A Sage's Pursuit of Power

There was no way to wash away the stain.

The First and Second Hokages always handled matters themselves. When Madara defected, the First Hokage personally pursued him.

The Second Hokage, upon returning from negotiations with the Cloud Village and encountering an assassination attempt, chose to stay behind so the younger generation could survive.

They were true leaders who embodied the Will of Fire.

Now, look at the Third Hokage. When there were not enough people on the front lines, he decided to let the newly graduated kids fill in.

What about the Konoha White Fang's high reputation threatening his chosen successor? Simple—smear his name.

What, he committed suicide? Well, he's dead. Not my problem.

Orochimaru conducted human experiments in his own village and killed many villagers. What to do?

What else could be done? Of course, let him go. A few civilians and ordinary ninjas dead? Orochimaru is one of us; it's not the same thing.

The Uchiha clan seemed to have issues with the village?

I know this. The Second Hokage once said that the Uchiha clan is an evil clan.

What, you say the teacher also mentioned the Uchiha clan was a loving clan? Impossible. The teacher definitely only said that the Uchiha are evil. That's it, so it's better to just eliminate them all.

As for taking in a child from the Uchiha clan as a disciple, that's out of the question. Such a child could become Hokage in the future, which is absolutely unacceptable. Hokage can only be from my line.

What, you say Konoha will be severely weakened because of this? Simple solution—there are so many kids in the ninja school; just have them graduate early and fill in.

Canon fodder, who can match Konoha's numbers?

Aoba could only sigh at Sarutobi Hiruzen's leadership decisions. He learned none of the good and all the bad.

Indeed, it's much easier to learn bad habits than good ones.

When the Uzumaki clan was annihilated, Mito Uzumaki was still alive. But unfortunately, she had clearly lost her influence in Konoha by then.

Otherwise, she would never have allowed her clan to be completely wiped out.

Of course, the most outrageous move was Hiruzen's.

What? The Uzumaki clan was attacked. They are our allies?

I can handle that. Just send a few people to watch them die.

Oh, and pick someone suitable to bring back as a host for the Tailed Beast.

The level of incompetence in this decision is indescribable. As the closest allies of Konoha, their inaction not only meant losing the Uzumaki clan but also severely diminished Konoha's deterrent power.

When your allies are casually killed, and you don't even react, what does that signal? Konoha is a bunch of cowards. Isn't this inviting others to take advantage?

Look at how the Cloud Village became so arrogant afterward, kidnapping Kushina and even barging into the Hyuga clan to kidnap Hinata during peace negotiations.

Hiruzen did nothing in response.

From the perspective of the lower-ranked citizens, there might be some reason. Why should we run to the Uzumaki clan and help them fight?

Aoba didn't know if the Uzumaki clan had ever helped any of the clans that formed Konoha in battles, but given the Warring States period's chaos back then, they likely did.

Politically speaking, even if Konoha didn't want to actually go to war over the Uzumaki clan, they could have used more mature methods to address the situation.

They only needed to deploy a small force to conduct a rescue operation when the Uzumaki clan was in distress. Save as many as possible.

This way, Konoha could easily obtain the Uzumaki bloodline. It's the most outstanding bloodline in the entire ninja world. The increase in Konoha's overall strength would be evident.

Moreover, these Uzumaki descendants, after experiencing their clan's destruction and Konoha's rescue, would definitely be loyal to Konoha and harbor extreme hatred towards other ninja villages, especially the Cloud and Mist.

Thus, in case of war, these Uzumaki would make the best soldiers. Even as cannon fodder, they would be better than those kids who haven't even grown up yet.

Aoba truly couldn't understand how Hiruzen's mind worked. Konoha only needed a Jinchuriki, so they just took Kushina.

But to put it bluntly, Jinchuriki are strategic-level assets. Just one Kushina is sufficient? What if something happened to her during her growth?

There were so many alternatives, yet none were taken. The concept of strategic reserves was completely absent. Is this something a leader should decide?

After the fall of the Uzumaki clan, the choices of the surviving members were telling. Karin's mother preferred to take her to a small place like the Grass Village rather than go to the better-known Konoha.

Because Konoha's good reputation was always meant for the enemies.

Just like now, a Konoha ninja appeared and killed the Grass ninjas who had abused her, but Karin's mother's first reaction was not relief but caution.

Aoba was somewhat helpless. All the faults lay with those old fogies in Konoha.

No matter why the Uzumaki clan was destroyed, the sight of orphans and widows being kept as blood bags and constantly tortured was beyond his comprehension.

"As you can see, I'm a Konoha ninja. But today, I'm here not representing Konoha but myself."

Upon hearing this, Karin's mother's expression relaxed slightly. It's clear that the perception of Konoha in the eyes of its allies was indeed problematic. Being seen as an individual was more reassuring.

"Here is the Grass Village, and it's very difficult for us to leave. If you truly want to help us, take my daughter away. Her name is KarinUzumaki. I…"

Before she could finish, Aoba interrupted her.

"Have you considered what might happen if I take Karin away? I could be a bad person too. I might take her just to use her as a blood bag or even for human experimentation.

Have you thought about whether she would hate you if such things happened? And how will she grow up healthily without your presence?"

Karin's mother was stunned for a moment, then struggled to stand. Aoba could clearly see her body, covered in countless bite marks. Her body was in a terrible state.

"I… My body can't hold out. I might be a burden to you."

"That is indeed a problem, so…"

Aoba took out a rope. He had Karin's mother lie on his back, then used the rope to tie them together, ensuring she wouldn't fall off.

Then he picked up Karin with his left hand, took out a kunai, and attached an explosive tag to it. He then spoke to Karin, who was in his arms.

"Are you ready? We're leaving here now."

"Yes." Karin nodded heavily.