Danzō abruptly raised his head.
This was Root…
New Root, no less!
Why had a strange woman come here?
Oh, Seisui had brought her. Then that was fine…
It was not that Danzō ignored discipline.
Rather, "Seisui" was also a member of New Root.
And after Hiruzen's special approval, he held a leadership position and had discretionary authority…
Bringing someone in was reasonable.
Seisui: Deputy Director of Root, acting head of operations!
Danzō stood up, a faint smile on his face, and said with considerable courtesy, "A favor? Of course, of course!"
"Seisui, introduce this person to me?"
Danzō was not angered in the slightest by Seisui's attitude. Instead, he felt a trace of closeness.
That natural tone meant Seisui was not treating him like an outsider!
After Hiruzen's advice, "Seisui's" special identity, and the very real ability he had displayed—almost as if their teacher were still alive…
Danzō had become quite humane now.
At least toward "Seisui," that was true…
Overall, he had adopted an extremely tolerant and supportive policy.
His main approach was kindness and patience!
And Danzō was very happy to see "Seisui" fall in love early, marry, and have children.
He hoped Tobirama's bloodline would continue in Konohagakure forever…
"This is Uchiha Tomie. I discovered that she has a kekkei genkai illness. I need to use some of Root's instruments and personnel to give her a physical examination…"
Tobirama walked to Danzō's side, picked up the results of his work from the previous night, and while reading them with focused attention, said casually, "Not bad…"
"But these adjustments still need to be made. This chakra circuit will be unstable in actual combat. You have to account for multiple battlefield factors. After all, the enemy situation on the front line is complex…"
Tobirama very naturally sat on Danzō's desk, took the pen from his hand, and began marking revisions on the design diagram for Wind Release: Chakra Mode.
Danzō froze for a moment, but said nothing. Instead, he leaned his head closer and watched Tobirama correct it for him…
Tomie stared at the scene, stunned.
Who was this?
This was Shimura Danzō!
Although the news that Danzō had recently been drinking with Isshin and Fugaku had spread widely through the village, and was regarded as a sign of reconciliation and greater unity in the village…
That did not mean the reputation and internal deterrence of the Darkness of the Shinobi had weakened in the slightest.
After all, this was the man who, after apologizing to all the village's shinobi during Sarutobi Hiruzen's fireside talk, could immediately emphasize that he would still maintain the harshest stance…
And he had also declared that he would definitely crack down hard on a few parasites trying to undermine the village's welfare system!
'Seisui is actually this impressive? He interacts with the Hokage's advisor like an equal, chatting and laughing so naturally…' Tomie's stagnant heart could not help rippling.
Tomie truly had not expected this.
"Seisui" could not only lead her into New Root, Konohagakure's most mysterious organization, but also possessed such powerful resources and connections…
Most importantly.
In order to save her, he had genuinely used them for her!
"This design is excellent! With this, the concept of short-term flight and long-term gliding can be made practical. If the training is refined enough later on, it may even allow an elite unit to conduct aerial assaults…"
Looking at Tobirama's further-improved concept, Danzō slapped the table and said with great excitement, "This is a precious addition to Konohagakure's air-control capabilities!"
In the shinobi world, the ability to fly was extremely precious.
Among the Five Great Hidden Villages, there were very few talents with such an ability. The most famous was Ōnoki of Iwagakure.
And in Konohagakure, only Ida in Root, who had inherited Super Beast Imitating Drawing, could fly by manifesting summoned beasts.
But even he could not carry too many people…
Wind Release: Chakra Mode might be able to fill part of the gap in Konohagakure's aerial capabilities.
Danzō himself did not even notice it.
When interacting with "Seisui," he unconsciously relaxed, just as he did when he was with the current Sarutobi Hiruzen. He did not maintain his usual rigid persona…
He could laugh, curse, and express part of his emotions—such as slapping the table in admiration.
