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"Alright! Got it. I'll handle it right away!"
Uchiha Shichidai had a strange feeling, but he had a pretty good idea about what was going on in these people's minds.
He quickly went to explain things to the Uchihas present and sent out over ten members to call for others in the clan who might be interested in watching the scene.
Oh, and there were a few contract holders who, after receiving a signal from Shichidai, left to head to the teleportation hall. They were planning to bring back the folks training in the Pirate world.
Seeing all this, it was obvious—Lord Kaito, the First Hokage, and Lord Madara were up to something.
An opportunity to sit back and watch this kind of drama? No way anyone was missing out!
Meanwhile, Kaito began setting up the Edo Tensei Jutsu ritual.
Before long, two ritual formations were ready to go.
At this moment, Uzumaki Mito arrived, accompanied by Uchiha Naori and Uchiha Hikari.
"Hm?"
Madara sensed Uchiha Hikari's ocular power and immediately looked over with a hint of surprise.
Uchiha Hikari noticed his gaze and turned to meet his eyes, frowning slightly as she spoke in a flat tone, "What are you staring at?"
Madara raised an eyebrow and asked, "Oh? Don't you recognize me?"
This Uchiha girl felt... off to him. Her ocular power was strong, no doubt about it—she clearly had the Mangekyō Sharingan.
But he had never heard Black Zetsu mention someone like her.
Either Black Zetsu had kept this from him, or there was some other secret, or maybe she was new.
Still, Madara thought, Black Zetsu shouldn't have hidden something like this from him in the past.
But what was truly bizarre was the way the girl looked at him—it was like she was staring at a random stranger, with zero recognition.
That was strange.
Madara had visited the Uchiha clan grounds several times lately, and there shouldn't be many Uchihas who didn't know who he was.
"Why should I know you?"
Hikari frowned at Madara's question, shooting him a puzzled look before turning away, clearly uninterested in engaging further.
Madara was left feeling awkward.
Unable to hold back, he turned to Hashirama. "Hey, Hashirama, do you know this girl?"
"Huh? What?"
Hashirama, distracted, pulled his gaze back and glanced between Madara and Hikari. Realization dawned on his face. "Oh! You mean Hikari? I've heard about her from Mito. Apparently, she's a weapon your Uchiha clan created a few hundred years ago."
"A weapon specifically made to target the Senju."
"She was later abandoned by the Uchihas, sealed away, and left to rot."
"She was only recently freed by Kaito and the others."
"Poor kid, honestly."
"Actually, Kaito and the rest only discovered her existence because they stumbled upon something in your library."
"I was there when they found it, you know? You really didn't know anything about her?"
"A weapon sealed away centuries ago?"
Madara's eyes narrowed as he listened, a flicker of recognition sparking in his memory. Then, he clapped his hands. "Ah, I remember now! It's her!"
He shot another glance at Hikari before turning away, muttering, "I did come across some records about her, but back then, I didn't pay much attention to it."
"I was more focused on trying to find her exact location in Senju or Sarutobi archives. It was such a hassle that I gave up."
"Who would've thought she'd still be alive—and that Kaito and his group would be the ones to free her? Interesting!"
No wonder her ocular power felt so strong—it was even more potent than most Mangekyō Sharingans, though not quite at the level of an Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan.
Knowing she was Hikari explained everything.
According to the records, the Uchihas had transplanted several Mangekyō abilities into her, and her own ocular power was already extraordinary, boosting her strength significantly.
"If I'd known this back then, I would've found her seal and brainwashed her into being my pawn! Such a wasted opportunity," Madara thought, a little regretful.
Hikari's mental state was obviously unstable, which made sense—she was raised as a war weapon, after all.
But for the Madara of the past, someone like her would've been perfect.
Now, though?
There was no point.
Madara had realized the Moon's Eye Plan was nothing more than a joke.
With no way to escape this situation, he figured he might as well sit back, play cards with Hashirama, and witness how Kaito would reform Konoha, unite the ninja world, and bring lasting peace.
That didn't sound too bad, honestly.
As the two chatted, more Uchihas gathered, completely surrounding the training grounds.
Seeing the crowd was big enough, Kaito raised a hand and pulled out two White Zetsus from his dimensional space, placing them inside the formations.
This caught Madara's eye. "That spatial technique again? It seems Kaito, Mito, and even many others from the three clans have access to this ability. And it all comes from Kaito!"
"What's the principle behind this? Storing even living things? Incredible."
He was curious but knew no one would tell him, so he could only let it go.
