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Hashirama was candid as he shared a lot with Yoichi, including the fact that the Sage of Six Paths had given him chakra and taught him certain techniques.
Though he was the previous incarnation of Asura's chakra, he was not actually Asura. Hashirama was genuinely kind-hearted, and Yoichi was now married to his granddaughter, Tsunade.
Asking him to go against his own kin, Tsunade's husband no less, was unthinkable.
Seeing the changes in Konoha, how under Yoichi's leadership it had become the most desirable place to live in the Land of Fire, with people outside the village even eager to buy property there, this was Hashirama's dream village come true.
After seeing this, Hashirama knew he couldn't possibly follow through with attacking one of his own, even if the Sage of Six Paths demanded it.
"So, that's the situation, Fifth Hokage. I won't interfere with future matters. After all, I am already dead. The future of the village should rest on the shoulders of the younger generation. But I must say, you have far surpassed us, haha…"
Hashirama laughed but then his expression turned slightly serious. He continued, "Although I believe that with your strength, you won't fear Madara, it's still wise to be cautious. He operates in the shadows, making it hard to track his movements. Oh, and thank you for reviving Nawaki. That kid was far too reckless."
Yoichi smiled in response, "No need to thank me. Nawaki is family."
For those who bore goodwill, Yoichi didn't mind returning that goodwill.
Tsunade, seeing Hashirama speaking as if he were delivering his final words, couldn't help but ask, "Grandfather, you're not planning to return to the Pure Land, are you?"
"I'm already a dead man, Tsunade. Even if I am here through Edo Tensei, I can't stay long," Hashirama replied with a smile. "But before I leave, I want to take a good look at the village. With all the changes it has undergone, it would be too regretful to return to the Pure Land without seeing it all."
"First Hokage, would you like to be revived?" Yoichi suddenly asked. This wasn't just a spur-of-the-moment question. Hashirama had been upfront about all the information from the Sage of Six Paths, and this idea had formed in Yoichi's mind.
Hashirama's Wood Release could greatly aid in reforestation efforts. Besides, he was like Sakumo, loyal to the village and Tsunade's grandfather. A man like him, with just a bit of coaxing and the interests of the village at heart, could work tirelessly.
If Yoichi hadn't been involved with Tsunade so early on, he might have considered using Edo Tensei to bring Hashirama back to work.
Even now, the ninja he killed from the Cloud Village continuously used the Heavenly Transfer Technique to transport goods all over the ninja world, which had significantly contributed to the rapid growth of the Uchiha Commerce Guild. The Heavenly Transfer Technique played a considerable role in this success.
...
"Third Hokage, we may have to compromise. We're sorry."
Nara Shikaku, Yamanaka Inoichi, and Akimichi Choza sat across from Hiruzen, with Shikaku speaking up first, his face full of apology.
Leaving Konoha was simply not an option for them; it would mean becoming a rogue ninja clan, which was unacceptable. To remain within the Land of Fire, they had to align with Konoha.
Defecting to another village wasn't a feasible option either. Even if another village welcomed them, what about their businesses and families? What if Konoha attacked during wartime? What if the lower-level shinobi of the other villages didn't accept them? What if there was unrest within?
Establishing their own ninja village in a small country was even less viable. Such a village would be a prime target during the next war, just like the Village Hidden in the Waterfall, which was stronger than the Ino-Shika-Cho clans combined and had a Seven-Tails Jinchuriki. Yet, Yoichi alone had subdued them, forcing them into a treaty that nearly sold out their village.
Hiruzen tapped his pipe and, after a sigh, asked, "Shikaku, what do you plan to do?"
"After the inauguration ceremony, we'll apologize to the Fifth Hokage," Shikaku replied. "What he wants is obedience. Even the Hyuga Clan has allowed branch family members to join the police force and accept village management. We… were naive before and ended up attracting his retaliation."
