Chapter 109: The First Hokage

The ninja, who had been used as a "human sacrifice," felt his life force rapidly fading and forgot Naruto's previous instructions.

Instinctively, he wanted to resist.

The demon, sensing his thoughts, took action. It reached out its hand, grasped his soul, and tore it from his body.

The hand that had pierced the ninja's body attempted to grab the blonde boy standing in front of him.

Naruto clasped his hands together.

Golden chains lashed out, subduing the demon.

The Nine-Tails bit down on a scroll and threw it toward the Shinigami. A prepared seal activated, and the power of the Four Symbols Seal erupted, sweeping toward the "demon."

The demon did not react to the force pulling and corroding it, allowing itself to be sealed.

This went more smoothly than Naruto had expected.

He had thought he would have to fight this "demon."

However, could this creature that was summoned really be called a "god"?

But now wasn't the time to study it.

More importantly, five souls had just escaped from its belly.

One of them was a pair of disembodied arms, flying chaotically within the barrier, seemingly trying to return to its owner.

The other four were four men.

They remained temporarily in their soul forms.

"Can you see us?" a white-haired man noticed Naruto's gaze. "That blonde kid."

"You should know what's going on here, right?"

Sarutobi Hiruzen stared intently at the blonde boy.

Another blonde man, the Fourth Hokage, Namikaze Minato, began to explain, "The Reaper Death Seal that trapped us has been undone."

"Naruto, you really did it."

Naruto looked at him. "Dad, do you remember meeting me?"

Minato nodded.

Naruto was thoughtful—Chakra truly was a mysterious force. Even the Reaper Death Seal couldn't stop the transmission of information?

"And what about my mom?" He looked back and forth among the four, noticing that although one had long black hair, he was a man and couldn't be his mother.

The Nine-Tails bared its teeth and shrank back behind Naruto.

It had no desire to see that long-haired man.

Minato smiled and answered, "Kushina wasn't sealed by the Reaper Death Seal."

Naruto felt a pang of sadness.

So, she's in the Pure Land.

He had thought he might see his mom this time. It seems he'll have to wait until he finds the "Falls of Truth" to meet her again.

The long-haired man scratched his head, looking around in confusion. There were seven people in this space, but he only recognized two of them. "Can you first explain the situation and who you all are?"

Sarutobi Hiruzen spoke, introducing each of them: "First Hokage-sama, this is the Fourth Hokage."

He then pointed to Naruto, his tone complicated. "And this is..."

"The son of the Fourth Hokage and a remarkable ninja from the village, Uzumaki Naruto."

The First Hokage was excited. "The Fourth Hokage!"

"So, the village..."

Naruto interrupted him calmly, pouring cold water on his enthusiasm. "I'm no longer a ninja of Konoha."

"Did you defect from the village?" the white-haired Second Hokage's tone was sharp. "It's no wonder..."

"Someone who toys with the souls of the dead can't be a good person."

Naruto looked around. "I only temporarily detained you before you returned to the Pure Land because I wanted to say something and learn about a few things."

His gaze shifted to the Second Hokage. "Compared to the Edo Tensei, which forcibly drags souls from the Pure Land, what I did is much less severe."

His words were pointed.

The Second Hokage's expression changed slightly.

Naruto didn't stop there. After a brief pause, he bluntly continued, "As the creator of that forbidden technique, Second Hokage, do you really have the right to criticize me?"

Sarutobi Hiruzen's expression grew heavy. "Naruto, did you really defect?"

"You were such a good child..."

Naruto interrupted him again. "I'm no longer a child."

"And please don't use the word 'defect,' as if Konoha is entirely blameless."

"I simply chose not to be a ninja and left a place that could no longer be called home."

"That's all."

Sarutobi Hiruzen lowered his head.

The First and Second Hokage couldn't help but look at him.

He didn't deny Naruto's words about Konoha not being blameless.

Did the village really wrong him?

"Not a ninja?" The First Hokage was shocked. "You chose such a path?"

The power emerging from the ground grew stronger, breaking through the first layer of the barrier.

"There's not much time," Naruto shook his head. "Now I have some questions that I hope you can answer."

He looked at the First and Second Hokage. "What is the Pure Land?"

"How did you get there?"

"Who governs that place?"

It was clear that Sarutobi Hiruzen and Naruto's father didn't know the answer to these questions; their souls had been trapped in the belly of the Shinigami since their deaths.

"Are you curious about the Pure Land?" The First Hokage asked.

The Second Hokage shook his head.

"Yes, I want to understand it," Naruto nodded.

The First Hokage was an easygoing person. After thinking for a while, he honestly answered Naruto's question. "I don't really know how one goes to the Pure Land. I just closed my eyes after death, and there I was."

"As for what kind of place it is..."

"It's a dim world, but very peaceful. There's no war, no hunger, and people who know each other live together."

"We've never seen anyone governing it."

