There was a reason why Tobirama valued Minato.
This kid already had a sense of responsibility like his own, the intelligence of Shin, Tsunade's sense of belonging and affection toward Konoha, Kage-level strength, and boundless potential. He was even more proficient at the duties of a Hokage than Tsunade and, unlike the Uchiha clan, was not prone to extremism.
From every perspective, he was practically the perfect template for a Hokage.
The only issue was… this kid's personality. At first glance, he seemed honest and straightforward, but in reality, he was extremely cunning.
Regarding this, Tobirama thought to himself, even though it was annoying and this kid didn't show him much respect, it didn't matter anymore.
Ever since the major ninja villages were established, aside from his simple-minded elder brother, none of the Kage in the other villages were pushovers.
And the reason his brother didn't like to think was because Tobirama did the thinking for him. Plus, his brother possessed overwhelming strength, so in most cases, he didn't need to think at all.
He looked at Minato, then at Hiruzen, who was curled up silently in a corner, trying to minimize his presence.
Tobirama couldn't help but curse inwardly.
"Comparing people will kill you, comparing goods will make you throw them away." This was yet another area where he couldn't compare to Shin.
What he had raised were a bunch of useless students. Meanwhile, Shin had trained someone like Minato, someone any parent would be proud to call their child.
Now that he had learned everything he wanted to know, and the burden in his heart had lifted, Tobirama walked up to Shin.
The two of them just stood there, silently staring at each other for a long time, neither saying a word.
After a while, they both looked away, but in that moment, they had understood each other completely.
He could only sigh inwardly.
Having overcome the initial flood of information, he had finally processed everything.
His own students were indeed problematic, their character flaws and moral failings were real.
However, after analyzing all the intelligence, he had reached a different conclusion: Under normal development, things wouldn't have escalated this far, at least, not at this point in time.
In other words, the betrayals among his students, the treachery against the village, and so on, all had Shin's shadow behind them. But ultimately, it was still their own fault. They had given him the opportunity to strike.
His gaze conveyed a clear message: everything in the past ended here. He would not pursue it further, and Tobirama had better not try any tricks.
Tobirama was not happy about this, but under Shin's control, he had no choice but to yield. Of course, that didn't mean he couldn't do anything, for example, he could still help guide Konoha toward a better future.
"Sensei!" Once again seeing Tobirama appear before him, Hiruzen couldn't hold back his tears.
Tobirama sighed helplessly. "The Pure Land is vast, but perhaps, one day, we'll meet again. Your sins started because of me. It's time to end this."
Hiruzen said nothing, slowly closing his eyes and waiting for the end, almost as if relieved. He was indeed filled with regret, but there was nothing he could do. There was no medicine for remorse in this world.
Tsunade, with her kind heart, turned her head away.
Shin, on the other hand, watched the execution with great interest. He even said to Minato, who was blinking his big eyes beside him, "You'd better keep your eyes wide open in the future. Don't be as stupid as him."
Minato understood the underlying message in Shin's words and nodded seriously.
The time for parting had finally come. Tobirama was about to leave.
Tsunade, though reluctant, could only watch her granduncle depart.
Shin, on the other hand, deliberately asked Tobirama if he wanted to stay and witness Tsunade becoming Hokage before leaving, earning himself a vicious glare from Tobirama.
"Tsunade, take good care of yourself." As his body gradually faded, Tobirama solemnly reminded her.
That sentence wasn't just a blessing from him to her, it also reflected his concern for Konoha.
He genuinely worried that her somewhat reckless nature might lead to trouble, and if something happened, Shin might act out of line. So he had to emphasize it repeatedly.
As for that blond brat, he didn't need any reminders.
In the final moment before vanishing, he cast an extremely complex gaze toward Shin.
In the end, he still couldn't feel at ease with the Uchiha clan. But now, Konoha was under the control of that man. He was just a dead person, whether for the sake of Konoha or for Tsunade, he couldn't afford to offend him.
Tobirama, who had never known what it meant to fear, had never felt so stifled.
Back in the day, even when facing Madara, he had never been one to endure silently. Who would've thought that now, in front of a younger generation, he had no choice but to swallow his pride?
But someone as clever as he was also understood when to endure. It was just that, due to his strength and position, he rarely ever needed to do so.
Forget it.
At the moment his soul fully dissipated, Tobirama seemed to suddenly let go.
I'm already dead, why should I care if the world floods?
It was time to put down the burdens of his heart and enjoy a few peaceful days in the Pure Land.
Just as he had finally adjusted his mindset and prepared to leave everything behind, he faintly heard Shin comforting Tsunade, "Don't be too sad. If you miss him someday, I can just reincarnate him again."
Shin, you %#￥&…you #￥@&%…**
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Hiruzen's corpse was discovered a day later.
When the news reached the people of Konoha, no one felt particularly sad. After all, the last time he faked his death, they had already mentally prepared themselves.
In fact, they were more worried that he might pop up alive again and cause more trouble.
If you were going to die, could you just stay dead once and for all?
Fortunately, this time, Hiruzen was truly dead.
But even then, not many cared too much, because everyone was too excited to be bothered with that.
Just earlier, a piece of exhilarating news had arrived from the front lines: Tsunade had concluded negotiations with the Third Kazekage and would soon return to Konoha leading the army.
According to detailed reports, the Third Kazekage had shown none of his former arrogance during the negotiations. He was like a rooster that had lost a fight, utterly defeated and dispirited.
Throughout the talks, the Kazekage spoke humbly and pleaded in every way possible.
But Tsunade was absolutely domineering in response, declaring that every bit of compensation must be paid, this was the price for Suna initiating the war.
However, considering the past relations between the two villages, she agreed to allow payment in installments.
After discussion, both sides agreed: Suna would pay Konoha 2 billion ryō in war reparations, over the course of five years, 400 million per year.
It was said that the Third Kazekage was completely numb when he left the negotiations.
And who could blame him?
By the end of the war, Suna had lost nearly two-thirds of its ninjas, most of whom were elite fighters.
They had already been a poor village, and now, combined with their elite-focused strategy, they were being forced to hand over five years' worth of their national budget as compensation.
For the next several decades, the number of ninjas in Suna wouldn't see any significant growth.
This essentially marked the fall of Suna to the bottom of the Five Great Ninja Villages, significantly lagging behind the others and now barely stronger than Hanzō.
In fact, if Ame hadn't also suffered losses in this war, they might have already surpassed Suna in strength.
With the conclusion of this negotiation, the Second Great Ninja War was officially over, and all of Konoha was bursting with joy.
As Danzō once said: "A village cannot go a day without a Hokage."
However, the Hokage everyone had been hoping for was never him, nor Hiruzen, it was Tsunade, the one who had led Konoha to victory in this war and secured overwhelming success in the negotiations.
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Completed at Chapter 278!
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