"Kazuki… I think I've begun to understand the demonic nature of the Uchiha clan…"
No one knew how much time had passed before Tobirama suddenly spoke.
"After becoming a sage in an instant, when I look at weaker shinobi, I can't help but feel a trace of disdain."
"Beyond their human form, the gap between a Six Paths being and a mere genin… it's greater than that between a man and an ant."
"The shift in mindset brought by power might gradually turn one cold and indifferent. In time, you could become unrecognizable—even to your closest kin, or to yourself."
Tobirama spoke from his heart.
It was a new question entirely: how to maintain one's humanity after becoming a god.
In this moment, Tobirama could finally understand Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo's past thoughts.
Not agree with them—only understand his logic.
It wasn't that the Sage of Six Paths was utterly cold and unfeeling, turning a blind eye to the shinobi world drowned in flames of war…
It was as though it were a scientific experiment.
The rabbits, the white mice—no sympathy was stirred. They were merely materials for research.
This was the so-called divinity born of power—or rather, the erasure of what once was humanity.
And Tobirama couldn't help but ask himself a question.
If even he, after consuming just a single chakra fruit, already felt this way…
Then what of Kazuki, whose power far surpassed his own?
But when Tobirama looked at Kazuki, lying there like a carefree farm boy upon a rock, he let out a relieved smile.
Kazuki was clearly still the Kazuki he knew, not some god stripped of humanity by power.
"Actually, you're right, Tobirama…" Kazuki's voice sounded faintly. "It's easy enough to understand. Not just the Uchiha's Mangekyō—truth is, many people change drastically after gaining power.
"Power is a double-edged sword. If you cannot control it, you become its slave—destroying yourself in meaningless pursuit of greater strength, or in emotions spiraling out of control."
"That you could realize this problem the very moment you gained the Six Paths' power… Tobirama, I'd expect no less from you."
Kazuki did not hold back his praise.
His old partner truly possessed an exceptionally keen mind, able to analyze everything he saw with unshakable calm and reason.
Tobirama instinctively folded his arms and gave a faint smile. "Naturally."
"As your senior in this matter, Tobirama, I have some experience to share…"
Kazuki lifted off the straw hat, his expression turning serious as he spoke slowly.
"After gaining Shibai's power, I inherited fragments of his memories as well. The problem you just mentioned—that same issue was widespread within the Ōtsutsuki clan.
"What people call divinity… in truth, it's a kind of deformity. A sickness, born when power erases self-awareness."
"If you want to avoid this, my experience is that you need anchors of humanity. By anchors, I mean people—those I choose are you, Tsunade, Kaguya, Shisui, Asuma…"
Kazuki went on calmly: "You go without saying. On this road, without the support between the two of us, there's no way I could have overturned the entire Ōtsutsuki clan with nothing but a mortal's body.
"As for Tsunade, viewed from a purely utilitarian angle, she may no longer be of use to me… but if I look back, when I had yet to find footing in Konoha, it was she who brought me into the Hokage's circle, who openly supported me again and again."
"She is the witness to my growth, and one of my inseparable anchors."
"Then there's Uchiha Rin—it's the same. Without her, how would I ever have bound Uchiha Obito instantly with my dōjutsu?"
Kazuki's tone was casual.
"You need to find those with whom you share bonds—those who walk with you and love you. Power erodes humanity, but these precious people will keep supplying you with the light of human warmth."
In truth, Kazuki had let slip a secret.
His contact with Uchiha Obito had not been natural or beautiful at all—he had done it deliberately.
Tobirama only gave a knowing nod, utterly unconcerned.
In his view, none of this mattered. Even if Kazuki had once deceived a good person, it must have been for the sake of making that person—and the world itself—better.
And in truth, Kazuki had never once wronged anyone who deserved kindness.
Tobirama reflected on Kazuki's words.
If such a thing as anchors of humanity truly existed, then where were his own?
He thought back across his life…
The people who mattered to him.
The first, without a doubt, was Kazuki.
But then—damn it—an infuriating Uchiha face rose unbidden in his mind.
Damn you, Uchiha Izuna. Get out!
Hashirama, Tsunade, Mito…
One after another, the truly important people appeared in his thoughts, even Sarutobi Hiruzen.
"Kazuki's voice was calm, deliberate. "Tobirama, although the shinobi world will remain at peace for a very long time—measured in spans of thousands, even tens of thousands of years—the struggle between humanity and divinity will always be a cruel battlefield without smoke or fire."
