Time and Space: Second Hokage
Time: Konoha, Year 17
Unified Progress: 18%
Hashirama felt his body sway as he disappeared from the Hokage's office and reappeared in a dense forest.
Flying Thunder God?
No, this seemed to be an even more powerful space-time Ninjutsu! The Flying Thunder God technique doesn't allow one to vanish without a trace like this.
Could it be the power of this gentleman's [Reincarnation Eye]?
As for whether it might be Genjutsu? Hashirama was confident that he could detect illusions. Even Madara's Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan hadn't swayed him for a moment. If this were indeed a Genjutsu several times stronger than Madara's, he'd have to admit he was in trouble.
"Where... am I?"
"The world, seventeen years into the future. We're in the Land of Thunder."
"The [Cloud Hidden Village] you mentioned earlier was established here, by the Land of Thunder?"
"Correct."
Hashirama was shaken. He'd actually been brought to the future, seventeen years from his time? Could this mysterious man really be a god on par with the Sage of Six Paths?
However, as the God of Shinobi himself, Hashirama quickly steadied his emotions. He hadn't forgotten his main objective—finding out how his brother, Tobirama, had died.
He closed his eyes, taking a moment to feel the Chakra aura in the distance. He instantly locked onto Tobirama's presence.
Eager to save his brother, he leapt forward in that direction.
Wakato shook his head, sighing, "These brother complexes are really hard to handle. The moment they sense their sibling is in danger, the world becomes irrelevant to them!"
But Wakato, still just an ordinary person, couldn't keep up with Hashirama's speed. He had to activate World Teleport again.
Hundreds of meters away...
Hashirama had just settled on a thick tree branch when Wakato teleported to his side, motioning for him to stay hidden.
Hashirama obeyed, looking toward the grassy area in the distance.
At that moment, 'Universe 2: Second Hokage Senju Tobirama' was discussing escape plans with his elite guard team.
"Is that really Tobirama? He looks so much older! His Chakra isn't as strong as before... is he injured?"
"And those two... are they Monkey and Danzo? And there's an Uchiha among them? They all have strong auras and look much more seasoned. Tobirama has trained an impressive team!"
Hashirama recognized Sarutobi and the others instantly, marveling at their transformation. He was happy for the growth Sarutobi Hiruzen and the others had shown.
"Sir, who exactly are Tobirama and these people?"
Hashirama turned to Wakato, utterly baffled by what he was witnessing. Given this was likely the world years beyond his time, he lacked any context for what was happening.
Wakato gave him a quick rundown:
This was the 17th year of Konoha, during the First Shinobi War.
The Second Raikage had attacked Konoha, taking advantage of Hashirama's death, only to be repelled by Tobirama and the Konoha troops. Realizing his mistake, the Raikage attempted peace negotiations, but two of his men—Ginkaku and Kinkaku—objected. They assassinated the Second Raikage at the peace conference and severely injured Tobirama in a sneak attack, continuing to lead a unit to pursue Tobirama's team.
Badly wounded, Tobirama knew he couldn't escape with all six of his guards. He decided to stay behind as bait, both to protect his team and test his subordinates. Though Danzo had considered volunteering to act as bait, his fear held him back. Hiruzen ultimately stepped forward, prompting Tobirama to name him the next Hokage.
Heroically, Tobirama died protecting Hiruzen and the others.
Hashirama looked at the unfolding events below, sighing quietly...
"Testing your subordinates like that... it's exactly the kind of thing Tobirama would do!"
"But he's already chosen Monkey as the next Hokage, hasn't he? This test is just to solidify Monkey's position in the eyes of the team."
"And Danzo... his hands are shaking. He's reckless but still fears death. That's normal... overcoming fear of death isn't easy."
"Everything Madara, Tobirama, and I did was meant to spare future generations from facing this brutal life-or-death decision on the battlefield..."
"Monkey has truly become a courageous shinobi."
Wakato smirked to himself.
Just wait till you see this 'excellent Monkey' and his entourage of 'advisors.' In a mere twenty or thirty years, they'll bring about the downfall of the entire Senju clan. Then, you'll know what 'excellent' really means.
But Wakato acknowledged one truth: Sarutobi, Danzo, and the others of this era were indeed outstanding.
...Sins don't erase achievements, and achievements don't erase sins. Their crimes in the latter part of their lives cannot overshadow their contributions to the village at this moment.
...
The six Sarutobi members departed, leaving only Tobirama, who began laying traps to slow down Ginkaku and Kinkaku's approaching force.
In terrible condition, Tobirama was barely holding himself together. His Chakra was almost depleted, and his organs were damaged; only his willpower had kept him strong for his comrades.
It was a classic case of overconfidence.
The Second Raikage hadn't anticipated betrayal from his own men. The peace conference had become an ambush.
As for the sneak attack itself? Entirely plausible. After all, even Six Paths Madara once had his heart torn out by Black Zetsu.
Despite his critical injuries and remaining as bait, Tobirama was resolved not to go down quietly.
As Second Hokage, he intended to at least cripple the Kumogakure force and take down one of the Ginkaku-Kinkaku brothers, ensuring Sarutobi and the others could return to Konoha safely.
'If only big brother were here… these clowns wouldn't dare start a war!'
Tobirama sighed, continuing to set traps.
...
At the same time, perched on a tree branch, Hashirama felt a profound sadness as he observed Tobirama's lonely figure.
He couldn't have imagined his proud brother looking so vulnerable and desperate.
"Is Ginkaku and Kinkaku from Kumogakure truly powerful? Why haven't I heard of them?"
When Tobirama defeated Izuna, it was a swift, brutal slash! Over in an instant.
Wakato explained, "They wield the Six Paths' ninja tools and possess some Nine Tails Chakra. Their strength is on par with an average Kage. Normally, your brother would defeat them..."
"Then why?"
"It was likely a sneak attack, something like, 'I was careless and couldn't dodge.'"
"I see."
Hashirama shook his head, understanding the frustration. A sneak attack was indeed loathsome.
After a moment, though, he added, "Tobirama has grown soft. No more forbidden jutsu for him—he needs to train more and work on his combat skills!"
Just then...
Swish, swish, swish—
Ginkaku, Kinkaku, and a group of elite cloud ninjas entered the scene.
Seeing the enemy approach, Hashirama grew restless.
From his vantage, he could tell that in Tobirama's current condition, he stood little chance against the Kumogakure force.
To save Tobirama, he'd have to intervene!
But could he interfere himself?
This was the future—16 years later. Would his intervention have disastrous consequences?
Hashirama turned to Wakato, the urgency in his eyes pleading for permission from this 'suspected immortal.'
"Don't worry; wait a bit before you act."
"It'll do your proud brother some good to suffer just a little more."
A living Tobirama was worth far more than a dead one.
At the very least, he could help keep Konoha united for longer, making it easier for the Second Hokage world to complete the task of unifying the ninja world.
And enduring more hardship now would only fuel Tobirama's determination, so that he'd be more driven to achieve this vision of a united ninja world.
This was, after all, Wakato's true purpose in bringing Hashirama to this moment in time.
...