Deep within Root, Danzō stood in silence, watching the scene unfold. His face remained dark, but something long buried in his past had clearly been stirred.
In Iwagakure—
"So that's Tobirama Senju… the brother of the God of Shinobi…"
Ōnoki murmured, his gaze fixed on the silver-haired figure with clear caution.
In Kirigakure—
Mei Terumī's eyes gleamed with interest.
"The Second Hokage… famous for his Water Release. Quite an impressive man."
In Sunagakure—
"Tobirama Senju…"
Chiyo narrowed her eyes slightly, a trace of respect in her voice.
At the Akatsuki base—
"Who's that blond guy? Why can he use a Tailed Beast cloak? Is he a jinchūriki too?"
Kisame frowned in confusion.
Beside him, Itachi remained silent, watching everything unfold.
In the Pure Land—
[Hashirama Senju: Otōto! That's you!]
[Tobirama Senju: …]
[Hashirama Senju: Hahaha! Those nobodies actually dared to attack you? What happened to them in the end?]
[Tobirama Senju: Big brother… please don't ask…]
[Hashirama Senju: Come on, just tell me! Think of it as a spoiler!]
At that moment, Tobirama felt like he wanted to disappear.
This is too embarrassing…
Did his brother not realize that the very "nobodies" he was laughing at…
were the ones who killed him?
Right now, Tobirama had only one wish—
That Hashirama would stop talking.
And that this scene would end immediately.
Otherwise, he might not even have the face to remain in the Pure Land.
But the ranking did not stop.
The scene continued.
[The Second Raikage had already fallen, killed by Kinkaku and Ginkaku using the Six Paths Ninja Tools.]
[Now, the two brothers joined forces to attack Tobirama.]
[With Hiruzen and the others behind him, Tobirama was forced into a disadvantage.]
[After several exchanges, he gave the order to retreat and led the group away.]
[Kinkaku and Ginkaku pursued them with a force of twenty elite jonin.]
[The scene shifted to a forest.]
[For the moment, Tobirama and his group managed to shake off their pursuers.]
[Tobirama stopped and turned to face the five behind him.]
"We need someone to act as a decoy and draw them away."
"But whoever takes this role… will most likely die."
"Who will do it?"
Silence fell.
Then—
Hiruzen stepped forward.
"I'll do it."
Tobirama placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Good."
"The position of Third Hokage… is yours."
Then he continued calmly—
"This was only a test."
"None of you need to act as the decoy."
After appointing Hiruzen as Hokage—
Tobirama turned and walked away.
He—
would be the one to stay behind.
In that moment, the Second Hokage's figure seemed towering, unwavering.
Etched forever into the hearts of those who witnessed it.
The scene ended.
Silence followed.
Then—
Emotion swept through Konoha.
"The Third Hokage truly deserves his title! That kind of resolve… it's incredible!"
"As expected of the Second Hokage's disciple!"
"The Second Hokage's judgment was absolutely right!"
"To have both the Second and Third Hokage… Konoha is truly blessed!"
Many shinobi were visibly moved, some even tearing up.
"Grandpa Third… he's just as amazing as the Second Hokage!" Naruto said, eyes shining.
"Lord Third…" Sakura looked at Hiruzen with admiration.
Even Sasuke remained quiet, but there was a different light in his eyes as he looked at Hiruzen.
The rest of the Konoha genin were equally affected.
Nearby, Orochimaru—still disguised as the Fourth Kazekage—licked his lips faintly.
"Those Six Paths Ninja Tools… quite interesting. If I could get my hands on them…"
In Root—
Danzō's nails dug into his palm, drawing blood, but he didn't seem to notice.
Just a little more…
Damn it… I was so close…
The position of Hokage should have been mine…
But in the end—
it had slipped away.
In Sunagakure—
"Hiruzen Sarutobi… such resolve and character. No wonder he's called the strongest Hokage."
Chiyo let out a quiet sigh.
In Kirigakure—
Mei Terumī's expression grew serious.
"So this is Konoha's strongest Hokage…"
"I'd like to meet him someday."
In Kumogakure—
The Fourth Raikage stared at the scene solemnly.
"Hiruzen Sarutobi… worthy of the title."
"But Kinkaku and Ginkaku betrayed the village and killed the Second Raikage—my father's teacher."
"I will never forgive them."
In Iwagakure—
Ōnoki snorted.
"Hmph. That old monkey was surprisingly impressive when he was young."
For a brief moment—
Across the entire shinobi world—
Perceptions began to shift.
More and more people started to feel genuine respect for Hiruzen Sarutobi.
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