[Timeline: Second Hokage Era]
[Year: 17th Year of Konohagakure]
[Unification Progress: 18%]
In a blink of light, Hashirama vanished from the Hokage's office.
When his feet touched the ground again, he was standing deep in a dense forest—towering trees overhead, wild wind brushing through his hair.
Not Flying Thunder God.
No, this was something different.
Tobirama's Flying Thunder God couldn't teleport someone without a marked seal. This… this technique was on another level entirely.
A Rinnegan ability?
He quickly dismissed the idea of illusion. As the First Hokage, he'd long trained himself to see through even the most complex genjutsu. Not even Madara's Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan could fool him for long.
And if this was some illusion beyond even that?
Well… then so be it.
"Where are we?" he asked calmly.
"The world, seventeen years in the future," Kai replied, arms crossed. "We're in the Land of Lightning."
"That village you mentioned before—Kumogakure… it was formed here?"
"Correct."
Hashirama fell silent, stunned for only a moment.
Seventeen years. And this man had really dragged him across time.
Could he truly be someone on the same level as the Sage of Six Paths?
But awe wasn't something Hashirama let distract him. He shook it off and focused.
He was here for a reason.
To witness how Tobirama would die.
Closing his eyes, he stretched out his chakra senses.
He found his brother instantly—some distance away, familiar but flickering, unstable. Wounded.
He didn't speak another word.
In the next second, he was gone in a flash.
Kai exhaled and shook his head.
Senju brothers. The second they hear their sibling's in trouble, they forget everything else.
He had to activate World Teleport again just to keep up. There was no way a normal body like his could match the First Hokage's speed.
A short distance ahead, Hashirama landed soundlessly on a thick tree branch.
Kai reappeared beside him soon after, raising a finger to his lips. "Stay low."
Hashirama nodded, crouching beside him. He glanced down through the canopy—
And saw him.
Tobirama Senju.
Older. His face sharper, paler. His white hair even starker than before. He stood surrounded by a group of elite Konoha shinobi, speaking quietly to them.
Hashirama's eyes narrowed.
"That's Tobirama…"
He paused, eyes softening.
"He looks older… and his chakra flow is unstable. He's injured. This isn't his prime."
He scanned the rest of the group.
"Wait—Monkey?! And that's… Danzo? There's even an Uchiha there. Their chakra… it's strong and more mature."
He let out a quiet breath. "Tobirama raised some good students."
A smile tugged at his lips.
Pride.
But then his expression shifted.
"…Why are they out here? What's going on?"
Kai kept his tone even.
"The seventeenth year of Konoha. The First Great Ninja War has begun."
"The Second Raikage, after your death, saw a chance. He launched an attack against Konoha—but Tobirama pushed it back. Eventually, the Raikage came seeking peace. Negotiations were arranged."
"But not everyone agreed."
"Kinkaku and Ginkaku—rogue brothers from Kumo—rejected the peace plan. During the meeting, they turned on their leader and assassinated him at the table."
"And then—"
"They turned their blades on your brother."
Hashirama didn't move.
"They ambushed Tobirama during the talks. Wounded him badly. He fled with his team—deep into enemy territory."
"Now, surrounded and low on options, Tobirama's staying behind. Buying time for the others to escape."
Kai paused.
"Danzo wanted to volunteer to stay behind, but his fear stopped him. It was Sarutobi Hiruzen who stepped up. Your brother named him the next Hokage."
"And now… Tobirama prepares for his last stand."
Hashirama was silent for a while.
Then he whispered, "…Yeah. That sounds like Tobirama."
He watched as Tobirama quietly gave Hiruzen and the others their instructions.
"This is his final test. He's already chosen little Monkey as the next Hokage. This is just to make the others accept it."
He glanced at Danzo.
"Still scared of dying, huh…"
He sighed.
"It's human nature. Death isn't easy to face."
His hands clenched slightly.
"Everything Madara, Tobirama, and I tried to do… it was to stop kids from being put in situations like this."
He looked at Hiruzen again.
"But you've grown. You really have. I think... you'll become a fine Hokage."
Kai said nothing.
But in his heart, he scoffed.
Wait until you see what this 'fine Hokage' and his Council do to your legacy.
Still, to be fair—at this point in time—Sarutobi, Danzo, and the others truly were elite. Their loyalty and strength were real.
Past virtues didn't erase future sins.
And future sins didn't invalidate the choices made in the present.
Down below, the six shinobi disappeared into the trees, slipping away under cover.
Tobirama stood alone.
He immediately began setting up traps—explosive tags, layered seals, sensor threads.
Even from here, Hashirama could see the toll.
Tobirama's chakra was low. His face was pale. His movements were slower than normal. He had likely taken internal damage—maybe even organ-level injuries.
The only thing keeping him going?
Sheer will.
The pride of a Hokage who couldn't collapse in front of his students.
Honestly, none of this should've happened.
It had been a simple peace negotiation.
But betrayal… that was the ninja world.
Even Madara, with all his power, was manipulated by Black Zetsu in the end.
Now, even wounded, Tobirama wasn't planning to die easy.
If this was going to be his grave, he'd make sure Kinkaku and Ginkaku went down with him.
At the very least—one of them would fall.
"...If my brother were still alive," Tobirama muttered, tightening the last seal, "these fools wouldn't even think of starting a war."
High above, Hashirama's throat tightened.
He stared down at his brother's weary figure.
The same Tobirama he remembered—fierce, brilliant, and proud—now so beaten, so alone.
"...Kinkaku and Ginkaku… they're the ones causing all this?"
Hashirama's eyes narrowed.
"I've never heard of them. And when Tobirama killed Izuna, he didn't even blink. It was over in one strike."
Kai spoke up.
"They've got the Six Paths Ninja Tools. Plus some of the Nine-Tails' chakra."
"They're about Kage-level. Normally, Tobirama would beat them."
Hashirama frowned.
"Then why is he like this?"
"He got hit early. Ambushed. Didn't see it coming."
"Ah…"
Hashirama nodded.
"Yeah. Sneak attacks… those are the worst."
Then his expression tightened.
"Still, he's gotten soft. Less time playing with forbidden jutsu. More time training, please."
At that moment—
Rustle—!
A dozen Kumo shinobi burst from the trees, surrounding the clearing.
At the front—
Kinkaku and Ginkaku.
Blades drawn. Tailed Beast Chakra flickering around their forms.
Hashirama's face darkened.
He didn't need to analyze it.
Tobirama, in this condition, couldn't win this alone.
Should he jump in?
Would his interference mess with time?
What would this future become if he acted?
He turned to Kai—silent, but the question was loud in his eyes.
Can I help him? Should I?
Kai answered softly.
"Not yet."
"Let him struggle a little."
"A proud man like your brother… he needs to feel it."
"He won't die here. I'll make sure of that."
Kai wasn't here just to save Tobirama.
He brought Hashirama to this moment—
—to let him watch.
To make him understand how broken this world really was.
So that when it came time…
Hashirama would be willing to help break it.