“So, you killed Shinnosuke and Asuma, not for clan and power but because you felt I preferred them and neglected you…” As Sarutobi Hiruzen thought this, a strong pity emerged in his heart. “Tonan, you haven’t realized what you have done! You are muddled by jealousy.”
Uchiha Tonan stood up and shouted, “Yes! I’m jealous. I’ve always regarded you as a father. Even though you killed my parents, I never hated you. Why can they get your care without doing anything just because of the so-called blood relationship? Can’t you see who treats you well? Who stood up when Orochimaru betrayed you? It was me! I’m just a chunin but I dared to fight with a Konoha Sannin for you!”
Perhaps, because of being too deep in the act, Tonan exerted too much force. As a result, veins popped out on his forehead, turning his face red. He was even panting by the end.
Hiruzen was startled. His hands trembled slightly, and his eyes were also slightly moist. Tonan’s last sentence broke his defense in an instant. The wind was blowing beside his ears, making him feel a tingling pain.
Heavy clouds shrouded the sky, causing the entire forest to plunge into darkness. The snow was also getting thicker. A curtain of broken flowers seemed to be drawn between the two of them, making it difficult for Hiruzen to see Tonan’s face.
He could only see a strange red light in Tonan’s eyes. “That’s right… the person who cares about me the most in the world seems to be just Tonan…” Hiruzen took a deep breath and calmed down, “Who told you I killed your parents?”
Tonan secretly absorbed Hiruzen’s negative emotions and answered with a miserable smile, “The Great Elder told me that you transferred my parents to Kiri’s frontline. That place is foggy all year round. How can the Sharingan be effective there? How would the fire-style and lightning-style ninjutsu restrain water-style? I’m not stupid, but I deliberately neglected this fact. I no longer have parents. And now, I don’t even have a sensei anymore… I’ve nothing left…”
The Mangekyo in Tonan’s eyes spun rapidly and he emitted strong chakra fluctuations. Seeing the situation turn for the worst, Hiruzen hastily explained, “Tonan… I indeed have the responsibility in your parents’ matter. It was my error in command. Because at that time, the village was lacking manpower.”
“I know that you’re good to me and I also know that you’ve always cared for and loved the village. We can talk about Shinnosuke and Asuma. No hatred cannot be resolved. You must remain calm and not fall into darkness.” Hiruzen was a little flustered, and his words almost stuttered. He didn’t even realize that his revenge had no connection to Tonan’s parents.
In fact, he had no intentions or thoughts of killing Tonan’s parents. He just discussed it with Shimura Danzo. After the war, they reckoned that the Uchiha clan had contributed a bit too much to the Second Shinobi War. And he simply wanted to suppress their arrogance. They were targeting the entire Uchiha clan.
Most of the ninjas in the villages knew about this and they tacitly approved it. But could he say this? No.
“It’s too late. From the moment you killed me in the illusion, everything is too late. We’ll never go back to what we used to be. Even if I don’t hate you, every time you remember it, you’ll hate me. I know I’m inferior to Shinnosuke and Asuma. However, it doesn’t matter now. Sensei, let’s go to the world of the dead together and start over. When we get there, I will personally apologize to your sons.”
Tonan’s face was filled with indifference and he slowly spread his hands open. A pitch-black Yaksha appeared around him. It was bigger than the nearby hills. Its appearance sent out an oppressive feeling. The Yaksha had a ferocious ghost face, with a pair of horns on the head and fangs in its mouth.
Like Tonan, it had also spread open its arms. Its ten pointed fingers were like sharp claws. Hiruzen narrowed his eyes on seeing this. Was this Uchiha Madara’s rumored Susanoo? But why was it so different from what was written in the intelligence records? It was so similar to the Death God drawn on the Reaper Death Seal Scroll.
Hiruzen became anxious. “Tonan! Wake up, don’t get lost in the darkness.”
Tonan looked at Hiruzen dispassionately. With a grim smile on his face, he said, “Sensei, I’m awake like never before. I used to deceive myself. The dream of bringing peace to the world is just a dream. I can’t even save myself, how can I save the world? I was a nobody and living itself was very tiring. Come down together with me. Please forgive my last selfishness.”
After speaking, he waved his hand towards Hiruzen. At the same time, the Yaksha also waved its arm, ferociously sweeping it towards the Hokage. The simple swing of an arm created a deep ravine on the ground as if the sturdy ground was as soft as tofu.
Just before the Yaksha swung its arm, Hiruzen summoned Enma and turned it into Adamantine Staff. He swung the Staff, trying to block the attack. However, it was like a chopstick facing the Demon. Just touching its sharp claws, Hiruzen felt an incomparable force, and he was sent flying back.
This was the result when Tonan was still holding back. He wouldn’t stop this until his right eye’s Tamamo-no-Mae could no longer absorb Hiruzen’s negative emotions.
“Don’t you hate me for killing your sons? I don’t need to resort to sophistry. I just need to shift the cause and effect of this incident on you and show how good I’m to you. And finally, make unfounded counter-charges, saying you caused my parents’ death.”
“Look, I didn’t fuss about you killing my parents. If you still blame me for killing your sons, do you still count as a human?”
After landing, the Adamantine Staff reverted to Enma. The monkey king reached out to wipe the blood from his face, and said with an ugly expression, “Sarutobi, why are you fighting with Tonan? How can he summon such a monster? It even injured me.”
Hiruzen solemnly replied, “This is most likely the Uchiha clan’s Mangekyo Sharingan. It is mentioned in the secret record that Madara had a pair of eyes just like that.”
Meanwhile, Tonan controlled Yaksha to move slowly, heading towards Hiruzen. He swung his claws again and again, attacking his sensei. At the same time, he was crazily absorbing the negative emotions that Hiruzen continued to emit. This was also one of the reasons why Hiruzen couldn’t hate Tonan.
Hiruzen and Enma were temporarily powerless. They could only awkwardly dodge and run. “I heard that Susanoo has unrivaled defensive power, and ordinary ninjutsu is useless against it. Enma, can the Adamantine Prison Wall trap him?”
Hiruzen could see that the matter at hand wouldn’t be resolved if this continued, but he was unwilling to use powerful techniques like the Five Style – Continuous Great Bullet Technique, out of fear of hurting Tonan.
Enma ran for his life while anxiously saying, “This awful thing can harm me. And don’t forget he also has a sharper Kusanagi Sword in his hand.”
