"Big Brother, you're back."
At the gates of Konoha, upon sensing the chakra of the two returning figures, Senju Tobirama immediately halted his experiment and rushed to the entrance to welcome them.
Although he appeared calm and composed on the surface, deep down he was terrified that his brother would find out he had been tampering with the souls of the dead.
After all, the technique [Edo Tensei] wasn't like other forbidden jutsu—it was, frankly, quite cruel.
Knowing his big brother's personality, if he found out, there's no way he'd let Tobirama off the hook easily.
So Tobirama had come to the gate right away to greet him, hoping to dispel any suspicions his brother might have.
"Haha, Tobirama, I'm back!" came Hashirama's hearty laughter.
It had been a while since he'd seen his younger brother, and he'd actually missed him quite a bit...
"Big Brother, why were you gone for so long?" Tobirama couldn't help but grumble.
At first, he thought Hashirama was just going out for a few days—three or five at most—but who would have guessed he'd be gone for over three months?
If he hadn't known how strong his brother was, he might have thought something terrible had happened.
"Sorry about that. The trip just took a little longer than expected."
As Hashirama spoke, his eyes instinctively drifted toward Renya.
Renya, noticing this, awkwardly lowered his head.
Five days ago, he had snatched the map and taken the lead—only to veer off course again.
What should have taken only two days had ended up taking five.
After getting lost twice in a row, Renya finally realized: this map really was garbage!
The routes drawn on it were crooked and abstract—who in their right mind could understand such a thing?
Of course, he had wondered: how could Hashirama-san read it?
But he quickly figured it out—Hashirama-san must already know the general direction, so the map didn't matter to him either way.
If he'd known this earlier, he wouldn't have wasted money on that useless map. With Hashirama-san acting as a walking GPS, he didn't need anything else.
Now he was thinking about whether he could find that merchant and get a refund.
If not, those 300 ryō were as good as gone…
Tobirama noticed his brother looking at Renya and couldn't help but grow curious.
Could it be that his brother's late return had something to do with Renya?
If that were the case, this brat might've actually done him a favor.
"Tobirama, nothing happened in the village while I was gone, right?"
Upon hearing Hashirama's question, Tobirama replied,
"Don't worry, Big Brother. As long as I'm here, nothing can go wrong in the village."
Hearing this, Hashirama chuckled, "With you around, I can rest easy."
Tobirama instinctively frowned. Something about that sentence felt off.
He couldn't help but say, "Big Brother, since you're back now, the village is yours to manage again."
Hashirama paused slightly, then shook his head with a smile.
"Tobirama, I should have retired a long time ago. You should continue being the Hokage."
"Big Brother…" Tobirama opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but held back in the end. He just let out a sigh. "I understand."
He had long expected this day would come, but he hadn't thought it would come so soon.
Ever since Hashirama was injured, Tobirama had been handling the village's affairs in his place.
He had held on to the hope that his brother might make a full recovery.
He'd even conducted many experiments toward that goal, but to no avail.
All he could do was hope that Hashirama's monstrous recovery ability would pull through.
But his brother's decision just now made it clear—the injury wasn't going to heal…
Hashirama patted Tobirama on the shoulder and said softly,
"Tobirama, I'm leaving the village to you. Don't let me down."
Then he turned to Renya and smiled.
"Little Renya, I'm heading home first. Come play with Tsunade when you have time."
"Mm, I will," Renya nodded.
"Haha, this trip has been exhausting. It's time to get some rest." Hashirama laughed cheerfully as he walked away.
The two of them stood in place, watching Hashirama's figure gradually disappear into the distance.
"Hashirama-san's chakra… is getting weaker and weaker," Renya murmured quietly.
Having spent the past few months with him, he naturally noticed the changes in Hashirama's body.
But since Hashirama never brought it up, Renya didn't ask.
Tobirama remained silent, his red eyes reflecting his brother's silhouette.
The sun finally dipped below the horizon, and the last traces of twilight stretched Hashirama's shadow long and thin.
Once the man who ended the war with Wood Release, he now resembled a setting sun—every inch of his brilliance being devoured by darkness.
No one knew how long had passed, but the sky was now fully dark.
Senju Tobirama turned his head slightly to look at Renya and said hoarsely,
"Kid, let's go home."
Renya nodded and silently followed behind.
The two walked in silence.
Tobirama's home was just behind Hashirama's.
As they passed by Hashirama's gate, they heard laughter from inside—Hashirama and Tsunade's voices.
...
Senju Tobirama's residence.
Ever since returning, Tobirama had locked himself inside his study.
He stood before a wall full of experimental data, a trace of confusion flashing through his eyes.
"Is there really… no way?"
Just then, Renya's voice came from outside the door.
"Hey, old man, time to eat."
"Mm, I got it."
Hearing that, Tobirama packed up the documents and opened the door.
At the dinner table, neither of them spoke.
Senju Tobirama quietly ate his meal.
Though he didn't really have an appetite given his brother's condition, Renya's cooking was something else entirely—he couldn't resist.
It had been a while since he'd tasted this kid's cooking, and he really had missed it…
Good food gradually soothed his irritable mood.
Breaking the silence, he looked at Renya.
"Tell me, where exactly did you guys go all this time?"
He was very curious—what had kept his brother delayed on the road?
Renya set down his chopsticks and recounted their journey.
Of course, he deliberately left out the part about getting lost—twice…
No way was he going to let the old man know about something so embarrassing.
After dinner, Senju Tobirama cleaned up the table and dishes on his own.
Renya, meanwhile, went out to the training field. The path to power was more urgent than ever.
He knew that with Senju Hashirama's current condition, he probably didn't have much time left.
Once Hashirama died, Konoha would lose its greatest deterrent.
At that point, the nations eyeing the Land of Fire wouldn't hesitate to launch a war.
While Renya's strength now meant he could survive on the battlefield as long as he was careful, the stronger he became, the higher his chances of survival.
The three months he had wasted—he was going to make up for it as best he could.
At some point, Senju Tobirama had quietly leaned against the doorway, silently watching Renya train.
This brat was really diligent…
He had originally planned to study Renya tonight, but seeing the kid had just returned, he decided to let it go.
The kid needed a proper rest, right?
He, Senju Tobirama, wasn't some cold-hearted bastard.
With that in mind, Tobirama gave Renya one last glance before turning and heading back into his study.
Unbeknownst to Renya, he had narrowly escaped a disaster tonight…
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