~ 💎 WEEKLY POWER GOALS 💎🔥 60→1ch | 100→2ch | 200→5ch ⏰ Resets Monday! Thanks!
Azure Moon Island. A room of eight tatami mats.
The God of Shinobi from a bygone era sat face-to-face with Sasuke. The witnesses: every resident of Azure Moon Island, save for Orochimaru's main body, plus his Cursed Body.
Sasuke spoke. Hashirama listened. The setting wasn't somber or formal—it felt more like a simple, casual tea gathering.
He finished.
Hashirama was silent.
A moment later, he set down his teacup. His serious expression carried an immense, suffocating pressure.
Suigetsu, ever perceptive, scurried over to refill the tea.
"WAAAAH—!!!"
Hashirama suddenly let out a tremendous wail, nearly making Suigetsu drop the teapot in fright.
And then… the soul of the man revered as the God of Shinobi began rolling around on the tatami mats. He flopped and twisted, sometimes back and forth like a rolling pin, sometimes writhing like a crocodile in a death roll.
For a moment:
Karin's jaw dropped.
Kabuto maintained a perfectly neutral face.
Orochimaru's Cursed Body offered a polite smile.
Itachi watched, unblinking.
Nagato's gaze followed every movement.
Jūgo's face was tense.
Suigetsu couldn't hold it in—he burst out laughing.
Sasuke… simply lowered his head and sipped his tea.
This continued until the tatami mats seemed to have been polished to a brilliant shine by Hashirama's soulful scrubbing.
Suigetsu stood there with the teapot, veins popping on his forehead.
This… is the God of Shinobi? This is nothing like I imagined…
After Hashirama's… renaissance was complete, he declared, "To think… someone so young has endured such a twisted path! Heavens, heavens… I truly don't know how to express the emotion moving in my heart right now! Please, please accept my bow!"
Without another word… Hashirama kowtowed to Sasuke.
Sasuke set his cup down, his voice calm. "First Hokage. This habit of yours, kneeling for people at the drop of a hat, really hasn't changed. Get up. I don't deserve that."
Hashirama's voice was firm, ringing with sincerity. "No! You do! Faced with an existence like a true god, you didn't break! You had the courage to start over, to fight for our home, for all living beings in our shinobi world! You are a true Great Shinobi! I… am inferior to you! This era doesn't understand you yet; that's why you have to make your home on this remote little island in the outer sea! That bow was my respect for you!"
Hashirama bowed again.
"This bow… is my gratitude on behalf of the people of this shinobi world, still lost in ignorance, blessed by your protection without ever knowing it!"
Everyone present was deeply moved.
It's been so hard. So damn hard.
They all knew Sasuke's current plight—doing the hard work, reaping none of the credit. Sasuke himself bore no complaint, but his followers… their hearts ached for this youth carrying the world's weight on his shoulders.
Finally, someone understood Sasuke.
Even if… it was someone long gone.
Karin took off her glasses, wiping the tears from the corners of her eyes.
Sigh.
Sasuke let out a soft mental sigh, offering a simple "Thank you" to Hashirama.
After the emotional interlude, the conversation returned to the present.
Hashirama's face was full of concern. "You… were also hit by that jutsu?"
Sasuke asked, "You mean Aya Kashishi?"
Hashirama's reaction was violently intense. "Ah! So it is that technique!" After all… that was the jutsu that had killed him, even if he'd only realized it at the very end.
"How long… since you were hit by it?"
"In a day and a half, it will be three full months."
"What!?"
Hashirama looked like his soul was about to combust.
"Doesn't that mean… it's going to activate soon!"
Itachi spoke up. "Lord Hashirama, how much do you know about this jutsu called Aya Kashishi?"
Hashirama sat back down, his expression grave.
"To my shame, though I died from it, I don't know much. Before activation, it gives no signs at all. After my final battle with Madara at the Valley of the End, I rested for three full days to recover. My body felt completely fine afterwards. Until three months later…"
He paused, his face turning inscrutable.
The others held their breath.
"And then?"
"It activated without any warning. Once it did, my bodily functions deteriorated rapidly. Even the cellular energy I was so proud of… only sustained me for one hour. That one hour… felt like an entire year! Because! It really, truly… hurt! So much! All the pain from every injury I'd suffered in countless battles combined… couldn't compare to the agony of that single hour!"
Even someone like the First Hokage couldn't withstand the pain brought by Aya Kashishi's activation?
Everyone… broke into a cold sweat for Sasuke.
"Young man," Hashirama urged, his voice deadly serious. "I'm not joking! You must take measures! Otherwise, you're dead!"
"Measures exist," Orochimaru's Cursed Body stated.
Hashirama was stunned. "You have them?"
"Yes," the Cursed Body replied. "But this clone body cannot perform the technique. Only my main body can. And as you can see, my main body cannot awaken before Aya Kashishi activates due to excessive use of the Reaper's power."
"If you have a method," Hashirama pressed, "why didn't you use it on Sasuke sooner? Why wait until the eve of activation?"
Orochimaru explained, "My method is called 'The Fuse.' It can only be applied during the interval between Aya Kashishi's activation and the point of death. It freezes the jutsu's progression. Then, at the needed moment, we perform 'The Meltdown,' restarting the death process!"
Hashirama was baffled. "If you've installed a failsafe, why 'meltdown'? Isn't that just seeking death?"
"It is seeking death," Orochimaru confirmed. "To awaken the Rinnegan, Sasuke-kun must have a near-death experience. Therefore, this Aya Kashishi… is necessary."
"This isn't about a near-death experience!" Hashirama argued. "This dōjutsu is certain death!"
"If I dare to operate this way, it means I am confident," Orochimaru said smoothly.
Hashirama paused. "You… actually have a way to completely counter Aya Kashishi?"
Orochimaru delivered the final verdict. "In the end, it's just a Mangekyō Sharingan technique. It cannot stump me."
Hashirama pondered for a long moment. "But I still don't quite understand. If a near-death experience is the condition for the Rinnegan, and you have a means to stop Aya Kashishi's certain death, why add the unnecessary step of 'The Fuse'? Wouldn't it be simpler to let it activate naturally and awaken the Rinnegan?"
Orochimaru's tone turned grave. "If the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan awakens the Rinnegan before its original dōjutsu have awakened, those dōjutsu will never awaken again. That means the eyes' potential is greatly diminished. This is a lesson Sasuke-kun from the previous timeline already learned. This time, we must avoid a similar mistake at all costs. In the future, we face world-destroying gods. We cannot let go of a single opportunity to grow stronger."
Hashirama's eyes widened in understanding. "I see! So that's how it is!"
He looked at Orochimaru's unconscious main body, his expression unprecedentedly serious.
"—So… as long as your main body wakes up before this young man is tortured to death by Aya Kashishi… everything will be fine, right?"
————————————————————
🔥 This story has reached its conclusion on my P a t. r e o n! 400+ chapters
⚡ Limited-time offer currently running...
👉 Join on -
patreon(.)com/BingeInk