"As early as the Second Shinobi World War, I understood the importance of flight…"
Danzō said in a deep voice, "You don't know about what happened back then. There was a village in the shinobi world called Soragakure. Their techniques and shinobi weren't powerful, but they possessed strange industrial technology…"
"They had flying ninja tools, large fortresses, and massive ships. Their integrated sea-and-air tactics caused Konohagakure a great deal of trouble at the time…"
"I've been looking for them for a long time. A weak village like that has no right to possess such excellent technology! Unfortunately, after Soragakure was defeated and retreated, they hid themselves very well. I haven't found them after all these years…"
At this point, Danzō showed a look of regret.
If Konohagakure could have flying ninja tools and an integrated sea-and-air fortress, wouldn't it take off immediately?
Tobirama nodded thoughtfully.
He had discovered that when it came to not starting wars proactively, Hiruzen was serious.
If war could be avoided, his beloved disciple Hiruzen would not ignite the flames of conflict. Peaceful development was enough…
But Danzō was not that kind of person.
In a certain sense, Danzō's style was very close to Kumogakure's. His main approach was robbery…
'That is fine too. The shinobi world is an unclean place. Only with one side in the light and one side in the dark can one go farther…'
'Working with Danzō is much more comfortable than I imagined. I really don't like being Hokage after all. I'm more suited to handling these behind-the-scenes matters…' Tobirama sighed inwardly.
Although Tobirama had once been Hokage, he did not miss those days.
As a public political figure, many of his usual methods could not be brought into the open, which greatly restricted him.
But back when he was the Senju Clan's second-in-command, Tobirama had been able to operate at full force.
He did not need to consider those things at all. At worst, if he went too far, Hashirama would scold him…
Tobirama suddenly smiled. He remembered something Mito had once said.
'You really aren't suited to being Hokage. Your mind is too heavy, your hand too ruthless. As a leader, you're a bit too dark…'
'But as the second-in-command, you're wasted. You're best suited to being Konohagakure's half-step Hokage!'
"Izuna, if I said I never wanted to become Hokage, could you understand that?"
Tobirama spoke with emotion: "Being Hokage feels unsuited to me. Maybe it's because of the bloodline I inherited from Tobirama and the others, but I still like doing things by whatever means necessary from time to time. Maybe it's related to the experience of having once been a slave…"
"And an outstanding leader must lead by example and learn self-restraint."
Tobirama had already learned how to shift the blame onto bloodlines.
Izuna's eyes lit up. In truth, he had similar thoughts himself.
"Seisui, you're absolutely right… I'll tell you a secret. The boss is often the least free person. Someone like Sarutobi Hiruzen, who can unify consensus like that, is rare. And everyone's eyes are always fixed on the one at the top…"
"But the second-in-command is different."
"Still, just being second-in-command isn't enough. A mere deputy doesn't have enough authority or resources. Ideally, you earn the boss's trust and take over part of his authority. That's the most comfortable position for fully displaying your talents…"
Tobirama was stunned.
Why were Izuna's thoughts always so similar to his own?
"If Konohagakure's future Hokage is talented, you may not need to compete for the position at all. Being an advisor is the safest choice…"
"Take me and my brother, or Tobirama and Hashirama. People in positions like ours can move up or step back as needed…"
"You can both do what you want and pursue your ambitions from a position high enough to matter."
Tobirama's feelings became even more complicated.
A strange thought suddenly emerged in his mind.
If he had been born an Uchiha, and Izuna had been born a Senju, it felt like history might not have changed very much at all.
The two of them could practically switch places without any sense of mismatch…
Even if they exchanged bodies midway and tried their best to imitate each other, perhaps even their brothers would not be able to tell the difference…
"Soragakure…"
"Do you still have records on that village?" Tobirama coughed lightly before confirming with Danzō, "If things are really as you say, then Konohagakure has great need for their technology…"
"There are records, yes, but they've hidden their tracks extremely well. I've searched for years without finding any leads…"
Danzō shook his head.
"My intelligence work has been solid. They're probably hiding somewhere in the shinobi world using their special technology. Even the underground bounty stations have no information on them…"
Tobirama sighed regretfully.