"So, just as when facing a powerful enemy, you must arm yourself to the fullest."
Tobirama nodded with grave seriousness.
This was no small matter. This was war.
"That's why you need to choose multiple, layered anchors," Kazuki continued. "What I mean is—not only bonds like ours, or ties of kinship and friendship. You must also complete yourself in the aspects of humanity. Only then can you strengthen it to the utmost."
Tobirama listened carefully, though a little confused.
Complete humanity?
Kinship, friendship, mentorship, even bonds with enemies—he already had all of those.
So what part did Kazuki think he was missing?
At last, Kazuki laid his cards on the table.
"Simply put, you need to marry someone. That is a weapon against divinity itself! Find someone you love, who loves you, and keep them by your side always…"
Tobirama almost cracked. "Wait, Kazuki…"
For once, even this sharp-minded Senju couldn't tell if Kazuki was seriously discussing how to resist divine erosion, or if he had just invented an absurd theory to pressure him into marriage.
Truthfully…
Compared to Kazuki, the matchmaking pressure from Hashirama and Mito was laughably weak!
At most, they brought out the parents and tried to guilt him—that was child's play.
Tobirama had carried on his forbidden jutsu experiments in secret for years without wavering. Now that his power no longer paled before Hashirama's, how could Mito or Hashirama force him into anything?
But Kazuki had changed the battlefield entirely—creating something no one had ever conceived before: the theory of divine matchmaking!
How was he supposed to endure that?
"No… I mean… what I'm trying to say is…" For once, the eloquent Tobirama found himself stammering. Even with his intellect, he couldn't think of a rebuttal in the moment.
This wasn't some blind date.
This was war—a war against the erosion of divinity itself!
"But still, Kazuki, like you said—I can't just marry any woman at random. If this is truly to be a human anchor, then of course it has to be someone I love, who loves me in return…"
After a moment, Tobirama gradually regained his ability to argue.
"But I can't find such a person! In the entire shinobi world, there isn't anyone I want!"
Kazuki nodded, showing he understood.
Indeed, Tobirama wasn't wrong. If he simply forced himself to be with someone he didn't truly like, then such a bond could never serve as an anchor.
"No one in the entire shinobi world?"
"Not a single one. Don't doubt me, Kazuki—I really thought this through. I was the commander-in-chief of the Allied Shinobi Forces. I have an impression of every single shinobi!" Tobirama declared with pride.
It seemed Kazuki's ultimate matchmaking tactic had been turned back on him.
"Then tell me, what exactly are you looking for?"
Kazuki narrowed his eyes. "It's fantasy time now!"
Tobirama thought for a long moment, sinking into silence.
At last, he spoke slowly.
"First, she has to match my aesthetics. I know looks are meaningless… but they still have a little meaning."
"Alright, shallow old man, I get it. Don't try to justify it." Kazuki rolled his eyes.
"Uh… and she has to keep up with my thinking. I need a partner I can communicate with smoothly. If she can't understand what I say or think, I'll only feel bored and weary."
"Beyond that, maybe I don't have many requirements. Her character should be strong, preferably a kunoichi with great potential. If she's witty and humorous, someone whose temperament matches mine, that would be even better…"
Tobirama really began to fantasize, shaping the image of his dream partner piece by piece, as though sculpting a face—one condition after another, with no end in sight.
Kazuki listened with remarkable patience.
"So—beautiful, powerful enough to rival you, with a mind and research ability not much weaker than yours… on top of that, witty and humorous enough to form a true bond, and ideally someone who has endured the trials of war by your side since before your rise?"
Kazuki folded his arms just like Tobirama, his voice low. "Old man, aren't you asking for a bit too much? Where am I supposed to find you a woman like that?"
"This isn't matchmaking—you're conjuring up some flawless goddess from thin air!"
"I don't care. If such a woman doesn't exist, then I won't marry. Without her, I'd have no anchor strong enough to resist divinity. Forcing myself with someone else would only drain me."
Tobirama arched his brow triumphantly and spread his hands wide.
As if to say—That's just how it is. My standards are high!
"Alright… so that's how you want to play it." A cold glint flashed in Kazuki's eyes.
If it had been anyone else, Tobirama's demands might have been impossible.
But Kazuki?
If the shinobi world held no woman worthy of Tobirama Senju, then across the countless worlds beyond—surely one existed. And Kazuki would find her.
Just like his promise to resurrect him, Kazuki's word was iron.
A promise made was a promise kept.
Requirements? Every last one would be fulfilled.
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