Although Hashirama's body had suffered severe depletion, he relied on his Secret Technique to appear no different from when he was healthy, and his strength remained at its peak. However, every time he used a large amount of Chakra, Hashirama's already limited life force would shorten further until his death.
After the battle with the Nine-Tailed, Hashirama discovered that while his Wood Release Secret Technique could indeed suppress the power of a Tailed Beast, truly binding one still required the Sealing Technique of the Uzumaki Clan. Therefore, Hashirama did not intend to capture the Tailed Beasts alone; he wanted to act together with others from the Village.
At the meetings, Hashirama repeatedly discussed the capture of the Tailed Beasts with the heads of the Ninja Clans, formulating one plan after another. For the Ninja Clans, capturing those legendary Tailed Beasts was truly an incredible feat. Upon hearing that Mito could utilize the power of the Nine-Tailed, some developed the idea of gathering all the Tailed Beasts into the Village, disagreeing with Hashirama's plan to distribute them among other nations.
Tobirama, however, stated that this was unfeasible. Although members of the Uzumaki Clan could indeed adapt to the seal of a Tailed Beast, Mito herself pointed out that even within the Uzumaki Clan, only those with significant talent had the ability to perfectly suppress a Tailed Beast, and utilizing a Tailed Beast against its will required even greater talent.
Setting everything else aside, simply requiring someone from the Uzumaki Clan to serve as a Jinchuriki—the term for a person sealing a Tailed Beast—was no easy task. Unlike other Ninja Clans, the Uzumaki Clan was not a member of the Konoha alliance. As early as the Warring States Period, the Uzumaki Clan had established their own independent nation overseas and was recognized by the world as rulers of a country.
As the saying goes, 'better to be the head of a chicken than the tail of a phoenix.' Although the Land of Whirlpools established by the Uzumaki Clan was only a small nation isolated overseas, they preferred being masters of their own house rather than being reduced from national rulers to mere members of a Ninja Village like Konohagakure, which was under the name of the Land of Fire.
Therefore, Konohagakure only established diplomatic relations with Uzushiogakure, which was founded within the Land of Whirlpools. In name, Konohagakure did not have the authority to command Uzushiogakure, and since the Senju Clan were distant relatives, it was even less appropriate to use their influence to bully them. They had to obtain their consent before someone could be used as a vessel for a Tailed Beast.
Even if Uzushiogakure were truly willing to send their clansmen to serve as vessels, they would encounter the problem Mito mentioned: not everyone can perfectly suppress a Tailed Beast, let alone utilize the power of the Nine-Tailed like Mito. One must remember that as the princess of the Land of Whirlpools, Mito's own bloodline and potential were top-tier; how could an ordinary Uzumaki Clan member compare?
In Tobirama's view, a Jinchuriki who could not become a combat force was useless and would only make other nations wary of Konoha. Originally, Konoha might only have had to face one or two countries, but if they truly claimed all nine Tailed Beasts for themselves, the four other nations would likely join forces to launch a joint attack on Konohagakure.
Despite Konohagakure's abundance of talent, other countries were not lacking either. If the two god-like figures, Hashirama and Madara, were removed from the equation, Konohagakure's strength over other Ninja Villages was limited. They didn't fear one or even two, but facing a combined attack from four nations meant that even if Hashirama and Madara were present to ensure victory on local battlefields, they might not be able to protect everyone else. While the two of them might be fine, Konohagakure would be nearly destroyed.
Not to mention that Madara was now dead and Hashirama's life was nearing its end; the process of capturing the Tailed Beasts would further reduce his lifespan. Under these circumstances, the method of claiming all Tailed Beasts for themselves would only offend every other nation.
Therefore, Tobirama believed that Hashirama's proposal of distributing the Tailed Beasts to balance power was the better choice. As long as no single party became too powerful, they wouldn't become the target of all nations, making things much easier to handle.
Tobirama's reasoning was sound and well-supported, and the Ninja Clans were not fond of seeking their own deaths. After much thought, they felt that monopolizing the Tailed Beasts would indeed bring trouble without benefit, so they approved the plan for Tailed Beast distribution. This proposal would then be submitted to the Daimyo of the Land of Fire for confirmation.
The heads of every clan in the Village were working hard for Hashirama's Tailed Beast capture operation.
Only Fūmori Masaki and Uchiha Kagami, despite being clan heads, were too young to be required for such a difficult mission. At most, they handled some logistical matters, while the actual capture operations were left to the experienced older Ninja.
