The night after the rain was a little cold, and the wind howled through the courtyard.
Led by someone into the Hyuga Clan Compound, Senju Hashirama found that many places here had changed.
As he proceeded along the covered corridors, he saw countless figures moving about in the brightly lit reception hall in the distance.
Since the Hokage's Office had been destroyed, there was not even a place in the village to handle official business. Hyuga Shin had therefore turned his home into a temporary office.
He had come here tonight because a meeting had been convened for all ninja in the village of Chunin rank and above.
"First Hokage-sama has arrived!"
As Hashirama reached the entrance, he heard someone shout. The noisy room instantly fell silent, and every gaze converged on him. Those gazes held shock, admiration, excitement, and confusion.
Hashirama swept his eyes over the crowd and smiled gently. "Hello, everyone."
At once, everyone bowed to him and called out, "First Hokage-sama!"
How could they not be shocked and excited when a legendary figure they had heard about since childhood now stood before them?
Hashirama slowly walked over to Shin's side, and Shin also bowed to him.
"First Hokage-sama, I'm sorry to trouble you so late at night."
Hashirama chuckled. "It's all right. I don't need sleep anyway."
Impure World Reincarnation allowed him to remain in the Living World, but he was little different from a walking corpse. He needed neither rest nor food.
Only then did Shin turn to address everyone present. "I presume all of you have heard something about what happened today."
His words made everyone focus in silence.
"I have called you here today to reveal the entire truth to the public and discuss the village's path forward with you."
A sudden prison riot