He was here.
And the entire Research Division Committee of Konohagakure was here as well.
If they could capture a complete piece of Soragakure's flight technology, reverse engineering it should not be a problem…
"Still, when Soragakure first retreated after their defeat, they declared that they would one day return for revenge…" Danzō revealed a cold smile.
"I truly hope they finish regrouping quickly and launch another war against Konohagakure! With Hiruzen's personality, even if he discovered them, he wouldn't allow me to strike first without proper justification."
Tobirama chuckled.
"That's unlikely. At most, it was the wailing of a defeated dog trying to preserve a shred of dignity. Soragakure lost the war. Their leader naturally had to say a few dramatic lines to stabilize morale after the defeat…"
Danzō nodded. That was how he saw it as well.
Unless Soragakure's hatred had already reached the point of becoming inseparable from their very bones, there was no way they would dare provoke Konohagakure now, especially with its reputation for crushing Kusagakure in under an hour…
But how could there be such deep hatred?
After all, it was Soragakure that had invaded Konohagakure, not the other way around!
There still had to be some reason and logic in the world…
"You said this girl has a kekkei genkai illness?" Only then did Danzō finally react, his expression turning somewhat awkward.
The matter of arranging a match for "Seisui"…
It was not just Isshin pushing for it. Danzō had also taken part.
Tomie had been selected by him and Isshin together while looking through candidate lists over drinks…
How had they ended up arranging a sick girl for their teacher's own grandson?
Too embarrassing!
'Thankfully Sensei isn't here. If he found out I picked this kind of woman for Seisui, I'd be too ashamed to show my face. I can't even handle a small matter like this properly…'
Danzō felt somewhat embarrassed inwardly.
Still, this could not really be blamed on Isshin.
The reasons they had chosen Tomie were simple: first, she looked good; second, she was strong enough; third, she usually seemed quiet and composed.
Although Tomie's father had died from resentment toward Tobirama, what Uchiha in the past had not cursed Tobirama?
As for Tomie's grandmother, she was simply old and senile. Who knew what she muttered about at home?
Because of that, Tomie's public image was instead shaped by her kekkei genkai illness and the confusion in her heart, making her dislike drawing attention to herself. To outsiders, she appeared to be a powerful, attractive, quiet, and gentle woman…
Just like Uchiha Mikoto.
But who could have guessed she was a silent invalid?
'I need to clean up this mess. Otherwise Seisui's going to start having opinions about this…'
'The women of the Uchiha Clan are like landmines. You never know when one will explode…' Danzō complained inwardly as he adjusted his mindset and forced himself into the warm smile he remembered Hiruzen often using.
"Tomie, right? I'm Root's new director, Hokage Advisor Danzō."
Danzō walked over to Tomie.
"Don't worry about your illness. Clan Head Isshin and I have been close friends for many years, and you're also one of Konohagakure's outstanding shinobi. I…"
Danzō paused, recalling the standard openings Homura and Koharu often used. In the end, he decided not to emphasize himself: "According to the Will of Fire that Hiruzen has always advocated, when villagers encounter difficulties they cannot resolve, the village must provide support. Especially since you also have Seisui's connection here…"
Even though there was no one else around.
In Danzō's eyes, Seisui might be his disciple, but he also possessed an indescribable loyalty toward Hiruzen…
And what kind of disciple was his disciple?
He was the kind of hotheaded fool who would impeach him on the spot the moment he thought Danzō was violating the Will of Fire!
And he was frighteningly sharp-minded as well…
If he discovered Danzō secretly trying to build up personal authority, he would absolutely cause trouble!
For the first time in years, emotions had begun appearing repeatedly on Tomie's usually expressionless face.
Wait…
Was this really the Darkness of the Shinobi who targeted the Uchiha?
Close friends with Clan Head Isshin for many years?
How had she never heard of that before?!
