The Land of Hot Water.
“There are around twenty pursuers.
All of them are elite Kumogakure jonin.
Judging from the situation, they’re part of Kinkaku’s elite unit.” Senju Tobirama withdrew the finger he had pressed against the ground and looked at the six disciples crouched before him.
The six young shinobi formed a circle, quietly awaiting their teacher’s orders.
They had originally come to negotiate a normal postwar peace treaty with Kumogakure, hoping to finally bring this long and exhausting Ninja World War to an end.
No one had expected internal conflict to erupt within Kumogakure itself.
As the right-hand men of the First Raikage, Kinkaku and Ginkaku had long been dissatisfied that they hadn’t become the Second Raikage.
In the Ninja World, strength spoke louder than anything.
What gives you, the Second Raikage, the right to lead us?
Just because you’re from the Yotsuki Clan?
When you convinced us to join Kumogakure, no one ever said the Raikage position belonged exclusively to the Yotsuki family.
So it’s hereditary?
Now, the Second Raikage even wanted peace with Konoha.
During the war, countless of Kinkaku and Ginkaku’s loyal subordinates had died at Konoha’s hands, brothers who had fought beside them since the Warring States Era.
Whether or not the Second Raikage had deliberately arranged things that way no longer mattered.
The brothers had reached their limit.
We’re direct descendants of the Sage of Six Paths!
We wield the Sage’s treasured weapons!
Why should we put up with this crap?
To hell with it!
The Yotsuki Clan has gone too far!
Konoha isn’t any better!
Everyone dies today!
Kinkaku and Ginkaku immediately launched a rebellion, attacking the peace conference between Konoha and Kumogakure.
The Second Raikage tried to suppress the uprising.
Instead, the man who prided himself on unmatched offense and defense was beaten to death on the spot by the enraged brothers.
Taking advantage of the chaos, Senju Tobirama led his six disciples out of the encirclement.
Unfortunately, Kinkaku’s elite force continued the pursuit.
Their goal was obvious.
Wipe out every last member of Konoha’s delegation.
Twenty elite jonin were more than enough to pin Tobirama’s group in place.
Once Kumogakure’s reinforcements arrived…
None of them would survive.
After a brief discussion, they reached a decision.
One person would stay behind as bait and hold off the enemy.
Everyone else would break through.
But everyone understood what that meant.
Whoever stayed…
…would certainly die.
Throughout history, nothing was more difficult than calmly accepting death.
Faced with the terror of mortality, how many people could truly remain fearless?
Silence settled over the group.
Sarutobi Hiruzen stepped forward.
He feared death as much as anyone else.
Even so…
He still volunteered.
As a shinobi, he had long accepted that one day he would die in battle.
A shinobi spent an entire lifetime preparing for death.
Shimura Danzo immediately argued with him.
He wanted to volunteer as well.
The problem was…
He had hesitated.
He’d still been struggling to overcome his fear of death when Hiruzen beat him to it.
Ever since childhood, Danzo had competed against Hiruzen.
More often than not, he’d lost.
Now, even at a moment like this…
Hiruzen had gotten ahead of him again.
It felt like yet another defeat.
Tobirama cut off their argument.
There was no time left.
Without another word, he appointed Hiruzen as the next Hokage.
None of the other disciples objected.
Hiruzen’s willingness to sacrifice himself moments earlier had earned all of their respect.
Only Danzo stood frozen.
Disbelief filled his face.
Regret flooded his heart.
If I’d stepped forward first…
If I’d volunteered before Hiruzen…
Would I be the Hokage now?
Looking at his disciples, Tobirama sighed inwardly.
He had underestimated the situation.
Never had he imagined that this peace conference would become such a hopeless trap.
Although he possessed the fastest speed in the Ninja World…
There was no escaping now.
It seemed this was where his life would end.
Having made his decision, Tobirama wasted no more words.
After giving Hiruzen a few final instructions, he turned and walked toward the approaching enemy.
Watching his teacher’s back disappear into the distance, Uchiha Kagami quietly followed.
He had always been a man of action rather than words.
Hiruzen instinctively tried to follow as well.
But Utatane Koharu grabbed his arm.
“We have to leave.” “Don’t let Sensei’s sacrifice be in vain.” Hiruzen gritted his teeth.
“…Retreat!” Danzo stared at the direction Kagami had gone.
He hesitated again…
And ultimately chose not to follow.
The group began breaking through.
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ Meanwhile, Tobirama laid an ambush for Kinkaku and Ginkaku’s forces.
He immediately used the Impure World Reincarnation.
Large numbers of reanimated shinobi appeared to assist him in battle.
Although Tobirama had created the technique himself, its original purpose had been intelligence gathering.
It allowed him to interrogate dead shinobi for classified information, secret techniques, and forbidden jutsu.
Unlike Orochimaru’s perfected version decades later, Tobirama’s Impure World Reincarnation did not restore a reincarnated shinobi’s combat ability.
Its only real advantage…
Was granting an immortal body.
Countless explosive tags detonated.
Using the combination of the Impure World Reincarnation and the Mutually Multiplying Explosive Tags Technique, Tobirama wiped out large numbers of elite jonin.
Among the casualties…
Was Ginkaku.
He died before he even had a chance to display his full strength.
Kinkaku exploded with rage.
Nine-Tails Chakra Mode erupted around him.
That was the terrifying reality of shinobi combat.
Even someone with Kage-level strength could still die from a single kunai…
Or a well-placed explosive tag.
Ginkaku had fallen victim to exactly that.
Now only Kinkaku remained.
And he was far more troublesome.
Nine-Tails Chakra Mode was practically the strongest power available in the current era.
Tobirama lacked any technique capable of directly overcoming such overwhelming offense and defense.
The reanimated shinobi couldn’t even get close.
Without approaching him…
They couldn’t use the Mutually Multiplying Explosive Tags Technique.
Swinging chakra tails like giant whips, Kinkaku blasted away every Edo Tensei soldier that entered his range.
Tobirama attempted to combine Shadow Clones with the Rasengan.
The attack couldn’t even break Kinkaku’s defenses.
Instead, he nearly took a Tailed Beast Bomb head-on.
“Water Release: Severing Wave!” “Water Release: Water Dragon Bite Explosion!” Tobirama unleashed one signature Water Release technique after another.
But Kinkaku’s Nine-Tails Chakra Mode granted astonishing speed.
None of the attacks landed.
Just as Tobirama found himself constantly evading Kinkaku and the remaining elite jonin— Uchiha Kagami arrived.
Using Mangekyo-level genjutsu, the two coordinated flawlessly.
Within moments…
The remaining seven or eight elite jonin were eliminated.
There was still a significant gap between ordinary jonin and Kage-level shinobi.
And the Sharingan was practically a cheat.
Once it evolved into the Mangekyo Sharingan, its benchmark was Kage level.
One of the Mangekyo’s greatest strengths was brutally simple: Against opponents weaker than its wielder…
It ended battles instantly.
Now…
It was two against one.
Unfortunately, Nine-Tails Chakra Mode remained the absolute pinnacle of power in this era.
Even Kagami had no answer for it.
Its offense was overwhelming.
Its defense was overwhelming.
Its speed was unbelievable.
How were they supposed to beat something like that?
Tobirama already had the answer.
One option…
The Reaper Death Seal.
Use an Uzumaki sealing technique and perish together with Kinkaku.
The other…
The Spirit Transformation Technique.
Attack directly at the level of the soul.
With two against one…
There was no need to resort to mutual destruction.
A steadier approach offered far better odds.