Inside Senju Hashirama's residence, Fūmori Masaki met with Uzumaki Mito, who was dressed in solemn attire. She was clearly prepared. She expressed her gratitude to Fūmori Masaki and felt regret that Senju Tobirama could not return. As Senju Hashirama's wife, she knew of the deep fraternal bond between the two brothers.
"I heard from Uchiha Kagami that Lord Senju Hashirama hasn't woken up recently," Fūmori Masaki asked.
"Yes, that day is likely not far off," Uzumaki Mito sighed softly, turning to lead Fūmori Masaki toward the room where Senju Hashirama was staying.
Just as they were about to arrive, they saw a red-haired woman rushing out of the room. The moment she saw Uzumaki Mito, she called out softly, "Mother," and then walked over quickly.
This red-haired woman was the eldest daughter of Senju Hashirama and Uzumaki Mito, named Senju Misaki, who was also Senju Tsunade's mother. One could tell from her hair color that she had inherited the rich Uzumaki bloodline. However, due to Senju Hashirama's opposition, she did not become a Ninja; instead, after coming of age, she married the son of the Daimyo of the Land of Whirlpools.
Although the Land of Whirlpools was a nation with the Uzumaki Clan as its main body, it did not mean that everyone in the country was a red-haired Uzumaki Clan Member; there were also people from other places who were citizens of the Land of Whirlpools. As time passed, the Daimyo no longer practiced only intra-clan marriages, but also took women not of the Uzumaki Clan into the palace, so the children born were not all able to fully inherit the Uzumaki Clan's bloodline.
The son of the Daimyo whom Senju Misaki married had not fully inherited the Uzumaki Clan's bloodline; he had blonde hair like his mother. In terms of bloodline inheritance, he shouldn't have been allowed to marry Senju Misaki, but since the Daimyo was very fond of his mother and insisted that this son marry Senju Misaki, and Senju Hashirama didn't really care about bloodline inheritance, seeing that his daughter liked him, he agreed to the engagement.
As a result, Senju Tsunade, who was born to Senju Misaki, also had blonde hair, and Senju Tsunade's younger brother, Senju Nawaki, had brown hair. None of them were able to inherit the pure bloodline of the Uzumaki Clan. It couldn't be said that they completely lacked the abilities of the Uzumaki Clan, but at the very least, they couldn't compare to the red-haired Uzumaki Clan Members.
"Mother, Father just woke up, and he looks to be in very good spirits." Senju Misaki's face could not hide her joy.
"What did you say?" Uzumaki Mito was slightly startled, but she did not show any joy. Unlike the young Senju Misaki, Uzumaki Mito had seen many examples during the Warring States Period of people suffering from serious illnesses suddenly appearing normal, only to pass away shortly after.
Fūmori Masaki also realized at this moment that Senju Hashirama waking up did not mean he had recovered. For someone who had been in a coma for so long to suddenly be full of energy, there was only one possibility: it was the final burst of energy before death.
The three of them entered the room and saw Senju Hashirama holding Senju Tsunade high up, laughing heartily, his laughter intermingling with Senju Tsunade's. Kneeling to the side was a black-haired girl. She was Senju Hashirama's youngest daughter, named Senju Kana. Unlike her older sister, she primarily inherited Senju Hashirama's Senju bloodline, though, of course, she also possessed a portion of the Uzumaki Clan's power.
"Oh! Fūmori Masaki, why are you here?" Senju Hashirama hadn't expected to see Fūmori Masaki here. Thinking about it, he said with a hopeful look, "Could it be that while I was in a coma, the war has already ended?"
"Uh, I am sorry to disappoint you, but the war has not ended yet. However, the situation has gradually become clearer. The Land of Lightning has been forced out of our country, and we have also captured an important figure from Kumogakure and are trying to figure out how to negotiate peace with the Land of Lightning," Fūmori Masaki said.
"Is that so." Senju Hashirama felt a wave of disappointment; he had hoped to hear news that the war had ended.
At this moment, Senju Tsunade jumped down from Senju Hashirama's arms, ran in front of Fūmori Masaki, and said in a childish voice, "Fūmori, you're back. Grandpa has been sleeping the whole time and no one has been playing with me. Now it's great, Fūmori you're back, and Grandpa has woken up, so we can keep playing together."
Little Senju Tsunade couldn't understand what death was, and she didn't know about Senju Hashirama's physical condition. She only knew that the grandfather who had always doted on her was sleeping, and Fūmori Masaki had been away. Now that one had returned and the other had woken up, she, who had been depressed these days, could finally play happily.
"You should call him Uncle Fūmori," Senju Misaki gently scolded her daughter and picked her up.
Senju Tsunade struggled unhappily in her mother's arms. At this time, Senju Hashirama laughed and said, "Little Tsunade, Grandpa will play with you in a moment. Let Grandpa talk about some things first, okay?"
Upon hearing this, Senju Tsunade nodded quickly. She believed that her grandfather would not lie to her and would definitely play with her in a moment.
"Father, I'll go help you get something to eat," Senju Misaki said. Senju Hashirama had only drunk some water since waking up. She then asked her younger sister to help her, and Senju Kana stood up to go cook with her older sister.
Only three people remained in the room. Uzumaki Mito and Fūmori Masaki were kneeling on the floor. Uzumaki Mito asked how Senju Hashirama was feeling now, and Senju Hashirama said, "Not bad, I feel like I could go out and move around."
A hint of worry showed in Uzumaki Mito's eyes. Although she knew there wasn't much hope, she was sure that it was Senju Hashirama's powerful body that made him look like he was in good spirits, while in reality, he was still very weak. However, Senju Hashirama's answer was clearly problematic; Senju Hashirama previously hadn't had the ability to go out and move around, yet now that he had just woken up, he was able to go out.
