One minute later, inside the Hokage's office.
Kai and Senju Hashirama sat facing each other. Outside the door, Tobirama—acting like a scorned housewife—had his ear pressed against the wall, eavesdropping shamelessly.
Hashirama naturally noticed his brother's rudeness and sighed helplessly.
"Do you need me to set up a sound barrier?"
"Nah, it's fine."
Kai hadn't planned on keeping this a secret anyway. Whether Tobirama eavesdropped or not didn't matter. As long as he could convince Hashirama, what was Tobirama going to do? Override his big brother? Yeah, right.
"So then, what exactly did you want to discuss?"
Kai paused, then began laying out his rehearsed pitch.
"The future of the entire ninja world."
"Oh?"
"How about we each ask one question at a time? Keeps things fair. You can refuse to answer if you want." Kai took the initiative to suggest.
With someone like Hashirama, sincerity worked better than bullshit.
Hashirama relaxed a bit. He preferred talking to reasonable people anyway.
"You first."
After a brief hesitation, Hashirama asked the question weighing most heavily on his mind: "Your eyes…?"
"They're the Rinnegan."
Kai admitted it openly. If he could flex with these eyes and add some weight to the negotiation, why not?
"The legendary eyes of the Sage of Six Paths… the most revered of the Three Great Dōjutsu. I never imagined they actually existed! So the legends weren't just fairy tales after all. Does that mean you and the Sage of Six Paths are—"
"Acquainted. But not close."
I mean, every Naruto fan knows that perk-dispensing old man.
But to Hashirama, those words were terrifying.
This person actually knew the Sage of Six Paths?! The founder of Ninshū itself?! Did that mean he'd been alive since the age of legends?!
How was that even possible?!
But those Rinnegan didn't look fake…
"Who… exactly are you?"
"Let's just say I'm a God who doesn't belong to this era."
Kai laid his cards on the table. Technically, he was kind of an God—or at least a Pre-God currently grinding through the main quest to godhood.
Hashirama froze again.
He didn't completely believe it, but the shock was real.
He was already considering how to verify this stranger's identity—without pissing him off in the process.
"My turn."
"Go ahead."
"Aren't you in a hurry to see your boyfriend?"
"You mean Madara? Nah, no rush. He'll wait for me!" Hashirama patted his chest confidently. He had complete faith in his bond with Madara.
Kai smiled faintly, decided not to tease him further, and got straight to the point.
"First Hokage, Senju Hashirama—what kind of world are you trying to create?"
Hashirama's aura shifted. His entire demeanor became three degrees more serious as he answered solemnly:
"I want to create a peaceful world—a world where children don't have to go to war!"
"And you plan to achieve that through your so-called 'shinobi alliance village system'?"
"Exactly! The Hidden Leaf Village, founded jointly by the Uchiha and Senju, has already gained widespread support. The Land of Earth has established the Hidden Stone Village, with their leader calling himself the Tsuchikage. Other nations are following suit. Once this village system is fully developed, it will replace the chaos of the Warring States period. At the very least, shinobi won't have to depend on noble clans anymore, and the endless cycle of war will finally stop…"
Hashirama had lived through the darkness of the Warring States era firsthand.
Even the Senju Clan—the most powerful shinobi clan—couldn't escape unscathed. Butsuma Senju had five sons. Only two survived.
The average lifespan during the Warring States period was under thirty years. Children who could hold a blade were forced onto battlefields. Most kids were lucky to live past ten.
Because Hashirama knew the cruelty of that era so intimately, he was determined to end it.
He had never been a dreamer. He was a doer.
And he had genuinely ended the Warring States period with his own hands, ushering in the new era of Hidden Villages.
"And how can you guarantee this village system is the right path? What's stopping larger-scale wars from breaking out between villages in the future?"
"I can't guarantee the future. But right now, this system is working. It is ending the chaos of the Warring States. And I'm actively searching for ways to keep the great villages in check moving forward." Hashirama responded earnestly.
A small spark of joy flickered in his heart. This was exactly the dilemma he'd been pondering—and he'd been hoping to discuss it with someone.
"The Tailed Beasts?"