"This is too much!" Jiraiya exclaimed in frustration, though he couldn't specify exactly what was wrong with Yoichi's actions. It was a given that shinobi should obey the Hokage, yet Jiraiya felt Yoichi's methods were overbearing.
Regardless, he thought it wrong to pressure comrades from the same village like this.
Shikaku shook his head, sighed, and said, "Currently, our clan members can't even take on village missions. I apologize, Third Hokage."
The Ino-Shika-Cho alliance had always been witnessed by the Sarutobi Clan. This tradition had continued for hundreds of years, but now, to ensure the survival of their families, they had to go against this alliance and turn their backs on Hiruzen.
Shikaku understood that Hiruzen was at odds with the Fifth Hokage and the Uchiha Clan, but the Ino-Shika-Cho trio had no leverage to resist.
"I understand, Shikaku. You've done nothing wrong," Hiruzen replied. He suddenly felt as if he had aged a decade. There was no longer any ground left for him to stand on.
He had once used the authority of the Hokage to suppress the Uchiha. Now, Yoichi was using that same authority against him.
"I'm sorry, Third Hokage," Shikaku apologized again before standing up to leave with Inoichi and Choza.
With the situation as it was, the three clans had no choice but to bow to the Hokage. They would send all their children of age to school and have their clan members apply to join various departments in Konoha.
While they had previously held some authority as clan leaders, starting from the day after the inauguration, they would be leaders in name only, with the Hokage's orders superseding theirs.
At least this way, their clans would survive. Without it, they would be forced to roam the ninja world, and who knows? In a few decades, there might be no Ino-Shika-Cho left.
After the trio left, Jiraiya fell silent, unsure of what to say. Hiruzen, too, remained quiet, sipping tea from a cup Jiraiya had given him, thinking of his old friends. Danzo was now worse off than dead, lacking even his own consciousness and spending his days sweeping the streets.
Koharu and Homura, unwilling to relinquish power, were constantly busy with tasks and didn't dare to pull any stunts. They worked diligently, like old oxen.
Even Torifu Akimichi, who had retired, found his entire clan in danger. Though he had met with the resurrected Second Hokage, it had yielded no significant outcome.
Hiruzen feared that if he continued to resist, he might bring down the Sarutobi Clan with him. In reality, the Sarutobi Clan was already receiving the same treatment as the Ino-Shika-Cho, though their strong foundation had allowed them to hold out longer.
"Are you okay, old man?" Jiraiya asked, noticing how Hiruzen suddenly appeared frail.
Hiruzen shook his head. "I'm fine, Jiraiya. Go on, I'd like some time alone."
"Alright, old man… I'll go. If you need me, just let someone know."
Jiraiya left, feeling lost. Orochimaru was either in his underground lab or training his students these days.
Tsunade… Jiraiya's heart ached once more. He would rather be a wandering writer in the ninja world than face these issues within the village.
But ever since Yoichi became Hokage, he had imposed strict control over Konoha's shinobi, making it difficult for Jiraiya to roam freely. And Tsunade's dreams seemed to have changed too, making his persistence feel hopeless. As Jiraiya wandered aimlessly, he found himself near Minato's house and subconsciously headed that way.
Whenever he felt troubled, Jiraiya used to visit Minato. Though Minato had long passed, his son had grown up. Maybe he could visit, and while he was there, talk to Kushina about taking on a student.
When Jiraiya arrived at Minato's house, he was about to knock on the door when he sensed someone approaching quickly from behind.
"Hey, old man! What are you doing in front of my house?"
Turning his head at the voice, Jiraiya saw a blond-haired boy rushing toward him. With a few hops, the boy leapt onto the nearby wall, landing between Jiraiya and the door.
'This must be Minato's kid. He looks like he has the makings of a ninja,' Jiraiya thought as he crouched down and asked, "What's your name, little guy?"
"Uzumaki Naruto. Who are you? Are you here to see my mom?" Naruto asked. He wasn't afraid of the stranger. He had just learned some shuriken techniques from Itachi earlier at Yoichi's house and was eager to find someone to practice on.
