But now, Madara Uchiha had awakened Rinnegan.
He wielded the strongest power in the shinobi world, and he would inevitably press forward toward his old ideal.
Unifying the shinobi world, absolute peace, these extreme ideas were fundamentally inhumane.
They had no place in the shinobi world.
The moment Madara Uchiha acted, a storm of blood would follow.
“I’m going to stop him.”
That was the conclusion Hashirama reached after learning the Six Paths Senjutsu, after long deliberation.
Only Six Paths Senjutsu could defeat Rinnegan.
Only he could stop Madara.
“Big Brother…”
Tobirama opened his mouth, wanting to say more.
“Tobirama, say no more.
My mind is made up.”
Hashirama fixed Tobirama with a look of utter seriousness, the kind he had never shown before.
Tobirama understood then.
His elder brother’s decision was final.
“Fine…
I will keep village safe.”
The next day, news that shook the shinobi world spread from Konoha, First Hokage Hashirama Senju had abdicated.
His younger brother, Tobirama Senju, would succeed him as Second Hokage.
“Tobirama.
Do not make things difficult for the Uchiha Clan.”
Hashirama knew that Tobirama had always harbored deep prejudice against the Uchiha.
Before leaving Konoha, he made a point of repeating the warning again and again: do not make things difficult for the Uchiha Clan.
“Understood,” Tobirama replied, clad in the Hokage Ceremonial Robe over his battle armor (an habit he didn’t let go off, even when warring states era ended).
In canon, Hashirama had given the same instruction.
After his death, Tobirama did not follow it.
He gradually pushed the Uchiha to the margins, ultimately driving them toward the idea of a coup, and then to annihilation.
But now, Hashirama was alive and well.
If Tobirama openly moved against the Uchiha Clan, his brother could return at any moment to thrash him.
He did not dare implement the approach from canon.
“Mito.
Take good care of yourself.”
Hashirama spent a moment longer with his wife, then turned his back to Konoha and rushed away.
Mito waved.
Her husband was leaving to chase after another man, but she still had to keep a smile on her face.
As for what she was actually thinking, no one could say.
“Where’s Grandpa?”
Tsunade came rushing over, but she could not even catch a glimpse of Hashirama’s retreating figure.
Around her neck hung the birthday gift he had given her the month before, a crystal formed from Crystallized Wood Release Chakra.
A crystal unique in all the shinobi world.
It was said that a single speck of powder scraped from its surface could buy three entire mountains.
“He’s already gone,” Tobirama said.
“When will Grandpa come back?” Tsunade’s face shone with anticipation.
“Maybe tomorrow.
Maybe never.” Tobirama looked forlorn.
“Huh?” Tsunade stared in surprise.
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“Tsunade.
It’s time you went back to school.” Tobirama turned and walked toward the Hokage Office Building.
He was now Konoha’s Second Hokage.
A full day had passed, and Tobirama still found it hard to believe.
He had imagined a hundred different ways he might take the mantle, but none of them had involved a rush like this.
‘Hashirama left Konoha?’
When Kakuzu got the news, a laugh escaped him.
There was only one person in the shinobi world who could make Hashirama set out personally: Madara.
That meant Hashirama was heading out to chase after Madara.
It was exactly like Naruto chasing after Sasuke!
But then, he felt a twinge of confusion.
Hashirama did not go after him three years ago.
He waited three years to do it.
Did that question really require three years of thought?
Hashirama was not thirteen-year-old Naruto.
He had no reason to worry about lacking strength.
He was the most powerful combatant in the shinobi world.
If he wanted to chase someone down, why would he need to wait three years?
‘So why is he going after Madara now?’
Kakuzu turned the question over in his mind.
No answer came, so he stopped bothering to think.
With Hashirama gone from Konoha, Kakuzu’s constraints grew even looser.
It was no exaggeration to say he had nothing left to fear.
What, was Tobirama Senju still around?
The Kakuzu of now was not the same man who had first arrived in Konoha all those years ago.
A mere Tobirama was no longer worth worrying about.
As for Flying Thunder God, he had already found a way to neutralize it.
Hashirama’s departure from Konoha sent shockwaves through the ninja world.
The Kage of every nation speculated about his intentions.
Each dispatched ninja to covertly track his movements.
They discovered he had gone to the Land of Wind first.
