Eyes * Ruled by emotion

Madara bent down and picked Izuna up.

The person wrapped in the thin blanket was lighter than he remembered; several days of liquid food feeding could no longer support the weight of an adult man.

He turned and left the Laboratory. After exiting the tunnel, he activated his Body Flicker Technique. The wind whistled past his ears, and the streets stretched into blurry lines on both sides of his vision. After a while, the gate of his own mansion came into view.

Madara carried Izuna into the house, formed a Shadow Clone seal, and let him go in first. He made the bed, and after making the bed, he gently placed Izuna on the bed, bent down to take off Izuna's shoes and socks, and rolled up Tobirama's blanket and threw it into the Outer Corridor.

His thumb brushed against the corner of Izuna's eye, where a trace of dried, dark ink still remained.

Tobirama Senju didn't even bother to wipe Izuna's face. How could he be so negligent and yet claim to take care of him? Humph.

Madara completely ignored the fact that Tobirama had no obligation to do such a thing.

The Shadow Clone walked out of the kitchen, carrying a basin of water and a towel.

Madara took the two items from his hands and began wiping Izuna's face.

A quarter of an hour later, a short, sharp sound, characteristic of the Flying Thunder God Formula, came from outside the paper door, followed by the soft sound of footsteps landing on the stepping stones.

Ban's Shadow Clone went to open the door.

Tobirama stood in the doorway, carrying a small Medical Kit. He ignored the Shadow Clone that was radiating hostility towards him, took off his shoes, stepped into the room, and went straight to the bedside where Izuna was lying.

Although Ban didn't like him, his younger brother was still counting on him, so he didn't say much.

He sat cross-legged on the other side of the bed, arms crossed, watching silently Tobirama opened the Medical Kit.

Tobirama one knee beside Izuna's head and took out a palm-sized cylindrical glass container from the Medical Kit.

The Nutrient Solution swayed slightly during transport, and the eyeball slowly rotated half a circle in the liquid, with the iris aligning with the direction of the spot.

Madara noticed that the pupil of that eye was black, with a fleeting red light occasionally flashing as it moved.

"Help him up," Tobirama said.

Madara got up, walked around behind Izuna, and half-lifted him up, letting Izuna's head rest against his chest.

Tobirama removed the gauze from Izuna's left eye, revealing the sunken eye socket beneath.

Tobirama used tweezers to pick up the Lid Speculum that was soaking in Disinfectant, carefully pried open Izuna's eyelids, and fixed it in place.

"You're quite skilled," Madara's voice came from above him.

Without Tobirama up, Tobirama took another, finer pair of tweezers from his Medical Kit, the tips bent into a tiny arc. "I've done forty-seven simulations on animals in the Laboratory, so of course I'm skilled."

Ban was silent for a moment, then said, "Continue."

Tobirama unscrewed the sealed lid of the glass container, washed his hands with Disinfectant, covered his fingertips with an extremely thin Chakra membrane, and probed into the Nutrient Solution to gently lift out the eyeball.

When the optic Nerve Endings detached from the Nutrient Solution, they brought with them a few strands of sticky fluid, which trembled slightly under the fingertip.

With his other hand, he picked up a Probe as thin as a hair and inserted it into Izuna's eye socket, searching along the gaps in the tissue for the Optic Nerve.

"Found it." Tobirama pulled out the Probe and replaced it with a finer pair of tweezers.

He aligned the optic Nerve Endings in Izuna's eye socket. At that moment, the Chakra membrane on his fingertip thickened, wrapping the two Nerve Endings together and fixing them in place.

Then came the second, the third, with the connection of each Nerve Endings ending precise to the micrometer level.

Madara looked down and could see a fine layer of sweat on Tobirama's forehead.

After the last Nerve Endings ending was connected, Tobirama gently pushed the eyeball into the eye socket.

The curvature of the eyeball fits perfectly with the eye socket, and the iris is aligned directly forward with the opening of the Lid Speculum.

Madara looked at the eye that had been placed back into Izuna's eye socket.

The iris still had the moist sheen of the Nutrient Solution, just like when it was in the glass container, but after being placed in Izuna's eye socket, it no longer looked artificial.

This guy has managed to make eyes so realistic; it's truly terrifying.

Tobirama released the Lid Speculum, and Izuna's eyelids slowly closed, covering his new left eye.

He straightened up, put the equipment back into the Medical Kit, and said in a calm voice, "Alright, the Optic Nerve reconnection is 100% successful. His vision should be unaffected after he wakes up, and he shouldn't fall off again."

He closed the Medical Kit, then wiped the sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand. He stood up and walked towards the door. "I'm going back now. He might experience temporary blurred vision after he wakes up, which is normal and will clear up on its own in a few hours. If he experiences persistent pain or Chakra imbalance, call me immediately."

The paper door opened and closed again.

Ban gently placed his head back on the pillow.

He sat for a while longer, then got up and went to the Outer Corridor to pick up the blanket he had thrown out, shook off the dust, folded it neatly, and placed it in the corner.

Tobirama Flying Thunder God to return to the Hokage Building's Office.

He habitually started thinking about the documents, and sat down to begin the approval process.

After approving three documents, he reached for the blanket draped over the back of the chair.

My hand missed its target.

He turned to look at the empty back of the chair, remained silent for a moment, and then remembered that his usual blanket had been requisitioned by Madara to wrap Izuna.

Given Madara Uchiha's personality, he probably would have already burned his blanket and the tatami mats he had stepped on to ashes.

