Among those three hundred, the Senju Clan and the Uchiha Clan weren't the only ones present, they simply made up the largest share.

Hirofumi Ito looked carefully. Of the three hundred flame-souls, roughly a hundred belonged to the Senju Clan, and another hundred and twenty or thirty belonged to the Uchiha Clan.

The remaining sixty or seventy were members of various other clans.

Just from that breakdown alone, you could see exactly how dominant the Uchiha and the Senju had been during the Warring States Period.

Among the Konoha 11, Neji Hyūga's tears burst free.

Neji Hyūga had spotted a figure in Hyūga Clan clothing, the father Neji had been longing for all this time.

Father had actually come back.

Without a moment's hesitation, Neji launched forward and closed the distance in an instant, stopping right in front of that man.

"Father!"

Hizashi Hyūga opened both eyes, looking dazed.

"Where... is this...? Neji?! What are you — what am I —"

The rest of the three hundred were slowly opening their eyes as well.

At that moment, even Hirofumi Ito swallowed hard.

Not because three hundred elite jonin had just been revived all at once. Because the hundred-plus members of the Uchiha Clan had opened their eyes at virtually the same instant, and every single pair blazed with the crimson Three-Tomoe Sharingan.

That pressure was genuinely terrifying.

All three hundred were the finest elites of their respective clans. After the momentary disorientation of resurrection, each of them quickly swept their gaze across their surroundings.

"Uncle?!"

"Little brother..."

"Brother?"

"Father!"

"Little sister..."

Those three hundred people instantly launched into a reunion. Nearly every one of them wore their clan's insignia on their clothing, so telling the different clans apart wasn't difficult at all.

Then the very next moment, the scene exploded into chaos.

"Damn it! The wicked Uchiha!"

"Hm? The cursed Senju Clan?!"

"Clansmen, kill these evil Uchiha!"

"Keh hahaha... Senju Clan! You're looking to die!"

Neither side stopped to wonder how they had been revived. The moment they laid eyes on each other, they were ready to brawl.

And right then, Madara Uchiha and Hashirama Senju both stepped forward at the same time.

Whooom!

Swoosh!

Twin pillars of Chakra surged into the sky.

"Everyone! Please stand down! This is no longer the Warring States Period! The Uchiha and the Senju have already formed an alliance! What you need to do right now is understand what is actually happening here..."

At the same time, alongside Madara Uchiha and Hashirama Senju, Tobirama Senju, Izuna Uchiha, Mito Uzumaki, Fugaku Uchiha, Tajima Uchiha, Butsuma Senju, Hiruzen Sarutobi, and others all stepped forward.

After all, the three hundred who had just been revived came from nearly every era. Some had died before the time of Madara Uchiha and Hashirama Senju. Others were ninja from the periods of the Third and Fourth Hokage.

The ninja who had died after the Hidden Leaf Village was founded stared at the figures in front of them and went completely blank.

But the Uchiha and Senju who had died before the Hidden Leaf Village was founded reacted entirely differently. Upon seeing their own clan leaders, they were overcome with excitement.

"Clan Leader! Thank goodness you're here too?! Isn't that Madara Uchiha over there?! Clan Leader, let me help you kill him right now!"

"Cursed Senju! Stop talking big! Someone like you isn't even worth our Clan Leader lifting a finger! Don't bother our Clan Leader, you bastard! I'll kill you!"

Madara Uchiha and Hashirama Senju exchanged a glance. Both looked equally at a loss.

Then Madara Uchiha walked directly over to the Uchiha Clan ninja.

"Enough! Quiet down, all of you, that is, if you still consider me the head of the Uchiha Clan!"

The moment Madara Uchiha spoke, the Uchiha elite fell silent instantly.

Madara Uchiha turned toward Hashirama Senju.

"Hashirama! Go settle down your clansmen! Explain the situation to them first!"

"Understood, Madara!"

And right at that moment, Hashirama Senju's second uncle came bounding out of the crowd.

"Damn Uchiha! How dare you give orders to my beloved nephew?! Who are you to order my nephew around?! Nephew! Big brother! Let's kill all these Uchiha right now!"

Hashirama Senju let out a long, weary sigh.

"Second Uncle! Please calm down for a moment! The Uchiha are not what you think, and Madara is not a bad person! Besides, the Senju and the Uchiha have already formed an alliance! This village we are standing in right now is the one Madara and I built together!"

