Konoha: Offer your heart to the Hokage!

I prefer the former to the latter.

It would be best if they died, a clean break. Living them is always a potential threat. Given Zenji's character, it wouldn't be easy to kill them once they return to the village. The only option is to gradually marginalize them and exclude them from the core of Konoha.

As a second choice, if not all of them died outside the village, then I would even hope that the last person to survive the Uchiha Yan's hunt was Hiruzen Sarutobi.

He was the man who would later be known as the "Oni-Hero" and the "Doctor of Ninjutsu." He returned to the village alive and brainwashed the villagers with self-blame and hatred, training them to be a sharp weapon against the outside world.

As for the other three, how are they supposed to manage Konoha while they're with the insects?

His Leaf Village!

...

The next morning.

He then put on the Hokage's short-sleeved shirt and went to the Hokage Building office.

The silence was broken by hurried footsteps shortly after I sat down.

Elder Shen'er, something terrible has happened!

A tense atmosphere instantly enveloped the Hokage Building.

Soon, Mito Uzumaki, Momoka Senju, and other high-ranking members of Konoha were all urgently summoned to the Hokage's office by Shen.

Shen Er rested his chin on his hands, his expression grave: "The summoning beasts of Shadow Guard members Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado sent back this morning that the Gold and Silver Brothers assassinated the Second Raikage in public, breaking the peace treaty, and are now leading a group to hunt down Tobirama and the Shadow Guard."

"They are surrounded and need support."

"What?!"

"Have the Golden Horn and Silver Horn gone mad? How dare they do such a thing?"

The meeting room erupted in an uproar.

Senju Momoka, concerned for her husband's safety, suddenly stood up: "Elder Shen'er, we should immediately gather our forces and go to rescue Tobirama!"

“I understand how you feel, but please calm down first,” Shen Er said, her expression sorrowful. “We must prepare for the worst.”

The meeting room gradually quieted down.

"Tobirama possesses the unparalleled Flying Thunder God Technique. Logically, if he wanted to, no assassination attempt in the ninja world could threaten him. Yet he hasn't used the Flying Thunder God Technique to return to the village, which means..."

Shen Er looked around at everyone present and slowly stated the cruelest possibility: "Even the invincible Tobirama has weaknesses as long as he has bonds."

"He most likely gave up the opportunity for long-distance teleportation in order to cover the Shadow Guard's retreat, staying behind to hold off Jin Yinjiao and his troops, desperately delaying time."

"The second generation..."

"The chances of them surviving are slim, given that they were trying to protect the Shadow Guard."

Of course……

Even though Tobirama survived the pursuit of Kinkaku and Ginkaku thanks to the butterfly effect, the sky still posed a deadly threat, and he could not possibly return to Konoha alive.

Chapter 164 Tobirama Senju, Sacrificed for This World

The meeting room fell into dead silence.

No one wants to accept this result, but they have to admit that Shen Er's prediction is very likely to become a reality.

To cover the Kage's retreat, Tobirama willingly gave up his Flying Thunder God Technique and his own hope of survival. The Kage, who were supposed to protect the Kage, ultimately became the root cause of the Kage's sacrifice.

What is this? Reversing the Heavenly Stems?

Under Shen'er's guidance, everyone couldn't help but start thinking about this question.

Senju Momoka's eyes reddened, and she stood there, speechless. She couldn't accept that it was the very disciples he had carefully trained who had driven her husband into this predicament.

He glanced around and chuckled to himself.

Preconceived notions are crucial, and he has successfully instilled the "correct" mindset in Konoha's leadership. Even if the Shadow Guard returns to Konoha alive with Tobirama's dying wish, they cannot change this mindset.

Does a negligent bodyguard deserve to inherit the title of Hokage?

Zenji abruptly changed the subject, displaying the responsibility befitting Tobirama's close friend and acting Hokage: "However! No matter how perilous the situation, the rescue team must set off. The Hokage is in danger; we cannot stand idly by."

Operation codename: Welcome back the Second Film Studio!

Shen Er immediately announced the formation of a special rescue force, drawing on elite ninjas still in the village to rescue the Hokage and his group. The rescue force had only one objective: to find the Hokage alive or dead, in other words, to "welcome back the Second Hokage."

If the Second Hokage is still alive, escort him back safely; if the Second Hokage is dead, locate the body, and then Konoha will spare no effort to bring the body back and bury it in the Spirit Hall.

The personnel composition is not complicated.

Led by Senju Momoka, along with the elites of the Senju, Sarutobi, and Shimura clans who remained in the village, they formed the main escort force; a small number of ninjas from the Aburame, Inuzuka, and Hyuga branch families were responsible for accurately locating the Shadow Guard and Tobirama.

The group marched in a grand procession towards the front lines.

As for what?

As the esteemed acting Hokage, he naturally had to prioritize the overall situation and remain in Konoha.

Konoha has already seemingly lost its Second Hokage; it cannot afford to lose him as the Acting Hokage as well. If something were to happen to him, who in Konoha could shoulder the weight of the Hokage position?

