A Konoha without Madara and Hashirama belonged to Tobirama.
Yet in this warring era, Tobirama lacked the absolute power to deter the world’s scum.
Once news spread that the two strongest shinobi were absent, figures hiding in the shadows made their move.
Knowledge changes destiny, this held true in any world, any era.
The ninja villages had just been established, far less open than in later generations.
In this era, even the three basic academy techniques were considered secrets.
To grow powerful as fast as possible, villages dispatched spies to steal jutsu.
But a ninja does not call it stealing, it is called gathering intelligence.
That night, a moonless sky howled with wind.
Past ten o’clock, Kakuzu’s ramen shop closed for business.
He returned to the back room to prepare for sleep.
In this era, finding peaceful rest was truly difficult for a shinobi.
A black-clad figure slipped into Kakuzu’s quarters.
Spotting Kakuzu seated on the bed, the intruder paused for a second.
Then leaped forward and pressed a katana against Kakuzu’s neck.
“Hahaha, I won’t hurt you.
I’ll let you go once I’ve left Konoha.” The man grabbed Kakuzu’s shoulder, intending to take a hostage to facilitate his escape.
Kakuzu heard the man’s ragged breathing and racing heartbeat, the intruder had little stamina left.
He silently grabbed the blade.
Activating Earth Release: Earth Spear, his skin hardened like solid rock.
An ordinary katana could not pierce it.
“What are you doing?” The intruder’s expression shifted.
For a spy, sinking to the point of needing a hostage was a true failure.
It also meant someone was pursuing him, otherwise, he would never have rushed blindly into Kakuzu’s quarters.
Kakuzu thought this over as he reached out and seized the man’s neck.
It all happened in an instant.
Feeling the immense force on his throat, the man hurriedly gasped, “Wait, I-”
*Crrrack*
Kakuzu skipped the theatrics.
He snapped the man’s neck outright.
“I don’t like having a blade held to my throat.”
The spy would never hear those words.
Kakuzu inspected the corpse’s gear, noticing a bulge in the coat.
He ripped it open to find a scroll, its seals broken from prior use.
Kakuzu unrolled it for a closer look.
It contained jutsu belonging to Nara clan.
In this world, jutsu were ranked S, A, B, C, and D based on learning difficulty.
Secret techniques formed a special class requiring specific methods to learn, while kekkei genkai were bloodline-limited abilities.
This scroll documented Nara clan’s Shadow Imitation Jutsu, a secret technique.
Even with the scroll in hand, mastering it was nearly impossible without someone’s guidance.
It belonged neither to the standard five nature releases nor to kekkei genkai, it was a secret technique developed using Yin-Nature chakra, Yin Release.
‘Yin Release…’
Kakuzu’s five hearts pounded.
Temptation surged through him.
Yin Release…
Yin-Yang Release.
To grow strong starting from an ordinary body, Yin-Yang Release was an excellent choice, second only to Sage Jutsu.
Once he mastered it and combined it with his five nature chakras, he might forge a Truth-Seeking Orb.
The sheer power of even a single Truth-Seeking Orb was undeniable.
Before the emergence of a Ten-Tails jinchuriki, it would let him dominate the shinobi world without issue.
‘Konohagakure…
is a treasure trove.’
Kakuzu found himself praising the village.
Late-game bosses like Obito and Madara hailed from Konoha.
Even Kaguya Otsutsuki had ties to this village with her grandsons souls reincarnating here.
Konoha was truly blessed with talent and overflowing with resources.
With that in mind, Kakuzu hatched a plan.
He had to stay in the village longer, long enough to gather materials for training in Yin-Yang Release.
Returning to the matter at hand, the scroll documented the basics of Yin Release.
The contents were extensive, even Kakuzu couldn’t memorize them quickly.
He had to keep the scroll.
Leaving the body here would draw attention.
Someone would burst in soon.
Even if he explained the situation clearly, the scroll would be confiscated.
Kakuzu mulled it over and decided to use Fire Release to stage the scene.
Burning the body and the scroll would leave no evidence behind.
He acted at once, tearing off a corner of the scroll and stuffing it into the spy’s coat alongside a blank scroll.
He hurled the body toward the doorway, raised his left hand, and spread his five fingers toward the corpse.
Before the body hit the ground, a red dot materialized in his palm.
