[Timeline: Second Hokage Era]
[Year: 17th Year of Konohagakure]
[Unification Progress: 19%]
Kinkaku and Ginkaku arrived with eighteen elite shinobi from Kumogakure, sweeping through the forest like a storm. Their movements were quick, deliberate—they already knew who they were here for.
When they spotted only Tobirama Senju standing alone in a clearing, they didn't even try to hide their amusement.
Ginkaku grinned. "So, you're the only one left? The great Second Hokage, all by himself?"
He snorted, showing off his teeth. "What happened, huh? Your little guards run off and leave you behind?"
"Hokage? More like Hoka-gone!"
Tobirama said nothing.
His gaze remained cold and steady, locked on the brothers. No emotion in his face. No fear, no hesitation.
But his eyes lingered for a second on the artifact strapped to Ginkaku's back.
The Amber Purification Pot.
A strange, squat little vessel. Small, almost childish in shape—glowing faintly with a deep amber light.
But Tobirama knew exactly what it could do.
That pot had sealed the Second Raikage in a matter of seconds. All it took was one misstep. One slip of the tongue, and the victim was swallowed whole. Even someone as powerful as the Raikage hadn't escaped it.
He'd been tricked. Called out by name during negotiations—and the pot did the rest.
Kinkaku and Ginkaku were monsters, yes. But it was their tools—the Six Paths Ninja Tools—that made them truly deadly.
Tobirama had been injured in that same ambush. Caught off guard. Even now, his chest ached, his chakra was low, and every breath was laced with pain.
Still, he'd led Hiruzen and the others through enemy territory, slipping right out of Kumogakure's core, alive. That alone was a feat worth telling.
But he couldn't afford to underestimate those relics again.
And so—he stayed quiet.
The Amber Pot could only activate if he spoke the trigger. And Tobirama had no intention of making it easy for them.
Kinkaku elbowed his brother.
"He's keeping his mouth shut. Afraid of the pot."
"Smart," Ginkaku muttered. "But we know what this is. He's buying time—for those kids to run."
He spat to the side.
"This is what 'Hokage' means now? Throwing yourself away for your underlings? Pathetic."
Then he grinned wider. "No wonder Konoha's a mess. Without the First Hokage, it's just a rotting tree."
"Tch. Whatever," Kinkaku said. "He's injured. I'll finish him. You go stop the brats."
"No way," Ginkaku said. "We kill him now. The Raikage's already dead. If we take out the Hokage too, we'll go down in ninja history."
"Fine. Let's do it together."
Kinkaku raised the Banana Fan—one of the most powerful, and chakra-hungry, tools of the six.
"Let's see how long he lasts."
"Fire Style: Flame Wave Scroll!"
A spinning torrent of flames surged forward, the entire forest lighting up as it tore through the trees toward Tobirama.
"Water Style: Water Formation Wall!"
Tobirama reacted immediately, expelling a spiraling wall of water from his mouth. It clashed with the flames midair, hissing and steaming as the two elements collided.
It was one of the strongest Water Style defenses in the world.
But Tobirama wasn't at full strength.
Kinkaku poured more chakra into the fan.
The flames swelled, pushing harder.
Tobirama's wall flickered, then—
Boom!
The water collapsed. The flames surged forward.
But instead of screams—only smoke.
"…A shadow clone?" Ginkaku scowled.
"Too late," came Tobirama's real voice from behind.
"Water Style: Severing Wave."
A high-pressure jet shot from his mouth, slicing through the forest like a blade.
Panic broke out.
The Kumo shinobi scattered, diving for cover.
Ginkaku barely deflected the attack with the Seven Star Sword—but the force sent him skidding across the dirt.
Kinkaku evaded just in time.
The others?
Nine jonin—cut down in a flash. Gone before they even screamed.
Even Tobirama paused.
Was I too cautious?
Could I have taken them all out, with Hiruzen and the others backing me?
No.
If even one of them died, the mission would've failed. Konoha would have no idea what happened.
The risk wasn't worth it.
A tactical retreat was the only option.
Even if he died here, the others had to make it back.
Still... if he could take out a few more—
He glanced around.
Explosive seals already laid across the terrain.
Now or never.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The tags detonated in a rolling wave. Fire and smoke swallowed the clearing. Chakra signatures scrambled. Screams filled the chaos.
Time to move.
[Flying Thunder God: First Step]
Tobirama vanished.
He blinked between kunai, each marked ahead of time—appearing behind enemy lines, between trees, beside panicked targets.
In just seconds, seven more Kumo ninja fell—sliced down before they even saw him move.
But it came at a price.
His chakra reserves were almost gone.
His version of Flying Thunder God was raw, imprecise—far less refined than what Minato would one day master.
It worked. But it drained him dry.
He couldn't teleport far anymore. And he couldn't leave.
He wasn't that kind of man.
He was the Second Hokage. Tobirama Senju.
If anyone died here—it would be him.
From the shadows, Ginkaku and Kinkaku regrouped.
Rage etched into their faces.
These had been their best men. Their pride.
Now they were corpses on the dirt.
"Enough games!" Kinkaku roared, raising the Banana Fan.
"Wind Gust!" "Lightning Arc!"
A wind burst tore away the smoke—then lightning burst out, crackling in a vicious grid.
The electricity ripped through the trees, the ground—through ally and enemy alike.
Tobirama landed just nearby.
Exhausted.
Too slow to dodge.
The lightning hit him squarely.
Pain lanced through every nerve. His muscles locked. He dropped.
"Got you now!" Kinkaku laughed, eyes flashing.
He threw the Golden Rope.
It snapped around Tobirama's arm, binding him instantly.
Then—it began.
The curse of the Golden Rope: the victim would involuntarily speak their most-used phrase.
Tobirama's eyes widened.
No—!
Too late.
His mouth moved on its own.
"...Evil Uchiha."
A glowing phrase floated into the air in front of him.
In the distance, Ginkaku laughed.
He hurled the Seven Star Sword—aimed not at Tobirama, but at the word.
The blade passed cleanly through it.
Slice.
"Perfect."
The phrase shuddered, then flew toward the Amber Purification Pot.
"Collect it."
Ginkaku opened the lid—and the word was sucked in.
Moments later, the Seven Star Sword began to glow.
"Evil Uchiha"—now carved into its blade.
Ginkaku strolled over, inspecting it.
"…Wait, that's your catchphrase?"
He burst out laughing.
"Kekekeke—no way! You're the Second Hokage! The genius of the Senju! And your go-to phrase is 'Evil Uchiha'?!"
Even Kinkaku blinked. "That's… kinda sad, bro."
Ginkaku howled with laughter.
"What, you obsessed with them or something? Got a crush?"
"Don't tell me you're secretly in love with the Uchiha clan!"
Tobirama's eye twitched.
His teeth clenched.
Of all the humiliations he'd faced in his life—
This was easily the worst.