"Why?" Tsunade struggled for a long time, her throat dry, before finally squeezing out these word.
She didn't dare to blurt out "impossible" again now.
Otherwise, it wouldn't just be self-deception anymore—she'd keep getting physically beaten up by her resurrected grandparents.
Her grandfather Hashirama Senju doted on her like a princess, sure, but her granduncle Tobirama Senju? He absolutely wouldn't.
That Water Dragon Bullet just now showed absolutely no mercy.
The Creation Rebirth technique was something Tsunade developed during her time away from Konoha.
Even her former teammate Orochimaru didn't know the full extent of it, let alone Tobirama Senju, who had been dead for decades.
Which meant Tobirama Senju had genuinely been aiming to break Tsunade's bones with that attack.
"Why? Because Boruto wants to correct the 'past history' that Makoto changed." Hiruzen sighed deeply, the weight of the situation evident in his voice.
"'Past history'? So you were originally supposed to die, old man? What killed you? It couldn't have been Orochimaru alone, could it?" Tsunade frowned, trying to piece together the logic.
"It was Orochimaru."
"If Makoto hadn't intervened and changed the internal systems of Kirigakure and Iwagakure, ninjas from those villages would'nt have appeared in the Chunin Exams at all, let alone in such overwhelming numbers."
"Plus, without the constant looming threat of that immortal degenerate Hidan and Makoto himself lingering in my mind, I probably wouldn't have been so urgently telling you that 'Konoha's survival is at stake' and calling you back in a panic."
"And even if I did call you back, let's be real—you couldn't save me."
"You couldn't enter the Four Violet Flames Formation once it was erected. Also, if we could persuade Orochimaru with words, he wouldn't have defected in the first place."
"Facing the combined assault of the First and Second Hokage as undead puppets, I would have had to fight to the death. Those reincarnated through the Impure World Reincarnation can't be killed by normal means. Perhaps my only option would have been to do the same as Minato—use the Reaper Death Seal." Hiruzen calmly described what should have originally happened in the unaltered timeline.
Following Hiruzen's description, Tsunade realized with a chill that without Makoto, things would indeed have unfolded exactly like that.
Without her realizing it, had Makoto's influence on the Shinobi World already become this significant?
Why hadn't she noticed it before?
He was like a ghost orchestrating everything from the shadows!
"What about Asuma? Was he also killed during Konoha Destruction Plan?" Tsunade thought of her Anbu guard Yugao, whose lover Hayate was killed during this turmoil.
"Asuma wasn't. Boruto didn't know the exact details of this part of history, so he killed him too early just to be safe."
"What?! They just kill him earlier? Isn't this way too reckless?" Tsunade was dumbfounded.
Wasn't this supposed to be about meticulously fixing the timeline?
How could they be so careless?
Killing people without confirming the timing? That's not correcting history, that's just a damn psycopath behaviour!
"Boruto has always been a playful child, It's hard to expect him not to be reckless. The fact that he could resolve himself to let the Otsutsuki kill for the sake of his future friends and family is already commendable in a way. At such a young age, he's able to think from a Hokage's perspective..."
As Hiruzen trying to rationalize it, Tobirama Senju shot him a sharp side-eye glance.
'Please, not another thinking from a Hokage's perspective.'
That was exactly how Hiruzen had introduced Itachi to them when they first met him in the Impure World.
The last one who "thought like a Hokage" at a young age ended up slaughtering his entire family in a single night!
Now this one who "thinks like a Hokage" is also preparing to go on a killing spree against village heroes.
Is this Hokage thinking or a psychopath thinking? The line was getting blurry.
"How could this be... How could I have trusted them so easily..." Tsunade's eyes lost focus, her world crumbling.
"Not only did you trust those you shouldn't have, you also doubted those you shouldn't have doubted." Tobirama cut in, his tone was cold and expressionless.
"Makoto made that agreement with you specifically to deal with the Otsutsuki threat. Not long ago, he endured tremendous pain and single-handedly defeated the Otsutsuki enemy, yet you chose to doubt him and treat him like a villain."
