"...Since you want to learn my techniques, from now on you are my disciple."
Tobirama held back for a long time, finally finding an angle to save face.
"Hell No." Hikari refused without even thinking.
"How about this, I'll teach you a few techniques too, let's consider it an exchange."
"Ridiculous! What techniques could you possibly teach me?" Tobirama scoffed disdainfully.
He was the inventor of half the Forbidden Jutsu in the book!
"Amaterasu, Tsukuyomi, and Kagutsuchi."
"...I don't have the Sharingan, are you spouting nonsense in a fit of madness?"
Tobirama was speechless.
"Then it's not my fault. You're the one who can't learn it, not me refusing to teach it."
Hikari spread her small hands helplessly.
"Don't worry, technology changes destiny. As mentioned last time, Second Hokage, if you really want it, Orochimaru can transplant a pair of Sharingan for you..."
"SHUT UP!"
Tobirama interrupted Makoto, furious. "If you dare put Sharingan in my body, I'll... I'll... use the Reaper Death Seal to completely seal my soul and my brother's, so you can never use Impure World Reincarnation on us again!"
"Huh? What does that have to do with me?"
Hashirama, still squatting in his depression corner, tilted his head in confusion.
"The cost of the Reaper Death Seal is that one's own soul is also sealed. However, the Second Hokage only wants to pay the cost but needs to include a target to make the jutsu work, so he plans to seal you, First Hokage, along with him as collateral damage."
Orochimaru kindly explained the mechanics of the threat.
"Tobirama, that won't do. I don't want to be sealed along with you for no reason," Hashirama complained, shaking his head.
"Brother, do you still want to be Impure World Reincarnated by Orochimaru to be toyed with? Have you forgotten what you said before? Didn't you say my technique desecrates the souls of the deceased and requires sacrificing living people as offerings? That it's not a good technique?"
Tobirama was utterly despairing of his brother's constant undermining.
"Oh right, speaking of the offerings for Impure World Reincarnation, I want to conduct an experiment. Orochimaru, come here."
Makoto took out a scroll from his person and placed it on the ground.
The Senju brothers stopped bickering and quietly watched what Makoto intended to do.
"Since White Zetsu has no soul, I previously used my ability to restore a White Zetsu that had been dead for a while. I want to see if a White Zetsu used as an offering for Impure World Reincarnation can still be restored by me afterward."
"If that's possible, then Impure World Reincarnation could truly become a permanent ninja technique without any moral cost."
Makoto voiced his thoughts.
"Ability? What ability?"
Neither Tobirama nor Hashirama understood what ability Makoto was referring to, so they could only continue watching curiously.
"This is..."
Orochimaru took the scroll and saw the character "Three" (San) written on it, his expression immediately darkening.
"These are the cells of the Third Hokage that I stole from Konoha."
A White Zetsu, responsible for communication, emerged from the ground to explain.
"Third? Monkey? is he dead? Wasn't he alive and well just recently?"
Tobirama and Hashirama exchanged glances, filled with shock and confusion.
"This should be thanks to your good granddaughter, my good teammate Tsunade. Makoto-kun told her about the Otsutsuki threat and asked her to notify him immediately if anyone appeared, but she had her own ideas and didn't trust us."
Orochimaru's expression returned to normal.
His indifference toward life allowed him to quickly come to terms with his teacher's death.
Besides, his original "Konoha Crush" plan was intended to cause the Third's death in battle anyway.
"..."
After hearing Orochimaru's explanation, the Senju brothers glanced at Makoto and sighed simultaneously.
"After this is over, would there be a chance to visit Konoha? I'd like to go with Tobirama to educate little Tsunade."
Hashirama let out another long sigh.
"Indeed, it seems she's inherited all the shortcomings of me and my brother—not trusting when she should, lacking vision when it's needed."
Tobirama was also quite speechless about Tsunade's poor judgment.
"Don't worry, you two. Since Makoto-kun asked me to use our teacher for this experiment, we can just ask him directly."
As Orochimaru spoke, he unsealed the scroll.
—With Impure World Reincarnation existing, a show like Detective Conan simply couldn't be produced in the Shinobi World.
Whenever a murder occurs, just reincarnate the victim and ask them, "Hey, who kill ya?"
Unless the victim was instantly killed from behind without even knowing who did it.
"White Zetsu, is this all you brought?"
Orochimaru looked at the object quietly lying on the opened scroll, covered with a small white cloth, then glanced at the White Zetsu on the ground with a raised eyebrow.
"What, isn't it enough? There's no helping it. To avoid detection, I could only steal this kind of inconspicuous, 'useless' thing."
White Zetsu felt quite innocent.
"What is it?"
Hikari curiously stretched her neck and stood on tiptoe, trying to see.
"Don't look. Even though it's covered, you still can't see it. It's not for children's eyes."
Makoto raised his hand to block Hikari's eyes.
He hadn't expected that the "clever" White Zetsu would directly remove the Third Hokage's... dick... from the corpse.
But according to White Zetsu's reasoning, it indeed made sense.
After all, to respect the deceased, no one would suddenly strip the Third's pants during his burial to check if his "Azure Dragon" set was still intact.
A missing hand, leg, or even a piece of flesh would be easily noticed.
But this particular place?
Even if someone thought that area looked somewhat shriveled or empty through the clothes, they'd just assume it was because the Third had aged and wasn't what he used to be.
No one would actually raise such an absurd suspicion during a solemn memorial service where the deceased should be respected.
"Impure World Reincarnation!"
Orochimaru awkwardly cradled his mentor's "Dick" in his hands and performed the jutsu.
As one of the two White Zetsus brought by Orochimaru began to scream as the sacrifice, Sarutobi Hiruzen was successfully reincarnated from the dust.
"Impure World Reincarnation?"
The Third Hokage, resurrected through the forbidden technique, gazed bewildered at his own hands.
"Sensei, we want to confirm who killed you." Orochimaru stepped forward to face the Third Hokage.
"..."
Sarutobi Hiruzen looked up at Orochimaru but remained silent.
Hesitation and silence lingered in the air.
"It was Boruto who's possessed and controlled by Otsutsuki Momoshiki, right?" Makoto spoke up, cutting through the silence.
"...Possessed by an Otsutsuki? So that's what happened? No wonder then, that child..."
Sarutobi Hiruzen sighed deeply.
After sighing, he recalled the words Tsunade had shared with him and Jiraiya.
Now, seeing Makoto, he felt somewhat ashamed to face him.
"With such unequal access to information, we truly should have chosen to trust you. I agreed with Tsunade's decision at the time, so my death was ultimately my own fault."
Sarutobi Hiruzen paused mid-sentence, walked up to Makoto, and performed a deep bow of prostration.
"I beg you, sir, to let bygones be bygones and lend a hand to Tsunade, to help Konoha!"
Sarutobi Hiruzen understood all too well that his death would surely plunge Tsunade, who had only recently recovered from her phobia, into despair.
Even if Tsunade didn't fall into despair, facing Otsutsuki Momoshiki as well as the other Otsutsuki enemies, Konoha's current combat strength would be no match for them.
"Who is this? This old man looks so pitiful."
Uchiha Hikari curiously approached Makoto and asked, looking at the bowing figure.
"Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Third Hokage of Konoha."
"Ah, Sarutobi? Well then, he can keep kneeling."
Uchiha Hikari's face instantly twisted with disdain.
Wasn't this the Sarutobi clan that had helped seal her away alongside the Senju back in the Warring States period?
How had they fallen so low?