Kusagakure.
Dressed in tattered cloth garments, Tobirama held a lunchbox and slowly knocked on the door of a wooden hut.
His face seemed etched with exhaustion.
The face originally centered on Izuna, accented with Tobirama's own features, was now veiled by a layer of dust that obscured most of its sharp spirit; at a glance, he looked like nothing more than an ordinary refugee.
Only a pair of black pupils remained clear.
Having been in Kusagakure for two months, Tobirama had already gained a thorough understanding of this village.
He had first infiltrated it. After sensing the surroundings, he discovered unusual activity at the prison known as Hōzuki Castle.
Upon arriving there, he found that Kusagakure was using the prisoners' chakra to charge the Box of Ultimate Bliss.
Thus, Tobirama went along with the situation and assumed the identity of a condemned prisoner.
The condemned prisoners here had neither names nor identities. They existed as human batteries; after their chakra was drained, they were left almost without strength. In this sunless environment, there was no communication to speak of.
For others, this was hell. For Tobirama, it was a natural shelter.
And during one extraction of chakra, Tobirama displayed a slightly unusual amount of chakra, drawing the attention of a Kusagakure shinobi.
Immediately afterward, he used his Two-Tomoe Sharingan to hypnotize the minor leader who had come to question him…
He made the minor leader believe that he possessed talent and could be loyal to Kusagakure, had Tobirama released from the death prison, and incidentally learned information about an "Uzumaki clansman."
He truly managed to gather results.
The Uzumaki clansman named "Uzumaki Shio" was quite well-known in Kusagakure—a rare "medical treasure."
Under further hypnosis, Tobirama was assigned the position of delivering meals to "Uzumaki Shio."
"Coming, coming…" A woman's voice drifted out, carrying a trace of inexplicable cheerfulness.
The door opened. Shio looked at Tobirama with a smiling gaze. "I knew it was you…"
Tobirama feigned confusion as he looked at her. "Why?"
But in truth, he understood.
The reason Shio could tell it was him was likely due to the Uzumaki clan's sensory ability—she had memorized his chakra.
Only, his current identity was that of a condemned prisoner released by Kusagakure.
Though he possessed some talent, he should not be knowledgeable about the Uzumaki clan. He could only play dumb.
But Tobirama had guessed wrong.
"Because only you knock so politely…"
"Everyone else just pushes the door open and comes in, cough, cough…"
Shio coughed lightly and covered her mouth apologetically. "Please set it there. Would you like to eat a little together?"
"My meals are a bit better than yours, you know. Look how thin you are…" Shio looked over Tobirama's deliberately emaciated frame and shook her head.
"I can tell that your foundation is actually very good. You're just as unlucky as I am…"
Tobirama fell silent.
What did she mean by "foundation"?
If she meant appearance, objectively speaking, this face of his resembled Uchiha Izuna more, though it also contained his own elements.
"However, I like your temperament even more…"
"Just like your chakra—sharp, yet with a gentle feeling. It matches your temperament!" Shio said with a smile.
Tobirama could not help but smile as well.
He was naturally not the type to fuss over appearance. In this life, whatever he looked like was what he looked like…
Besides, he had personally molded this face. Even if it resembled Izuna, it was still him as the dominant base.
That was the Second Hokage's logic—this domineering.
Still, when he heard that temperament outweighed appearance—translated, that "Tobirama elements" were more likable than "Izuna elements"—he felt a little happy inside.
"As for extra food, there's no need. You should eat a bit more…" Tobirama took out two chicken legs wrapped in cloth from his chest and handed them to Uzumaki Shio.
"If you don't eat enough, if you go on like this, you'll die."
The chicken legs gave off a scalding, rich aroma, the smell filling the wooden hut.
Shio stared fixedly at Tobirama and asked tremblingly, "Where did these come from? Did you steal something?! How dare you—if they find out, you'll die!"
"Quick, take them back. While they haven't noticed yet—I'm really fine…"
"Listen to me. You have to listen to me!"
