Feeling that familiar chakra gathering within his body, Tobirama experienced a sense of excitement and novelty he had never felt before…
It was several times more exhilarating than when he had developed the Impure World Reincarnation or the Flying Thunder God Technique!
Those forbidden techniques had all been created by Senju Tobirama through countless days and nights of hard work, repeated verification, and continuous refinement.
But what about the Uchiha's Mangekyō?
Although stimulating the brain was indeed painful, the efficiency was simply far too high.
According to records, in ancient times there were even Uchiha who leaped directly from two-tomoe Sharingan to Mangekyō—and even obtained two dōjutsu in one go!
On top of that, the Mangekyō came bundled with Susanoo, as well as boosts to chakra, dynamic vision, and more…
It was practically a comprehensive upgrade package.
And not only that—when a Mangekyō ability was obtained, it even came with an instruction manual.
Hidden within the bloodline, intangible information would inherently convey the mechanism and capabilities of the dōjutsu with complete clarity.
Tobirama had to admit—the Uchiha bloodline was indeed superior.
However, Tobirama had now obtained a Mangekyō ability himself, and had even skipped the whole "emotional stimulation" step…
Even if the dōjutsu ran out of power, it had nothing to do with him anyway—it wasn't his own ocular power to begin with…
He was basically freeloading!
It could only be said—freeloading feels great once, and keeps feeling great forever…
Isshin poured all the information about "Yata Spirit Invocation" into Tobirama's mind.
He instructed him to carefully resonate with his Uchiha bloodline—once this dōjutsu summoned a particular ancestor, it wouldn't be easy to change later…
So Isshin dragged Tobirama along and crammed a crash course on the history of powerful Uchiha figures across generations…
After all, how smoothly the communication went would determine the strength of the possession.
Because of their similar appearance, Isshin emphasized Uchiha Izuna in particular when tutoring Tobirama…
It was basically a lecturer teaching a full professor…
Even so, Tobirama listened with extreme seriousness, occasionally asking Isshin about Izuna's personal matters.
In the past, when Tobirama asked elderly Uchiha about such gossip, he had to pretend it was completely casual to avoid raising suspicion.
But now it was different…
Was that gossip?
No—that was gathering information to ensure smooth and effective communication for the clan's greatest genius and its Young Clan Head!
All for the future of the clan!
Thus, Isshin gathered various veteran Uchiha and compiled all kinds of stories about Izuna, letting Tobirama review them repeatedly.
So that if he really "drew" the question of Izuna, he could solve it quickly in the "exam room"…
At this point, Tobirama even knew the details of how Izuna once encountered an "Uchiha landmine woman" and nearly got himself killed!
One could say—there was no one who knew Izuna better than him!
'Everything about you has already been understood by me, Uchiha Izuna!'
'What a pity—I can't tell you my identity. Otherwise, your expression would definitely be priceless…'
Digging up someone's black history!
Tobirama didn't realize that this behavior of his was actually very Uchiha-like.
Compared to Obito's bold style and Shisui's refined style, he had essentially combined the strengths of both…
Within the mental space.
A black-smoke-like mixture of soul and chakra, carrying an ominous and chilling aura, continuously entered from another dimension, slowly condensing into a physical form.
'It's somewhat similar to Impure World Reincarnation…'
'No need for a sacrifice, and it can exert part of its power from when it was alive. The key point is—it stacks with my own combat strength!'
Tobirama quickly adjusted his slightly distorted expression, while analyzing this Mangekyō ability.
When strength is added together, the resulting combat performance isn't simple addition.
Each incremental increase brings about an explosive surge.
If a ninja possessed the chakra, speed, and strength equivalent to two average jōnin…
Then against average jōnin, handling at least five wouldn't be a problem!
As the final wisp of smoke locked into place, the vague outline suddenly tightened, and the cold, ominous aura converged.
Uchiha Izuna briefly detached from the Pure Land and appeared within Senju Tobirama's body!
"Where… is this…"
Izuna's body trembled slightly as he slowly opened his eyes.
The last moment in his memory—
He had fallen into endless chaos and darkness, worrying whether entrusting his eyes to his brother had been too risky…
If even the Eternal Mangekyō couldn't defeat Hashirama, what then?