Fūmori Masaki knew that the distribution of Tailed Beasts was inevitable and agreed with Tobirama's judgment that distributing them now was the best method. Of course, the other option was not to distribute them at all. However, since Konohagakure already had a Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, other nations would certainly take the initiative to capture Tailed Beasts themselves. It was better for Hashirama to do it, while Tobirama made the others pay a heavy price to maintain the nation's stability.
However, Fūmori Masaki understood that this peace certainly wouldn't last. Currently, every nation harbored thoughts of annexing the others, and while their fighting spirit remained high, ambitious individuals were destined to rise; war was inevitable.
Fūmori Masaki felt that Hashirama's idea of balancing power actually made some sense. All things can only maintain equilibrium when in balance; once one side crosses the line, it will inevitably destroy this harmony and lead to danger. But the problem was that peace could not be achieved through balance alone; it required other supporting factors. After all, society is a complex construct, and it is impossible to achieve peace using just one or two methods.
Whether it was Uchiha Madara's Infinite Tsukuyomi or the idea of the person named Nagato from the later generations to use an ultimate weapon to make the world taste pain, both were attempts to solve worldly conflicts once and for all. In Fūmori Masaki's view, even if one starts with righteous intentions, the process of taking shortcuts often leads one away from the right path and eventually down a crooked one.
Setting aside Madara's imagined Infinite Tsukuyomi, Fūmori Masaki did not agree with Nagato's idea—or rather, he only agreed with part of it. Indeed, making the world taste pain could make them realize the preciousness of peace, and under the suppression of an ultimate weapon, people would not fight as they would all be constrained by it. But the question was—who would constrain Nagato?
If things proceeded according to Nagato's idea, the world he constructed would be no different from when Ōtsutsuki Kaguya ruled a thousand years ago, and Kaguya's end might be Nagato's future. This form of rule relied too heavily on individual morality, and Fūmori Masaki did not believe that an unrestrained person's morality could remain unchanged forever.
If Nagato's idea and Hashirama's idea were synthesized, perhaps there would be higher feasibility, and it might even ensure a more long-term peace.
Of course, the current Fūmori Masaki could not interfere in this area yet. At the very least, he had to reach the position of Hokage before he could freely face issues between nations. His primary focus for now was the matter of the First Great Ninja War.
Fūmori Masaki was thinking about Senjutsu. Hashirama had said that Fūmori Masaki's Senjutsu was different from the three great Senjutsu heritage sites. How to use his own method was the problem he needed to research.
According to Fūmori Masaki's knowledge, Mount Myōboku's Senjutsu was mainly reflected in integrating with Ninjutsu and mobilizing Natural Energy for attacks. Ryūchi Cave's Senjutsu was mainly reflected in injecting Natural Energy into inorganic matter to manipulate it for attacks. As for Shikkotsu Forest, he didn't know, but Fūmori Masaki guessed it should involve injecting Natural Energy into the body to stimulate life force.
The Senjutsu of the three great heritage sites had been summarized through years of experience. Once one practiced their Senjutsu, corresponding characteristics would appear. Although these were just different ways of using Senjutsu, the unique styles were very distinct. According to Hashirama, Shikkotsu Forest's Senjutsu did not possess the abilities of Ryūchi Cave or Mount Myōboku's Senjutsu.
Fūmori Masaki's Senjutsu had emerged naturally. Unlike the unique operational traces of the three great heritage sites, his Senjutsu did not yet bear anyone's mark. Theoretically, he could use Senjutsu Chakra as he pleased, thereby creating a Senjutsu style unique to himself.
Out of curiosity, Fūmori Masaki had tried to use the Frog Kata from Mount Myōboku, which uses Natural Energy to attack. He thought that since he didn't know Mount Myōboku's Senjutsu cultivation method, he shouldn't be able to use it, but to his surprise, he picked it up very easily.
This gave him another idea; perhaps he could also try using Ryūchi Cave's concepts. However, the result was a failure. Fūmori Masaki was not discouraged because the reason for his failure was not an inability to use it, but a lack of familiarity. As he grew older, his mental state was also undergoing subtle changes. Normally, he just felt his control over Natural Energy had become more refined, but now he discovered other wonderful uses.
If Fūmori Masaki wasn't mistaken, he should be able to use the Senjutsu of Mount Myōboku, Ryūchi Cave, and Shikkotsu Forest, not being limited to just one.