Chapter 269: The Eras They Belong To

Shūichi rescued Han, the Five-Tails Jinchūriki, leaving only the Seven-Tails and Eight-Tails Jinchūriki to be saved.

As expected, Nagato had not extracted the Seven-Tails or Eight-Tails from Fū or Killer Bee.

Through the Space-Time Gate, Shūichi could faintly sense that the two had been sent into the Kamui Dimension.

It seemed the Akatsuki were trying to block his perception, but unfortunately for them, that was impossible.

However, Shūichi made no immediate move to rescue them.

Once his shadow clones had transported the rescued Jinchūriki to safety, Hashirama Senju suddenly spoke up:

"Shūichi, it seems you're deliberately allowing Madara and his team to seal the Tailed Beasts."

As expected of the First Hokage—he noticed the plan.

Shūichi sighed inwardly before nodding slightly. "That's correct."

Hashirama frowned in confusion. "Why?"

"Previously, due to the lack of trust between villages, it was impossible to properly protect the Jinchūriki. But now, the other villages shouldn't oppose entrusting the Jinchūriki to Konoha for protection, right?"

Shūichi explained further:

"The reason is still the same. If the Ten-Tails is to be revived, then let it be revived. It will draw out those pulling the strings behind the scenes."

Hashirama's brows furrowed deeper. "Are you confident you can handle the Ten-Tails?"

Shūichi smiled. "I won't know until I've fought it. But… I've already weakened the Ten-Tails."

"I've divided all the Tailed Beasts in half. What the Akatsuki has are merely their partial forms."

"As for the Nine-Tails, I'll ensure they never get their hands on it. That won't stop the Ten-Tails' resurrection, though. Kinkaku and Ginkaku also possess the Nine-Tails' chakra. I doubt Madara would overlook this fact."

Even if Madara missed it, Black Zetsu wouldn't.

Hashirama's surprise turned to a smile. "You're a lot like Tobirama!"

Shūichi chuckled. "Thank you for the compliment, Lord First. Just a bit of simple planning."

Hashirama nodded but warned, "Even so, don't let your guard down. If, as you say, the Rinnegan originates from the Ten-Tails, then the Ten-Tails' power must exceed even that of the Rinnegan."

Shūichi's expression grew serious. "Exactly. That's why I've been preparing all along."

Hashirama patted Shūichi on the shoulder with a reassuring smile. "No need to shoulder everything yourself. We're all here to support you."

"Though we're not as strong as we were in life, we can still lend a hand."

Shūichi quickly responded, "Lord First, you're far more than just 'help.' You're the God of Shinobi!"

"Besides, I have plenty of things I'd like to learn from you!"

Hashirama laughed heartily. "No problem at all."

---

Afterward, the two returned briefly to Amegakure, where Shūichi gave a few instructions to Konan. He then teleported directly to the first floor of Konoha's Hokage Office with Hashirama in tow.

"Lord Shūichi—"

The Konoha ninja greeting him stopped mid-sentence, their eyes widening in shock. "This… is this the First Hokage?!"

Hashirama smiled warmly. "You recognized me at a glance."

Shūichi added with a chuckle, "Of course. Besides the Hokage Rock, your photos are displayed all over the Hokage Office."

"It really is the First Hokage!"

Excited murmurs spread as more ninja appeared in quick succession, making the hall lively and bustling.

After some casual conversation, Shūichi dismissed the others and led Hashirama to the Hokage's office.

Minato Namikaze had already been informed and was waiting to greet them. He was visibly excited. "Lord First, I never imagined I'd have the chance to meet you!"

Hashirama laughed. "Haha, it's a surprise for me too."

"Fourth Hokage, you've trained an extraordinary student."

Minato smiled modestly. "It's Shūichi's own exceptional talent. He's now the strongest ninja in the world, far surpassing me as his teacher."

Shūichi, standing nearby, grinned. "A student surpassing their teacher is proof of their teacher's greatness. Besides, none of your students have been anything less than remarkable."

Thinking of Kakashi and the others, Minato's expression softened with pride. "You've all done so well."