"Well, I guess you could say that—"
"Naruto, you shouldn't run so fast next time!" a voice interrupted Jiraiya. He turned to see Kushina approaching.
"It's you, Jiraiya-sensei," Kushina greeted him, though their relationship didn't have the closeness it once had. She opened the door for Naruto and let him in before staying outside herself.
Before Jiraiya could speak, Kushina asked, "Jiraiya-sensei, I have something I want to ask you. Is it still possible to retrieve Minato's body?"
"His body… It's unlikely. From what I've gathered, Nagato had reanimated Minato's body as one of his Rinnegan paths. I don't even know if Nagato is still alive…"
Jiraiya sighed, shaking his head. After learning from the Second Hokage that Nagato's Rinnegan originally belonged to Madara, who intended to have Nagato resurrect him, Jiraiya knew Nagato wouldn't survive much longer.
"Is there really no hope?" Kushina asked.
"It's unlikely, given our current lack of information. But Kushina, why do you need Minato's body?"
"Because we could—" Kushina started but stopped herself. If she revealed that Yoichi could revive Minato, it might arouse Jiraiya's suspicions. Reviving someone was no simple task. If Yoichi initially refused, how had Kushina convinced him otherwise?
Unable to come up with a plausible excuse, Kushina didn't want her relationship with Yoichi to be exposed. Thinking quickly, she said, "If we had Minato's body, we could use Edo Tensei to bring him back. That way, at least Minato could see Naruto."
"Perhaps… But when Naruto grows up, it might make him miss Minato even more," Jiraiya said, not fully endorsing the idea. Disturbing the deceased didn't sit right with him unless it meant fully resurrecting them. Still, he didn't outright oppose it, understanding Kushina's feelings.
"Kushina, Naruto is about the right age to begin training. I'd like to take him as my student. What do you think?" Jiraiya barely finished his sentence before a puff of smoke engulfed him, and he vanished.
Kushina quickly realized that Jiraiya had been reverse-summoned, but she had already found her answer.
"Better not. Naruto will have a different teacher," she murmured to herself. As she turned to go inside, a memory of Yoichi teaching Naruto surfaced.
She stood still for a moment, shaking her head in frustration and muttering under her breath, "Minato should be the one to teach Naruto. Once Minato is resurrected, he'll take over."
Inside the Hokage's office, both Hashirama and Tobirama, along with Tsunade, were taken aback by Yoichi's question.
Tsunade was the first to respond, "Yoichi, reviving powerful shinobi could be a huge risk for you, couldn't it?"
Her words barely left her lips before she realized she might have sounded too eager to keep her grandfather from being revived. Still, her concern for Yoichi was genuine—he was the father of her unborn child, after all.
"Fifth Hokage, I know the Rinnegan can revive the dead, but it might be a life-for-life technique. I've already lived through one era, so—"
"Hold on, First Hokage, you and Tsunade have misunderstood," Yoichi interrupted. He wasn't interested in hearing another long speech from Hashirama. "Before, reviving someone of your caliber would have been a great strain on me. But now, it's not."
He paused, gesturing to his Rinnegan before continuing, "I've awakened a new ocular power. Reviving you would only consume a bit of my chakra. It's hardly a cost at all. Plus, having you back would benefit the village's development. Considering everything, that's why I'm asking."
"So, First Hokage, do you want to be revived?"
(End of Chapter)
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Even after Yoichi explained, Tsunade and Hashirama were still skeptical.
So, Yoichi had no choice but to use the Hiraishin to take them to see for themselves. Before setting off, he said to Tobirama, "Second, why don't you come and see as well?"
Although Yoichi had considered reviving Tobirama, he hadn't planned on doing it so soon; Tobirama's independence was too strong. Yoichi wouldn't suggest it until his dominance was clearly established.
