“4L: The Sixth Hokage’s close friend?
Could it be Emperor Guy?”
“5L: Everyone said it’s an Uchiha close friend.
How could it be Emperor Guy?”
“6L: You can tell at a glance that 4L didn’t participate in the Fourth Shinobi World War.”
“7L: Agree with the above.
Every Ninja who participated in the Fourth Shinobi World War has seen that mental movie.
As a participant, I was deeply traumatized.
Was this supposed to be a war, or were we just being force-fed dog food?”
“8L: So, are you saying he chose to reveal the truth about the Uchiha for the sake of his Uchiha close friend?”
“9L: But regarding the Uchiha Clan Massacre, that war criminal also had a hand in it, right?”
“10L: How should I put it?
The reasons behind the Uchiha Clan Massacre are very complex.
Didn’t the Sixth Hokage say it?
There were reasons related to Konoha’s higher-ups, and there were reasons related to the Uchiha themselves.
You can’t blame it entirely on one war criminal.
At most, he played a role in pushing things along and assisting.
Even without him, the Uchiha Clan would still have been massacred.”
“11L: Danzo is the source of all evil!”
“12L: Plus one!
Danzo, go die!”
“13L: I already knew Danzo Shimura conducted human experiments, knew he used improper methods to train Ninja suicide squads, and knew he attracted a powerful enemy who said ‘Almighty Push’ to Konoha.
I just didn’t know he actually used someone’s seven-year-old younger brother to threaten a thirteen-year-old Ninja into massacring their entire clan.”
“14L: There is nothing more insane than this.”
“15L: The Darkness of the Ninja World refers to none other than Danzo Shimura.”
“16L: So, every time the Uchiha Clan Massacre is discussed, it ends up turning into a crusade against Danzo Shimura.”
“What the hell?
So, who exactly is Kakashi-sensei’s close friend?”
This habit of speaking like a riddle-maker was truly infuriating.
It was making him feel internally injured.
Uchiha Sasuke, who was lying in the Uchiha mansion with his eyes open, staring at the moon, was also confused, but his hatred for Danzo Shimura deepened by several notches.
Meanwhile, Danzo Shimura himself was hiding like a rat, having finally found a safe place.
And then he saw the strange screen again.
Clearly, they were gossiping about Kakashi Hatake, but as they spoke, they actually started attacking him!
Damn it!
Everything I did was for Konoha!
“17L: Exactly, you’re off-topic.
The key is the Sixth Hokage’s Uchiha close friend!”
“18L: That Uchiha war criminal, right?”
“19L: So who is it?
Help, I’m only in my first year at the Ninja Academy.
After reading the history books, I admire the Sixth Hokage very much, so why would he have a war criminal as a close friend?
Isn’t his good friend Emperor Guy?”
“20L: What’s so strange about that?
Almost every Hokage has an Uchiha close friend.”
“21L: The Fifth Hokage didn’t.”
“22L: The Fourth Hokage didn’t either.
The Fourth and his wife are a locked pairing!”
“23L: Sandaime says: My close friend is Danzo.”
“24L: So, the First, Second, Sixth, and Seventh all have one, hehe.”
“25L: Since when did we have a Seventh Hokage?”
“26L: The future Seventh Hokage.
Hasn’t it already been decided?”
“27L: That’s true.
The Hero of the Fourth Great Ninja War has a high reputation.
The Seventh Hokage is a sure thing.”
“28L: Ah, I’m going crazy.
So who is this Uchiha?
Didn’t the Uchiha all die out?”
“29L: As a primary school student, I’m also very distressed.
I went to the library to check the records.
The Uchiha only have Lord Sasuke left as a lone survivor now, right?
The enemy of the Fourth Shinobi World War was Uchiha Madara, so which other Uchiha is a war criminal?”
“30L: That’s the downside of being a primary school student.
Your access to information is insufficient.”
“31L: Hahaha, study hard.
This is historical information that only Jōnin can know, though it might all be released in the future.
At least it’s not possible right now.”
Konoha Village Hokage Office Building.
The high-ranking officials who had been dragged out of bed in the middle of the night to attend a meeting looked at each other.
The mention of the First, Second, Sixth, and Seventh Hokage all having Uchiha close friends made the veins on their foreheads twitch.
Strange gazes fell, more or less, upon the Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama.
