It would be impossible for Hashirama to be fine one day and suddenly die the next; anyone would see a problem with that, and it would tip off the enemy.
"Then how can we make Kumogakure believe our intelligence? Having these spies turn against us isn't very reliable."
Tobirama had already considered this problem: "Transformation Jutsu can solve this, and we can also obtain the secret codes for interfacing with Kumogakure ninja."
With that, this matter was essentially set in stone, just waiting for Kumogakure to slowly take the bait so Konoha could deliver a heavy blow.
"Does Sensei know about this?"
Tobirama shook his head: "I haven't told him yet. He's never liked war. It won't be too late to tell him once Kumogakure truly marches troops against us."
This was true. If Hashirama were told now, he would surely have a huge argument with Tobirama, as Tobirama's actions were fundamentally disrupting peace. Rather than having brothers squabble, it was better to wait until Kumogakure believed Hashirama was dead and broke the treaty by attacking Konoha before informing Hashirama. This way, Hashirama would completely lose hope in Kumogakure.
Once Kumogakure sent troops, some nations would start to stir, but when Hashirama joined the battle, dispelling the rumors of his death and dealing a heavy blow to Kumogakure, other nations would be truly terrified of Konoha, or rather, of Hashirama. This would, in turn, maintain relative peace for a longer period. However, where there are people, there will be conflict; true peace only exists on paper.
"Alright, don't tell anyone about today's matters. This is our secret."
Torifū grinned: "Don't worry, Hokage-sama, my lips are sealed." He then turned and left the Hokage's Office.
[Ding-B-rank mission: Apprehend Spies, completed. Reward: Peace Points.]
Hmm, pretty decent. The accumulated Peace Points from various sources had now reached ten thousand, bringing the total to eighty thousand. There wasn't really anything good to buy, and he forgot to ask Kakuzu if he had acquired any Kekkei Genkai blood. There was no need to go find him again; Kakuzu would contact Torifū himself in two days anyway, bringing Amado along. Amado was what Torifū was most looking forward to; he was still young, only six years old. Keeping him by his side would easily foster a bond and make him more loyal to Torifū.
Time passed quickly. In the early morning two days later, Torifū woke from his sleep. He felt a slight warmth from the mark on his arm, which he assumed meant Kakuzu was calling him.
"He arrived so early; he must be afraid of attracting attention during the day."
If it were just Kakuzu alone, infiltrating the area around Konoha would be relatively easy, but he was bringing Amado along. A six-year-old child who hadn't even learned to mold chakra, let alone conceal his presence. In the early morning, there were generally no ninja patrolling or performing missions around Konoha Village. That's why Kakuzu chose this time to bring Amado over.
"Ah~, Uncle, do we really have to get up this early?" Amado was clearly not fully awake, yawning repeatedly. This made even the usually energetic Kakuzu feel a bit drowsy: "Don't ask so many questions. Soon, you won't have to follow me anymore. Enjoy your life in Konoha Village."
Amado said nothing, just waited quietly. He didn't dare to wish for comfort or luxury, only for a stable life.
Not long after, the Sharingan puppet emerged from the mark on Kakuzu's arm.
"You arrived so early? If I didn't usually wake up early, I probably wouldn't have received your message."
Kakuzu's voice was deep: "I was afraid of unexpected incidents, especially since you seem so concerned about this child."
Torifū smiled: "Well done. This child will be of great use to me and to the organization."
Kakuzu pouted. 'Just a little kid who likes making crafts, what great use could he possibly be? Are we expecting these wooden contraptions to fight?'
He grumbled internally but didn't say it aloud. After all, what the leader said, went. There was no need to argue with him. He just wanted to finish the mission handover quickly so he could go somewhere else. Every time he thought of his experiences in Konoha Village, a chill ran down Kakuzu's spine. That Hashirama was truly not human.
"Oh, right." With that, Kakuzu pulled out a bottle of blood from his pocket. He didn't know what it was preserved in, but it was still bright red after all these days. "This is a Kekkei Genkai from Iwagakure, called Lava Release. It mainly uses things like quicklime."
"Oh?" Kumotsuru Torifū took the bottle of blood. It looked no different from normal blood. After glancing at it, he had Amado hold it. "You hold onto this for me for now. This isn't my main body."
Amado nodded, took the blood bottle from Torifū's hand, feeling a slight sense of fear. He then tucked it into his embrace, keeping it safe. Torifū wasn't particularly interested in this Kekkei Genkai. He had initially thought it was the Lava Release that controlled lava, but a second thought made it unlikely. Controlling lava was the Four-Tails' ability; Rōshi only learned Lava Release because he became a jinchūriki. The other type of Lava Release was what Kurotsuchi used, which wasn't very interesting; it mainly involved restricting movement, somewhat like a low-tier sealing jutsu. It was truly quite uninteresting.
Anyway, the Tailed Beasts were all in Konoha Village. In the future, once someone learned a Tailed Beast's elemental release, Torifū would secretly extract a tube of their blood.
Kakuzu could tell from Torifū's expression that he didn't particularly like this item; he had known this outcome when he killed that ninja. After all, he had taken down a Kekkei Genkai ninja with hardly any effort; it was quite embarrassing. This kind of elemental release probably wasn't very useful. Besides, the leader already had the Nidaime Tsuchikage's Dust Release from Iwagakure; he certainly wouldn't care for this kind of elemental release.
However, even if Torifū didn't like it, he didn't dislike it either, as someone had put effort into obtaining it.
"This thing isn't of much use to me, but it's fine. Consider it a bonus."
Kakuzu nodded, saying nothing more. "Bloodline limits are quite rare, so just let it be. If you encounter ninjas with similar ideals, you can invite them to join the organization, but I will need to approve them."
"Understood, Leader."
Given this, there was nothing else to report. Torifū was in a very good mood, because the electronic products he had always wanted were now within reach. Perhaps in ten years, Konoha could enter modern society.
"I'm taking Amado now. You should leave soon too."
Kakuzu nodded, then turned and left, disappearing in the blink of an eye.
"Let's go, Amado. We're going back to the village."
After Kakuzu left, Amado became a bit timid and didn't dare to speak much. Presumably, this was because of Torifū; it was clear that Torifū hadn't yet gained Amado's trust.