Most of the Land of Wind was desert.
The majority of its villages were barren and desolate.
That was the defining feature of the Land of Wind, a harsh reality born of necessity.
Only the residences of the daimyo and nobility stood lavish and ornate.
Much like the Middle East region on Earth, the gap between rich and poor was vast.
The wealthy sat upon mountains of gold and silver, while the destitute languished in poverty, struggling just to fill their stomachs.
In Sunagakure, Hashirama requested an audience with First Kazekage.
“It’s been years since we last met at the Five Kage Summit.
It has been a long time, Lord Kazekage,” Hashirama greeted him warmly.
First Kazekage, however, was on edge.
Hashirama had left Konoha specifically to see him, what did this mean?
His mind raced with wild speculation, but his mouth offered only a casual reply.
“Indeed.”
Hashirama, straightforward as ever, paid the Kazekage’s attitude no mind.
Besides, he was here to ask a favor.
“Lord Kazekage, I would like to see your village’s tailed beast.
‘Absolutely not!’
First Kazekage wanted to refuse at once.
But given Hashirama’s capabilities, the consequences of refusal…
Sunagakure would inevitably pay a painful price.
First courtesy, then force!
In that instant, First Kazekage understood Hashirama’s intent.
Seeing his conflicted expression, Hashirama said, “I know this request puts you in a difficult position, Lord Kazekage.
How about this, I will use my Wood Release secret techniques to help the Land of Wind with its reforestation.
That would make things a bit more equitable.”
‘Equitable?’ First Kazekage grumbled mentally.
The last time the other three Kage were present, there was at least some fairness.
Now, facing Hashirama alone, he felt none at all.
This was a threat, pure and simple.
In his eyes, Hashirama looked like a smiling demon.
“Not at all.
The First Hokage merely wants to see the One-Tail.
It’s a trivial matter, so there’s no problem.
As for the afforestation, we can skip that.”
First Kazekage dismissed the afforestation proposal.
It wasn’t that he didn’t want it, but he saw it as mere pleasantries, not something to take seriously.
Hashirama cut in immediately.
“No, no, no.
The afforestation is absolutely necessary.”
‘What the hell.’
The sincerity in Hashirama’s voice made the Kazekage waver.
Eventually, Hashirama met the One-Tail, Shukaku.
After using Wood Release: Wood Dragon to extract a portion of the One-Tail’s chakra, he spent a month traveling across the Land of Wind, planting trees and greening the villages there.
“Are there any villages to the west?”
Hashirama pointed at the desert and asked.
A Suna-nin replied, “It’s said there’s a mysterious country called Rouran in that direction, but it can’t really be considered part of the Land of Wind.”
“Rouran?”
This country had zero reputation in the Shinobi World.
Even Hashirama was hearing of it for the first time, so he assumed it was a small nation.
A few days later, Hashirama left the Land of Wind and arrived in the Land of Earth, where he borrowed the Four-Tails Chakra and Five-Tails Chakra.
Two months later, Hashirama arrived in the Land of Lightning and borrowed the Two-Tails Chakra, Eight-Tails Chakra, and Nine-Tails Chakra.
The Nine-Tails had originally been taken by Madara Uchiha.
Hashirama thought he would have to find Madara to get the Nine-Tails Chakra, but in Kumogakure, he heard about a pair of brothers named Kinkaku and Ginkaku who possessed it.
Kinkaku and Ginkaku were belligerent and wanted to fight Hashirama, only to suffer a crushing defeat.
Even when they erupted with the Nine-Tails Chakra, it was drained completely by Wood Dragon in an instant.
“It’s a pity the Seven-Tails has gone missing.” Hashirama left the Land of Lightning.
On his way to the Land of Water, he searched for traces of the Seven-Tails along the way and unexpectedly found it.
Someone was capturing the Seven-Tails, a group of Takigakure ninjas.
Takigakure was the strongest ninja village under the Five Great Ninja Villages, but facing the Seven-Tails aerial advantage, they were caught in a bitter struggle.
Hashirama happened to be passing by.
He released Wood Dragon to absorb the Seven-Tails Chakra, then left without taking credit, keeping his identity hidden.
The Seven-Tails was captured by Takigakure.
Hashirama ignored the aftermath.
He went to the Land of Water and successfully obtained the Three-Tails Chakra and Six-Tails Chakra.
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