The True Culprit

Faced with the increasingly chaotic situation in the Shinobi World over twenty years ago, the First Hokage had a sudden idea...

Tailed Beasts were so powerful. If every village had one, wouldn't they stop fighting each other?

This little idea had come to him when he saw Madara controlling the Nine-Tails.

Thus, the First Hokage single-handedly captured the eight wild Tailed Beasts across the land, leaving only the Nine-Tails behind. He distributed the rest among the major villages other than Sunagakure—besides the other three Great Hidden Villages, Takigakure was strong enough to earn a seat at the table as well.

Sunagakure had never cared much for "peace," and they already possessed the One-Tail Shukaku. They gave up their claim to a Tailed Beast and instead demanded a portion of territory and resources.

It was also during this period that the major shinobi villages discovered that Tailed Beasts were not so easy to control!

Hashirama Senju could simply pin down Tailed Beasts and hand them out as gifts or bargaining chips, but the other shinobi villages... needed sufficiently powerful Sealing Techniques to work with them.

"Although Kirigakure and Iwagakure have never admitted it, the First Tsuchikage and First Mizukage were very likely tormented to death by Tailed Beasts..." Jiraiya voiced something everyone tacitly understood.

The Kage of those two villages had already been quite old, but...

For them to die at such a convenient time, there was probably some truth to it!

"Tailed Beasts are innately violent and evil. They cannot be communicated with directly, let alone tamed. In the end, the effective method everyone discovered and chose was the Jinchuriki system—sealing a Tailed Beast's power inside a human body..." Jiraiya's tone was noncommittal, making it clear that he did not approve of this method.

"The Nine-Tails is easier to deal with. Not only is there the deterrence of the First Hokage, but the Uzumaki Clan, the most skilled clan in the Shinobi World when it comes to Sealing Techniques, is Konoha's ally. Furthermore, the Uzumaki Clan possesses exceptionally powerful constitutions. Whether in physical strength or Chakra reserves, they stand at the very top among shinobi clans."

Hearing Jiraiya say this, Minato finally understood Kushina's current situation.

Akaseki also confirmed his earlier suspicions...

"However, not every shinobi village has Sealing Techniques this powerful or Jinchuriki candidates this suitable. Kumogakure, for example, received the Eight-Tails, second only to the Nine-Tails, as well as the Two-Tails.

"Kumogakure's means of controlling Tailed Beasts mainly relies on the legendary Six Paths Tool, the Amber Purifying Pot. Its sealing power is so great that even Tailed Beasts cannot resist it. The holders of the Six Paths Tool are the Gold and Silver Brothers, who are rumored to possess Six Paths bloodline..."

At Jiraiya's mention of them, Akaseki raised his chin. What Gold and Silver Brothers? Are their bloodlines purer than our Uchiha Clan's?

Jiraiya paused before seemingly changing the subject. "Do you know the relationship between the First Raikage, Second Raikage, and the current Third Raikage?"

Akaseki answered directly, "Yes. They're all called 'A'!"

Jiraiya: ...

"That is Kumogakure's custom. 'A' is the name they take only after becoming Raikage," Ranwu corrected him. Then she added, "I remember... the First Raikage and Third Raikage were both from the Yotsuki Clan, while the Second Raikage was the First Raikage's disciple."

This was clearly what Jiraiya had wanted to hear from Ranwu. He nodded. "That's right. During the Warring States Period, the Yotsuki Clan was a powerful clan in the northeastern part of the continent, just like the Uchiha Clan and Senju Clan in the heartland... Though they did not possess any particularly outstanding Kekkei Genkai, they had incomparably powerful bodies!

"Yet in the end, the First Raikage did not choose someone from his own clan. He chose the Second Raikage as his successor because they both upheld the ideal of 'peace'...

"However, within Kumogakure, the pro-war faction gradually gained an absolute upper hand. Not only was the Yotsuki Clan warlike, but the Gold and Silver Brothers were also part of the pro-war faction.

