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"The Second Hokage? Why is he here?"
Matsuro Uchiha asked with a wary yet puzzled expression. How could a Hokage who had died long ago suddenly appear in the village?
"What happened with Danzo? If he made a mistake, he should be punished according to the rules. Why humiliate him by making him sweep at Konoha's gate?"
Tobirama spoke coldly. When he dispelled the genjutsu, he noticed that it was Sharingan-based, something only the Uchiha clan could cast.
Furthermore, the fact that the patrol members had arrived so quickly after he broke the genjutsu suggested that the person before him had cast it.
"This was ordered by the Hokage. But, Second Hokage, are you under the effects of Edo Tensei?"
Matsuro suddenly recalled an incident when he was escorting goods for the family business. They had a silent guard who, during a battle, was shattered but quickly reformed.
The eyes and cracks were the same; this Second Hokage was definitely an Edo Tensei body. But who had summoned him?
"Apologies, Second Hokage, but I need to report your presence to the Fifth Hokage. As for Danzo's punishment, please don't interfere with the Police Force."
Matsuro said as he subtly gestured with his hand behind his back.
One of the patrol members received the signal and immediately left to notify the Hokage building. However, Matsuro was unaware that someone had already informed the Police Force earlier, and the message had already reached the Hokage building.
"If you can't explain, then let someone who can come and speak to me,"
Tobirama said, folding his arms across his chest. He had no intention of moving.
"Then let me explain."
A voice suddenly interrupted. Neither Tobirama, Hiruzen, Jiraiya, nor the others had sensed anyone's approach. They instinctively looked up at the telephone poles above but saw nothing.
Tobirama was quicker, immediately glancing to his side to see someone had appeared beside him.
If he hadn't caught a glimpse of the white Hokage robe out of the corner of his eye, Tobirama might not have noticed the person at all. This individual's Body Flicker Technique... was far superior to his.
"Second Hokage, who used Edo Tensei to bring you back? And your chakra..."
Yoichi asked, tilting his head slightly. This wasn't the chakra typically seen in an Edo Tensei body. The sacrificial material used for this summoning was probably of higher quality than what he had been using. Could it be White Zetsu clones?
"Never mind. Let's discuss this back at the Hokage building. It seems you're not under anyone's control, Second Hokage. As for Danzo, continue sweeping the streets, and make it double today!"
While speaking, Yoichi glanced at Danzo, his Sharingan glinting. Before Danzo could react, he was once again caught in a genjutsu.
Danzo's eyes glazed over, and he picked up the broom, preparing to continue sweeping as per Yoichi's command.
"Uchiha brat, you—"
Tobirama's face darkened, ready to speak, but he was quickly cut off.
"Don't even think about breaking his genjutsu. This time, I've left enough chakra to destroy his brain. If you want to break the genjutsu, you might as well kill him outright. And as a former Hokage, you shouldn't interfere with the current Hokage's decisions."
Yoichi said, then turned his gaze to Hiruzen, Jiraiya, and the others, asking,
"And you all? Have you abandoned the mission on your own?"
Tobirama spoke up,
"I ordered them to abandon it because some unexpected developments occurred along the way..."
"Then go home and rest. Don't come to the Hokage building for a while."
Yoichi said as he headed toward the Hokage building. He had numerous methods to empower his subordinates, such as the Sage Curse Mark, the Extremis Virus, and the giant snakes of Ryuchi Cave.
These combined could produce numerous chunin- or jonin-level shinobi in Konoha who were loyal to him.
As for the Ino-Shika-Cho trio and people like Jiraiya, they had too many independent thoughts. Even though they knew Yoichi was the Fifth Hokage, they still didn't follow his orders without question. Yoichi didn't need such subordinates.
Among the Ino-Shika-Cho, only the Yamanaka clan's secret techniques were somewhat useful, such as extracting information from the heads of the dead. However, as Konoha grew stronger, the role of the Yamanaka's techniques would diminish.
Konoha was about to annex the Land of Wind and the Land of Rivers. In such a situation, stability within the village was crucial. The Ino-Shika-Cho trio needed to decide whether to stay or leave.
On the way to the Hokage building, Hiruzen, Jiraiya, and the others felt the weight of Yoichi's earlier words.
Were they being told to go home and not be allowed to work as shinobi anymore?
Upon reaching the Hokage building, Yoichi sent an ANBU to summon Sakumo, then headed to his office.
Upon entering, he frowned and said to the group following Tobirama,
"Third Hokage, Jiraiya, why are you following? You can leave now."
"Brat... Fifth Hokage, it was I who told them to abandon the mission. Because the one using Edo Tensei is Madara, and those Rinnegan eyes are his. If Saru and the others continued the mission, they could very well have died, so I stopped them."
Tobirama said. He was a stickler for rules, so upon learning that the Uchiha brat before him was the Fifth Hokage, he had reluctantly changed his tone, even though he wasn't impressed.
"Madara? What do you mean?"
Yoichi feigned confusion, though he had already guessed what was happening.
Perhaps after Obito was captured, Black Zetsu feared the plan would fail and had used some method to revive Madara prematurely.
But if that idiot revived Madara, why did he also bring back Tobirama? And even if he did, why lose control over the Edo Tensei body? He was causing more trouble from a different angle.
Yoichi clicked his tongue inwardly.
"It started with Madara..."
"...While I was in the Pure Land, I encountered a legendary figure. He told me that significant changes were likely to occur in the ninja world and warned me about a second pair of Rinnegan that was about to emerge."
Tobirama began to recount his experiences since his return to the ninja world. However, when he mentioned the second pair of Rinnegan, Yoichi suddenly interrupted him,
"Second Hokage, do you know the conditions required for the Rinnegan to appear?"