“Fire Release: Searing Migraine!”
This B-rank jutsu released a small fireball that instantly expanded, devouring everything in its path.
High in power and wide in area, it suited close, mid, and long-range combat.
As a transmigrator, his understanding differed from this world’s inhabitants, and Earth Grudge Fear manifested differently through him than in the source material.
Simply put, his creativity ran wild.
He could channel Wind, Fire, Water, and Lightning Releases through his limbs while using Earth Release to fortify his body.
His standard configuration placed Fire in his left hand, Water in his right, Wind and Lightning at his feet, and his body hard as rock.
These weren’t fixed, he could swap positions when necessary.
The explosion drew nearby shinobi to the yard.
They arrived to find a charred corpse, the stench of burnt meat thick in the air.
“What happened here?” A Konoha shinobi frowned, demanding answers.
Kakuzu stated evenly, “Someone broke into my room, and I killed him with a Fire Release jutsu.”
A shinobi who frequented the ramen shop gasped.
“Teuchi, you know jutsu!”
“…” Kakuzu didn’t explain.
Right then, a white-haired figure appeared abruptly in the yard, red markings on his face, Hashirama’s younger brother, Tobirama.
‘What a fast Body Flicker Jutsu!’ Kakuzu was secretly alarmed.
In a head-on clash, he was completely outmatched in speed, and the opponent also possessed the elusive Flying Thunder God.
Once caught in it, even five hearts would not be enough to survive.
Konoha possessed great wealth, but it was also fraught with danger.
As expected, crisis and opportunity coexisted.
“Lord Tobirama…” A Konoha shinobi recounted the incident.
“I have heard of Teuchi’s identity from Lord Hokage, there is no need for doubt,” Tobirama said.
Tobirama had indeed heard his older brother and sister-in-law mention ‘Teuchi’, so he had formed a judgment in his heart, he was barely trustworthy.
But seeing him today proved otherwise.
Teuchi exuded weirdness from head to toe.
His instinct told him that this ramen shop owner hid anomalies.
Tobirama glanced at the corpse and spoke pointedly.
“With the body in this condition, it is difficult to identify any useful information.”
Unlike Hashirama, Tobirama had invented countless ninjutsu and forbidden jutsu that influenced later generations.
Every word and every action from a man like him warranted careful scrutiny.
Kakuzu feigned embarrassment.
“I apologize, I used too much force.”
“There is no need to apologize, Teuchi,” Tobirama said calmly.
“We can only blame this spy for having the misfortune of coming here.”
“I do not like to owe favors,” Kakuzu said.
“I used to travel frequently and learned some medical skills.
If permitted, I can help you identify this spy’s origins.”
Medical skills and medical ninjutsu were two different things.
Medical ninjutsu lacked a systematic approach in this era, but medical skills had existed since ancient times.
If the person facing him was Hashirama, he would likely be welcomed.
Unfortunately, the person before him was Tobirama.
Sure enough, Tobirama refused on the spot.
“That will not be necessary.
Leave these matters to us.
You must have had a fright tonight, so go and get some rest.”
With that, Tobirama had the charred corpse carried away.
Seeing this, Kakuzu had no choice but to return to his room.
The doorway had been blasted apart by his Fire Release, but it was still habitable for the night.
Tobirama brought the charred corpse to his laboratory.
In Konoha, no one was more proficient in dissection than him.
He discovered burnt remnants of paper used exclusively for custom scrolls on the corpse.
Multiple scrolls had been stolen tonight, making this discovery expected.
He continued examining the corpse and found that the neck was broken.
The force used to break the neck was enough to kill a person.
If the spy had already been strangled to death, why use Fire Release?
There is a widely known scapegoat of the Naruto-verse, Danzo.
Anything that went wrong in Konohagakure could be pinned on him.
But Danzo was still a child right now.
He lacked innocence, but he had at least not committed those heinous acts yet.
Danzo’s personality was influenced to some extent by his teacher, the Second Hokage.
Either way, in this era where Danzo did not take the blame, Tobirama was the scapegoat.
Tobirama, the Second Hokage of later generations, created a massive number of forbidden jutsu.
He even created the Impure World Reincarnation, a secret jutsu that resurrected the dead using the living, which demonstrated his brilliant intellect, but also his cruelty.