(T/N: Ahh, My boy poor Sanyo..)

At that moment, Hiruzen Sarutobi pushed the door open. Upon seeing Hashirama, he froze in shock.

"He's alive!"

"Monkey!"

Hashirama greeted Hiruzen with a warm smile, though there was a hint of nostalgia in his tone. "You've reached this age already."

Hiruzen collected himself, similarly nostalgic. "Lord First, I never thought I'd see you again."

"Was this Orochimaru's doing?"

Gritting his teeth slightly at the mention of Orochimaru, Hiruzen was taken aback when Hashirama chuckled. "Your student isn't bad. He's mastered Tobirama's technique quite well."

Hiruzen quickly asked, "Did the Second Hokage also…?"

Shūichi nodded. "He was summoned as well but has been temporarily sealed by me."

Minato suggested, "Let's move to the meeting room."

The group relocated to the meeting room, where Shūichi summoned a White Zetsu.

Under the others' watchful eyes, Shūichi activated a sealing array. A soul emerged from his body and entered the White Zetsu. Using Edo Tensei, the Zetsu's body was reshaped amidst its screams, transforming into Tobirama Senju.

At this moment, all four Hokage of Konoha were finally gathered.

Opening his eyes, Tobirama Senju looked at Shuichi Hoshita.

"Shuichi, was it you who performed the technique?"

Shuichi nodded.

"Yes, I used a comatose clone body created by Madara Uchiha using the First Hokage's cells as the sacrifice."

Tobirama nodded slightly and then turned to look at Hiruzen Sarutobi and Minato Namikaze.

"Monkey... and the Fourth?"

Minato confirmed with a respectful nod.

"Yes, that's correct."

Tobirama immediately asked,

"What's the situation with that Madara guy?"

Both Minato and Hiruzen turned to Shuichi, prompting him to answer.

"Madara Uchiha and Orochimaru retreated. Meanwhile, the Akatsuki took advantage of Madara stalling me to attack Kumogakure, Iwagakure, and Sunagakure."

"Speaking of which, we should be receiving more intel soon."

Hiruzen's expression darkened.

"So that's how it is. Now, aside from the Nine-Tails and the Six-Tails, all the tailed beasts have been captured by the Akatsuki."

Tobirama turned to his brother.

"Brother, if you and Shuichi worked together, Edo Tensei's Madara shouldn't stand a chance, right?"

Hashirama chuckled awkwardly.

"That's true, but…"

Shuichi quickly interjected,

"First Hokage, allow me to explain."

"Second Hokage, the reason I let Madara leave is that I believe there are still hidden masterminds behind him. I wanted to draw them out."

"The Akatsuki capturing the other tailed beasts was also something I allowed to happen. I didn't interfere at all."

"However, the tailed beasts were already split into two halves by me. What the Akatsuki obtained are only the weaker halves of the tailed beasts."

"Another less important reason is that the appearance of Uchiha Madara will probably cause a bigger rift within the Akatsuki organization."

"The Eye of the Plan was proposed by Uchiha Madara, but the other two powerful fighters of Akatsuki actually disagreed with him."

"Nagato, the current wielder of the Rinnegan, previously wanted to use the power of the tailed beasts to make other ninja villages and countries fear the horror of war through war, so as to achieve peace. But now, for some reasons, he has reached a temporary cooperation with me to unify all ninja villages and countries in order to achieve peace."

Hearing this, Tobirama glanced at his brother and remarked,

"We should have done this long ago."

Minato spoke up,

"Second Hokage, the idea of uniting all the shinobi villages and nations was actually proposed by Shuichi."

"That's why we're currently working with Nagato as a temporary ally to achieve this goal."

He then turned to Shuichi.

"Shuichi, has Nagato already weakened the other villages?"

Shuichi nodded.

"Yes, aside from Sunagakure, which didn't suffer much damage, Iwagakure and Kumogakure bore the full brunt of the attacks by Obito and Nagato."

Hiruzen quickly asked,

"Shuichi, from what you just said, does Obito have his own agenda now?"

