"First Hokage-sama," Uchiha Kai's voice wasn't loud, yet every person present heard it clearly.
"Did you… just look at me?"
Hashirama blinked in surprise.
"Yes," he answered instinctively.
"Why?"
Something's wrong!
At that exact moment, Senju Tobirama, who was still forming hand seals, suddenly realized something was off.
He immediately looked up and shouted toward Hashirama,
"Attack now! Something about that brat is wrong!"
As he spoke, cold sweat began pouring down his forehead.
A strange and terrifying thought suddenly surfaced in his mind.
Is there a connection between gaze… and light?
Could it be that it wasn't just sunlight?
Could eye contact count as well?
Or… could this entire thing be the boy's genjutsu?
For a moment, countless thoughts flashed through Tobirama's mind.
The more he thought about it, the more sweat gathered on his forehead.
Among the Uchiha he had faced, none had ever managed to drag him into a genjutsu.
Once a person's mental strength surpassed a certain level, genjutsu became nearly useless.
That was why in the final battles during the Warring States Era, genjutsu was almost never seen.
That was why none of the Kage-level shinobi in the Five Great Villages were famous for genjutsu.
It wasn't that they didn't understand it.
It was simply that genjutsu dominated the early stages but became weak later on.
Especially against Uchiha.
Once the Susanoo appeared, genjutsu basically became useless.
It could only bully weaklings.
"If it isn't genjutsu… then I just hope big brother moves fast enough…"
Tobirama sighed inwardly.
He forced himself to focus on the hand seals again.
But the pain in his soul continued to torture him.
Whenever he concentrated on forming seals, the pain intensified.
Only when he slowed down and distracted himself did it ease slightly.
"Something's wrong?"
Hashirama's eyes gradually sharpened.
He didn't know exactly what Tobirama meant.
But he did know one thing—
His younger brother was rarely wrong.
So Hashirama poured even more chakra into his right fist.
The purple chakra flared violently.
It nearly crushed the surrounding darkness.
As long as the attack was fast enough—
And strong enough—
Then any problem could simply be beaten into submission.
Monstrous Strength — Maximum Output!
Buzz!
Yet the moment the punch came down—
Hashirama's eyes widened instantly.
Yes.
Actually widened.
His entire face filled with confusion and disbelief.
WHOOSH!
The terrifying fist descended.
From top to bottom—
It smashed straight through Uchiha Kai's body.
But just before contact—
Hashirama heard something.
A faint sound.
Like ripples spreading across water.
And then—
His punch went straight through.
BOOM!
Hashirama himself lost balance from the force of the blow.
He stumbled forward.
Then fell.
CRASH!
The ground exploded into a massive crater.
The entire street looked as if it had been split in half.
And this—
Was merely a punch thrown in Hashirama's moment of surprise.
"Just as expected of the First Hokage…"
"That monstrous strength is actually terrifying…"
Kai raised an eyebrow slightly.
At the same time, he activated the Yin Release chakra carried by his nano insects.
CRACK.
CRACK.
Like something chewing through bread—
The darkness covering the one-kilometer area was rapidly devoured.
"Hey! I can see again! I'm not blind anymore!"
Someone shouted in excitement.
But most people immediately looked toward the battlefield.
Just because Kai, Hashirama, and Tobirama could project their voices didn't mean everyone else could.
Soon—
They saw the scene clearly.
Behind Kai—
The First Hokage, Senju Hashirama, was kneeling on one knee.
His fist was buried in the ground.
"Gasp! Look in front of the Hokage Tower!"
"Th-that… that…"
"The First Hokage is bowing to Kai?!"
The sudden shout made countless jaws drop.
The person who said it dared to say it.
But the others barely dared to listen.
Kai ignored them completely.
His gaze remained fixed on Hashirama.
At the same time, he quietly continued manipulating Yin Release: Torturer.
Disrupting Tobirama's hand seals.
Interfering with his chakra flow.
Kai hadn't realized it before—
But now he finally understood.
This special trait was ridiculously useful.
In a world like Naruto—
It was practically unbeatable.
A mysterious power that acted directly on the soul.
Now he had:
Spore Heavenly God — for physical combat.
Heart Chain of All Creation — for chakra and ninjutsu suppression.
And Yin Release: Torturer — for soul-level attacks.
No weaknesses.
None.
"No… wait…"
"There's still one more."
"Advanced Wood Release cells."
"Or rather… Hashirama's cells."
Kai inhaled slowly.
Looking at Hashirama kneeling before him.
Don't ask why Hashirama ended up facing Kai instead of having his back turned after the missed punch.
Because—
When the nano insects devoured the darkness earlier—
Kai casually took a small step.
And repositioned himself.
Even Hashirama himself hadn't noticed.
After watching him for a moment, Kai suddenly spoke.
"First Hokage, Senju Hashirama."
"Would you like to chat for ten minutes?"
For someone carrying high-level traits, conversation was essential.
Even if the success rate was tiny—
What if something good dropped?
Right?
So Kai didn't rush to attack.
He simply stood there and asked.
Hashirama paused.
He looked up.
And saw the curiosity in the boy's face.
Expectation.
Confusion.
But no hatred.
No fear.
So…
This child didn't hate them?
Just like Madara once hadn't?
Thinking about that possibility—
Hashirama felt something tighten in his chest.
The curiosity of a young person toward the past.
It reminded him of Madara.
And of the brothers he had lost in childhood.
For a moment, his nose even felt slightly sour.
Since fighting wasn't working anyway—
Hashirama nodded and asked the question he cared about most.
"That ability you used earlier…"
"Does it require sunlight?"
Tobirama: …
He felt slightly speechless.
He knew his brother wasn't the sharpest mind.
Hashirama often acted impulsively.
His thoughts jumped everywhere.
But—
He never imagined his brother would ask that directly.
This was crucial information.
The kind of information that determined a shinobi's survival.
Why would anyone reveal that?
After all—
Most ninja battles were decided by information advantage.
Yet the next second—
He heard Kai's answer.
"Yes."
"And not entirely."
"I can only say that it requires sunlight."
Kai nodded honestly.
He had no intention of hiding it.
After developing cautiously for six years—
If he was still afraid of revealing things now, it would be pointless.
More importantly—
His answer contained ambiguity.
And if Black Zetsu ever learned about it—
Who knew what he would do?
Maybe they would organize some grand Sun-Blocking Operation.
Mobilize countless elites.
Work tirelessly to block the sunlight.
Only to discover—
It didn't work.
Then Kai could casually say,
"Actually… I can transform without sunlight too."
And just like that—
Black Zetsu and his entire faction would collapse.
Maybe even Kaguya and the people behind her.
The more Kai thought about it, the more enthusiastically he nodded.
Like a bobblehead.
"Yes, Hashirama-senpai."
"I need sunlight."
"Without light, I can't live."
Hashirama: …
Tobirama: …
Tobirama was completely stunned.
Why did it feel like—
Between the two of them—
One dared to ask anything.
And the other dared to answer everything?
Meanwhile he, Tobirama Senju—
The one carefully calculating everything—
Suddenly felt like the suspicious villain in the story.
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