"Edo Tensei (Reanimation Jutsu)!"
Kaito formed a hand seal, raising one foot to stomp lightly.
The two ritual formations lit up instantly.
Sheets of paper-like material emerged from the ground, wrapping around the White Zetsus.
"Ahhh!!"
The White Zetsus screamed and struggled but soon disappeared completely. In their place stood Senju Tobirama and Shimura Danzo.
"Whoa, this is the Edo Tensei? Creepy."
"Totally! But why's Kaito reviving Tobirama and Danzo?"
"Who knows? Lord Kaito even had someone specifically call us over, so there's probably some drama incoming."
"Yeah, I wouldn't be surprised."
The gathered Uchihas began chatting excitedly.
At this moment, Kaito formed another hand seal and shouted, "Activate!"
In the next instant, Tobirama and Danzo seemed to come to life. Their eyes slowly opened as they regained consciousness.
Tobirama glanced around, confused, and his expression quickly darkened when he realized he was surrounded by powerful members of the Uchiha clan.
"Where am I? Was I... resurrected? And someone used my Impure World Reincarnation technique?!" Tobirama's face turned grim as he extended his senses to confirm his location.
"The Uchiha clan's territory... Of course. Why wouldn't it be?!"
His frustration deepened when he spotted familiar faces among the spectators: Senju Hashirama, Uchiha Madara, Uzumaki Mito, and even Uchiha Naori.
"Big brother? Sister-in-law? Madara? And... Naori?" Tobirama's voice wavered with disbelief.
The sheer absurdity of the scene left him frozen in confusion, unsure of what to say or do.
But before he could process it further, Danzo spoke up, yelling furiously.
"I've been resurrected? With the Edo Tensei?!" Danzo's voice rose in anger as he glared at Kaito.
"Uchiha Kaito! This is your doing, isn't it? You brought me back to life after killing me?!"
"What are you scheming here in the Uchiha compound? Whatever it is, it won't work! Hiruzen will avenge me! Prepare to die!"
Danzo charged at Kaito in a rage, his killing intent unmistakable.
"Shut up already!"
Kaito shot Danzo a cold glare, activating a seal within his body. Instantly, Danzo froze in place, unable to move or speak. His furious, hate-filled eyes stared daggers at Kaito, but his body remained immobilized.
"Just as noisy as ever, huh, Danzo? So you were killed by a Uchiha?"
Kaito raised an eyebrow as Tobirama, ever serious, demanded answers.
"Young Uchiha brat," Tobirama said sternly. "Are you the one who brought us back? What's your goal here?"
"And what was that nonsense Danzo was shouting about? Did you kill him? What do you intend to do to Konoha?"
As he spoke, Tobirama subtly began forming hand signs behind his back, clearly planning to break free of the Edo Tensei's control.
Watching this unfold, both Hashirama and Madara exchanged amused smirks, finding the scene highly entertaining.
"You won't get away with it!" Tobirama snapped, but his defiance only made Kaito sneer.
"Don't even bother, Tobirama," Kaito said dismissively, his tone laced with disdain. "It won't work."
With a thought, Kaito activated another seal within Tobirama's body. Immediately, Tobirama felt his chakra drain away, leaving him as powerless as a regular person. His strength, his abilities—all of it was sealed.
"What?!" Tobirama's eyes widened in shock as he stumbled, glaring at Kaito.
"You... What did you do to me?! What's your real purpose for bringing me back?!"
His attention shifted to the spectators, his voice rising. "Big brother! Sister-in-law! What's going on here? Why are you just standing there watching?! Explain this madness!"
Hashirama, unable to contain his laughter any longer, stepped forward and clapped Tobirama on the shoulder.
"Relax, Tobirama. No one here is under any sort of control. Konoha hasn't fallen, and the Uchiha haven't taken over," Hashirama said, a teasing smile on his face.
"But your bias against the Uchiha is as strong as ever! That's exactly why Hiruzen and Danzo made such a mess of Konoha in the first place. Honestly, Tobirama, all of this is your fault!"
Tobirama froze, stunned by his brother's words. "What... What are you talking about, big brother?!"
Despite his confusion, one thing became clear: Konoha hadn't been destroyed. But if that was the case, why was Danzo dead? And why was Madara resurrected too?
Tobirama's head spun with questions. His brother's words, the strange situation, and the younger-looking versions of Mito and Naori—it all felt surreal.
"Is this... some kind of elaborate genjutsu?" Tobirama muttered, still trying to make sense of the bizarre scenario unfolding around him.
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