Izuna and Tobirama fell silent for a long time.
At this point, both of them felt a heavy weight in their hearts…
Izuna felt that the Uchiha's future hope was visibly bleak…
The Third Hokage was not only Senju Tobirama's disciple.
And his elder brother was still so reckless…
He had left behind a fatal weakness for the clan—attacking the First Hokage…
Then how could the Uchiha clan possibly end well? They might as well just wait to be suppressed to death!
Tobirama, meanwhile, was thinking that if he had been just a bit more cautious back then, and hadn't been ambushed by Kinkaku and Ginkaku using the Six Paths Treasured Tools—even if he had returned to Konoha gravely injured and held on a little longer…
If he had properly supported Hiruzen's rise to power and guided him further, Konoha would surely have developed even better…
Back then, how could Hiruzen possibly have been prepared to become Hokage?
His entire heart had been set on being a good bodyguard. Tobirama himself had severely neglected Hiruzen's Hokage training…
Of course, this reflection was also based on the fact that, in Tobirama's view, Hiruzen had done fairly well now…
Only then did Tobirama begin to reflect on himself…
In a certain sense—
Izuna and Tobirama's thoughts were in sync at this moment!
Izuna regretted why he had fallen for the Flying Thunder God Slash back then…
Tobirama was never someone who attacked mindlessly. Throwing that many kunai into the mist—there had to be another intention behind it…
Tobirama regretted that he had failed to anticipate the Six Paths Treasured Tools ambush…
Kinkaku and Ginkaku were said to be descendants of the Six Paths Sage—how had he not thought of that angle?
Konoha was already doing this well now—if he had been around to help Hiruzen further, wouldn't it have soared even higher?
The two men, who looked strikingly similar, wore identical expressions of regret and contemplation—as if they were reflections on opposite sides of a mirror…
'Is this boy lamenting for me as well?'
'What is this bastard regretting?'
Their gazes suddenly collided. Seeing each other's expressions, both froze for a moment.
So similar…
'The clan must be having a hard time right now…'
'That Sarutobi Hiruzen is the disciple of that bastard Senju Tobirama…'
'On top of that, the Konoha Military Police Force is an open scheme—Uchiha combat power will be continuously weakened. If this continues, within ten years they won't even have the ability to resist!'
'This is practically a dead end…'
Izuna let out a long sigh. When he looked at Tobirama again, his eyes were filled with apology.
He no longer blamed Tobirama for getting angry at him at all…
Judging from the boy's appearance, he was about fifteen or sixteen years old.
His frame was already close to that of an adult, but his facial features were still relatively youthful.
'At that age, my elder brother had only just awakened his eyes…'
'This boy has already been pushed to the three-tomoe stage under pressure. No wonder he's said to have a bloodline disease. At such a young age, leading the clan against Tobirama's disciples and their disciples—it's too much to ask…'
Izuna rubbed his temples hard, thinking frantically about how to find a way out for the Uchiha.
The one-country-one-village system, Konoha's structure…
All of this was far too new to him. Many methods from the Warring States era were no longer applicable.
"The situation… isn't as bad as you think."
Tobirama coughed lightly.
"The Third Hokage has lifted the restrictions placed on the Uchiha by the Konoha Military Police Force. Only one-third of the clan remains in that role—the rest have returned to the regular ninja ranks."
Izuna looked puzzled.
"Why? Isn't he Tobirama's disciple?"
"I know Senju Tobirama. That bastard is cold and skilled at manipulating people's hearts. If he chose a disciple to inherit the position of Hokage, it must have been after long consideration!"
"There's no way he would go against his ideology and path. There must be a scheme behind this…"
A flash of insight crossed Izuna's mind.
"Wait…"
"By your account, Sarutobi Hiruzen has been Hokage for so many years. There should already be voices in the village regarding the Fourth Hokage, right?"
"Are they all related to Tobirama's sensei-disciple lineage?"
Tobirama's heart tightened.
Damn it—how is he still this sharp, even as a living corpse?
That feeling of being seen through instantly… it's been a while…
"Yes."
"The current front-runner is likely Hiruzen's disciple, Orochimaru… And the Hokage advisor, Shimura Danzō—also Tobirama's disciple—has ambitions for the position as well."
Izuna let out a cold laugh.
"As expected!"
"I knew it—on the surface, Tobirama avoids choosing Hokage from within the Senju clan. But in reality, this sensei-disciple inheritance system ensures ideological continuity far more reliably than bloodlines…"
"What a sinister man—always throwing out smoke screens."