It was like taming a hawk; if Tobirama couldn't be subdued, he would abandon the effort. Despite Tobirama's formidable abilities, they weren't indispensable.
"My Hiraishin no Jutsu, huh?"
As Tobirama spoke, he placed his hand on Yoichi's shoulder.
Then, using the Hiraishin no Jutsu, the four of them appeared in a forest outside of Konoha. This was the place where Yoichi had tested his eye technique the previous night, and it had turned into a barren wasteland.
Tobirama immediately sensed something was wrong and asked, "Is this outside the village? There shouldn't be such a desolate area around Konoha."
"This is the result of my experiment last night with my eye technique. Let's move to another location," Yoichi replied.
He activated the Hiraishin no Jutsu again, transporting the three of them to another forest.
"This place is a bit better, but the forest's vitality is still average. Relying solely on the living beings within a kilometer range, it would be hard to revive the First. By the way, this is my Rinnegan's eye technique, Yomi's Passage, which controls the power of life and death."
As Yoichi spoke, his eyes turned into the purple Rinnegan. He then raised his hand to activate the technique.
Immediately, all living beings within a kilometer radius started to wither rapidly. Snakes, rats, insects, and even a wild boar that happened to run by couldn't escape. As Yomi's Passage was activated, the passing wild boar had its life force drained and fell dead.
Yoichi deliberately controlled the technique to prevent it from affecting Tsunade, knowing that could lead to serious trouble.
This time, he used the eye technique on a larger scale than the night before. Quickly, Yoichi gathered all the life energy from within a kilometer into his hand.
"This… what is this…" Hashirama and the others looked at Yoichi in shock. They had witnessed the once lush forest turning into a dead wasteland.
The trees, which had been verdant a moment ago, now looked like they had aged hundreds of years, withering to the point that a mere touch would turn them to dust.
Yoichi's hand, however, was brimming with dense life energy.
"This is my Rinnegan's eye technique. It can control life energy within a kilometer radius. I can absorb this energy myself or transfer it to others, like this."
Yoichi said as he transferred the life energy into Tsunade's body.
Tsunade immediately felt a refreshing sensation spread throughout her body. Every cell in her body seemed to crave this life energy. Although she appeared very youthful, her body was already over forty years old.
Life energy was like a 'miracle drug' that could help Tsunade regain her youth.
Feeling the changes in her body, Tsunade grabbed Yoichi excitedly and said, "Yoichi, I felt amazing just now…"
"I understand, Tsunade. There are plenty of forests in the Shinobi world, and the oceans are full of countless fish. Don't worry, I'll make sure you regain your youth," Yoichi said with a comforting smile. He knew how appealing this was to women. Compared to enhancing their strength, their first thought would undoubtedly be to regain their youth.
To Yoichi, it was a simple matter of using a few Hiraishin techniques, harmless and easy.
Knowing she had been too eager just now, Tsunade felt a little embarrassed and quietly hid behind Yoichi. However, in her heart, she considered this a top priority.
With enough life energy, she wouldn't need to rely on the Yin Seal to maintain her appearance. From then on, the Yin Seal could be reserved for storing chakra or genetic potential.
"That's how it works. With enough accumulated life energy, I could revive you from the state of the Edo Tensei. However, considering your strength… it would probably take a lot of forests, maybe even a hundred times or two hundred times more than now."
Yoichi drew a large circle with his hand, indicating that reviving Hashirama would likely turn a vast forest into a desert.
"Is that so…" Hashirama hesitated for a moment. His previous thoughts had been simple; he wanted to see how Konoha had changed without causing trouble for the younger generation.
Tsunade urged, "Grandfather, if Yoichi says it's okay, then don't hesitate. Besides, once you're revived, you can help Yoichi."
Yoichi almost couldn't hold back giving Tsunade a thumbs up. As expected of the woman who followed him, she was already suggesting that the First help him out.
