When Uchiha Shisui and Senju Itama regained consciousness, they found themselves in Tsuzuki Town and Yamato Town respectively—two tiny settlements within the borders of the Land of Fire.
According to the villagers who revived them, it had happened like this.
That day, the villagers had been working in the fields when, all of a sudden, one of them found himself trapped inside a shimmering barrier.
It sounded ridiculous, but after hearing a strange question, that villager answered it casually.
Then the "Heavenly Deity" gave him two gifts.
One of those gifts was the chance to choose a ninja from the Land of Fire who had already died and bring them back to life.
Those villages were remote and poor. They rarely ever saw ninjas, let alone hired them for work.
So, by sheer luck, among the ten coffins the villagers saw, Uchiha Shisui and Senju Itama were the youngest-looking ninjas…
Especially Itama. He looked far too young.
The villager who answered the question felt a pang of sympathy and chose him for revival.
Speaking of which, little Itama felt a bit disappointed.
He had thought that after reuniting with his father and elder brother, his father would send someone to give the elderly villager some mission reward as thanks.
Tobirama's brow twitched. "Do you think I can't afford mission reward? Once everything here is settled, I'll personally go and thank him."
Even after being reincarnated twice and having fought in the Fourth Shinobi World War, Senju Tobirama had always been able to remain calm, placing reason above emotion.
But the moment he saw a living, breathing Itama again—
For an instant, the Second Hokage, who had experienced death and reincarnation, completely lost the ability to think.
…
That aside—
"You're saying those civilians just answered randomly and got it right?!"
How was that possible? It was absurd.
During the chūnin exams, the question that descended upon Konoha had been—
"During the Fourth Shinobi World War, who must the Allied Shinobi Forces' Commander-in-Chief protect?"
If Uzumaki Naruto hadn't blundered into the right answer by sheer coincidence,
Who would have even known what the Fourth Shinobi World War was supposed to be?!
"Uh…" Even Shisui found it hard to believe. "According to the villagers, the question really was very simple. You could even say it didn't have a standard answer."
"Oh?" Tobirama grew curious. "What was the question?"
Shisui replied, "[Question: Compared to cruel reality, would you be willing to live forever in a happy dream?]"
"!!" Itama's eyes widened. "The old man who saved me said he heard the same question."
"That's it?"
"Yes, that's it."
Homura Mitokado frowned deeply. "What kind of question is that? Whether you answer 'willing' or 'unwilling' depends entirely on personal choice. There's no standard answer at all."
Tobirama fell into thought. "Living… in a happy dream?"
Compared to cruel reality, living forever in a happy dream—
Wasn't that Madara and Obito's ultimate goal during the Fourth Shinobi World War?
A world where everyone lived within their own dreams.
Within the world woven by the Infinite Tsukuyomi, there was no war, no regret—but it could never create true bonds between people.
After a fleeting moment of happiness… what followed was inevitably a far more terrifying fate: a hell of eternal loneliness.
In the end, everything would be forgotten. Even thought itself would stop, and people would merge with the God Tree, becoming White Zetsu.
"Let me guess," Tobirama said slowly. "First of all, the villagers you two encountered must have given the same answer. This question was not without a correct answer…"
"Or rather, the correct answer was whatever the mastermind behind this 'death quiz' believed."
Everyone present was startled.
The mastermind's belief was the answer?!
"The correct answer to that question is… as long as the reply included 'unwilling,' the task was considered complete."
Itama blinked in curiosity. "As expected of you, Tobirama-niisan! How did you know?"
Tobirama: "..."
After the Fourth Shinobi World War, no one was unaware that Madara himself had been deceived—and on top of that, he dragged his own clansmen down with him, allowing Uchiha Obito to be led by Black Zetsu into turning the entire shinobi world upside down…
Fine. Danzō had definitely played his part in making things worse, too.
Thinking of the loopholes he had found while reviewing mission scrolls these past few days gave Tobirama a headache.
"In short, that strange question-and-answer phenomenon may exist within the Land of Fire—no… possibly across the entire world. And it's not just ninja from the villages who can be revived. Shinobi from the Warring States era may also be given a second life…"
"Hand this information over to the Intelligence Division to analyze."
Tobirama continued, "Now then, let's talk about the Uchiha clan."
"Uchiha Shisui, grandson of Kagami—state your purpose."
"Yes, Second Hokage-sama." Shisui straightened and knelt properly. "This matter begins with the Nine-Tails' attack on Konoha and the death of the Fourth Hokage…"
Under the silent gaze of the Third Hokage,
Shisui recounted the Nine-Tails' attack, and how the Uchiha, due to mistrust, had been barred from joining the battle and instead assigned to guide villagers to safety.
At the time, many young Uchiha who had wanted to integrate into the village were unable to contribute.
All they could do was swallow their resentment.
That battle—
Ended with the Fourth Hokage sacrificing his life to reseal the Nine-Tails.
The Uchiha valued clan honor more than life itself, yet that disaster caused many villagers to misunderstand them as cowardly and afraid of danger.
"And on top of that…" Shisui hesitated before continuing. "Some of the older villagers said that only the Uchiha's Sharingan could control the Nine-Tails, just like—"
Tobirama interrupted calmly, "Just like Madara, right?"
Shisui lowered his head, tacitly agreeing.
"The villagers believed that this Nine-Tails attack, just like the previous one, was an Uchiha conspiracy. From that point on, the Uchiha, who served as the Konoha Military Force, faced even harsher exclusion outside their clan compound."
With a quiet sigh, Tobirama thought: Of course it was Madara, that bastard. At least Obito finally woke up—he wasn't completely ruined by Black Zetsu…
Such a talented junior, who once dreamed of becoming Hokage.
"During Konoha's reconstruction, the Uchiha clan was reassigned land at the very edge of the village," Shisui said. "Gradually, the Uchiha became less willing to leave their compound. The rift between them and the village grew deeper, until they eventually walked the path of plotting rebellion…"
Tobirama pinched the bridge of his nose and turned to his three students. "Why was the Uchiha clan compound moved to the outskirts of the village?"
The Third Hokage and the two elderly advisors lowered their heads, just like academy students from decades ago, saying nothing.
Tobirama could tell that the Third felt remorse, while the two advisors still had something to say.
"Speak."
Mitokado's glasses caught the light, obscuring his expression. 'Sensei—when we formed that alliance with Kumogakure, who was it that sealed our chakra?
——