Tobirama nodded as if in thought.
"What you say makes sense. But is that necessarily wrong?"
Izuna paused, hesitated, then shook his head.
"It's not wrong…"
"As a leader, the first consideration when cultivating a successor is precisely this. It's a very refined design."
"Managing a collective of ninja clans is completely different from managing a single clan."
"Boy, although I despise Senju Tobirama, one must never deny an enemy's strengths. That would only lead to arrogance—and you'll pay for it sooner or later…"
Izuna spoke earnestly to Tobirama.
He had already begun to see the boy before him as the future hope of the clan…
Setting aside strength and talent, the boy's mentality alone was excellent.
And he was the only bridge Izuna had to communicate with the Uchiha, so he couldn't help but offer him some guidance.
"Many in the clan believe the Uchiha's strength comes from the Sharingan."
"That's not wrong—bloodline power is our advantage, and it should be developed properly…"
"But aside from prodigies like my brother, when facing truly powerful enemies, the Sharingan's help is still limited."
"So if you want to keep improving, you must use the Sharingan's advantages to learn—to improve your ninjutsu, taijutsu, and genjutsu in all aspects…"
"You must reach a point where, even without the Sharingan, you are still a strong ninja."
"The Sharingan exists to help the Uchiha progress faster. If you lack my brother's talent and only indulge in the short-term power of these eyes, it will be very difficult to break through your limits…"
Izuna spoke with deep sincerity.
"Sorry, boy. I got carried away for a moment and said too much…"
"I'm not trying to lecture you—just sharing some experience as a former Young Clan Head… and a failure."
Izuna tried to soften his words.
He knew full well that Uchiha geniuses tended to have eccentric personalities…
Before trust was established, lecturing would never work.
Listening to all this, Tobirama picked up on something interesting.
In the past, Izuna had always appeared to be a staunch supporter of Uchiha bloodline supremacy…
He loved mocking Tobirama for not having the Sharingan, constantly making him reflect on his "tragic fate" of lacking those eyes…
So behind the scenes, he had actually been putting in this much effort?
No wonder his swordsmanship and Body Flicker Technique always steadily suppressed Tobirama.
To the point that Tobirama had to develop various forbidden techniques just to counter Izuna's relentless attacks…
'Still, I was the better one in the end!'
Tobirama chuckled inwardly. His thoughts shifted, and with a puzzled expression, he said: "So what you're saying…"
"Is that I should use the Sharingan to develop more ninjutsu?"
Izuna picked up immediately, speaking seriously: "That's right. It would be best if you could develop a few powerful techniques for self-defense. Research does depend on talent, but the Sharingan can provide assistance…"
Tobirama couldn't help but say: "That sounds a bit like you're telling me to learn from Senju Tobirama…"
Learn from myself?
That's about as authoritative as it gets.
Izuna froze for a moment, internally struggling to keep it together.
When put that way… it really did sound like that…
But there was no helping it. You couldn't just reject something good simply because it came from an enemy.
What if the boy truly had the talent for developing forbidden techniques?
Wouldn't that just hinder his growth?
Suppressing the discomfort in his heart, Izuna took a deep breath: "That's right. If possible… it would be best if you could learn from Senju Tobirama!"
"Is there really anything wrong with becoming an Uchiha Tobirama? In the end, it's all for the good of the clan…"
Izuna had never imagined that one day, he would be standing here, urging an outstanding junior to learn from that bastard…
Sigh!
"Mhm…" Tobirama deliberately pretended to think for a long time before nodding with obvious reluctance, though inwardly he was immensely pleased.
See? So you do know how capable I am.
"Then I'll give it a try. I do have some talent when it comes to developing ninjutsu."
"For the sake of the clan…"
Izuna nodded, his feelings complicated. "You're a fine Uchiha. Better than I was…"
"Then tell me—if the Uchiha are removed from the Police Force, what kind of scheme might the Hokage have in mind?"
"Even if he is Senju Tobirama's disciple…"
This time it was Tobirama's turn to be unhappy, but in order to keep stringing Izuna along, he could only maintain his expression and say: "The Third Hokage always emphasizes that he is not only Senju Tobirama's disciple, but also Senju Hashirama's disciple."
"Even Mito-sama has said that he is the Hokage who truly inherited the First Hokage's spirit…"
If he wanted Izuna's power to fully aid Konoha, then he could not allow Izuna to harbor overly strong hostility toward Hiruzen…
Otherwise, if something unexpected happened later, it would be difficult to coordinate on short notice. The foundation of a persona was the most important thing.
