The sounds of Tsunade and Orochimaru had completely faded.
Though helpless, Tobirama Senju could only say, "Brother's right. Worrying is pointless."
He'd once considered using Edo Tensei to revive Hashirama Senju.
But it wasn't true revival.
It merely dragged the dead back to the living world, not truly alive. Those sustained by the jutsu remained dead, and prolonged existence was mental torment.
"Not necessarily."
Suddenly, a voice intruded abruptly into their ears.
Both turned sharply.
A man, unnoticed until now, stood nearby, holding a dome-topped scepter, cradling a snow-white cat, and smiling at them.
It was, of course, Shen Mo.
He'd watched from above for a while, and seeing the fight nearly over, decided to make an appearance.
"Who are you?" Tobirama asked gravely.
"No matter who, we can't do anything about it," Hashirama said, less tense.
After all, their bodies were almost gone, reduced to just heads.
"You two are quite interesting," Shen Mo said, eyeing them with curiosity. "This world's history is short, but among the countless departed souls, your quality ranks in the top twenty—at least in terms of talent and will."
"What do you mean?"
Tobirama frowned. Even with seconds left before complete dissolution, he instinctively sought information.
This man was too mysterious.
"Since it's rare to meet souls like you, let's have a casual chat," Shen Mo said, lightly tapping his scepter.
No other action followed.
But—
Their bodies' disintegration stopped.
Abruptly halted, leaving just their heads, frozen in place, even the scattered dust suspended in midair.
"What—!?" Tobirama exclaimed, unable to believe the change.
Not reversed, not accelerated, but paused in an incomprehensible way, halting the collapse of their Edo Tensei bodies and anchoring their souls!
"That's impressive," Hashirama said, equally shocked but more awed.
Their reactions highlighted their contrasting personalities.
"Just pausing time," Shen Mo said with a light chuckle. "I'm not from this world. If you view me through your old worldview, there's no need to talk—you'd just keep marveling."
Time pause!
Not from this world!
Those two statements alone were enough to stun them.
But both had once stood at the world's pinnacle.
They quickly regained composure.
"What's your purpose?" Tobirama asked directly, decisive and blunt.
"Tobirama!" Hashirama called disapprovingly, then studied Shen Mo with a smile. "How should we address you?"
"Call me Shen Mo."
Shen Mo looked at Hashirama, impressed by his strong charisma.
His heart radiated warmth.
In a world like this, such a person was remarkable.
"Lord Shen Mo," Hashirama said, unaware Shen Mo could read hearts, smiling. "Tsunade's power is connected to you, isn't it?"
Most wouldn't make the connection so quickly.
But Hashirama had that intuition.
"Correct," Shen Mo nodded. "But not without cost. In my domain, with the right price, determination, potential, and luck, anyone can obtain their wildest dreams—because I'm a merchant who travels the infinite worlds."
That statement carried immense weight.
A merchant.
Claiming to traverse infinite worlds.
Both could glean much from those words.
"Anything?" Tobirama narrowed his eyes.
Frankly, he couldn't read this man or discern truth from falsehood.
So he probed for flaws in his words.
Who could claim to provide anything?
"Indeed, anything!" Shen Mo emphasized, confident. "Worlds have tiers, and yours is low. For you, there's nothing I can't do."
"…"
Both sensed the certainty in Shen Mo's words.
Not forced bravado.
But as if it were natural, undeniable.
That made it all the more terrifying.
"What about resurrection?" Tobirama asked gravely. "True resurrection, not Edo Tensei. Can you do that?"
"Of course," Shen Mo smiled. "But given your strength and what you can offer, the odds are low unless fate wills it."
Defying death wasn't simple.
Even in this world…
The Rinnegan could do it, but at a steep cost and with conditions.
For Shen Mo to revive them…
A custom service.
Roughly two million trading points.
And that's with their souls already present.
Via cans…
At least Level 4.
"Since you can't do it, what's there to say?" Tobirama snorted.
He wasn't desperate for revival, just testing Shen Mo's grandiose claims.
Too little time, too little power.
He couldn't gauge this mysterious self-proclaimed interdimensional merchant.
"We're dead, with nothing to offer," Hashirama said with a laugh, then looked at Shen Mo expectantly. "Lord Shen Mo, if it's not too much trouble, could you tell me about Konoha? I'm dying to know how it's doing."
His greatest concern was Konoha.
Or rather, whether his dream of peace and a thriving village had come true.
Shen Mo sighed inwardly.
Elite players were like this—calm and rational unless their core was touched. No hope of them becoming addicted to gacha.
But…
"Konoha, huh," he said, glancing at them meaningfully. "It's not doing so well."
"Really?" Hashirama's mouth fell open, and Tobirama's gaze sharpened.
"There've been two more ninja world wars," Shen Mo said casually. "The Uchiha clan was wiped out, the Fourth Hokage died in battle long ago, and aside from Tsunade, the Senju clan is gone. Oh, and that Orochimaru is Hiruzen Sarutabi's student, but he defected and is now plotting to destroy Konoha, possibly controlling the Hidden Sand Village."