Rei could have imagined Senju Tobirama leaving behind some means, but she didn't expect him to actually preserve his Chakra for future generations just to wait and scare someone.
She didn't know if Orochimaru encountered this when he came to dig up Senju Tobirama's grave twenty years later; he probably didn't, as that scroll would have been damaged after at most another ten years of storage.
"Brat, who are you, and why have you come into my tomb? If you don't give an honest account, this old man will dispose of you, you naturally evil brat!"
Senju Tobirama stood with his arms crossed, looking sideways at the brat whose cowlick was standing straight up from shock; he was very satisfied with his flashy maneuver—it had indeed scared someone.
"Ah, I—I'm Senju Rei! Second Great Grandpa, I missed you so much! I missed you to death! In the days you've been gone, the Senju Clan has grown weaker by the day, and now we're on the verge of extinction!"
Rei quickly rushed forward and hugged Senju Tobirama's leg, wiping tears and snot on it, though she also confirmed that this was indeed a body made of Chakra.
While crying and shouting loudly, Rei was internally proud of her acting skills, though deceiving even the dead made her conscience prick her a little.
"Hmph! You? Senju Rei? Back then, I personally implemented my elder brother's policy to integrate the Senju Clan into Konoha. How could we face extinction? Stop talking nonsense."
Senju Tobirama lifted his leg, wanting to shake the brat off, but the brat held on too tight and couldn't be shaken off at all, making his expression grow increasingly gloomy.
"It's true! Second Great Grandpa, after you died, Hiruzen Sarutobi became Hokage. Later, the Second Great Shinobi War broke out. The Hidden Mist Village allied with other major ninja villages to wipe out the Uzumaki Clan. The Uzumaki Clan asked our clan for help, and our clan sent elites to support them, but they were still completely wiped out."
Uchiha Rei wasn't lying to Senju Tobirama; the Senju Clan really had sent out their last elites back then, but how could one clan stand against several ninja villages? They met a tragic end.
"Hmm? You're really from the Senju Clan? Even if the losses from supporting the Uzumaki Clan were heavy, with my sister-in-law around, how could she let the Senju fall into decline?"
Senju Tobirama began to believe her somewhat, mainly because he understood Monkey and Danzo; if the Uzumaki Clan really was wiped out, Konoha must have gone to take a share of the spoils back then.
Back when he invited the Uzumaki Clan to join Konoha and they refused, he had predicted that once the Uzumaki Clan mastered the technique for creating Jinchuriki, they would inevitably be feared, and clan extinction was only natural.
"It's true, Second Great Grandpa! My grandmother was Senju Xuanzi; you should know her! The complete decline of the Senju Clan happened after Grandma Mito died."
Senju Xuanzi was indeed her grandmother, but she only had a quarter of Senju blood, whereas she had half of the Uchiha blood that Tobirama hated.
"Senko? I was the one who had her marry out back then. So, how did the clan decline after my sister-in-law died?"
Senju Tobirama didn't fully believe this brat calling herself Senju Rei, mainly because he vaguely felt that while everything she said was correct, she was hiding something important.
"After Grandma Mito died, it wasn't long before Young Master Nawaki also died. The Senju clansmen felt that the Senju had already declined and could no longer compare to the Uchiha Clan."
"Young Master Nawaki?" Senju Tobirama hadn't seen Nawaki when he died; Nawaki was born about seven or eight years after his death.
"He was Princess Tsunade's younger brother."
"Continue."
"The Senju clansmen discussed conducting Wood Release experiments, wanting to awaken Wood Release to restore the Senju's prestige. With the support of the Third Hokage, they invested a massive amount of manpower and resources."
"In the end, a large number of Senju youths died, and many Senju children met untimely deaths. The Wood Release experiments ultimately ended in failure."
"Ultimately, it only allowed a small number of survivors to possess Grass Release, which can create vegetation. This also marked the complete decline of the Senju Clan."
Rei put on a look of grieving over their misfortune and being frustrated by their lack of resolve.
"Is that so? But how can you prove your identity, and what business do you have here?"
Senju Tobirama turned back with a cold sneer. He had been brilliant all his life and believed this brat couldn't deceive him. He had researched Wood Release back then himself; if even he had failed, would those clansmen really have taken the risk?
Rei hadn't expected Old Ghost Tobirama to be so hard to fool; he was indeed naturally evil, never trusting others.
However, no matter how cunning Senju Tobirama was, he would become honest once he saw Wood Release.
"Here, Second Great Grandpa, look!" Rei extended her right hand, and a sapling grew out from her palm.
Senju Tobirama looked like he had seen a ghost. Something he hadn't managed to produce back then—those clansmen actually had researched something out.
"Are you a descendant of the experiment survivors? Why is this Wood Release and not the Grass Release you mentioned?"
How could Senju Tobirama mistake Wood Release Chakra? He had researched this stuff inside and out countless times.
"I don't know either; it must have been a genetic mutation. Anyway, it just awakened."
Rei planted the sapling on Senju Tobirama's coffin lid, making Senju Tobirama's eye twitch uncontrollably as he watched from the side. This brat was truly a bit annoying.
Where was the logic in planting a tree on someone's coffin lid right in front of them? She was practically more detestable than an Uchiha brat.
"Brat, then what business do you have in my tomb?" Senju Tobirama's eyes narrowed slightly, a sharp light flashing for a moment.
"Well, Second Great Grandpa, I'm here to unearth the Forbidden Jutsu you researched. Konoha doesn't allow them to be studied at all now, so I had to come find them myself. I believe these are all treasures that shouldn't be wasted."
Uchiha Rei was telling half-truths; taking the Secret Techniques was a lie, but coming to take Senju Tobirama's remains was the truth.
"Forbidden Jutsu? Edo Tensei? Brat, you're probably thinking about using Edo Tensei to bring me back, aren't you?"
How clever was Senju Tobirama? He saw through the surface to the essence immediately, understanding Uchiha Rei's true purpose.
"Yes, yes! I feel like you must be uncomfortable and lonely staying in the Pure Land, so I want you to continue to shine and contribute to Konoha's scientific research career."
Rei didn't intend to lie at all, mainly because this clump of Senju Tobirama's Chakra was about to dissipate after such a long conversation.
Even if Senju Tobirama wanted to pull any tricks, he couldn't hide them from Uchiha Rei.
Senju Tobirama closed his eyes, not wanting to look at this annoying brat. What did she mean by 'uncomfortable in the Pure Land'? He was perfectly fine and didn't want to be brought back by Edo Tensei at all.
But he couldn't stop this brat unless he immediately ground his own bones to ash right now so he couldn't be summoned via Edo Tensei.
But what decent person would grind their own bones to ash? Although he wasn't superstitious about such things, it wasn't worth the trouble.
"Brat! I am powerless to stop whatever you want to do; I am merely a clump of Chakra. However, if you want to take my remains—though I can't stop you—if you want me to cooperate with your research, then I must personally give a portion of my bones to you."
Senju Tobirama was afraid this brat would pack up and take his entire skeleton, so he decided to do it himself, even though opening one's own coffin lid was quite a feat.
"No problem, please go ahead. But first, let me offer three sticks of incense and burn some paper money."
Rei took out thick incense sticks she had made herself and a stack of Hell Bank Notes that were high-quality imitations of Ninja World currency.
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