Chapter 238
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"Tobirama-sensei, are you in an Edo Tensei body now?"
Hiruzen noticed the cracks all over Tobirama's body and the lifeless look in his eyes, similar to those reanimated during the previous wars using Edo Tensei.
"Due to some unexpected events, I was summoned using Edo Tensei, but I've broken free from its control."
Tobirama explained, noticing that Hiruzen was accompanied by some powerful shinobi. One of them, a white-haired ninja, seemed to have even more chakra than Hiruzen, and looked somewhat familiar. He asked,
"Saru, what are you all up to?"
Despite being almost sixty years old, Hiruzen felt a sense of nostalgia at Tobirama's familiar nickname for him. He explained,
"Tobirama-sensei, we're on a mission. Currently, there is an organization called Akatsuki in the ninja world, founded by one of Jiraiya's students. One of its members possesses the Rinnegan."
Tobirama's expression grew more serious at the mention of the Rinnegan. Upon hearing about Nagato, he felt that this wasn't the person the Sage of Six Paths had mentioned.
Moreover, Tobirama was always cautious about the words of the Sage of Six Paths, as he only trusted himself. Now that he was back, he needed to investigate.
Hiruzen did not hide anything when providing Tobirama with information about Nagato. It wasn't necessary, after all. Nagato's animosity towards Konoha wasn't Hiruzen's doing; he had originally wanted to ally with the Akatsuki, but Danzo had ruined those plans.
"Saru, I remember making you the Third Hokage. Why are you out of the village on a mission? Or is there a Fourth Hokage in the village now?"
As Tobirama spoke, he noticed Hiruzen's face looked quite old, possibly even older than Tobirama's age when he died. So he asked,
"The current Hokage is the Fourth, Sakumo. You might remember him, Tobirama-sensei. When you visited the Ninja Academy, you said he would be a pillar of the village."
Hearing Hiruzen's words, Tobirama recalled who the Fourth Hokage was—the genius who wielded a short sword in the academy.
After pondering for a moment, Tobirama asked seriously,
"Saru, are you confident in this mission? The Rinnegan isn't something to be taken lightly. And if I'm not mistaken, the Rinnegan in Nagato's possession doesn't belong to him."
Although he needed to investigate what the Sage of Six Paths had said, the origins of the Rinnegan were unlikely to be a lie. There should only be two pairs of Rinnegan in the ninja world, with a third pair still developing.
Aside from the Sage of Six Paths' Rinnegan, the second pair belonged to Uchiha Madara.
Tobirama crossed his arms and said,
"If you go, you'll likely come back empty-handed. The Rinnegan in Nagato's possession is someone else's. If you encounter him, you'll likely meet Uchiha Madara."
"Uchiha Madara!?"
Hiruzen, Jiraiya, and the others exchanged shocked glances.
Hiruzen quickly responded,
"Tobirama-sensei, according to our information, although Madara didn't accept his fate in the ninja world, he died three years ago."
Tobirama replied,
"He's like me now, an Edo Tensei body. Let's return to Konoha, Saru. I have other matters that require the village's assistance. Fill me in on what's been happening in the village."
Madara would certainly value Tobirama's awareness of his Rinnegan. Hiruzen and his group might not be able to secure the Rinnegan and could even run into Madara, leading to unnecessary losses.
"I understand, Tobirama-sensei."
Hiruzen agreed with Tobirama's suggestion. Although this was a mission issued by Yoichi, they had encountered the Second Hokage.
Moreover, Hiruzen had been reluctant to undertake this mission with Jiraiya. Even if they captured Nagato, the Rinnegan would belong to the village, while the losses would be borne by the Sarutobi clan.
On the way back, Hiruzen gave Tobirama a brief overview of recent events.
"Kushina-san."
A familiar voice suddenly called from behind, startling Kushina as she battled her inner darkness. The scene around her vanished, and when she opened her eyes, she found herself in her familiar bedroom.
Turning her head, Kushina's face filled with anger.
She was about to shout but remembered Naruto was still sleeping. She lowered her voice,
"What are you doing here? This is my home."
"I know, but don't you want the videotape? If you don't, I'll take it back."
Before Yoichi could finish his sentence, Kushina had already snatched the videotape from his hand.
Just as she was about to crush it with a punch, Yoichi grabbed her wrist and reminded her,
"Kushina-san, don't forget our agreement. Ten tapes mean ten times, or else..."
"I know, you don't need to remind me."
Kushina replied angrily, puffing her cheeks. She cursed herself for being too slow this time.
"In that case, why not enjoy watching while we proceed? Once it's over, the tape is yours to dispose of."
Yoichi took the tape, pulled out a storage scroll, and retrieved a TV and a VCR, setting them up as if Kushina's bedroom conveniently had outlets and a table.
Seeing Yoichi's actions, Kushina's face turned pale with anger and she whispered furiously,
"Are you crazy? Here? I won't agree to this! Naruto is sleeping next door."
"That's why you should set up a barrier, Kushina-san. Besides, do you really have a choice now?"
While speaking, Yoichi connected the TV and VCR, inserting the tape he took from Kushina.
"Bastard!"
Kushina was furious that Yoichi would dare do such a thing in her home, especially something like this. She rushed forward to stop him.
However, fearing making too much noise, her attempt to stop him was futile. In the end, she blushed and retreated, crossing her arms over her chest.
"You bastard..."
Seeing her embarrassing moments appear on the TV, Kushina reluctantly formed hand seals to activate a barrier. Placing her hands on the ground, the barrier's runes quickly spread throughout the room.
"You... how dare you..."
Before Kushina could finish, the TV screen lit up, and the sound of her own voice filled the room. Hearing her voice, Kushina felt a strange sensation.
