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As soon as Hashirama spoke, the room fell into complete silence.
Everyone was stunned.
Did he really just say that?
We're talking about the Nine-Tails here!
An unsealed, wild-tailed beast!
While the Nine-Tails incident was primarily a matter for the Hidden Leaf Village, they tried their best to keep it under wraps. However, such a significant event couldn't be completely concealed, and the other villages were aware of it.
After all, every village has its intelligence network.
Although the exact details of how the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, died weren't fully known, everyone was aware that he had indeed perished in the battle.
A wild-tailed beast is different from one sealed within a jinchūriki.
There are no restrictions!
Its power is immense!
The fact that the Fourth Hokage managed to accomplish what he did was already remarkable, preventing the Hidden Leaf Village from suffering the worst possible losses.
"Well… at that time… the Fourth Hokage… he just wanted to reseal the Nine-Tails," Hiruzen couldn't help but explain. He had been watching from outside the barrier and had seen everything quite clearly.
That was a combination of the Dead Demon Consuming Seal and the Four Symbols Seal, neatly containing the Nine-Tails.
"Re-sealing it back into Kushina Uzumaki's body would have been sufficient. Adding all those extra steps was unnecessary; it just shows how weak he was," Hashirama shook his head, dismissing Hiruzen's explanation.
Before he crossed into this world, back when he was still Chen Xiang, he had watched Wu Di-ge's livestream and learned about Naruto's background.
Later, he binge-watched Naruto again.
That scene had stuck in his mind from the anime!
In the context of the story, it was a plot device!
But now, as Hashirama himself in the Naruto world, looking back on the Fourth Hokage's actions...
It seemed weak!
Forcing the Dead Demon Consuming Seal to drag the Yin chakra of the Nine-Tails into his own body while sealing the Yang chakra within Naruto, turning a newborn into the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki.
The reason given...
At the time, the explanation was to prevent the masked man from returning.
But...
The price was the deaths of both Minato and Kushina, leaving Naruto to grow up in Hiruzen's less-than-caring environment.
Now...
He was Senju Hashirama.
He was part of this world.
So...
Stripping away the plot's necessity, he had every right to question the Fourth Hokage's decisions.
"What do you mean?" Hiruzen was momentarily confused, not quite understanding what Hashirama was implying. He felt a bit dizzy, as if Hashirama had been right there at the scene.
"Kushina Uzumaki was a member of the Uzumaki Clan, known for their strong life force. Even after the Nine-Tails broke free, she didn't die immediately. Am I wrong?" Hashirama narrowed his eyes slightly, his gaze sharp and penetrating, making it hard for Hiruzen to meet his eyes.
"N-no… you're not wrong!"
Hiruzen mechanically nodded, acknowledging that Hashirama's statements were indeed accurate.
"Against a still-living jinchūriki like Kushina Uzumaki, all that was needed was to reseal the Nine-Tails back into her."
"That's why I said the Fourth Hokage was too weak!"
"If he had been stronger, or if he had thought of other possibilities…"
"The Fourth Hokage and Kushina didn't need to die. Do you understand?"
"The Nine-Tails is indeed powerful, but controlling it isn't that difficult!"
With these words, Hashirama had clearly made it personal.
The room fell into a heavy silence.
Was it really that simple?
Was it really that easy?
Is this even a reasonable discussion?
Despite the silent grumblings, everyone knew that since Hashirama was speaking, there was nothing to argue.
After all, he had the authority to say so.
Hiruzen was left speechless. Over the years, he had never revisited or reflected on the Nine-Tails incident in detail.
It had been a chaotic time!
Following that were the issues of rebuilding the village, dealing with the grief of the Fourth's death, and shouldering the heavy responsibilities once he returned as Hokage.
These issues constantly pushed him forward.
Then there was the subsequent Uchiha Clan rebellion.
The affairs of the Hidden Leaf Village kept piling up, leaving him no time to sit back and review past events.
Now, hearing Hashirama's comments, he found himself at a loss for words.
It suddenly made so much sense.
During the Nine-Tails incident, Kushina indeed did not die immediately. She survived long enough to help seal the Nine-Tails into Naruto and complete the transition of the jinchūriki before finally succumbing.
During that period...
The Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, had indeed had the opportunity to reseal the Nine-Tails back into Kushina's body.
In that fleeting moment, Hiruzen found himself unable to rationalize the Fourth's actions.
He couldn't fathom what the Fourth had been thinking.
"Had they both survived, why did they choose to die together, leaving behind only an infant? Was it really to preserve hope for the village?"
Hashirama's voice cut through the air, each word striking directly at Hiruzen's soul.
"The Fourth Hokage believed the masked man might return, yet he ended up dying himself. This forced the village back into your hands, old man, and led to all the subsequent events."
Hashirama's tone grew colder, making the surrounding air feel icy.
"These are the reasons I believe the Fourth Hokage is to blame. It's not just that he died for the village; it's that every decision he made wasn't necessarily correct. He could have avoided a needless sacrifice, but he didn't. Instead, he put everything back into a dangerous situation. Isn't that a sign of weakness?"
Hashirama shook his head repeatedly. From his current perspective, the Nine-Tails incident clearly had its issues.
Of course, it was a plot device!
"Now that we've covered this, I won't beat around the bush any longer. Hiruzen Sarutobi, I need answers to a few questions."
Hashirama's expression turned serious as he raised a finger towards the Third Hokage.
"First, after the Fourth Hokage's death, the Fifth Hokage should have been chosen. The village wasn't without capable candidates at that time. Why did you take up the position of Hokage again?"
The moment these words were spoken, Hiruzen's heart sank.
Hashirama had mentioned this topic before, but not as formally as now.
The inevitable had come.
There was no escaping it!
"The village at that time..."
Hiruzen wanted to explain that there was no one else to succeed the Fifth Hokage, but he stopped himself before he could say it out loud.
That explanation wouldn't be appropriate!
It implied the village had no one qualified to lead.
Moreover...
It wasn't entirely true that there were no candidates.
"We needed someone to step up immediately to oversee the situation and prevent attacks from other villages. The Nine-Tails incident and the Fourth's death had greatly weakened the village's strength."
Hiruzen provided another, more palatable reason.
"And you've been overseeing this situation ever since?"
Hashirama's lips curled into a faint, cold smile as he looked at Hiruzen with disappointment.
"Are you still not going to tell the truth?"
"If I'm not mistaken, you intended to oversee the village until your death, didn't you?"
(End of Chapter)