Tobirama froze when he heard Izuna's voice.
What was going on?
He had only asked if Izuna was there out of politeness and habit...
How had he actually managed to summon him?!
{Stop with the hellos! I can hear you... What's going on with you?}
Tobirama suppressed the uncertainty and astonishment in his heart and asked in a low voice.
After exhausting all the ocular power stored within the Yata Spirit Invocation mark and having Izuna help him perfectly seal the Box of Ultimate Bliss's negative emotions and the demon Satori within his body...
Tobirama had assumed he wouldn't be seeing that bastard again anytime soon!
Yes, anytime soon—not never again.
After all, as an Uchiha, Tobirama had also transplanted his elder brother's cells.
The ocular power of Yata Spirit Invocation was slowly recovering. Eventually, it would be completely replenished...
But it shouldn't have recovered this quickly, right?
And Izuna had actually contacted him first!
Wasn't this completely backwards?
Just who was supposed to be the master of this Yata Spirit Invocation, you or me?
{Senju Tobirama brought me back with Impure World Reincarnation.}
Izuna cleared his throat.
{You need to be careful! That guy has all kinds of schemes waiting to be put into action. I've been reduced to a puppet now...}
{I can only contact you through the Yata Spirit Invocation mark...}
As for his elder brother being possessed by an evil sage, Izuna intended to keep the matter classified. At present, only he, Obito, and Hiruzen knew about it...
{The Second Hokage brought you back with Impure World Reincarnation?}
Tobirama repeated the words, so irritated he nearly laughed.
Then how come he didn't know about it?
He was furious!
{Impossible. If Senju Tobirama had done it, there's no way you would still have an opportunity to communicate with me through Yata Spirit Invocation, especially when you're the one being reincarnated...}
Tobirama's eyes flashed. {Something's not right with you...}
{You weren't brought back with Impure World Reincarnation. You were actually resurrected, weren't you?}
At the Mountains' Graveyard, Izuna curled his lips and helplessly shook his head.
Well...
He hadn't fooled him!
As expected of a descendant of both him and Senju Tobirama...
{Something like that...}
{Anyway, after I was resurrected, Yata Spirit Invocation seems to have formed a special connection between the two of us. We can exchange information this way, and when we encounter powerful enemies, we can even transfer power to each other.}
Izuna cleared his throat.
Returning from death, coupled with the pure power of Ōtsutsuki Isshiki and the influence of the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, had unexpectedly deepened the bond between Izuna and Tobirama.
It was somewhat like an advanced version of the combination technique used by Shio and Tomie.
There was no need for a "wired" connection like the Adamantine Sealing Chains. They could transmit power "wirelessly" across a distance instead...
Such was the technology of Mangekyō ocular techniques.
{Didn't you just say you were an Impure World Reincarnation?}
Tobirama asked with a dark expression. {Then who resurrected you?!}
Izuna acted as though he hadn't heard him.
{You should probably be able to contact me through the Yata Spirit Invocation mark as well. I trust you'll figure out exactly how. Try it when you get the chance...}
{What I wanted to tell you is that the situation in the shinobi world has entered its next stage!}
{Aside from the Crimson Organization, Konoha may one day have to face enemies even more terrifying than Senju Hashirama. You need to be prepared and make sure the Uchiha shinobi are resolved to fight to the death...}
Izuna spoke with exceptional seriousness.
Tobirama's expression immediately turned solemn.
That really was terrifying...
{There's more. I've detected two very strange chakras. They somewhat resemble those of Hyūga shinobi, but they're incredibly powerful and pure. They've been wandering all over the shinobi world, and they may be heading toward Konoha...}
Izuna was referring to Ōtsutsuki Toneri and his father.
These last two Ōtsutsuki on the moon had actually intended to come to Konoha and observe it half a year ago.
As Toneri's father, Yuren wanted his son to understand that the shinobi world created by the Sage of Six Paths was wrong...
It had to be remade according to their ancestor Hamura's dying wishes!
But because of the Ōtsutsuki's peculiar sense of time, they had delayed their visit for half a year. When they finally arrived, however, they discovered that this place was completely different from what it had been ten years ago!
Too much had changed...
And so Toneri and his father had been wandering throughout the shinobi world, where they were detected by the White Zetsu network.
This was also one of the reasons Izuna had contacted Tobirama.
They could share their intelligence networks...
{I understand.} Tobirama nodded solemnly, though he wasn't particularly worried.
At this moment, Konoha's military strength was more concentrated than it had been in a long time.
Its usual early-warning and defensive measures were also firmly in place.
