"Fifty years?"
A trace of confusion appeared on Hashirama's face. He counted on his fingers for a moment.
"Then why do you still look so young, Monkey? And you're covered in the presence of Fūinjutsu... Oh no. Don't tell me Tobirama used some Kinjutsu on you!"
"Are you all right?"
"Where's Tobirama? I have some questions for him!"
The moment Tobirama and Kinjutsu came up, Hashirama's expression turned imposing, and an enormous, invisible mass of chakra surged from within him.
It was only a trace.
Yet it made the hearts of the surrounding shinobi tremble.
The God of Shinobi...
In the end, he was still the God of Shinobi!
No matter how absurdly he spoke or behaved, the moment he became serious, everyone had no choice but to give Senju Hashirama the damn respect he deserved!
Hiruzen's expression, however, remained unchanged. He merely sighed.
"Tobirama-sensei departed for the Pure Land more than thirty years ago. He died during the First Shinobi World War while covering my escape."
"This is now the Third Shinobi World War, Hashirama-sama."
"Please don't speak of Tobirama-sensei that way. Some of the techniques he developed may have been rather... unconventional, but everything he did was for the village and, in his own way, for the continuation of the Will of Fire."
"Please, Hashirama-sama."
Hiruzen lowered his head slightly, his voice firm and solemn.
Tobirama drew in a deep breath. He looked almost tipsy, his head swaying slightly from side to side.
Good!
Even with his personality, he couldn't help wanting to down three huge cups of sake in celebration of Hiruzen's words!
That felt good!
He'd wanted to say that himself for so many years...
It really had to be Hiruzen...
Hashirama froze at those words, then scratched his head and smiled sheepishly.
"Sorry, sorry. My fault. I shouldn't have said that about Tobirama..."
At that moment, Uzumaki Ashina, Mū, Gengetsu, the Gold and Silver Brothers, the Second Raikage, and Shamon—the group of old-timers from the Warring States Period brought back through Impure World Reincarnation—all cursed inwardly in unison.
That damn Senju Tobirama!
How the hell did he end up with such a good student?
Hiruzen would even stand up to the God of Shinobi himself to defend that gutter-deep reputation of his?
And it wasn't as though the God of Shinobi had gone too far!
If anything, he'd gone far too easy on him!
But none of them could say anything.
The Third Raikage and Ōnoki turned questioning gazes toward the previous Kage of their respective villages.
What exactly was going on here?
Their former Kage had become Impure World Reincarnation bodies, joined some mysterious organization, and the organization's leader even possessed Wood Release, a power unique to Senju Hashirama...
Just hearing all of that was enough to make anyone uneasy!
Mū and the Second Raikage sighed and spread their hands helplessly toward Ōnoki and the Third Raikage.
Nothing they could do...
The shinobi world had already become Konoha's private backyard...
Hiruzen and Tobirama were playing their little game between teacher and student, and they insisted on dragging everyone else along to serve as whetstones. What could they possibly do about it?
They might as well play along!
They could treat it as buying themselves a ticket to eventually join the great Will of Fire family and atone for their past mistakes...
After all, there had been a First and Third Shinobi World War.
And those really had been started because their own villages hadn't known any better...
"The reason I look somewhat younger is that I practiced the Yin Seal taught to me by Mito-sama. As for all the Fūinjutsu, I wanted to become stronger, so I asked Mito-sama to teach me the Ten Thousand Seals Body Integration Seal..."
Hiruzen openly told Hashirama about the Kinjutsu he had practiced.
Even though this was a technique that Tobirama and Hashirama had once joined forces to oppose...
But precisely because of Hiruzen's reputation and openness, Hashirama merely froze for a moment before looking at him with concern.
"It's fine, Monkey. Even if you're practicing Kinjutsu, I know you're doing it for the village."
"I'm just worried your body won't be able to handle it..."
Hashirama leaned closer and spoke quietly to Hiruzen. Though in reality, his voice wasn't particularly quiet. Uzumaki Ashina, at least, could hear him perfectly well.
"You can't mess around with that old Uzumaki man's techniques! You need to be careful!"
"As for this Impure World Reincarnation, I'm not worried about you using it. Look, you summoned me because you're trying to stop the war, right? I knew I hadn't misjudged you when you were little..."
Once again, Hashirama managed to offend multiple people with a single sentence.
Ashina rolled his eyes repeatedly. He was starting to regret ever marrying Mito off to this idiot!
Who talked about his father-in-law like that?
But considering that Hiruzen had successfully mastered the Ten Thousand Seals Body Integration Seal, Ashina decided to endure it.
It was all for the sake of greater Fūinjutsu!
