Hi-kun nodded in sudden realization.
But then he blinked again, noticing a blind spot.
Why was Madara-sama so certain that once Hanzō lost his fighting spirit, it could never return?
'Wasn't Madara-sama himself pulled out of decadence and revitalized because of Sarutobi Hiruzen's influence? He's so energetic these days—he even looks ten years younger than before...'
The moment the thought appeared, Hi-kun hurriedly slapped himself across the mouth and forcibly interrupted such disrespectful thinking.
How could he think such things about Madara-sama?!
Madara-sama had never lost his fighting spirit, nor was he merely clinging to life. As long as he lived, he would forever remain invincible—the Shura of the Shinobi World whom no one could stop!
...
Konoha.
Hiruzen felt the Fire Sealing Mark within his body and the strange sensation flowing through him.
Flames ignited along the index finger of his right hand, while intense heat scorched his left arm.
Yet Hiruzen only felt slight burning pain, nowhere near unbearable.
"So my fire resistance has increased again? That's probably related to my exceptional mastery over Fire Release chakra nature transformation. After all, the Sarutobi Clan specializes in Fire Release, and I've been highly proficient in it since childhood..."
"Once I begin training the other attributes, the speed will likely slow down."
"After my fire resistance reaches the Small Success stage, I'll probably choose Water Release resistance next..." Hiruzen's eyes flickered slightly as he thought of the Kirigakure exchange students who had already left Konoha.
The Hokage lit his smoking pipe, exhaled a cloud of smoke, and shook his head regretfully.
In his view, once the Kirigakure exchange students left, there was no longer any chance of Konoha and Kirigakure going to war.
No matter how insane the Third Mizukage was, there was no way he would ignore the intelligence Kisame and the others brought back and still choose to wage war against a Konoha whose organization and cohesion had become so terrifying...
Which meant the only remaining possibility was to wait until Nakamaro, Snow, and the others defected. Only then might the situation take another turn.
Hiruzen had no other options.
After all, he could hardly warn Terumī Mei and Kisame not to report Konoha's current state back to the Third Mizukage, could he?
"Even though I truly wanted Kirigakure and the Land of Water, there's nothing I can do about it..."
"Still, avoiding war is ultimately a good thing. How could events always unfold exactly according to my wishes?" Hiruzen sighed softly.
In his eyes, the nobles of the Land of Water were practically a gigantic gold mine.
After everything the Third Mizukage had done, the Bloody Mist era would inevitably leave the Land of Water's nobility with deep-rooted terror and anxiety. That naturally made the region perfect for Konoha to enter and start doing business...
No violence involved—just honest trade, proper rules, and high-quality goods.
The difference between the two was like heaven and earth...
And the Land of Water's isolated island geography was also perfectly suited for becoming a massive storage-based industrial zone, eventually transforming into part of Konoha's logistical backbone...
"What a shame... truly a shame!"
Hiruzen smacked his lips.
At that moment, Danzō stormed into the room in a rush, only to freeze when he saw what Hiruzen was doing.
Why was Hiruzen burning himself with fire?
Did he take too big a drag from his pipe and smoke himself stupid?
"What are you doing, Hiruzen?" Danzō stared at the Fire Release chakra gathered on Hiruzen's hand. He knew quality when he saw it—one glance was enough to tell that it was an extremely advanced level of Fire Release nature transformation.
Hiruzen smiled faintly but did not answer.
Danzō simply kept staring. After a while, he finally realized what was wrong.
Hiruzen was actually immune to the flames? After burning for so long, his finger looked as though it were resting inside light rather than fire. There was not the slightest change at all!
"What the hell..." Danzō suddenly felt tightness in his chest. Could Hiruzen stop training already?!
"What kind of forbidden technique is this now? Why haven't I ever heard of it?!"
Danzō said somewhat exasperatedly: "The First Hokage-sama once said that even the Hokage cannot casually practice forbidden techniques! That's why the Scroll of Seals was established to prohibit so many of Tobirama-sensei's jutsu!"
Hiruzen nearly laughed out loud.
Why was this guy so desperate that he had started dragging Hashirama out just to pin accusations on him?
"If Tobirama-sensei heard you say that, he'd probably be rather unhappy..." Hiruzen said leisurely.
Danzō's expression turned awkward, but he still stubbornly argued back.
"Just answer whether the First Hokage-sama said it or not!"
