A few minutes later, inside the Hokage's office—
Kai sat across from the First Hokage, Senju Hashirama. The atmosphere was serious. On the other side of the door, Senju Tobirama was eavesdropping, posture stiff, face pressed to the wood like a suspicious older sister spying on her little brother's date.
Hashirama noticed immediately. He sighed, lowering his voice with a glance toward the door.
"Should I cast a sound barrier?"
"No need," Kai replied casually.
Whether Tobirama listened or not didn't matter. Kai wasn't worried about him. If he could convince the First Hokage, then Tobirama alone couldn't change anything—not even if he heard every word.
"So…" Hashirama sat forward slightly, "what did you want to discuss, Okyaku-sama?"
Kai didn't answer right away. After a brief pause, he started with calm clarity.
"I want to talk about the future. Not just of Konoha—but of the entire shinobi world."
Hashirama raised an eyebrow.
"Oh?"
Kai offered a suggestion. "Let's keep this simple. We'll each take turns asking questions. If you don't want to answer, that's fine. I won't force you."
Hashirama appreciated the honesty. A straightforward approach—no tricks, no mind games. That suited him.
"…Alright," he nodded. "You go first."
"No, you," Kai said, leaning back. "I'll follow your lead."
Hashirama took a moment to think, then asked what had been bothering him since the beginning.
"Your eyes… what are they?"
Kai stared straight at him. "The Rinnegan."
Hashirama's eyes widened slightly. "The Rinnegan… the legendary eyes of the Sage of Six Paths. One of the Three Great Dōjutsu..."
He looked closer.
"They're real, then. I never thought I'd see them in my lifetime. You… You know the Sage himself?"
Kai answered plainly. "Yeah. But we're not close."
That offhand remark would've been a joke in another life. But to Hashirama, it struck deep.
This man had met the Sage?
The founder of ninjutsu? The ancestor of chakra?
Then… was Kai ancient? Had he lived since those times?
No. That didn't make sense.
But those eyes—those weren't fake.
"Who… are you really?"
"I'm an outsider," Kai said. "Not from this time. You could say I'm a god—or working on it."
Hashirama didn't interrupt. But his surprise was clear. Even if he didn't believe it fully, he was listening. Trying to find truth between the lines.
Kai gave him a chance to process, then asked calmly, "Now it's my turn."
Hashirama nodded.
"You're not in a rush to go find your old friend?"
"Madara?" Hashirama smiled, patting his chest. "He'll wait. That guy always does."
Confident as ever in their bond.
Kai let that go and moved on to the real question.
"First Hokage, Senju Hashirama… what kind of world are you trying to build?"
Hashirama sat up straighter.
"I want to build a peaceful world," he said, voice low but firm. "One where children don't have to go to war."
Kai nodded slightly. "And you think that's possible through the village system? The union of clans under one banner?"
"Yes," Hashirama said without hesitation. "The Hidden Leaf Village, created by the Senju and Uchiha, is being accepted more and more. Other countries are following. In the Land of Earth, they've already formed Iwagakure. The Tsuchikage leads it now."
"As more of these villages form," he continued, "the old system of clan wars will fade away. It'll be a new structure—one that allows ordinary people and ninja alike to live without fear."
It wasn't just a dream.
Hashirama had lived through the Warring States era. He knew what war did. The Senju Clan had paid the price. His father, Butsuma, had five sons.
Only two survived.
The others were taken by war.
Back then, no one lived past thirty. Children fought before they could read. If a kid reached ten years old, they were considered lucky.
Hashirama never forgot those days.
He didn't want anyone else to go through them.
Kai let the silence sit for a moment, then asked again.
"And you're sure this ninja village system won't lead to worse conflict?"
Hashirama's eyes flickered.
"I can't promise that," he said honestly. "But right now, it's working. There's more order than chaos. I've even started thinking of ways to keep the villages balanced—to prevent future war."
There was sincerity in his words.
For once, it felt good to share these burdens with someone who might actually understand.
Kai pushed a bit further.
"What about the tailed beasts?"
"I've considered them," Hashirama replied. "But the village still isn't stable yet. Once things calm down, I plan to find the tailed beasts and secure them."
Even if he had his flaws—gambling, drinking, soft spots—when it came to the village, Hashirama was serious.
Kai nodded, then asked the final question.
"Alright. One more. If you had to choose—what would you protect? The village… or your family?"
Hashirama opened his mouth.
Then stopped.
A year ago, he would've answered without hesitation.
But now?
"…I…"
Kai raised a hand.
"No rush. Let me tell you what's coming."
His voice dropped.
"In the Year 17 of Konoha, the First Great Ninja War begins."
Hashirama froze.
"In Year 37, the Second…"
"Year 45, the Third…"
"Year 68, the Fourth…"
Kai looked him in the eye.
"In less than seventy years, the world will fight four major wars. Each more brutal than the last."
"This is the peace created by your system?"
Hashirama was shaken.
He didn't expect peace to last forever—but four wars?
That quickly?
Was this man telling the truth?
Or could he… actually see the future?
"Is that true?" Hashirama said quietly. "You can see it all?"
Kai's voice was even.
"You tell me. Do you believe it?"
"…I don't want to."
And he meant it.
Hashirama would do anything to stop another war.
But if it really happened that fast…
Was there something wrong with the system?
Kai watched him carefully, then added, "You guessed right. You die in Year 16 of Konoha. The First Great War starts a year after."
BANG—
The door slammed open.
Tobirama, who had been listening the entire time, stormed in.
"No way! He's lying!"
"Tobirama!" Hashirama barked.
Tobirama grit his teeth. "Brother, I just—!"
Kai ignored him. He turned, calmly meeting Tobirama's furious gaze.
"Senju Tobirama… do you want to know how you die?"
"What?"
Hashirama paled.
He misheard, didn't he?
But no. He hadn't.
Kai continued.
"You were surrounded. Killed by a group of Kumogakure ninjas."
"Liar!" Tobirama snapped. "That's impossible! I'm not some fool who'd fall to a few random enemies!"
"I've mastered dozens of jutsu—Flying Thunder God, Edo Tensei, Shadow Clones—my Water Style is unrivaled. Cloud ninjas? I've never even heard of them!"
He wasn't buying it.
But Hashirama said nothing.
He was still frozen in place.
His chakra pressure began to surge.
The floor cracked beneath his feet.
His love for his brother was no less than Madara's for Izuna. Hearing Tobirama would die like that—it made his blood boil.
"…Sir," Hashirama said, voice lower now. "Explain it properly."
Kai looked at him.
Then nodded.
"It's a long story. But instead of explaining…"
"I'll show you."
"…Show me?"
"You'll understand soon."
Before either brother could say more—
Whoosh.
Kai and Hashirama vanished from the room.
One of Kai's hidden system powers: the ability to take leaders across parallel timelines—then return them after one hour.
It was time to show the First Hokage what really happened.
How the proud Second Hokage was forced to stand alone...
…surrounded by enemies from Kumogakure.