A technique capable of reviving someone from death was not impossible.
Both Senju Tobirama and Senju Hashirama knew that.
After all, one of them specialized in forbidden techniques, while the other could use Yang Release.
Tobirama was someone who had even managed to drag the dead back into motion. Although it was not true resurrection, he had still taken that step.
If he had been given enough time to research, it was hard to say whether he might truly have been able to resurrect the dead.
As for Hashirama, there was even less need to explain.
Like Hikaru, he could mobilize Yang Release.
Using Yang Release to ignite a person's life flame was indeed a way to bring someone back to life.
However, his method had the same limitation Hikaru once faced: that person's life flame could not have been fully extinguished.
Once it had gone out completely, even Hashirama might not necessarily be able to do it.
When Hikaru saved Namikaze Minato back then, he had done so before Minato's life flame had fully gone out.
But no matter what, possessing such an ability proved that there truly was a way to bring the dead back.
However, turning a "corpse" whose body did not fundamentally belong to itself, whose power was vastly different, and whose existence was merely wrapped in Edo Tensei paper, into a living body—
and making that body possess every function a normal person should have—
was unimaginably difficult.
On top of that, such a resurrection would bring countless problems.
The issue of bloodline alone was enough to cause headaches.
Tobirama also knew that a mismatch between soul and body would never produce good results.
He had reached this conclusion long before Orochimaru had. It was hard to say whether Orochimaru's Living Corpse Reincarnation had, in essence, been inspired by Tobirama.
Orochimaru himself was a typical example of someone whose body and soul failed to match after reincarnation, ultimately bringing a series of problems.
Physical collapse was still a minor issue.
After all, if he prepared a suitable body in advance, he could continue reincarnating.
But throughout that process, his soul would also suffer considerable damage because it did not match the body.
The fact that Orochimaru was restrained by Sharingan genjutsu to such a degree already revealed many things.
Therefore, when they heard that Hikaru had used Edo Tensei as the corpse and completely resurrected a person, both their expressions became extremely interesting.
What Hashirama considered was still the matter of breaking the natural balance.
But very quickly, he could only sigh helplessly.
He knew that to his younger brother and to this junior of his, the Fifth Hokage, the so-called natural balance was nothing more than air.
Neither of them would care about such things.
Even if he spoke, it would be no different from speaking in vain.
So what he was thinking about now was naturally Hikaru conducting such rule-breaking human experiments.
And the ethical problems that would follow after resurrecting the dead.
Tobirama, on the other hand, was much more direct.
What he considered was how Hikaru had done it.
What kind of technique could bring Edo Tensei to such a stage?
Aside from that, what would happen during the resurrection process?
After resurrection, what would the target's physical condition be like? What about their bloodline? And what about their actual strength?
"I can tell that both of you have many doubts."
Hikaru naturally sensed the change in atmosphere, but he did not care.
He smiled lightly, then continued walking toward the location of the Tenseigan while speaking.
"Then I'll answer them one by one. Which part would the two Hokage like to start with?"
"Well, doing this kind of experiment is…"
Hashirama immediately opened his mouth, but before he could finish, Tobirama cut him off.
"Big Brother, shut up. Don't start talking about whether experiments are right or wrong. The development of ninjutsu must go through constant experimentation.
"Such experiments have no right or wrong. The only question is whether they benefit people and Konoha."
After saying this, Tobirama did not even look at Hashirama. He turned directly toward Hikaru.
"Hikaru, I'm asking you. What is the operation process of this technique, and what was the final result?
"You know what I mean by result."
"I can also answer Hashirama-senpai's question. It's not that big of a deal."
Hikaru spread his hands and began explaining directly.
"This experiment was not conducted by Konoha. When I was still in the ANBU, I went to Sunagakure to carry out a hostage exchange mission.
"The people of Sunagakure attacked me, so I retaliated and took it from them.
"After obtaining this technique and returning to Konoha, I discovered it was a technique capable of reviving the dead.