Without him, would his brother lose control?
And that bastard—Hashirama had him by his side, but his brother was alone…
Izuna had to admit—
Although Senju Tobirama's abilities were far inferior to Hashirama and Madara…
This man always found all sorts of ways to apply pressure on the battlefield.
He was equally skilled in both direct and indirect tactics.
"This is my mental space."
Tobirama's figure slowly emerged, his cold three-tomoe Sharingan staring arrogantly at this former enemy.
Izuna frowned, crimson light appearing in his eyes as well.
Just from that tone, he instinctively felt hostility!
But in the next moment, he froze—and his vigilance unconsciously dropped by more than half…
Because it was like looking into a mirror!
The one approaching him wasn't just a three-tomoe Uchiha—his clansman…
He also looked extremely similar to him!
In an instant, countless thoughts flashed through Izuna's mind. He even began wondering which woman he had slept with before dying…
It needed to be said—
Although Izuna treated his clansmen warmly, he didn't suppress his desires.
Outside of combat, his lifestyle was more like that of a carefree playboy.
Because of this, Izuna had once mocked Tobirama, saying he was a pitiful man whom no woman liked.
"You… you…"
Izuna raised his arm, his finger trembling slightly. "Are you… my son?"
It wasn't that Izuna lacked composure—
It was simply too similar.
Not just in appearance—even the chakra seen through his Sharingan felt both similar and subtly different, with the degree of similarity reaching nearly half…
The differences were normal—after all, a son couldn't be completely identical to his father…
There was still the mother's half.
Hearing this, Tobirama didn't get angry. Instead, he smiled slightly inwardly.
This had fallen perfectly into his plan!
"I know you are Uchiha Izuna. Clan Head Isshin told me about the talented ancestors of past generations."
Tobirama spoke calmly. "You can't be my father. The timeline doesn't match…"
"I didn't expect that the one summoned would actually be you."
"How disappointing…" Tobirama shook his head, putting on an arrogant posture.
Izuna was stunned.
What did he mean, the timeline didn't match?
Could it be that this boy was his grandson? How many years had passed?
And the title "Clan Head Isshin" made Izuna's feelings complicated.
At the very least, it was reassuring that the Uchiha clan still existed.
The things he had worried about—such as Madara forming an alliance with Hashirama—seemed not to have happened?
But how was the clan doing now?
In Izuna's view, mere survival wasn't enough—the clan had to thrive!
And what was with this disdainful attitude?
Was he weak?
"Young man, I think there's been some misunderstanding between us."
"Didn't you say the current Uchiha clan head told you about the ancestors of past generations?"
"And you know me…"
Izuna gave a light cough and said gently: "Perhaps the historical records are somewhat inaccurate… I'm actually very strong. Aside from my brother, the vast majority of the Uchiha were not my match—even counting our predecessors."
Tobirama smiled inwardly.
This was the advantage of an information gap!
Isshin's idea had been to understand the ancestors' preferences, then curry favor with them to borrow their power and help the Uchiha clan grow stronger and greater.
But in Tobirama's view, that approach was far too soft—it didn't fit the image of an Uchiha at all.
It could only be said that Tobirama believed Isshin didn't understand the Uchiha as well as he did—especially Izuna…
What was needed was absolute dominance!
Tobirama simply didn't believe that Izuna was so confident that, after obtaining the Eternal Mangekyō, Madara could defeat his elder brother.
Having finally returned to the living world, there must be countless questions in Izuna's mind…
So it shouldn't be Tobirama asking Izuna for help.
It should be Izuna begging him—trading power in exchange for information. That was the correct dynamic!
Especially since, as Seisui, in this life he had come from a humble background in Kusagakure.
Wasn't it only natural for him to have some grievances toward Izuna, the true decision-maker of the Uchiha back then?
After all, it was Izuna who had set the direction in those days!
A young Uchiha's resentment didn't need to be overly logical…
Who told him he was an Uchiha now?
"You are indeed strong—but you've already lost once, so I don't trust you."
Tobirama said coldly: "The one I need to face is a user of the Flying Thunder God Technique… According to the records, you were defeated in a single move—cut down by Senju Tobirama's Flying Thunder God Slash. Is that also false?"
