Chapter 231: Reason

Mitokado Homura cast his gaze toward the blind man.

As for Sarutobi Hiruzen, from the very start, it wasn't just that he avoided looking Homura in the eye—he never took his eyes off the youthful-looking Shimura Danzo.

[We're all so old already,] he thought to himself, shaking his head.

"I—"

Faced with Sarutobi Hiruzen's complicated gaze, the resentment and anger simmering in Shimura Danzo quietly shifted in that moment. Turning his face away so as not to meet Hiruzen's eyes, he fixed his gaze on the childlike Senju Tobirama and said calmly:

"I killed myself."

Incredible.

That's really the only word for it: incredible.

Calling being run through by Chidori and then burned by Fire Release a "suicide" is even more outrageous than claiming to have shot yourself eight times in the back.

Even Link was stunned—he never imagined Danzo would say such a thing.

Utatane Koharu took half a step forward but was stopped by Mitokado Homura.

Senju Tobirama turned to look at the current Hokage. If he were still reanimated and held power, he'd make decisions himself. But now that he'd lost that power, anything he said in front of a few former subordinates didn't matter much. The real authority belonged to the sitting Hokage.

"Danzo." Sarutobi Hiruzen knew that his old friend was taking all the blame on himself, determined not to fuss over his own death.

He paused for a moment, sweeping his gaze across everyone's faces. "I understand," he finally said.

And thus, the matter of Shimura Danzo's "murder" was laid to rest.

The man himself had come out and declared it a suicide—who would dare object?

Senju Tobirama nodded and said, "If nothing unexpected happens, there's likely to be a group of Uchiha descendants returning to the village soon."

"?!" ×4

This reanimation technique can be mass-produced?! ×4

The gears in Konoha's 'F4' clicked into place, and they all turned to look at the one who started it all.

"Heh heh."

Link gave an embarrassed grin.

"From now on, I'm not the Second Hokage," Senju Tobirama announced.

They absolutely couldn't let news of these reanimations get out. Otherwise, it would probably spark a new Great Shinobi War.

No other village would ever tolerate Konoha possessing jutsu—and shinobi—that so thoroughly trampled on the boundary between life and death.

So, only four—actually three—top-level people could know about it. Once Jiraiya and Tsunade returned, they might barely qualify to be told, but nobody else could.

Be they ninja clan members or elite jōnin, you never knew. If one turned out to be a spy, it would cause massive problems for Konoha.

Even if it had to be revealed, it would only be in a few months, after Tobirama had managed to reanimate his elder brother. At that point, Link could make contact with the strongest possible backup.

As a ninja who had lived through the Warring States Period, Senju Tobirama didn't trust anyone. While alive, he had the Anbu monitor every clan in the village. He had carefully planned countermeasures for all of them, not just the Uchiha, because shinobi could wield all sorts of strange and frightening control techniques. The only safe place to store vital intelligence was in his own head.

These three former subordinates of his had proven themselves over time and could be trusted. Everyone else fell into two categories: those likely to cause trouble, and those who just hadn't done it yet.

"Understood," they all said. ×4

Shimura Danzo joined in, then belatedly realized that he was dead.

Even if there were a way to reanimate him, Link's relationship with Uchiha Sasuke made it unlikely he'd ever be chosen.

[But what of it? He has the power to reshape the world. The village will surely thrive under his hand. Even if I'm never reanimated, I can still protect the village's future as one of the deceased.]

He smiled calmly and finally returned Sarutobi Hiruzen's gaze.

[Maybe I couldn't best you in life, Sarutobi, but when it comes to my devotion to the village, I won't lose to you.]

Tap.

Senju Tobirama hopped down from the table, his small, serious face creasing into a faint smile. "Sarutobi, once again I'll leave the village in your hands."

With that, he walked off lightly.

The Third Hokage was still caught up in the complex emotions of seeing his old friend so young. Hearing those familiar words, he felt his body protest, his mind flat-out rejecting the idea.

He'd just managed to take a short breather—now his little vacation was gone? The retirement he'd planned so carefully had just evaporated.

[No way, I've got to get Jiraiya back here, even if I have to send him a bunch of letters saying I'm on my deathbed!]

He made up his mind. This was no joke. Sure, it was one thing for them to roam around before, gathering intel, taking in the sights. But right now, the village was on the verge of a huge leap forward.

If Link kept reanimating more ninja from Konoha's past, Hiruzen couldn't even begin to imagine how powerful the village might become.

In that moment, even though he was normally a pacifist, he felt a surge of ambition. Could Konoha become the single most powerful village in the shinobi world?

[We might actually unify the entire shinobi world!]

Shimura Danzo was even more fired up. Having personally witnessed the power of the First and Second Hokage, he could hardly imagine how unstoppable the young versions of Hashirama and Tobirama would be in this era.

Even Uchiha Madara wouldn't scare them now!

"Ahem…"

Feeling the heated gazes of the three old-timers and one dead man, Link cleared his throat. "Well, if there's nothing else, I'll be heading off?"

He thought for a moment, then quickly added, "I need to see Shizune about something."

Jūgo, Karin, Hina, and Utakata were still waiting for him outside in the street. They'd been allowed into the village thanks to his personal guarantee. Jūgo's massive frame had already attracted plenty of attention—especially after a flock of fearless birds landed on him, bringing over a bunch of curious children.

Even with Utakata keeping an eye on him, if Jūgo suddenly went berserk, it would be no small problem.

Standing about six meters tall with a Sage-enhanced physique, he was absorbing natural energy at an accelerating rate. His strength and speed were soaring by leaps and bounds, and he could instantly defeat an ordinary jōnin purely through overwhelming physical prowess and unrestrained use of natural energy.

He also had rapid regeneration—under the influence of natural energy, his body might as well be forged from iron. In taijutsu combat, aside from Link or Might Guy, there weren't many who could take him on head-to-head.

If his bloodthirsty alter ego surfaced, even an elite jōnin with less raw offense could be in trouble—especially someone like Zabuza, who relied on blades.

Utakata could only keep him in check with partial Tailed Beast transformations. In some ways, Jūgo was already on the lower end of Kage-level strength.

Sasuke was still sulking and hadn't come into the village, waiting outside instead. After all, his Mangekyō Sharingan would be the ideal way to control Jūgo. But judging by the reaction of these four, Sasuke should be able to return now, right?

"Go on, go on," they all said in unison. ×4

The three old veterans wore strange smiles, and Danzo had the look of a man who, after drifting for half his life, had finally found his purpose.

Link felt his back muscles tense. Acting like he'd just remembered something, he said, "Oh, right. I ran into Sasuke outside. It's okay for him to come back later, yeah?"

"Of course it's fine," Danzo replied without the slightest trace of emotion on his face.

"Well then, if you'll excuse me, I'll bring Sasuke by to see Lord Third."

With that, Link vanished in a Body Flicker. He understood why they were so excited, but it still felt pretty strange from his point of view.

~~~

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