"However, I did not have the conditions to research it at the time, so I temporarily shelved it.
"Later, the matter of Danzō and Orochimaru researching Wood Release was exposed. Orochimaru became the abandoned pawn and left Konoha, so I found him and had him research it."
During these days with Hikaru, Hashirama and Tobirama had basically learned about the major and minor events Konoha had experienced over the years.
Naturally, they also knew Sarutobi Hiruzen had researched Wood Release.
However, neither Hashirama nor Tobirama cared much about that matter.
To Hashirama, he was already dead. Others could do whatever they wanted; he could not possibly know.
As for Tobirama, he looked deeply displeased, but he could not really say much.
After all, he had been the one who started researching Wood Release in the first place.
During his time in office, he had researched far more than just Wood Release.
He had also studied the Sharingan and Byakugan quite extensively.
"Orochimaru offended certain people and wanted my protection, while I also needed his research ability."
Seeing that both of them were listening seriously, Hikaru continued.
"So I reached an agreement with him. I provided protection, and he conducted research.
"But at the time, I made an agreement with him. He was not allowed to attack any residents of the Land of Fire.
"The only exceptions were bandits and enemy shinobi. He followed that agreement.
"Still, it took quite some time. It was only shortly before I became Hokage that he told me he had basically completed it.
"So I used that technique to conduct an experiment. My experimental target was a Konoha shinobi who had once been forced into suicide because of certain conflicts of interest.
"The essence of this technique is equivalent exchange. One life exchanged for another.
"And I was lucky enough to capture a man who believed in an evil cult and had obtained an immortal body.
"I used his life force to perform the technique, and the final result was that an Edo Tensei body completely became a living person.
"Through careful observation, I can confirm that when One's Own Life Reincarnation took form, the target's entire body underwent a transformation.
"Or rather, the 'sacrifice' used as the base for Edo Tensei was completely dissolved into an energy body at that moment.
"That energy body then reconstructed everything needed to create a body perfectly suited to the target.
"Although, because of the sacrifice I used, the resurrected person's strength was weakened considerably.
"But no matter what…"
At this point, Hikaru paused slightly.
Looking at the enormous iron door before him, he knew he had arrived at his destination.
He lightly placed his hand on the iron door, then pushed with force.
A heavy, muffled sound slowly echoed as the gate opened.
Dots of yellow light began to cover the three of them.
At that moment, a smile appeared on Hikaru's face. Then he spoke softly.
"I succeeded. I turned a person from Edo Tensei into a living human being."
…
Hikaru's explanation was very detailed, and under his explanation, Hashirama and Tobirama both fell silent.
This kind of resurrection was simply too unbelievable.
Through Hikaru's description, they realized for the first time that this so-called resurrection technique was actually true resurrection in the full sense!
What was true resurrection?
It meant even bloodline, body structure, and everything else that matched the soul were completely taken into account.
Because of Hikaru's explanation, they truly believed that there really was a technique in this world capable of genuinely bringing people back to life.
Equivalent exchange.
That was a basic concept and common sense.
Especially in the field of life, this was an important factor that could not be ignored.
Death gods were not benevolent.
Perhaps they could be in novels and manga, but a real death god would absolutely not be like that.
According to Hashirama and Tobirama's understanding, the so-called death god was more likely the product of rules.
The rule it enforced was equivalent exchange: if one needed a soul, then a new soul had to be used to fill the gap.
Tobirama's Edo Tensei was like this.
And the reincarnation technique Hikaru mentioned clearly followed the same principle.
Using one person's life force to exchange for another person's life force was an inevitable matter.
However, Hikaru had found a trick in the process.
Or rather, he had seized a loophole in the rules.
They had both heard of the Jashin cult.
They also knew of those immortal beings who possessed nearly endless life.
However, these people's lives were not truly infinite. Once they reached a certain age, they would still die.
They had also heard that once these believers died, their souls seemed to go to that so-called Jashin.