...

After a great deal of effort, the scene finally quieted down.

The reunion started up again, and those who knew one another began explaining the whole story to the newly revived ninja, cause, consequence, everything.

And so the three hundred who had just been revived finally understood what was going on.

Even so, some of the ninja from the Warring States Period still found it impossible to accept. Living in the same village as the wicked Uchiha, or the cursed Senju, depending on who you asked, was something they couldn't have imagined even in their wildest dreams.

But those voices were promptly and mercilessly suppressed by Madara Uchiha, Hashirama Senju, Butsuma Senju, and Tajima Uchiha.

In the end, everyone had no choice but to accept that reality.

After that, all three hundred turned their burning, eager gazes toward Hirofumi Ito. They had all already learned how they had been revived, and this Fifth Hokage of the Hidden Leaf Village clearly possessed abilities that could shake heaven and earth.

After all, who doesn't have loved ones?

If they themselves could be revived... didn't that mean all their family members could be revived too?

Seeing those desperately fervent gazes, Hirofumi Ito had no choice but to speak up.

"Everyone, seniors... I'm sure you're all aware by now, reviving a person does come at a cost. While that cost isn't particularly significant to me, reviving all of you just now already spent three billion ryo. I genuinely cannot produce any more money right now...

So... please, seniors, don't be in too great a hurry! Once I have the funds again, every person from our Hidden Leaf Village will be revived!"

The moment those words landed, every single person present was overcome with excitement. Three of the Uchiha Clan's elite jonin were so overwhelmed they spontaneously activated their Mangekyō Sharingan on the spot.

And right at that moment, an outrageously arrogant voice rang out from beyond the walls of the Hidden Leaf Village.

"Keh hahahahahaha...

Ninja of the Hidden Leaf Village! Your granddaddy from Kumogakure of the Land of Lightning is here!

What's the matter, you turtles — too scared to even step outside your own gates?!

Hand over your women and pay us two billion ryo in war reparations from the Land of Lightning's Kumogakure!

Otherwise, we flatten the Hidden Leaf Village today!"

That outrageously arrogant voice carried clearly to every single person present. All three hundred newly revived elite jonin turned their gazes toward the Hidden Leaf Village gate at the exact same moment.

➤ Next: The Oppressive Aura of the Uchiha

Chapter 258 - The Oppressive Aura of the Uchiha

In an instant, the entire Hidden Leaf Village went dead silent.

The three hundred elite jonin who had just been revived were all wearing the same strange expression. They had only just come back to life, and there was already work to do?!

These three hundred elite jonin spanned nearly every era of the Hidden Leaf Village's history.

Some had died before the village was even founded, a few even older than madara uchiha and hashirama senju, while others had died long after the village was established.

The ones who had died before the founding were the most complicated cases. When they'd first heard that they were expected to live peacefully in the same village as former enemies, more than a few of them had felt a quiet irritation about it.

After all, every single one of them was a born warmonger. Nearly all of them had started killing in childhood and forged themselves into powerhouses through one war after another.

But now, things were suddenly starting to feel interesting.

They had all caught up on the situation just moments ago.

The Senju Clan and the Uchiha Clan had formed an alliance. Many other clans had joined. Together they had built a peaceful village, a village that belonged to all of them equally.

On top of that, five villages now stood as the mightiest powers in the Shinobi World, and the one currently making noise outside the Hidden Leaf Village was Kumogakure from the Land of Lightning.

All three hundred freshly revived elite jonin were itching to move.

They had been dead for years. Some hadn't even been at their peak when they died. But now, to their astonishment, every single one of them was in the finest condition of their entire lives.

Those who had grown old were young again. Those who had died young found almost nothing had changed.

Every gaze in the crowd drifted toward Hirofumi Ito.

These ninja had just learned that the young man called Hirofumi Ito was the current leader of the Hidden Leaf Village.

He was also the disciple of hashirama senju and madara uchiha, their one and only disciple.

That alone was enough to fill both the Uchiha and Senju members with immediate warmth toward him. Being a clan leader's personal disciple already made someone family. And that was before accounting for the fact that this young man had brought all of them back from the dead, a debt of gratitude as vast as the sky itself.

As for the ninja who had lived after the village's founding, there was nothing more to be said. The Hokage was the rightful authority of the Hidden Leaf. And every generation of Hokage was standing right here.

