Hashirama didn't harshly criticize Tobirama, recognizing that his brother's actions were driven by a desire to protect Konoha and prioritize the village's interests.
"Sir, from what Tobirama has explained, doesn't it seem like Konoha benefits more than it suffers from the division of the tailed beasts?" Hashirama asked. "By splitting up the tailed beasts, Konoha gains considerable advantages while also leaving other villages vulnerable to the dangers of tailed beast riots."
It seemed to him like a guaranteed win for Konoha. Even after being plotted against by the tailed beast from Kumogakure, Tobirama's analysis suggested that Konoha would come out on top eventually, so long as they maintained their current strategy. With Konoha's strength steadily growing, it was only a matter of time before it surpassed the other villages.
Tobirama, hoping for some insight from Wakato, the enigmatic figure who seemed to know more than anyone else about the future, asked, "Where exactly did my plan go wrong?"
Wakato smiled and responded, "Second Hokage, if you noticed a flaw in your plan, what would you do to fix it?"
Tobirama answered immediately, "I would find a way to resolve the issue."
"Now, what do you think the other villages would do if they discovered that while tailed beasts are powerful, their jinchūriki are unstable and prone to losing control?" Wakato continued.
"They would improve their sealing techniques and enhance their jinchūriki's ability to control the beasts, though that would take decades of effort and development," Tobirama replied.
He wasn't wrong—indeed, it took the villages many years to achieve stable and fully controlled jinchūriki like Killer Bee, Yagura, and Naruto, and even then, it wasn't solely due to the villages' training methods. Factors like innate compatibility, guidance from experts, and even unconventional circumstances played significant roles.
"But you're leaving Konoha with a situation where Nine Tails is unlikely to lose control, and even if it does, it's easily contained. Do you think that leaves the village too secure, or do you think other villages won't take action?" Wakato's question suddenly made Tobirama realize the issue.
An overly secure environment could lead to complacency, leaving future generations unprepared for any crisis. Meanwhile, other villages, though suffering casualties and setbacks from tailed beast incidents, were making strides in utilizing tailed beast power effectively. Standing still would mean falling behind.
In reality, other villages had faced significant troubles with their tailed beasts:
Sunagakure: The One Tail Shukaku brought madness and death to several Kazekage generations.Kirigakure: Jinchūriki lost control multiple times, resulting in many elite ninjas' deaths.Iwagakure: Though Onoki could subdue the tailed beasts, several jinchūriki eventually defected from the village.Kumogakure: Without the overwhelming power of the Third Raikage, the Eight Tails would have destroyed the village countless times.
Yet, over these decades, the villages adapted and advanced their techniques:
Sunagakure developed techniques like the Magnet Style and the Fake Sleep Technique from studying Shukaku.Kirigakure devised the Bubble Seal and managed to create a perfect jinchūriki.Kumogakure improved its Iron Armor Seal and cultivated a stable jinchūriki.Iwagakure refined its sealing methods and fostered loyal jinchūriki who served the village faithfully.
By contrast, Konoha, despite having the strongest tailed beast, had made no real progress in tailed beast control, relying instead on the Uzumaki clan's sealing techniques to keep the Nine Tails subdued. When the Uzumaki clan was nearly wiped out, Konoha found itself with no one to teach Naruto how to control the tailed beast effectively, leaving him to struggle alone.
Nine Tails brought more harm than help to Konoha over time. While other villages gained valuable experience and made advancements from handling their tailed beasts, Konoha lagged behind. If they had allowed someone like Orochimaru to conduct research on one or two tailed beasts, they could have possibly created a formidable force, negating the need for the Ninja Alliance during the Fourth Great Ninja War.
"Sir, Tobirama, what exactly does this mean?" Hashirama asked, still confused by the concept of technological progress.
Tobirama, now more aware, looked at Wakato gratefully. "Thank you for the warning. I was too complacent. I'll definitely make changes when I return to the village."
He resolved to focus on better utilizing Nine Tails, understanding that other villages were steadily catching up. Despite Konoha's advantages, resting on their laurels was not an option.
Tobirama also wasn't overly worried, trusting in the combined strength of the Uzumaki and Uchiha clans to keep any tailed beast from ever threatening Konoha. Wakato, reading Tobirama's thoughts, didn't press further. He knew that showing the Second Hokage what the future held would eventually prompt more decisive action.
"By the way, sir, what's the optimal solution you mentioned earlier?" Tobirama asked, now even more interested in Wakato's insights.
"It's straightforward," Wakato said. "There's no need to divide the tailed beasts at all. Instead, unify the ninja world and eliminate all other ninja villages and nations."
The suggestion was bold, aiming to steer Hashirama and Tobirama toward the idea of "unifying the ninja world" to achieve true peace. Wakato didn't expect to convince them in an instant, but planting the seed was a start.
Hashirama rejected the idea outright, saying, "But it took so much effort to end the Warring States Period. Starting a new unification war would only lead to more deaths."
"Brother is right," Tobirama added, though there was a flicker of interest in his eyes. Deep down, he had always wanted to pursue this path but felt constrained by his brother's ideals. After witnessing the failures of the previous peace system during the First Ninja War, he had started to question whether peaceful coexistence was even possible.
Wakato saw Tobirama's ambition and couldn't help but think, "Perfect! You're just the kind of person I need."
Smiling, Wakato said, "I'm not saying you have to do it, only that it's a suggestion worth considering. If you can find a better path, that's fine. But be prepared for the consequences."
Hashirama and Tobirama fell silent, reflecting on the realities of the First Ninja War and the inadequacies of the current system. They both recognized the flaws in the tailed beast deterrence strategy but struggled to find a better solution.
"Senju Hashirama, have you decided what your true priority is now?" Wakato asked, reminding him of the earlier question: "Do you want to protect the village, or your loved ones?"
Hashirama hesitated. His initial motivation for founding Konoha had been to protect the people he cared about, including Tobirama and Madara. However, he had later fought Madara to the death for the sake of the village. Had he truly lost sight of his original intentions?
Sensing Hashirama's inner conflict, Wakato was pleased. It would take time, but eventually, the seed he had planted might just grow into a desire to change everything.
"Don't worry, you don't need to answer now," Wakato said gently. "I'll take you to see the future stories of the next Hokage. After that, you might find your answers."