At the mention of Uzumaki Ashina, Tobirama found himself nodding instinctively in agreement.
Izuna wasn't wrong.
Ashina truly had been an Uzumaki clan head who had become completely consumed by Fūinjutsu.
Tobirama had debated him countless times, trying to prove that the Ten Thousand Seals Body Integration Seal was fundamentally impossible.
Even Mito had sided with Tobirama, hoping to persuade her father to abandon the project.
Hashirama had repeatedly urged Ashina to give it up, to the point where his tone was almost pleading.
As long as he abandoned that dangerous technique, Konoha was willing to welcome the Uzumaki Clan into the village on the most favorable terms possible.
They could name any conditions they wanted.
But Ashina refused to budge.
No matter who tried to persuade him, he insisted that the technique represented the ultimate evolution and pinnacle of Fūinjutsu, and that one day someone would surely master its limitless potential.
Tobirama found the whole thing rather amusing.
Could anyone actually accomplish it?
Of course.
His elder brother certainly could.
The only problem was...
Hashirama had no need for it.
He already possessed hand seal-free healing.
Sometimes Tobirama couldn't help wondering whether Ashina had become so stubborn because Hashirama had unintentionally driven him mad.
The dream Ashina had pursued his entire life yet never attained...
Hashirama had been born with most of it naturally, without even understanding why his body possessed such abilities.
Every now and then, even Tobirama found himself overwhelmed by his brother's talent.
It really was enough to discourage anyone.
In a way, Tobirama himself had never realized that his obsession with researching Kinjutsu was simply another way of chasing after his older brother.
"...So... that means it isn't necessarily Senju Tobirama?"
Tobirama finally let out a sigh of relief.
It seemed Izuna had been moved by his words and had stopped relentlessly pursuing the accusation.
"Since you brought up the Uchiha... could it possibly be Uchiha Madara?"
Tobirama quietly slipped in his own agenda.
This had always been his favorite option.
Blame Uchiha Madara.
Izuna frowned instinctively.
But out of respect for Seisui—and because he was still just a child whose words carried no malice, only a lack of restraint—he patiently answered.
"It couldn't be my brother."
"He was killed by Senju Hashirama."
"Senju Hashirama may have been gentle in everyday life, but once he became serious, his combat instincts, perception, and subconscious awareness were among the very best in the entire shinobi world. No one could deceive him."
"Not even my brother."
"Seisui, you may not know this, but throughout all their battles, the only one who ever successfully deceived the other was Hashirama, using Wood Release clones. My brother never once managed to fool Hashirama."
Izuna sighed helplessly.
"And despite that, my brother still believed Hashirama fought too straightforwardly. He really was completely fooled by that man."
"And even setting all that aside..."
"This style of doing things simply doesn't fit my brother."
"My brother was once known throughout the shinobi world as the Shura of the Shinobi World, famous for his domineering nature and unyielding pride. He had absolute confidence in both his strength and his convictions. Why would someone like him ever conceal his identity?"
"He would never stoop to hiding in the shadows."
"And he'd never slander either Hashirama or himself."
"I'm not clearing him simply because he's my brother."
"I'm saying it because that's genuinely the truth."
Izuna spoke earnestly.
Tobirama let out a sigh and nodded without arguing.
He couldn't picture Uchiha Madara lurking in the shadows and weaving elaborate conspiracies either.
The two of them had known each other for many years.
Tobirama understood him well enough.
Madara really was straightforward to an absurd degree.
When he left the village over the position of Hokage and attacked Konoha, he didn't even bring his own clansmen with him.
He sought no allies whatsoever.
He simply arrived alone with the Nine-Tails and waited for Hashirama at the Valley of the End.
Everything was out in the open.
He wanted nothing more than a one-on-one duel.
Would someone like that engage in elaborate schemes?
Even Tobirama couldn't convince himself of it.
That was also why Madara's legacy had always been such a sensitive subject in Konoha.
Hashirama's protection was one reason.
More importantly...
No one had ever seen someone rebel quite like that.
It had been almost childish.
To shinobi who didn't really understand the Uchiha...
It looked less like an attack on Konoha and more like two men settling a personal score, with Hashirama accidentally killing Madara in the process.
"...It really wasn't the Great Clan Head."
Tobirama admitted helplessly.
It looked like there was no way to pin the blame on Madara after all.
After all, both Hashirama's and Madara's strength—and their reputations—served as the perfect alibi.
"See?" Izuna said, looking oddly pleased with himself.
"As for your question about why Senju Tobirama, despite being Hokage, would turn against Konoha..."
"That's actually easy enough to explain."
"First of all, his death itself was incredibly suspicious. Given how cautious he was—and the fact that he possessed the Flying Thunder God Technique—you could argue that he was killed head-on. That's not impossible. There are simply too many powerful shinobi in the world..."