Compared with the goal of leaving his name in history and standing alongside the Sage of Six Paths, such trivial matters could simply be set aside...
After all, what if he treated Hashirama badly and Hiruzen stopped acknowledging him as his teacher?
Anything Mito taught Hiruzen was basically the same as her father teaching him!
That was Ashina's logic...
"The Yin Seal is fine, though. That's a proper Uzumaki Clan technique. It's different from the techniques that old man and Tobirama came up with, and it's actually good for the body."
Hashirama said it with a smile.
The corners of Tobirama's mouth twitched repeatedly.
So now that Big Brother knew he was dead, he'd decided to completely stop holding back, huh?!
And he just wouldn't let it go...
There were so many people watching!
Yet strangely enough, the entire shinobi world found itself nodding along.
After Madara had thoroughly demonized Tobirama's reputation, and with Tobirama also having to shoulder the blame for some of Konoha's less savory deeds...
The Tobirama that existed in people's minds was no longer the actual man. He had become a kind of 'symbol,' something that allowed the entire shinobi world to reach a strange mutual understanding on at least one subject.
Even Hiruzen shook his head with an amused smile.
He couldn't shake the feeling that there were some stories between Hashirama and Tobirama that he didn't know about...
This stereotype ran way too deep!
Even Kaguya nodded thoughtfully. She seemed to have identified one of the sources behind the ninjutsu she found so incomprehensible.
The inherently wicked native of the shinobi world, Senju Tobirama!
"What is your relationship with this Tobirama?" Kaguya couldn't resist asking.
"Didn't I just tell you?"
Hiruzen replied in surprise.
"He was a great and extremely capable shinobi who created many techniques. He was my lifelong sensei and Konoha's Second Hokage."
"But everyone else seems to have a poor opinion of him..."
Kaguya frowned.
"And he's already dead. Won't defending him like this cause trouble for you? Techniques like Impure World Reincarnation sound like they'd leave a terrible impression on other shinobi."
"Why acknowledge him as your sensei?"
Kaguya had fallen into a misunderstanding.
She had instinctively equated the Impure World Reincarnation with the Infinite Tsukuyomi.
Because, in a certain sense, both White Zetsu and Impure World Reincarnation bodies really were weapons...
"Tobirama-sensei may indeed have done some things that went too far."
"But he'll always be one of Konoha's own. And Tobirama-sensei's intentions were good. If even our own people can't look out for one another, accept our differences, and find common ground, wouldn't that be far too cold?"
"No one is perfect. Everyone makes mistakes. When something goes wrong, the first thing we should do is sit down, communicate seriously, and speak honestly with one another..."
"Communication will always be the most important thing. After all, everyone's intentions are good. Why should people on the same side let things become so strained?"
Hiruzen sighed.
"Besides, precisely because everyone else refuses to acknowledge Tobirama-sensei, I, as both his student and the Hokage, have even more reason to acknowledge him. Otherwise, there'd be no one left to speak on his behalf..."
"I don't want my sensei to be left all alone."
"Some things can't be measured purely in terms of personal gain."
Those words made Kaguya's pupils tremble slightly.
For some reason...
At that moment, she suddenly saw herself in his words.
If Hamura and Hagoromo had sat down and spoken to her calmly back then, instead of glaring at her with those two pairs of eyes as though they wanted to crush her, how could she possibly have ended up fighting her own sons?
She could have gone without using the Infinite Tsukuyomi!
Kaguya felt a trace of sadness.
Deep down, she still cared about her two sons, and even her grandsons Indra and Asura. But would they ever defend her the way Hiruzen defended Tobirama?
Even after someone had done something wrong, the bonds between family should still remain in their hearts.
Perhaps they wouldn't...
Kaguya fell silent, quietly lost in thoughts known only to herself...
And at that moment, Hiruzen's image in her mind unconsciously gained greater depth. He no longer felt like an abstract figure, but someone genuinely human.
He was a principled and decent man!
Working with him really did seem like an option worth serious consideration...
"By the way, Mito-sama has always missed you very much," Hiruzen said earnestly to Hashirama.
"She inherited your Will of Fire and your ideals and has spent all these years protecting the village. Since I took the liberty of summoning you this time, perhaps you could remain in the shinobi world for a while."
"Mito misses me?"
Hashirama threw his head back and laughed.
"Mm-hmm! I miss her too!"
Hashirama's laughter echoed across the entire battlefield. The murderous atmosphere seemed to dissolve beneath the God of Shinobi's laughter, and the tension gradually drained from the shinobi's bodies.
Some people could bring peace simply by laughing...
And some could send chills down your spine with nothing more than a laugh.
"Um..."