If the foundation was laid firmly enough, then even if problems appeared, other people would fill in the gaps with their own assumptions…
But even as he said that, a strange feeling rose in Tobirama's heart. He actually had the faintest urge to hear Izuna reject it…
"Mito? Mito is still alive?!"
Izuna froze. "She really knows how to live… Ah, right, she knows that technique—the Strength of a Hundred Seal…"
Tobirama added: "Mito-sama also became the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki. Logically speaking, jinchūriki are not supposed to live long…"
After saying that, Tobirama also explained what a jinchūriki was, since that concept did not exist in the Warring States era.
"That shortening of one's lifespan as a jinchūriki—that applies to other people. Mito is an extremely formidable kunoichi."
"I think I understand now. She must have extracted part of the Nine-Tails' chakra and infused it into the Strength of a Hundred Seal to prolong her life…"
Izuna said with emotion: "She is very strong. She mastered all kinds of the Uzumaki clan's bloodline techniques. She could even use sealing techniques as offensive arts, and her sensory ability was even more terrifying."
"After Hashirama married Mito, some of his Wood Release techniques started showing traces of sealing formulas."
"You need to be careful. If she appears anywhere around you, try not to summon me casually. We'll need to put up some sort of cover first. Otherwise, she may very well notice!"
Tobirama deeply agreed in his heart.
He knew better than anyone how formidable Mito was.
Back when he was researching forbidden techniques, in order to avoid Mito's inspections, Tobirama had even built his secret laboratory a full hundred meters underground—just to avoid getting caught…
Even as Hokage, there was nothing he could do about it.
Mito was not only his sister-in-law, she also carried Hashirama's dying wish and was the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki…
She did not interfere in internal affairs. She simply did not allow him to research overly dangerous forbidden techniques…
Speaking of which, Tobirama still felt a little sour about it.
Why didn't she guard against Hiruzen the same way?
Present-day Sarutobi Hiruzen was also deeply engaged in research and in developing all kinds of techniques.
He had even set up his lab not far from Mito's residence for security reasons, looking completely open and aboveboard…
And Mito seemed perfectly at ease with it. As far as he knew, she had never once stopped Sarutobi Hiruzen…
What blatant double standards!
"As for what you said—that Sarutobi Hiruzen is Senju Hashirama's disciple and inherited his spirit…"
Izuna pondered for a moment, then nodded. "That's a very good addition."
"Lifting the restrictions on the Uchiha in the Police Force may not necessarily be a scheme. I was too hasty…"
Tobirama nodded thoughtfully, but inwardly he was already struggling to keep it together.
What is that supposed to mean?
Tobirama knew what his reputation was like. Compared to his elder brother, yes, there was indeed some gap.
But was it really this exaggerated? Even that bastard Izuna acknowledged his brother's name…
'No wonder Hiruzen keeps bringing up my brother every day. My brother's name is absurdly effective, isn't it?'
'Mhm… it's all for the good of the village, but if you ask who Hiruzen truly identifies with more, I'd still say it's me…'
Tobirama comforted himself: 'Didn't he revive me? Didn't he say he wanted me to live a new life, and that I'd worked too hard before?'
'Yes. That's definitely it!'
Izuna was also thinking things over, analyzing the details in Tobirama's tone.
And he came to realize that the boy before him probably did not carry much hatred toward Konoha in his heart…
'When he refers to the Hokage and to Mito, he uses honorifics…'
'I should ask him what's going on…'
Izuna coughed lightly. "By the way, you still haven't introduced yourself to me… Who are your parents?"
"Perhaps I know them. Your grandfather and grandmother as well—you can tell me about them too."
Tobirama laughed inwardly.
Kid, so you just had to stick your hand right into the sore spot, huh?
Then let me make you squirm.
"I don't know. I have no father and no mother."
Tobirama said expressionlessly: "I wasn't born in Konoha. I grew up in Kusagakure, and from childhood I was treated as a slave."
"When I got a little older, they discovered I had some talent, so they used me as expendable material to provide chakra to the Box of Ultimate Bliss, drawing chakra from me at fixed intervals…"
"I nearly died several times. That's also why I lost my memory—I remember very little of my past."
"I don't remember my original name. My current name is Uchiha Seisui. The Hokage gave it to me, to echo my younger brother Shisui's name."
Izuna's expression changed abruptly.
He had been thinking that, judging from the talent and intellect Seisui had displayed… his bloodline had to be pure.
