When Tōshirō saw this figure, he thought it might be the wife of the First Hokage, who had taken Madara Uchiha's friend, "Uzumaki Mito."
Perhaps due to the Nine-Tails' seal within her and her fear of losing control over the beast, she rarely left her place. This was Kuzan's first day in this world, and he had never seen Mito before. Though advanced in age, she still retained her beauty and charm.
When Tōshirō noticed the diamond-shaped mark on her forehead, he guessed that the technique of the Strength of a Hundred Seal, used by Tsunade in the future, might have been inspired by Mito.
Tōshirō decided that if he got the chance in the future, he would steal this technique to maintain his youth, as it was a precious skill.
Mito's face bore a serious expression, as if a cloud of sadness covered her features.
Mito was usually someone of high stature, but she did not act arrogantly, always smiling and gentle. This was the first time Biwako had seen such an expression on her face, and she felt that something terrible had happened.
Tsunade ran towards her joyfully and threw herself into her arms, raising her small head, "Grandma Mito, why have you come?"
Tōshirō saw Tsunade acting with innocence and playfulness, and he found it hard to associate her with the image he knew of her as a fierce and angry woman.
"Tsunade..."
Mito slightly opened her mouth, but she couldn't speak. After what had happened, she didn't know how to start the conversation.
Sensing something was wrong, Tsunade cautiously asked, "What happened?"
After a long silence, Mito spoke with a gloomy expression, slowly revealing the truth, "Your grandfather, during his negotiations with the Second Raikage, was suddenly ambushed... and he died..."
When Tsunade heard this, she froze for a moment, then felt as if her mind had gone completely blank, collapsing to the ground like a puppet whose strings had been cut.
"Tsunade."
"Tsunade."
"Tsunade."
....
In the Uchiha Clan's territory, inside a quiet house.
Madara Uchiha was pondering how to train Tōshirō in the future when he suddenly sensed something and slowly raised his head.
Shortly after, a deep voice came from outside the door: "I apologize for disturbing your rest, but there is very important news I must deliver."
"What is it?"
Madara asked in a calm voice, controlling the Great Itachi.
Usually, the person delivering the news wouldn't open the door, as that would be improper, so Madara hadn't chosen a distant place to hide, ensuring no one would see him.
But even if someone did see him, he wouldn't care; he could simply use the Sharingan to erase their memory.
"The Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama, is dead..."
Hearing this news, even Madara Uchiha, who rarely showed surprise, had his pupils rapidly dilate in shock, and he exclaimed in disbelief, "What did you say?!"
Tobirama was known as the fastest in the ninja world, and even Madara Uchiha did not consider himself faster. In this world, it seemed impossible for anyone to kill him in a direct confrontation.
Madara asked seriously, "How did he die?"
"It seems that..."
Madara interrupted, "Don't tell me 'it seems,' I want an exact report."
"Yes,"
The ninja outside the door felt the overwhelming aura of the Great Itachi, so he gathered his words and said, "According to eyewitness accounts, while the Second Hokage was negotiating with the Second Raikage to form an alliance, Kinkaku and Ginkaku from the Hidden Cloud Village suddenly led a coup, killing the Second Raikage on the spot, and heavily injuring the Second Hokage. While escaping, he chose to stay behind to protect his students and sacrificed himself."
Madara remained silent for a moment, then said, "You may leave."
After dismissing the ninja outside, Madara felt his fist clench in frustration.
Tobirama had killed his younger brother Izuna, and Madara had planned to torment Tobirama during his reign, making him suffer, and then kill him in the end.
Now, with Tobirama's death, all of that had become meaningless.
.....
The news of the Second Hokage's death quickly spread throughout Konoha Village.
In front of the Memorial Stone, everyone who came to pay their respects felt as if the dark clouds in the sky were covering their hearts with sorrow.
Tōshirō, dressed in the same black mourning attire as everyone else, hid among the crowd.
