Hokage: Unable to persuade Madara, I chose to build my own ninja village.

Chapter 487 Madara, perhaps you are right, Konoha is not enough to bear our dreams.

Hashirama Senju closed his eyes in pain, then opened them again.

He looked at the ordinary people in the hall, their faces filled with fervor—they were full of hope for the future because of the arrival of Akatsuki, yet they also wished they could devour Konoha alive because of its impending arrival.

The feeling of unease and tightness in my chest just wouldn't go away no matter what I did.

The rules were correct, and Tobirama was not wrong either.

So why did it end up like this?

"Tobirama, why do these ordinary people... hate Konoha so much? Why are they on Makoto Uchiha's side?"

"Big brother, I told you long ago that Uchiha Makoto is not a good person."

"In order to get these ordinary people to work for him, he even took a large portion of the land and grain that he had seized from those nobles and distributed it to them."

"These ignorant ordinary people know nothing. They've taken the benefits from Uchiha Makoto and tasted the sweetness, so naturally they'll speak up for him wholeheartedly."

Tobirama Senju's expression was cold as he scoffed.

He glanced with disgust at the boisterous, drunken commoners in the tavern, then looked away before suppressing his anger.

He answered Hashirama Senju's question in a calm manner.

While Hashirama Senju sat in the same spot, listening to his younger brother's righteous explanation, he didn't actually believe Tobirama Senju's words completely.

He knew his younger brother Tobirama very well.

He knew that Tobirama harbored deep resentment towards the Uchiha clan because of the hatred from the Warring States period, and might even be jealous of Makoto Uchiha's amazing talent that surpassed his own.

This bias will inevitably affect Tobirama's judgment.

However, considering the information revealed by these ordinary people and comparing it with Tobirama's current statement, Hashirama Senju couldn't find any loopholes in his words for the time being.

Every word Tobirama, the younger brother, said conformed to the rules of Konoha and was logically flawless.

Therefore, Hashirama Senju's mind was in complete turmoil.

With such conflicting and frustrating feelings, Hashirama Senju could no longer remain silent.

He had to figure out for himself what went wrong.

So he simply opened his mouth and joined in the discussion of this group of drunk ordinary people.

Hashirama Senju leaned forward slightly, forcing what he thought was a friendly smile, and addressed the people at the next table.

Someone interjected, "Um... everyone, excuse me. After listening for a while, I don't think Konoha is as bad as you all say, is it?"

Upon hearing this, the once bustling and noisy tavern fell silent.

Inside the room, a group of people, who were happily discussing the conspiracy theory that Tobirama Senju had "stole the highest power in Konoha," looked at the outsider-looking Hashirama Senju with a strong sense of vigilance and hostility.

Hashirama Senju ignored their stares and continued speaking, forcing himself to speak.

"When Konoha was founded, it ended the Warring States period, preventing various ninja clans from killing each other and eliminating the need to send young children to the battlefield. It is because of the human village system pioneered by Konoha that the Land of Fire has been able to enjoy such a long period of peace, allowing everyone to conduct business and live their lives in peace. In the end, Konoha has made a great contribution to the Land of Fire."

Seeing that everyone was just looking at him coldly, and no one immediately stood up to refute him.

Hashirama Senju swallowed hard, thinking they had taken his words to heart.

He began to try to persuade them and dispel their misunderstandings about Konoha using his "ninja logic".

"Furthermore, from what you just said, Akatsuki and Uchiha Makoto so brutally seized the land and property of the nobles, and even killed them, which is a serious violation of the treaty signed between Akatsuki and the Daimyo of the Land of Fire when they established their ninja villages."

"Konoha, as a ninja village of the Land of Fire, also signed the same treaty with the Daimyo. This time, the Second Hokage of Konoha acted according to the rules, accepting the employment mission from the Daimyo and nobles of the Land of Fire, and sending ninjas to protect their personal safety and..."

Property, that's perfectly reasonable and a matter of course.

"Since it's a hired mission, what's wrong with Konoha fulfilling its duties?"

"How could you... denigrate the law-abiding Konoha so terribly, even portraying them as utterly wicked people?"

7

Before Hashirama Senju could finish his long speech, the scarred man on his face couldn't contain himself any longer. He slammed his hand on the table, rudely interrupting Hashirama.

