HSU: Ch. 285

The meeting room next to the Hokage's office was put to use once again, this was already the day after Hashirama returned to the Hokage Building. For wars between ninja villages, a single day was already considered a luxury. And this time was earned by Masashi, who used the association's channels to constantly sabotage several villages.

In this world, the field of economic warfare was still a complete blank. It wasn't that people didn't consider it, but rather that before the rise of the Associations in the Land of Fire, each nation's economy was relatively closed, even if one wanted to engage in such tactics, there was no foundation for it. So it was basically limited to the most straightforward method: controlling supplies.

By Earth's standards, his tactics would be at kindergarten level, but here, at this time, they were already considered quite innovative. Thanks to the one-day delay he created, Konoha was able to arrange everything more thoroughly. This was a very special meeting, special because it gathered all four Hokage. As a result, there were more participants than usual.

In the past, people in Konoha pulled strings mostly to get some perks or benefits. But this time, people were pulling strings just to attend the meeting. Even if they could only stand at the doorway, as long as it wasn't outside the door, they were content.

After all, the First Hokage was known for his unparalleled compassion and virtue. If you were standing right there at the door, could he really let you stand through the whole meeting without inviting you in?

There was no helping it. Every day people walked beneath the Hokage Rock and stared at his carved stone face, trying to imagine the grandeur of the once-great God of Shinobi. Now that there was a chance to see the real person, maybe even fight under his command, who wouldn't want that?

This meeting was a must-attend, people would do whatever it took to get in.

Don't ask why. If you ask, the answer is: "We're doing it for the sake of Konoha!"

Of course, they were also genuinely eager to fight gloriously under the leadership of the great predecessor. This was a battle strategy meeting. The forces deployed in the Land of Rivers had already withdrawn, and the ninjas assigned to civil missions had mostly returned to the village to report in.

All jonin without war-related duties were already in position within the village. Konoha was fully prepared for total war, ready to move at any moment. But the first step in any strategy meeting was to unify ideology. For a ninja village, "unifying ideology" meant ensuring everyone could kill without distraction. So, any new problems that might affect combat couldn't be raised now, and any existing problems that could affect combat must be resolved.

Right now, there was only one such problem: Obito.

This issue disrupted the plans of both the Uchiha clan and the Sarutobi faction. And the one who raised this issue was none other than Hashirama, who instantly saw through the hidden conflicts behind the scenes. During his time in office, he had always insisted on resolving such internal power struggles decisively.

Either resolve the problem, or resolve the person who caused the problem.

He wasn't good at scheming or intrigue, but he had an almost terrifying intuition when it came to anything suspicious. And with his overwhelming strength, he was able to snuff out problems while they were still in the cradle.

That was why he was the First Hokage.

In his entire life, the only problem he couldn't resolve that way… was Madara.

The meeting room was packed to the brim, there were twice as many chairs as usual, to the point that even those small four-legged stools that could barely fit half a butt were brought in.

He was very pleased with this overwhelming turnout.

From the time he became clan leader, he'd always focused on the big picture, and as far as he was concerned, everything right now was perfectly aligned with that.

"Everyone's full of fighting spirit, that's very good." He just said it directly, speaking his mind. His gaze swept across every face in the room, not missing a single one. And everyone there could clearly feel, he was genuinely looking each of them in the eyes.

No matter what little schemes they might have been plotting in their hearts, at this moment, as they stood face to face with this Hokage, the flame that had long since burned out within them suddenly roared back to life.

"Now then, first of all, the initiator of this war."

He spoke with imposing presence, giving no room for the mastermind behind this conflict to even struggle. He stood up and announced his decision directly:

"One of the masterminds is the missing-nin Obito, who has now been captured and is under strict watch by the Uchiha clan. Myself, Muzo, Fugaku, and Masashi have jointly interrogated him. We are all deeply saddened that such a young man has come to this point, but his actions have seriously harmed the village. No matter what, we cannot show him mercy. I propose execution. Considering his past contributions to the village before his betrayal, the execution will be carried out privately, and his body will be returned to the Uchiha clan afterward. Now, please cast your votes."

After finishing, he sat down again, and raised his hand.