In the front row before the memorial, Tobirama's relatives stood, including Tsunade.
In the second row stood the Second Hokage's students: Sarutobi Hiruzen, Shimura Danzō, Akimichi Torifu, Mitokado Homura, and Utatane Koharu. But there was one absence, Uchiha Kagami.
"Father..."
A young man was crying bitterly, unable to stop his tears.
This young man was named Suikage, the only son of Uchiha Kagami.
Tobirama had chosen to stay behind and draw most of the enemy's fire, but some enemies managed to bypass the Second Hokage and attack his students. While trying to protect his comrades, Uchiha Kagami bravely sacrificed his life, and the enemy's fire was so fierce that even his body was never found.
A young woman was patting Suikage's shoulder; she was Kagami's wife, trying to find something to say to comfort her son, but she couldn't speak. Her feelings at that moment were not much better than her son's, but her responsibility as a mother drove her. She took a deep breath, and just as she was about to speak, she suddenly saw a pair of blazing red eyes.
"Suikage, your eyes..."
"Mother, what happened to my eyes?"
"The Sharingan..."
Awakening the Sharingan requires strong emotions, and now that Suikage had heard the news of his father's death, his eyes naturally awakened.
Though thinking of something else during a memorial service is not ideal, Suikage's success in awakening the Sharingan caught the attention of many Uchiha clan members. Every Sharingan is a precious asset to the clan.
After hearing the conversation between mother and son, the ears of a young man with his right cheek bandaged and a cross-shaped scar on his chin twitched, and he narrowed his left eye slightly with a deep look.
This was Danzō, one of the Second Hokage's students.
During the escape, Danzō had been attacked by enemies and lost his right eye. Once a handsome man, he was now covered in bandages, giving him an aura of mystery and darkness.
"The Sharingan... Mangekyō Sharingan..."
Danzō muttered to himself in a low voice, his left eye showing a fear he had never felt before.
Under normal circumstances, even with the Second Hokage's brave sacrifice, these students would likely have found it difficult to escape death.
But at that critical moment, Uchiha Kagami awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan after being shocked by the news of the Second Hokage's death at the hands of Kinkaku and Ginkaku. He exploded with an unprecedented, terrifying power.
The Second Hokage's students witnessed this transformation firsthand, and it was hard for them to believe that Kagami, known for his gentle nature, had suddenly become a completely different person, his chakra becoming so cold it felt like someone else entirely.
In the past, they had been somewhat cautious of the Uchiha Clan due to their teacher's influence, and sometimes wondered if their teacher was overestimating the danger.
But after seeing Kagami awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan with their own eyes, they suddenly realized why their teacher, Tobirama, had been so cautious of the Uchiha Clan. Even Kagami, who was known for his gentleness, became a completely different person upon awakening the Mangekyō; what about the rest of the Uchiha Clan?
Moreover, Uchiha who awaken the Mangekyō become significantly stronger in an instant, and Uchiha Kagami was a living example of that.
The Uchiha Clan, who possess the Sharingan, are unstable time bombs... Strict measures must be taken to guard against them.
This idea formed in the minds of Tobirama's students, becoming irreversible.
The mourning period did not last long, and people began to disperse. The sadness was genuine, but there were very important matters that needed to be addressed, which took priority over remembering the past.
After the Second Hokage's death, the position of Hokage was vacant, and to prevent enemies from exploiting this gap, the highest priority was to quickly elect a new Hokage to stabilize internal affairs.
Tōshirō also began leaving the place with his clan members. Before he left, he glanced at Tsunade, who was shedding large tears, but he didn't approach her to comfort her. Time is the best healer for pain...
After that, Konoha Village immediately started the process of electing the Third Hokage. Thanks to the order from the Second Hokage before his death and the support of various forces behind the scenes, despite some obstacles along the way, Sarutobi Hiruzen assumed the position of the Third Hokage without contest.
With this, Konoha Village opened a new chapter in its history.
(End of Chapter)
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