"But ambushed?"
Izuna let out a dismissive chuckle.
"And as for his corpse... what would that even matter to him? That bastard Tobirama could've whipped up a fake one whenever he pleased."
Growing increasingly animated, Izuna continued his analysis.
"Second, his ideals had always conflicted with Hashirama's. You wouldn't know this, Seisui..."
"They were brothers, yes, but whenever it came to clan decisions, they argued fiercely. They cared deeply for each other, yet they almost never agreed on major issues."
"So here's what I think..."
"Most likely, after his death, he wanted to follow the path Hashirama had chosen. But then Kumogakure betrayed him with that surprise attack, causing him to completely rethink the One Country, One Village system and the possibility of peace in the shinobi world."
"He came to believe that the One Country, One Village system could never bring true peace, and that once Konoha lost the protection of Hashirama, Madara, and himself, it would be unable to withstand real challenges and would eventually face catastrophic disaster."
"So he faked his death and disappeared. For all these years, he's simply been observing from the shadows. Then, several years after the Second Shinobi World War, he saw that Hiruzen had forged a new path, so he began testing both his disciple and the village."
"If it's really him..."
Izuna sighed with admiration.
"Then it's entirely possible he's managed to stay alive while keeping himself in excellent condition. That bastard really was extraordinary. Much as I hate to admit it."
"He knew so many techniques, and he carried the blood of the Senju Clan."
"Just look at Mito's condition."
Tobirama's face remained completely expressionless.
His emotions, however, were anything but.
He desperately wanted to grab Izuna by the collar and shout in his face that forbidden techniques weren't something you could invent on a whim!
It wasn't as if you could slap your forehead, clap your hands together, and magically create whatever technique you wanted!
Every one of them was the result of painstaking research and rigorous verification before a breakthrough was finally achieved!
The way Izuna described it made it sound as though Tobirama could casually invent techniques whenever he felt like it...
On the other hand...
A small part of Tobirama couldn't deny how gratifying it felt.
The corners of his mouth twitched, wanting to curl upward but stubbornly refusing.
He'd never expected Izuna to hold him in such high regard...
Looks like he'd really beaten that bastard into submission back then.
'...No.'
'Now isn't the time to be happy...'
'How is this somehow making things even worse?'
Tobirama suddenly snapped back to reality.
He couldn't refute either of the new points Izuna had just raised.
The first was his physical condition.
His body really had aged remarkably well. Despite being in his fifties, he looked little older than a man in his early twenties. Many people even assumed he had mastered the Strength of a Hundred Seal.
He hadn't.
Instead, he simply possessed countless little methods for preserving his body.
The second was his concern over the One Country, One Village system and Konoha's future.
That concern had indeed existed for a long time.
The shinobi world was obviously not going to become peaceful simply because several hidden villages had been established.
And once Hashirama and Madara were removed from the equation...
Konoha wasn't overwhelmingly stronger than the other hidden villages at all.
The other villages were filled with exceptionally talented shinobi as well.
Forbidden techniques weren't unique to Konoha.
Kumogakure had forged bodies powerful enough to suppress Tailed Beasts through sheer physical training.
Iwagakure had developed Kekkei Tōta capable of piercing Susanoo.
Even Sunagakure had created Puppet Techniques, terrifying weapons of war.
And the Second Mizukage had certainly been no ordinary opponent either.
In Tobirama's view, Konoha's future could never depend on the hope that another Hashirama or Madara would eventually appear.
Even if history showed that the Senju and Uchiha periodically produced era-defining geniuses...
There had also been gaps lasting decades—or even an entire century—without anyone of that caliber.
Konoha needed a way to survive those periods as well.
A truly excellent system, Tobirama believed, should create an environment that continuously nurtured outstanding talent.
It shouldn't rely on extraordinary individuals appearing by chance to keep the village standing.
'...This guy...'
'He even guessed what I was thinking before I died...'
Tobirama had to admit it.
The moisture on his back really was sweat this time.
When he had been ambushed by the Gold and Silver Brothers, he had realized just how fragile peace in the shinobi world truly was.
Kumogakure had finally produced a reasonable Second Raikage—someone capable of dialogue.
Yet the militant faction within the village refused to allow such a leader to exist.
They couldn't even tolerate one of their own!
If that was the case...
How could anyone expect the shinobi world to one day understand one another the way Hashirama had envisioned?
Tobirama had never shared those thoughts with anyone.
Because he was Hokage.
He could never publicly contradict the ideals Hashirama had left behind.
Yet now...
Those very thoughts had emerged from Izuna's mouth as though summoned by a ghost.
Is this guy the worm in my stomach or something?
Is Izuna inside me... or am I inside Izuna?
"Seisui..."
Seeing Tobirama's expression visibly change, Izuna couldn't help feeling a little sympathy for him.