"Mito, I know I don't have many days left to live." Senju Hashirama was very self-aware, then continued, "Therefore, I want to know the true situation of the war."
Uzumaki Mito was slightly startled. Previously, she had only told him good news, and Senju Hashirama, due to his physical discomfort, had not been clear-headed. But now that Senju Hashirama could think clearly, he naturally realized where the messages Uzumaki Mito had conveyed were problematic.
"Fūmori Masaki, you too, is what you just told me true?" Senju Hashirama immediately asked Fūmori Masaki. He was also somewhat suspicious of whether Uzumaki Mito had spoken to him beforehand, asking Fūmori Masaki to misrepresent the war situation. "The fact that Senju Tobirama is not here already shows that the war situation is not optimistic. I hope you can tell me the truth; I don't want to die without knowing anything."
"Senju Hashirama, what Fūmori Masaki said is all true." Knowing she couldn't hide it from Senju Hashirama, Uzumaki Mito decided to reveal everything. "What I told you was actually all true, it's just—"
"A great price was paid, right?" Having experienced many battles, Senju Hashirama understood immediately.
Uzumaki Mito nodded slightly and said, "About five hundred Ninjas have already died in battle, most of whom are Senju Clan Members. I was worried about this, which is why I didn't tell you."
Upon hearing this, Senju Hashirama's face turned slightly pale. He took a deep breath and said, "Is that so? They all died heroically in battle, right?"
"Yes, according to the intelligence sent by Senju Tobirama, they all died while fighting the enemy on the front lines of the battlefield." Uzumaki Mito nodded.
"Sigh, this is also the pressure I put on them." Senju Hashirama sighed. As Hokage, he had not sought personal gain for his own clan. There were actually some voices of dissatisfaction within the clan, but "everyone in the village is one family" was Senju Hashirama's ideal and an unshakable basic philosophy—
The power held by the Senju Clan Members within the village was not that of the number one noble clan; however, in terms of influence, the Senju Clan, having produced two consecutive Hokage, was an example for other clans. Senju Hashirama also often said to everyone at clan meetings that as Senju Clan Members, they must be the first to charge for the sake of Konohagakure. Whether they were people who agreed with this statement or people who wanted the clan to gain higher power, they had to be ahead of others on the battlefield.
Neither Uzumaki Mito nor Fūmori Masaki spoke. This matter could not be stated clearly, but Senju Hashirama's glorious image had indeed brought pressure to the Senju Clan Members, making young children yearn for it and older Ninjas obey to defend their honor. While one could not say the entire loss of the Senju Clan was due to this, there was a part of the reason within it.
"If, in the future, the clan members are no longer willing to bear such honor, you can find a way—it doesn't matter what method you use—to let them make choices based on their own ideas," Senju Hashirama said. "This is something I agree to; you can feel free to go ahead and do it."
"I will tell Senju Tobirama," Uzumaki Mito said.
Senju Hashirama nodded slightly, then said to Fūmori Masaki, "Fūmori Masaki, tell me the situation on the battlefield exactly as it is."
Seeing that Uzumaki Mito had spoken so straightforwardly, Fūmori Masaki did not hide anything either and told him everything in detail. After listening, Senju Hashirama shook his head and said, "The result is not bad; at least the Land of Earth hasn't turned against us. Fūmori Masaki, that concept you proposed called the righteous war is very good. There was already the phrase 'having a just cause' in the past; with this name, the Land of Earth shouldn't turn against us halfway."
"That alone is not enough. In this war, we must also make those invading countries pay some price, so they understand what starting a war costs," Fūmori Masaki said. "I think we also need to find a way to let their ordinary citizens know, perhaps in the future, the citizens will spontaneously resist war."
Senju Hashirama agreed with the former statement, as that was also his idea, but the latter sentence surprised him somewhat. He said, "Although it sounds a bit incredible, I think this idea is not bad. Fūmori Masaki, is this the path to peace you have been thinking about?"
"It's still very immature; this is just a part of it. I think relying on this alone is not enough," Fūmori Masaki said.
"That is enough. It seems my failure has indeed given you some ideas, and they should be better than mine. Whether you can succeed or not, it will accumulate experience for those who come after," Senju Hashirama laughed very happily. "You have not forgotten what I said to you that day; I am truly very happy."
"How could I forget? Only peace can lead to prosperity," Fūmori Masaki said.
"I should give you some help." Senju Hashirama stood up and rummaged through a cabinet, taking out a large pile of scrolls. "These are the experiences of my life. After I got sick, I summarized and recorded them one by one. You can take them and look at them, or let others look at them, as long as they can be useful."
"It doesn't matter even if I take these scrolls to the Ninja Academy?" Fūmori Masaki asked.
"It doesn't matter! As long as you can ensure that the students can learn from them, that's fine," Senju Hashirama said.
"I understand. I will make the most of these scrolls." Fūmori Masaki nodded. This was Senju Hashirama's final gift, and it should be treated as such.
"Good." Senju Hashirama laughed. At this moment, Senju Misaki and Senju Kana entered the room carrying steaming hot food, and he asked Fūmori Masaki to stay for a meal together. While eating, Senju Hashirama, just as in the past, talked with his family, discussed matters with Fūmori Masaki, and played with Senju Tsunade. Because Senju Tobirama could not return, he wrote a letter and asked Fūmori Masaki to pass it on to Senju Tobirama after he returned, and also instructed Fūmori Masaki never to look at the contents inside.
Over the next two days, Senju Hashirama spent his last happy days. Afterward, he never woke up again.