makoto?
Then everything would spiral out of control.
Tobirama lacked godlike power—
But he understood human hearts far better than his brother.
After all, he himself was a calculating old Senju fox.
"Tobirama… then what should we do?" Hashirama asked, rubbing his head.
He hated complicated schemes.
Why couldn't everyone just be honest, understanding, and compromise a little?
"Big Brother, your stance is crucial," Tobirama said solemnly.
"Since the situation can't be reversed, the best option is to follow public opinion."
"Konoha should act decisively—bypass Akatsuki Village and strike Kumogakure directly."
"Seize the initiative."
"This will let Konoha establish authority in the shinobi world—and your prestige will rise even further."
He laid out the optimal solution.
Makoto's trap could still be broken—
If Hashirama personally led Konoha's forces and crushed Kumogakure into submission.
Then everything Makoto had done would merely pave the way for Senju glory.
Prestige would belong to the Senju.
The Uchiha would get only scraps.
But—
"No! I can't do that!"
Hashirama shook his head vigorously.
"This can be resolved through dialogue!"
"Why must it become a war? So many people would die!"
"One day, this hatred and humiliation will plunge Konoha into endless conflict!"
As expected.
Hashirama rejected the idea outright.
Too naïve.
Naïve enough to believe everyone else was like him.
"I should've known," Tobirama sighed inwardly.
He'd said it anyway—just in case his brother had a moment of clarity.
"Since Big Brother insists on a peaceful solution," Tobirama said aloud,
"we'll first cool down Konoha's emotions."
"As for Akatsuki Village—we're too far removed."
"We'll have to respond step by step."
He spread his hands helplessly.
No matter how capable he was—
He could only react passively now.
His brother was the deadlock.
Hashirama wouldn't strike Kumogakure.
And he certainly wouldn't coerce Akatsuki Village.
Without force as backing, Konoha's negotiations meant nothing to Akatsuki.
Worse, Akatsuki held the moral high ground—avenging fallen chūnin.
No one could openly oppose that.
As for those brutal terms?
Grassroots ninja didn't care.
They were cheering Makoto's actions.
Everyone wanted something different.
Rank-and-file ninja wanted a domineering, unreasonable protector.
Hashirama wanted peace.
And Tobirama—
Was stuck in the middle, like a daughter-in-law caught between in-laws and children.
Trying to satisfy everyone—
And satisfying no one.
Big Brother… I must've owed you something in my last life.
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