The conference room doors slammed shut. Itachi, restrained by the ANBU, was carried out on a stretcher. His voice calling out grew fainter and fainter as the medical squad assigned to him also left.
The clan heads present each fell into their own thoughts.
None of them believed there was anything inappropriate about Hiruzen Sarutobi's treatment of Itachi or the Uchiha. In fact, one might even call Hiruzen merciful in how he handled Itachi.
Had the Hokage targeted any clan other than the Uchiha today—be it the Hyuga, the Ino-Shika-Cho trio, the Aburame, or the Inuzuka—there would have been immediate protests.
Because that would have truly damaged morale.
After all, someone had just shed blood for Konoha.
But the target was the Uchiha. Even if only Itachi and Sasuke remained of the entire clan, even if Itachi had just bled for the village, the major clans still agreed: this was the way the Hokage should treat the Uchiha.
Looking back at shinobi history—
The Uchiha were powerful. So powerful that, during the Warring States period, they could sweep through all other clans under the Senju.
And yet, they were not strong enough. Even at their peak, they were always one step behind the Senju.
Added to this, their clan was known for arrogance, extreme emotions, and ruthless retaliation once they turned hatred into action.
This made the Uchiha a pariah among shinobi clans.
Even after joining Konoha, they were molded by Tobirama—who saw through their nature—into a twisted blade. A weapon aimed outward, while internal dissent and public opinion were guided against them.
Hiruzen Sarutobi stared blankly at the now-closed doors, his breathing heavy.
He had thought Itachi's return would be the best news he'd receive today…
Before he became the captain of the great ship that was Konoha, there was a time—when he was young and full of ambition—that he wanted to truly accept the Uchiha.
But once he ascended to power, Hiruzen found that the blade his teacher had left him was just too useful.
Now he was old. He could no longer lift that blade. Worse still, the blade was chipped and blunted. No longer could it be wielded against outside enemies.
That left only one use for it—
To become the target of public blame.
To serve as nourishment for Konoha.
Hiruzen and the Hokage advisors had planned to use the "Uchiha Yu Massacre" and the crisis it created as a justification to drag the Hyuga and the other clans into collective responsibility, uniting them to weather the storm.
Hiruzen and Hiashi Hyuga had originally believed the operation to wipe out the Uchiha rebels would be a guaranteed success.
Even if Hiashi wasn't tempted by the Uchiha's leftover inheritance, the massive Hyuga clan behind him certainly was.
But no one had expected Uchiha Yu to possess such terrifying strength.
Yu's actions told Hiruzen plainly: those branded as evil are capable of greater evil than you can imagine.
Thus, the Uchiha deserved to be annihilated.
And if one were to ask what exactly the Uchiha had done wrong, Hiruzen could only sigh to himself and think—
Perhaps they never should have joined Konoha in the first place.
Besides, war costs money—resources. Whether defending or initiating conflict, the expenses are enormous.
Which of the clans sitting here wanted to bear the bulk of that cost?
But now that the Uchiha and Shimura clans had both collapsed, their thousand-year fortunes could justifiably be used to fund wartime expenses.
During the war, the major clans could quietly divide up the Uchiha and Shimura assets.
That way, they'd have something to look forward to once the war ended.
That way, they would stay unified against the enemy.
After Itachi was sent off, Hiruzen took a moment to compose himself. His mind dazed, he finally turned to the two elder toads before him and motioned for someone to bring them seats.
Once seated, Shima glanced at Fukasaku and solemnly rolled up the summoning scroll. Her tone was grave:
"We already understand Konoha's situation. We came here to tell you all—if you want to defeat Uchiha Yu, you must find the Child of Prophecy."
Fukasaku nodded and added, "He's the one destined to bring transformation to the entire ninja world."
Upon hearing that, everyone's spirits lifted.
He had no interest in hearing more of Itachi's reports about Yu's power. What he wanted—desperately—was a way to deal with this 'evil Uchiha.'
Now, with the two elder toads presenting a solution, it was like a pillow offered to a man at the brink of sleep.
"Does this Child of Prophecy have any obvious characteristics? Or a clear ability that can help identify him?"
Hiruzen asked eagerly.
The clan heads and Hokage advisors all looked to the two toads, hopeful.
Everyone knew that Jiraiya had been searching for the Child of Prophecy—that was part of why he had left the village.
Fukasaku and Shima both looked troubled. Fukasaku sighed and said:
"The Great Toad Sage only shared the Child's description with Little Jiraiya. Now, even the Sage himself no longer remembers what he once said…"
Hiruzen Sarutobi and the other clan heads of Konoha were momentarily speechless. Their expressions shifted from hopeful to awkward.
There were no clues at all.
How were they supposed to find anyone?
Fukasaku quickly explained:
"But before we left, the Great Toad Sage mentioned that the Child of Prophecy is highly likely to appear in Konoha. That's the reason we came here."
Hiruzen and the others finally exhaled a bit. Shikaku Nara's expression turned serious as he began mentally strategizing ways to quickly locate the Child of Prophecy.
The conference room fell silent once again.
