"So it was you who cast the Impure World Reincarnation?"
"Yeah, Grandpa Hashirama."
"Wait a minute, why did you call me grandfather?" The Impure World Reincarnated Hashirama, with an alarmed expression, clearly remembered that this person's own father bore the Uchiha name.
Shen patiently explained his relationship with Mito, making even Madara look visibly uneasy.
Sealing the Nine-Tails was one thing—but why change the whole mechanism?
Back in the day, Madara had gone through enormous trouble just to bring it back to Konoha.
Though theoretically, the ocular power of the Eternal Mangekyō could be nearly limitless,
the contract for tailed beasts' summoning wasn't something easily achieved.
A clear air of false modesty naturally caught Shen's attention.
He was sure that if he asked, the other would simply shake his hand dismissively and say these were all trivial things.
Impure World Reincarnated Hashirama didn't dwell on these issues, continuing instead to inquire about Konoha's current state. "Who is the current Hokage? Is everything okay in the village?"
"The Hokage is Hiruzen Sarutobi, that stingy old man," Shen sighed before answering the rest. "The village is currently at war."
He explained the real causes behind both the First and Second Great Ninja Wars.
With furrowed brows, the Impure World Reincarnated Hashirama finally realized how his passing had been like removing the sword of Damocles hanging over the shinobi world, reigniting ambitions across various factions.
The very cause of this new war gave him a feeling like seeing the newer generation overtake the old.
One individual's impact upon the ninja world had stirred desires within every major faction.
"You summoned me from death because Konoha has fallen into disadvantage?" Impure World Reincarnated Hashirama's previous gentleness vanished.
If that were the case, he seemed ready to break free and personally restore peace to the warring shinobi world.
Faced with this overwhelming presence, Shen shook his head to dispel the assumption.
"It's because I need to prove something," he said, fixing his gaze upon Madara.
Then his expression became resolute beyond measure: "And to find an answer that can convince myself."
Impure World Reincarnated Hashirama reverted to his earlier demeanor, smiling as he observed the still-active Mangekyō-wielding youth before him.
He roughly guessed why such a young person, already wielding a Mangekyō, would associate with a presumed-dead Madara.
After that great battle years ago, the body of Madara which he'd brought back to Konoha had vanished without a trace that very night.
After Tobirama repeatedly insisted, Hashirama had assumed the body must have been taken by the Uchiha clan.
That understanding had led him to turn a blind eye toward his younger brother's oppressive actions against the Uchiha.
"I'm sorry, Madara," Impure World Reincarnated Hashirama remarked, knowing full well what had truly restrained the Uchiha after his death.
Silently, Madara returned to his seat.
Rehashing past events simply wasn't his style.
With a subordinate and a so-called "business partner" around, there was no way any heartfelt talk about the past could happen.
Shen glanced left at the Impure World Reincarnated Hashirama, then right at the seemingly sleeping Madara. He immediately felt like an extra in this scene.
He thought that if he and the currently obedient and cute White Zetsu weren't there, these two experts would probably tear the heavens and earth apart. It would be a domestic brawl—an epic spectacle with vivid imagery!
Resisting the urge to activate his left eye's ability, Shen suddenly sat cross-legged on the ground. Finding that answer would consume a massive amount of ocular power.
Seeing him close his eyes to concentrate, the Impure World Reincarnated Hashirama turned his head toward Madara's position. With a somewhat frustrated expression, he also sat down right where he stood.
Time crept by in the eerie silence.
In Konoha, within the Hokage's office,
the Third Hokage, who had been anxiously waiting for quite some time, finally received news about the daytime transaction.
The Jinchuriki of the Four-Tails, Roshi, had been recaptured by Iwagakure.
However, the Jinchuriki of the Five-Tails, Han, had successfully been captured by Konoha.
The loot destroyed in the battle was worth about one billion ryō altogether.
Overall, Konoha had gained significant profit from this operation.
When Sarutobi learned that Team One had eliminated nearly three hundred Rock-nin, he burst into joyous laughter.
"Sensei, both Shen and Jiraiya are missing."
"What happened?" The emotional rollercoaster struck his weakened spine, decades in the making.
"Shen stayed behind to cover Nayou and Nawaki's retreat, holding off the Rock-nin alone. As for Jiraiya—"
"He suddenly vanished inside the vehicle."
The previously anxious Third Hokage's expression instantly crumbled.
"What do you mean 'suddenly vanished'?"
"Just like 'poof,' and then he turned into a cloud of white smoke."
Such a bizarre occurrence became even more absurd as Orochimaru narrated it casually.
"Erm... so that kid just disappeared into thin air, leaving only a puff of white smoke?"
"Yes, Sarutobi-sensei. I personally witnessed his entire disappearance."
The Third Hokage's headache returned once again.
He simply couldn't understand why Orochimaru, normally the most reliable among his students, had started making jokes too.
"Sarutobi-sensei, I'm not joking."
"Jiraiya truly turned into a puff of white smoke right before my eyes."
"Tsunade can confirm this."
Putting on his "Painful Mask," the Third Hokage slammed the phone down.
This Orochimaru definitely wasn't the same one Sarutobi remembered.
"We must increase pressure on the battlefield in the Land of Grass."
With Iwagakure having lost both the Four-Tails and Five-Tails Jinchuriki, they'd surely retaliate with vengeance.
As for Shen's disappearance, there were far too many suspicious details.
Team One possessed the Byakugan, let alone the rest. Yet during their operations in the Land of Earth, they hadn't once been detected by Iwagakure's sensors.
First came over two hundred Rock-nin hiding four thousand meters underground.
Then over thirty elite shinobi rushed out all at once—an unusual tactic for Iwagakure.
Finally, they even deployed Rock-nin whose combat abilities were unbalanced.
Clearly, during today's transaction, Iwagakure had planned for a double-purpose strike.
Rubbing his temples tightly, the Third Hokage refused to believe that high-ranking individuals within Konoha could collude with enemies.
However, no matter how one interpreted Shen's disappearance, the only conclusion that could be drawn was that of a conspiracy.
Yet he once again chose to stick his head in the sand, unwilling to face the reality of someone betraying Konoha,
even with the war still going on.
"You little punk, you better come back alive."
The hunched-over Third Hokage pinned his hopes on the Konoha Troublemaker returning alive.
After all, disappearing like that probably just meant someone had to lie low for a while.
At the forward camp in the Land of Grass,
Nayou flipped open her Black Little Notebook and started jotting down every single offense he'd pulled earlier that day.
First was him fighting enemies alone, clearly showing he had no faith in her strength.
Next was his use of Genjutsu against her, causing an unpleasant dream.
Finally, after thinking for a moment, she added the grievance of having been recklessly tossed to the ground—all because of Nawaki.
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