{You even have the authority to access intelligence...}
{And that's not all. I can hear genuine relief in your voice. Just what happened to you that could make you feel this way?}
Tobirama narrowed his eyes. {I've analyzed how Yata Spirit Invocation works. Logically speaking, it shouldn't be capable of producing an effect like this. In other words, you seem to have been strengthened somehow?}
Izuna's face darkened.
Why did this kid have to be so damn smart?
He really did take after his roots!
Tobirama rapidly reviewed everything the leader of the Crimson Organization had displayed...
His gaze instinctively shifted toward Hashirama, who was still laughing uproariously at the jokes about Tobirama, and his eyes sharpened.
He suddenly realized something he had overlooked...
The visitors from another timeline, and the completely different lives lived by every Konoha shinobi in that other world, had given Tobirama a much deeper understanding of just how much people could change.
In that other timeline, the shinobi sitting here now—people who had made outstanding contributions to Konoha and the Will of Fire—had instead been masters of internal conflict and some of the strangest people in the shinobi world...
A person's mentality and beliefs could change drastically depending on their environment...
Even powerful figures like Hashirama and Madara wouldn't necessarily remain the same forever.
Then there was Izuna's relaxed state of mind, which Tobirama had noticed, his high-level authority to monitor intelligence across the shinobi world, and the fact that he had clearly been strengthened...
A realization flashed through Tobirama's mind like lightning!
{It's Uchiha Madara, isn't it?}
{Uchiha Madara is still alive? Senju Hashirama didn't actually kill him back then. He found some way to survive through Izanagi or some other technique...}
{After all, he's Uchiha Madara.}
The more Tobirama spoke, the clearer his train of thought became. {Even Fugaku managed to survive twice on the operating table using a combination of the Transcription Seal and Izanagi...}
{If it were Madara, he could definitely have kept it going for much longer—or used some other technique!}
{And given the bond between the First Hokage and Madara, he probably wouldn't have guarded Madara's corpse for long. He would've simply sealed it away carefully so no one could touch it...}
{Uchiha Madara took advantage of the First Hokage's feelings for him!}
{As for Wood Release, those forbidden techniques involving repulsive and attractive forces, and those previous-generation Kage with Rinnegan—they're all the products of the secret research he's conducted while hiding in the shinobi world all these years...}
{My guess is that Uchiha Madara discovered something. He knew Hashirama extremely well, so he would've realized long ago that Hashirama's cells were highly compatible with the Uchiha...}
Tobirama let out a long breath inwardly.
There was both the satisfaction of finally identifying the true culprit and an intense urge to grind his teeth...
The leader of the Crimson Organization really was a bastard!
If it was Madara, everything made sense...
Because whenever Madara was trying to get under his skin, his behavior had always been different from his usual style...
Tobirama could even picture Madara impersonating him, dumping all the blame onto his shoulders, with that faint, smug smile tugging at the corners of his lips...
'The answer was hiding in plain sight...'
'Uchiha Madara actually learned how to use his brain!'
Tobirama roared inwardly.
Meanwhile, Izuna covered his face.
This was bad...
It was naturally a great thing that Seisui was intelligent, but being too intelligent made him difficult to deal with...
Give him a single loose thread and he'd unravel the entire thing!
Izuna couldn't help thinking of Hiruzen.
Since Obito had already reported to Hiruzen and the Hokage knew about Izuna's resurrection, he had given the Kamui brat the necessary clearance.
So Obito had told Izuna that Hiruzen had figured out Uchiha Madara's identity...
Izuna had been deeply moved at the time...
As Madara's younger brother, he had spent all this time mistakenly believing his brother was Tobirama, while Hiruzen had figured it out long ago.
And now there was Seisui too...
{Seisui, you've got what it takes to be a Hokage like Hiruzen...}
Izuna said softly, {Impressive!}
The corner of Tobirama's mouth twitched.
Wasn't that backwards?
But he couldn't exactly say anything...
After all, if Madara had exposed himself, that simply meant his acting wasn't good enough. Tobirama wouldn't make the same mistake.
And his beloved disciple was personally covering for him with everything he had...
Senju Tobirama absolutely had to be a dead man...
Don't mess this up. Seisui was his new account.
{It is my brother, but at the same time, it isn't.}
Izuna's heart stirred, and he decided to tell Tobirama about Uchiha Madara being possessed by an evil sage after all.
Tobirama listened with a deep frown.
{An enhanced version of Living Corpse Reincarnation?}
Tobirama murmured to himself.
