Hiruzen persuaded me to die

Kirigakure – A Hidden Underground Base

"Breaking news! That Hyūga Naraku has officially become the Fifth Hokage of Konoha!"

A White Zetsu clone burst into the chamber, voice echoing with excitement.

"I already know!" Uchiha Obito growled, glaring at the overenthusiastic clone.

These White Zetsu clones—each more foolish than the last—were enough to give him high blood pressure.

The clone scratched its head awkwardly before adding, "Oh… also, he declared Sarutobi Hiruzen an S-class missing-nin and demanded Kirigakure hand him over."

"I know that too," said Black Zetsu, emerging slowly as a shadow fused with a White Zetsu's body.

Uchiha Obito, still controlling the Mizukage Yagura from the shadows, had already received this information through official channels. But the next words from the clone still managed to land a blow.

"There's more! When Hyūga Naraku was elected, he shattered Sarutobi Hiruzen's Hokage Rock statue… right in front of everyone. The whole village applauded!"

Sarutobi Hiruzen's face darkened instantly.

He hadn't heard that part yet.

Konoha's diplomatic channels hadn't bothered to include that humiliation.

"Tch… looks like you're completely abandoned by Konoha," Obito mocked, a smirk tugging at his masked lips.

Although he still needed Hiruzen's strength to destabilize Konoha from the outside, he hadn't forgotten the old man's blunder during the failed Hyūga extermination plot. The mission had collapsed because of Hiruzen's reckless interference.

"The Watermelon Mountain Pufferfish you sent out," Hiruzen snapped back, "If he had held the line a bit longer, the outcome might have been different."

Obito's eyes narrowed.

During the assault outside Konoha, the Mist sent only a thousand shinobi under Hoshigaki Kisame and the Pufferfish. They weren't enough. They expected internal support from Sarutobi Hiruzen's forces within the village—but it never came.

Instead, fearing retaliation from pursuing Konoha forces, the Pufferfish abandoned his plan to flank and simply retreated, leaving Kisame stranded at the front lines. Kisame realized it too late. By the time he tried to pull back, reinforcements from Konoha had arrived. Out of a thousand Mist ninja, barely two dozen returned.

Obito hadn't forgiven that debacle.

He later executed the Pufferfish personally—summoned under the guise of a meeting with the Mizukage, only for Kisame to assassinate him on the spot.

"It wouldn't have mattered even if they'd held out," Obito said flatly. "As long as Hyūga Naraku lives, all our plans are meaningless."

Their entire strategy had hinged on Naraku dying in Kumogakure.

But he returned. Stronger. More respected.

The White Zetsu clone waved its hand eagerly. "Wait, I overheard something else! The Hokage election—Naraku won through a unanimous vote from all the Jōnin!"

The silence in the room deepened.

Even Obito fell quiet.

Sarutobi Hiruzen's jaw clenched tightly.

All of them… every Jōnin had voted for that man.

"These traitors..." Hiruzen muttered, his voice trembling with suppressed fury.

He had once led the entire village. And now? Cast aside. His name, his legacy, his face—literally shattered from the mountain.

Even before the Cloud incident, doubts had spread through the village about his leadership. Now, there was no comparison. Hyūga Naraku stood far above where Hiruzen had once stood.

"Still clinging to your fantasy of reclaiming the Hokage title?" Obito sneered. "Don't forget—they believe you helped orchestrate the Nine-Tails attack."

Hiruzen's face twisted in rage.

He wanted to scream "That was you!"—but he held his tongue.

The truth didn't matter now. Konoha believed he was behind it.

His sons—dead.

His old comrades—dead.

Their families—destroyed.

His position—lost.

And the one responsible for crushing everything?

Hyūga Naraku.

"I want him dead!" Hiruzen hissed, veins bulging in his forehead. "No matter the cost, I want him to die!"

Obito's voice dropped to a dark, amused tone. "How's your research on the Impure World Reincarnation coming along?"

When Obito had lived in Konoha, he was fooled by the kindly image of the Third Hokage. Only later did he learn how deep the old man's darkness ran—including mastery of that forbidden jutsu.

Hiruzen didn't even flinch. "Using these… White Zetsu as sacrifices works surprisingly well. They produce strong reincarnated bodies."

He eyed the motionless Zetsu around him. Creatures without organs, never hungry, but full of chakra.

"Still," Hiruzen said grimly, "ordinary shinobi won't cut it. To kill Naraku, we need something more. We need... the First Hokage."

Obito's expression remained unreadable.

"I see. But if you revive Hashirama Senju at full strength, he might break your control."

Hiruzen nodded. "That's the second problem."

"To truly unleash the First Hokage's power, I'd have to release control... and if I do, he might crush me before anyone else."

Obito finally moved, producing a sealed scroll.

"Here. Hashirama's cells. That's your first problem solved."

Hiruzen's eyes widened. "You have his DNA?! How?"

Obito didn't answer directly.

Truthfully, he'd received them through Pain—who in turn had acquired them from Orochimaru. The snake had joined Akatsuki and often traded secrets for resources.

"I'll handle the control problem," Obito said. "You just focus on killing Hyūga Naraku. That's why I've kept you alive."

Hiruzen scowled, but didn't protest.

As much as he loathed this masked figure, he hated Naraku more.

Last time, he hadn't even been able to react before Naraku crushed him.

This time, it had to be different.

Next time... he would kill him.

— — —

After Sarutobi Hiruzen left the chamber.

"You were in a sour mood," Black Zetsu said hoarsely. "Was it… because of the Hokage?"

Obito didn't reply.

But yes. It was because of the Hokage.

Once, he dreamed of that title.

He had even promised his teacher, Minato, that he'd earn it one day.

But Minato became Hokage.

Then died.

Now, Naraku had taken the hat… and left Obito forever in the shadows.

"Hokage… I don't care about such things anymore," he said coldly.

"They're all the same. Minato… Naraku… all of them couldn't protect anything."

"The Fourth Hokage was a failure."

"The Fifth Hokage… won't last long."