The second person to raise his hand was Hiruzen. He had heard Hashirama's judgment and understood perfectly what he meant, so he decisively abandoned his original plan. His raised hand made the rest of the Sarutobi faction understand the situation very clearly. No one in that faction understood the First Hokage better than Hiruzen. And no one in Konoha wanted to go against him, not even his reanimated self.

Otherwise, who wanted to be the brave soul to stand up and say, "This isn't the real First Hokage"? If someone did, everyone else would gladly chip in for their coffin.

Even if Muzo didn't kill them, Tsunade would send them flying with a single punch.

The third person to raise his hand was Fugaku. He couldn't raise his hand before Hiruzen, being first wouldn't have been appropriate. But as the second, he had to be the one.

Once Minato raised his hand too, the rest didn't bother waiting for any order, they all raised theirs one after another. Just like in life, Hashirama's proposals were passed with unanimous support.

"Executing someone the next day is inauspicious. Do it now," Muzo said immediately. "A blood sacrifice before the great battle, who's going to use the Flying Thunder God to bring him here?"

"I'll go," Masashi said.

Don't get the wrong idea, it wasn't to show off that he could use Flying Thunder God. Ever since he entered the room, he'd been getting stared at intensely by Tobirama.

Masashi really wanted to greet him. The moment he saw that familiar face, he almost blurted out, "Hey, how you been?"

But… Tobirama's gaze was just way too damn creepy. There were so many people in the room, and he was just staring at him the whole time. What the hell?

What had he even said to Tobirama during their first meeting?

With a flash of the Flying Thunder God, he reappeared in the dungeon.

Obito sat there slumped, completely despondent. He'd clearly been tormented enough by Hashirama's techniques. When he saw Masashi, he opened his mouth as if to say something, but Masashi had already placed a hand on him, and activated Flying Thunder God again.

Using the Flying Thunder God to return to the Hokage Building didn't mean directly jumping back into the meeting room. People were sitting too close together, if they weren't careful, Obito's foot might end up in someone's face.

Getting a foot to the face was a small matter, the real problem was that Obito had been locked up for so long that he kind of reeked... They were all ninja, yes, but that didn't mean they didn't care about hygiene.

So Masashi first teleported to a nearby break room.

He let Obito sit in a chair and looked at him. His gaze was somewhat complicated, but still firm. Not everything could be changed. The greatest weakness of the Uchiha clan was their tendency for extremism, paired, unfortunately, with strong execution.

Whether this was caused by the emotional nature of the Sharingan, or whether their personality gave rise to the emotional Sharingan, it was hard to say.

Looking into Masashi's eyes, Obito also realized something.

"So you're going to kill me?"

"What do you think?" Masashi stared at Obito's right eye. Since Obito hadn't activated his Mangekyō mode, there was no visible difference.

"And don't even think about a Transcription Seal," Masashi said. "Fugaku and Shisui are both Mangekyō users too, they'll remove it."

The Transcription Seal was a jutsu unique to the Mangekyō Sharingan. To break it, another Mangekyō was required. Now, the Uchiha clan had two pairs of Mangekyō. Even without that, Masashi himself could remove it.

Would he do that? Absolutely.

Kamui must remain in Uchiha hands. As for Kakashi, the other eye must be retrieved too. The one who acted and the one who responded, they always came in pairs.

Back when Hiruzen made his move, he also gave the Uchiha clan a chance to act. Ever since that mission to the Land of Rain, when Obito's secrets were exposed, the eye he had once given Kakashi took on a new meaning.

On one hand, it was a Mangekyō Sharingan. On the other, the nature of its original owner had drastically changed.

Fugaku had never forgotten about retrieving that eye. The Uchiha clan had dragged this out, not because they were reluctant or afraid to kill Obito, but because the execution was a means to strike indirectly. Their real target was Kakashi.

Kamui must come in a pair, not one less.

He had already made plans. After reclaiming Kamui, he would persuade Masashi to transplant the eyes. The principle of the Eternal Mangekyō was actually simple: by using another's Mangekyō Sharingan as a medium, the fusion of two kinds of ocular power would trigger a reaction that created stronger eye power.

A removed Mangekyō wasn't a sacred object, once its chakra was depleted, it was just a regular eyeball. The power came from the chakra, not the organ itself. The Uchiha had understood that for a long time.

Masashi didn't know Fugaku's full intentions, but he was aware the clan had decided to take back Kakashi's eye. That was something to discuss only after the war. In principle, the Uchiha would do it through negotiation.