His insistence on personally welcoming Tobirama back was overacting and came across as pretentious.

After the order was issued...

Both Senju Momoka and Uzumaki Mito seem reasonable.

Mito, in particular, looked at Jinji's busy figure as he directed the operation, and it was as if she saw her deceased husband. She couldn't help but sigh, "Jinji... he already has the mindset of a Hokage."

...

The rescue forces advanced towards the front lines at an extremely rapid pace.

however……

The tragedy of Konoha has already occurred irreversibly.

The battle between Tobirama Senju and the Gold and Silver Brothers lasted all night, until noon the next day.

At this moment, he was soaked in blood, his ninja clothes were tattered, a hideous claw mark ran from his chest to his abdomen, and the flesh on his waist and abdomen was turned inside out. Crimson Nine-Tails chakra swirled around it, continuously eroding his body.

The ten fingers he used to form hand seals were still there, but the uncontrollable trembling revealed that he was completely exhausted.

Tobirama leaned against a large tree with his eyes closed.

The ground around him was littered with the corpses of Cloud Ninja.

He had lost count of how many enemies he had killed, but estimated it to be at least a hundred. At first, he fought with ease using the Flying Thunder God Technique, but the pursuers from the Hidden Cloud Village were endless, wave after wave, relentlessly attacking him.

By the end, his chakra was completely depleted, leaving him with no strength left to even activate the Flying Thunder God Technique. He could only rely on his unwavering fighting spirit and taijutsu, repeatedly drawing and swinging his sword to keep going until now.

In fact, the Gold and Silver Horns brothers had enough strength to kill him in the early hours of the morning.

He should have been killed by the Gold and Silver Horns brothers in the early morning.

But for some unknown reason, the two seemed to have suddenly received some kind of urgent message, and abandoned their plan to kill him, the trapped beast, with their men and retreated directly, leaving behind a large number of Cloud Ninja pursuers to continuously wear down his strength.

"It's reached its limit."

Tobirama smiled bitterly.

He no longer had the strength to get up; he had exhausted all his energy, whether it was for forming hand seals or swinging his sword. He knew without a doubt that the next wave of Cloud Ninja would arrive soon.

At that point, even if the opponent is just a few ordinary genin, they can easily end his life.

Even if no more Cloud Ninja came, he wouldn't survive...

The injury was too severe.

His heart was struck by lightning, his body was covered in large wounds, and the continuous blood loss, coupled with the Nine-Tails' chakra corroding him like poison to a ninja, was all threatening his life.

If he had Hashirama Senju's physical abilities; if Jinji were by his side; if he hadn't focused on building the village all these years, but instead concentrated on ninja training... he might not be dead today.

But in the ninja world, there are no "what ifs," and tears are not believed. His current wretched state is entirely his own fault!

Tobirama looked towards the Land of Fire.

His sacrifice was not meaningless; at least it bought the four Shadow Guards a night to escape. Even though they weren't completely out of danger and hadn't returned to the Land of Fire, they were no longer constantly facing a life-or-death crisis.

After receiving the request for assistance, Konoha will likely dispatch reinforcements quickly.

The firelight will illuminate the village and cause new trees to sprout...

He is a fallen leaf! After falling to the ground, he becomes nourishment for seedlings; the monkey is a newly grown tree, which can grow into a towering tree as long as it gets light and nutrients; even represents firelight, he is the light of the leaves!

He will be the last of the first generation of Konoha's giants, continuing to illuminate the path for future generations!

Knowing he was doomed, Tobirama Senju began to rewind and look to the future.

Just then, a faint rustling sound came from the forest not far away.

A new wave of enemies is about to land!

Tobirama wasn't someone who cared much about battle honors; he just felt that it would be incredibly shameful for the Hokage of Konoha to die at the hands of a Kumogakure genin. So, he forced himself to stand up and picked up a kunai to stab himself.

The Hokage of Konoha died standing!

Although he doesn't have the same strength as his older brother, he will never die at the hands of ninjas from other villages!

however.

Unexpectedly, the one who slowly emerged from the forest was not the Cloud Ninja who had come to deliver the fatal blow.

Two figures dressed in black uniforms with auspicious cloud patterns and wearing masks appeared silently on the bloody battlefield.

who is it?

Tobirama Senju squinted his eyes with difficulty. Even through the cold mask, he could still sense the nauseatingly evil aura emanating from the other party.

This familiar chill and evil cannot be wrong.

"The Uchiha clan..."

A contemptuous smile appeared on Tobirama's lips.

He was a dying man, but when facing the Uchiha, he must always maintain the proper arrogance!

From a young age, he believed that the Uchiha were an inherently evil clan. And his near-death experience at this moment further confirmed his long-held judgment, which, in a sense, could be considered a perfect ending.

At a time like this, it's obvious what the Uchiha clan would do if they appeared here.

They couldn't possibly be here to rescue him.