'Could it be that after shutting myself away at home for years and getting trapped in my own thoughts, I completely missed the changes in the relationship between the clan and the village?' Danzō's contrast in behavior made Tomie begin doubting herself.
"Thank you for your kindness. Thank you, Hokage-sama…" Tomie said sincerely.
No matter what, she had felt the warmth of the village.
And she also realized Seisui had been right to scold her, causing an unconscious sense of shame to rise in her heart.
Tomie had previously believed that the moment she spoke up, she would be rejected, humiliated, or treated coldly…
But even Danzō was being this enthusiastic. No matter how stubborn Tomie was, she now felt her previous thoughts had been far too wrong.
Tobirama swiftly picked up pen and paper and wrote down the resources he needed to requisition.
A chakra analyzer forged from chakra-conducting metal, a physiological waveform detector…
All of them were precious devices built at enormous expense by the Research Division, unique treasures found nowhere else in the shinobi world.
Ever since entering Root, Tobirama had seen these advanced instruments through Danzō, and his heart had long been itching!
Back in his own era, he had sold off so many Tailed Beasts just to barely establish the scientific foundation that allowed Konohagakure to surpass the rest of the shinobi world.
And even then, the gap had not been that great, since funding still had to be distributed to many other areas.
But under Hiruzen's generation, research funding was truly extravagant!
Even the core components of a single analysis device were forged from incredibly valuable chakra-conducting metal…
The luxury of it was terrifying…
Without even glancing at the requisition form, Danzō grabbed the slip from Tobirama and signed it with a flourish.
"Go ahead, Seisui!"
"I've been thinking for a long time that you should coordinate with the Research Division so your talents can shine in multiple fields! Don't worry, I'll support you with everything I have…"
"Right now, the village's research sector is monopolized by mediocrities. It pains me to watch it happen. Orochimaru's return on investment is extremely low. It's just that nobody can replace him for the time being!"
Danzō still slipped in a few personal complaints while taking a shot at Orochimaru.
Research was something he did not understand…
But Danzō still remembered how Orochimaru had demanded enormous amounts of funding from the old Root, yet produced barely any visible results!
And whenever Danzō asked about it, he would only be brushed aside with annoyance and told not to interfere in matters he did not understand…
Danzō had never forgotten that grudge!
But things were different now. He already had his brilliant disciple, "Seisui," who had inherited Sensei's talent for research…
How could he possibly continue allowing Orochimaru to monopolize such a massive piece of the pie?
Tobirama nodded thoughtfully.
He roughly understood now how Orochimaru had operated in the past…
At a glance, this was obviously falsified accounting!
Back in his own time, Tobirama himself had secretly diverted part of the village budget toward research as well, but Hashirama had never noticed…
Still, Tobirama was not worried that the current Orochimaru would dare do such things.
Not because he trusted Orochimaru's character, but because Tobirama could clearly see Hiruzen's methods.
Tsunade and Hiruko were stationed beside Orochimaru.
They would never allow themselves to be fooled by him, and their loyalties stood firmly with Hiruzen…
Meaning there was no isolated environment in which falsified accounting could thrive.
A short while later.
Holding the signed authorization slip from Danzō, Tobirama led Tomie into the Research Division.
Tubes were inserted into Tomie's body as three tomoe emerged within Tobirama's eyes.
With Izuna's assistance, the tomoe connected into a complete pattern, the Mangekyō Sharingan carefully observing the flow of chakra.
'These instruments really are excellent. You get what you pay for…'
'If only Elder Brother had supported me back then… Hiruzen really does respect researchers…' Tobirama muttered inwardly.
Then he focused intently on the readings displayed by the instruments.
"Next, in order to locate the source of your illness, I'll inject chakra into your body."
"It will hurt. But I can't anesthetize you. Only then will the readings produce obvious fluctuations…" Tobirama said calmly.
Tomie showed no fear. She merely stared blankly at Tobirama's profile before slowly and firmly nodding.
"Go ahead…"
Izuna watched the scene, the corners of his mouth curling higher and higher.
