Chapter 113: It's Not What You Think
Ignoring Hashirama's chatter, Masahiko and Tobirama bid him a simple farewell, and Tobirama released the Edo Tensei.
"Great-Uncle, let's go."
Masahiko nodded, his mind heavy with thoughts.
"That couldn't possibly be another Pure Land!" Masahiko was in turmoil. "Even though I'm a transmigrator, this body belongs to the Naruto world. The chakra used to communicate with the Pure Land is also from the Naruto world. So the Pure Land I sensed just now must also be the Naruto world's Pure Land."
Masahiko thought for a while and gradually sorted out his thoughts.
"Leaving aside the fact that no Pure Land could exist in modern times, I outputted so much chakra just now; it's impossible that the distance didn't change at all."
"Then there is only one possibility..." Masahiko sighed. "Someone cut off my connection to the Pure Land, causing the chakra I outputted to spin in place."
As for who it was, Masahiko didn't even need to think about it.
"The Sage of Six Paths has been monitoring the ninja world for so many years. He probably discovered my anomaly. It must be because I reached the mortal limit and have an excessively long lifespan."
Masahiko smiled bitterly. If it weren't for this incident, he would have almost forgotten about the Sage of Six Paths monitoring the ninja world.
"Then it's actually a good thing I reached the limit in this training session. It might make him feel a bit more at ease. He definitely can't discover the existence of the System. Once I save enough Witness Points and reach Level 9 in all attributes at once, even if I'm on the weaker side of the Six Paths level, I don't believe he would actually come over and fight me."
Although Masahiko had lived for so many years and had long since ceased fearing death, given his foreknowledge, if he were schemed to death by Black Zetsu, he could only call himself stupid. But if the Sage of Six Paths took action against him because of the "anomalies" on his body, that would be truly unjust.
"Cough, cough..." Two coughs brought Masahiko back from his thoughts. He frowned and looked at Tobirama.
"Tobirama, haven't your injuries from back then healed completely?"
Tobirama smiled bitterly twice. "They healed back then, but now... After all, I am not you. I am already fifty-seven years old."
Masahiko paused, then sighed without speaking.
Tobirama, however, opened up. "Calling you here this time wasn't just to let you see Big Brother. The Ninja War has finally ceased, but peace probably won't last long. I need your help. Konoha needs to select a Third Hokage within the next two years."
Masahiko paused. "Where do you need me for this? Just hold an election like the previous two times, and the choice will come naturally. And it will basically be Hiruzen, right?"
"I haven't decided on the candidate for Hokage yet," Tobirama replied.
Masahiko was startled and looked at Tobirama in surprise.
"I originally favored Hiruzen as well, but over the years, it seems Hiruzen is somewhat indecisive in his actions. Although he is benevolent, in times of war, I'm afraid it might cause instability in Konoha."
"Conversely, Danzo's personality is suitable for leading Konoha during wartime. Although he is unscrupulous in some areas, it's not a major issue."
...
Listening to Tobirama's explanation, Masahiko gradually understood his thoughts.
After hesitating for a moment, Masahiko sighed inwardly. "If Danzo becomes the Third Hokage, I will definitely gain a massive amount of Witness Points at once, but the subsequent plot will probably collapse completely. And Danzo..."
Thinking of this, Masahiko shook his head. "I think Konoha should still have a benevolent Hokage on the surface. Hiruzen's personality wins people's hearts. If you're worried, you can let Danzo assist from the side..."
Masahiko stopped abruptly mid-sentence.
"Isn't that exactly how it was in the original story? Do I have some prejudice against Danzo because of the original story?"
After pondering for a moment, Masahiko shook his head internally. "Perhaps initially Danzo did do a lot for Konoha, but those later actions are completely incomprehensible..."
Tobirama also fell into deep thought. After a moment, he sighed, clearly somewhat conflicted.
Masahiko smiled. "Why only consider those two? Don't you have four other disciples?"
Tobirama paused, then slowly shook his head. "Disciples from civilian backgrounds cannot become Hokage. Torifu doesn't have enough talent, and Kagami..."
"Although he is different from other Uchiha, I am ultimately still uneasy about the Uchiha clan."
"Civilians can't become Hokage?" Masahiko chuckled softly without refuting. It was a pity Tobirama probably wouldn't live to see the moment he was proven wrong (by Minato). "I heard the Uchiha have changed a lot in the last two years, right?"
Tobirama nodded. "Kagami has done well in this regard, but ultimately, there are still some Uchiha clansmen who can't be trusted."
"Then let's not consider anything else. Hokage, after all, should be someone strong," Masahiko suggested.
Tobirama paused. "Then it's still Danzo."
Masahiko's face darkened, almost blurting out, "You must be kidding me." Although Hiruzen's title of "Strongest Hokage" became a joke with Hashirama's later appearance in the series, he was still a ninja proficient in all five nature transformations. What does proficient mean? According to Masahiko's status bar, Level 6 or even 7 is proficient, while Level 8 is the mortal limit.
In other words, without Sage Mode or the Eight Inner Gates, young Hiruzen could probably go toe-to-toe with Masahiko from ten years ago. Although Masahiko had Dust Release, his Taijutsu definitely wasn't as strong as Hiruzen's, because with the Monkey King Enma summon, Hiruzen could be considered half a Taijutsu ninja.
"He would probably be rated as an SS-rank ninja, yet you say he isn't as strong as Danzo. Even if he isn't at his peak yet, an S+ rank shouldn't be out of reach. What can Danzo do..." Masahiko muttered inwardly.
Thinking of this, Masahiko was startled. "Tobirama, you didn't teach Edo Tensei to Danzo, did you?"
Tobirama shook his head. "How is that possible? Danzo's strength lies in his high talent for Wind Release. He has developed various advanced ninjutsu based on your Rasengan. I estimate that in the future, his Wind Release might be comparable to my Water Release."
"Your Water Release?" Masahiko was surprised. In his opinion, Tobirama's Water Release should have reached the mortal limit, which is Level 8. He didn't expect Danzo to have such potential.
After pondering for a moment, Masahiko looked strange, not knowing what to say. Over the years, he had almost forgotten about teaching the Rasengan to Sarutobi Sasuke and Shimura Ken back then. He didn't expect an unintentional act to have such a huge impact.
After a long silence, Masahiko smiled awkwardly. "Well, for Hokage, although strength is important, what's more important is everyone's approval. I think Hiruzen is still more suitable."
Tobirama frowned. "Great-Uncle, that's not what you said just now. By the way, you don't seem to like Danzo very much."
Masahiko shook his head. "No, I just prefer Hiruzen."
Tobirama froze, and after a moment, his expression turned strange.
Masahiko's face turned black. "No, it's not what you think!"
Tobirama revealed a teasing expression.
Masahiko was stunned. "Tobirama can joke? Is the Tobirama in front of me fake? Or maybe getting older makes one funny?"
"No, how is that possible..."
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