"The meeting cycle is every three months," Ryuji said, his tone firm as he looked around the round table. "So for any of you facing a major crisis within the next three months… this is the one thing you cannot forget."
Hashirama and Tsunade nodded together.
For them, Tobirama's situation was the clearest proof of what this chat group really meant. If Tobirama could return and rewrite his death, then the possibilities weren't just large—
They were endless.
But Hashirama's brows knit slightly, and he looked toward Ryuji.
"Fourth Hokage… if Tobirama goes back and doesn't change his fate…"
He paused, eyes serious.
"…then what happens?"
Tobirama's gaze sharpened too, and Tsunade's attention snapped to Ryuji. Both of them understood what Hashirama was really asking.
Not just about Tobirama.
About all of them.
Ryuji considered the question for a moment before answering.
"If someone fails to change their destiny…" he said slowly, "then history proceeds as recorded."
He nodded toward Tobirama.
"For the Second Hokage, that would mean dying during the First Great Ninja War."
Ryuji's voice lowered slightly.
"And inside this chat group… that would mean losing one Hokage world."
Silence followed.
Everyone understood immediately.
This group wasn't a casual gathering. Its growth depended on Hokage timelines staying alive long enough to keep joining and expanding.
If Tobirama died after returning—
Then the group would still be stuck at four members.
And to unlock the next features, they would need to recruit even more Hokage.
Which raised an obvious question.
Hashirama leaned forward, curiosity bright in his eyes despite the seriousness.
"Do we even have ten Hokage?" he asked.
Tsunade's eyes widened as well. Even she, already the Fifth, couldn't help the thought:
Will Konoha really reach a Tenth Hokage?
Ryuji shook his head calmly.
"No," he said. "As far as I know, Konoha only reaches the Seventh Hokage."
Then he added, matter-of-factly, "Though there's… a strange 'half-step' in the middle."
He didn't elaborate in detail—only enough to make the implication clear.
Tsunade frowned, but the bigger issue wasn't the trivia.
The bigger issue was Tobirama.
Ryuji's gaze locked onto him.
"So if you go back and still die in the war," Ryuji said, "and if the group can't recruit a new Hokage timeline to replace that loss…"
He paused.
"Then the chat group may never unlock its next functions."
Hashirama's expression turned uneasy.
Tsunade's face tightened with urgency.
For Hashirama, this place was too valuable to remain half-locked. For Tsunade, it was more than valuable—it was hope. The promise of mutual aid was the one thing standing between her village and catastrophe.
So both of them looked at Tobirama as if his life now carried a weight far beyond himself.
"Be careful when you go back," Hashirama said.
Tsunade followed instantly, voice strained. "Second Grandpa… please. Put your own life first."
Tobirama absorbed their concern with a quiet nod.
No one at this table understood the importance of a system linking parallel worlds more than him. He had spent his life pushing the boundaries of jutsu, logic, and the rules of reality.
If this "chat group" existed…
Then reality was far larger than the shinobi world's textbooks admitted.
And honestly?
He had originally planned something simple.
Go back. Avoid dying. Then kill Hiruzen and Danzō before they ever become untouchable.
With the Flying Thunder God Technique, who could stop him?
But Tobirama's eyes shifted—calculating again.
And in that instant, his plan changed.
"Don't worry," he said evenly. "This time, I'm not risking my life."
Relief flickered across Hashirama's face.
Tsunade exhaled.
Then Tobirama calmly dropped the next line like a bomb.
"When I return, I plan to abdicate," he said. "I'll let Sarutobi Hiruzen become the Third Hokage."
Tsunade jolted forward.
"What?!"
Her voice rose with disbelief. "Second Grandpa, are you out of your mind?! Why would you make him Hokage?!"
Hashirama lifted a hand, stopping her mid-outburst.
He didn't know exactly what Tobirama was planning—but he knew his brother wasn't reckless.
And Tobirama, when he chose to act, never acted without a blade hidden behind the curtain.
Hashirama nodded once at Tobirama.
"Continue."
Tobirama's voice remained calm, almost clinical.
"The alliance ceremony in one month requires the Kage of both sides to be present," he said. "If I don't go, then someone must attend in my place."
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"Hiruzen will go as Konoha's acting Hokage."
"And Danzō will accompany him."
Tsunade froze.
Ryuji's brows rose.
Tobirama continued, mercilessly matter-of-fact.
"They can sign the alliance. And they can face the ceremony."
He paused just long enough for the knife to twist.
"As for whether they come back alive…"
His eyes were cold.
"That depends on their ability."
For a heartbeat, Tsunade stared at him like she didn't recognize him.
Then understanding hit her all at once.
He wasn't rewarding them.
He was sending them to the exact place where betrayal and disaster would erupt—
And removing himself from the death sentence history had written for him.
He wasn't killing them with his hands.
He was killing them with destiny.
Ryuji let out a low breath, impressed despite himself.
He had always remembered Tobirama as an iron-fisted Hokage—the one who built Konoha's institutions, accelerated its growth, and laid foundations that lasted generations.
ANBU.
The Academy.
The Guard.
Systems that shaped the village's spine.
But now?
Ryuji realized he had underestimated him.
If Tobirama hadn't died early…
Konoha would have been terrifying.
Ryuji nodded firmly.
"Great choice."
Hashirama also nodded, relief mixing with pride. He wanted his brother alive. He didn't care if Tobirama's method was ruthless—this was a world that punished kindness.
Tobirama's posture eased slightly.
His plan did more than save his life.
It erased two future cancers at the root.
A clean cut.
A precise cut.
With no blade lifted.
Ryuji looked around the table again.
"Any other thoughts?" he asked. "If not, we'll end the meeting and wait for the next one in three months."
"The moment we reach five members, the World Leaderboard and mutual aid should unlock."
No one objected.
Hashirama still had two years left in his timeline—and now, with this group, he might find a way to treat what was killing him.
Tobirama couldn't afford to waste a second; he would act the instant he returned.
And Tsunade… Tsunade was clinging to those two locked functions like they were the rope keeping her village from falling off a cliff.
Ryuji nodded.
"Then we're done."
Color surged across the table—light like spilled aurora.
The world blurred.
And when Ryuji opened his eyes again—
He was back in the Hokage's office, surrounded by paperwork and war reports… but now carrying something far heavier than ink.
A future that could be rewritten.
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