met free Chapter 223: The Graveyard of the Mountains
Chapter 223: The Graveyard of the Mountains
A few days later, Hiruzen Sarutobi and his group returned to Konoha.
When everyone learned that Uchiha Izuna had been gone for many days without a trace, they knew in their hearts that their teacher was probably not going to return this time.
The group immediately reported the information they had gathered to the two remaining elders of Konoha: Mito Uzumaki and Tennin Hyuga.
In an effort to stabilize morale, the Konoha leadership initially planned to suppress the news of Izuna's death.
However, news of the assassination of the Second Raikage and the Fourth Hokage had already spread in Kumogakure, and Konoha could no longer conceal it unilaterally.
After a brief discussion, Mito Uzumaki and Tenjin Hyuga decided to publicly announce the tragic news of the Fourth Hokage's assassination and begin discussing the selection of a new Hokage.
In the secluded room, the two men discussed matters face to face.
Hyuga Tenjin spoke first: "The Fourth Hokage thought Danzo was capable of taking on the great responsibility, so why not let Danzo succeed as Hokage?"
As the widow of Hashirama Senju and the wielder of the Nine-Tails, Konoha's strongest fighting force, Mito Uzumaki held a pivotal position in the village. Upon hearing this, she immediately shook her head in rejection:
"No, Danzo must not take on this responsibility. I have the ability to sense the good and evil in people's hearts, and I can clearly see that this person's character is not upright and he is not worthy of sitting in the position of Hokage."
Hyuga Tenjin nodded slowly upon hearing this. He represented the position of the prestigious clans of Konoha, while Danzo had always ostracized the samurai and disregarded the interests of the major clans.
If Danzo were to become Hokage, he would inevitably target these old "samurai" clans in the future, which is absolutely unacceptable.
"What about Hiruzen Sarutobi?"
Hyuga Tenshinobu then made a suggestion.
He himself actually had the desire to compete for the Hokage position, but he was older than Izuna and had long lost the will to fight for the position, so he had to choose someone else.
Mito Uzumaki pondered for a moment, then nodded reluctantly: "Hiruzen... he's alright."
There is no better option at the moment.
Currently, neither the Senju nor the Uchiha clans have produced a successor capable of shouldering great responsibilities.
Uchiha Kagaku, Uchiha Setsuna, Uchiha Chiri, and others, in terms of temperament, character, and sense of responsibility, were all unqualified to lead Konoha and succeed as Hokage.
The descendants of the Senju clan are even more of a motley crew, mostly mediocre characters.
"Notify the daimyo, the heads of all the major clans, and Hiruzen Sarutobi to come here."
"Although Hiruzen is still young, with the two of us supporting him wholeheartedly, there will definitely be no major trouble."
Mito Uzumaki spoke in a deep voice, then slowly nodded.
Upon hearing this, Hyuga Tenshinobu immediately nodded, fully agreeing with the decision.
Before long, the news that Hiruzen Sarutobi would succeed as the Fifth Hokage was leaked intentionally or unintentionally and gradually spread among the Konoha leadership.
Upon hearing this, Shimura Danzo was suddenly jolted, his heart filled with disbelief.
He repeatedly reassured himself, insisting that it was nothing but baseless rumors.
But deep down he was perfectly clear that, in Konoha, only he and Hiruzen Sarutobi were qualified to compete for the Hokage position.
Moreover, just a few days ago, Mito Uzumaki personally visited the Sarutobi clan's residence, an action that clearly indicated the final outcome.
Thinking of this, Danzo clenched his fists tightly, his knuckles turning bluish-white from the excessive force, and intense resentment and anger surged wildly in his chest.
"If Izuna-sensei were still alive and personally selected his successor, he would definitely choose Danzo!"
"But the one who holds the power to decide the Hokage position right now is none other than Mito Uzumaki!"
"Who is she? She is the wife of the great traitor Hashirama Senju!"
"How could she possibly hand over the Hokage position to me!"
His anger was hard to quell, but just then, Danzo's gaze suddenly fell on two large characters hanging on the wall.
-
"endure"
These were the words of wisdom that the First Hokage personally gave him when he asked the First Hokage for the secret to his success.
"That's right, I still have a chance..."
Danzo took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the negative emotions surging in his heart.
Moreover, Hiruzen Sarutobi is his childhood friend and would never harm him; on the contrary, he would certainly entrust him with important responsibilities.
At that time, he could follow the example of Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha. Perhaps in a few years, Hiruzen Sarutobi would step down like the First Hokage and hand over the Hokage position to him.
Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.
Northern Ninja World
In a deep and secluded cave.
Uchiha Izuna lay quietly on the flat stone bed, surrounded by a faint scent of Hashirama cells.
After an unknown period of silence, Izuna's fingertips trembled slightly, and he slowly opened his eyes.
Two familiar figures came into view, and his expression instantly changed. He jerked to his feet, exclaiming in shock, "Big Brother?! Tobirama?!"
Madara Uchiha and Tobirama Senju were sitting on a stone chair nearby. Upon seeing this, they both turned their heads to look at Izuna Uchiha, who had finally awakened.
Madara Uchiha smiled slightly, relieved that Izuna was alright.
"What are you doing here? Weren't you in Konoha? Why did you leave the village? And... what exactly is this place?"
Izuna's tone was full of urgency and doubt as he asked a series of questions.
The two people in front of him were his closest brother and a friend he had known since childhood.
Tobirama Senju raised his eyes and spoke slowly and calmly, "This is the chasm between the underworld and reality..."
Before he could finish speaking, Madara Uchiha's face darkened: "Alright, Tobirama, Izuna, this is a hidden cave in the far north of the ninja world. Tobirama and I call this place the Graveyard of Mountains."
"Big brother, why did you leave Konoha?"
Izuna pressed on with his question, no sooner had he finished speaking than...
He suddenly frowned slightly, subconsciously closed his eyes to feel for a moment, and when he opened them again, his eyes were full of surprise.
"Wait, my Mangekyou Sharingan... how come the discomfort is gone?"
As Izuna looked around the cave, he felt a strange sense of familiarity with the chakra flowing around him. The soreness and fatigue in his eyes caused by using the Mangekyou Sharingan completely disappeared.
"I injected my elder brother Hashirama Senju's cells into your body. It was this power that eased the burden on your eyes, which is why the condition of your Mangekyou Sharingan improved."
"Fortunately, your constitution is special, and you managed to withstand the erosion of my elder brother's cells, thus saving your life."
Tobirama Senju remained calm and slowly explained the reason.
Uchiha Izuna murmured softly, his tone filled with realization: "No wonder...no wonder there was such a familiar chakra aura..."
Before he could think any further...
Madara Uchiha's voice rang out again, stating firmly, "Tobirama and I left Konoha to take a different path, to completely unify the entire ninja world in our own way."
Upon hearing this, Izuna's brows furrowed instantly. He looked at his older brother, his tone tinged with helplessness and a hint of dissuasion:
"Brother, why are you still so stubborn? Even Great-Grandfather was unwilling to touch that ambition, why do you still refuse to let go of it, insisting on risking your life to do something impossible?"