[Timeline: Second Hokage Era]
[Year: 17th Year of Konohagakure]
[Unification Progress: 19%]
Kinkaku and Ginkaku arrived with eighteen elite Hidden Cloud shinobi, closing in fast through the forest. Their movements were swift and confident—they knew exactly who was waiting for them.
And when they saw only Tobirama Senju standing alone, they didn't even bother hiding their amusement.
Ginkaku sneered. "So, you're the only one left? The great Second Hokage… abandoned by his guards?"
He chuckled, flashing sharp teeth. "Don't tell me they ran off and left you behind, the Hokage."
Hokage? More like Hoka-gone!"
Tobirama didn't answer.
His cold eyes locked on them, emotionless. Focused.
He didn't even blink as his gaze landed on the Amber Purification Pot strapped to Ginkaku's back—a short, squat relic, glowing faintly with a sinister orange-yellow light.
One of the Six Paths Ninja Tools.
It looked ridiculous. Small, even child-like in design.
But Tobirama knew better.
This thing had sealed the Second Raikage with a single trick. During the failed peace talks, Kinkaku had lured the Raikage into responding to a phrase. Just one word—and the Amber Bottle activated, sucking the Raikage in like a toy being shelved, only to be killed minutes later.
In terms of raw strength, the Second Raikage had far outclassed both brothers.
But brute strength didn't mean a thing against tools that bent the rules of life and death.
Tobirama had been caught off guard during that meeting too. The sneak attack from Kinkaku had wounded him badly—and even now, the damage lingered. His organs hurt with every breath, and his chakra reserves were dangerously low.
And yet, he'd still managed to lead Sarutobi and the others through enemy territory—escaping from the heart of Hidden Cloud Village alive.
That, in itself, was nothing short of legendary.
Still, Tobirama had no illusions about the tools the brothers carried. The Six Paths Ninja Tools weren't just dangerous—they were lethal if underestimated. And without proper knowledge, even a Hokage could die without understanding how.
Which is why, now, he remained silent.
As long as he didn't speak, the Amber Pot couldn't seal him.
Seeing this, Kinkaku chuckled and nudged his brother.
"He's not talking," he said. "Kekeke big bro he's afraid of the pot."
"Smart of him," Ginkaku muttered. "But we both know what he's doing. He's trying to hold us here—to buy time for his precious little Konoha brats to get away."
He spat to the side, laughing coldly. "Is this what Hokage means now? Throwing your life away for subordinates? How pathetic."
Then his grin widened. "No wonder Konoha's falling apart. Without Hashirama Senju, it's just a pile of trash."
"Tch. Enough talk," Kinkaku snapped. "He's injured. I'll take care of him. You go after the others before they reach safety."
"No way," Ginkaku smirked. "We kill him first. The Raikage's dead. If we take out the Hokage too… do you know how big our names will be in the ninja world?"
"Fine. Together, then."
Kinkaku raised the Banana Fan, one of the most versatile—and chakra-draining—of the Six Paths tools.
"Let's see how long he lasts."
"Fire Style: Flame Wave Scroll!"
A tornado of fire, searing hot and swirling violently, burst forth from the fan. It roared toward Tobirama like a flaming beast, lighting up the entire forest.
"Water Style: Water Formation Wall!"
Tobirama reacted instantly, spewing a stream of water from his mouth that twisted and spun into a high-pressure rotating barrier. The fire met the water mid-air, steam exploding outward as the techniques clashed.
His water barrier was famous across the ninja world—one of the strongest defensive Water Styles known. But Tobirama was not at full strength, and everyone here knew it.
Kinkaku poured more chakra into the Banana Fan, intensifying the flames.
Tobirama's water wall flickered, shrinking under the heat. Seconds passed—and then—
Boom!
The water barrier collapsed in a burst of steam, flames rushing in.
But there was no scream.
Just a puff of white smoke.
"…A shadow clone?" Ginkaku's eyes widened.
"Too late." Mutter by Tobirama.
"Water Style: Severing Wave!"
Tobirama's real body appeared behind the Cloud troops, his hands already forming signs. A high-pressure jet of water—narrow, sharp, deadly—shot out from his mouth, slicing through the forest like a blade.
Panic exploded.
Cloud ninjas dove in all directions, trying to escape the cutting jet.
Ginkaku was barely able to deflect the blast using the Seven Star Sword, but the impact knocked him off his feet.
