Chapter 221: Tobirama

[It seems you have a great deal of prejudice against me, you kid from Konohagakure.]

A steady voice pulled Link into a private chat.

"Second Hokage, Lord Tobirama… I never thought I'd actually get to meet you," he quickly recognized the other party's identity.

Then, he swiftly undid the summoning technique and fell into thought.

Why would the Second Hokage suddenly contact him? Was this part of some storyline, or was there some other factor at play?

While he was pondering, his shadow came over to help him change into proper attire for receiving visitors, tidied up the room, and gathered anything that shouldn't be seen so he could seal it all into a scroll, making sure he wore the Konoha forehead protector properly.

"Come out, Senju Tobirama!"

Link clapped his hands together, and a translucent Second Hokage appeared in the living room.

"…" x2

The two of them sized each other up. Senju Tobirama folded his arms across his chest and frowned. "During the last time someone used Edo Tensei to summon me, I think I saw your face."

[If he recalls correctly, was this kid some bulky guy? Wielding odd ninja tools? Was it something like the Akimichi Clan's technique?]

[And that shadow on the floor seems to be a special kind of jutsu too? The Yamanaka–Nara–Akimichi combo?]

[Right now, my body appears to be in some sort of soul-like state. No, more like a body formed of chakra—yet a living person can see me. So this must be…]

A hundred thoughts raced through his mind in an instant.

"Konoha Special Jonin Link," Link introduced himself. He was about to keep talking, to exchange some pleasantries.

"I've got it," Tobirama nodded, then jumped straight out the window on his own and disappeared into the night.

This guy's sense of free will is really strong.

Link quietly sighed. Great, looks like there's going to be trouble again. Last time, when Nawaki was brought back, it almost pushed Konoha to the brink of war. Now, the fact that the already deceased Second Hokage has appeared…

He sat quietly in his room for about half an hour, and then—right on time—members of the Anbu arrived.

It's the same Anbu who's been following me all this time; he recognizes their chakra.

He followed Anbu all the way to the Hokage's office.

Nighttime at the Hokage Building was bright with lights.

Outside the office, Link even saw Shimura Danzo. That old fellow stood there, arms crossed, leaning against the wall, and his displeasure showed plainly on his face.

It was actually the first time Link had seen him look so miserable.

His stance—arms crossed—looked so familiar. Right, it was almost the exact same pose Tobirama had just used.

He's imitating that pretty well.

As soon as Link entered the office, he saw Tobirama sitting at the Hokage's desk, which was covered with all sorts of scrolls. Three old men were lined up before him, heads hanging like quail.

"Your summoning technique's time limit is about to run out. Can you bring me back again?" Hearing Tobirama's question, Link looked over.

"No problem," Link assured him.

He's even able to sense when my Summoning Technique is ending? Link wondered.

About half a minute later, Tobirama vanished, and then immediately reappeared after Link resummoned him with an even larger expenditure of chakra—enough to presumably last two or three hours.

As soon as he was summoned again, Tobirama rather politely asked Link to step out and then shut the door.

The soundproofing in the Hokage's office was quite good; from outside you couldn't hear a thing. Imitating Danzo's posture, Link leaned against the other side of the door, peering over.

Shimura Danzo's face looked unsettled and grim. No telling what he was thinking.

Another three hours passed, and the sky began to lighten. During that time, the Anbu ran back and forth delivering who-knows-what sorts of orders.

Nara Shikaku, Hatake Kakashi, and Sasuke were also called in.

So now there were four people supervising Danzo.

Before long, Link was invited into the room again.

"—If any of you have something to say, speak up now."

"No one?" Tobirama's expression still looked fine, but his tone was quite stern: "If not, let Danzo in."

Then, turning to Link, he nodded, indicating that the youngster should wait off to the side.

Shimura Danzo restrained his obvious resentment, kept his head bowed, and walked in. Even his breathing seemed quieter than usual.

The Third Hokage lifted his head and shot Link a reassuring glance, only for Tobirama to give him a look in return.

It really felt like a homeroom teacher calling a few troublemakers in for a private chat.

Initially, Link had assumed Danzo would be getting a tongue-lashing—given how the two advisors and the Third Hokage had presumably endured plenty of scolding already. After all, this isn't the Fourth Great Ninja War era; now that the Second Hokage has learned about the changes in the village over all these years, there's no way he'd speak gently.

Contrary to Link's expectations, Tobirama studied Danzo for a while, sighed, and said nothing more.

"!"

Shimura Danzo seemed strangely provoked by that. He stiffened his neck, raising his head to meet Tobirama's gaze.

"Danzo, I know you're always squabbling with Sarutobi, but…" From the data and from everyone's accounts, Tobirama had a rough understanding of everything Danzo had done all these years—and he also knew what his student was thinking.

What he hated most was bringing personal feelings into matters concerning the village or the larger community. Apparently, even now, this student was still competing with Sarutobi.