And with that appearance, one look was enough to tell he was related to Izuna's branch. There was a very high chance they were actual kin.
But he had never expected… that he was actually someone abducted from an outside village?
The moment the Box of Ultimate Bliss was mentioned, Izuna—well-read in many records—instantly understood.
Once again, it was those worthless wastes ruled by greed!
Back in the Warring States era, there had been a certain group centered around that box, specializing in "cleaner" and "hyena" work, hiding in the underbelly of the shinobi world.
"Can you tell me about present-day Kusagakure?"
After hearing Tobirama's answer, Izuna became certain.
Those pieces of trash had gone legitimate, formed Kusagakure, but were still doing the same old business.
"Then how did you get out?" Izuna sighed. "It must not have been easy…"
"One day, I awakened my eyes. The Sharingan gave me some chakra."
"While they were extracting chakra from me, a Kusa ninja noticed my talent, so I tried hypnotizing him. That's how I was released from the prison…"
"At the time, I was responsible for delivering food to an Uzumaki girl. I guessed they intended for me to breed with her."
"My plan had been to use the opportunity to eat more, let my body recover a bit from its losses, and only then think about escaping. But just then, Konoha launched a surprise assault on Kusagakure."
"There were Uchiha clansmen involved, and other ninja as well…"
"In about an hour, Kusa's militant faction was completely beheaded. The captured ninja in the village were grouped according to their home villages, and each hidden village was notified to reclaim them…"
"That's how I returned to Konoha. Returned to the Uchiha."
Tobirama said flatly, looking at Izuna with just the right hint of mockery in his eyes.
Izuna listened in silence.
He had accidentally touched Seisui's scar!
That was absolutely not what Izuna had wanted to do. He simply had not expected this boy's life to have been so full of hardship—so tragic that even by Warring States standards, it counted as brutal…
"Child, can you let me take a look at you?"
Izuna lowered his head and said in an almost sincere tone, "Perhaps I can help you uncover the mystery of your origins…"
Tobirama nodded openly and spread his arms, signaling for Izuna to look as he pleased.
If something like this had happened in the past, he would have refused without hesitation. That was also why, when he had first entered Konoha, Tobirama had chosen to avoid getting close to the Senju ancestral residence as much as possible…
He was afraid Mito might see him!
Tobirama had originally planned to wait until he used some forbidden techniques to make the cellular fusion in this body tighter, and to make the soul and body more solidly integrated, before showing himself openly…
But who could have expected that an Uchiha Isshin would suddenly fall from the sky!
With two Mangekyō dōjutsu used on him alone, all of those concerns had been burned away completely!
Forget Mito—even if he himself saw the body he now had, he would still freeze for a moment. It was the kind of thing that would leave even someone running instrument tests utterly baffled…
It was practically like he and Izuna's…
Izuna activated his Mangekyō and carefully examined every single chakra pathway in Tobirama's body.
Sensing his chakra.
Tobirama, likewise, stared at Izuna's Mangekyō, inwardly marveling at the sheer power and sheer unfairness of Mangekyō abilities.
They were nothing like the forbidden techniques he researched, where the logic had to be airtight, every link fitting perfectly into the next.
Yata Spirit Invocation allowed Izuna, even without a physical body, to use every skill he had possessed in life—it even restored his Mangekyō.
Although the power would be weaker, Izuna's strength could theoretically stack completely with his own.
The requirement was complete unity of heart and mind…
Tobirama did not want to admit it, but objectively speaking, there really was a slight chance they could achieve that.
After all, the two of them fought in very similar ways now, and they understood each other fairly well…
"You…"
At first, Izuna had been absolutely certain this had to be a clansman connected to his bloodline.
And afterward he had remained firmly convinced of it, but under closer inspection, he sensed another familiar trace…
Sen-ju To-bi-ra-ma!
"Seisui, this may be a little presumptuous, but I want to use some ocular power to see more clearly…"
"That's fine. I can even lend you a little—you're in a spiritual state right now."
Tobirama even sent some of his chakra into Izuna in reverse.
And under the observation of Izuna's Mangekyō,
the Tobirama in the mental space showed not the slightest sign of disguise. It was the natural appearance of the soul made manifest—identical inside and out!
'You think you could still see through it?'
'Putting aside the fact that Isshin already burned even the outer shell of my soul into one with the body, I also made some small adjustments myself. Even if my elder brother came in person, he still wouldn't be able to tell…'
After Tobirama learned that there was a high probability he would summon Izuna,
he had used the Forbidden Technique: Soul Confinement Technique to make the same sort of minor adjustments to his already tempered soul as one would make to a physical body.