This woman was seriously twisted…
But what did that have to do with him? He had already warned Seisui countless times!
The Mangekyō's ocular power pierced into Tomie's body, causing her cells and chakra to begin falling into disorder.
Her physical indicators rapidly shifted.
"Izuna, help me observe as well. The two of us together can see more clearly!"
Tobirama said in a deep voice, "Watch the minute changes in her chakra. I know research isn't your specialty. Just remember everything you see, and I'll handle the analysis…"
Izuna nodded.
The unique advantage of two souls sharing one body, combined with two pairs of Mangekyō Sharingan and expensive instruments, allowed them to observe Tomie's chakra circulation and chakra pathways with extraordinary clarity.
Tomie let out a soft involuntary groan of pain.
But Tobirama paid no attention whatsoever. Instead, he further increased the genjutsu stimulation until cold sweat covered Tomie's body before finally stopping and falling into thought.
"Once it passes through these points, Tomie's chakra undergoes a transformation…"
Izuna manifested a diagram of the human body and marked several special points in red.
"In the brain."
Tobirama nodded.
"I understand now."
As expected of a veteran Sharingan user, Izuna's observational ability still surpassed his by quite a bit…
After all, Tobirama was merely a newly reborn Uchiha.
But that did not matter. Whatever abilities Izuna possessed now belonged to him as well…
No one knew how much time had passed.
Once Tobirama entered a working state, it was as though he completely lost awareness of time, focusing on the research subject known as Tomie with absolute concentration.
To the point that even though Tomie stared at him without blinking, Tobirama never paid attention—or perhaps he simply did not care.
If she wanted to look, then let her look. What did it matter to him?
"I think I understand now…"
Crossing his arms, Tobirama spoke softly: "Your brain has accumulated an enormous amount of negative emotions. They interacted with the mechanism of the Sharingan and formed a pathological lesion."
"The existence of this lesion has caused your blood to become corrosive, constantly burning your chakra pathways and internal organs day and night, leading to continuous physical deterioration."
"The negative emotions stimulate your chakra, bloodline, and Sharingan, indirectly prolonging your life—while simultaneously worsening your condition even further."
Tomie looked at Tobirama nervously.
"Then can it be cured by removing the lesion?"
"No. Removing the lesion would only stop the condition from worsening further. And even that is difficult to accomplish. At least for now, I haven't thought of any particularly effective method…"
Tobirama shook his head.
He did recall one of Hiruzen's old concepts.
Using the Box of Ultimate Bliss's ability to absorb negative emotions to deal with the unstable factors involved in awakening the Sharingan…
But that was still one of the Sage of Six Paths' treasured artifacts. Who knew how long it would take to move from research to practical application?
At Tomie's current physical state, she would probably already be buried by then…
"Looks like I'm still going to die after all…" Tomie forced out a smile. "Sorry for making you go through all this trouble!"
"Who said you were going to die?" Tobirama frowned and rebuked her sharply: "If you don't understand something, then stop making random comments. When it comes to treating illnesses, do you understand it better or do I?"
As a researcher, Tobirama hated ignorant people making uninformed remarks more than anything.
And his long years as Hokage had also left him with very little patience for such behavior…
Tomie had clearly stepped right onto one of Tobirama's landmines.
Her eyes became watery as she looked at Tobirama, yet she still was not angry.
'Even though I'm about to die, you still won't give up on me? My blood and organs are already rotting…'
'We only just met!' Tomie thought inwardly.
'What does Seisui want from me in return?'
Tobirama pondered for a moment.
"To completely remove your lesion, I'll still need to think of another method… But the urgent priority is purifying all of your blood in a single pass. As for your internal organs, those are manageable. I can simply repair and restore them."
"I've already tested it. Your lesion is tied directly to your emotions. It was formed through years of emotional turmoil and self-destructive mental stress, accumulating little by little over time…"
"As long as the problems in your blood and organs are resolved, then even if the lesion remains, your condition will not deteriorate again so long as your emotions stay relatively stable. In a sense, you and the lesion will simply coexist."
