Within the Land of Earth.
"Bandage Man" Onoki and "Overcoat Man" Gengetsu Hozuki appeared on a small hill, gazing at Iwagakure village in the distance.
These two had originally been bitter enemies who died together during The First Great Ninja World War. Now bound by the Impure World Reincarnation, they were forced into an uneasy partnership.
"Dealing with both Son Gokū, the Four-Tails, and Kokuo, the Five-Tails — this might be a bit tricky."
Onoki frowned, thinking grimly to himself.
Then he turned to Gengetsu beside him and said, "Whitebeard, I'm going to need your help. Once we enter Iwagakure, we must capture the two jinchuriki before large-scale chaos erupts. Only by minimizing damage can we prevent Iwagakure from becoming a living hell."
"Bloody Bandage Guy, if you're asking for my help, at least show some proper manners."
Gengetsu crossed his arms with a faint, arrogant smirk, yet without pressing too hard, he quickly added:
"Still, since you're a corpse who still cares so much about your village, I'll reluctantly give you a hand."
The world knew only that Onoki and Gengetsu were lifelong rivals, but in reality, they respected each other deeply, maintaining a relationship somewhere between friend and foe.
"Thank you."
Onoki stayed silent for a moment before responding.
As he finished speaking, he took off the pair of traditional warrior swords on his back and started walking steadily toward Iwagakure.
"Let's hope this turns out to be something worth enjoying."
Behind Onoki, Gengetsu muttered to himself as he followed closely.
An hour later.
Looking down from midair, Iwagakure was already in complete chaos. Several buildings had suffered devastating destruction.
The damage bore clear characteristics unmistakably caused by Dust Release, a Kekkei Tota technique.
But the one using Dust Release wasn't Third Tsuchikage Onoki — it was two mysterious intruders.
They had not only easily penetrated Iwagakure's restricted areas and repelled numerous Iwa ninjas including Onoki himself, but also knocked out Roshi and Han, carrying away these two unconscious jinchuriki without difficulty.
...
Outside Konoha village, atop a tall hill.
Hashirama Senju and Tobirama Senju stood shoulder to shoulder, watching the bustling village in front of them.
A breeze blew through, causing leaves to flutter down and fall into the soil, enriching it so new leaves could sprout again and again, life continuing without end.
"Is this really Konoha? When I was alive, Konoha was merely a tiny village. Never expected it would now have entire districts full of high-rise buildings."
Hashirama wore a look of disbelief as he expressed his amazement.
"According to Madara, most of Konoha's recent development achievements should be credited to Uzumaki Heiyan. I heard he had a nickname 'Little Tobirama' and was even granted the Sword of the Thunder God by the monkey king. What a shame he didn't live to see it all — I would've loved to meet this promising young man Heiyan in person."
Tobirama also showed deep sentiment, clearly mourning the loss of Heiyan.
"By the way..."
"Hashirama suddenly turned his head and asked curiously, 'Tobirama, you're the one who developed the Impure World Reincarnation jutsu. You know it better than anyone else. Can't you release it and free us from Madara's control?'
'I've tried long ago,' Tobirama replied helplessly with a shrug. 'Aniki, you should know that Madara must have been fully prepared when he summoned us.'
When he heard that, Tobirama shook his head in resignation and spread his hands. 'In fact, he has significantly improved the Impure World Reincarnation using the power of the Rinnegan, thereby firmly binding us and preventing you and me from resisting. Although it's frustrating, it seems we have no choice but to work for him for now.'
'I see...'
Hashirama murmured, sighing before falling into thought.
'Aniki, what are you thinking about?' Tobirama asked upon noticing this.
'I wonder how my little granddaughter Tsunade is doing. It's been so many years. I really miss her. Sigh, I hope she won't inherit my bad habits of gambling and excessive drinking when she grows up.'
As he spoke, concern appeared on Hashirama's face.
'I mean, wasn't that all your doing? So why regret it now?'
Tobirama gave a teasing remark first, then patted Hashirama's shoulder to comfort him. 'Since we've finally returned to the human world after so much effort, why don't we take this opportunity to meet her? After all, we shouldn't be working for Madara for nothing.'
'That's right.'
Upon hearing this, Hashirama's expression instantly changed from worry to joy. His eyes lit up with hope as he quickly strode down the mountain toward Konoha.
'Wait, put this on.'
Tobirama chased up, somehow producing two sets of black cloaks and urging Hashirama to change.
If they returned to Konoha without disguises, they'd likely be instantly swarmed by crowds and unable to take a single step forward. After all, their portraits were still hanging on the Hokage Rock.
A day earlier.
At the crater lake in Shikkotsu Forest.
Beneath the towering shadow of the God Tree, a large chakra cocoon, supported by numerous branches and wrapped in countless leaves, was pulsating strongly while emitting a faint green glow.
This chakra cocoon had remained here for over four years. Every time it pulsed, it siphoned Natural Energy from the trunk of the God Tree and steadily fed it into the cocoon.
Inside this cocoon, Konoha's Tsunade was sleeping, undergoing a magnificent transformation silently throughout this long period.
Until today, finally arrived the day to emerge from the cocoon.
Crack.
With a crisp sound, a crack appeared on the surface of the cocoon, soon followed by more cracks appearing one after another, spreading across the entire surface of the cocoon.
'Mmm...'
Accompanied by a soft moan from a woman, Tsunade, who had slept for a long time, finally awakened at this moment. She stretched her limbs and rose gracefully, like a swan emerging from slumber.
Normally after sleeping that long, a person's mind and body would've deteriorated—skin ruined, wrinkles everywhere.
Yet the moment she woke up, Tsunade's eyes were unusually bright, her skin crystal-clear and radiant, her limbs graceful yet powerful.
Compared to four years ago, her figure had become even more refined, and she had grown even more beautiful.
This was because her Sage Transformation had reached its peak, finally rivaling the legendary Hashirama and even Heiyan himself!
One could say that now, she was a second Hashirama.
No—more than that.
Tsunade turned around and looked up at the towering God Tree. In that instant, the Wood Release chakra within her resonated powerfully with the tree, as if they had always been one.
A sudden pulse surged through her chest, and the God Tree's branches reached for her, lifting her into the air and swiftly soaring through the thick canopy.
"Haa!"
Tsunade let out a crisp cry and pointed forward. The countless branches behind her erupted in wild growth, surging forward like waves.
She discovered that this God Tree functioned just like a summoned beast, allowing her to remotely harness its power regardless of distance.
All it would take was a single call from Tsunade on the battlefield, and this massive tree would rise to wipe out every last enemy.
So, Tsunade had surpassed her grandfather—Hashirama—in ability.
Yet, she felt no pride. Tsunade clearly understood that reaching this level today, her own efforts accounted for only a small part. The most crucial factor had been the help from that man.
Both the Hashirama cells she had transplanted and the God Tree before her were crafted by Heiyan.
In addition, her accidental resonance with the God Tree had also been a rare stroke of luck.
It was only with all those pieces put together that she became who she is today—one of a kind.
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