Come to think of it, wasn’t the Second Hokage anti-Uchiha?
To think that someone who insisted on the “Uchiha Evil Theory” would actually have an Uchiha close friend…
That had to be a joke.
“Shikaku, analyze the information gathered so far.”
The Second Hokage spoke, not noticing the strange discussion about the Uchiha close friend.
His attention remained fixed on the name Uchiha Madara.
His crimson pupils flickered with coldness.
What exactly was Uchiha Madara plotting?
“Yes, Lord Second Hokage.”
Shikaku wrote several names on the blackboard at the front of the conference room.
“The first piece of information released by this screen is the candidate for the future Sixth Hokage, namely Kakashi Hatake.”
“Future Minister of Education, Iruka Umino.”
“Future Minister of Foreign Affairs and Hokage Assistant…”
Here he paused slightly, and a subtle sense of pride could be seen in his eyes.
“…Nara Shikamaru.”
“They are holding the second Five Kage Summit after the Fourth Shinobi World War.
From the screen, we can determine that the future Kage of the other four nations are the Fifth Kazekage Gaara, the Fifth Raikage Darui, the Fifth Mizukage Mei Terumī, and the Fourth Tsuchikage Kurotsuchi.”
Sandaime Hiruzen Sarutobi, Tsunade, Jiraiya, Kakashi, Homura Mitokado, Utatane Koharu, as well as the Hyūga, Ino–Shika–Chō, Inuzuka clan heads, and the others, all began recalling the information associated with those names.
Hiruzen said, “Except for Gaara, the others are all well-known Ninja.
They all have teacher-student or family relationships with the current Kage, so it is within expectations for them to become Kage.”
“Gaara…
I remember he’s the Genin who came to participate in this year’s Chūnin Exams?”
“That’s right.
The kid carrying the gourd.”
Those who had seen him at the venue remembered that brat being filled with murderous intent and the smell of blood.
It was truly strange that such a person would become a Kage.
More importantly, the Fifth Kazekage shown on the screen was completely different from the current Gaara.
“Let’s set that aside for now.
Just remember to pay close attention to information regarding these people,” the Second Hokage said as he looked at Shikaku.
“Continue the analysis.”
“The future Sixth Hokage proposed an initiative called the ‘Self-Reflection Action’ during the Five Kage Summit, concerning reflection after the Fourth Shinobi World War.”
“This proposal is related to the causes of the Fourth Shinobi World War.”
“As for the contents revealed by this ‘Self-Reflection Action’…”
Shikaku took a deep breath, somewhat reluctant to continue.
“Speak.
It will be revealed above sooner or later anyway,” Tobirama said with a cold expression.
Everyone in the conference room subconsciously swallowed.
As expected of Lord Second Hokage.
His courage truly was extraordinary.
“Very well.”
Shikaku wrote the words ‘Uchiha Clan Massacre’ on the blackboard.
“The proposal for the ‘Self-Reflection Action’ must have been unanimously approved, with Konoha taking the lead in revealing the Village’s top-secret events.”
Shikaku cleverly used the phrase “top-secret events” instead of “dark history.”
“The first matter to be revealed is the Uchiha Clan Massacre.”
Nara Shikaku’s forehead was covered in cold sweat.
He truly didn’t know how to continue.
His throat felt as though it had been seized.
“Allow me.”
“This was my mistake.”
Sandaime’s words rescued Shikaku in time, and he quietly let out a sigh of relief.
A chaotic sense of guilt filled Hiruzen Sarutobi’s eyes.
“Just as the screen stated, Uchiha Itachi was a double agent who ultimately chose the Village.”
“The Uchiha Clan had originally intended to launch a coup that night.
Danzo and I led the Anbu to stop it.
However, by the time we arrived, the Uchiha Clan was already covered in corpses.”
“I suspected at the time that Danzo had acted ahead of schedule.”
“He used Uchiha Sasuke’s life to threaten Uchiha Itachi into carrying it out himself, forcing a thirteen-year-old Ninja to bear sins that should have been ours.”
“This is my fault.”
Hiruzen Sarutobi’s back became increasingly hunched, making him appear even older.
“Then what about Uchiha Itachi?” the Hyūga Clan Head asked.
“He infiltrated a rogue Ninja organization to provide intelligence on them for Konoha Village, on the condition that his younger brother, Uchiha Sasuke, could continue living peacefully within the Village.”