"That's right, Tsunade. I was just at the right age to retire and enjoy my golden years, maybe travel around when I felt like it. But look at what happened now."
"Actually, your earlier complaints weren't wrong, Tsunade. Has any Hokage ever had a peaceful end? What about the Fourth? How did he die? I think it was mentioned before, but I forgot." Hashirama also sighed, scratching his head.
"He died sealing the Nine-Tails."
"Oh."
Hashirama didn't sarcastically remark about 'how someone could die from simply sealing the Nine-Tails.'
First, because it was a sacrifice for the village—how could anyone mock that kind of heroism?
Second, after being resurrected through the Impure World Reanimation, Hashirama had learned from Orochimaru precisely how his brother Tobirama died.
If he made such a comment, he'd essentially be mocking his own brother Tobirama, who was killed by the Kinkaku Force—two small-time Nine-Tails pseudo-Jinchuriki.
With Tobirama's temper, wouldn't he definitely find an opportunity to get revenge later?
Best to keep his mouth shut.
"So why have you returned to Konoha now?"
After collecting herself, Tsunade wiped her face and began asking about serious matters.
"Oh, it's like this..." Hashirama explained the method Makoto had proposed regarding the conversion of Chakra.
"You need the help of the Kurama clan from Konoha to turn illusion into reality? Create Tailed Beasts, resurrect Kaguya Otsutsuki... Old man, do you really trust him that much? What if he just wants the power of the Tailed Beasts for himself..."
Crack.
Before Tsunade could finish her sentence, Tobirama suddenly raised his finger with a dark expression.
The wall of the building that had survived the Water Dragon Bullet Technique thanks to the sturdy construction instantly cracked under invisible pressure.
"Tsunade, I really wish I could develop a Ninjutsu curse mark to place on you, then give the control rights to Makoto so he can properly control you!" Tobirama punched the ground in frustration.
"????" Tsunade was confused.
"Wait, Second Grandfather, what kind of outrageous thing are you saying?"
The way he said it made Tsunade feel like he was planning to put some kind of... small toy on her and give the remote control to Makoto.
"Outrageous thing? I'm discussing serious matters regarding discipline!" Tobirama frowned, genuinely not understanding what Tsunade meant or why her face was turning red.
Clearly, in Tobirama's era, such "small toys" hadn't been invented yet.
He was thinking of seals, she was thinking of dildo!
Hiruzen covered his face with his hand in embarrassment.
Tsunade, being an older single woman, was clearly depressed.
She could even make such lewd connections in a serious conversation.
This was almost on par with Jiraiya's perverted mind!
"If you want to doubt or judge someone, you must first understand that person, got it?" Tobirama Senju took a deep breath and began lecturing Tsunade.
Why is it that when Makoto persuades Akatsuki, it isn't considered Talk No Jutsu, but when Naruto persuades others, it is?
Because when Naruto uses Talk No Jutsu, he rarely tries to truly understand others and usually only imposes his own views.
When he used Talk No Jutsu on Neji, he had no idea what Neji had been through or the curse of the Caged Bird.
It was the same when he used it on Gaara.
In the original story, Tsunade's classic 'Three sentences that made Pain unleash his ultimate technique for me' followed the exact same logic.
She never tried to understand why the other person said what they did, only focusing on pushing her own beliefs down their throat.
This approach only works during mobilization rallies.
In any other situation, it backfires spectacularly.
Well, unless you possess Ashura's Chakra, are favored by the Sage of Six Paths, and have plot armor to wield Talk No Jutsu effectively.
After Tobirama's lecture, Hashirama chimed in agreement.
"That's right, little Tsunade. According to the true parts of history Black Zetsu told, the Sage of Six Paths' son Ashura gathered everyone's strength to overcome his brother Indra."
"Understanding the power of friendship—Makoto has achieved this too."
"Isn't his method precisely about everyone cooperating sincerely, uniting their efforts, turning the impossible into reality, and creating miracles?"