From that day he'd stayed behind so the others could escape, all the way until now—trying to become Hokage by any means—Danzo had always put his personal emotions above more important things.

Tobirama shook his head and spoke calmly, "Danzo, you will never become Hokage."

He was more or less okay with Sarutobi, Homura, and Koharu; for the many issues that hadn't been handled perfectly, Tobirama felt his own abrupt death had contributed to those problems, so he was grudgingly willing to accept the current Konoha. He could only say he was disappointed it hadn't turned out better.

As for Danzo, he felt only disappointment and helplessness.

But what was there to say?

The Shimura clan—Danzo's father and grandfather—had died in battle for Konoha long ago, leaving behind only unknown names on the Memorial Stone. For Tobirama, they were still like comrades-in-arms right there in front of him.

"Are you still able to maintain enough chakra? If so, I'd like you to summon me one more time," Tobirama asked calmly. He was someone who would never let personal feelings sway his decisions. Even though he'd fought brutal wars against the Uchiha, and even though he loathed that "curse" that seemed to afflict them, he wouldn't unjustly punish them just because someone among them wanted to rebel.

"No problem," Link replied at once.

After all, summoning didn't really consume that much. Besides, he had taken a soldier pill along the way, so maintaining it for twenty-four hours straight wouldn't be an issue.

Before long, Tobirama vanished again and then reappeared.

Sure enough, he could pinpoint the exact timing of the summoning's duration. How was he even figuring that out?

Link increased the amount of chakra used. Even he, who was used to large-scale chakra consumption, was starting to break a sweat on his forehead.

"Thank you," Tobirama's tone was far more gentle than when he first showed up.

Shimura Danzo, off to one side, looked as if all the bones had been removed from his body—no expression on his face, eyes dull.

No matter how strong he was, no matter what grand dreams he had of changing the world, could he ever get his teacher's acknowledgement? Could he ever surpass Monkey (Sarutobi)?

If it was impossible to surpass Monkey, then it's as if he had already died.

Rebuke his teacher? Go ballistic? He might be ambitious, but he wasn't a fool, nor was he insane. The more he did that, the further he'd drift from the future he wanted.

But—what was the difference now?

"Danzo…" The Third Hokage—no, Hiruzen Sarutobi, just as in his younger days—tried to rest a hand on his old friend's shoulder, hoping to offer a few words of comfort, only for Danzo to smack it away with a loud crack.

"Shut up!"

Shimura Danzo was trembling all over. "I don't need your pity!"

"You must be feeling sorry for me, a loser, right?"

"Hah, you're the Konoha basking in sunlight while I'm just the root hidden in darkness. Seeing me fail, knowing I'll never catch up to you—this must make you so pleased, huh? I—"

"Smack!"

At a look from Tobirama, Mitokado Homura brought Danzo's roar to a halt with a single slap.

"Go sit off to the side and calm down."

Tobirama's voice was as measured as ever.

Danzo slumped away with a gloomy air, sat down, and stayed silent.

"So…that's what you think of me, Danzo?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi looked over with a touch of melancholy. "Then…what am I, to you?"

He felt sad. But after shedding tears so many times over the years, there was little left—only a chill in his bones.

"What a spectacle," Link thought, controlling his expression and demeanor so as not to reveal any hint of his own feelings.

Danzo and Hiruzen had competed their entire lives, with Danzo losing at every turn. He'd never caught up to his friend. Unlike in the manga, he hadn't gotten a chance to exit the stage with a final display of resolve to protect the world and Konoha. He just lived on in a misery of total failure.

If the Second Hokage weren't here, the old man might already have gone mad.

It's a bit startling to see how twisted "Konoha's camaraderie" can get.

Mitokado Homura's expression remained grim. Among the Second Hokage's former guards, he alone inherited part of Tobirama's personality—calmly judging how best to protect the Hokage's authority first and foremost.

In his eyes, hearing Danzo spout that just now meant the man was no longer fit to remain in the Hokage's office.

Moreover, if someone else were qualified to take Danzo's place leading the Root, Homura might well talk to them about dealing with Danzo once and for all.

Anyone who harbored such deep resentment toward the Hokage, who knew countless classified secrets, who wielded significant power, and who might have hidden subordinates scattered across the ninja world—

Frankly, that person should have died long ago.

It would rid the village of a threat and present a brighter face to the outside world. The Root organization could simply be handed to someone new. If he had died at the hands of Uchiha Sasuke, maybe, thanks to Link's friendship with that kid, they could shape Sasuke into the new "Root."

Meanwhile, Utatane Koharu's expression betrayed her compassion. She was a sentimental person. Back when the Uchiha tried to rebel, she harbored a strong bias against them, but her love for old friends was beyond doubt.

Seeing Danzo in this state made her heart ache.

Tobirama took in all their expressions, observing each person's unspoken thoughts, and silently sighed, then flipped open another scroll.

Who would have thought—he would still have to worry about all this, even in death?

~~~

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