Sakumo had no choice but to act as Senju Tobirama's guide.
"Come on, Monkey, lend me some money!"
Hashirama waved at the Third Hokage, motioning for him to fork over some cash.
Hiruzen was completely dumbfounded.
Where am I supposed to get money from?
He had literally run out of the house in his sleepwear—aside from his pipe, he had nothing on him.
"Hehehe, Sensei…"
Tsunade grinned mischievously, extending her hand, making it clear—she wanted money.
What the…
Hiruzen nearly lost his mind.
In the end, he had to send an ANBU member to fetch money from his home, then reluctantly lent it to Tsunade and Hashirama. Of course, he was then forced to join them in playing cards in the Hokage's office.
The Third Hokage knew how to play Landlord, though he was never really interested in card games. Still, he at least understood the rules.
For Hashirama, this was his first time encountering such a game, and he was beyond excited.
Once he grasped the rules, he became obsessed, fiercely competing to be the Landlord. Anyone who dared to take that title from him instantly became his mortal enemy.
And with his gambling luck being as terrible as Tsunade's, the result was…
Tsunade ended up winning big.
Two "big fat sheep" sitting together, one playing recklessly while the other took advantage—it was a dream come true for her.
Even the Third Hokage was forced to win quite a bit…
Well… win his own money, that is.
Meanwhile, as they wandered through the streets of Konoha, Senju Tobirama walked aimlessly, taking in the village's changes.
He had no specific destination—he was just strolling. Hatake Sakumo remained by his side, acting as his reluctant guide.
"You seem to have a problem with Monkey."
As they walked, Tobirama suddenly spoke up.
Though Sakumo rarely expressed his feelings, Tobirama's sharp senses picked up on the deep-rooted resentment he harbored.
He was curious—why did Sakumo despise the Third Hokage?
Faced with the question he least wanted to answer, Sakumo fell silent for a moment, then sighed.
"Maybe… Once, I admired him. I trusted him unconditionally. But because I wasn't part of the Hokage's faction, he joined forces with Danzo and the Elders to suppress me.
If not for Takuya, I probably wouldn't be here anymore—there would only be a child left alone in the darkness."
"..."
Well, well…
That sounds like quite the story.
"Care to explain? I'm curious—why would they do that?"
"Is the Hokage faction really that important?"
Tch, what an old relic…
Sakumo glanced at Tobirama with an odd expression before pausing briefly and then speaking.
"After the First Shinobi War ended, the Daimyo's government started interfering in village affairs. To secure more financial support, the Third Hokage made some compromises—one of them involved the selection of future Hokage candidates."
Back in Hashirama and Tobirama's time, becoming Hokage required not only unanimous approval from the higher-ups but also recognition from the village as a whole.
But once Hiruzen took over, everything changed.
"Hmph, how ambitious."
Tobirama sneered.
It wasn't that he looked down on the Daimyo's government—it was just that, at best, they were nothing more than a nuisance.
"Yes, the Daimyo's office had great ambitions, and unfortunately, they were given the chance to act on them."
As he spoke, Sakumo's mood darkened.
"During the Second Shinobi War, I made great contributions—so did Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru. We were all highly decorated for our achievements.
At the Daimyo's suggestion and after discussions with the Third Hokage, I was granted the right to wear the Hokage's half-sleeve robe."
Not bad.
Tobirama raised an eyebrow in mild surprise.
Being allowed to wear the Hokage's half-sleeve signified that Hatake Sakumo was a prime candidate for the position of the Fourth Hokage.
Even if he didn't take the title, it meant his status was beyond the reach of most.
Sakumo's expression turned grim.
"Because of my strength and reputation, the Third Hokage, Danzo, and the Elders saw me as a threat. They feared I would interfere with their plans.
Then, I was assigned a particularly delicate mission. During the operation, I was forced to make a choice—I abandoned the mission to save my comrades."
Tobirama had already guessed the rest.
"And when you returned with your injured comrades, the village denounced you?"
"No."
"…Huh?"
Did I guess wrong?
"The village did not condemn me. Even though I had failed the mission, the Third Hokage, Danzo, and the Elders publicly praised my decision to prioritize my comrades."
"But just when I thought it was all behind me, my own teammates turned against me. They accused me of being a coward who abandoned the mission for selfish reasons.
Then, the villagers followed suit—one after another, they pointed fingers at me.
I became lost.
I even considered taking my own life as atonement. I was prepared to do it."
"Ridiculous!!!"
Hearing this, Tobirama erupted, shouting at Sakumo, spit flying from his mouth.
"Are you an idiot? This was obviously a setup! Someone manipulated public opinion to destroy you!
And you thought dying was the right answer?!
Who the hell completes every mission perfectly?!"
"You Hatake really are—"
He stopped mid-sentence.
Wait a minute…
For most shinobi, failing a mission and being criticized was normal.
Even if it got serious, the worst they'd have to do was lay low for a while—it was never a matter of life and death.
But the Hatake Clan was originally a samurai family before transitioning into a shinobi lineage.
For them, honor and reputation were sacred.
Being smeared and accused like this was worse than death.
No wonder Sakumo had chosen such an extreme response.
For once, Tobirama was at a loss for words.
But his clenched fists revealed that the Second Hokage was far from calm.
"I wanted to atone, but I couldn't leave my son alone to face everything.
So I asked Takuya to take care of Kakashi."
"But Takuya refused—he talked me down and revealed the truth to me."
Sakumo's voice was full of conflicting emotions. Even though so much time had passed, recalling those events still made him uncomfortable.
"It turns out, everything had been orchestrated by the Third Hokage, Danzo, and the Elders.
They didn't care what would happen to me. They only wanted to ruin my reputation, to eliminate me as a Hokage candidate.
To them, that was the only thing that mattered."
"They even went as far as deliberately keeping me off the battlefield—denying me opportunities to serve the village."
Sakumo let out a bitter laugh.
"Second Hokage-sama, can you believe it?
I never even wanted to be Hokage."
Tobirama felt suffocated.
He could only mutter under his breath, "That brat actually did something right for once."
"No, no."
Seeing that Tobirama still harbored hostility toward Takuya, Sakumo couldn't help but defend him.
"Takuya is just like me—he's done a lot for the village.
He's suffered just as much, and at one point, he even considered leaving Konoha with the one he loved to live a peaceful life.
He was forced into this situation."
"Tsunade never wanted to be dragged into the political mess either.
But for Takuya's sake, she had no choice.
She pushed everyone else aside and took the Hokage seat herself—and she was right to do so."
"When everyone else doubted Takuya…
When he was treated with suspicion despite his countless achievements…
She was the only one who still trusted him."
___________________________
(P)(S): If you're interested, you can read the rest of the Chapter at Patreon com/ Emik01.
DO NOT FORGET POWER STONE AND CHATTING