Konoha's Darkness

Uchiha Feng spoke slowly. "The Hidden Leaf Village was actually founded jointly by Hashirama of the Senju Clan and Uchiha Madara of our Uchiha Clan. That historic moment carried far-reaching significance and laid the foundation for the future structure of the ninja world."

He paused, his gaze profound, then continued, "In the beginning, the village was home to many clans, with clan heads of every size emerging one after another. The situation was once extremely chaotic. There was both cooperation and conflict between the various clans, which was deeply concerning."

"However, in that turbulent era, the First Hokage, Hashirama, swiftly earned everyone's respect through his unprecedented strength and exceptional leadership. His prestige was at its peak, and the heads of every clan willingly followed in his footsteps, ready to heed the guidance of that great leader." There was a trace of indifference in his voice.

Tsunade was slightly taken aback and asked with interest, "Oh? How did you learn about these things?"

Uchiha Feng's expression was resolute as he continued, "There was an elder of our Uchiha Clan who passed away long ago, named Uchiha Kishimoto. He was a historian who had been passionate about recording major historical events during his lifetime. Senior Kishimoto left behind a detailed historical notebook. I was fortunate enough to read part of it, and it inspired me greatly."

Tsunade frowned again, impatience showing in her eyes. "Then get to the point. How did the Senju Clan fall to such a state?"

Uchiha Feng answered without hesitation, "All right, then I'll get straight to the point. Back then, after the Second Hokage died in battle, the Senju Clan could be said to have been at the height of its power. At that time, Konoha's three strongest great clans—the Senju Clan, the Uchiha Clan, and the Hyuga Clan—were immensely influential. You can't deny that, can you?"

Tsunade nodded, her expression relaxing slightly. "That's right. It was indeed so. Go on..."

Uchiha Feng took a deep breath and continued, "However, after Hiruzen Sarutobi succeeded as the Third Hokage and the Second Shinobi World War came and went, just look at how many people the Senju Clan lost! Nawaki, the First Hokage's only direct male descendant, actually wandered into an area filled with explosive tags during a battle and was blown to death. Do you believe that? Such a tragic ending is truly hard to believe."

Upon hearing this, Tsunade abruptly turned around. Her eyes blazed as she stared fixedly at the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, anger and suspicion intertwined across her face.

"Old man, did you do it?" Her voice was utterly resolute, as though she wanted to see straight through his thoughts.

Hiruzen Sarutobi was startled by the sudden accusation and shook his head in flustered denial. "Absolutely not! I really don't know anything!"

Uchiha Feng quietly observed from the side, the corners of his lips lifting slightly as he broke the silence. "I never said the Third did it. So much time has passed since then that there's no way to investigate it anymore."

He paused briefly, and his gaze suddenly sharpened like a keen blade. "However, Lady Tsunade, what I can tell you is that Orochimaru was the one who took Nawaki on that mission, and the person commanding Orochimaru at the time was Shimura Danzo. You know the relationship between Shimura Danzo and Hiruzen Sarutobi. They were as close as brothers wearing the same pair of pants."

The atmosphere instantly grew tense. Tsunade's brows furrowed slightly, as though she were pondering something.

Uchiha Feng continued, "Of course, this is only my speculation. I still trust the Third's character. There's absolutely no way the Third could have done such a thing!"

The moment Uchiha Feng finished speaking, the air around them seemed to freeze. Anyone with eyes could hear that he was referring to those shameful dealings between Hiruzen Sarutobi and Shimura Danzo.

Although those old events had long been buried in the river of history, their truth impossible to trace, they were like an invisible rope tightening around Tsunade's heart.

At that moment, the atmosphere grew even more strained, as though even breathing had become heavy. A flash of anger crossed Tsunade's face, and her fiery temperament was on the verge of erupting.

Yet after taking several deep breaths, she finally forced down the anger in her heart and barely maintained a surface calm. Her hand slowly clenched, her fingertips turning white. She was clearly restraining herself with all her might, afraid she would explode at the slightest spark.

Uchiha Feng narrowed his eyes slightly and swept his gaze around. Once he confirmed that the moment was ripe, he continued, "Lady Tsunade, ever since Nawaki died, you have become the only inheritor in this world of Hashirama's direct bloodline."

Suddenly, Uchiha Feng changed the subject and continued, "Then do you know what kind of person your former lover, Kato Dan, was?"

At the mention of Kato Dan, Tsunade's expression grew even gloomier. A trace of pain flashed through her eyes before she turned toward the Third and demanded, "Was this your doing too?"

Several dark lines immediately appeared across the Third's forehead, and he could not help feeling helpless. He sighed softly and said in a grave tone, "Uchiha Feng, be careful with your words. You can't joke about something like this!"

Uchiha Feng smiled lightly and unconcernedly took a scroll from his robes. With a casual flick, he sent the scroll flying toward Tsunade like an arrow.

Tsunade reacted swiftly and caught the scroll at once. Frowning, she asked, "Kid, what is this?"

Uchiha Feng gave a mysterious smile, his tone serious. "Lady Tsunade, this is some intelligence I've gathered over the years. You only need to examine it carefully. You need to make your own judgment."

Tsunade slowly opened the scroll, her eyes falling upon the words inside. As she read it word by word, her face gradually darkened and grew increasingly ugly.

The fury in her heart erupted like a volcano. Chakra churned within her body, and her rage was nearly impossible to suppress, even carrying a chilling trace of killing intent.

This scroll was actually an intelligence scroll from Root, containing detailed records about Kato Dan.

Her heart tightened. Kato Dan's mission had actually been to get close to her and deceive her feelings.

Deceiving her was one thing, but Shimura Danzo had actually wanted to use Kato Dan's death to leave Tsunade permanently broken. His intentions were truly unforgivable.

Such betrayal filled her with boundless rage, as though she had been stabbed deeply in the heart. The flames of anger burned within her, impossible to contain. Her hand trembled slightly, leaving clear indentations along the edge of the scroll beneath her fingertips.

Suddenly, Tsunade charged at Hiruzen Sarutobi like a raging gale, her furious voice exploding through the air. "Die for me, Hiruzen Sarutobi!" The attack came with such ferocity that even Jiraiya had no time to react. He could only watch helplessly as tension surged within him.

At that very moment, Uchiha Feng moved. His figure flashed with the speed of lightning. Just as Tsunade's fist was about to strike Hiruzen Sarutobi, his arm, powerful as steel, firmly seized Tsunade's wrist and stopped the fatal blow.

"Lady Tsunade, can't you handle even this much?" Uchiha Feng's voice carried a trace of teasing, yet there was seriousness in his tone.

He smiled slightly, an eerie gleam flashing in his eyes. "I'm not done yet! And you haven't heard everything yet! Your mental fortitude can't be this weak! What I've said so far is only the tip of the iceberg. Just wait—I'll explain it to you slowly. I guarantee you'll be satisfied..."