Uncertain about how to get there and never having met the person in charge, Naruto nodded slightly, frowning.

"Not even from the deceased could we obtain any useful information?"

Karin took out a scroll, quickly jotting down notes as she lay on the ground.

"Second Hokage, could you explain the principles behind the Edo Tensei?" Naruto asked.

The Second Hokage shook his head. "I refuse."

"That is a forbidden jutsu that manipulates the souls of the dead. The fewer people who know about it, the better."

The First Hokage spoke up, "Tobirama, just tell him. I have a feeling he's a good person—"

Before he could finish, the Second Hokage turned his head and harshly interrupted, "I refuse."

"I think—"

"Brother, say no more."

"He would never play with the souls of the dead."

"Shut up!"

The First Hokage looked despondent, his head hanging low.

"I just want to know if this technique is related to the Pure Land," Naruto asked again. "You don't need to worry; I understand how to respect the dead better than you do."

The Second Hokage clicked his tongue and shook his head. "It's not related."

Mind's Eye of the Kagura confirmed that he was telling the truth.

Naruto nodded.

A technique involving the souls of the dead is not related to the Pure Land?

"You just believed it like that?" The Second Hokage was slightly surprised.

Naruto replied, "I'm from the Uzumaki Clan, and I also have the Mind's Eye of the Kagura."

The Second Hokage immediately understood.

That jutsu, which can sense others' emotions, is quite a formidable power.

Naruto lowered his head.

The second layer of the barrier had already been broken. The "Guardian of the Pure Land" was overwhelmingly strong, breaking through much faster than Naruto had anticipated.

There was no time for more unnecessary words.

"Dad, is the other half of the Nine-Tails inside your body?" Naruto asked.

Namikaze Minato nodded.

"Would extracting it from your body harm your soul?" Naruto inquired.

Namikaze Minato shook his head. "The seal between me and the Nine-Tails isn't the kind that is linked to life force."

"But, Naruto, do you want to reunite the Nine-Tails?"

Naruto reached out and grabbed the Nine-Tails, which had shrunk behind his back, lifting it by the scruff of its neck to show it off. "My relationship with it is really good now."

"Thanks to your jutsu, it can temporarily leave my body."

The First Hokage's eyes lit up: "Is this the Nine-Tails?"

"Has it become this cute now?"

The Nine-Tails bared its teeth, flicking its tail. "Long time no see, Senju Hashirama."

Namikaze Minato smiled. "In such a short time, Naruto, you succeeded. In that case, let it return."

He reached out and placed his hand on his abdomen.

Chakra fluctuations.

The crimson chakra of the tailed beast flowed, extending along Namikaze Minato's arm and surging into Naruto's body.

"Even in soul form, you can use chakra?" Naruto stared at Namikaze Minato's hand, somewhat surprised.

Namikaze Minato nodded. "I can use some, but it's not as strong as when I was alive."

Naruto pondered.

In the textbooks of Konoha, chakra is defined as "the life energy extracted from the body through spiritual will," which implies that this power should be entirely linked to the physical body. But why can Dad still use chakra even though he is just a soul?

Is this power...

not the kind defined in the textbooks?

This situation, combined with past knowledge, gave him a strange feeling.

The First Hokage walked over and took the Nine-Tails. "You can get along so well with the Nine-Tails."

The Nine-Tails bared its teeth but was relatively obedient in his hand, allowing itself to be toyed with without much resistance.

"Why can't you do the same with the village?" He tugged at the Nine-Tails' tail, asking in a somber tone.

He really liked this kid named Naruto.

At a glance, there was a sense of closeness stronger than what he felt with Tobirama, almost like "brothers by blood."

Naruto tilted his head and looked at him. "Konoha was founded by you."

The First Hokage nodded.

"What is the purpose of the village's existence?" Naruto asked him.

This was a question that had occupied his mind for the past year and a half.

But neither in Konoha nor in Mist Village had he found an answer.

"In the beginning, the village I envisioned was a place that could connect one clan to another," the First Hokage answered seriously while stroking the Nine-Tails. "It was a crucial hub for transitioning from chaos to order and maintaining that order."

"It was meant to protect the children from unnecessary conflicts and ultimately achieve peace."

He spoke earnestly.

Mind's Eye of the Kagura feedback confirmed that everything he said was the truth, from the bottom of his heart.

"What a naïve idea," Naruto smiled slightly.

The First Hokage turned back and looked at his brother. "Naïve? Tobirama said the same thing."

"I thought you would understand."

His voice was firm.

For some inexplicable reason, he felt that Naruto was someone like him.

Naruto met his gaze. "During your time, were ninjas also tools of war?"

The First Hokage nodded.

"Hoping to stop warfare with tools of war," Naruto shook his head, "is like trying to heal a wound with a blade."

"Isn't that naïve?"

He found it hard to imagine that the First Hokage of Konoha was such a simple-minded person.

~~~

First Hokage is cool! Post here the pic or gif!

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