Malphegor
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HTP: Ch. 11
🕑 Added 2025-05-26 00:19:42 +0000 UTC"Forget it, I give up."
Gaara, who had been forced back into his original form, collapsed weakly to the ground, clearly subdued by Naruto's fists of compassion.
By the time Jiraiya arrived, the emotional exchange between the two jinchūriki had already concluded. Legend had it that in the era of the Sage of Six Paths, chakra could link people's emotions. What had just occurred was nothing short of that.
With Orochimaru's identity exposed, the remaining Suna ninja realized the truth and all lost the will to fight, dropping their weapons.
Baki, representing Suna, surrendered to Konoha. Though exhausted physically, he was even more drained mentally. He even felt an itch on his nose, like something red was about to grow from it... Why did we even come here in the first place?
The follow-up treaties would have to be dealt with by the Suna elders. This incident, no matter where you put it, would seem pretty absurd. The Fourth Kazekage had eagerly followed Orochimaru to "take down Konoha," only to die before even reaching the battlefield, becoming the first casualty of the war.
And so, the Konoha Crush Plan came to an end.
After rounding up the remaining Oto ninjas and sealing Orochimaru for transport to prison, along with other related tasks, the First and Second Hokage didn't immediately return to the Pure Land.
Hiruzen brought his two reanimated leader on a tour of Konoha's now-bustling streets, as well as the rapidly expanding area around the Ninja Academy. He explained his upcoming project as the Third Hokage: The Konoha Academy City.
Following closely were mostly administrative personnel, like Iruka, who had possessed the mindset of a Hokage since childhood, offering clarifications on certain specifics.
The First Hokage was very pleased with Konoha's development. Despite just going through a crisis, it was clearly far more prosperous than it had been in their time.
When Hashirama heard about the Ninja Academy City, he praised it enthusiastically, saying, "You truly are a worthy successor to our will. Even came up with the idea of cultural victory."
Looking at the Hokage Rock carved with the faces of himself, his brother, Hiruzen, and Minato, he sighed, "It's a shame the Fourth Hokage died so young, but you've done wonderfully. You've worked hard all these years. If only I had thought of this sooner, maybe Madara and I wouldn't have ended up the way we did."
Tobirama had a more complex expression. "You've changed a lot."
He hadn't seen Koharu, Homura, Kagami, or Danzō.
They had even discussed the current situation of the Hyūga clan along the way, but there had been no mention whatsoever of the Uchiha.
And Hiruzen didn't get weaker even as an old man. Add to that the obviously sinister student of his from earlier... Just what had happened to this guy over the years?
But Tobirama didn't voice these concerns. The affairs of the living world were not the business of the dead.
Suddenly, Hashirama laughed and asked, "By the way, what about the Uchiha? They haven't been causing trouble, have they?"
"No…"
"So how are they doing?"
"Sasuke is quite popular at the Ninja Academy," Hiruzen replied, his gaze suddenly shifting away, dodging the question.
Where to even begin? Danzō truly is a persistent ghost.
Surely none of this could be blamed on kind old me, right? Even in the original story, when Obito tried to brainwash Sasuke and smear Konoha, he didn't even mention me, he even said I was the only one who tried to help the Uchiha clan. Yes, yes, I'll use that as my argument the next time I get into a debate tonight.
"Do you still remember Danzō, Hashirama-sama?"
Under Hashirama's steady gaze, hr decided to begin with Shisui.
---
"And in the end, things turned out like this."
"Your student… was far too extreme and narrow-minded," Hashirama sighed.
Tobirama fell silent for a moment, then gave Hiruzen a deep look before slowly speaking.
"As Hokage, how could you let yourself be dragged down by your subordinates?"
Please no, not that look, Tobirama-sensei! Danzō, you really committed so many evils…
"Forget it. You're the Hokage now," Tobirama initially wanted to say more, but swallowed the rest of his words. Hiruzen had already ruled as Hokage for decades, at this point, it was too late to lecture him.
The atmosphere turned a little awkward, so Hiruzen decided to drop a big bombshell. He motioned for those around to leave, then whispered to them, "Konoha might still need your strength."
He selectively shared some recent events.
"I currently have access to a mysterious space. My current state is related to it too. Perhaps…"
Hashirama was utterly fascinated by such tales. Alternate dimensions, interworld missions... he listened with rapt attention.
"That's enough. Time's almost up. We should be leaving now." Tobirama cut Hiruzen off, insisting that no matter what, the dead shouldn't interfere with the affairs of the living. "As the current Hokage, believe in your ability to handle all of this."
"And also, Madara is still alive," Hiruzen said.
Tobirama's expression immediately changed, shocked and horrified. That inherently evil Uchiha was still alive?! The affairs of the living world were not the dead's concern, except when it came to the Uchiha.
---
They talked until sunset, only then did the two former Hokage return to the Pure Land.
From the high platform, facing the Hokage Rock under the glow of dusk, Hiruzen looked down over the entire Konoha.
"You must protect and love this village. You must believe in the people within it… You must also cultivate someone who can inherit the next era… Starting tomorrow, you will be… Hokage."
"Hokage…" Hiruzen muttered quietly, lost in his memories. "Sensei, I'm doing it now."
---
That night, Hiruzen was browsing through the Naruto forum, reading post after post harshly criticizing him. This time, he didn't even have the energy to defend himself.
His own weakness had indeed been a major cause of many tragedies. If he were just an ordinary man, even just a jonin, then yes, he would truly have been a kind and good person.
But he was the Hokage.
Sigh. He let out a breath and gave a "like" to a post titled: "The Third Hokage Is the Real Culprit Behind All of Konoha's Tragedies."
He was too deep in reflection to even feel like arguing.
That was, until he scrolled across this gem: "What Trash Combat Power Does The Third Hokage Even Have? Isn't He Basically Just a Low-Budget Kakuzu?"
That was too much.
He snapped.
He replied, "How does Orochimaru compare to Kakuzu? Orochimaru himself admitted he'd be one-shotted by the Third Hokage! Kakuzu's just a discount Kakashi, how is that even a comparison?!"
He was about to continue posting evidence, like "The God Tree that took Tobirama going full power to dismantle, and Hiruzen just smashed it with a stick," when suddenly, his reply got deleted by the thread's original poster.
His blood pressure spiked instantly.
---
Meanwhile, late at night, in a prison, Danzō opened the day's newspaper, which was especially thick today.
Double headline on the front page: "Kazekage Dies Unexpectedly, Suna Seeks Peace, Rogue Orochimaru Captured."
Hiruzen, you actually handled it decently.
Then he read the second headline: "Former Hokage Highly Praises Third Hokage, Criticizes Shimura Danzō for Being Extremely Radical and Narrow-minded."
HIRUZEN!
