Ten years.
It is a long time.
In this span, much has changed in the ninja world.
After returning to Konoha with the ANBU, the First Hokage, Senju Hashirama, held discussions with Tobirama and swiftly initiated a bold operation.
The capture of the Tailed Beasts.
The ninja world is home to nine Tailed Beasts.
Of these, the One-Tail had already been captured by Sunagakure, and the Nine-Tails was sealed inside Uzumaki Mito of Konoha. Hashirama personally set out to capture the rest.
Before long, the First Five Kage Summit was convened.
At this summit, Hashirama distributed the Tailed Beasts to the various hidden villages at fair prices. Ostensibly, this was to maintain a balance of power in the ninja world.
While traveling, Emiya Shigen had a chance meeting with Hashirama, who shared his reasoning behind the distribution of the Tailed Beasts.
"This was Tobirama's idea," Hashirama explained.
"Relying solely on Konoha's strength might not be enough to stop Madara."
"With the Nine-Tails sealed inside Mito, Madara will likely seek the power of the other Tailed Beasts. Tobirama suggested that we distribute the Tailed Beasts to other villages, so they could help protect them. Konoha cannot hold onto them all…"
After all…
The power of the Tailed Beasts was immense.
Even a single Tailed Beast running amok could cause catastrophic damage to Konoha if the higher-ups were caught off guard.
During the capture operation, Tobirama also discovered that the other Tailed Beasts were far weaker than the Nine-Tails. This ensured that no village possessing a Tailed Beast would surpass Konoha's strength.
But the Tailed Beasts were not the main focus.
Tobirama's true aim was to drag other villages into the same predicament.
No village except Konoha dared to provoke Madara. Even if Madara destroyed Konoha, no other village would intervene.
But…
What if they had Tailed Beasts to protect?
With the Nine-Tails sealed in Mito, Madara could no longer exploit its power. He might lack the confidence to challenge Hashirama directly. If Madara sought other Tailed Beasts, however, he would inevitably clash with the villages that held them.
In this way, the major villages would naturally unite against the threat posed by Madara.
Tobirama's tactics were undeniably cunning.
Once Konoha had secured the Nine-Tails, other villages wouldn't sit idly by as the gap in power widened. They, too, would covet the power of the Tailed Beasts.
Since ancient times…
Humankind has never abandoned the pursuit of the Tailed Beasts' power.
The Tailed Beasts represent limitless chakra and devastating combat potential, capable of rivaling an entire army.
Tobirama didn't expect help from other villages. He simply wanted to ensnare them in the same trap.
With one of Madara's eyes still blind, he would need to evade Hashirama's relentless pursuit. Without the Nine-Tails, Madara would likely infiltrate another village to seize a Tailed Beast, inevitably inciting conflict with its owners.
The plan worked.
The first village to suffer was Kumogakure.
At the Five Kage Summit, the First Raikage of Kumogakure, flush with wealth, purchased two Tailed Beasts—the Two-Tails and the Eight-Tails.
But this brought disaster upon them.
While fleeing Hashirama's pursuit, Madara manipulated the Eight-Tails to escape, sowing chaos in Kumogakure and inadvertently tightening Konoha's relationship with the village.
Yet…
This didn't solve the problem.
Madara continued to evade Hashirama.
Hashirama continued to hunt Madara.
As Shigen traveled with Sarutobi Hiruzen and Shimura Danzo, they occasionally encountered both Madara and Hashirama.
"Long time no see, Shigen," Madara would say with a smirk, as if the chase didn't bother him at all. "But I must take my leave—Hashirama is catching up again…"
Madara would leave.
Moments later, Hashirama would arrive.
"I have to keep pursuing Madara," Hashirama would say, barely sparing time to chat before dashing off again. Yet, he always managed to offer a few words of encouragement to the two young boys.
"Hiruzen, Danzo," he'd say with a smile.
"You've both grown so much…"
"You're finally ready to take on the responsibility of protecting Konoha."
Hashirama's words carried the weight of his understanding that his time was running out.
Ten years.
It truly was a long time.
For Shigen, it was merely another chapter in his travels.
For Hiruzen and Danzo, it marked their transition from wide-eyed boys to worldly young men.
They had experienced many things.
For example, they had once encountered Kakuzu.
After returning to Takigakure, Kakuzu had killed the village's leadership, stolen the Earth Grudge Fear technique, and forced Takigakure to ally with Konoha, using all their resources to purchase a Tailed Beast for protection.
Later, Kakuzu was declared an S-Rank missing-nin.
And even later, Shigen and his group heard more about Kakuzu from Hashirama himself.
Hashirama had received word from Tobirama that while pursuing Madara, he should also eliminate Kakuzu to demonstrate Konoha's commitment to its allies.
But when Hashirama found Kakuzu, the man was working as a hired assassin, amassing wealth.
Hashirama captured him effortlessly, only to hear Kakuzu's dying wish: to donate his earnings to an orphanage.
It turned out Kakuzu had been using his earnings to support orphans and the elderly. Touched, Hashirama let Kakuzu go, even making a donation himself.
"It's hard to believe someone like him betrayed his village just for power…" Hashirama admitted. "He fought recklessly, risking his life to help the weak. It makes me feel ashamed of myself…"
"Kakuzu… donated money?"
Shigen found this surprising but sighed. "Even in ancient times, those who cared for the weak deserved respect."
"Indeed," Hashirama said, reflecting on his journey. "I thought chasing Madara would be grueling. But along the way, I've met many remarkable people and heard countless interesting stories."
"The ninja world may be small…"
"…but it holds so many exceptional individuals."
Shigen's gaze was sharp, always able to see the good in people.
For example…
In the Land of Rain, as they passed through on their way back to Konoha, they encountered a young Amegakure ninja seeking Shigen's help.
His name was Hanzo, and his swordsmanship was unparalleled, leaving Danzo humiliated in defeat.
But Hanzo's true strength lay in his venom.
Having been implanted with a salamander's poison sac as a child, Hanzo could release toxic gas in combat—even his breath was poisonous.
This, however, came at a cost.
The poison sac constantly endangered his life, forcing him to wear a mask and live with the perpetual risk of self-poisoning.
Hanzo sought Shigen's help to keep the poison's power while eliminating the risk to his life.
"I can only remove the poison sac," Shigen explained, confident in his surgical skills but unable to alter human biology.
Though dangerous, Shigen's medical prowess ensured the procedure would be a success.
"Then I'll lose my poison…" Hanzo hesitated, reluctant to part with the power that defined him.
"Your swordsmanship is already exceptional," Hiruzen assured him sincerely. "Even in the Land of Iron, known for its swordsmen, we met no one as skilled as you."
Danzo, though begrudgingly, agreed.
In the end, Hanzo decided to keep his poison sac, believing he wasn't yet strong enough to protect his homeland without it.
As they continued their journey, Shigen sighed, knowing that the road ahead for everyone—himself, the boys, and the ninja world—was fraught with challenges.
"Tomorrow, we return to Konoha," Shigen said, looking up at the perpetually clouded skies of the Land of Rain.
"Hashirama hasn't been active lately. I fear his time is running out. Ten years have passed, and I've yet to find the remains of the Divine Tree. Perhaps it's time to try another way…"
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Powerstones?
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