Hashirama was silent for a few seconds, then raised his hand and rubbed his still slightly aching forehead.
After that, he slowly told the two of them everything that had happened in the alternate dimension, from beginning to end, in full.
From Urashiki's sudden appearance and his claim that he was a transmigrator and an alien, to the battle in which he was almost completely overwhelmed, then being pierced through the chest and brought to the brink of death, followed by the mysterious existence pulling him into the white-light space and granting him the power of the Nine Tailed Beasts and the Six Paths, and finally killing Urashiki before the power disappeared and he collapsed from exhaustion...
Everything, without leaving out a single word.
The hospital room fell into deathly silence.
Mito covered her mouth, her eyes wide with disbelief. "There is always someone better... There is always a higher heaven... There really is such an existence..."
Tobirama was speechless for a long time. He stared fixedly at Hashirama, his expression extremely complicated.
"That kind of power... What exactly is it? It can instantly give you the chakra of the Nine Tailed Beasts, and even bring you close to the realm of gods..."
Hashirama slowly shook his head, his expression unusually solemn, almost heavy.
"Only we can know about this."
"Absolutely do not tell a third person."
Senju Hashirama looked at Mito and Tobirama and spoke in a low voice, "The impact Urashiki gave me was too great. Someone who had roamed the shinobi world for decades and was almost unbeatable was suddenly easily suppressed to the brink of death by an unknown existence... If something like this gets out, you both know how much panic it will cause."
"What Konoha needs right now is stability, not fear."
Mito nodded hard, the lingering alarm still visible in her eyes.
Tobirama was silent for a moment before finally nodding heavily as well.
"I understand. This matter ends here. Only the three of us know."
Sunlight shone through the gap in the window and fell across the three of them.
And the secrets concerning that mysterious existence, the Otsutsuki, and the "transmigrator" were completely buried within this small hospital room.
———
[In The Void]
Arisu floated quietly, his gaze piercing through layer upon layer of space and landing inside that hospital room in Konoha's medical department.
He watched Hashirama slowly awaken, watched the tears in Mito's eyes, watched Tobirama's tightly furrowed brows, and finally gave a very slight nod.
"Helping me get rid of that arrogant transmigrator... You were somewhat useful."
"Then I'll give you another eight years."
"Die again after eight years. Consider it a little reward for you.", Arisu muttered to himself.
As his voice fell, Arisu's figure completely disappeared into the void, leaving no trace behind.
———
[Eight Years Later]
[Konoha, The Innermost Room Of The Senju Residence]
The sunlight outside was bright, yet it could not illuminate the heavy atmosphere inside the room.
Senju Hashirama lay on the bed, his face pale to the point of translucence.
The chakra that had once been so abundant it was despairing was now like a flickering candle in the wind, so weak that it was almost about to go out.
Doctors went in and out, but in the end, they could only silently shake their heads.
His time had come.
Uzumaki Mito sat beside the bed, tightly holding his hand with both of hers. Her eyes were red, but she tried her best not to let the tears fall.
"Hashirama... Hold on a little longer, all right? The medical team is still trying to find a way... Tsunade is still so young..."
Hashirama slowly turned his head and looked at the wife he loved most, his eyes filled with tenderness and reluctance to part.
He used all his strength to raise his still trembling hand and gently wiped away the tears at the corner of Mito's eyes.
"Mito... Don't cry."
His voice was already terribly hoarse, yet it remained gentle.
"These years... you've worked hard. You sealed the Nine Tails inside yourself, and you still had to take care of the village and take care of me... I'm sorry."
Senju Hashirama gently held Mito's hand and earnestly instructed her, "After I'm gone, you have to live well. Let Tobirama and the others worry about the Nine Tails. You... just be an ordinary wife and an ordinary mother, and watch Tsunade grow up."
"Don't push yourself too hard. Promise me."
Mito could no longer hold back. Large tears fell one after another, but she still nodded firmly.
At that moment, the door was gently pushed open.
A little girl of only four or five peeked half her body inside. Her short blond hair was somewhat messy, and her eyes were red, clearly from having just cried.
When she saw Hashirama on the bed, her little mouth turned down and she ran over.
"Grandpa... Tsunade will be good... Don't die, okay..."
Hashirama looked at little Tsunade, and a deep sense of tenderness and guilt flashed through his eyes.
He struggled to reach out and gently touched his granddaughter's head.
"Tsunade..."
"From now on, listen to your grandmother, and listen to your granduncle too. Don't always lose your temper, and don't always sulk."
"You're strong, and you're smart too. In the future... become someone even stronger than Grandpa. Protect Konoha, and protect the people you want to protect."
"Understand?"
Little Tsunade nodded hard, but tears still fell with soft plops.
"Also... don't gamble... Don't learn Grandpa's bad habits..."
Senju Hashirama instructed Tsunade.
Hashirama's gaze finally turned to Senju Tobirama, who had been standing silently in the corner.
Tobirama's face was frighteningly dark. Both his hands were clenched tightly into fists, his knuckles white from the force.
He had not said a word from beginning to end. He simply stared fixedly at his big brother, as if he wanted to carve this scene into his eyes forever.
Hashirama gave his younger brother a very faint smile.
"Tobirama..."
"The village... I'll leave it to you."
"I know you've always been more suited to being Hokage than I am. You're calm and decisive, and you're also better than me at seeing the darkness in people's hearts. All these years, you've done so much for me... You've worked hard."
Senju Hashirama's breathing was growing weaker and weaker.
"Rikuhei... take good care of that child. He's your son, and he's also the future of the Senju."
"And... as for the Uchiha, try not to take things too far. Hatred will be passed down from generation to generation. In the end, no one benefits."
"Konoha... I'm counting on you."
Tobirama finally took a step forward, his voice hoarse.
"I understand. Big Brother, rest assured."
Tears slowly flowed from Senju Tobirama's eyes...
Hashirama's gaze gradually became unfocused.
He took one last look at Mito, one last look at little Tsunade, and one last look at his younger brother.
That gentle smile remained at the corners of his mouth.
"That's good..."
"I... will go on ahead."
"Madara... Kawama... Itama... I'm coming..."
His hand slowly fell.
The room fell into silence.
The sunlight outside remained bright, but it could no longer shine into this man's eyes.
Senju Hashirama was dead.
The moment Senju Hashirama's body became completely cold, his consciousness was gently lifted by a familiar force.
There was no pain, no struggle, only a nearly peaceful sensation of floating.
When he "opened his eyes" again, he was already standing in an endless void.
In front of him was the same figure he had seen in the white-light space eight years ago, Arisu.
Hashirama showed no surprise.
He simply stood there quietly, looking at the other party with a gentle and grateful gaze.
Arisu smiled slightly, and his voice rang clearly through the void.
"What? Have you realized who I am? Aren't you surprised?"
Hashirama nodded. His expression was solemn, yet filled with sincere gratitude.
"You are the lord who gave me strength eight years ago when I was on the verge of death."
"I, Senju Hashirama, am grateful to you."
Senju Hashirama bowed slightly, his tone sincere.
The void fell silent for a moment.
Arisu looked at the man who had just died, and a rare trace of complexity flashed through his eyes.
"Get up."
Arisu smiled slightly.
"You've already done what you needed to do."