NOVEL WEB Chapter 93: Chapter 93: Hashirama
Konohagakure
Root's Underground Laboratory
Since the death of the former Root leader, Shimura Danzo, the organization had been taken over by the new Hokage's advisor.
The Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal, which Danzo had placed on his subordinates, was lifted after his death.
Some of the remaining Root members chose to stay under the Hokage's command, their past crimes forgiven to allow them to continue contributing to the village.
Others, tired of Root's endless cycle of killing, were released from their obligations. With their ninja status retained, they returned to their clans or became ordinary shinobi—such as Aburame Torune and Yamanaka Fuu.
A small faction of Danzo's die-hard loyalists, however, resisted to the end and were eliminated.
The underground laboratory that Danzo had used to conduct research on Hashirama cells and the Uchiha clan's Sharingan was left intact under Nara Shikaku's supervision. While its experiments were discontinued, the equipment and samples remained untouched, awaiting the Hokage's final decision.
The sound of hurried footsteps echoed through the empty laboratory.
Taptaptap…
Senju Tobirama entered, holding a sealed scroll. He unfurled it, and a tightly wrapped bundle resembling a cocoon dropped onto the ground, covered in intricate black runes.
"Release!"
Tobirama pressed his index and middle fingers together, chanting softly. The black runes on the cocoon slowly dissipated.
"Honestly, I wasn't prepared to face you, Brother…" Tobirama murmured with a complicated expression.
The bundle was none other than the sealed form of the First Hokage, Senju Hashirama, resurrected during Konoha's destruction by Orochimaru's Edo Tensei.
After subduing and sealing him, Tobirama had stored Hashirama in this scroll, where he remained forgotten—until now.
With Akatsuki collaborating with Orochimaru and threatening Konoha, their Edo Tensei army, potentially including Uchiha Madara, posed a dire threat. Alone, Tobirama couldn't face them. He needed his brother.
Although he had told Tsunade that Hashirama's soul had returned to the Pure Land, a sealed existence wasn't too far off, right?
"Mmph… mmph…"
A muffled sound came from the cocoon, followed by a hand tearing through the outer layers.
"Why's it so dark in here?"
Hashirama's head popped out, looking dazed as his eyes darted around. When he spotted Tobirama, his face lit up.
Orochimaru's control seal had faded over time, allowing Hashirama to regain his consciousness.
"Tobirama! Was it that young fellow Oro-something again?" Hashirama brushed off the dust and asked curiously.
"I told you not to mess with forbidden techniques, and now look—dragged out again to be someone's punching bag…"
He began to lecture Tobirama, but noticing the absence of the Edo Tensei caster, he looked puzzled.
"Brother, it was me. I brought you back," Tobirama interrupted, his voice steady but strained.
"Huh?"
Hashirama tilted his head, staring at Tobirama in surprise.
"It's a long story," Tobirama began, motioning for his brother to prepare himself. "After I sealed you, things happened…"
Tobirama explained the events following his resurrection: the wars, Akatsuki's rise, and Konoha's current crisis.
Though Tobirama had given him time to adjust, Hashirama's expression shifted drastically as he learned about the turmoil.
"The Uchiha clan is gone?"
"Our clan too?"
"You destroyed Iwagakure?"
"You're collecting all the Tailed Beasts?"
Hashirama's exclamations came rapid-fire, each one louder than the last. Luckily, no one else was around to witness the commotion.
When Tobirama finally finished explaining, Hashirama, usually cheerful and absent-minded, fell silent.
After a long pause, he spoke slowly.
"The two Uchihas…"
"They're fine," Tobirama cut in, understanding his brother's concern. "Both are men. The Uchiha will have heirs."
"Good… It's a relief to know the Uchiha won't vanish completely." Hashirama lowered his head, his voice tinged with guilt. "I failed Madara…"
"As for the Senju…"
"There's still a branch in the Fire Country's capital, and Tsunade is doing well," Tobirama reassured him.
Hashirama's mood lifted as he processed this. He straightened, regaining his composure.
"Tobirama, why are you going against the decision we made about the Tailed Beasts? Waging wars for them? Turning against Sunagakure and Iwagakure? Isn't this undermining the peace we built?"
"No, Brother. The peace you envisioned is already gone," Tobirama retorted sharply, cutting off his brother's lecture.
"Do you know how long it took for the other villages to start the First Shinobi World War after your death? Just a few years. That's when I died."
"Distributing the Tailed Beasts didn't create balance, it only made the villages more reckless when starting wars."
"And do you know how many Shinobi World Wars have occurred since then? Three."
Tobirama's words were blunt and unrelenting.
"Madara was right. True peace can only come from unifying the nations. The one-country-one-village system breeds nothing but chaos."
"Madara… was right?" Hashirama stared at his brother in disbelief. Tobirama, who had always opposed Madara, was now agreeing with him?
"Is lasting peace between the five great nations truly impossible?" Hashirama asked, his voice trembling.
"It's not," Tobirama replied flatly.
"Fine. I'll leave this to you, Tobirama." Hashirama shook his head, dismissing the painful thoughts.
"Tobirama, you mentioned Akatsuki is targeting the village?" His expression darkened, rare determination flaring in his eyes.
Konoha, the dream he and Madara had shared, would not be destroyed under his watch.
"Yes, Brother. They've likely used Edo Tensei to revive numerous powerful shinobi… possibly including Uchiha Madara."
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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