[Timeline: Second Hokage Era]
[Year: 17th Year of Konohagakure]
[Unification Progress: 20%]
At the edge of the battlefield, Hashirama Senju stood motionless, hidden among the branches, watching in silence as his brother fought for his life.
Beside him, Kai stood with arms folded, observing everything calmly, though even his expression flickered slightly when Tobirama was struck by the lightning grid from the Banana Fan and caught in the trap of the Six Paths Ninja Tools.
"…Sir," Hashirama finally said, his voice heavy with urgency. "What exactly are those tools? Are they the reason Tobirama's losing?"
He had never seen them before—not in use. Not like this.
When he was alive, no village, not even the mighty Hidden Cloud, dared to raise such weapons against him. Back then, even when the entirety of the Cloud Village was mobilized, they couldn't capture a single tailed beast. Meanwhile, Hashirama had captured all nine by himself.
The difference in power had been too vast.
But here? In this alternate world—this "World No. 2"—his death had changed everything. Lawless thugs like Kinkaku and Ginkaku now rampaged unchecked, unafraid of consequences.
Kai replied with a calm tone, as if reciting a textbook entry.
"The Six Paths Ninja Tools—five legendary artifacts. Their origins trace back to the Sage of the Six Paths himself."
He began to explain:
Amber Purifying Pot: "If the target responds to the user's phrase, they're instantly sealed."
Banana Fan: "Can freely release any of the five basic chakra nature attacks. Strong, but chakra-hungry."
Golden Rope: "Touch it, and the victim speaks a 'word-spirit'—their most frequently used phrase."
Seven Star Sword: "Severs and displays the word-spirit in visible form."
Crimson Gourd: "Seals the target by absorbing that word. Triggered by repetition, silence, or even mispronunciation."
Hashirama furrowed his brows. "That's… actually terrifying."
He was beginning to realize just how devastating these weapons could be.
If you didn't know the rules, you'd be doomed before the fight even began. And most shinobi wouldn't be lucky enough to survive the first encounter to learn from it.
Even he, as strong as he was, could fall victim if caught by surprise.
But right now, it wasn't about him.
It was about Tobirama.
And things were going downhill fast.
On the battlefield, Tobirama stood bloodied and barely upright. His body was trembling—not out of fear, but from the sheer exhaustion of having burned through nearly all of his chakra reserves.
But rage burned in his heart, stronger than ever.
"Bastards…"
He grit his teeth.
"Mocking me with that cursed phrase…"
Everyone knew he despised the Uchiha. That much wasn't new. But having that fact thrown back at him like some kind of joke?
That humiliation stung deeper than any blade.
"Damn you… You think I care about the Uchiha? Aside from Izuna and Kagami, I've always hated that clan!"
"And now you dare make fun of me for it?!"
His fists clenched. The ropes of the sealing tool still burned against his skin.
But he couldn't let this drag out. He had no time left.
He needed to end this—now.
Suddenly—"whoosh!"
He vanished.
Ginkaku, still laughing, blinked in surprise as Tobirama's body disappeared from view.
"Flying Thunder God? Again?" he muttered, turning his head left and right. "Where'd he go this time?"
But it didn't matter.
As far as Ginkaku was concerned, it was over.
The word-spirit had been severed. Tobirama had already triggered the curse. Now, the Red Gourd would finish the job. Whether he ran or not, his fate was sealed.
Or so he thought.
Because the next moment—
"Pft!"
A blade pierced straight through his chest from behind.
Tobirama's sword—a clean, brutal thrust straight into his heart.
Ginkaku gasped.
His eyes widened in horror.
"You…"
He turned his head slowly, seeing Tobirama's blood-stained face up close.
"You… shouldn't… still…"
Tobirama said nothing. He simply yanked his sword out and vanished again, teleporting away.
You thought you'd already won?
He'd left a Flying Thunder God mark on Ginkaku earlier—secretly planted during the earlier skirmish using a clone.
He had been waiting.
His original plan had been to kill both brothers in one swift stroke.
But now? Now that his "catchphrase" had been claimed and his defeat seemed imminent, he had no choice but to strike early and take one of them down before it was too late.
Even in his state, Tobirama wasn't one to go down without dragging someone with him.
"GINKAKU!!!"
Kinkaku's roar shattered the silence.
