The current Hidden Leaf Village, after decades of political maneuvering by the Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi—forming alliances, eliminating dissidents—had long since solidified his position.
Though not without internal divisions, his authority as Hokage was firmly entrenched.
Had it not been for the outbreak of war, it was entirely possible that Hiruzen would have remained Hokage until the end of his life, unchallenged.
But the situation was vastly different in the early days of the village.
Back then, the Leaf had only just been founded. The Second Hokage's policies had only just begun to take effect, and the main strength of the village still came from its powerful clans.
Although the Sarutobi clan was considered one of the larger ones, it could hardly compare to true giants like the Uchiha, Senju, and Hyuga.
In particular, the Senju Clan—one of the founding clans of the village—had produced not one but two Hokage. Their prestige in the village was unmatched.
So when the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, died under suspicious circumstances, and Hiruzen returned bearing his final words, seeking to inherit the title of Hokage, it was only natural that his claim would be heavily questioned.
Jin continued, "In short, the process of Hiruzen becoming the Third Hokage was anything but smooth. He faced resistance and obstruction from all major clans."
"And none were more opposed than the Senju."
"It was only due to the intervention of the village's strongest figure at the time—someone who suppressed all dissent for the sake of the greater good—that Hiruzen was able to temporarily stabilize his position."
"The strongest figure in the village?" Minato Namikaze asked, his heart stirred. "Could it have been Lady Mito?"
"That's right, Lady Mito of the Uzumaki Clan," Jin nodded. "She was the first Jinchuriki of the Nine-Tails, and her power was likely second only to the First Hokage Hashirama and Uchiha Madara—possibly even rivaling the Second Hokage."
"Not only that, she was the wife of the First Hokage, and her prestige within both the village and the Senju Clan was extraordinary."
"Frankly speaking, had Lady Mito possessed the ambition, even the title of Third Hokage would not have been out of her reach."
Minato nodded in agreement. He had met Lady Mito before.
He still remembered their first encounter—the pressure she radiated without even trying was so overwhelming that he could hardly breathe.
Her strength was indeed unfathomable.
Uchiha Jin went on, "And the Third Hokage, as expected of a natural-born politician, began consolidating his position with astonishing speed after ascending to power."
"Perhaps it was during this time that he came to see the powerful clans as a potential threat to the future of the village."
"Once he secured his authority, he began implementing a series of targeted measures against the major clans."
"And the first to suffer his policies was none other than the most powerful of them—the Senju."
Hearing this, Minato recalled the desolate and sorrowful state of the Senju compound every time he visited. A profound sense of melancholy welled up in his chest.
The Senju Clan, which had stood tall for millennia through the chaos of the Warring States Period, had vanished in just a few decades after founding the village—leaving behind only a single surviving heir.
Could anyone truly believe there wasn't something suspicious about that?
Jin continued, "The specifics may have been buried by the sands of time, but according to some of the records passed down within the Uchiha Clan, most of the Senju's able-bodied men died on the battlefield, and many of their infants mysteriously disappeared within the village."
"Disappeared? In the village?" Minato frowned. "Surely the village launched an investigation?"
"Oh, they definitely did," Gaku interjected. "And it wasn't just the Senju—there were reports of missing children from other clans as well."
"But no real results ever came from the investigations. At the time, the situation in the ninja world was extremely tense, so the matter was quietly dropped."
Doto also spoke up, his deep voice rumbling, "I remember that too! I was still a kid then, but my family used to scare me with stories of enemy spies sneaking into the village, telling me not to wander around alone."
Minato's brow furrowed deeply. He had been born too late to know any of this had ever happened.
Jin paused for a moment, then spoke in a low, heavy tone. "There are no walls that don't leak in this world. I know a bit of the truth behind it."
All eyes immediately turned to him.
Jin didn't keep them waiting. He said directly, "After the deaths of the First and Second Hokage, the Hidden Leaf remained the most powerful village, but it had lost its former dominance."
"To preserve its edge, Hiruzen and the other high-ranking elders decided to restart a certain human experiment."
"Human experimentation? Restarted?" Minato immediately caught on to the key words. "Jin, what do you mean?"
The others also looked visibly shocked.
After all, human experimentation was strictly forbidden in the ninja world. They couldn't believe the Third Hokage would dare defy such a universal taboo.
Jin explained, "The experiment was originally proposed by the Second Hokage, Tobirama."
"Due to the unique nature of Hashirama's body, his cells remained incredibly active even after death."
"Tobirama, being a research fanatic, attempted to recreate Hashirama's Wood Release by experimenting on his cells."
"And since the best candidates for these experiments were those related by blood, he naturally chose members of the Senju Clan."
"But because of the highly corrosive nature of Hashirama's cells, almost no one survived the process."
"Eventually, Tobirama came to his senses and shut the project down."
"But for various reasons, the Third Hokage and his council restarted the experiments—this time expanding the pool of test subjects beyond the Senju."
Clearly, while the main targets were still members of the Senju Clan, others were included as well. Otherwise, the Leaf wouldn't have discovered the connection between the Uchiha's Sharingan and Hashirama's cells.
"How could they…!" Minato's gentle expression twisted with anger, his voice trembling. "How could they do something so monstrous? Does this not betray the very Will of Fire?"
He thought back to the kind and grandfatherly face of Hiruzen—but behind that facade lay a heart as cold as ice.
Minato had believed he understood the darker side of the world. But now, it seemed he had still been far too naive.
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