{If that's the case, then Madara really can't be allowed to suffer any severe destabilization of his sense of self...}
{Because one of the essential steps when using Living Corpse Reincarnation to take over another person's body is weakening that person's sense of self.}
Izuna's face darkened. {Why are you researching this kind of kinjutsu now? Don't learn from awful people...}
Tobirama smiled smugly to himself before saying in a meaningful tone, {I didn't research it. It's a technique developed by the Hokage. I merely saw it in the Scroll of Seals.}
Let's see what you have to say to that!
{Oh, it's one of Hiruzen's techniques...}
{Then that's fine. It was probably a byproduct of his research into prosthetics or fūinjutsu, right?}
Izuna nodded as though it were the most natural thing in the world.
{That explains it! It's perfectly normal, really. Scientific research starts with a goal and requires constant exploration of different directions, so it's only reasonable for side paths like this to emerge. And look—the Hokage sealed it away afterward, didn't he?}
Tobirama took a deep breath.
He had nothing.
His beloved disciple's reputation was becoming more and more like a Mangekyō-level genjutsu...
Even you fell under it, Izuna?!
{Anyway, be careful. We'll talk again...}
Izuna quickly disconnected.
Tobirama ground his teeth.
He had made up his mind. The next time he pulled an all-nighter doing research, he was going to bombard Izuna with messages!
You aren't getting any sleep either...
'I get it now. "Flying Thunder God Never Loses" must be Uchiha Madara!'
Something suddenly clicked in Tobirama's mind, and he gritted his teeth as another crucial issue occurred to him.
On the shinobi world's forum, Tobirama had been trying to identify the notorious troll who constantly impersonated him...
He had even called in favors to track the person down, but still hadn't found anything.
If it was Uchiha Madara, none of this was strange anymore...
'Just you wait, Uchiha Madara...'
'Don't think having some so-called sage possessing you suddenly makes you innocent and spotless!'
Tobirama ground his teeth.
He needed to find an opportunity to ask his beloved disciple for a "super account," one that couldn't be tracked or investigated.
Then he could begin a proper online war with Uchiha Madara!
He'd dedicate an entire campaign to that bastard...
Don't think that just because you're the Shura of the Shinobi World, your history can withstand being put under the First Darkness of the Shinobi's magnifying glass!
'Still, I'll need to know where to draw the line...'
Tobirama's eyes flashed.
'Fundamentally, I should use this method to gradually force Uchiha Madara to rebuild his perception of himself, break apart the fragile illusions in his mind, and instead make his sense of self more complete and resilient.'
'That way, if that so-called sage tries to control him, he'll have at least some ability to resist.'
In short, it was resistance training and desensitization...
He just had to control the intensity...
"Doesn't Like to Dance" was about to officially debut on the shinobi world's forum!
As for why Hiruzen hadn't told him about the sage...
Tobirama understood that in an instant as well.
Something this vague and intangible had no concrete evidence behind it in the first place. His beloved disciple only needed to ensure that Konoha continued growing stronger without ever becoming complacent.
That was also why Hiruzen hadn't exposed Uchiha Madara's identity.
First, to delay the process of Madara being taken over. Second, to keep him as a whetstone in the form of an external threat.
All one could say was that if Izuna knew about this, he might ask Tobirama:
When did you get the impression that you weren't caught in Hiruzen's genjutsu?
Meanwhile, inside the conference room...
Mito stared stubbornly at Hiruzen and said in a low voice, "Hiruzen, if Tobirama appeared in your dreams, doesn't that mean he's still somewhere in the shinobi world? He might not be in the Pure Land at all, but inside some kind of genjutsu or similar technique..."
Hiruzen shook his head.
"Impossible. Sensei truly died back then while staying behind to cover my retreat. If Sensei were still alive, he could never have stood by and watched while Konoha was in such a precarious state."
Mito narrowed her eyes.
"Then how do you explain the Tobirama from the other timeline being brought back with Impure World Reincarnation? The Tobirama from our world can't be summoned that way..."
"What does that prove?" Hiruzen countered, pointing at the Konoha shinobi inside the conference room.
"In the other timeline, all of them did things that weren't exactly admirable. But here, every single one of them is a pillar of Konoha, filled with the Will of Fire, who has shed blood and sweat for the village!"
"Mito-sama, how can you take the Senju Tobirama of another world and apply everything about him to my sensei? I don't think that's fair. Do you?"
The Konoha shinobi kept their eyes lowered and their mouths shut.
Even though they were members of the Konoha Council and held extremely high positions within the village...
This was a clash between monsters far above their pay grade!
Even the Nine-Tails and Hashirama exchanged a glance before lowering their heads.
On one side was Hiruzen, the man who had brought Konoha to its peak. On the other was Mito, the "True Hokage Advisor"...
And the subject they were arguing over was someone on Senju Tobirama's level...