Tomie looked at Tobirama in utter confusion.
Wait…
I'm already in pain just from walking sometimes, and now you want to drain every drop of blood from my body?
Can a person even survive that?!
Izuna was equally full of question marks. What kind of absurd treatment method was this?
It was way too extreme!
Then again, perhaps that was exactly what one should expect from an Uchiha…
"Only by draining all of your blood at once can we completely remove the harmful substances within it."
Tobirama sank into thought.
"For that, I can speak with the Aburame Clan's shinobi. We can extract the harmful components in your blood and convert them into pheromonal markers, then have the kikaichū specifically consume and eliminate them…"
"The problem now is that when your blood is completely drained, you may die before the purified blood can be returned to your body."
Tomie laughed in exasperation and rolled her eyes dramatically.
"So you do realize that!"
"I read through some of the texts Danzō left for me. Senju Tobirama once invented a technique called the Soul Restraint Technique, capable of forcibly maintaining a person's vital signs…"
Ignoring Tomie entirely, Tobirama muttered to himself: "But that would undoubtedly leave aftereffects. The ideal method is a two-pronged approach—restraining the soul while simultaneously replenishing the body with a certain amount of external life force…"
The first thing Tobirama thought of was Hashirama Cells.
But he immediately rejected the idea.
He knew his elder brother's cells too well. Although they possessed immense vitality, that vitality was excessively vigorous. Tomie would not be able to withstand it.
The village was still researching them, but practical application remained far away.
"I've got it!" Tobirama's eyes suddenly lit up.
"What are you planning to do?" Izuna asked curiously, though his emotions were somewhat complicated.
Perhaps Seisui really did deserve to be called Tobirama's descendant…
Whenever Izuna possessed him, he often saw "Seisui" constantly studying old texts, many of them rare manuscripts left behind by Senju Tobirama himself.
And after becoming Danzō's disciple, things became even more extreme. The Scroll of Seals had been opened to him without restriction…
What Izuna did not know was that Tobirama had merely forced himself to reread his own writings in order to maintain Seisui's persona…
Otherwise, suddenly mastering everything without a teacher would be impossible to explain.
"Uzumaki Shio's physical constitution is perfectly suited to Tomie's needs…"
Tobirama spoke with obvious excitement, his tone filled with the delight of solving a difficult research problem: "As long as Tomie absorbs Uzumaki Shio's life force while her blood is being drained, then even without blood circulating through her body, there's a high probability her vital organs can still be protected!"
The Uzumaki Clan's life force truly was that miraculous…
But Izuna's pupils trembled violently, as though struck by an earthquake!
Kid, do you even hear yourself right now?!
Izuna knew who Uzumaki Shio was. Tobirama had mentioned her before.
And while the women of the Uzumaki Clan were generally gentle by nature…
You still could not tell a girl who clearly liked you that you had no interest in romance and only saw her as a sister—then immediately call her back afterward and ask her to provide life force for another woman!
What a genius at creating Mangekyō Sharingan awakenings!
He was only getting away with this because she was not an Uchiha…
If she had been a talented Uchiha woman instead, Tobirama would have triggered her Mangekyō on the spot with a stunt like this!
"Seisui…"
"Wouldn't this… cause a misunderstanding?" Izuna took a deep breath and spoke cautiously. "Isn't this kind of inappropriate? Maybe we should think of another method…"
Tobirama looked at Izuna in confusion.
"A misunderstanding about what? Uzumaki Shio told me herself that she's grateful Konohagakure rescued her from Kusagakure, and that she's willing to use her abilities to help her comrades in the village…"
"Is Tomie not a shinobi of Konohagakure?"
For a moment, Izuna genuinely did not know what to say.
This was the first time he had ever encountered an Uchiha more likely than himself to get beheaded by a jealous woman…
"Think about it a little more?"
Izuna said tactfully.
"Think about what?" Tobirama frowned in return.
This was a matter of healing and saving lives. What else was there to think about?