"I've considered it, but I haven't contacted all of them yet. The village is still under construction. I'm planning to approach the Tailed Beasts once things stabilize in a few years."
Hashirama might've been a gambler, a drinker, and hopelessly obsessed with Madara—but he genuinely cared about the village's future.
"One last question. What are you trying to protect? The village… or your loved ones?"
"Of course it's—"
Hashirama stopped mid-sentence. An answer that would've rolled off his tongue without hesitation a year ago now gave him pause.
"No need to rush your answer. How about you listen to Konoha's future first?"
"Year 17 of Konoha: The First Great Ninja War breaks out."
"Year 37 of Konoha: The Second Great Ninja War breaks out."
"Year 45 of Konoha: The Third Great Ninja War breaks out."
"Year 68 of Konoha: The Fourth Great Ninja War breaks out…"
"In less than seventy years, four Great Ninja Wars. The intensity and casualties of each war rival—if not exceed—the brutality of the Warring States era."
"This is the peace your village system maintains?"
Hashirama froze. Kai's words struck his heart like a sledgehammer.
He had anticipated that the future wouldn't be entirely peaceful. The struggle for resources and power was human nature, after all. But he'd never imagined the wars would be this catastrophic—four worldwide conflicts in just a few decades.
Was this stranger lying to him?
Or could the legendary Rinnegan actually see the future?
"Wait! Are you saying all of this is real? That it will happen? You can see the future?"
"Do you believe me?"
"I… I don't want to believe it…"
Hashirama was resolute. As long as he was alive, he would do everything in his power to prevent another Great Ninja War.
Logically, wars shouldn't break out this frequently.
Unless…
Kai saw Hashirama's doubt and spoke plainly: "You're right. Year 16 of Konoha—you die. And the year after your death? The First Great Ninja War erupts."
"Impossible!"
The door burst open. Tobirama, who'd been eavesdropping for far too long, finally snapped.
He refused to believe his brother would die that early. There was no one left in the ninja world who could defeat Hashirama.
He was going to expose this fraud's lies!
"Big Brother, don't listen to his bullshit!"
"Tobirama!"
Hashirama roared, furious at his brother's disrespectful outburst. He immediately apologized to Kai on Tobirama's behalf.
"Big Brother, I—"
Kai didn't take offense. Instead, he continued calmly:
"Senju Tobirama. Want to know how you die?"
"Huh?"
"You get ganged up on and killed by a bunch of Cloud ninja."
"Impossible. Absolutely impossible! You bastard—don't think you can deceive me! I'm not as gullible as Big Brother!"
Tobirama exploded in rage, visibly shaking.
He absolutely refused to accept that as his death!
Are you kidding me?! He was a Forbidden Jutsu Grandmaster! He had the Flying Thunder God Jutsu, Reanimation Jutsu, Mutually Multiplying Explosive Tags, Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu, a whole arsenal of Water Style techniques, and more! How the hell could some random Cloud ninja mob kill him?!
Wait—Cloud ninja? What clan was that even from?
He'd never even heard of them.
This had to be made up. Definitely made up!
But while Tobirama was in denial, Hashirama—standing beside him—was furious. A tidal wave of killing intent erupted from his body. The sheer pressure of his chakra cracked the wooden floor beneath them.
As one of the Naruto world's Certified Little Brother Protectors™(TL/N: Brocons run deep in this series), Hashirama's protectiveness over Tobirama was no less intense than Madara's love for Izuna.
And now, hearing that his precious little brother was going to get killed? Yeah, he couldn't stay calm.
"Sir… could you explain in more detail?"
"Can't explain it in a sentence or two. How about I just take you to see it instead?"
"Huh? See it?"
"You'll understand in a moment."
The moment Kai finished speaking—
Whoosh—
Both Kai and First Hokage Senju Hashirama vanished from the Hokage's office. Without a trace.
This was one of Kai's system abilities:
He could bring the leader of his bound faction with him into another parallel world. They'd be forcibly returned after one hour.
Perfect timing to take Hashirama and show him exactly how his beloved little brother gets wrecked by Cloud ninja!
To Be Continued.