"And that was only Senju Tobirama's Flying Thunder God. The ninja I have to face now is someone with the support of the Uzumaki clan—someone even more talented."
"I don't see what use someone who has already been defeated can be to me."
Tobirama let out a sigh, ignoring Izuna's extremely complicated expression as he continued speaking to himself: "Clan Head Isshin entrusted his ocular power to me—that was his trust."
"And I've failed him… to think I ended up summoning you…"
"The so-called 'Uchiha strategist'—the plans you gave the Great Clan Head were full of flaws. You almost destroyed the entire Uchiha clan, do you even realize that?"
"Clan Head Isshin, En-ojisan, and those old men from the Warring States era were probably indebted to you, so they unconsciously glorify you…"
"But I've only suffered because of you! Even now, I have to struggle to clean up the mess you left behind. If Clan Head Isshin hadn't cured my bloodline illness, I probably would have died from exhaustion dealing with your aftermath!"
The more Tobirama spoke, the more agitated his tone became—perfectly imitating the hysterical anger unique to a young boy.
And frankly, Tobirama was enjoying the act.
If it were someone else, they might feel uncomfortable lashing out at Izuna—but Tobirama was a professional in this regard.
Tobirama was normally calm and rational; even when facing enemies, he maintained basic composure. As for ambushing people with forbidden techniques—that was another matter.
But when it came to clashing with Izuna, the two had been trading verbal attacks since childhood—they had said everything there was to say…
After all, when it comes to insults, striking at the heart is certainly the highest art.
But sometimes, the more civilized you are, the more you lose—only blunt, unfiltered expression truly hits hardest!
Izuna, who had initially been somewhat emotional…
Felt his face burn at being called Senju Tobirama's defeated opponent.
But now, he was completely stunned—utterly dumbfounded by the Uchiha boy's tirade…
There was simply too much information packed into it.
The phrase "cleaning up a mess" alone made Izuna's heart skip a beat—it clearly implied that the clan's current situation was not good.
And then there was the matter of giving terrible advice to the Great Clan Head…
The term "Great Clan Head" obviously referred to his brother—Uchiha Madara.
'I gave my brother flawed advice?' Izuna's heart clenched. In the final moments before his death, he had worried about exactly this.
And now it had actually happened!
And what did it mean that his decisions had caused this boy to suffer…
Could it be that the clan hadn't been doing well?
All kinds of emotions surged within Izuna, as if his heart were being seared by Fire Release!
Izuna took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down.
The first thing he needed to do was earn this boy's trust! Slowly communicate with him, and figure out the current situation…
"Young man, please forgive the impact my past actions have had on you."
"What's done cannot be changed—but now that you and I have met, two people are always stronger than one."
"We cannot let our hearts be controlled by emotion. Aren't we both trying to make the clan better?" Izuna said sincerely, bowing deeply to Tobirama.
Tobirama accepted it calmly.
Izuna had indeed affected him before—he wasn't lying!
And besides, so what if he was deceiving him?
Deceiving him was exactly the point!
Tobirama, whose moral bottom line was already low, found that in the face of Izuna, it became a bottomless abyss.
Being mistaken for a son—or even a grandson—didn't matter in the slightest.
What mattered was deceiving him into fully using his power for his own benefit—that was the truly pragmatic choice!
But on the other hand…
Tobirama also felt a strange sense of satisfaction at Izuna's reaction.
As expected of his old rival…
If it were an ordinary Uchiha, they would have already been enraged by his words.
Only Izuna, as an Uchiha, could remain this unusually calm—first thinking about solutions instead of being dragged by emotion into irrational decisions.
"Please, you don't need to do that…"
Tobirama seemed startled, a trace of reluctance appearing on the boy's face as he took a few deep breaths.
Then he said slowly, "Sorry, I let my emotions get the better of me. I shouldn't have taken it out on you."
"You're a figure from history. Looking at you from a modern perspective is bound to introduce bias…"
Izuna was taken aback.
He had expected this approach to work on an Uchiha.
But he hadn't expected the boy in front of him to actually reflect on his own shortcomings!
His impression of him rose significantly.
An Uchiha like this was extremely rare within the clan…
As for Tobirama scolding him and disregarding his status as an ancestor—
Izuna didn't mind at all.