Tobirama shook his head. It looked as if he had fallen silent, but in truth he was pondering in his heart how he should respond.
He discovered that the logic of men and women seemed not quite the same…
Shouldn't it be that you hurry and take them, eat in big bites, and then ask me where I got them?
Then I could go along with it and say that I seemed to have awakened some talent, test whether you wanted to leave Kusagakure, and from then on we'd become sworn brothers of different surnames. After that I'd tell you my past to thoroughly cement my identity, wouldn't I?
You telling me to return them—what does that mean?
Dealing with women truly was Tobirama's weak point.
Back when he was in the Senju clan, even though many female clanswomen liked him, Tobirama could not be bothered to engage with them. Every day he just thought about how to defeat Uchiha Izuna and about kinjutsu; life was fulfilling to the extreme.
He had even used this to mock Uchiha Izuna before, saying that the other was indulging among rouge and powder and would sooner or later be finished!
And Tobirama did not think he was wrong.
Didn't the outcome prove it? He won without touching women…
"I… seem to have awakened some talent? Do you still want to keep staying in this village…" Tobirama forcibly pushed the rhythm of the conversation forward.
He looked straight at this red-haired woman who was neither beautiful nor ugly, but whose smile looked very good.
"I… I of course don't want to!"
Shio said instinctively, but then immediately covered her mouth and lowered her voice.
"Don't think you can run out just because you have talent… Kusagakure's defenses are very tight. Their people are very formidable. If you haven't learned ninjutsu, there's no way to contend with them!"
Shio was very talented in perception and fūinjutsu, and she also had a special medical physique.
But when it came to offensive ninjutsu, she was quite lacking—she only knew how to use it, but used it very poorly.
Otherwise, she would have wanted to run long ago…
"How about I teach you? I remember some Water Release and Fire Release hand seals—let's take it slowly…"
"As for fūinjutsu, I won't teach you. It's too complicated and also useless. Back then, I shouldn't have learned that stuff…" Light flashed in Shio's eyes as she stared straight at Tobirama.
She had a strong favorable impression of this boy who came to deliver her meals.
In this Kusagakure, where humanity was almost lost, only this boy who had recently begun delivering her meals could still occasionally give her a feeling of warmth.
What Shio did not know, however, was that Tobirama was merely completing a mission and providing backing for his own identity.
A solid backing—preferably with a witness.
Shio's identity was real. As long as she believed that he, too, was born in Kusagakure, then Tobirama's identity would naturally become unassailable, without the slightest flaw.
And accomplishing this was simple.
Tobirama only needed to talk a bit more with Shio.
He did not understand how to deal with women, but he understood how to deceive people.
As long as, while delivering meals, he unconsciously revealed some broad facts, then filled in certain micro-level details, he could craft the image of someone who had grown up in Kusagakure from childhood.
"Five years ago, during the Second Shinobi World War, this damned place abducted many people…"
"Now quite a few have died. The food distributed recently has become increasingly bland. Their patience with you will grow thinner and thinner—you must find a way to escape…"
Tobirama did not answer Shio's question. He focused instead on shaping his Kusagakure persona, his black eyes staring straight at her wrist.
There were deep bite marks there—scars left from being bitten many times.
Shio nodded silently, yet the look in her eyes grew brighter and brighter.
She understood what Tobirama meant…
The reason Kusagakure had not yet used force on her or excessively extracted her chakra was only because they still held onto a trace of hope that she might develop something akin to "Stockholm" psychology—perhaps one day she would give up struggling and choose loyalty to Kusagakure.
After all, Shio's talent was too precious. If they pushed her too far and she committed suicide, the loss would be enormous.
But that patience was not infinite. Shio herself knew this clearly.
"To meet a boy like you in Kusagakure is truly good…"
"You must have stayed here for a long time as well. It's a pity we didn't get to know each other earlier."
"Come here quickly. One chicken leg each for the two of us. I'll teach you Water Release first…" Shio beckoned Tobirama, smiling brightly.