"Yes, the Sage of Six Paths told me. Extreme Yin power and extreme Yang power, combined with the Six Paths chakra, will yield the Rinnegan."
As Tobirama said this, he began gathering chakra. Although the Sage of Six Paths had given him chakra, Tobirama hesitated and chose not to use it.
"Second Hokage, do you know what constitutes extreme Yin power?"
As Yoichi spoke, his eyes revealed the pattern of the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan, the overlapping design of twin triangular shuriken slowly rotating. It was beautiful yet gave off an intense feeling of danger.
"The Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan represents extreme Yin power, my eyes. And extreme Yang power should not be unfamiliar to you, Second Hokage."
Swish!
Before Yoichi finished his sentence, Tobirama used the Body Flicker Technique, appearing behind Yoichi.
His hand, saturated with visible chakra, was raised high, his gaze calm and steady, ready to strike down.
Bang!
Yoichi wasn't surprised. He seemed to have anticipated it. Even with his back to Tobirama, he remained composed. Tilting his head slightly, he raised his right hand.
He precisely caught Tobirama's wrist, the collision resounding loudly.
A powerful shockwave emanated from their clash, sending chairs, tables, and documents flying in all directions, forcing Kurenai and Rimi to shield their faces.
At the same time, a strong force hit Yoichi, but his robust body and genetic enhancements neutralized it, causing only minor cracks to appear in the chair beneath him.
"Dare to attack Yoichi-sensei!"
"Genjutsu: Tree Bind Death!"
Kurenai and Rumi, recovering, were furious. They activated their Sage Curse Marks, and Rimi opened her Byakugan, ready to attack Tobirama.
"Calm down, Kurenai, Rum."
Yoichi said, stopping the two from attacking Tobirama.
"Your two assistants are impressive, in every sense, Fifth Hokage."
Tobirama commented. His right hand, now covered in cracks, shattered into pieces but quickly reformed.
After speaking, Tobirama returned to his seat. His intention was merely to test Yoichi. Regardless, he wouldn't harm his granddaughter's suitor, even if the person before him was an Uchiha.
Moreover, Tobirama didn't fully trust the words of the Sage of Six Paths. He only believed in his own investigations. If, during his investigations, he found Yoichi to have intentions of destroying the shinobi order, only then would he act.
"They are both my disciples, so naturally, they will support me, Second Hokage. Now, let's get to business. What are your plans?"
Yoichi paused before continuing,
"Kurenai, Rumi, clean up."
Hearing Yoichi's words, Kurenai and Rumi understood that Tobirama wasn't an enemy, and they retracted their Sage Curse Marks. However, Tobirama noticed the marks on their faces and grew a bit more curious.
"The Sage of Six Paths mentioned that you would bring destruction—"
"Brat, is it true that my great-uncle has been revived?"
Before Tobirama could finish, the office door was pushed open. Tsunade, now visibly pregnant, entered with her usual brash demeanor.
Seeing so many people in the room, Tsunade paused and then lowered her voice,
"Great-Uncle, how are you back? And why are Old Man and Jiraiya here?"
Shizune, panting, followed Tsunade inside and quickly bowed to greet Yoichi and the others.
"Tsunade, you're here..."
Jiraiya forced a bitter smile, greeting her. It hadn't been long since they last met, and Tsunade was already close to giving birth.
"Yes, Jiraiya, you're back."
Tsunade greeted before turning to Tobirama with excitement,
"Great-Uncle, who used Edo Tensei to bring you back? What about Grandfather?"
"Tsunade, now that you're pregnant, you should be more mature. Barging in like that isn't appropriate. Besides, you're now..."
Tobirama scolded, making Tsunade look like a scolded student, head bowed and silent.
Back in the Senju clan, Tobirama had always doted on his granddaughter, Tsunade, who resembled him in many ways. But Tobirama was strict with his descendants, especially after Hashirama's death, almost militarily managing Tsunade.
Hearing the familiar scolding brought back memories, and Tsunade instinctively stood up straight.
However, realizing her reaction, Tsunade pouted and grumbled,
"Great-Uncle, enough already. I'm over forty..."
"Tsunade, take a seat. Second Hokage, let's discuss the real issue. What are your plans?"
Yoichi mediated, sensing that Tobirama's return might not be entirely bad. At least he could keep Tsunade in check.
With Yoichi's words, Kurenai and Rumi tidied up the room and brought over sofas and a table. Sakumo Hatake had also been summoned by the ANBU.
Sakumo probably thought he didn't have much to do today, especially with his retirement in three days, and went fishing. That was why he arrived even later than Tsunade.
"The Second Hokage? Yoichi, what's going on here?"
Sakumo asked in surprise as he entered, trying to cover up his fishing.
"Take a seat. Let's have the Second Hokage explain everything from the beginning."
Once everyone had gathered, Tobirama recounted the events involving Madara and what had happened in the Pure Land, including what the Sage of Six Paths had said.
However, Tobirama kept some things to himself, not mentioning the chakra given to him by the Sage of Six Paths.
After explaining everything, Tobirama immediately stated,
"We need to resurrect my elder brother immediately and use the full strength of the village to locate Madara, seal him, and send him back to the Pure Land. We must prevent him from ever returning to the ninja world again. This is our most pressing task."
The others, hearing Tobirama's words, instinctively wanted to agree, but Sakumo and the others turned to Yoichi.
In the village, Yoichi handled major affairs. Sakumo had gotten used to not meddling, so the idea of using the village's full strength against Madara needed the approval of the soon-to-be Fifth Hokage.
As everyone looked at Yoichi, he shook his head and said,
"Reviving the First Hokage is possible, but using the full strength of the village against Madara isn't feasible. We have more important matters at hand."
(End of Chapter)