That was the proper way, after all. Kakashi hadn't forcibly taken Obito's eye back then, he bore no responsibility.

"I see…" Listening to Masashi, Obito didn't react much.

During his time in the dungeon, he had realized that Black Zetsu hadn't shown up. He also learned that Madara had been reanimated, but likewise hadn't appeared.

That meant he had been abandoned. His eyes had become something others coveted. Under such circumstances, even if Orochimaru intended to follow through with their agreement, Obito didn't think he'd live long enough to see it happen.

Without White Zetsu, there was no way to buy time, any backup plans were meaningless now.

"So it looks like I really do have to die," Obito said, looking at Masashi. "Who's going to do it?"

"I will," Masashi replied. "If it's up to me, I'll send you off."

"Not bad." Obito nodded. "And if it's not up to you?"

"Then most likely... it'll be the First Hokage himself."

"Well, that's acceptable too." Hearing that, Obito didn't feel angry. If anything, he felt a faint sense of relief. He had long stopped valuing his own life.

"This era… still belongs to the ninjas after all," he murmured.

Masashi didn't respond to that. He knew full well, Obito hadn't gone mad and sought revenge because his comrade had died. He genuinely believed the current system was broken.

On the surface, yes, it was because of his comrade. But deep down, he held no loyalty to the village, nor to the clan. He was a pure individualist. Yet his life experience and knowledge were far from enough to support the creation of a new system. And since he refused to compromise, he simply turned dark. The path he chose was completely in line with his personality, nothing surprising about it.

That he lost in the end? Also not surprising.

He might have been furious, but he wasn't incompetent. However, whatever he tried to do, Masashi saw through it completely. Once the direction was clear, how could he not find the trail?

Now, Masashi had money, had people. With the power of the Association and the Uchiha clan's intelligence network, he could monitor the entire shinobi world and respond to anything accordingly.

Ninjas were still people. And when people wanted to execute plans, especially big ones, it inevitably became a matter of logistics and business. Even if White Zetsu didn't need to eat, cultivating them required resources.

Obito's movements required resources even more. Once he established a base somewhere, there would definitely be large-scale resource exchanges. Sending a bunch of ninjas to fight and shout wasn't always necessary to be considered "taking action."

In a way, Obito's thrill-seeking behavior in this timeline was something Masashi had forced him into.

The plan to exterminate the Uchiha and cripple Konoha might've started as Obito's personal idea, but by now, the two sides had become mortal enemies through and through.

With Konoha's overall strength skyrocketing, the Uchiha clan had more tools at their disposal. Toward this former clan member who had nearly led them to ruin, they were not polite, they continuously squeezed the space in which he could move.

"The guys next door are still in a meeting, right? Aren't you going back?" Obito asked when he noticed Masashi still staring at him without leaving. It was his way of saying he wanted to be alone for a while.

"I'm not going anywhere," Masashi replied, sitting across from him. "I'll stay here and watch over you. So, tell me, is there anything you need me to take care of after you're gone?"

"Then… can you help me complete the Eye of the Moon Plan?" Obito asked.

"Keep dreaming," Masashi shook his head. "Think it over properly, I've already done as much as I can for you."

"Then how about I tell you this, Madara, he…"

"I know. He was your master. Including your Eye of the Moon Plan," Masashi interrupted. "He's already playing with spiritual projections, anyone who knows anything gets the picture."

"..." Obito was stunned into silence.

He suddenly remembered how, the first time he met Masashi, he had introduced himself as Madara. That might have been his biggest mistake.

"You… know quite a lot…" He fell silent.

All he had left was the Eye of the Moon. Now, with nowhere left to run, he still didn't regret it.

Kakashi… we've come full circle. Use my eye… and really see the world for what it is…

Seeing that Obito no longer wanted to talk, Masashi didn't try to force him.

Obito had made his own choice, and he respected that. As long as he didn't regret it at the end.

But he had to die.

Masashi simply pulled out a pocket watch, checked the time, and continued waiting.

Minute by minute passed.

Roughly half an hour later, the door to the break room opened, and a group of people entered.

Hashirama led the group.

Behind him were several Hokage, followed by the village's top military leaders. This lineup was a clear reflection of the true nature of Konoha.

"Masashi, you've worked hard," Hashirama sighed. "It must be painful for you too."