After a moment, Izuna decided to test Seisui's thinking in this area.
"Seisui, what if one day Tomie falls into another emotional spiral and insists that her father and grandmother would never allow her to abandon her hatred? What if she asks you to use Impure World Reincarnation to bring them back?"
Izuna spoke seriously: "There are plenty of stubborn and obsessive Uchiha. They really might refuse to let Tomie abandon her hatred. You should be mentally prepared for that possibility."
Tobirama stared at Izuna with a baffled expression.
"Aren't you supposed to be Senju Tobirama's enemy? Then you should know that Impure World Reincarnation allows the user to control the dead, right?"
"If I were to reincarnate Tomie's family, then naturally I would control their actions and thoughts. Whatever I told them to say, they would say. There's no possibility of letting them act freely…"
"The dead exist to serve the living. Don't tell me you don't understand something that basic?"
Izuna took a deep breath.
The flavor of those words was way too strong! It was practically like that bastard himself had come back to life…
And ever since Tobirama accepted the setting that he was the descendant of "Tobi-Izu," he had gradually stopped pretending.
After all, he still had to display scientific talent and ways of thinking. Constantly maintaining a disguise was pointless. It was better to slowly expose those traits to the people around him bit by bit—especially since he had bloodline inheritance as the perfect explanation.
Wasn't it perfectly normal for a grandson to resemble his grandfather?
And amusingly enough, in Izuna's eyes, Seisui's background as a former slave in Kusagakure had also become one of the reasons his thinking resembled Tobirama's cold rationality…
On top of that, he had thrown himself onto Tobirama's surviving texts like a sponge. After absorbing so much of them, being assimilated was inevitable…
It could only be said that once the beginning and end of a line of logic were confirmed, other people would naturally fill in the middle themselves.
"Then…"
Izuna was so exasperated by Tobirama that he almost laughed, deciding to deliberately pick at him: "Then what if, after you cure Tomie, she doesn't want to become your companion? You should know that the emotions of the Uchiha Clan are excessively intense. Things may not go the way you imagine…"
"Doesn't want to become my companion?"
Tobirama asked in confusion. "What does that mean?"
Izuna forced a straight face.
"It means she doesn't want to be your companion!"
"That's certainly possible as well… Tomie's emotions are extremely unstable. You can't judge her logic by normal standards," Tobirama said thoughtfully.
Izuna let out a sigh of relief. The kid was barely teachable after all!
At least he finally understood a little…
"So that means she intends to become my enemy, correct?"
Tobirama said coldly.
A naturally evil Uchiha woman repaying kindness with betrayal was hardly something strange.
Izuna stared at Tobirama in complete shock. Finally unable to hold it in any longer, he burst into loud laughter.
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
No matter what, Izuna had never expected Seisui to say something like that!
The guy processed emotions like a wild animal…
This was way too entertaining!
"Seisui, if Tomie really says something like that to you one day, are you genuinely going to answer her like that?" In that moment, Izuna's mentality completely changed.
If the storm was coming, then let it come even harder!
There was no saving this anymore. Just wait for death!
Might as well sit back and enjoy the show…
It was not that Izuna lacked experience. He had simply never seen someone this hopelessly dense before. Staying single for life would not be strange at all…
"What are you laughing at?" Tobirama was deeply displeased, feeling as though he was being mocked.
"Of course I'd answer like that… What else am I supposed to do, back down?!"
"Good, good!"
Izuna said with absolute sincerity:
"When that day comes, you must call me over. I've never seen a scene like that in my entire life. I absolutely have to witness it…"
"You'll get your chance." Tobirama could tell Izuna was provoking him, but after thinking it over, he still could not find any flaw in his own logic…
He had already decided that after curing Tomie, he was going to viciously attack Izuna over this.
You don't understand the Uchiha at all!
And you call yourself the Young Clan Head…
Meanwhile, Izuna's thoughts had already drifted much farther ahead.
