"Tobirama!"
Smack!
The moment Tobirama Senju disappeared, a dull sound rang out again.
Hashirama tapped the index finger resting on his arm.
Immediately, an invisible ripple swept outward.
A fierce gust of wind blew through the streets of Konoha once again, clearing away dust and debris.
Pop—
The figure of Tobirama Senju, who had just vanished, gradually reappeared.
He said nothing.
His eyes were fixed straight in Kai's direction.
"You're already halfway into the grave. Why are you picking a fight with a child?"
Hashirama rolled his eyes at him and continued surveying the surroundings.
Looking around, this was no longer the crude and simple Konoha from the days when it had just been founded.
Rows of buildings lined the streets in an orderly arrangement.
Along the roads, there were countless shops and stalls.
In the distance, the area around the Forest of Death was filled with tall chimneys and bustling activity.
So…
The village had begun expanding again.
It was even more impressive than the plans he had drawn up back in the day.
"Konoha…" Hashirama murmured softly after watching for a moment.
His voice carried rare satisfaction.
"It really… grew up."
His voice wasn't loud, yet every word echoed clearly.
Like a sigh of nostalgia.
Like the flow of time returning from a distant era.
But when his eyes fell on the Hokage Rock behind the village—
That sense of nostalgia shattered instantly.
"OI OI?! The Hokage title has already reached the Fourth generation?!"
Hashirama's eyes widened dramatically, as if he had discovered an entirely new continent.
He planted his hands on his hips and burst into laughter.
"Hahahahaha! Where's the Fourth Hokage? Let me see him!"
This time his voice was much louder.
The surrounding ninja froze.
Especially the Konoha shinobi.
The divine aura surrounding the God of Shinobi shattered instantly.
"Hehe… what an unexpected 'God of Shinobi.'"
Orochimaru flicked out his tongue.
"I wonder what kind of sparks will fly when people like you meet the present-day Konoha."
The control seal he had originally prepared to forcibly seize their souls quietly stopped.
He had changed his mind.
Instead of controlling two empty puppets—
It would be far more interesting to let them act freely.
After all…
Edo Tensei users couldn't harm him anyway.
At the same time—
Tobirama rubbed his forehead.
His face had darkened considerably.
"Brother!!"
Tobirama shouted sharply, scolding him like a child.
"You're already this old! Can you stop embarrassing yourself in front of the younger generation?!"
"Ah—hehehe…"
After being scolded, Hashirama instantly behaved himself.
He scratched the back of his head awkwardly.
Then he suddenly pointed at the burning streets of Konoha.
"But hey, Monkey—has the Fourth Hokage gone out on a mission?"
"Konoha's streets are on fire."
Thump.
With just that sentence—
The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, fell silent.
Even the previously enthusiastic ANBU fell silent.
They lowered their heads.
Looking like children who had done something wrong.
"What's going on, Monkey?"
Realizing something was wrong, Tobirama instantly looked over.
His gaze was sharp as a blade.
Cold.
At the same time, his eyes swept across the corpse of the Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, and the injured Enma beside Hiruzen.
He had noticed long ago that something here was very wrong.
"The Fourth Hokage… he… he died…"
Faced with questioning from both legendary predecessors, the Third Hokage sighed in his heart and answered honestly.
Hashirama became even more confused.
"Huh? How did he die?"
"He… died sealing the Nine-Tails…"
"Nine-Tails? Sealing something like that can kill someone?"
Hashirama was completely stunned.
Konoha ninja: …
Third Hokage: …
Kakashi: …
Naruto: …
Kai: Yep. That's definitely Hashirama.
Compared to Hashirama's innocent reaction—
Tobirama's question was far harsher.
"If he died… why are you still alive?"
His eyes locked directly onto Hiruzen.
Each word fell like shards of ice.
Back then, Tobirama had died to protect Konoha's future strength—
More specifically, to protect the next generation that would form the foundation of the Third Hokage's era.
So why—
Had the Fourth Hokage died…
Yet the Third Hokage was still alive and well?
He simply couldn't understand it.
Facing the teacher who had always been strict like a father, Hiruzen's body trembled slightly.
Shame and guilt nearly crushed him.
Instinctively, he turned his head aside, avoiding Tobirama's piercing gaze.
Silence fell across the rooftop of the Hokage Tower.
No one had expected the Second Hokage to ask such a ruthless question at a moment like this.
"I'm sorry…"
"The Fourth Hokage possessed the Flying Thunder God Technique and powerful sealing jutsu…"
"When we arrived… it was already too late…"
The Third Hokage gritted his teeth and lowered his head as he spoke.
His posture resembled that of a schoolboy who had done something terribly wrong.
"Oh? You arrived?"
"Then where were Danzo, Koharu, and Homura?"
"They don't even come greet their teacher now that I've returned?"
Clearly, Tobirama had already sensed the problem.
His follow-up question struck even harder.
This time, the Third Hokage fell completely silent.
Watching his beloved student like this, Tobirama's frown deepened.
His narrow eyes sharpened further.
Cold light flickered within them.
"Speak!"
The shout exploded like thunder beside Hiruzen's ear.
His body trembled again.
"T-Teacher… they…"
Hiruzen clenched his teeth and forced himself to raise his head.
His voice was filled with bitterness and humiliation.
When his cloudy old eyes met Tobirama's calm, indifferent gaze—
He finally lowered his head again and spoke the cruel truth.
"Danzo… and the others… are all dead."
As expected.
Tobirama's expression didn't change.
But his pupils shrank.
Violent chakra began to surge within him.
Creak—
The air around his body began to distort.
His face grew even colder.
"They're dead… how did they die?"
As he asked, his gaze immediately fell on Orochimaru beside him—the caster of Edo Tensei.
"You killed them?"
Orochimaru: ???
"Not me… hehehe… sss…"
Orochimaru let out a sinister laugh and licked his lips.
"Please calm your anger, Lord Second."
"Although it was I who summoned the two of you back… I myself have only just returned to Konoha after many years."
As he spoke, his eyes slowly shifted toward a figure standing beneath a nearby tree.
Almost at the same moment—
Under the tree, Kai—who had been chatting idly with Kimimaro—suddenly frowned slightly.
[Ding. You have conversed with Kimimaro of the Kaguya Clan for ten minutes. Attempting to copy traits.]
[Copyable Traits: Bloodline Disease (Black), Femoral Head Necrosis (Black), Shikotsumyaku (Gold), Kaguya Cells — Fragment (Gold), All-Killing Ash Bones — Imitation (Purple), Sage Energy (Purple), Dance of the Clematis (Purple), Dance of the Willow (Purple)…]
[Copy successful. Congratulations, Host. You have obtained the special trait: Bloodline Disease (Black). A mortal body cannot withstand the power of a god.]
Kai: ?
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