He had learned from Fugaku about the relationship between Obito and Masashi. Which only made him admire Masashi even more. He carried the village in his heart and managed to balance both sides.

Hashirama didn't agree with blind compromise either. That was not the right attitude to solve problems. What he appreciated was the way Masashi handled things.

He could hold the line, change others' prejudices about himself, and also reflect on his own actions. This kind of proactive, principled approach to power struggles benefited the village.

"For the village," Masashi replied concisely.

Because… Damn it! That bastard is staring at him again!

I get it! I was wrong, okay? But could you at least tell me what exactly I did wrong!?

"I'm really glad you think that way," Hashirama said warmly as he stepped forward and gave Masashi a big bear hug. "You've been through so much!"

"…"

Could you please stop with the habit of randomly hugging people? If you keep doing this, Tobirama's eyes are going to burst into flames!

Masashi couldn't help but glance over. To his surprise, Tobirama wasn't looking at him with disdain.

Which was… very un-Tobirama-like. He had always treated the Uchiha like walking time bombs, and it wasn't just personal bias. Ironically, he believed the Uchiha were the most emotional clan of all. Privately, he even held them in very high regard.

But the higher the regard, the more dangerous he found them. Because he thought the Uchiha were born with poor emotional control and lacked logical thinking.

He genuinely believed that.

Which was why he never liked his family getting too close to any Uchiha. He had even criticized his own brother for it.

But now, his gaze was… calm.

Yes, calm.

From the moment Masashi entered, Tobirama had been looking at him with that same calm expression. A bit too calm. Being stared at like that from beginning to end, it was enough to make your skin crawl.

Hashirama let go after a moment and turned to face Obito.

"Don't hate others. Your suffering was caused by me," he said. "And now, I will carry out your execution in the name of the Hokage."

"I don't hate anyone. I just lost, that's all," Obito replied. "Go ahead and do it."

Even now, he was respectful toward Hashirama. Their conversation in the dungeon had shown him just what kind of figure this man was, someone from the same era as Madara, yet completely different.

Madara had lost to Hashirama, and to Obito, that made perfect sense.

Hashirama represented the will of the ninjas, and had united them. And since Obito's enemies were the ninjas, Hashirama was the only person who could truly represent them. So if someone had to end Obito, it made sense that it would be him.

"I hope your dream will come true one day," Obito said in his final words. "But killing me… won't be the end."

"I believe in these young people. Our dreams will come true," Hashirama nodded.

With that, he reached out and gripped Obito's neck. The massive energy granted to Obito by the White Zetsu cells was absorbed through their point of contact, drained completely by Hashirama until the cells were left devoid of power and died off.

By the time he was done, Obito's condition had deteriorated significantly. After all, he had suffered a fatal injury long ago, his life had been sustained only by the White Zetsu cells.

To Hashirama, this was essentially like reclaiming his own power, since the White Zetsu used by Obito had originally been cultivated from Hashirama's own cells.

Obito was still alive only because of Black Zetsu's later intervention and a secondary modification using the Gedo Statue.

"I'll take it from here," Masashi said.

Hashirama looked at him, then nodded. He had acted personally for two reasons: first, because he had proposed the execution; second, because he didn't want Masashi to go through the pain of killing a friend.

That feeling, it hurt too much.

But in Masashi's eyes, he saw firm resolve. So he stepped aside. He couldn't say no to a kid with eyes like that.

Masashi placed his hand in the same position Hashirama had. Before acting, he asked one more time, "Are you sure there's nothing you want to say?"

"Nothing," Obito's voice was barely audible now. Even if the seals on him were undone at this point, he wouldn't have the strength to do anything. "Do it, Masashi."

Masashi sighed inwardly and began to draw power from the God Tree.

In theory, with both Hashirama and Madara still in Edo Tensei form, Masashi was the only living ninja in the world who could directly absorb the God Tree's power.

White Zetsu, aside from Madara's custom versions made with Hashirama's cells, were essentially pure God Tree energy.

Obito's skin turned pale. His body's vitality began to rapidly fade. But his eyes began to change into Sharingan. Using them to control the God Tree power within Obito, Masashi activated the two eyes.

Before Obito's body lost all vitality, Masashi reached out and, using medical ninjutsu and the insight of the Sharingan, carefully removed both eyes intact.