But none of that mattered.
What mattered was that before reaching that age, they possessed endless life.
Hikaru had clearly used this point, using those people's endless life force to resurrect someone.
As for why he chose Edo Tensei instead of a corpse, that was probably because the deceased had been dead for too long.
Once someone had been dead too long, their soul naturally entered the Pure Land.
Edo Tensei could summon that soul back.
Of course, the cost of the technique Hikaru described did not seem low either.
After all, according to Hikaru, the Jashin believer acting as the caster had directly turned into a dried corpse.
If Hikaru had not mobilized Yang Release to help him recover, no one knew how long that person would have taken to recover normally.
The price was unimaginable.
But the gain was equally enormous.
Such a technique truly followed the principle of equivalent exchange.
Such a technique truly had a high possibility of resurrecting the dead—even those brought back through Edo Tensei.
The two remained silent along the way.
Even Hashirama, who usually seemed somewhat carefree, was quiet.
But when they arrived before the giant Tenseigan, they finally snapped back to their senses.
After all, the power emitted by the enormous Tenseigan before them was far too strong.
That destructive force made them feel that even if they faced this eye in their prime, their ending might not be good.
The fact that Hikaru could defeat the person controlling this eye truly had to be credited to how fiercely they had fought among themselves, and how every one of them carried wounds that could not be healed.
In the days that followed, Hikaru's life became extremely peaceful.
After all, his current physical condition was still not ideal. He still needed to continue recovering.
Therefore, aside from sensing the Tenseigan's power every day and reading books, he basically did not need to do anything else.
Hikaru intended to absorb the power of this giant Tenseigan to improve the development level of his Pure Eye.
Therefore, he needed to adapt to this power ahead of time and see whether he could control this eye.
Unfortunately, he did not seem able to control it at all.
Perhaps Hikaru currently did not possess that level of power, so he could not accomplish it.
However, Hikaru unexpectedly discovered that he was actually very compatible with the Tenseigan's power.
Especially while comprehending this power, he discovered that his own eyes seemed to be recovering faster.
This discovery delighted Hikaru, but after thinking about it carefully, it was only natural.
The foundation of the Tenseigan was also the Byakugan.
And Hikaru's Pure Eye, to put it plainly, was also an evolution extracted from the Byakugan.
Because of the system, it had then mutated and become the pair of eyes he now possessed.
The Byakugan truly deserved to be called the "mother of all eyes."
In the shinobi world, Hikaru even felt that most eye techniques were actually mutations of the Byakugan.
Not only in the shinobi world—even many of the strange eyes possessed by the Ōtsutsuki mostly came from the Byakugan.
As for the remaining portion, that came from the power bestowed by the Divine Tree.
Hikaru did not have the power bestowed by the Divine Tree.
Or rather, that power had gone to the Uchiha side.
The power of his eyes came from the Byakugan, and the Tenseigan before him also shared the same origin.
It was only natural that he could adapt to this power.
"Looks like everything is going smoothly. Once I've recovered enough, I can absorb this power."
Hikaru thought silently.
He was not yet sure what changes absorbing this power would bring him.
But he knew he would definitely gain plenty of benefits.
After all, this was the Tenseigan.
The temptation of the Tenseigan was right before him. All he needed was time.
To suppress the impulse in his heart, Hikaru could only read properly to pass the time.
Inside this shrine, Hikaru found the library of the Ōtsutsuki Clan on the moon.
This library not only recorded events from a thousand years ago, but also contained information about the Ōtsutsuki Clan on the moon.
Most importantly, Hikaru found the materials he had longed for regarding the space transmission array, as well as the Yin–Yang Release used by these Ōtsutsuki!
These materials were truly important to Hikaru.
There was no need to say much about the transmission array.
Understanding that thing could ensure Hikaru's return to the shinobi world.
As for the Yin–Yang Release materials, they could also perfect Hikaru's power system.
