Chapter 102

Every year that passes, his strength declines more and more severely.

If Minato Namikaze were to really fight him,

Hiruzen Sarutobi had no confidence he could defend against his Flying Thunder God Technique,

nor any confidence he could preserve his own life!!!

"Sigh… if it really won't work, I can only turn to Jiraiya for help."

"If it's Jiraiya, he probably wouldn't stand by and do nothing…"

"Jiraiya… Orochimaru… Tsunade…"

Thinking of these three powerful disciples of his,

Hiruzen Sarutobi didn't know how to express his feelings.

He had personally taught, hand in hand, three such outstanding disciples,

yet not a single one of these three disciples had ever followed his arrangements,

and now not one of them remained by his side!!!

At this moment, he even felt a sense of being betrayed by the entire world.

Could it really be that he himself had done wrong?!!

Hiruzen Sarutobi shook his head fiercely,

muttering to himself in a low voice.

"Impossible… impossible…"

"How could I possibly be wrong?"

"It must be them who are wrong; I am the one who is right."

"I am the Hokage — how could the Hokage possibly do something wrong?"

"Everything I have done is to carry out the Will of Fire; everything I have done is for Konoha!!"

"Only a selfish person like Danzo would do these things for his own private desires — I am not the same as him!! …"

Hiruzen Sarutobi firmly insisted that only he himself was correct,

and that everyone else was wrong.

……

【Orochimaru: I'm now rather curious — when the old man learns that you've been resurrected, Minato, what kind of expression will he have?】

【Orochimaru: It seems this livestream is indeed more terrifying than I imagined — even you, whose soul was snatched away by the Shinigami, can be resurrected…】

【Jiraiya: Orochimaru, although the old man's doing this is a bit excessive, he must have his well-intentioned reasons. Don't try to drive a wedge between Minato and the old man.】

【Kushina Uzumaki: Jiraiya-sensei, even now you still want to speak up for Hiruzen Sarutobi? What he's done after becoming the 3.7th Hokage, you should know better than anyone. Are you still going to keep deceiving yourself?】

【Nara Shikaku: No matter what, in my heart there is only one Hokage — and that is the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze!!!】

【Yamanaka Inoichi: What Shikaku said is exactly what I wanted to say.】

【Akimichi Choza: Our three clans of Ino-Shika-Cho are forever as one — only the Fourth Hokage is our Hokage!!】

……

At the Valley of the End,

watching the content of the discussion in the livestream,

Madara Uchiha covered his own forehead and threw his head back in wild laughter.

"Hahahahaha!!!"

"Did you see that, Hashirama? This is the Konoha you created!!!"

"The son of a dignified Hokage would actually be treated as a monster by the people of the village!!!"

"The Third Hokage and the Fourth Hokage would actually devolve into enemies!!!"

"Even the village you yourself founded has become like this — needless to say, the places outside Konoha."

"I want to know where the peace you speak of is? And where is the mutual understanding between people?"

Watching Hashirama Senju's increasingly downcast expression,

Madara Uchiha felt refreshed in both body and mind!!!

Compared to defeating Hashirama Senju by strength,

he felt that winning on this spiritual path,

could give him an even greater sense of pleasure.

This fully proved that he himself was right,

and that Hashirama Senju was wrong!!

"Could it be… that I was truly wrong? …"

"This…"

Looking down at his own two hands, Hashirama Senju murmured.

He had not deliberately sought information about the future,

but merely from the partial conversation in the livestream,

he could clearly deduce the entire course of events.

This made Hashirama Senju, who had always believed deeply in the future,

who had always believed deeply in himself,

feel an unprecedented sense of defeat for the first time,

and he did not know whether the plans in his mind still needed to be carried out!!.

70. The leaders of the Three Great Sanctuaries meet again — Hashirama Senju's pressure!

When the other four villages saw Minato Namikaze's remarks in the livestream,

they all wore expressions of schadenfreude.

Regarding the Nine-Tails' Rampage that had occurred in Konoha back then,

and the death of the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze,

they were very well aware of it!!

But that the son of the Fourth Hokage, Naruto Uzumaki, was living so miserably in Konoha—

they truly hadn't expected that!!

This was probably the most wretched jinchuriki in all of history.

And now, from just a few words of the Fourth Hokage,

they had already spotted the conflict between the Fourth Hokage and the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi!!

This was a good thing for them!!

At the same time, they were also secretly relieved in their hearts,

because if Konoha's own internal affairs hadn't deteriorated to such a state,

they had no idea how much longer it would have taken them to catch up with Konoha!!

Konoha simply had too many geniuses.

……

The Slug Sage stared at the Hashirama Senju before him,

and he could clearly feel the sincerity in Hashirama Senju's words!!

Hashirama Senju had no reason to deceive him either,

because his strength had already surpassed his own,

and someone more powerful than himself

truly had no need to deceive him!!

"I have to say… I really have been moved by the future world you speak of."

"Since ancient times, countless people have tried to realize this dream, but without exception, they all failed."

"But from you, I see a sliver of possibility that it might be realized!!"

"Perhaps… you truly can create an unprecedented era!!"

Even with the temperament the Slug Sage had cultivated over so many years,

at this moment he could not help but be deeply drawn in by the future in Hashirama Senju's words!!

In the Slug Sage's eyes,