Chapter 423: Tobirama Interrogates the Third Hokage
Not long after Obito left, Madara arrived in the Land of Rain from the Land of Wind, crossing half a country in just a few minutes.
He knew that Nagato's Akatsuki base was in Amegakure, and it was highly likely that Nagato would be there.
Soon, he reached Amegakure and, using sensory ninjutsu, detected significant chakra fluctuations more than ten kilometers away from the village.
Madara changed direction and arrived above the Anti-Konoha Alliance's forces.
The massive crater formed by Shinra Tensei came into view, and Madara knew he had found the right place.
"It seems a great battle just took place here. Have they already left?"
Scanning the battlefield, Madara noticed the lifeless expressions of the Anti-Konoha Alliance's ninjas.
It was a look of fear and loathing for war, something Madara had once seen in the eyes of his own clansmen.
"They must have lost. Where did that brat Nagato go?"
Madara descended from the sky and approached Mei Terumi and Chiyo, who radiated strong chakra.
He was in a hurry and wasted no time, directly using genjutsu to extract the information he wanted.
Nagato had indeed been there but had left suddenly, an unusual behavior.
This situation made Madara instinctively think of Uchiha Obito and the mysterious Uchiha Haneda.
"Interesting… Do you think I won't find you if you hide?"
Madara's gaze shifted to the right as Black Zetsu emerged from the ground:
"Madara-sama, Obito has already taken your Rinnegan and used his space-time ninjutsu to leave."
Hearing that his pawn had acted ahead of him, Madara laughed:
"Interesting… Obito has his own plans. Let's see what he intends to do."
Madara wasn't in a rush since he knew how to use the Reanimation Jutsu and had hidden measures on Obito.
What worried Madara most was that Obito might not be able to gather the Tailed Beasts quickly.
He casually asked, "Which Tailed Beasts are the hardest to deal with?"
Black Zetsu replied, "The One-Tail and Nine-Tails. Both their Jinchuriki are in Konoha."
"The barrier there has been reinforced, making it difficult for White Zetsu to infiltrate. Also, Uchiha Haneda is suspected to be there."
Fearing Madara didn't fully understand Haneda's unique situation, Black Zetsu explained further:
"Uchiha Haneda's strength now rivals your own back then. Dealing with him will be troublesome."
"There are rumors of a deal between Obito and Haneda. Obito should be able to obtain the chakra of the One-Tail and Nine-Tails…"
Madara interrupted, "Then let's go to Konoha and see this Haneda for ourselves."
...
Similar to Amegakure, Konoha was also under attack by the Anti-Konoha Alliance's assault forces.
This time, the team was led by the Fourth Kazekage, Rasa.
Rasa was very wary of Konoha and originally didn't want to take on this mission, but the joint pressure from Kumogakure, Iwagakure, and Kirigakure forced his hand.
There was no choice — Sunagakure was the weakest of the Five Great Ninja Villages, and the dirty, exhausting tasks naturally fell to them.
The Anti-Konoha Alliance knew Konoha would be a tough opponent, where survival was slim, and they would face a fierce counterattack.
Sunagakure knew this too.
So, they only sent Rasa and a thousand of their own ninjas, while the remaining twelve thousand were from the other villages.
Clearly, Rasa had become a bargaining chip in negotiations with the other villages, essentially a sacrificial pawn for Sunagakure.
Even knowing this, Rasa still came for the sake of his village.
"Up ahead is Konoha's South Station, the most crucial transportation hub…"
Rasa stood on a hill, gazing at the distant train station. A few kilometers beyond it was Konoha.
Now, the ten-thousand-strong assault force was very close to Konoha.
...
On the other side, Konoha had already detected the approaching assault force through their Byakugan.
However, only a handful of people were sent to confront them.
Most of the forces were stationed at the train station to prevent the Anti-Konoha Alliance from infiltrating and destroying it.
Iwagakure had ninjas who could use Explosion Release.
To inflict greater damage on Konoha, Shikaku guessed that the Anti-Konoha Alliance might send Roshi, the Four-Tails Jinchuriki.
But those few sent to face the assault force were some of the strongest in the ninja world.
The Reanimated Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama.
The aged Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi.
The Reanimated Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze.
Two of the Sannin, Jiraiya and Orochimaru.
Uchiha Itachi with the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan, inherited from his father, Uchiha Fugaku.
Itachi had only recently transplanted the eyes, and though reluctant, Fugaku insisted to protect Itachi on the battlefield.
The Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan allowed the complete Susanoo, enabling Itachi to fly away if necessary.
At this moment, Tobirama was interrogating the Third Hokage:
"Monkey! Who told you to indulge that naturally evil Shimura brat?!"
???
Hiruzen Sarutobi wore a bewildered expression. His friend Danzo had never informed him that Tobirama had severed ties with him.
However, after years in power, Hiruzen had honed his ability to read people.
Judging from Tobirama's tone and words, Hiruzen deduced that Haneda or Orochimaru might have informed their teacher about Danzo's actions.
As for the mention of an "evil brat," Hiruzen chose to ignore it.
"Sensei, Danzo may have done many bad things, but he's been dealt with. There's no point in pursuing it further."
Tobirama retorted, "Monkey! I'm asking why you indulged that naturally evil Danzo brat!!"
"Sensei, the Anti-Konoha Alliance is here. Let's deal with them first," Hiruzen attempted to divert the conversation again.
It was like responding "or" to a "yes or no" question, skillfully avoiding a direct answer.
But Tobirama wasn't someone who could be easily dismissed. He was infuriated by Hiruzen's evasive behavior:
"Monkey! Do you know what that Danzo brat did? Do you know?!"
"He conducted human experiments on Senju children! He almost incited an Uchiha coup!"
"He allowed other nations to invade the Uzumaki clan, our distant relatives!"
"The worst part! Why didn't you speak out when he targeted Naruto, the hero's son? Why?!"
"Monkey! What are you thinking? What are you trying to do? Answer me directly!!"
Hiruzen instinctively glanced at Minato beside him, remaining silent.
Of course, he knew what Danzo was doing, but those actions benefited Konoha.
For instance, the Uzumaki clan's legacy and sealing techniques became Konoha's assets, and they secured a Jinchuriki for the Nine-Tails.
It was highly profitable for Konoha!
The Uzumaki clan's governance model had long been a source of concern for the Daimyo.
Eliminating the Uzumaki was a gesture of goodwill towards the Daimyo, ensuring more funds for Konoha annually.
It was a triple win!
As for the Senju, Uchiha, and Naruto issues...
The Senju were too powerful. Without suppressing them, Hiruzen couldn't hold power.
With the Uchiha, it was a tug of war between him and Danzo. Danzo oppressed, and Hiruzen pacified.
This push and pull gradually weakened the Uchiha.
As for Naruto...
Hiruzen had no excuse.