Inside the Four Violet Flames Formation barrier, the air solidified.
Naruto's final, icy question was like an invisible heavy hammer, precisely shattering the last pillar in Hiruzen Sarutobi's spiritual world.
"Is this… the fruit of the 'will of fire' you spent your life protecting?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi's body swayed violently.
The ground beneath his feet seemed to spin, his lips trembled, and his throat emitted hoarse, inarticulate sounds, yet he couldn't think of a single word to refute.
Because it was all true.
The light in his eyes completely extinguished, replaced by an extreme sense of confusion, a thorough self-doubt about his entire life.
He seemed to see White Fang's desperate face, Danzo's good at sneer in the shadows, and the blood moon over the Uchiha Clan compound that night.
Scene after scene, they were irrefutable proof of his incompetence.
Naruto didn't care how disheartened this old man was; if he didn't make Hiruzen Sarutobi disheartened and ashamed, how could he propose settling accounts with Danzo after the battle?
"Heh heh… heh heh heh heh…"
Orochimaru let out a hiss of extreme pleasure.
He extended his long tongue, slowly and greedily licking his lips, his golden snake eyes filled with the intoxicated appreciation of an artwork.
Nothing pleased him more than witnessing the collapse of his "benevolent" teacher's beliefs firsthand.
Just then, a cold, domineering, and undeniably authoritative Chakra wave suddenly spread out.
Senju Tobirama's brows furrowed deeply.
He could not tolerate someone so desecrating the Village that he and his brother had founded with their lives and blood, right in front of him.
"Brat."
His voice was as hard as iron, every word carrying palpable pressure, surging towards Naruto.
"No matter what problems the Village has, it's not for a wet-behind-the-ears junior like you to arrogantly butt in!"
Naruto stood unmoving.
The Karsten Squad behind him were like five silent statues, completely unaffected by this overbearing Chakra pressure.
Naruto slowly turned his head.
His ice-blue pupils calmly met Senju Tobirama's sharp gaze, without the slightest hint of fear.
"Arrogant?"
He asked back calmly, his tone flat without a ripple.
"Then, if I may ask, Second Hokage-sama."
"You established the Konoha Military Police Force, entrusted it entirely to the Uchiha Clan, and relocated their clan compound to the Village's corner."
"Was the original intention of this system design truly out of trust, or for more convenient surveillance and isolation?"
Naruto's voice paused, every word like a precise steel needle, piercing the most sensitive nerves of history.
"Did this system ultimately foster the Uchiha Clan's loyalty within the Village, or did it accumulate decades of irresolvable resentment?"
"And ultimately lead to the 'final solution' that resulted in the annihilation of the entire prestigious clan?"
Senju Tobirama's expression froze for the first time.
A flicker of unbelievable shock passed through his eyes, which were always filled with sharpness and calculation.
He had completely not expected that this youth, who looked no more than twelve or thirteen, would have such a thorough understanding of Konoha's highest-level political decisions and historical secrets.
"The 'final solution' that resulted in the annihilation of the entire prestigious clan."
When this phrase came out, he genuinely felt a pang in his heart.
Finally, he could only force out, "You don't understand the Uchiha Clan."
"Annihilation?"
Senju Hashirama, who had been silent, wiped all expression from his face, his gentle eyes now filled with gravity and confusion.
He turned his head to look at the distraught Hiruzen Sarutobi.
"Monkey, what exactly happened?"
"The Uchiha Clan… was annihilated?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi's body trembled again, shame and pain forcing him to hang his head powerlessly, unable to answer his teacher's question.
"Heh heh, this boring debate should end."
Orochimaru licked his lips; he had lost his patience for watching the show.
"Hokage-sama, don't waste words on this glib brat."
He took out two control talismans with both hands, a cruel light flickering in his eyes.
"Let him feel with his body what true power is, what the 'will' of the First and Second Hokage is!"
As he finished placing the talismans, the last trace of life in Senju Hashirama and Senju Tobirama's eyes instantly vanished.
In its place was the absolute emptiness and coldness of puppets.
The next moment, Senju Tobirama's figure disappeared from his original spot.
No sound, no warning.
He transformed into a blurry afterimage at a speed difficult for ordinary eyes to catch, his kunai already unsheathed from his waist, aiming directly for Naruto's throat.
At the exact instant Tobirama disappeared, two members of the Karsten Squad had already stepped forward with a speed that anticipated his move.
Their movements were precise, efficient, without an ounce of waste, demonstrating the instinct honed through countless brutal battles.
Two gleaming special alloy daggers, from two completely different angles, met Tobirama's kunai attack trajectory with unmatched precision.
"Clang!"
The harsh clash of metal rang out within the barrier.
Sparks flew, and Tobirama's figure was forced to pause.
That wasn't all.
The other two squad members, at the moment their comrades parried, had silently retreated half a step, raising the weapons in their hands.
These were not kunai or shuriken.
Instead, they were two ferociously designed weapons, filled with the brutal aesthetics of industry—mortal-grade Bolters.
"Boom! Boom!"
Without the slightest hesitation, the triggers were pulled.
Two visible explosive bolts, with fiery contrails, tore through the air and accurately shot towards the spot where Tobirama had just appeared.
Tobirama's body once again turned into an afterimage, narrowly dodging these two fatal attacks.
The explosive bolts missed, striking the ground heavily.
"Boom—!"
The violent explosion kicked up a large cloud of dust and rubble, leaving two charred craters in the ground.
At the same time, Senju Hashirama on the other side also moved.
He didn't choose a high-speed charge, but instead slammed his hands onto the ground.
"Wood Release: Deep Forest Emergence!"
Rumble—
The entire ground within the barrier began to shake violently and crack.
Countless thick, python-like vines and trees erupted from the earth in an unreasonable manner, twisting and growing wildly, coiling from all directions towards Naruto's defensive formation.
The Karsten Squad instantly changed formation, transforming from a rhombus defensive array into a circular bulwark protecting Naruto in the center.
One of the squad members suddenly pulled a Chainsword from his back.
Accompanied by the harsh roar of an engine, the tooth-filled blade began to spin at high speed.
"Protect the Political Commissar!"
A deep, voice-changer-processed roar sounded.
He held the sword with both hands and, facing the overwhelming Wood Release torrent, slashed down fiercely.
"Rip—!"
The high-speed spinning chainsaw easily tore and cut through several of the largest vines at the forefront, sending wood chips flying everywhere.
However, the terrifying aspect of Wood Release lay in its endless vitality.
The severed trees almost instantly re-healed, and continued to press forward at an even faster rate and on a larger scale.
The speed of destruction simply couldn't keep up with the speed of regeneration.
In just a few short seconds, the Karsten Squad's defensive formation was temporarily trapped in place by this wildly growing forest.
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