"The same technique as Uchiha Madara…"
Senju Tobirama's sharp eyes locked onto Senju Haruto in the distance, instantly noticing that Haruto's Sharingan had evolved into the Eternal Mangekyō. Based on his knowledge of the Uchiha clan, the image of Madara immediately surfaced in his mind.
"Another evil brat of the Uchiha!"
With a furious roar, Tobirama unleashed his chakra in full. The ground beneath his feet cracked and collapsed, leaving behind a deep crater.
Though Orochimaru was dead and his own consciousness had been restored… Tobirama could never allow an Uchiha with this much power to exist.
"Hm?"
The moment Tobirama clenched his fist and charged at Haruto, Haruto reacted instantly. He turned sharply, Susanoo manifesting to block the attack, and in the same breath used the Body Flicker Technique to vanish before Tobirama's eyes.
"He disappeared?"
Tobirama froze for a moment, shocked both at Haruto's instantaneous movement and at the resilience of his Susanoo. Not a single crack. Not a single mark.
Even Madara's Susanoo—Tobirama was confident he could shatter it.
No… His brow furrowed. He realized quickly.
It wasn't that his opponent was too strong. It was that he himself was weakened. In this Edo Tensei state, his power was only half of what it had been in life.
"Damn it…"
Tobirama cursed under his breath, immediately stretching out his sensory perception to track Haruto's movements.
"There!"
"Mm?!"
Haruto had reappeared beside Kakashi.
It wasn't that Haruto feared Hashirama or Tobirama—in truth, he didn't. But in his arms was the lifeless body of the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen. Moments ago, carrying Hiruzen had been a matter of pride, of honor. But now, it had become a burden.
"Haruto…"
Kakashi swallowed hard and stepped forward to take Hiruzen's body from Haruto's hands, his eyes filled with worry. Orochimaru might have fallen, but the First and Second Hokage were still a different matter altogether.
And judging from just now, Tobirama had already regained his full awareness. That meant their power was even greater than when Orochimaru had been pulling the strings.
But what Kakashi couldn't understand was this: why would Tobirama, with his mind restored, suddenly attack Haruto with such killing intent? Could Orochimaru's influence still linger?
"Most likely," Haruto nodded calmly. He remembered clearly—in the Fourth Shinobi World War, when Kabuto summoned the Four Hokage, they had full awareness and even aided the Shinobi Alliance, all while being forced into battle.
He also remembered Kabuto's words: even if the summoner died, Edo Tensei would not end.
So Tobirama's sudden strike against him likely came from that very loophole.
At the same time, Hashirama—his body fully restored—leapt down from atop the giant wooden construct, landing beside his younger brother.
"Looks like Orochimaru really is gone," Hashirama said without hesitation.
"Yeah. If I'm right, Sarutobi and Orochimaru perished together. But… the battle isn't over yet, brother." Tobirama paused, then gestured toward Haruto. "You should have noticed that Uchiha brat."
"Tobirama!"
Hashirama's voice snapped like a whip. To him, calling the Uchiha clan "evil brats" was absurd. They weren't born evil—they simply loved more deeply than others, and that intensity often twisted into darkness.
This kind of prejudice and hatred… it was never his vision when he founded the village!
"No. Even if that brat genuinely loves the village now, he could one day become another Madara. Since we've been summoned back, it's our duty to preserve Konoha's stability." Tobirama's eyes hardened. "Most importantly, brother—Sarutobi is dead. That means there's no Hokage leading the village now. Are you really saying you'd entrust Konoha to an Uchiha?"
Hashirama fell silent, exasperated.
"Honestly… when we first founded the village, I wanted Madara to be Hokage…"
"Brother!"
Tobirama shot him a scathing glare, his chakra flaring violently as he prepared to finish Haruto with his own hands. Thanks to Edo Tensei, his chakra was limitless—shadow clones, large-scale ninjutsu, he could unleash them endlessly.
"…I'll end this with that technique. As the creator of Edo Tensei, I also developed other jutsu to counterbalance it. But brother… can you still use Sage Mode?" Tobirama asked sharply.
Though he had invented Edo Tensei, he had never revived his elder brother before, so he wasn't certain whether Hashirama's Sage Arts would still function.
"That'll wreck the terrain…" Hashirama muttered, looking at the ruined village around them with obvious reluctance.
"It doesn't matter. Once we defeat the enemy, we can rebuild. Right now, the priority is eliminating that brat."
As Tobirama's voice thundered across the battlefield, Haruto had already handed Sarutobi's body to Kakashi and the others. With that burden lifted, he flickered forward again, reappearing before the two Hokage.
But this time… he let Susanoo dissolve.
"It seems you've regained your senses, First Hokage, Second Hokage," Haruto said calmly, his eyes locking onto them both. "But tell me—are you still under Orochimaru's control… or not?"
The distinction mattered. If they were free, perhaps words—rather than blades—could resolve this.
"Enough talk, Uchiha brat! I'll erase you here and now!" Tobirama roared, already forming seals.
"Uchiha…?" Haruto whispered to himself, realization dawning. Of course. Tobirama must have seen his Eternal Mangekyō and Susanoo and assumed he was one of them.
A faint smile curved at Haruto's lips, mocking Tobirama's ignorance.
"What's so funny, brat?!"
Tobirama's fury only grew, his killing intent towering like a storm. To him, the Uchiha didn't deserve to live—someone had to rise up and finish what should have been done long ago.
And now, seeing that an Eternal Mangekyō user had emerged… what the hell had Danzo been doing all this time? Hadn't he inherited Tobirama's will?
"Tobirama…" Hashirama's voice was pained, hoping Haruto wouldn't take his brother's words to heart. To him, once you joined Konoha—no matter your clan—you were a shinobi of the Leaf.
But neither Hashirama nor Tobirama expected Haruto's response.
He chuckled.
"Two Hokage… it seems you're mistaken. I'm not of the Uchiha. True, I inherited the Sharingan. But in truth…"
Haruto's smile widened.
"…I am of the Senju clan."
Hashirama: "???"
Tobirama: "???"