At that age, how many Uchiha with a three-tomoe Sharingan were mentally stable?
No need to demand too much!
The two fell silent for a long time.
It was Izuna who finally spoke, testing the waters: "Can you tell me how the clan is doing now? I'm very worried about my clansmen…"
"What happened after my death?"
"The Uchiha are doing fairly well right now—under my leadership. But there are still many problems. We're currently at a critical stage, testing whether the village truly accepts the clan," Tobirama said calmly.
"As for after your death…"
His tone suddenly became agitated: "The Great Clan Head lost to Senju Hashirama, and together with him—and many other ninja clans—founded a village called Konoha."
Izuna unconsciously covered his face and let out a long sigh.
That fool of a brother… in the end, he still got deceived by Senju Hashirama!
He should have anticipated this…
Senju Hashirama might look straightforward and honest, but he had far too many tricks up his sleeve. Without him there, how could his brother stand against him?
"Konoha…"
"Senju Hashirama really didn't even bother to pretend. Even if the Senju and Uchiha founded the village together, the name doesn't even include Uchiha…" Izuna couldn't help but complain: "This was wrong from the very beginning!"
Tobirama found it amusing inwardly and gave a light cough: "The name 'Konoha' was chosen by Clan Head Madara. According to the elders, on the surface it means a hidden village concealed among trees and leaves—but in reality, it was a tribute to Senju Hashirama's Wood Release."
Izuna took a deep breath.
He was truly speechless!
Not only had they been fooled so thoroughly that they lost everything—even their dignity—and yet they still let the other side name the village?
"But Senju Hashirama named the leader of Konoha the 'Hokage'…"
"It's meant to signify the shadow who protects the Land of Fire—the leader of the ninja. Some also say he wanted Clan Head Madara to become Hokage, and named it that way because Madara excelled at Fire Release…"
Tobirama said quietly.
There was certainly some artistic embellishment in this, but it wasn't far from what had actually happened back then.
And given his current identity, even if he made things up and got something wrong, it didn't really matter.
After all, events from over forty years ago becoming distorted was perfectly normal…
"These two… are truly incomprehensible. They were clearly mortal enemies."
Izuna let out another sigh. It even sounded a little…
He never put this much thought into chasing women—yet here he is speaking in riddles and double meanings.
Tobirama nodded to himself inwardly—on this point, he actually agreed with Izuna.
He couldn't understand it either!
Back when he had insisted on killing Madara—
In that instant, the killing intent Hashirama showed toward him had absolutely not been fake…
"Then what happened afterward? Did my brother become Hokage?" Izuna recalled Tobirama's earlier words, his heart sinking, yet still holding onto a trace of hope.
"No." Tobirama said expressionlessly: "I'll explain everything to you at once."
Izuna nodded. "Thank you…"
"After the hidden village was established, people left behind the chaos of the Warring States era. Everyone enjoyed this unprecedented peace—but it also dulled their edge."
"The First Hokage was not Clan Head Madara, but Senju Hashirama."
At this, Uchiha Izuna was not surprised.
When it came to affinity and uniting allies, Madara had never been particularly good—those had always been Izuna's responsibilities.
"And as for the Second Hokage—according to the elders, support for Senju Tobirama was very high at the time…"
At this point, Izuna's gaze suddenly turned sharp.
Tobirama appeared indifferent on the surface, but inwardly felt a faint sense of satisfaction: "When Clan Head Madara learned that Senju Tobirama might be elected, he urged the clan to leave Konoha with him. Otherwise, they would inevitably decline—Senju Tobirama would definitely continue targeting the Uchiha…"
Hearing this, Izuna nodded instinctively.
That made perfect sense!
Tobirama sneered inwardly—fools who didn't understand his broader vision!
Right now, he was repaying hatred with virtue—saving the Uchiha!
"Wait—leave Konoha?" Izuna suddenly asked, his eyes filled with anxiety.
"Yes." Tobirama nodded, thinking to himself: 'Not completely stupid…'
"How could he try to make the clan leave Konoha… Brother…"
Izuna didn't know how many times he had sighed by now: "After the village was founded, the clan finally experienced peace. And on the surface, Hashirama stayed so close to him—who would worry about future dangers?"