Shuichi considered for a moment.

"Perhaps he harbors ambitions of becoming the Ten-Tails' Jinchūriki himself.

"Given how Rin almost died by his hand, combined with the influence of Madara's Eye of the Moon Plan, he may be aiming for a peaceful world where Rin would never again experience the horrors of war."

The room fell silent.

Hashirama sighed.

"Peace... It's not a goal that can be achieved easily."

Tobirama spoke coldly.

"Shuichi just mentioned the true goal: uniting all the shinobi villages and nations. With the strength of our village, combined with Shuichi's ability to influence the other Kage, it's entirely achievable."

Hashirama frowned.

"Tobirama, you're being too extreme."

"If you force unity through power, it will only accumulate hatred, which will inevitably explode in the future."

"Even if you achieve unification, it will eventually fragment again due to resentment."

Tobirama didn't back down.

"With sufficient military deterrence, such concerns are unnecessary. Brother, the current situation already proves that your idealistic approach doesn't work."

Hashirama shook his head.

"We've already taken an important first step. Shuichi and his allies can use the Ten-Tails' revival as a way to peacefully integrate the other villages."

Tobirama scoffed.

"You're still so naive. The other Kage won't willingly relinquish their power or trust us completely."

"They'll never understand us, nor will they fully believe in us. Tell me, if someone from another village tried to unify the shinobi world, would you hand over Konoha to them?"

Hashirama replied without hesitation.

"If someone from another village was as talented as Shuichi, of course, I would."

...

Watching the brothers argue, Hiruzen and Minato exchanged awkward glances.

Shuichi, however, found it amusing and tried to mediate with a smile.

"First Hokage, if other villages are willing to merge peacefully, there's no need for force."

"But as the Second Hokage said, not everyone in this world is as open-minded or virtuous as you, First Hokage."

"Some people, accustomed to standing at the top, won't tolerate being subordinate to others."

"And others, driven by insatiable ambition, will always seek more. This is one of the main reasons for the endless wars from the Warring States period to now."

"War isn't just about hatred; hatred is the easiest thing to forget. Ambition and self-interest, however, are eternal."

The room fell silent once more. Shuichi's final words struck a chord with everyone present.

Hashirama suddenly broke the silence with a laugh.

"Shuichi makes a valid point. Ultimately, we are people of the past. This is your era."

"We should trust you all and leave the future in your hands. Still, since we're here, we'll do our best to help you build your era."

Tobirama nodded in agreement.

"My brother's right. As people of the past, we can only assist you. The decisions must be yours."

He turned to Minato.

"You are the Fourth Hokage; the decision is yours to make."

Minato smiled.

"Shuichi and his generation are the ones representing the future. I'm just paving the way for them."

"Shuichi and I have already started this process. Our efforts with Kusagakure and Amegakure are proof of that."

"However, this has directly provoked the remaining three great villages. It's clear that achieving our goal purely through peaceful means is extremely difficult. That's also why Shuichi is cooperating with Nagato."

"Nagato, in his own way, is also pushing for the unification of the shinobi world."

Minato's expression turned slightly awkward as he added,

"Our next step involves Kirigakure. Shuichi has already established an alliance by marrying the Fifth Mizukage."

Hashirama gave a big thumbs-up.

"Well done!"

Tobirama, already aware of this, nodded.

"Sometimes, unconventional methods are necessary to achieve such goals."

Just as he finished speaking, the meeting room door burst open with a loud bang, and Tsunade stormed in.

"Little Tsunade, still as spirited as ever!" Hashirama laughed heartily upon seeing her.

"Grandfather!"

"Second Granduncle!"

Tsunade's eyes widened, and tears welled up as she looked at them.

She had learned about it from Shizune's report, and Shizune herself had only heard about it through rumors.

The news of the First and Second Hokage's return had spread like wildfire throughout Konoha after Shūichi and his team had left earlier.

This was also why Hiruzen Sarutobi had hurried over.

Tobirama Senju turned to Tsunade, a smile forming on his face. "I heard that you've become the most skilled medical ninja in the entire shinobi world."

