Hiruzen placed the scroll and the materials neatly on the table before him.
Using Tobirama cells as the medium, he set them upon the unconscious Kusa ninja.
Hiruzen slowly formed the hand seals, circulating his chakra, sensing the resonance between the medium and the soul. Suddenly, he brought his hands together in a sharp clap.
He was not particularly proficient with this technique, but as long as he could summon him, that would be enough.
On the surface of the ground, intricate black markings emerged. The Kusa ninja's body transformed into a gray mound of earth, surrounded by a circle emitting white light.
Amid a wailing sound, at the center of the mound, the figure of a man slowly began to condense.
Clad in blue Warring States–style lamellar armor, with a layer of gray-white fur draped over his shoulders, a face-guard–style forehead protector engraved with the Konoha emblem fastened across his brow, and the characteristic cracked patterns of Impure World Reincarnation etched across his cheeks—
Konoha's Second Hokage, the fastest shinobi in the ninja world, Hiruzen's sensei, master of forbidden techniques…
Reappeared in the ninja world!
"This is… the Impure World Reincarnation Technique?" Tobirama murmured, as his pair of blood-red eyes snapped open.
"Monkey?" Tobirama frowned.
"Why did you use the Impure World Reincarnation Technique to summon me? Has the Uchiha clan rebelled?!"
Hiruzen smiled inwardly.
As expected of Tobirama-sensei—his very first words were about those Uchiha of his…
"Monkey, what material did you use to reincarnate me? It's far too weak…" Tobirama clenched his fist, speaking with clear dissatisfaction.
"With this, I can hardly be of any help!"
In Tobirama's view, given Hiruzen's honest nature, if nothing major had happened to Konohagakure, he would certainly not have disturbed his teacher's rest as one of the dead.
If he had done so, then something must have gone terribly wrong in the village, forcing him to seek his help.
And after glancing at Hiruzen's appearance, Tobirama subconsciously assumed that not much time had passed since his own death. Konoha would not have fallen to the point of enemies reaching its gates in so short a time.
He still trusted that Hiruzen had that capability…
But if it was the Uchiha clan, then that would be another matter!
After all, once the Uchiha clan's Mangekyō abilities manifested, nothing would be surprising. Against the defensive capabilities of most shinobi, suffering a "first-encounter kill" was all too common.
"The Uchiha clan has not rebelled, sensei."
Hiruzen spoke slowly, "A few years ago, the ninja world went through a great war, but the village endured it. Its current development is fairly good…"
Tobirama's expression visibly eased.
As long as Konoha had no problems, then other problems were not problems.
"How many years has it been since I died?" Tobirama swept his gaze around the laboratory, a trace of nostalgia appearing in his eyes.
But he was also somewhat surprised when he saw the scrolls and materials laid out on the table.
They were new.
"Monkey, are you using my laboratory to research new jutsu?"
Tobirama walked over and nodded. "I said long ago—you should have tried it earlier with your talent… Even if you lack flashes of inspiration, having the courage to try is always good!"
"At the very least, it gives you more techniques to rely on."
"'Forbidden techniques' are just my elder brother smearing my jutsu. Since when was there such a thing as ninjutsu being forbidden?"
"That's binding your own hands and feet!"
Regarding the fact that Hiruzen seemed to be researching forbidden techniques, Tobirama was extremely satisfied.
This was his disciple!
In his boyhood and youth, Hiruzen had been rather stubborn in this area—unwilling to study too much, only tasting the surface and stopping there.
It was all because of his elder brother's set of Will of Fire!
Flying Thunder God Technique required a unique talent—there was nothing to be done about that. But what about other techniques?
He should have tried to master them all…
"It's the beginning of Konoha Year Forty-Three now, Tobirama-sensei…" Hiruzen said with emotion.
In the blink of an eye, it had not been a short time since he came to the ninja world.
"Hmm?" Tobirama turned around and stared at Hiruzen. "Looks like you've handled the Hokage's work very well—your body has been kept in good shape…"
When Tobirama stayed behind to cover the retreat, his appointment of Hiruzen was more of a last line of defense.
