SWNOVELXO Chapter 91: Chapter 101
[Descendant Chat Group (^_-)]
[Big Dumb - Hashirama]: So, Tobirama, have you made your decision?
[Senju Tobirama]: …
[Senju Tobirama]: Yeah…
[Senju Tobirama]: But I didn't really have a choice.
[Big Dumb - Hashirama]: What do you mean?
[Senju Tobirama]: You were all watching, weren't you?
[Senju Tobirama]: I told him to write the names of Danzo, Koharu, Homura, and Hiruzen.
[Senju Tobirama]: And what did he do…
[Senju Tobirama]: He wrote only Danzo on every single piece of paper.
[Big Dumb - Hashirama]: …
[Senju Tobirama]: So basically, there wasn't a choice to make.
[Senju Tobirama]: The one who takes the fall… is Danzo.
——
"You sure about this?" Tobirama looked at Danzo.
"I'm sure."
"Because if, back then… if I had had the courage to make a decision, even just one second sooner…"
"Konoha wouldn't have turned out like this."
"Hiruzen was a mistake!"
"..." Hiruzen.
"%..." Hiruzen.
"Is that so…"
Tobirama went silent for a moment, then unfolded the slip of paper in his hand.
Written on it was:
[Shimura Danzo]
That meant Danzo was the one to be sacrificed—to take responsibility for the years of failed leadership.
"..." Danzo.
"..."
"…Heh…"
But seeing the result, Danzo froze for a second, then suddenly laughed.
"Kitahara Kaede," Danzo said. "What were you thinking when you wrote my name?"
"Me?"
Kitahara Kaede replied, "I was probably evaluating you."
"Evaluating me?"
"Then… what kind of evaluation did I get?" Danzo asked.
"If Hiruzen is Konoha basking in the sunlight… then you and the Root you commanded are the roots buried deep in the soil," Kitahara said.
"..."
"…I see." Danzo closed his eyes.
He accepted the outcome.
——
With Danzo chosen as the scapegoat, Tobirama's fun time quickly came to an end.
He released Hiruzen, Koharu, and Homura.
And he decided that tomorrow, he would summon the villagers and the shinobi… to publicly execute Danzo.
The ones guarding Danzo were members of the Anbu—people Danzo had always disliked—but this time, he didn't resist at all. Clearly, he had accepted the result.
Only—
"Why Danzo?" Tobirama asked after everyone had left.
"All the slips had Danzo's name on them. I could tell," he said.
"Danzo is an obstacle to the shinobi world," Kitahara Kaede answered. "And besides, he did something rather troublesome in the past."
"Troublesome?" Tobirama frowned.
"During the Second Great Ninja War, a boy with the Rinnegan appeared in the Hidden Rain Village—Nagato."
"And Danzo and his Root organization planted the seeds of hatred in him."
"Nagato harbors deep resentment toward Konoha."
"..."
"..."
"…Damn it…"
Tobirama was speechless.
He had felt moved for a brief moment watching Danzo face death with such resolve—after all, he was a disciple Tobirama had raised.
But now?
Damn it all.
He was nothing but a failure and a bringer of disasters.
Another person with the Rinnegan turned into an enemy!
Tobirama didn't even want to imagine what would've happened if he hadn't pulled Kitahara Kaede in—forced him, really—to step forward and support Konoha.
If Kitahara Kaede hadn't taken action… wouldn't Konoha have been destroyed because of Danzo?
——
Still, Kitahara Kaede wasn't interested in Danzo anymore.
Danzo's value versus his damage—clearly, the damage won.
A man who continuously brought trouble to Konoha… keeping him around wasn't worth it.
Turning the once-top ninja village into the second place behind the Hidden Sand over 40 years?
Truly disgraceful.
Tobirama was fuming!
Tomorrow's Danzo execution was settled.
But today… Tobirama had something else to take care of.
He fulfilled the promise he made to Minato.
Though—
"Eh…?"
"Where is this?"
Naruto was brought to a modest but somewhat secluded house.
"I remember now."
Naruto said, "This is the house we visited on the first day of ninja school, right? When Iruka-sensei took us around—it used to be the Fourth Hokage's residence."
"..." Tobirama.
"Naruto."
"There's something I think your father wanted you to know as well."
"..." Naruto.
"Second Grandpa, what do you mean?"
"Do I even have a father?"
"I've always… been an orphan."
After the Chunin Exams, Naruto had become a Chunin.
But despite that… he was disappointed to find that people's eyes didn't change. Just because he got stronger or had the title… didn't mean they accepted him.
He could go into regular shops now without being thrown out—but no one greeted him either.
And he still walked back to his empty home… alone.
"Naruto, you are an orphan."
"But you have a father." Tobirama was carefully choosing his words. "And this… this is your home." (For real this time.)
"Here's the key."
Tobirama handed Naruto a rusty set of keys. "Now it's finally returned to its rightful owner."
"..." Naruto.
?!?????????
?!?????????
"Eh?"
Naruto's eyes widened.
"What does this mean?"
"My home…"
"But this is the Fourth Hokage's house…"
"Wait a minute…"
"Second Grandpa…"
"Call Kitahara Kaede. Call Sasuke. Call Kakashi-sensei…"
"I'm confused right now…"
"My brain's not the smartest. Even though Kitahara-kun's made me read a lot of books, and I've learned a lot…"
"But I'm not misunderstanding this, right?"
Naruto said in disbelief, "Am I supposed to understand that I'm… the child of the Fourth Hokage??"
"My father… is the Fourth Hokage?"
"..." Tobirama.
"Yes."
"You are Minato's child."
"The Fourth Hokage distinguished himself during the Third Great Ninja War, and because he had many enemies, he was afraid you'd be attacked… so he kept your identity hidden."
"And now that you've become a Chunin and have the ability to protect yourself, you have the right to know who you are."
It wasn't a great explanation. Even the people in the group chat had trouble accepting it back then.
But right now… the most important thing was to settle Naruto's emotions.
Because someone who had carried the hatred of an entire village for so long… suddenly learning that he was supposed to have lived in the sunlight—supposed to have been cherished—but had been thrown into the gutter instead…
Who could accept that?
Who could accept it?
"…I see…"
Naruto seemed lost—but at some point, his face had already been covered in tears.
"So…"
"I really am… the Fourth Hokage's son…"
---
Chapter 240+ on my patreon.com/dzeref887
Update Schedule:
WebNovel = 3 chapters/day
Patreon = 10 chapters/day