When Tobirama Senju marched to his death, he had done so with peace of mind.
Shinobi were blades, tools, beasts fated to fight for survival amidst mountains of corpses and seas of blood.
Tobirama Senju had always maintained a clear self-awareness.
He did not possess his elder brother’s peerless talent, holding advantages only in administration and political maneuvers.
Thus, after his brother passed away, he prioritized stability in external affairs.
Domestically, he used a carrot-and-stick strategy to quell the village’s undercurrents, drawing the Hyuga Clan and the Uchiha Clan—both renowned for visual jutsu—into a rough equilibrium, while supporting smaller ninja clans so they would gather around Konoha and adopt the core belief that the village was their home.
As long as the next Hokage possessed a benevolent heart and valued the bonds of comradeship, even if their strength was somewhat lacking, Konoha could enjoy relative long-term peace so long as his political vision was maintained.
After all, with the formidable reputation of the Uchiha Clan, the Senju clansmen integrated into Konoha, and various other shinobi who possessed unique strengths and were gradually stepping away from closed clan mindsets, Konoha’s future was bright.
So after selecting Hiruzen Sarutobi as the next Hokage, Tobirama Senju went all out without regrets and faced his demise.
Yet now, why was he confronted with a sight like this?
His student Danzo had turned into a scarred test subject, willing to exhaust his own life force just to bring him back— Why did he say “Hiruzen has gone mad”?
Why did he say “the Senju clansmen are nearly extinct from casualties”?
Why did he say “the Uchiha Clan is facing imminent massacre”?
The disciple who never shed a tear even when severely wounded now had reddened eyes, fighting back tears as his voice trembled, begging him to save the Uchiha and save Konoha from catastrophe.
Having just been resurrected, Tobirama Senju was rendered dizzy by the sheer wave of shocking information, nearly dying of rage all over again.
“Hiruzen Sarutobi—what on earth is he doing?!” Tobirama Senju’s usually composed face twisted with rage.
Before dying, he had instructed Hiruzen to protect those who admired and trusted the village, to nurture those to whom the next era could be entrusted…
Had Hiruzen Sarutobi failed to do any of that?
Danzo hurriedly pulled at Tobirama Senju’s sleeve.
He truly had no time to spare for Tobirama Senju to vent his emotions.
The Uchiha Clan currently numbered nearly ten thousand.
With just Itachi Uchiha and Obito Uchiha, without alerting the other villagers, even if the two killed until they dropped dead and met the Sage of Six Paths, they couldn’t possibly slaughter them all alone.
Hiruzen Sarutobi’s Anbu and Danzo Shimura’s Root had undoubtedly participated.
The news of Tobirama Senju’s resurrection could not be kept secret for long, and Danzo couldn’t be sure whether Black Zetsu was monitoring him.
Once the news leaked to Obito Uchiha, or reached Hiruzen Sarutobi and his circle through Black Zetsu’s means, he couldn’t guarantee what those men, who had already turned into beasts, might do.
“Tobirama-sensei…
I…
I still have a few more people I need to revive…” His frail, exhausted body could no longer support itself, slumping almost entirely against his master’s chest.
Yet his single dark eye remained fixed on Tobirama Senju’s shrinking pupils, his tone resolute.
“I don’t have long to live, Tobirama-sensei.” “I must make the most of my remaining time.” Tobirama Senju felt blood welling up in his throat.
His student should have lived through a peaceful era within the framework he had built.
He should have been kind, wise, open-minded, watching the growing next generation with eyes full of hope, and enjoying a carefree retirement surrounded by the care of his juniors in his old age.
Instead, he was like this—dragging a broken, ruined body, sacrificing his own life to resurrect the powerhouses of the previous generation, pleading for one final ray of hope.
A shinobi who had struggled through half a lifetime, a disciple of a former Hokage and an executive of Konoha, driven into a desperate plight where he had to stake his life as a bargain…
What in the world had become of Konoha?
Yet at this moment, Tobirama Senju could only watch helplessly as his student channeled his own life force into the other three arrays— Hashirama Senju.
Seeing the figure of his elder brother, Tobirama understood Danzo’s reasoning after a moment’s thought.
The Uchiha Clan was on the brink of slaughter.
Faced with such a crisis, his elder brother, who could deploy massive Wood Style jutsu to protect large numbers of people in time, was indeed the best choice.
However, his elder brother’s personality was notoriously difficult to control.
Perhaps that was why Danzo had revived him first, so he could keep his unpredictable brother in check.
It seemed Danzo had used this resurrection jutsu with a clear plan.
Tobirama Senju’s tight nerves loosened slightly.
As long as there was a plan, it meant the situation had not deteriorated to the point where they had to resort blindly to overwhelming force to clean up the mess.
Tobirama Senju still harbored a sliver of hope regarding Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Could the student who had been the first to volunteer as a decoy to secure an escape route for his comrades truly be so insane as to slaughter the entire Uchiha Clan?
Tobirama Senju hoped with all his heart that this was the tragic result of an intelligence error, an enemy trap, or some other cause, rather than the reality that his chosen successor for Hokage had rotted into a foul monster.
Pondering and agonizing, the Second Hokage’s gaze fell upon the remaining two arrays— Madara Uchiha.
Izuna Uchiha.
Tobirama Senju: …
Tobirama Senju: ?????
The Second Hokage stared blankly at his frail, battered student, then at the three active arrays, sensing the steadily swelling life signatures of the three individuals.
Madara Uchiha and Izuna Uchiha opened their eyes, tomoe patterns forming in their dull gazes.
One tomoe, two tomoe, three tomoe— Mangekyo Sharingan.
Tobirama Senju: …
Wait—Danzo???
Where on earth did you get a jutsu like this?!
What in the world have you gone through all these years?!