It was not just Tomie. There was also Uzumaki Shio…
The poor girl had only just managed to move on and live happily again. After all, emotions were supposed to be fair—if Seisui refused to date anyone, then that meant she herself was not the problem…
But then suddenly a Tomie appeared, and Seisui was asking her to feed another woman with her own life force…
Izuna knew very well that people with the Uzumaki Clan's constitution required Tomie to bite them.
And that particular action carried all kinds of suggestive implications.
'And that's not even mentioning Mito is still alive right now! She treasures her clansmen so much that back then, just from me provoking her a few times, she nearly chased me around with Adamantine Sealing Chains trying to whip me to death…'
'If I can witness a scene like this, then even getting beheaded by a jealous woman would be worth the ticket price!'
During this exchange, Izuna genuinely began seeing Tobirama's shadow in Seisui…
'This really feels like watching that bastard interact with women…'
'Opportunities like this are far too rare. Sorry, Seisui, but forgive me this once! Just this last time…'
'I really want to see what happens!' Izuna covered his face and sincerely apologized inwardly to Seisui.
Who told Seisui to also carry half of Tobirama within him?
Izuna laughed so hard that his entire body trembled.
Hehehe…
Who would've thought there'd even be a substitute version of this to watch?
Tobirama ignored Izuna completely. Today, he truly felt the man was incomprehensible!
"Two to three months…"
"Until then, try your best to keep your emotions under control. Don't let your condition worsen any further…"
Tobirama drew a tube of Tomie's blood and waved his hand dismissively.
"All right, you can go now. Head back and wait for news."
Tomie stared fixedly at Tobirama and nodded.
When she reached the doorway, she subconsciously turned back to look at him.
But Tobirama was already immersed in his experiments. Even though he noticed the gaze behind him, he had no time to spare for it.
And so Tomie simply stood there, watching him.
He had clearly noticed…
So why wouldn't he turn around and look back at her even once?
No one knew how much time passed.
Eventually, her illness flared up again. She could no longer remain standing still for long, forcing her to reluctantly turn around and leave first.
"Patients who refuse to follow medical advice really make me not want to treat them…"
Tobirama shook his head.
"Forget it. Her blood is still very useful for researching kekkei genkai illnesses. Besides, she does have the potential to awaken the Mangekyō in the future. I'll tolerate it for now…"
Izuna's expression became incredibly subtle.
So you do know she might awaken the Mangekyō someday?
Then why don't you stop and think about what kind of thing might trigger that awakening?!
While Tobirama remained busy, Sarutobi Hiruzen was equally occupied on his side.
After Kakuzu brought milk and the collected stories and anecdotes about Hashirama from all these years to visit Mito…
The former Takigakure missing-nin received the approval of Hashirama's widow. In Hiruzen's words, Kakuzu possessed five hearts of gold, each burning with the Will of Fire…
Although it had taken fifty years for that spirit to finally resonate, making it somewhat delayed, it was still a beautiful story in the end.
It proved that Hashirama's will had endured the test of time and only grown stronger through the years!
After Hiruzen and Kakuzu had an extremely pleasant discussion regarding Konohagakure and the shinobi world's economy…
A Konohagakure Committee meeting was finally convened again after a long absence.
First, it was to inform the committee members and formally determine Kakuzu's position and responsibilities within Konohagakure.
Second, the economy of Konohagakure and the Land of Fire had already reached its second phase, meaning it was time to consider exporting outward…
Hokage Building.
Conference Room.
Standing upon the main platform, Hiruzen smiled warmly as he swept his gaze across the Konohagakure Committee members.
"Everyone, welcome our newest member of Konohagakure…"
"Kakuzu, recognized by Mito-sama and someone who already shared a bond with Hashirama-sama long ago!"
"Let's give him some applause…" Hiruzen was the first to begin clapping softly.
Although some people still observed Kakuzu with scrutinizing eyes…
Once Hiruzen moved first, they had no choice but to respond with enthusiastic applause.
A warmth rose within Kakuzu's heart.
So this was what it felt like to be protected by the Hokage…
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