Tobirama hesitated for a moment, then took the chicken leg. In his mind, he could not help but silently sigh: 'This woman is quite easy to deceive. If it were Uchiha Izuna, it wouldn't be so simple…'
If it were that bastard, he would surely probe the truth of his words through every kind of detail, verify them repeatedly, and would deliberately bring up his previous statements to cross-check.
Tobirama was using the standard he applied to Izuna to deal with Shio…
Gaining trust so easily instead made him feel somewhat bored.
Shio ate the chicken leg, narrowing her eyes in happiness, and said softly, "I'll teach you Water Dragon Bullet first! This jutsu is very complicated—it requires forty-four hand seals…"
Then Shio began to recite the complex sequence.
Tobirama pretended to listen attentively.
The Water Dragon Bullet with forty-four hand seals…
To be honest, he had only used this kind of antiquated sealing method in this life when he was three or four years old.
When clashing head-on with a mad dog like Izuna, he already found four hand seals too many; generally, two hand seals were optimal.
"Oh dear, it's my fault—you don't know how to form hand seals yet, do you?" Shio slapped her forehead and said apologetically.
Tobirama's heart stirred slightly. He responded in a low voice, "I actually do…"
Shio asked in confusion, "How do you know? Did the Kusa shinobi teach you?"
"Didn't I say I awakened some talent?"
"Whenever I fall asleep, I always feel as if someone is speaking inside my head. Sometimes there's more than one voice. I can't quite hear what they're saying…"
"But after I wake up, I just inexplicably understand some things. Anyway, it's very strange."
Tobirama imitated a boy's tone, somewhat clumsily forming hand seals. "Look—is it done like this?"
Shio looked at Tobirama in astonishment. "Wow… then you must be carrying a powerful blessing!"
"In the Uzumaki clan, we call this phenomenon the blessing of the ancestors."
"According to legend, several hundred years ago, every clan head of the Uzumaki clan in each generation would receive such a blessing, gaining the power to protect the clan and pacify troubled times."
"Later on, it was said that it no longer happened. But powerful Uzumaki clan members would seal a portion of their chakra inside a child's body to achieve a similar effect!"
"You must be the descendant of a powerful shinobi clan, or have a powerful ancestor!"
A trace of puzzlement arose in Tobirama's mind.
The Senju clan had records of such things as well.
But in his generation, no one took it too seriously. Hashirama had only said that there seemed to be a bit of unusual chakra within his body, but that it did not affect anything.
After a moment's thought, Tobirama understood.
Several hundred years ago, the Uzumaki and Senju truly had been one family…
As for this so-called ancestral chakra, it was probably similar to a Kekkei Genkai—different deceased ancestors attaching themselves to one person, which explained why the intensity was inconsistent.
If it were a single ancestor continuously attaching, Tobirama felt that would be somewhat terrifying.
What magnitude of chakra would be required to persist for so many years?
Yet when he thought of the legend that the Senju clan had once been descendants of a sage, Tobirama fell into contemplation. As a researcher of ninjutsu, he did not like to discard any possibility.
'If it is the chakra of one individual, then it would be a gradual depletion caused by repeated attachment…'
'In the future, this phenomenon must be observed. I wonder how the Uchiha clan chronicles record it?'
Shio waved her hand in front of Tobirama's face.
"What are you thinking about? Don't worry. This is only a kind of blessing—it isn't a bad thing…"
A stir passed through Tobirama's heart. He followed the moment and revealed an embarrassed smile. "Ah, I really was thinking about some strange things just now. Sorry."
"As for this Water Release, I've grasped it. Do you know any other jutsu?"
Shio curled her lips. "You're bragging! This Water Release is very complicated. But if your memory is good, then I'll tell you a few more…"
"There are fewer people on patrol today. We might not have such a good opportunity later—you have to remember them carefully!"
Tobirama nodded. "Thank you."