Hiruzen took the initiative to break the silence, his expression helpless as he apologized:
"Forgive me, but we cannot place all our hopes on a vague prophecy. Right now, because of Yu's massacre and the resulting turmoil, the village is under immense internal and external pressure. Iwagakure is also on the move..."
Shima nodded in agreement with Hiruzen's point, then interrupted him:
"Exactly because the Child of Prophecy is likely to be born in Konoha, if the village falls, and anything happens to him, the ninja world will lose all chance for positive transformation.
Therefore, Mount Myōboku has decided to give its full support to Konoha in resisting Iwagakure's invasion!"
As soon as she finished speaking—
The eyes of everyone in the room lit up like stars. This was nothing short of a lifeline in a snowstorm!
What Konoha lacked most right now was powerful support like the toads of Mount Myōboku. As for allies… Sunagakure was unreliable, and the smaller villages had already fallen during the Siege of the Valley of Judgment.
But with Mount Myōboku's promise—
Most of Konoha's crisis was now under control!
Hiruzen stood up from his seat, eyes wide with excitement. "Is that true?"
Fukasaku stared directly at Hiruzen and affirmed it.
"Though we lost Gamabunta, Mount Myōboku still has more than just him—many powerful toads remain. Third Hokage, please trust Mount Myōboku."
"Excellent! Mount Myōboku and Konoha will stand together against Iwagakure's invasion. After that, Konoha will dedicate all resources to finding the Child of Prophecy!"
The pressure and frustration that had built up in Hiruzen's chest finally lifted. His dignity returned to his expression as he swept his sharp gaze over the clan heads present, embodying the will of fire once again. In a deep voice, he declared:
"Everyone—prepare for wartime logistics. I will personally lead the troops and face Ōnoki in battle!!"
The various clan heads echoed in agreement, eyes full of anticipation.
This would be the first time since the Nine-Tails incident that they'd witness the Third Hokage personally take to the battlefield.
But among them, the sharp-minded Shikaku Nara remained calm. Neither Hiruzen's rekindled fighting spirit nor Mount Myōboku's support could ease his concerns.
As the other clan heads were shouting in excitement, Shikaku raised his right hand. Everyone turned to look as he slowly stood, sweeping his gaze across the room and locking eyes with Hiruzen.
"Hokage-sama, since Lord Jiraiya has already fallen, I recommend we immediately send someone to find Lady Tsunade and ask her to return. It will bolster the village's strength significantly."
His voice wasn't loud, but it cut through all the noise.
Hiruzen froze for a moment.
Only then did he remember—he still had Tsunade, the granddaughter of the First Hokage, and a student of the Senju clan.
In this time of crisis…
Tsunade really should set aside her grudges and do her part for the village.
"Mm!" Hiruzen agreed with the proposal, sighing inwardly, "We must ask her to return…"
"You're asking me to join the Uchiha?"
Tsunade's expression was surprised. Her sharp, amber-brown eyes glared at the smiling Orochimaru before her, full of disbelief.
"It's not a request—it's an invitation."
Orochimaru's androgynous face curved into a smile.
They stood atop the massive body of a summoned serpent. The scenery around them was rapidly retreating. Shizune stood at the rear, holding the little pig, Tonton.
Just moments ago, Tsunade had been discussing strategies with Shizune on how to handle Yu when Orochimaru had suddenly appeared and made this absurd invitation.
It was utterly outrageous.
"Orochimaru, when did you become someone else's lapdog?" Tsunade scolded harshly.
She shot a cold sideways glance toward Yu, who stood confidently atop the serpent's head.
Before Orochimaru could respond—
Another voice chimed in:
"That's not called being a lapdog. In the words of an old proverb—it's called recognizing which way the wind is blowing."
"…?" Tsunade quickly turned around.
There, standing upside down on the serpent's body with his head toward the ground and legs in the air, was Tamao. He walked in a handstand, neither fast nor slow.
Shizune and Tonton frowned instinctively, edging away from the strange man.
"Exactly, you said what I was thinking!" Orochimaru nodded approvingly, giving Tamao an appraising look.
Tsunade stared at Tamao with confusion. She asked, and Shizune echoed, "What exactly are you doing?"
Tamao giggled. "Training, of course. I've kept it up even in the hospital!"
"Rehabilitation training?" Shizune asked cautiously, craning her neck.
"Kinda. The doctor said I have a touch of paranoid schizophrenia. He advised I do whatever I want to do, or else I'd get too much pent-up energy and become a danger to others!"
Tamao beamed with a childish smile.
He then pressed his palms against the ground and performed a set of handstand push-ups.
Tsunade and Shizune both fell silent.
Back at the serpent's head, Yu looked sideways at Tamao with a strange expression. Inwardly, he sighed. In the shinobi world, maybe you really do need a bit of madness just to wake up every day and keep smiling.
Tsunade stopped paying attention to Tamao and instead turned to Orochimaru with a serious expression. Coldly, she asked:
"What's the point of all this?"
Orochimaru replied with a smile:
"Living has no meaning in itself. It's just about what's interesting."
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