Although the system gave him a very deep understanding of Yin–Yang Release, learning how different people understood and used Yin–Yang Release was also extremely important.
Therefore, Hikaru behaved very obediently.
As for the other work, he left all of it to the two previous Hokage.
Those two Hokage were also constantly helping Hikaru research things.
Especially everything related to the Tenseigan.
…
"Big Brother, what do you think?"
Inside Hamura Shrine, Hashirama was carefully reading the Ōtsutsuki Clan's records on Yin–Yang Release.
As someone who could control Yang Release himself, he naturally had the same intention as Hikaru: to look at these materials from another person's perspective.
Although he knew very well that reading them was not actually useful for him.
After all, he was already dead. Once Edo Tensei ended, he would return to the Pure Land.
Even so, he could not help wanting to read them, wanting to learn things he had never mastered.
Of course, he could also read other materials to pass the time.
The problem was, he had already read those materials. And precisely because he had read them, he had become even more interested in Yin–Yang Release.
The materials he had read recorded events from a thousand years ago, including the stories of Indra and Asura.
For some reason, he suddenly felt that Indra and Asura were truly similar to Uchiha Madara and himself.
Especially since he had once sensed that behind his own chakra, there had actually been another chakra helping him.
He had not been certain what that chakra was.
That chakra had formed into a human figure, a will.
What disappointed him was that now, he could no longer sense that chakra.
Even though he knew that if he returned to his peak strength, his power would still remain, and he had not been affected in any way, the departure of that chakra still left him feeling lost.
He did not even know why he felt lost.
But the feeling had surged up in his heart, and he had to find a way to suppress it.
"What do I think about what?"
Hashirama, who had been engrossed in reading, heard his younger brother's voice and could not help looking up to ask.
He seemed somewhat confused, as though he had no idea what Tobirama was trying to say.
"Stop pretending. You know what I mean."
Tobirama snorted coldly. He stood up and slowly began arranging the materials in his hands.
His expression was serious. While organizing them, he spoke.
"About what Hikaru said. That technique that can allow us to truly return to the human world—what do you think?"
"Are you sure you really want to hear my opinion?"
When Hashirama heard this, a faintly amused expression appeared on his face.
Seeing that expression, Tobirama could not help shaking his head.
Clearly, his elder brother's attitude was probably the same as it had been when Tobirama first researched Edo Tensei.
Back when Tobirama had initially decided to research Edo Tensei, his brother had tried to stop him.
He simply had not listened and had still completed the technique.
When his brother found out, he had been furious and had even told that bastard Uchiha Madara the release method.
Tobirama had always held a grudge over that matter.
However, he did not hate his brother for it.
Because he understood his brother too well.
He also understood his relationship with Uchiha Madara too well.
All he could do was take remedial measures, such as actively recovering Madara's corpse after his death.
Although he had been tricked in that matter, he still believed Madara was definitely dead.
The problem was the aftermath.
He was truly worried that some idiot might use Edo Tensei to bring Uchiha Madara back.
But those were matters for later.
Tobirama had actually keenly noticed something.
At this moment, he did not think his brother's stance would be that firm.
After all, the book his brother was reading was quite telling.
"All right. I knew you wouldn't believe me."
Seeing Tobirama's drifting gaze, Hashirama understood what his younger brother was thinking.
He casually closed the book, then spoke slowly.
"Actually, I don't know what choice we should make.
"I admit resurrection is indeed tempting. Even though I have always believed that since we are already dead, the rest should be left to our juniors.
"But I have to admit, I really want to see Konoha's development. I also want to live again and make some contribution to Konoha.
"These thoughts have been tangled in my heart all this time. Right now, I truly don't know how to choose."
Hashirama spoke very slowly.
The conflict in his words was fully revealed.
Tobirama fell somewhat silent.
To him, he truly did not understand what there was to struggle over.
One option was to come back to life, once again do what one wanted to do, experience all the beauty of the human world, and contribute to Konoha again.
