Chapter 23: The Weight of a Legacy
"Is it... Tenchi?" Tobirama's voice was a weak, rasping breath. He struggled to focus his fading vision on the Uchiha standing over him. "How ironic. The last person to see me... would be an Uchiha. Have you come to watch the punchline of my final joke?"
"You think too highly of yourself," Tenchi replied, his tone flat and unmoved. "The moment I awakened the Mangekyo, you ceased to be my rival. You're breathing more air than you're taking in. I'm just here to collect your body. I won't let a Hokage of Konoha become a joke, left to rot in the wilderness." He looked down at the broken form of the man who had once been a titan of the shinobi world, and a strange, complicated feeling stirred in his chest.
"Is that so?" Tobirama whispered, a faint, bloody cough escaping his lips. "Then... take me back to the village when it's over. From now on... the village... is in your hands. I..."
He never finished his sentence. His head lolled to the side, his final breath leaving his body in a soft sigh. The Second Hokage was dead.
Watching the life leave Tobirama's eyes, Tenchi felt a sobering chill. "Life is so fragile," he murmured to the empty crater. "It's no wonder Orochimaru was warped by it. Seeing a legend die right in front of you... it leaves a mark."
A sudden movement snapped him from his thoughts. "My mind... I almost forgot about him." Tenchi's gaze shifted to the unconscious form of Gold Brother. The man had reverted from his monstrous transformation, looking like any other shinobi, albeit one with severe, brutal burns covering much of his body.
"According to history, you're supposed to be killed by the Third Raikage later," Tenchi mused aloud, drawing the tantō strapped to his back. "But why wait? Consider this a favor for Tobirama. Consider it my good deed for the day. You don't have to thank me."
With a clean, swift motion, he brought the blade down. Gold Brother's head was severed from his body before he ever woke from his coma. Another powerful shinobi was gone, his life ended not in glorious battle, but in helpless silence.
Tenchi stored Tobirama's body within his Kamui dimension. He quickly scanned the area, his eyes searching. *'The Six Paths ninja tools... where are they? They'd be useful. No time to look, I suppose.'* Shrugging, he turned and began the journey back towards the Konoha camp, leaving the scene of devastation behind.
***
A day later, as Tenchi moved through the trees, he saw the familiar colors of Konoha's flak jackets ahead. It was the main force, and they saw him too.
"Tenchi?" Hiruzen Sarutobi called out, his face etched with deep worry. "You were missing from the camp. What are you doing out here?"
"It's like this," Tenchi began, crafting his story on the spot. "A few days after you left, I had a bad feeling. My eye kept twitching. I thought something might be wrong, so I followed your path to find you. But I couldn't catch up."
"Oh, I see," Hiruzen said, his trust in Tenchi making him accept the explanation easily.
"Hmph!" Danzo's voice cut in, cold and suspicious. "If you were looking for us, why didn't we see you on *our* way back? You're hiding something." Still bitter from his failure to become Hokage, Danzo was looking for a fight.
Tenchi ignored him completely. So did Hiruzen and the others.
"Tenchi, there's no time to explain," Hiruzen said, his voice urgent with panic. "The Second Hokage is in grave danger! We have to go back and support him, now!" He grabbed Tenchi's arm, ready to drag him back the way they came.
"Brother Sarutobi, stop. There's no need to go. It's already over," Tenchi said, his voice firm and calm.
"What do you mean, 'over'?" Hiruzen asked, his voice rising. "You don't understand! The Gold and Silver Brothers betrayed Kumo! The Raikage is dead! The Second Hokage stayed behind to hold them off alone! We have to help him!"
"I know all that," Tenchi replied softly. "Just... let me show you something. After you see it, you'll understand why there's no point in going back."
With a subtle twist of space, he retrieved the body from his Kamui dimension and laid it gently on the ground before them.
The lifeless form of Tobirama Sarutobi lay in the dirt.
A wave of stunned horror washed over the Konoha shinobi.
"Teacher! Sensei! Lord Second!" The cries came from all sides—from his students, from the Senju clansmen, from Uchiha Kagami. Grief was etched on every face.
"Tenchi!" Hiruzen snarled, his sorrow twisting into fury as he grabbed Tenchi by the shoulders. "What happened?! How did this happen?! Tell me!"
Tenchi explained, keeping his story simple. He told them about the colossal battle, the final explosion. He left out the part where he was a comfortable spectator. He simply said he had arrived too late, finding only the aftermath.
"Damn Kumo! Damn Gold and Silver Brothers!" Hiruzen roared, punching the ground in a helpless, furious outburst.
"Sarutobi!" Danzo yelled, his own grief channeled into rage. "We must avenge the teacher! For every Konoha shinobi we've lost! Kill every Kumo-nin we find! Sarutobi, give the order!"
The other students, except for one, nodded in grim agreement.
"No! Absolutely not!" Uchiha Kagami stepped forward, his voice strong with conviction. "If we start another war now, both sides will be destroyed! It will only leave us weak for the other villages to pick apart!"
"Uchiha Kagami!" Danzo whirled on him, his eyes blazing. "The teacher treated you as his own! He never looked down on you for being an Uchiha! He accepted you! And this is how you repay him? Are you not afraid of making his spirit cold with your words?!"
"It is *because* he accepted me that I must stop this!" Kagami shot back, standing his ground. "I will never agree to another war. If you want to fight, you will have to step over my corpse!"
"You damned Uchiha! Today I'll—!" Danzo pulled a kunai, his body trembling with rage.
In that instant, Tenchi moved. His hand shot out, clamping down on Danzo's wrist, stopping the kunai cold.
"Uchiha Tenchi! What are you doing?!" Danzo spat, his anger now directed fully at Tenchi. "Are you siding with this traitor?!"
Tenchi ignored Danzo, looking directly at Hiruzen. "Brother Sarutobi," he said, his voice low but clear for everyone to hear. "I know Tobirama chose you as Hokage. You are the leader of the village now. You can't just think like a shinobi seeking revenge. You have to think of the people in the village."
He paused, letting his words sink in. "We've lost more than half our forces in this war. People in the village have lost parents, siblings, lovers. Do you want to make more people lose their families, all for revenge? Is that what Tobirama would have wanted? Is that how you will protect Konoha, Lord Third Hokage? You need to think carefully."
He looked seriously at Hiruzen, confident the man would make the right choice.
He was right. Hearing Tenchi's calm, logical words, Hiruzen's furious heart began to settle. He was no longer just a student. He was the Hokage. The weight of the entire village was on his shoulders.
He took a deep, shuddering breath. "The order stands!" he announced, his voice firm with newfound authority. "All forces... retreat! We are returning to Konoha to give the Second Hokage a proper funeral!"
"You! You—!" Danzo sputtered, shaking with pure fury. "You will regret this decision, Sarutobi! You will regret it!" He turned on his heel and stormed off alone, heading in the direction of Konoha. There was nothing more he could do.
With Danzo gone, the others fell in line. The army began its somber march home. As they moved out, Kagami gave Tenchi a small, grateful nod.
Tenchi didn't acknowledge it. He simply fell into step beside Hiruzen. For a peace-loving Uchiha like Kagami, it was better to keep his distance.