He was enraged by Hashirama Senju's condescending tone.

"Bullshit! You outsider, what do you know about reason and logic?!"

As he spoke, he swayed as he stood up, pointing at Hashirama Senju's nose, his eyes filled with mockery and anger.

"What did you say?!"

"How dare you speak to my older brother like that?"

Tobirama Senju, sitting opposite him, was already in a bad mood and was seething with anger.

He held back his temper and ignored the vicious rumors against him because his elder brother was still by his side, so as not to expose his identity and cause more trouble. He did not immediately teach these rude ordinary people a lesson.

But at this moment, this ordinary person actually dared to boss his older brother around.

Do you really think ninjas are people that ordinary people can bully and ride roughshod over?

Then, he snorted coldly, stood up by supporting himself on the table, and stared coldly at the scarred man not far away.

"What, judging from your expression, you can't win an argument, so you want to teach us a lesson by hitting us?!"

The man with the scar on his face felt a chill run down his spine as he was stared at by Tobirama Senju's gaze. The fear of being targeted by a apex predator made the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end, and the alcohol he had been drinking dissipated considerably at that moment.

But he subconsciously took half a step back and glanced around.

The thought that this was territory protected by Akatsuki Village, and that he was surrounded by fellow villagers like himself, instantly suppressed his fear.

"Fine, let's fight! Do you think I'm afraid of an outsider like you who speaks for Konoha?!"

The scarred man roared at the top of his lungs, not only to embolden himself but also to call upon his companions.

Upon hearing this, the surrounding guests immediately turned extremely hostile.

They weren't the type to back down from a fight; they had just worked together to thoroughly subdue that businessman who liked to spout nonsense.

They were beaten severely and then kicked out.

Now, it's just a matter of throwing out these two ignorant and arrogant guys who are still trying to whitewash Konoha and speak well of it at this point!

Moreover, they outnumbered and outgunned, so dealing with two unarmed outsiders was no problem at all.

"Judging by their attire, these two are probably spies sent by Konoha!"

"That's right! What kind of good person would come here to speak for those Konoha members who help the nobles!"

"Pah! I could tell they weren't good people at first glance."

Amidst the shouts and curses, a group of people in the room immediately stood up.

Seeing the tense scene before him, Hashirama Senju quickly stepped forward and stood in front of the table.

He grabbed Tobirama Senju's shoulder, his broad hand unconsciously imbued with a trace of chakra, and turned his head to signal to his younger brother Tobirama with his eyes that he must not make any rash moves.

Of course, Hashirama Senju did this not because he was afraid of fighting these ordinary people who didn't even have chakra.

He didn't believe that these ordinary people with benches could defeat the ninjas.

If these ordinary people, blinded by anger, were to recklessly rush at us, even the most casual of his younger brother, Tobirama...

A taijutsu counterattack, or even just a miscontrolled chakra spill, is enough to injure these people in an instant.

Hashirama Senju didn't want to hurt anyone; he just wanted to figure out the doubts in his heart.

"No, no, no... everyone, please put down what you're holding and don't act rashly."

"I don't mean to exonerate Konoha... it's just that as a newcomer, I do have some deep doubts... and I just want to ask everyone for clarification."

Hashirama Senju waved his hands repeatedly, keeping a very low profile, and forced a smile onto his face.

"You keep saying... that Akatsuki is upholding justice for you."

"But what about those nobles and landlords who were brutally suppressed by Akatsuki and even had their ancestral property seized? Is that fair to them? That's their family business passed down through generations."

"The Akatsuki did indeed distribute those fields and grains to you. But... if you're only doing this because you received these benefits from the Akatsuki, and for your own selfish gain, you're indiscriminately speaking up for the Akatsuki and hating Konoha for following the rules..."

"Isn't this behavior utterly unreasonable?"

If we don't mention the words "benefits" and "self-interest," there might still be some room for maneuver.

But as soon as Hashirama Senju finished speaking, the already oppressive and frenzied atmosphere in the hall became even more uncontrollable.

The emotions of these ordinary people were not calmed by his "rational and objective" remarks; on the contrary, they became more agitated than ever before.