The other was to leave everything to the younger generation, peacefully remain dead, and return to the Pure Land to sleep.
It was a simple choice between two options. Was there really a need to be so conflicted?
But he could not be bothered to say too much.
Perhaps this was the difference between realism and idealism.
"As expected, discussing this kind of thing with you is truly exhausting, Big Brother."
Tobirama eventually shook his head.
As a realist, he cared more about what could be done, and what could be gained after doing it.
In this regard, Hikaru was truly very similar to him.
After all, judging by Hikaru's rise to power, he was truly a Hokage who did not hesitate to use any means necessary.
Tobirama did not think there was anything wrong with that.
His success had already proven everything.
Being able to endure when weak, and being able to restrain himself after gaining strength—that was the mark of a qualified Hokage!
Tobirama acknowledged Hikaru's capacity.
He did not care how his brother or others viewed it.
"Probably. You know you definitely don't agree with my thoughts and think I'm too conflicted, right?"
Hashirama stood up and stretched lightly before continuing.
"But I don't mind. Everyone has their own choice, and I will support you, Tobirama.
"As for me, I think I'll take it one step at a time. Maybe I'll make up my mind eventually."
With that, the conversation was basically over.
Although Tobirama had not obtained the answer he wanted, he had at least received an answer better than expected.
His brother was conflicted, but he had not denied it outright.
That was already a good thing.
Although Tobirama did not care whether his brother denied it or not, this was still his biological elder brother.
Smiling faintly, Tobirama planned to take these materials to Hikaru.
During the week or so they had stayed here, although the information and intelligence he obtained was not particularly abundant, he had still gained quite a lot.
Hikaru had summoned them not only for necessary protection, but also for research.
And the thing to be researched was naturally that giant Tenseigan.
However, before Tobirama could act, Hikaru suddenly pushed the door open and entered.
…
Standing before the giant Tenseigan, Hikaru's expression carried a trace of solemnity.
After more than a week of recuperation, he had mostly recovered.
Strength was the foundation upon which a shinobi survived.
Although Hikaru could not be said to have lost his strength earlier, that weakened state was extremely rare for him.
Especially after he had just fought with all his power.
Suddenly losing that world-destroying strength had truly made him deeply uncomfortable.
Fortunately, no trouble appeared during Hikaru's period of weakness.
After safely passing through that period, Hikaru naturally had to begin his own plan.
After coming to the moon, he had actually made quite a few small plans for himself.
For example, finding the Ōtsutsuki Clan's Yin–Yang Release materials.
For example, figuring out the principle behind that giant transmission array.
But the most important matter was still the Tenseigan.
It was still using the Tenseigan to improve his Pure Eye.
Besides, even if Hikaru had not completely finished the first two small plans, he had already found the relevant materials.
He could take them back to Konoha and slowly work on them later.
He could even hand them to people he trusted.
Right now, he could focus entirely on the Tenseigan and properly find a way to improve his own power.
Taking a deep breath, Hikaru slowly closed his eyes.
When he opened them again, his eyes had already turned into a brilliant blue!
They were extremely similar to the Tenseigan, yet clearly different.
And they were filled with a destructive power.
"Those eyes…"
Hashirama and Tobirama had been watching from the side the entire time.
When they saw Hikaru's eyes and sensed the power emanating from them, their expressions changed slightly at the same time.
They had long known Hikaru had such a pair of eyes, but they had never seen them before.
Now that Hikaru revealed them, they were truly shocked.
Even though Hikaru had not used these eyes in battle, both of them could feel how powerful they were!
Especially since Hikaru's eyes and the giant Tenseigan were emitting powers that were far too similar.
It really made them wonder whether Hikaru's parents had some connection to the people on the moon.
Actually, they were not wrong about one thing.
From the perspective of historical origin and bloodline, Hikaru truly did have a connection with the moon's Ōtsutsuki.
Of course, that included Hashirama and Tobirama themselves as well.