Hashirama stroked his chin thoughtfully before agreeing, "I understand. Once revived, I will do my best to help the village, Fifth. But my brother…"
Compared to himself, Tobirama was more unwilling to stay behind. He had many ambitions left unfulfilled before his unexpected death in the war.
Yoichi shook his head, "Forget about the Second. If he were revived, he wouldn't listen to me as the Hokage. He'd probably lecture me as a senior…"
"Hmph, Uchiha brat, I don't need your help. With the limitless time of the Edo Tensei, I can find a true resurrection technique," Tobirama said coldly, crossing his arms. Being provoked by a brat, especially one from the Uchiha clan, was hard to swallow.
"Tobirama! No unauthorized research on forbidden jutsu!" Hashirama reprimanded, then sighed internally, wondering why his brother was always at odds with Tsunade's husband.
"Let's leave it at that for now. Tsunade, take the First and Second back. I need to use my real body to gather the life energy with my eye technique. Once I've gathered enough, I'll come find you, First."
After saying this, Yoichi prepared to act immediately. Unfortunately, the exclusive eye technique of the Rinnegan couldn't be used by a clone. Otherwise, he could have sent dozens of clones to dive into the ocean and collect life energy.
"I'll leave it to you, Yoichi," Tsunade said, touching her belly. After all, their child was due to be born in about ten days.
...
In Sunagakure, a battle had just taken place.
Pakura had just received a message from the Uchiha Trading Company when the village was attacked by Edo Tensei forces. Yoichi had overlooked one thing: Sasori of the Red Sand had also joined the Akatsuki.
Sasori didn't care who led the Akatsuki. Even if it was Uchiha Madara, it only startled him briefly. His reason for staying in the Akatsuki was simple: he could kill freely and create puppets, showcasing his art.
The second reason was that the Akatsuki would eventually target Konoha, giving Sasori a chance for revenge.
Under Fugaku's persuasion, Sasori quickly decided to remain with the Akatsuki and activated his spies within Sunagakure.
When Pakura received the message, she hesitated to inform the village's upper echelons, fearing that Rasa and his faction would not believe her and would find fault with her instead.
Before she could decide, the Akatsuki attacked from the entrance of Sunagakure, leading with Edo Tensei bodies.
The enemies were all reanimated corpses: the Third Mizukage, the Third Kazekage, Namikaze Minato, and several previous jinchūriki, around ten powerful Edo Tensei in total. Without sealing techniques, the Edo Tensei were nearly invincible, able to recover from any damage.
The Zetsu forces summoned these Edo Tensei, who were formidable and enhanced with special Zetsu bodies, allowing them to operate at roughly 80% of their original power.
Adding to this, Sasori's infiltrators had taken out the guards at Sunagakure's main gate, leaving no time for the village to assemble its forces.
Rasa and Pakura rushed over when they learned that the Edo Tensei were massacring in the village. Their arrival finally stemmed the slaughter.
Rasa barely managed to hold off the Third Kazekage and Namikaze Minato. Thankfully, they were not at their peak strength; otherwise, Rasa would have struggled to even deal with one.
Pakura, using her Sage Seal, led other Sand shinobi to stop the remaining Edo Tensei. After a fierce battle of ninjutsu and taijutsu, they managed to halt the invasion.
Pakura then informed Rasa and the other high-ranking members of Sunagakure that the enemy's target was likely the One-Tail Jinchūriki. Pakura urged Rasa to leave immediately, assuring him she could handle the situation.
However, Rasa, skeptical of Pakura's motives, thought she might be trying to upstage him as the hero of Sunagakure again. He also believed that Gaara was well-guarded, with Yashamaru and two squads of Sand ANBU watching over him. With the enemies present here, how could they possibly target Gaara?
Rasa didn't listen to Pakura's advice, insisting she focus on the immediate enemies.
After a while, the Sand's sealing team finally arrived. Just as they were about to coordinate with the sealing team to trap the Edo Tensei, the enemy suddenly withdrew.
With Minato's Hiraishin no Jutsu, retreating was all too easy for them.
