Tobirama's hands dropped from his face, seeing that she seems dead serious and not joking.
"You resurrected the greatest strategic mind of the Senju clan, the inventor of the Shadow Clone, the Flying Thunder God, and the Edo Tensei itself, to do your paperwork."
"You also built the system and designed the village's entire administrative framework," Azula added helpfully. "So technically, you're the most qualified person in the world for the job. Congratulations, you earned this."
He stared at her, and of course she did the same by staring back. The Mangekyō had faded, replaced by ordinary dark eyes that sparkled with far too much entertainment at his expense.
She's serious, he realized. She's completely serious.
'No. No, this is unacceptable. I am Tobirama Senju. I did not claw my way through the Warring States period, bury my brothers, and sacrifice my life for my students just to become some Uchiha child's errand boy.'
He couldn't help but exerce his chakra, a reflex of authority that had once made hardened jōnin flinch and sweat.
"And do you think I'll accept it? If I dissolve this summoning right now and return to the Pure Land?" He said so, even knowing he definitely wouldn't do it.
It wasn't that he was greedy for life and all its pleasures. He just knew his soul would never rest in peace if someone like Azula was left in charge of the village.
But those were just his thoughts. Since Azula had resurrected him, it meant she needed him. And if he was implying he could leave whenever he wanted, surely she'd handle him with a little more care.
Unfortunately for Tobirama, Azula was not the type of person he assumed she'd be. She looked at him like he was an idiot.
"Do you seriously think I'd use the Edo Tensei on you without accounting for that? Without exaggerating, I'd say that in the current ninja world, I'm unfortunately the best when it comes to Yin Release. Try it and see." In her mind, maybe Madara could surpass her in Yin-Yang Release thanks to his Rinnegan, but when it came to pure Yin Release, she didn't think she'd lose.
Without hesitation, abandoning all pretense, Tobirama tried to release the Edo Tensei. To his complete shock, it didn't work.
"Impossible." He lost his composure. He'd used the hand signs and circulated his chakra in the exact way that should have let him slip free of her control.
Nothing.
He'd tried simply dissolving the technique and returning to the Pure Land.
Still nothing.
Azula watched him try this and that like a clown putting on a performance, and just as she'd expected, he still couldn't escape her grasp.
Tobirama froze. For a solid second, he near questioned his entire existence, then he got over it. He'd been dead for years now, so really, was it that weird someone had messed with his technique? Especially if that someone looks like an actual genius.
He was absolutely dead set on figuring this mess out. His face just didn't show it.
If Azula didn't know what a stubborn bastard he was, she might've taken that blank look for shock, maybe figured he'd lost all his drive.
"So, Second Hokage," she said, all faux innocence, "ready to accept your fate?"
Tobirama knew exactly nothing about Azula, but her arrogance just tracked as logical to him. Uchiha, after all.
•••
•••
Azula and Tobirama both agreed that for now, his identity would stay buried. He'd be the Hokage's masked assistant and guard, which gave him plenty of flexibility to handle the paperwork without raising questions.
As for whether he might try to scheme behind her back, Azula was already prepared.
She didn't like abilities that messed with someone's personality or went for direct manipulation, but that didn't mean she'd be stubborn when the situation called for otherwise.
She had a little surprise waiting for him, a gift he'd discover soon enough. She was certain he'd be deeply 'moved' by her gift.
In the meantime, she focused on the upcoming Kage Summit. As much as she held Ōnoki and Hanzo in contempt, she was still thinking about what she could squeeze out of the situation.
She'd already accepted the invitation anyway, and honestly, it sounded kind of fun.
"Azu, I want to come with you to Ame." Tsunade asked her point-blank.
Calling her worried was a stretch. She didn't think all the Kage combined could pose a real threat to her girlfriend.
But there was the example of her uncle, killed when he'd gone off to sign a treaty. Plus, the whole thing sounded genuinely entertaining.
A summit like that would draw every elite from across the ninja world. Who knew, maybe someone there could actually give her a good fight?
Azula didn't even need to think about it. "Fine. My delegation will be you, me, Sakumo, one of my guards, and the rest stay in the village."
"Sakumo?" Tsunade raised an eyebrow. "I figured you'd pick Orochimaru. He seems like the obvious choice for this kind of thing."
As for the guard, she wasn't surprised. Every Hokage had their personal guards, she just didn't know who Azula had picked for the job. But she wasn't worried about it.
Azula's smile turned Machiavellian. "I know he seems like the obvious pick. But there's a reason I'm taking Sakumo, who's personally closer to me, and leaving Orochimaru, who on the surface still looks like he belongs to your sensei's camp. I'd like to get rid of certain vermin once and for all."
Tsunade didn't know how people had reached that conclusion, but apparently the general assumption was that Azula had picked Orochimaru as an advisor to appease Hiruzen's faction.
That it was some kind of compromise she'd made.
But hey, as the sage said, never interrupt your enemy when he's making a mistake.
The moment Azula mentioned 'certain vermin,' the first person who popped into Tsunade's mind was Danzō. She knew Azula's disdain for that man outstripped her hatred for pretty much anyone else.
She frowned. "Surely no one in the village is stupid enough to make a move while you're gone."
As for her granduncle's student, Tsunade didn't think he'd be that insane, no matter how inflexible he was.
(END OF THE CHAPTER)
Very short, but what can I say? I'm back