"Hiruzen, did you summon me because you want me to fight for Konoha?"
Hashirama glanced at Konoha's military formation behind him. He was delighted by what he saw, but also somewhat nervous.
Unlike Hiruzen, who sought to unite as much strength as possible in preparation for the unpredictable 'deus ex machina' that might appear in the future, Hashirama simply loved peace.
He didn't want to see people die in war unless there truly was no other choice.
He had simply seen far too much of that during the Warring States Period.
Perhaps there was a slight tendency toward excessive compassion in him, but it was also a trauma response left behind by that unique historical environment. Hiruzen could understand that.
"There are so many jinchūriki like Mito..."
"And shinobi from other villages have joined Konoha too! Haha!"
Hashirama's mood grew better and better as he looked around.
He was becoming increasingly eager to return to the village and see what Konoha looked like now!
Of course, he was also looking forward to seeing Mito, but compared with seeing Konoha under Hiruzen's leadership, that ranked second...
Perhaps even third.
Especially after Hashirama noticed the many Uchiha shinobi!
They were all looking at him and Hiruzen with respect...
Wow...
So many Uchiha who possessed the Will of Fire!
Hashirama was practically floating on air...
Throughout Konoha and the shinobi world, everyone knew that Hashirama had always been the Uchiha Clan's eternally stern father figure.
But Hashirama might also have been the person who loved the Uchiha most...
Even though he had never held back much against them in battle, Hashirama had already been speaking up for the Uchiha during the Warring States Period, insisting that those red-eyed shinobi were people who possessed kindness and love deep within their hearts...
That became even more pronounced after Konoha was founded. He repeatedly argued with Tobirama on the Uchiha's behalf and had even sincerely wanted Madara to become the First Hokage...
"Hiruzen, you've done a great job!"
"Oh, right. I've actually wanted to ask this since earlier. Why are you wearing Madara's armor?"
Hashirama stared intently at the heavy, jet-black armor covering Hiruzen and finally couldn't resist asking.
"I also have a set of your armor, given to me by Mito-sama. Normally, I keep both yours and Madara's armor displayed prominently in the Hokage's office..."
Hiruzen answered without changing expression.
"Konoha was founded by you and Madara-sama. Although Madara-sama did some extreme things, I believe he remained your closest friend, one of the village's founders, and the Great Clan Head of the Uchiha Clan..."
"As Hokage, I can't favor one side over the other. The two sets of armor symbolize the Senju and Uchiha forever working hand in hand."
"And looking back on Madara-sama's actions today, there was some meaning behind what he did. His methods were simply wrong and require serious reflection."
Hiruzen lowered his voice and spoke confidentially to Hashirama.
"You never removed Madara-sama from Konoha's shinobi rolls back then either, did you? You only said that the conflict was between the two of you, so I thought you probably wanted to preserve his identity as a Konoha shinobi..."
"And you know what Tobirama-sensei is like. He became the Second Hokage, so the Uchiha did suffer somewhat. Doing this also helps put their minds at ease..."
"Over the years, there have been times when, for the sake of keeping the village stable and its people united, I've invoked your name while saying certain things or taking certain actions. I even shamelessly called myself the inheritor of your will..."
Hiruzen lowered his head.
"I'm sorry, Hashirama-sama."
Hashirama immediately grabbed Hiruzen by the shoulders. The force was enough to make the Hokage instinctively raise his head, while Hashirama's booming voice carried across the entire battlefield.
"I knew you could do it, Hiruzen!"
"Leaving Konoha to you was the right choice! You've done a much better job as Hokage than I ever did! You are the inheritor of my will, my one and only student! You've done an amazing job!"
Even Hiruzen couldn't help smiling when he heard that.
Hashirama was simply that kind of man—openhearted and generous, with the Will of Fire burning fiercely within him.
Thunderous applause erupted from Konoha's military formation!
The emotion behind it was so heartfelt and enthusiastic that even some of the Iwagakure and Kumogakure shinobi unconsciously started clapping along.
They were witnessing the passing and inheritance of the Will of Fire between the First Hokage and the current Hokage. Just having seen this moment would give them something to brag about to their children and grandchildren when they grew old...
They were witnesses to history!
Only Tobirama stood there sulking.
Big Brother, that's just shameless!
What exactly did Hiruzen's education have to do with you?!
What a joke...
Tobirama remembered perfectly well how Hashirama had once excitedly dragged Hiruzen away, saying he was going to give the boy some special lessons. After Hashirama went through thirteen techniques in one sitting, Hiruzen came back looking miserable and said he hadn't learned a single thing!
Tobirama had been the one who personally taught him the Five Nature Transformations and laid all of his foundations step by step...