If he truly could not return, then Konoha had to have a leader no matter what—otherwise it would fall into chaos.
But Tobirama did not believe that there was no possibility at all of his returning.
After all, with the Flying Thunder God Technique in hand and the ever-changing situation on the battlefield, he simply had not expected that the Gold and Silver Brothers would possess the Sage of Six Paths' treasures and the Nine-Tails' chakra.
After they seized the initiative and sealed most of his chakra, Tobirama fell into a passive position.
Because of that, before his death, Tobirama had been very worried about Hiruzen—or rather, worried about Konoha would be more accurate.
Could a young man serve well as Hokage?
Konoha's situation truly was unusually complex.
For someone still unprepared like Hiruzen to sit in that seat—saying it would shorten his lifespan would be putting it lightly…
But Hiruzen's condition, at least, looked fine…
"I wouldn't say I handled it very well, Tobirama-sensei."
"For the first twenty-odd years, you could even say it was rather embarrassing. Only after sitting in this position did I realize how difficult it was for you back then…"
Hiruzen shook his head.
"In the last year or two, I've understood many things. I'm no longer bound by some old ideas, and I steeled my heart to try anything that benefits Konoha—only then has it improved somewhat."
Tobirama fell silent for a moment, then let out a faint sigh. "I understand. Back then you lacked experience; the burden was suddenly pressed onto you, so it was normal that you couldn't adapt right away."
Sensei and disciple fell silent for a while.
"Sensei, I want to talk with you about the Uchiha issue…" Hiruzen began.
When those words were mentioned, perhaps it was only an illusion, but Hiruzen felt that Tobirama suddenly became much more alert.
"What about the Uchiha?"
"I've been thinking—how can Konoha truly rein in the Uchiha?" Hiruzen said.
"The Uchiha clan, as combat shinobi, are indeed exceptionally strong, and their upper limit is extremely high."
Tobirama's brows knit together as he was about to interrupt Hiruzen.
But Hiruzen raised a hand, signaling Tobirama to remain silent and listen to him finish.
Tobirama was taken aback.
Only then did he realize something.
Although Hiruzen was his disciple, in terms of age he was now actually about the same as him.
And he had already served as Hokage for more than twenty years.
"But the problem lies in the awakening mechanism of the Uchiha clan's Sharingan, which leads to their minds being highly unstable."
"Violent emotional fluctuations can easily cause them to fall into darkness and descend into madness. A blade meant to protect the village may instead turn inward."
"This is extremely difficult to control. In the Uchiha's history, incidents of them harming one another have occurred."
"Unless a powerful leader emerges, one who can twist the Uchiha into a single rope."
"But based on the Uchiha clan's past—Madara, the old grudges with the Senju, and their temperament—when all these complex factors are added together, they form a dead knot."
"It is extremely difficult for the Uchiha clan to truly set their hearts on Konoha. If a leader does emerge, he is very likely to want to rebel, so the only option is to keep them bound within the village."
"But even if this is done, without being entrusted with important roles, the Uchiha's resentment will continue to accumulate. In the end, this is a time bomb that will detonate sooner or later."
"This balance is far too difficult to grasp. Throughout history, successive Uchiha clan heads have rarely been able to completely control the clan."
"If we follow what is written in your notes, in recent generations only Madara and Izuna's era achieved that…"
Tobirama quietly listened to Hiruzen's words to the end.
He gave a light round of applause.
A penetrating analysis… one could say it was almost identical to the outline of his own thinking.
"So, this is something that cannot be helped."
"Monkey, I foresaw long ago that this clan would have such a fate."
"I know you are kind-hearted and unwilling to raise your hand against people of the village—even the Uchiha…"
"But if matters reach the point where they must be handled, that is your responsibility as Hokage."
Tobirama understood Hiruzen's thoughts.
His disciple likely intended to act against the Uchiha but could not steel his heart…
So he had summoned his teacher to give him reassurance.
"Sensei, that's not what I mean…"
"Then what do you mean? Speak plainly."
Hiruzen gave a light cough. "What I mean is—you should become the present-day Izuna of the Uchiha."
"What did you say?"
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