Chapter 257: Then Dissolve Konoha Village
"Lord First Hokage, now isn't the time for this! You need to find a way to defeat them quickly!"
Kazuma paced frantically while Hashirama wore an expression of innocent confusion.
"Eh? Why should I defeat them?"
"The current situation shows you're invading another nation. They're the righteous side here!"
"Stop wasting time with nonsense. Quickly gather your things and retreat to the village."
"From now on, focus honestly on developing the village instead of constantly seeking unearned gains."
"Nani?" Kazuma's eyes nearly bulged from his skull as he pointed at Hashirama accusingly: "Are you the Hokage of Konoha Village or Takumi Village?"
"I only stand on the side of justice. I won't be used by you!" Hashirama declared firmly.
"But such a powerful enemy—if you don't eliminate him now, who can stop him when he attacks Konoha Village?"
"How many people will die then?"
"Can you bear watching Konoha Village's children all perish?"
Seeing persuasion failing, Kazuma changed tactics, resorting to moral manipulation.
Sure enough, these words made Hashirama's expression turn grave as he lowered his head, seriously contemplating countermeasures.
Witnessing this, Kazuma felt triumphant. He pressed harder, piling responsibility after responsibility onto Hashirama, attempting to manipulate this former "God of Shinobi" through such means.
Only Tobirama—who understood his brother's personality best—rolled his eyes wordlessly, muttered "Idiot," and turned his head away.
"You..." Kazuma naturally heard this curse but, glancing at the contemplating Hashirama, ultimately didn't dare make a scene.
"If such a day truly comes..." Hashirama lifted his head gravely, eyes filled with serious resolve. "Then dissolve Konoha Village!"
"Nani?" Kazuma could scarcely believe his ears. "You—what are you saying? What does dissolving Konoha Village mean?"
"Exactly what it sounds like." Hashirama answered earnestly: "Earlier, I heard the Third's intelligence report. Uchiha Yasushi's hatred targets Konoha Village itself—not any specific individual, and certainly no deep grudges against ordinary ninja clans."
"Once Konoha Village dissolves and the target of hatred disappears, naturally that hatred will dissipate."
"Huh? What kind of solution is that?" This time, not only Kazuma found it unacceptable—even the ordinary ninja clans couldn't accept it.
Only Tobirama spread both hands, sighing: "Heh. Just as expected."
Hashirama explained:
"Compared to the village as an organizational structure, obviously the villagers and residents within matter far more!"
"After dissolving the village, villagers and shinobi can completely transfer to other ninja villages. Surely other villages would welcome accepting these people."
"However, everyone at their new villages will inevitably face some trust issues."
"But I believe as long as everyone treats others with sincerity, mutual understanding will definitely develop, ultimately allowing smooth integration into new villages."
Hashirama's expression remained solemn. Every word came from his heart—he genuinely believed this. He truly felt if the village couldn't defeat Uchiha Yasushi, simply dissolving it would suffice.
When establishing ninja villages originally, his purpose had been ending warfare throughout the shinobi world, preventing children from entering battlefields and dying young. He'd never harbored ambitions of establishing achievements or consolidating power.
If dissolving ninja villages could bring peace, he wouldn't care if the Konoha Village he'd personally established vanished from the shinobi world.
But the more genuine his conviction, the more unacceptable others found it.
"Who wants to integrate into some new village?!" Everyone shouted in unison.
Even the Third couldn't accept Hashirama's proposal.
Itachi grew particularly agitated, roaring furiously.
"Lord First Hokage, how can you say such things?"
"Do you know how much we've sacrificed for the village's peace and stability? How can you dismiss our efforts with one sentence, letting all our hardships flow away like water?"
Hashirama turned to look at Itachi, knowing this person had directly executed the Uchiha Massacre mission. He immediately admonished him seriously:
"Itachi, you must remember—don't confuse your objectives with your methods."
"You shouldn't fight to protect the village. You should fight to protect every individual member within the village."
"You shouldn't abandon any village comrade, much less abandon the minority for the sake of the majority."
"A comrade's value doesn't change based on their numbers or strength."
"This is the true meaning of a shinobi's desperate battles."
"In this regard, Hiruzen performed very poorly. Don't follow his example."
Hearing the First's words—practically a scolding—Itachi felt his entire body turn ice-cold, experiencing profound pain from complete negation.
"No... it's not like that..."
Itachi muttered to himself. Dark chakra on his body fluctuated violently. The Sharingan in his eyes spun and contracted continuously. His entire person seemed possessed.
Hashirama knew the Uchiha clan's situation intimately. Witnessing Itachi entering this state, his brow furrowed with concern. His gaze toward Itachi filled with worry and sympathy.
"Heh. Truly the evil Uchiha." Tobirama also observed Itachi's condition, growing increasingly wary.
He understood clearly—under emotional turmoil, Itachi's strength would inevitably advance again.
Though Itachi's increased power benefited Konoha Village itself, Tobirama deeply opposed seeing the village he'd invested tremendous effort into ultimately falling under the Uchiha clan's control.
If an evil Uchiha became Konoha Village's Hokage, he'd rather see the village dissolved entirely.
Nearby, Kazuma didn't understand the Uchiha clan's characteristics. Seeing problems emerging with Itachi—his trump card combat force—he hastily grabbed him, shouting:
"Itachi, don't believe what this guy says!"
"What God of Shinobi? Wasn't that title earned through brute force?"
"If his power weren't sufficient, who'd care about his words?"
"Just like that Jiraiya—weren't his ideals equally naive?"
"But what happened?"
"You must remember: in this world, whoever possesses the strongest force speaks reason!"
"What you need to do now is find ways to become stronger—as strong as those two Uchiha across from us!"
"What they can accomplish, you have no reason you can't!"
"When you become the shinobi world's strongest, naturally your principles will become the world's principles. Who'd dare object?"
After Kazuma's speech, clarity returned to Itachi's dulled eyes.
"Lord Kazuma, you're right. I must become stronger!"
"Stronger than Uchiha Madara and Uchiha Yasushi!"
He raised both fists high overhead, face turned skyward, roaring with all his might:
"I'll become stronger by any means necessary!"
"I'll become stronger at any cost!"
"I only need... STRENGTH!"
"STRENGTH!"
"STRENGTH!"