"That doesn't necessarily prove it's Senju Tobirama."
"All it means is that the possibility isn't small. And there's no way to verify it right now. Reanimating a former Hokage is an enormous matter. Hiruzen would never agree to it lightly."
"And just like you said, if Tobirama can't be reanimated, that would itself become decisive evidence."
"Hiruzen is an honorable man. He's always held his sensei, Senju Tobirama, in the highest respect. A proposal like this would be unacceptable to him unless the evidence became overwhelming."
"After all, everything we've discussed is still just speculation. That mysterious powerhouse has revealed far too little."
"Besides, the village is thriving right now. Even if we confirmed that it really was Senju Tobirama, it wouldn't benefit Konoha in the slightest."
"Not unless things reached the point where the two sides were forced into open conflict—when there was absolutely no other choice."
"He was still the Second Hokage."
"No shinobi of Konoha would ever want to fight one of the village's former Hokage."
Izuna gently tried to comfort Seisui.
But the more Tobirama listened...
The worse he felt.
What do you mean by that?
It had started as nothing more than a guess.
Now it sounded like there was already a fifty-percent chance it was actually him!
For the first time, Tobirama sincerely wished Izuna didn't think so highly of him.
He wanted to tell him that he was only human—not some perfectly precise machine.
Who could walk along the river forever without eventually getting their shoes wet?
Getting ambushed...
Sometimes there was simply nothing you could do about it.
'You bastard knew exactly how I fought, and yet you still got ambushed by my Flying Thunder God Technique!'
'Why can't you show me a little empathy for once?'
Of course, there was no way Tobirama could actually say any of that...
"We'll just have to wait and see. That man is bound to make another move. Once he does, we'll have more clues to work with."
Izuna pondered aloud.
"If it really is Senju Tobirama..."
"If it really were him... what would he do?"
At that moment, Tobirama finally snapped.
He couldn't let Izuna keep dragging his name through the mud!
He had to say something in his own defense!
"If it were Senju Tobirama, then judging by the way he does things..."
"I think he'd subject Konoha to much harsher stress tests. The first target would be ninjutsu research and innovation. He'd probably introduce large numbers of new ninja tools and forbidden techniques to test Konoha's capacity for innovation."
"He'd also make use of the Impure World Reincarnation."
"And not just the original version—the improved version."
"He'd resurrect powerful shinobi from every hidden village, deploying them in escalating waves to gradually subject Konoha to an overwhelming combat stress test."
Tobirama stopped pretending.
You say it's me?
Fine.
Let's assume it really is me, then I'll judge it according to my own thinking.
He refused to believe there was anything to fear.
His entire life had been honorable and aboveboard.
Tobirama had complete confidence that his way of doing things was one of a kind.
No one should be able to replicate it.
'It's not impossible for someone else to arrive at the same conclusions...'
'But there's no need to consider that.'
'In theoretical research, an event with an infinitesimal probability isn't the same as an impossible event. But that's only a matter of theory, not practical reality.'
'So it isn't something worth considering.'
Tobirama thought with scientific precision.
"...You know, that really does sound exactly like something he'd do."
After thinking it over for a moment, Izuna's eyes lit up.
"No wonder you're connected to him, Seisui..."
Tobirama chuckled to himself.
Connected?
You have no idea...
"We'll keep watching, then."
"For now, let's get back to work."
Izuna nodded.
"There's no point wasting any more time obsessing over Tobirama..."
"...No."
"That mysterious man."
Tobirama's face darkened.
You still haven't let me off the hook!
But Tobirama wasn't worried.
Facts spoke louder than speculation.
Once that mysterious powerhouse made his next move, his true colors would inevitably be exposed.
Besides...
His beloved disciple Hiruzen knew his true identity and now sat in the Hokage's seat.
The Hokage himself was Tobirama's disciple.
What did he have to worry about?
Then another thought suddenly occurred to him.
Izuna understood him.
That was why Izuna's suspicions kept circling back to him.
But what about everyone else?
Mito, for example.
Or veterans like Isshin and Tenzō...
'...Forget it.'
'If people misunderstand me, there's nothing I can do about it.'
'The truth will clear my name sooner or later.'
Who exactly is that mysterious powerhouse?
Just let me catch you...
A dangerous glint flashed through Tobirama's eyes.
There was actually someone out there capable of making him take the blame?
Unacceptable.
Meanwhile...
The very man whom his own younger brother had mistaken for Senju Tobirama—Uchiha Madara—was sitting inside his cave, meticulously replaying every moment of his debate with Hiruzen.
Madara narrowed his eyes before suddenly slapping his thigh.
"Dammit!"
"Why didn't I say that back then?!"
"Next time."
"Next time I'll definitely win the argument against Hiruzen!"
"Hi-kun! Where are you?"
"Go fetch my armor!"
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