Naturally, he knew there was no legitimate reason to stop Hiruzen from training. He simply could not help complaining a few times.
"He certainly did say it..."
Hiruzen coughed lightly.
"But while what I'm training is indeed a forbidden technique, it wasn't created by Tobirama-sensei. It was developed by Mito-sama and her father, and they specifically approved my training."
"If the First Hokage-sama knew about it, he probably wouldn't object either. Don't you think?"
Danzō felt as though he had suffered internal injuries.
He decided that from now on, he would never again argue with Hiruzen using "big names" as leverage...
Danzō felt genuinely stupid.
How had he forgotten again? In this area, who could possibly outplay Hiruzen?
Mito, the First Hokage-sama, Tobirama-sensei—even Uchiha Madara could somehow get dragged into the conversation!
This guy was absurdly good at invoking important people...
"Hmph..."
"My Wind Release Chakra Mode will also be completed soon!" Thinking about how Seisui was helping perfect his ninjutsu, Danzō's mood finally improved slightly.
He too would become the kind of shinobi Hiruzen called "distinctive"!
"Then let me congratulate you, Danzō..." Hiruzen said with a smiling expression, already understanding that Tobirama was probably the one putting in the effort behind the scenes.
That was also one of the major uses of Tobirama's resurrection...
With his extraordinary ninjutsu research abilities, a Tobirama no longer burdened by the responsibilities of being Hokage had enough spare capacity to help Konoha's powerful shinobi expand their limits...
It wasn't that Hiruzen could not do the same, but he was still busy strengthening his own upper limits and simply lacked the time.
"Sign this authorization form!"
"It concerns my disciple Seisui! He's requesting permission to cooperate with a member of the Aburame Clan..." Danzō handed a document over to Hiruzen.
That damned Orochimaru—even this had to become an obstacle for him!
But Danzō was not worried. Worst case, he would simply come to Hiruzen. There was no way something like this could truly disgust him.
Although Danzō's tone remained stiff, Hiruzen did not get angry.
For Danzō, the tone did not matter. What mattered was that he had finally learned to follow proper procedures...
That was growth.
Hiruzen suddenly felt like an old father watching his child mature.
"Hm?"
"Treating an Uchiha kunoichi named Tomie? Researching a special type of medical-use kikaichū?"
"Who exactly is this Tomie..." Hiruzen had originally intended to sign immediately. After all, this was Tobirama-sensei's request. As long as it was not excessive, it should naturally be approved.
But the reason for the project was simply too strange, so Hiruzen still asked about it.
"She's a woman I found for Seisui. There were a few small complications. Anyway, don't worry about it!" Danzō said in a blustering tone that clearly lacked confidence.
He absolutely did not want Hiruzen finding out that the woman he had arranged for Tobirama-sensei's descendant was a sickly invalid.
That was way too embarrassing...
'So Danzō found an Uchiha woman for Tobirama-sensei?'
'He really went all out...'
'Tobirama-sensei is pretty strange too. If he wanted to experience romance, wasn't that girl Uzumaki Shio perfectly fine? Even Hashirama married an Uzumaki woman. Why not continue the fine tradition...'
Hiruzen grumbled inwardly, though after thinking about it for a moment, he still signed the document.
Respect Tobirama-sensei's romantic freedom!
And besides, it was a matter of healing and saving lives. What possible problems could come from that?
This was a good thing...
"Alright then, Hiruzen!"
"I'm leaving. You'd better think carefully about how to deal with Hanzō. That old bastard is visiting the village in one week, and based on my understanding of him, he definitely has bad intentions..."
"There's no way he genuinely wants to cooperate honestly with Konoha!"
Danzō hurried off in a whirlwind. He was eager to take the approved form back and show off in front of "Seisui," proving that his teacher's connections and influence were still rock solid.
Hiruzen smiled warmly as he watched Danzō's departing figure and thought to himself: 'He's getting along with Tobirama-sensei quite well! He's even this happy just running errands...'
'Hanzō...'
The moment that name surfaced, Hiruzen also fell into deep thought.
Could Hanzō perhaps truly be sincere?
...
Amegakure.
Leader's Office.
Hanzō stretched his body and paced back and forth irritably.
After a while, he let out a sigh, sat back down, and stared at the sheet of paper before him.
Written across it in bold strokes powerful enough to pierce through the paper itself was a single name—something he had unconsciously written again and again.
—Sarutobi Hiruzen!