Shio was taken aback and suddenly turned her head aside. "No, I should be thanking you…"
Tobirama frowned. Why was this woman so slow…
Hurry up and talk about your jutsu. What are you dawdling for!
He was still waiting for Shio to tell him a few more ninjutsu…
After all, when Konoha attacked, Tobirama would need to display himself a little.
And all of that would serve as backing for his identity.
The theory of chakra reincarnation could indeed serve as an explanation, but things still had to proceed step by step, allowing the Uchiha to analyze, discover, and mutually verify it with Shio themselves.
That would make it truly authentic.
At this moment, Tobirama was also thinking that the hypothesis and materials Hiruzen had provided him were probably based on the same reasoning.
It could be considered tacit understanding between master and disciple.
Tobirama did not want to handle matters too roughly and then have Hiruzen cover for him afterward…
Where would his authority as a teacher be then? He would be laughed at by the current Hokage!
Shio turned back, pretending that nothing had happened, and continued teaching Tobirama ninjutsu.
"That's about it. Did you remember everything?"
"I did." Tobirama nodded. He now somewhat understood how the Uzumaki clan had been wiped out.
Fūinjutsu was indeed powerful, but in terms of ordinary ninjutsu iteration, they truly had not kept up. It was far too crippled…
By the time one Water Dragon Bullet was released, it would be enough for him to use Flying Thunder God to kill the caster back and forth eighteen times!
Back then, he had wanted to have Uzushiogakure merge into Konoha, but Uzumaki Ashina had stubbornly refused, believing that maintaining independence and an alliance was sufficient.
"Take a bite. Whether we can escape or not depends on you!" Shio extended her left arm; there were no Kusagakure bite marks on that arm.
Tobirama instinctively wanted to refuse.
He had never done something like biting a person. At most, he had nearly sprayed Izuna's eyes blind with Water Needles…
But after another thought, his current identity did not allow him to refuse.
"Then thank you. I'll bring you more chicken legs."
Keeping a cold expression, Tobirama bit down on Shio's arm. A large amount of chakra flooded into his body, and the body he had deliberately starved thin appeared a little sturdier.
Shio nodded forcefully. "Absorb more. I'm fine!"
Tobirama released her arm and even politely wiped it for her.
"No need. This is enough…"
He turned his head and looked at Shio, who was clenching her fists to cheer him on. Something stirred in his heart.
There had once been a joke within the Senju clan about Senju Hashirama urging Senju Tobirama to marry.
During the Warring States Period, shinobi married very early. As the elder brother, he was naturally anxious.
"Little brother, don't always look at appearance. Tōka may be a bit mannish, but she can work!"
"What exactly are your standards? How about Shio? She's not particularly pretty, but when she smiles she's very cute—clearly someone suited for everyday life."
"Don't always look at appearance or ability. Plain and simple is what's real…"
The Senju woman named Shio, who had long since passed away, really did resemble Uzumaki Shio somewhat.
Likewise neither beautiful nor ugly, but with a gentle face, and small tiger teeth when she smiled.
And the punchline of that joke was…
After advising Tobirama like that, Hashirama turned around and married Uzumaki Mito, the most beautiful woman of the Uzumaki clan who never seemed to age, laughing loudly every day…
It had even angered a calm man like Tobirama, who cursed that his elder brother pretended to be foolish every day but was actually the most shrewd of all!
And so, he gradually forgot about marriage.
Now, living another life and recalling matters from his previous one, Tobirama felt a trace of emotion.
"Not good—someone's coming!"
Shio's expression suddenly tightened. Noises had already risen within Kusagakure. After activating her perception, she discovered many unfamiliar and powerful chakra signatures.
Tobirama had naturally noticed even earlier.
Although this body was still in its growth stage, his perception was more precise—after all, he was experienced and well-informed.
Konoha's people had arrived!
Tobirama let out a long breath.
Finally.
He could kill a few of Kusagakure's beasts to vent himself.
And he could return to Konoha.
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