Mito stared dumbfounded as she listened to Hiruzen's explanation.
The Monkey really was quite good with words...
"So what you're saying is that Tobirama sealed himself away in the Pure Land?"
Mito was so exasperated she almost laughed.
"Hiruzen, are you counting on there being no one in our village capable of investigating what's happening in the Pure Land?"
Tobirama fell silent as well, quietly listening to Mito and Hiruzen argue.
He could stir things up against Madara...
But with Mito, forget it. At most, he'd mutter a couple of things to himself...
After all, as Hokage, he really hadn't done a proper job of handing things over to his beloved disciple. For all these decades, Mito had served as Konoha's stabilizing pillar...
If she wanted to criticize him a little, so be it...
Tobirama discreetly glanced at Hashirama.
Especially since she'd brought her enforcer with her!
Better keep his head down for now...
"That's not what I mean. I believe there may genuinely be extraordinary people in the village who will someday be capable of investigating a mysterious realm like the Pure Land. Nor am I certain that Tobirama-sensei is actually in the Pure Land."
Hiruzen looked calmly at Mito and said earnestly, "Tobirama-sensei may have been sealed inside one of the Treasured Tools of the Sage of Six Paths..."
Mito's heart stirred, and she was just about to say something.
After all, Kumogakure's Treasured Tools of the Sage of Six Paths had already been handed over to Konoha after the war...
"Or perhaps his soul was erased while inside one of those tools."
"Or he may have sealed himself away in the Pure Land, or perhaps the countless techniques he researched while alive left hidden damage on his soul..."
Hiruzen swept his gaze across the Konoha shinobi, whose expressions were becoming increasingly difficult to maintain, and his own expression turned solemn.
"Mito-sama, and everyone else here—you may think that because I'm Tobirama-sensei's disciple, my feelings as his student are making me defend him without reservation..."
"That's not it."
Mito and all the Konoha shinobi present looked curiously toward Hiruzen.
Even Tobirama himself...
They were all waiting to hear what explanation the Hokage would give.
Because...
If that wasn't the reason, then what else could it possibly be?
Hiruzen's loyalty, devotion, and righteousness!
"It's simply because I believe in Tobirama-sensei's Will of Fire."
"If Tobirama-sensei were still capable of acting, he would unquestionably do what was truly best for the village. Even if it were something like the test of the village that everyone has speculated about, he would never conceal his identity from me and cause meaningless internal conflict."
"He's a man who would give everything for the village, whether his life or anything else..."
Hiruzen slowly swept his gaze across the Konoha shinobi and continued with absolute sincerity, "And it's not only Tobirama-sensei. The same goes for everyone here. No matter what happened in that other timeline, I have always believed that everyone who helped build Konoha possesses a pure Will of Fire in their hearts."
"Konoha was built little by little by every shinobi who contributed to it. The village itself embodies everyone's blood, sweat, and effort. That alone is the strongest proof there could be."
"I trust all of you just as I trust Tobirama-sensei."
"That's why I've never cared about what happened in that other timeline. It was nothing more than a nightmare, a tragedy born from extreme circumstances. It has little value as a reference for judging any of you."
The Hokage's words left everyone present silent.
So that was how Lord Third... had always thought of them?
Absolute trust in his comrades, born from the Will of Fire...
Put that way, it really did make sense.
More importantly, every Konoha shinobi who had done terrible things in that other world felt the faint worries lingering in their hearts disappear completely after hearing Hiruzen declare his "absolute trust" in them...
Before they knew it, they were smiling sincerely at Hiruzen.
As long as the Hokage trusted them, there was nothing to worry about!
This was the reputation and credibility Hiruzen had painstakingly accumulated over so many years at work.
When he said he trusted someone, he truly trusted them, without the slightest reservation...
Unlike certain Hokage whose reputations were so terrible that their credit score in the shinobi world wouldn't even qualify them for a loan worth a single explosive tag...
Hashirama abruptly rose to his feet and began applauding Hiruzen with all his strength!
"Good! Very well said!"
"Hiruzen, you're the greatest Hokage Konoha has ever had!"
With Hashirama taking the lead, every Konoha shinobi spontaneously began applauding as well. For a time, the sound of applause surged through the conference room like crashing waves.
Mito stopped arguing too. Smiling, she joined in the applause for Hiruzen.
Beside her, the Nine-Tails was even more enthusiastic.
"Strongest Hokage!"
Hiruzen looked helpless. He tried several times to quiet the applause, and it took considerable effort before he finally succeeded.
Using Tobirama as proof of his trust in the shinobi by turning the whole issue around had worked far better than Hiruzen had ever imagined...
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