While they were shocked, Hikaru himself also felt extremely surprised.
He could sense that his eyes seemed to be much stronger than before.
This truly surprised Hikaru.
But right now, he could not be bothered to dwell on it.
He gently placed his hand on the giant Tenseigan.
At the same time, Pure Eye chakra covered his entire body.
Hikaru vaguely remembered that the Tenseigan had a curse placed on it.
If someone without Hamura's bloodline touched it, their chakra would be drained dry.
Strictly speaking, Hikaru truly did not possess Ōtsutsuki Hamura's bloodline.
After all, he was a Senju.
However, his eyes had been extracted from the Byakugan.
That was the only point of resonance he had with the Tenseigan.
Moreover, during this week, Hikaru had constantly been comprehending the Tenseigan's power.
His purpose was simple.
On one hand, he wanted his body to adapt to the Tenseigan's power.
On the other, he wanted to see just how different the power of his eyes was from the Tenseigan.
Could he reduce the rejection by simulating the power fluctuations of the Tenseigan?
After spending a week on it, Hikaru could now roughly simulate it.
But exactly how far he could go and what he could achieve—he truly did not know.
"Now is the time to test everything. I hope nothing goes wrong."
Hikaru thought silently.
His hand fully pressed against the yellow Tenseigan.
In an instant, a powerful force shook the entire Hamura Shrine.
The giant Tenseigan seemed to sense an unusual power and immediately launched an attack against it.
Just as Hikaru knew, the Tenseigan would directly drain the chakra of anyone without Hamura's bloodline!
In that instant, Hikaru clearly felt the Pure Eye chakra covering his body begin to be drawn away.
This made Hikaru raise his eyebrows.
That was not a good thing for him.
After all, his Pure Eye chakra was not abundant.
Of course, fortune and disaster always came together.
Hikaru had finally truly made contact with the Tenseigan's chakra.
Previously, he had relied entirely on sensing it and had not dared to reach out and touch it.
But now, as the Tenseigan absorbed the Pure Eye's power, he was, for the first time in the true sense, touching this chakra.
"I really didn't expect the essence of the Pure Eye and the Tenseigan's power to be the same.
"It's just that because the two are used and operated differently, their vibration frequencies are different."
Hikaru thought silently.
Although this discovery surprised him somewhat, it was not beyond expectation.
Because whether it was his Pure Eye or the Tenseigan before him, both were refined or evolved from the Byakugan!
Slowly closing his eyes, the blue chakra around Hikaru became even more dazzling.
At the same time, he focused all his attention and began seriously adjusting the vibration frequency of his Pure Eye chakra.
The Tenseigan absorbed very quickly, but Pure Eye chakra was not so easy to absorb.
And under Hikaru's adjustments, the chakra on his body became increasingly similar to the Tenseigan's chakra.
The absorption speed began to slow, then gradually stopped.
This change was a good thing for Hikaru.
And Hikaru also began to counterattack.
After having his power absorbed for so long, he was already very unhappy.
After all, he had spent an entire week recovering himself.
Now, in just a few dozen seconds, Hikaru's Pure Eye chakra reserves had once again approached the red line.
How could he possibly be happy about that?
"It's time to begin!"
Thinking this, Hikaru immediately took action.
The Tenseigan was no longer absorbing his power, and he could already sense that he was able to control the power inside the Tenseigan.
Since that was the case, Hikaru naturally would not be polite.
Slowly, under Hikaru's guidance, the Tenseigan's power began entering his body.
It quickly merged with the layer of Pure Eye chakra around him, then slowly flowed into his eyes.
However, what Hikaru never expected was that the moment those powers entered his eyes, he instantly lost control of them!
The surging, majestic Tenseigan chakra seemed to have found an outlet.
It frantically rushed toward Hikaru's eyes…
◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 100 Power Stones.
◇ Read 60 chapters ahead on P@treon: patreon.com/KageNaruto