Rage exploded from his body as he watched his twin brother stagger and fall, blood gushing from his chest.
Tailed Beast Chakra erupted.
Kinkaku's body was engulfed in a dark red cloak of chakra. Six massive tails whipped outward, flickering and snapping through the air.
Half-Tailed Beast Transformation.
His sanity slipped.
His eyes turned red.
His body grew stronger, bulkier, faster.
In that moment, Kinkaku became a peak Kage-level monster.
"What… the hell is that?"
Tobirama's breath caught as he stumbled back.
"That's… the Nine-Tails' chakra?!"
His mind raced.
The Nine-Tails was still sealed inside Mito. There was no way someone else should have access to its power.
But the chakra pouring from Kinkaku was unmistakable—dense, malevolent, primal.
Did the Hidden Cloud Village get it during one of their failed capture attempts? Did he eat part of the Nine-Tails? A sample of the chakra?
It didn't matter. Not now.
Even in his prime, fighting someone in a tailed beast state was dangerous.
And right now—with barely enough chakra to stand?
He didn't stand a chance.
But Tobirama was not the kind of man to walk into battle unprepared.
And so, as Kinkaku charged, a second trap was triggered.
"Now."
Boom—boom—BOOM!
Three coffins burst from the ground. From them emerged reanimated corpses, controlled through Impure World Reincarnation, each covered in explosive seals.
They latched onto Kinkaku.
And exploded.
[Forbidden Jutsu: Multiplying Detonating Tags!]
A cascade of detonations followed, each one spawning more explosions in a vicious, unstoppable chain. The shockwaves blew apart everything in a hundred-meter radius, sending dirt, trees, and blood flying into the air.
For two whole minutes, the battlefield was engulfed in fire and smoke.
On the tree line, Hashirama's eyes narrowed.
"…That's my brother's forbidden jutsu."
Kai glanced sideways. "He's good with traps."
When the smoke cleared, only one figure remained standing in the center of the crater.
Kinkaku.
Burned, bloodied—but alive.
Roaring.
Tobirama stared, slack-jawed.
"Not dead?!"
His attack had wiped out the entire Cloud jonin. But Kinkaku—the beast in a cloak of red chakra—still stood.
"Damn tailed beast cloak… it's too strong…"
If only he had more chakra. More power. More time.
He cursed under his breath.
If my brother were here… none of this would've happened.
Kinkaku howled, releasing Ginkaku from his mouth—barely breathing, but alive. He had swallowed him during the explosion to shield him with his own tailed beast cloak.
A twisted act of loyalty.
Then Kinkaku turned.
His burning gaze locked onto Tobirama.
"You're next."
A tail lashed out—fast, precise, and long enough to cross hundreds of meters in an instant.
Tobirama teleported again—but his movements were sluggish. He reappeared, only to be struck by three more tails.
He blocked one.
But the other two pierced his left arm and lower abdomen.
"Guh—!"
Blood gushed from his wounds as he dropped to one knee.
Kinkaku began forming a sphere of dense, spinning chakra at his mouth.
The Tailed Beast Ball.
"…Shit."
Tobirama couldn't move anymore.
He was out of chakra.
Out of time.
And out of tricks.
A glowing black sphere the size of a boulder condensed, aimed directly at him.
"Guess this is it…"
His thoughts began to drift.
Izuna… I'm sorry. I couldn't keep my promise to watch over the world you left behind.
Monkey, Danzo… live on. Protect Konoha. Carry the Will of Fire.
Brother… I failed you.
The Tailed Beast Ball fired.
It screamed toward him like death itself.
Tobirama closed his eyes.
But then—
"TOBIRAMA!!!"
A voice tore through the battlefield.
A familiar one.
No… that can't be.
He opened his eyes.
And saw him.
Senju Hashirama, his elder brother, standing tall in front of him.
Palm outstretched.
Slapping the Tailed Beast Ball aside like it was nothing.
BOOOOM!
The Tailed Beast Ball veered off-course and exploded a thousand meters away, annihilating a portion of the forest in a thunderous wave of heat and destruction.
Tobirama's jaw dropped.
"…That… wasn't a dream?"
The shockwave passed, rustling the leaves, but he didn't feel it.
He was too stunned.
Was this the afterlife?
Was this an illusion?
No.
No illusion.
The man standing before him…
"Big Brother…?!"