With Senju Hashirama's teaching methods, probably only the Sage of Six Paths himself could understand what the man was talking about!
Even so, Tobirama still didn't dare make a sound.
His thinking was exactly the same as Madara's. Hashirama was far too unpredictable. If some inexplicable detail gave them away, their identities could easily be exposed...
His identity as Uchiha Seisui was already set in stone. He really needed to make a clean and absolute break from the Senju Tobirama identity.
Even Tobirama had never imagined that his reputation would one day become this sinister...
Listening to the Konoha shinobi discussing the identity of 'Madara,' Tobirama was beginning to lose his composure.
Quite a few of them genuinely thought it was him...
Wait, you people seriously have that much faith in me?
You really think I could transplant Hashirama's cells, learn the Wood Dragon Technique, and control the former Kage of the major hidden villages?
Tobirama didn't even know whether he should feel pleased or offended...
"Here's the situation, Hashirama-sama."
"I summoned you because this mysterious individual has repeatedly dealt with Konoha in strange ways. Now that the war is about to end, he suddenly barged in to mediate the conflict."
"But while he calls it mediation, what he really wants is to take control of Kumogakure and Iwagakure's affairs. Between his Rinnegan and the strange state of his Impure World Reincarnation bodies, I can't simply trust him."
"If he takes control now, the agreements Konoha would normally sign with Iwagakure and Kumogakure may end up being intercepted by these people. I absolutely cannot accept the village's interests being harmed..."
Hiruzen stared at the combination of Hi-kun and Madara's Limbo clone as he spoke softly.
"I agree to end the war, but every bit of compensation owed to Konoha must be honored."
"Didn't you say you're the inheritor of Hashirama-sama's will? Fine. Then I'll have Hashirama-sama negotiate with you..."
"As for your identity, that isn't the key issue right now."
Something stirred in Hi-kun's mind.
'Madara-sama, what do you think?'
'Handle it yourself!'
Madara had no attention to spare for such minor matters. Mediating the war and bringing Iwagakure and Kumogakure under their influence as controllable threats had always been the primary strategic objective.
Trying to swallow Konoha's compensation as well had merely been another test.
Or perhaps Madara's urge to play the head of the household had flared up again...
He always wanted to manage everything!
When they heard that Hashirama would personally handle the matter of compensation, both Ōnoki and the Third Raikage visibly relaxed, while Mū and the Second Raikage felt a weight lift from their hearts.
Because while Hiruzen was unquestionably an exceptionally decent man...
Senju Hashirama's reputation went far beyond mere decency.
He was almost too generous...
"Since the Hokage has proposed it, naturally we can discuss it."
Hi-kun was also somewhat excited at the opportunity to negotiate with Hiruzen face-to-face. Suppressing the excitement in his heart, he spoke in a deep voice.
"We can negotiate, but please don't interfere in matters between the Crimson Organization, Kumogakure, and Iwagakure."
"After all, our organization includes their former Kage."
Hiruzen chuckled and nodded.
"Naturally..."
All he wanted from Kumogakure and Iwagakure were their resources and technology. He didn't have time to manage the rest of their populations anyway.
Once Konoha's information network was fully rolled out, many things would fall naturally into place. There was no need to rush into taking both of those messes into his arms...
They could stew in their own problems for a while first!
"Hiruzen, why don't we just let it go? They look like they're having a pretty hard time too..."
Sure enough, Hashirama quietly suggested exactly that.
"No, Hashirama-sama."
"If someone does something wrong, they have to pay the price. If wrongdoing is always forgiven, then more and more people will choose to do wrong in the future."
Hiruzen rejected Hashirama's suggestion, then turned and beckoned toward the Uchiha Clan.
"Isshin, Fugaku, Tomie..."
"Right, and Seisui and Danzō. All five of you, come over!"
"Go with Hashirama-sama to negotiate with Iwagakure and Kumogakure, as well as the people from the Crimson Organization..."
Unlike Tobirama, Hiruzen wasn't particularly concerned about the Senju brothers meeting.
They were bound to meet sooner or later!
And with Tobirama and Danzō there, Hiruzen wouldn't have to worry about the negotiations himself. The necessary strategic objectives and compensation would all be secured.
He needed to hurry up and have a proper conversation with this mysterious woman...
Tobirama reluctantly made his way over to Hashirama.
The instant he arrived—
Hashirama leaned his face closer, staring intently at Tobirama with those huge dark eyes. The strands of hair hanging over his forehead twitched as he furrowed his brow.
"Huh..."
"Are you an Uchiha?"
"Why do I feel like you look so much like Tobirama?!"
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