Tsunade gradually calmed her emotions and glanced at Shūichi. "Second Granduncle, that might not be the case anymore."

Hashirama Senju nodded in agreement. "You're talking about Shūichi, aren't you? His medical skills are indeed astounding. He can even bring back Jinchūriki who have had their Tailed Beasts extracted."

Everyone turned to Shūichi in surprise upon hearing this.

Shūichi smiled and explained, "It's all thanks to the invaluable legacy left by our predecessors. Without techniques like Edo Tensei and Soul Binding, such feats would be nearly impossible."

Tobirama nodded. "Resurrecting the Jinchūriki—was this to influence those villages through them?"

Shūichi nodded. "That's part of the idea. While it might not be highly effective, it does facilitate cooperation with the Tailed Beasts and other villages, reducing their resistance."

Tobirama agreed, "Decisive power often builds gradually, step by step. So, Fourth Hokage, Shūichi, what's the next move?"

Minato Namikaze glanced at Shūichi before responding. "We will convene a Five Kage Summit to promote the establishment of a Ninja Alliance, unite against the Akatsuki, and locate their base of operations.

"At the same time, the Six-Tails Jinchūriki will be relocated. We'll extract the Six-Tails and seal it into a White Zetsu clone under Shūichi's control."

Hashirama interjected, "Madara's Sharingan could see through even my Wood Style clones."

Shūichi reassured him with a smile. "Don't worry, First Hokage. My Transformation Technique is advanced enough to fool even Uchiha Madara. It can mimic chakra perfectly."

Hashirama laughed. "Then there's no problem."

Minato continued, "As for the Nine-Tails... Shūichi will reveal himself as its Jinchūriki. Given his ability to save Jinchūriki after their Tailed Beasts are extracted, the Akatsuki won't suspect that the Tailed Beasts have been split. Kushina, meanwhile, will temporarily be sent to Mount Myōboku."

Hiruzen added, "Kushina is from the Uzumaki clan. She's the other half of the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki and the Fourth's wife."

Hashirama, reminded of his own wife, Uzumaki Mito, sighed. "Fourth Hokage, you have a remarkable wife."

Minato smiled warmly. "I truly do."

Tobirama inquired, "With the Six-Tails and the Nine-Tails chakra from Kinkaku and Ginkaku, is it enough to revive the Ten-Tails?"

Shūichi nodded. "It's sufficient. The question is who will become the Ten-Tails Jinchūriki and how Madara will be resurrected."

Tsunade asked suddenly, "Shūichi, are you confident you can handle the resurrected Madara or even the Ten-Tails Jinchūriki?"

Shūichi smiled. "Confidence aside, that day will inevitably come. Besides, we can control the timeline for this plan."

"For now, my priority is training."

Turning to Hashirama, he said, "First Hokage, I hope you can teach me the Gate of the Great God."

The Wood Style scrolls didn't include this technique.

Hashirama nodded with a smile. "Of course, no problem. Is there anything else you'd like to learn?"

Shūichi replied, "If either you or Second Hokage know Yin-Yang Release techniques, I would also like to learn them."

Hashirama and Tobirama exchanged glances. Tobirama answered, "Yin-Yang Release is quite complex. Neither my brother nor I have fully mastered it, but we do understand the basics and can teach you what we know. It might help accelerate your progress.

"Of course, you'll need to have mastery over both Yin Release and Yang Release to use it."

During the previous battle, Shūichi hadn't displayed any genjutsu or Yin Release-based abilities.

Minato smiled. "Don't worry, Second Hokage. Shūichi's genjutsu skills are on par with those of a Mangekyō Sharingan user."

Tobirama looked astonished. "Impressive! Such talent surpasses anyone I've ever encountered.

"If that's the case, mastering Yin-Yang Release shouldn't be too difficult for you."

At that moment, Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado arrived.

Tobirama looked at the elderly pair and sighed. "That just leaves Danzō, Torifu, and Kagami.

"How are they?"

(End of Chapter)

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