"benefit?!"

"You son of a bitch, you call this a 'benefit'?!"

"Look at my face and these wounds on my body! These are the wounds you call those noble lords who were robbed of their property and wronged. They whipped me alive because I couldn't pay the doubled rent!"

The man leading the group, whose face was scarred, trembled with rage. He suddenly ripped open his rough, worn-out cloth shirt, revealing shocking, old whip marks on his chest and stomach.

He pointed to his scars, roaring as he strained, his eyes reddening from the effort.

"Our ancestors' inheritance? I'm shocked! Every single piece of land owned by those nobles and wealthy merchants was earned through the sweat and toil of us! Every single piece of land was bought with the lives of our parents and brothers who starved to death on the roadside!"

"In years of plenty, they take 80% of the rent; in years of famine, they don't reduce it by a single grain, and they even want to use our children to pay off their debts!"

The other men in the lobby also gathered around, their eyes red.

"You're talking to us about fairness for the nobility?"

"My granddaughter was only seven years old at the time. She was almost beaten to death just for going to the nobleman's mountain to collect a few pieces of firewood. Where were you bunch of hypocrites who spouted morality back then?!"

"Now, Lord Cheng has returned the land that rightfully belongs to us, allowing us poor people who have lived like animals for half our lives to finally have a full meal and stand up straight as human beings! And you say we're only speaking up for Akatsuki Village for our own benefit?!"

The cacophony of complaints and grievances from all around, mixed with years of suppressed anger, instantly overwhelmed Hashirama Senju.

He had his mouth half-open, as if he wanted to say something more.

But those words seemed so pale and powerless...

no way.

Now that things have come to this, what else can he say in the face of this bloody reality?

Hashirama Senju was indeed a traditional ninja limited by his era.

His mind was etched with the established logic of "ninja villages, daimyo, mercenary missions, and ninja rules." But deep down, he was also a kind-hearted person who was sometimes even "weak."

His initial motivation for establishing Konoha was truly to protect everyone.

Faced with a group of ordinary people from the bottom of society who are struggling to survive and have enough to eat, how could he...

They can be hard-hearted enough to blame the choices they make.

To be fair, if it were him, an ordinary person, after experiencing what these people described, if he encountered the Akatsuki village willing to stand up for them, he probably would also follow the Akatsuki village to the very end without hesitation.

The problem is...

There are no "what ifs" in reality.

He was not an ordinary person, but a ninja, the First Hokage of Konoha.

As the legitimate ninja village of the Land of Fire, Konoha has been bound together with the Daimyo by blood since the day it was founded.

The village's funding, ninja missions, prosperity, and operation all depend on the massive allocations from the Land of Fire's high-ranking officials.

You take someone's money and do their bidding.

According to the covenant and the ninja code, Konoha must protect the Land of Fire, protect the rule of the Daimyo, and protect the safety and property of the nobles who are considered heinous by the common people.

"Charge! Kill these two Konoha lackeys!"

"Yes! Throw them out! Those two are spouting all that noble nonsense; they're definitely not good people!"

"We can't let these two spies ruin our livelihood. Lord Cheng finally allocated us land; anyone who dares to speak up for Konoha is asking for our lives!"

Amidst the public's outrage, the previously heated atmosphere in the lobby completely spiraled out of control.

Spurred on by Hashirama Senju's words, this group of drunken ordinary people once again picked up the stools beside them and approached Hashirama Senju and Tobirama Senju.

Tobirama Senju's eyes suddenly sharpened, and he took a step forward, shielding Hashirama Senju behind him.

He regretted not having forcefully stopped his older brother from talking nonsense earlier.

Now we're in trouble.

"Tobirama, don't fight them."

"Let's go..."

Hashirama Senju did not want to escalate the conflict and cause a bigger confrontation. He reached out and tugged at Tobirama's sleeve, whispering for Tobirama to leave the place quickly.

To this, Tobirama Senju could only nod in agreement.

Without a word, the two brothers turned around and disappeared from the room using the Instantaneous Movement Technique.

Hashirama Senju, who had fled this place, was still extremely conflicted. He now somewhat understood what Madara had said before leaving Konoha.

It seems that Konoha... cannot fulfill their ideals.

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