One Uchiha ninja cracked a wide grin. Something dangerous flickered through those eyes.

"Hey! Ito kid — you're the Hokage, right?

You're my great-nephew's disciple. That makes you one of us Uchiha.

The ones kicking up a fuss outside — that's Kumogakure from the Land of Lightning, isn't it?!

Then let us old-timers see what today's ninja are made of. Let's find out exactly what these so-called Kumogakure ninja are really worth.

Heh heh heh heh heh heh..."

Hirofumi Ito recognized the face. This was one of the three Uchiha who had just awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan, and a figure with considerable standing within the Uchiha Clan.

Izuna Uchiha had mentioned it just a moment ago, apparently this person was the third maternal uncle of both Izuna Uchiha and madara uchiha.

A genuine top-tier powerhouse of the Warring States Period, it seemed.

Just then, a Senju Clan ninja shouldered forward.

"Tch! Mizuru Uchiha! Same old braggart you always were! Do everyone a favor and keep that pathetic excuse for an aura to yourself — spare us the embarrassment!"

The Senju ninja glanced over at Hirofumi Ito.

"Ha ha ha! Kid! The name's Kusama Senju, your master hashirama senju's second uncle, which makes us family.

Don't let those wicked Uchiha fool you. They're no good, any of them.

Ha ha ha! So don't worry. Those Kumogakure ninja out there, we seniors will handle them for you, guaranteed.

The one doing all that shouting sounded pretty full of himself, didn't he?! Hmph! During the Warring States Period, no one in the entire Shinobi World dared talk to us like that!"

Mizuru Uchiha's expression curdled instantly. Those Mangekyō Sharingan eyes locked onto Kusama Senju with a cold, flat stare.

"Damn Kusama Senju. Are you looking to die?!"

Kusama Senju laughed, short, dismissive.

"Heh. Wicked Mizuru Uchiha. I dragged you down with me right before I died last time. I can do it again right now."

"Damn Senju! Want to test your luck against my Mangekyō Sharingan?!"

"Heh! Think I'm scared of you?!"

"Kusama Senju!"

"Mizuru Uchiha!"

"Kusama Senju!"

"Mizuru Uchiha!"

"..."

Hirofumi Ito watched the whole scene with a helpless sigh. The Hidden Leaf Village just kept accumulating bickering pairs like this, especially among the Warring States powerhouses who had just been revived. Nearly all of them had their own sworn enemies from that era.

The kind of rival that defined an entire lifetime.

Mizuru Uchiha and Kusama Senju had been at each other's throats for virtually their whole lives during the Warring States Period. Even their deaths had come at the same time, in the same battle, each taking the other out.

And those two were just a small glimpse of what shinobi life had looked like back then.

The Hidden Leaf Village was going to be very lively going forward, it seemed.

Right on cue, Shisui Uchiha, acting in the capacity of Logistics Department head, moved fast. A massive stockpile of ninja tools came rolling in from the Hidden Leaf's Logistics Department in short order.

Kunai of every kind. Shuriken. Giant shuriken. Tachi blades. Explosive Tags. Weapons, equipment, and supplies of every description, transported over in neat orderly rows.

When the newly revived ninja saw those weapons, every pair of eyes lit up.

Like a man who had been alone for thirty years suddenly laying eyes on a beautiful new bride.

They each reached in and grabbed the weapon that fit their hand.

The Warring States Period powerhouses especially, the moment a weapon settled into each of their grips, the pressure rolling off them ratcheted up another notch.

The Senju Clan and the other clans' ninja still seemed more or less normal. Human-looking, at least. But the Uchiha Clan were a completely different story.

These people were strikingly handsome, almost to a fault. Most of them wore unconventional, aggressively stylized hair.

Their weapons were just as varied. Some had tachi blades hanging at their waists. Some carried giant shuriken propped over their shoulders. Some wore a full string of Explosive Tags strapped across their backs. Some had short blades riding behind them.

Every single Uchiha wore the exact same expression, a bloodthirsty grin.

That sinister laughter rippled through the whole scene in waves, rising and falling without end.

When madara uchiha looked out over all of them, something shifted in those eyes. It was as though the feeling of the Warring States Period had come flooding back.

His Mangekyō Sharingan surfaced instantly.

➤ Next: The Confident Fourth Raikage