"After the trend of cultivating Jinchuriki arose, Jinchuriki inevitably became one of the strongest and most important forces in a village. The Gold and Silver Brothers, who controlled the Amber Purifying Pot, indirectly controlled the Jinchuriki as well, further expanding their influence!

"The Second Raikage and the Second Hokage saw the changes in the Shinobi World's situation. They hoped to establish a peace treaty and use an alliance between the two strongest shinobi villages, Lightning and Fire, to suppress the flames of war. However... the pro-war faction in Kumogakure had already become impossible to restrain. That was what led to what happened before."

Jiraiya sounded somewhat sorrowful as he spoke.

With the Second Hokage's strategic brilliance, he must have known that this was dangerous, but...

Perhaps this had been his final attempt to fight for peace!

Unfortunately, the pro-war faction in Kumogakure had been even bolder than the Second Hokage imagined.

Minato noticed something in his teacher Jiraiya's words and took the initiative to ask, "Jiraiya-sensei, are you saying... the Yotsuki Clan actually..."

Jiraiya shook his head. "There is no evidence. But... the situation the Second Hokage faced at the time was this: the Second Raikage was directly murdered by the Gold and Silver Brothers at the alliance meeting. None of his trusted men were anywhere to be found. Afterward, the Gold and Silver Brothers led people in pursuit of the Second Hokage's group...

"During that time, the Gold and Silver Brothers pursued the Second Hokage all the way. In theory... people including the Third Raikage should have been behind them, pursuing the Gold and Silver Brothers. If the Second Hokage and Third Raikage had turned around and fought then, perhaps they could have attacked the Gold and Silver Brothers from both sides? But that was only if... the Third Raikage, the Yotsuki Clan's shinobi, and the others truly had motives as simple as they appeared!"

Although the Yotsuki Clan and the Second Raikage should have been close in terms of succession, in terms of internal factions, the Yotsuki Clan, like the Gold and Silver Brothers, belonged to the pro-war faction. They had long grown impatient with the Second Raikage...

When the coup took place, the Second Raikage had been killed in one stroke. The Yotsuki Clan's role in it was probably far from simple—at least, that was clearly how Tobirama judged it!

That was why Tobirama had chosen to go back alone...

Because he believed that if they all stayed behind and fought to the death, then even if they defeated the Gold and Silver Brothers, the Yotsuki Clan led by the current Third Raikage would seize the opportunity to strike afterward.

After all, the Second Raikage was dead...

If the Second Hokage also died in the coup, Konoha would have nothing to say—after all, it would all be the Gold and Silver Brothers' fault!

Tobirama had likely even suspected that their original target was himself.

Kumogakure's pro-war faction was now on the verge of succeeding in its coup. It was the perfect opportunity to severely damage Konoha first, then launch a war against the Land of Fire!

There were only two choices...

Either Tobirama stayed behind to hold off the Gold and Silver Brothers so the other six could escape, or Tobirama used the Flying Thunder God to flee. Even if their target truly was Tobirama, he could still escape, but the others definitely would not.

Tobirama was already advanced in years and felt that even if he survived, he would not live much longer. His personal guard, meanwhile, were all Konoha's elite...

Moreover, if the six of them remained, they could accomplish nothing. Tobirama still had the ability to make the enemy pay a bloody price and leave them wary. Otherwise, if the Yotsuki Clan were allowed to make such perfect use of the Gold and Silver Brothers' coup, weaken Konoha in the process, and then immediately start a war, it would be disastrous!

Thus, Tobirama chose to stay behind himself. He preserved Konoha's strength while dragging the Gold and Silver Brothers down with him, even sealing away the Six Paths Tools...

Originally, Konoha's leadership did not believe that Kumogakure was about to make a move, nor did they approve of the Third Hokage.

But then the Uzumaki Clan was exterminated, and the clues pointed toward Kumogakure!

Everyone immediately realized that the Second Hokage's concerns had been right, and that his decision to remain behind as the rear guard had also been right.

Faced with the restless Kumogakure...

The Uchiha Clan took the lead in changing sides and strongly supporting the Third Hokage. It was precisely because Konoha presented a united front and actively prepared for war that Kumogakure temporarily lowered its banners.