Without damaging its essential core, he had only altered the manifested appearance.
Doing that did not affect his mind or thoughts, but it was still agonizing…
There was no anesthetic for the soul.
But seeing the stunned look on Izuna's face now, Tobirama felt that all the pain he had suffered before was nothing at all. Being able to see that expression made it all worth it!
After all, he could afford to be a little more unrestrained now. He was no longer the Hokage…
He still loved the village, but indulging a personal hobby just a little was hardly excessive.
"Thank you… thank you…"
Izuna returned Tobirama's chakra in a dazed state.
His entire being looked as though it had been struck by lightning!
The more he savored this "Seisui," the more he seemed like the child descended from both him and Senju Tobirama!
'Let me think, let me think…'
This was simply too absurd.
'If Seisui is fifteen, then around forty-five years must have passed since my death…'
'So he must be my grandson.'
'But he also carries Senju Tobirama's elements. How is that even possible?'
A terrifying mental storm was raging inside Izuna's head.
Meanwhile, Tobirama simply wore an expression of tense anticipation, offering no explanation and waiting for Izuna to work it out on his own…
For a smart man like Izuna, it was enough to present the final result.
Tobirama's body and soul were both flawless. Even the Kusagakure background was real, borrowed from what he had personally seen in Hōzuki Castle and verified again and again…
Now that the result was there, why should he, a poor amnesiac Uchiha, be responsible for explaining the logical chain in between?
Izuna had his own methods.
Tobirama trusted Izuna's "desire for logical consistency" and his "ability to fill in missing information"…
'No, if he's my grandson, then it actually is possible!'
'My posthumous child with some unknown woman would be Seisui's father. After all, if she was my woman, then after my death there's no way she would have joined Konoha…'
If Tobirama knew what he was thinking,
he would definitely scold him: Typical self-absorbed Uchiha. Absolutely revolting!
'Then Seisui's mother would be Senju Tobirama's illegitimate daughter…'
'I knew it—how could a troublesome guy like him, always copying me in everything, possibly not get along with women? Senju Hashirama married Uzumaki Mito, after all…'
'And Senju Tobirama's reputation also doesn't support the idea of him openly having a child… No, perhaps he believed a child would be his weakness. So many of his brothers and mine died in the Warring States era.'
'If it were exposed, the child would certainly be targeted. If I were him, I'd make the same choice.'
Izuna's Mangekyō began spinning unconsciously. He felt he was getting closer and closer to the truth of the matter…
'Something must have happened in between…'
'But in any case, my son and his daughter probably ended up together. That would also explain why they left Konoha. Senju Tobirama would never have supported them being together…'
At that thought, even Izuna's face twisted slightly.
If he had known, he definitely would not have agreed either. Wasn't this just utter nonsense?!
'They must have left Konoha and lived somewhere near the Land of Fire, not far from Kusagakure…'
'They may not necessarily have been very strong. I've heard that even Senju Hashirama's son wasn't all that strong. They may not have inherited my power or Senju Tobirama's power—only for Seisui to be the one who inherited it…'
'But then that damned Kusagakure abducted him when he was still little!'
The moment that thought crossed his mind, Izuna felt as if an invisible hand had clenched around his heart.
As an Uchiha, he was already overflowing with emotion.
Just imagining his son and daughter-in-law losing their child, wandering in panic and helplessness, unable even to return to Konoha for help, made him feel utterly torn apart…
'They must have suffered terribly. Terribly…'
'That pain would kill them!'
Tobirama watched Izuna's Mangekyō spin faster and faster, and he was getting a little dazed himself.
Why did it feel like this man was imagining something completely ridiculous?
He was supposed to make it logically self-consistent, not start writing one of those melodramatic romance novels noblewomen loved reading in his head!
The kind that gave people a stomachache just thinking about them…
Izuna took several deep breaths.
Though he still had some doubts in his heart, this was the most absurd yet still plausible logic he could find.
"Child, you need to prepare yourself for what I'm about to say next."
"I will." Tobirama nodded hesitantly.
"You are the descendant of me and Senju Tobirama…"
"I am your grandfather, and Senju Tobirama is your maternal grandfather…"
Izuna threw his head back and howled at the sky: "What a sin against nature!"
Even Tobirama was shocked by those words, and he blurted out involuntarily: "Ah?"
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