"I'm guessing the clan didn't agree."
"You're right. Most of the clan refused the clan head and urged him to reconsider. So the Great Clan Head left alone."
"After some time, he subdued the Nine-Tails as a summoning beast and fought Senju Hashirama. In the end, he was defeated and died—his body was buried in an unknown location."
Tobirama spoke slowly.
"Unknown location? Hmph—more likely Senju Tobirama dissected it!" Izuna's tomoe instantly connected into a Mangekyō pattern, his anger surging.
"According to Clan Head Isshin, Senju Tobirama did indeed plan to do that at the time."
"But Senju Hashirama refused—and even flew into a rage. The chakra he unleashed shook the entire village…" Tobirama spread his hands. "As for whether that's true or not, I don't know."
Izuna froze for a moment.
If it were Senju Hashirama…
That kind of thing really was possible!
"Sigh… Senju Hashirama."
Izuna scratched his head. He truly had no way of dealing with that man.
Sometimes, it wasn't surprising that his brother would lose clarity of mind whenever he encountered him—there really was a kind of personal charisma there…
"Later on, the Uchiha clan's situation became quite bad."
"After all, it was the Great Clan Head who attacked the First Hokage. Konoha didn't believe the other Uchiha were unaware. And after becoming Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama established the Konoha Military Police Force, assigning it exclusively to the Uchiha…"
Tobirama then went on to recount everything that followed.
The targeting of the Uchiha through the Police Force, taking Uchiha Kagami as his disciple…
The outbreak of the First Shinobi World War after Hashirama's death, Setsuna's rebellion, the Second Shinobi World War, and Sarutobi Hiruzen becoming the Third Hokage…
The density of information was overwhelming.
So much so that even Izuna's mind had to signal Tobirama to slow down and give him time to process it.
After a while, Izuna finally understood where the young man's resentment toward him came from…
He had mistaken his brother's chaotic decisions as something Izuna himself had instructed before his death!
Izuna's face turned bitter, but he had no way to explain it.
He couldn't exactly shift the blame onto his brother, could he?
Izuna truly hadn't expected things to turn out like this…
You could say Hashirama had influenced his brother—but hadn't his brother influenced Hashirama just as much?
It was a strange, mutual entanglement.
Even if he couldn't become Second Hokage, with his strength, he could have taken a step back and let Senju Tobirama take the position…
Then, taking advantage of the situation, repair his reputation and gather public support…
Who could possibly compete with his brother for the position of Third Hokage?
Looking across the Senju clan and the major ninja clans, there simply wasn't another candidate like Senju Tobirama.
Even in the worst-case scenario—if he didn't become Third Hokage—
He could have had Hashirama establish a position like Vice Hokage or advisor. After already stepping back once, it would have been easy to secure such a role.
Holding onto that position firmly would have been more than enough.
Izuna understood well that those standing in the spotlight inevitably exposed weaknesses…
They had to withstand challenges from all sides and attracted the most attention.
But standing just a step behind, one could still hold power while enjoying far greater freedom…
Izuna couldn't help but feel dejected.
The establishment of Konoha—the system of a united ninja community—was clearly far superior to the era of warring clans.
And with Hashirama and Madara, with the Senju and Uchiha cooperating…
It truly allowed the clan to enjoy peace far beyond what was possible in the Warring States era…
If he had lived back then, Izuna was confident he could have maneuvered the Uchiha into a force not inferior to the Senju—and even attracted other ninja clans to align themselves with the Uchiha!
Between those on stage and those behind the scenes, when power levels were close, the latter sometimes held the advantage.
But it was all too late.
"If you hadn't died during the Warring States period—if you had lived to see Konoha's founding—what would you have done?" Tobirama studied Izuna's expression, a thought forming in his mind.
Izuna pulled himself together and slowly explained his thoughts.
In his view—
This was a test from the Uchiha youth who still didn't trust him, a test of his thinking.
And after hearing Izuna's answer—
Tobirama couldn't help but think: 'Good thing you died back then. If you hadn't… things would have been troublesome!'
At the same time—
He also felt a long-forgotten sense of mutual appreciation…
---
I will post some extra Chapters in Patreon, you can check it out. >> patreon.com/TitoVillar
---