The bed frame began to creak, but thanks to the barrier, it didn't wake Naruto sleeping next door.
With Yoichi's clones guarding outside, he had no fear of being interrupted.
As the noise from the bed grew louder, Kushina's cheaply-bought bed seemed on the verge of collapsing.
"Take down that photo! You... you jerk, let me go!"
As Kushina knelt on the bed, enduring, she suddenly noticed the wedding photo on the bedside table. Overcome with shame and anger, she wanted to break free and remove the photo.
However, Yoichi held Kushina tightly, pinning her down with his weight.
After struggling for a while, Kushina found herself unable to break free, and she buried her face in the bedding, tears streaming from the corners of her eyes.
'Minato, I'm sorry!'
"Mm..."
...
...
"Yoichi-sensei, you're back! The Hokage robe is ready. Shall I help you put it on?"
Rumi greeted Yoichi with a sweet smile as she took out a Hokage robe. The design was simple, reserved for those with the highest status in Konoha.
"Is it finished already? By the way, Rumi, has the new Hokage hat been completed as well?"
Yoichi turned around, allowing Rumi to drape the Hokage robe over his shoulders. The Hokage hat hadn't been replaced since the First Hokage. While every Hokage got a new robe, the same hat had been used for fifty years.
Thinking about it was disheartening. It was time for a new one.
"Yes, Yoichi-sensei, it's ready. We've also sent people to notify the daimyō and the smaller nations surrounding the Land of Fire. They should arrive in Konoha in three days."
Rumi adjusted Yoichi's collar and blushed slightly, realizing she was acting like a wife, so she quickly changed the subject,
"The Police Force has also been informed. They've prepared security plans for the Hokage election day and arranged accommodations for visiting nobles and merchants."
The Police Force was, of course, not falling behind. They were the most enthusiastic department about the Hokage election. The Fifth Hokage would be their Uchiha clan leader, symbolizing the Uchiha's rise as the village's leading clan.
Even within the ninja world, the Uchiha's reputation was well-known, thanks to Yoichi. The Sharingan had become one of the most feared Kekkei Genkai.
Konoha had grown increasingly prosperous, with separate commercial and residential areas, resembling a modern metropolis.
The village's size had expanded, stretching seventy to eighty kilometers from the Ninja Park to the other side. Even for shinobi, covering that distance required time; it was even more challenging for ordinary people.
If not for the tram system being established, connecting twenty stations within the village, the villagers would have demanded it.
The Police Force patrolled the village's outskirts with a substantial presence. Konoha's prosperity made it a potential target for those looking to cause trouble, like a human bomb with explosive tags. It would be a significant blow to the village.
This was why Yoichi had held lengthy discussions with Hiashi, involving Hyūga clan members in the Police Force. Hiashi's brother, Hizashi, now led the Police Force's fifth division.
Swish, swish, swish!
As Tobirama and his group neared Konoha's outskirts, they were intercepted by two patrol teams.
"It's the Third Hokage and Jiraiya-sama..."
Recognizing the group, Zoshi Uchiha spoke up. After confirming with his Sharingan that they weren't using transformation techniques, he allowed them to pass and reported through his radio,
"All clear, it's the Third Hokage, Jiraiya, and the shinobi who went on the mission last time."
"But Third Hokage, what's with him? Why does he look like the Second Hokage?"
Having seen the Hokage Rock hundreds of times, no shinobi could fail to recognize the past Hokage. Upon confirming that Tobirama wasn't using a transformation technique, Zoshi was shocked.
Hiruzen replied,
"This is classified. I'll report to the Fourth Hokage. Clear the way."
"Understood."
After making way, Zoshi watched the group leave and reported his encounter through the radio.
Seeing the Konoha gates, Tobirama asked Hiruzen,
"Saru, is the Police Force patrolling outside the village now?" He had also noticed Hyūga clan members among the Police Force. What was going on?
They had returned so quickly that Hiruzen hadn't had a chance to explain all the village's changes, but Tobirama sensed that the village had changed a lot before even entering Konoha.
"Tobirama-sensei, I haven't handled village affairs for a long time. This should be the work of the Fourth Hokage and the Hokage advisor, Uchiha Yoichi."
"Is that the Uchiha kid who was with Tsunade? Let's keep moving."
Tobirama continued toward Konoha, but as he entered the gate, he noticed a hunched old man sweeping the ground. The figure seemed very familiar, so Tobirama went to take a closer look.
"Danzo? Why are you sweeping here?"
Approaching, Tobirama immediately recognized his disciple, Danzo. However, Danzo had changed significantly; he was filthy, his chakra so weak it was nearly undetectable, likely sealed.
Danzo's eyes were dull, mechanically repeating his sweeping motions. A quick sensing confirmed he was under genjutsu.
"Release!"
Tobirama frowned as he dispelled the genjutsu. Hiruzen had only mentioned that Danzo had done something foolish and been punished but hadn't described the nature of the punishment.
Under genjutsu, with his chakra sealed, and sweeping at Konoha's gate, this was sheer humiliation.
"What happened?"
"Tob-Tobirama-sensei?"
Gradually regaining clarity, Danzo saw the figure before him, a mix of fear and longing in his heart. He regretted not achieving more to prove himself to Tobirama-sensei. It was his mistake in choosing the wrong person back then.
"Danzo, why are you..."
Before Tobirama could finish, a four-man squad of Police Force members appeared.
Seeing the genjutsu on Danzo dispelled, Matsuro Uchiha frowned and asked,
"Third Hokage, Jiraiya-sensei, and... the Second Hokage?"
(End of Chapter)