The sudden withdrawal left the Sand shinobi bewildered. They had launched a surprise attack, killed many, and then abruptly retreated—what was their goal?
Pakura couldn't hold back any longer and scolded Rasa, "You fool, check on the One-Tail Jinchūriki! Do you really think the enemy came here just to play around?"
Rasa's expression darkened as he realized the enemy had been distracting them. His overconfidence had blinded him!
Before he could turn back, an injured Sand ANBU rushed over.
Seeing the ANBU, Rasa felt a chill in his heart but asked, "Where's Gaara?"
"Lord Kazekage, Gaara was attacked and has been captured. Four ANBU members are dead, three injured. There were two assailants; one had the Sharingan and looked like Uchiha Fugaku, a rogue shinobi from Konoha."
Hearing the report, Rasa felt a blackness sweep over his vision.
His son, the One-Tail of Sunagakure, had been kidnapped, just as Pakura had warned, because he hadn't responded promptly.
A silence fell over the scene; no one knew what to say.
"Send a message to Konoha demanding an explanation. This is all Uchiha Fugaku's doing…" Rasa's growling words were cut off by Pakura's interruption, "Don't be stupid, Rasa! The enemies included Sasori of the Red Sand and the Third Kazekage. Don't tell me you didn't see that! We need to count the wounded and manage the aftermath now. Find a way to contact Konoha and work together against these enemies!"
"If you insist on blaming Konoha or even declaring war on them, don't expect me to follow your orders as Kazekage!"
Pakura then ordered the nearby Sand shinobi to help treat the wounded and requested supplies from the Uchiha Trading Company.
Her commands were heard, and everyone rushed to help. Even Rasa's shinobi complied, knowing it would be heartless to ignore their injured comrades.
The commotion had even drawn out Chiyo. However, before she and Ebizō could engage Sasori, he tricked them. They hadn't exerted their full strength to capture him before he was taken away by Minato's Edo Tensei.
As Pakura made her way back, she remembered that Yoichi was soon to become the Fifth Hokage. He would probably bring up the matter of merging the two villages. She needed to initiate contact first, hoping he wouldn't use war as a means to swallow Sunagakure.
Today, Sunagakure had suffered heavy casualties. The Edo Tensei were not foes ordinary shinobi could handle. Combined with their lack of preparation, the enemies had caught them off guard. A rough count showed hundreds of casualties among both villagers and shinobi.
And this was without the enemy using large-scale ninjutsu. Had they done so, Sunagakure's losses would have been several times greater.
Meanwhile, Black Zetsu and White Zetsu, controlling the Edo Tensei, returned with the One-Tail Jinchūriki just as Uchiha Madara was summoning the Gedo Statue.
The Three-Tails had already been subdued and was being dragged out of the ocean by the Edo Tensei, placed in a forest where Madara had summoned the Gedo Statue, intending to seal the Three-Tails first.
"Madara-sama, everything went smoothly. We've brought back the One-Tail Jinchūriki," Black Zetsu and White Zetsu said, emerging from the ground with Gaara, who had been inside White Zetsu's body, and placed him before Madara.
"A child? Have the people of Sunagakure fallen to this extent?" Madara frowned. While he could kill shinobi for his goals, targeting a child who wasn't even a shinobi would be laughable. That was something he couldn't bring himself to do.
"There's no choice, Madara-sama. Sunagakure doesn't have many suitable Jinchūriki, and he is the son of the Fourth Kazekage, a product of the Fourth's ambition," Black Zetsu explained, reading Madara's thoughts but remaining indifferent. "For the sake of eternal peace, sacrifices like this are necessary, Madara-sama."
"Fine, I won't remain stagnant," Madara said, turning away from Gaara. He formed hand seals, "Fūin!"
The Gedo Statue, under his control, opened its mouth, releasing chains of chakra that instantly bound the Three-Tails and Gaara.
(End of Chapter)
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