Kinkaku jumped clear, snarling.
But the rest of their forces?
Nine Hidden Cloud jonin were sliced clean in half.
The survivors froze, staring in disbelief at the shredded remains of their comrades. Nearly half their team—wiped out in seconds.
Even Tobirama blinked.
Did I overestimate them?
Had he made a mistake choosing retreat over a direct fight? Could he have turned the tables with Hiruzen and the others?
But no. He couldn't gamble like that.
If they'd lost—even by a hair—then all of them would've died here. Worse, Konoha would never even know what happened. No messengers, no reports. They'd think Tobirama was still negotiating.
And then, the twins' surprise attack would crush them.
No. The risk was too great.
Tactical retreat was the only path. Even if I die here, they must live.
Still… if he could just finish this...
More chakra. More traps. More kills.
He gritted his teeth.
He'd already set up explosive seals. The enemy was spread out. All he needed was the right opening.
Boom—!
Smoke and debris exploded outward.
Tobirama activated the trap.
Detonating tags he had laid in advance detonated across the battlefield, cloaking everything in smoke and flames. Confusion took over. Enemy chakra signatures scrambled in the chaos.
Time to move.
[Flying Thunder God: First Step!]
Tobirama vanished in a blur, his body flickering between the marked kunai he had spread around earlier.
To the enemy, it was as if he had become a ghost—appearing and disappearing mid-attack, his chakra unreadable, his presence untouchable.
In just a few heartbeats, seven more Cloud jonin lay dead.
Cut down before they even saw the strike coming.
But this came at a cost.
His chakra reserves—already low—were now dangerously close to zero.
This wasn't the refined, upgraded version of Flying Thunder God that Minato Namikaze would one day master. Tobirama's version worked—but it was raw, chakra-hungry, and unforgiving.
He couldn't afford long-distance teleportation anymore.
Even if he could save one or two, he'd never abandon the rest.
He was a Hokage.
He was Tobirama Senju.
He'd rather die than leave his students behind.
From the shadows, Ginkaku and Kinkaku regrouped.
They were furious.
These Cloud ninjas were their best—their most loyal. If they all died here, what power would the brothers have left when they returned?
"Enough playing around!" Kinkaku roared, slamming the Banana Fan forward.
"Wind Gust!""Lightning Arc!"
A wide blast of wind tore away the smoke, and immediately after, a massive electric grid exploded outward—arcing through trees, soil, and even their own surviving comrades.
Tobirama landed nearby—exhausted—and had no time to dodge.
Lightning ripped through him.
Every nerve screamed. His body convulsed, frozen by pain.
He couldn't move.
Kinkaku's eyes lit up. "Kekeke—got you now!"
He hurled out the Golden Rope, which wrapped around Tobirama's arm like a snake.
And then—it began.
The curse of the Golden Rope: any target touched would involuntarily speak their most-used word or phrase.
Tobirama's eyes widened in alarm.
No—!
But it was too late.
His mouth opened against his will.
"…Die! Evil Uchiha!"
Thus after he said that a glowing phrase—half-transparent and floating—appeared in the air in front of him.
In the distance, Ginkaku, who had recovered first, smirked.
He raised the Seven Star Sword.
"Time to finish this."
With a sharp throw, the sword spun through the air, glinting in the fading light.
It didn't hit Tobirama.
Instead—it cut through the word-spirit floating in front of him.
"Perfect!"
The sword struck the ground, humming.
Ginkaku held up the Amber Purification Pot and pointed it toward the severed phrase.
"Collect it!"
A vacuum-like suction began, pulling the floating phrase—"Die! Evil Uchiha!"—into the gourd, where it would be sealed forever.
Moments later, the Seven Star Sword on the ground began to glow faintly, the same phrase now carved into its blade.
Ginkaku walked over and peered at it.
"Wait… that's your catchphrase?"
He burst out laughing.
"Kekekeke… You're the Second Hokage! Brother of the great Hashirama! And the word you say the most is—'Die, Evil Uchiha'?!"
Even Kinkaku blinked in disbelief.
"That's… kinda sad, brother."
Ginkaku doubled over with laughter.
"What, you got a grudge? You obsessed with them or something?"
"Don't tell me you're actually in love with the Uchiha clan!?"
Tobirama's eye twitched.
His teeth clenched.
The deepest humiliation of his life—was right now.