Forget it, it's just a blanket, not worth making another trip to the Uchiha Clan Compound for.

He sighed, sat back down at his desk, picked up the top document, opened it, and continued to correct it.

Around noon, after having lunch with Mito Hashirama home, Hashirama strolled over to the Hokage Building carrying a bag of snacks that Mito had given him.

When Hashirama pushed open the door, Tobirama glanced up at him. The two brothers stared at each other for less than a second before Tobirama's gaze returned to the documents. He didn't stop writing, but merely gestured with his chin towards the mountain of scrolls opposite his desk.

The meaning is clear: Sit down and get to work.

Hashirama's face immediately fell.

He placed the bag of sweets that Mito had given him on the corner of the Tobirama, reluctantly moved behind the desk, sat down, and picked up the top scroll to unfold it.

He started to lose focus after reading only three lines.

His eyes were so clear, yet his expression so unfocused, that one couldn't help but wonder if he'd lost his brain in the fight.

Seeing his Big Brother's seemingly illiterate appearance, Tobirama finally spoke.

"Big Brother, summon all the tribal Clan Head to the Meeting Room. We're having a meeting this afternoon."

Hashirama's eyes lit up, and he'd already jumped out of his chair. Before he could slip away, Tobirama added, "Use the Wood Clone to run errands; leave the real body with these documents."

Hashirama's eyes, which had just brightened, dimmed again by half a degree, but he still obediently formed a hand seal. His Wood Clone stood up from beside his main body, pushed open the door, and went out to run an errand.

Tobirama looked up from the pile of documents and glanced at him.

The emotions in that look were very complex, with three parts surprise, three parts approval, and four parts disbelief that "you actually did it."

Hashirama couldn't help but glare at him, but finally calmed down and began to read the documents.

In the afternoon, the paper doors of the Hokage Building's Meeting Room were pushed open one by one, and the Clan Head of various clans arrived one after another.

Madara Uchiha arrived first, followed by Tadase, the only young high-ranking Tadayo of the clan who was not injured.

The Senju Clan's representative was Hashirama himself, who was both the Hokage and the de facto head of the Senju Clan, having to attend to both.

Hyuga Tennin took his seat with the Young Clan Head Tetsuya and Sōsuke.

The Clan Head of the Sarutobi Clan sat next to the Tennin, and the two nodded to each other. Behind him stood his son, Sarutobi Sasuke.

The Akimichi, Yamanaka, and Nara clans entered almost one after the other, and, as always, sat on the same side.

The Clan Head of the Shimura Clan sat next to the Sarutobi Clan, his face revealing little emotion.

As usual, the Clan Head of the Aburame Clan wore a hood and quietly chose a seat at the back.

Tobirama stood to the side and slightly behind Hashirama, holding a stack of documents waiting to be processed.

"The first thing we need to solve is what Konoha should do now."

Tobirama's voice was not loud, and he got straight to the point. "This attack came unexpectedly. Although everyone here reacted quickly and sent strong people to provide support, the battle did not reach the core area of the village."

"But the intensity was too great. His Daimyo and the Envoys from the Four Nations were clearly frightened, and the degree of fright may have been more severe than we had anticipated."

"Because they have hardly left their homes these days, and unless required to be present, our Daimyo will not come out to check on the progress of the reconstruction of the Dueling Arena."

"The current situation is that Izuna's original itinerary has been completely disrupted. We have only shown less than half of what we were supposed to show to the Envoys from various countries."

"We went to such great lengths to invite the Envoys from the Four Nations, only to have them witness a battle where the Asura of the Ninja World' and the God of the Shinobi World's were nearly killed."

Several Clan Head frowned simultaneously. The words were unpleasant to hear, but no one objected.

Even though we know how difficult this battle will be, and that winning would be something to celebrate, they won't understand. So the question now is what we do in the final stages.

"Should we continue with the original plan to complete the remaining itinerary and adjust the schedule, or should we simply end it early and send the Envoys home? We need your opinions."

The Clan Head of the Shimura Clan was the first to speak.

He participated in the battle, his right arm still in a sling, but he sat upright, his voice showing no sign of the weakness of a wounded soldier. "I propose abandoning the original plan. In the current situation, continuing with the original plan is no longer appropriate. The Envoy's emotions cannot be soothed by simply visiting a few more tourist attractions."

"I suggest ending the trip early and inviting them again once the village has recovered."

"Give up?" The Sarutobi Clan Head frowned. "We went to so much trouble to bring them here, and now if we give up, all our previous efforts will be wasted. Moreover, sending them back prematurely means they'll return with the impression that 'Konoha has been crippled.' Have you considered how many more enemy troops will be on the border next spring, Clan Head Shimura?"

Clan Head Shimura asked expressionlessly, "What brilliant idea does Clan Head Sarutobi have?"

"My opinion is that instead of hiding it, we should take this opportunity to demonstrate our Medical Ninjutsu to the Envoy. Don't they think Ninjas are cold-blooded? Let them see how we treat the wounded. In this battle, the vast majority survived, with only sixteen dying. That number speaks louder than any explanation."

Hyuga Tennin frowned and said, "Demonstrating Medical Ninjutsu is a good idea, but I don't think that alone will dispel their doubts. On the contrary, I think it will only expose our weakness and make them have other ideas."

"So what do you mean?" The Clan Head of the Sarutobi Clan turned to look at him.

"A show of Strength," the Hyuga Clan Head stated bluntly. "Let them know that even though we just fought a fierce battle, Konoha is still not something they can touch. That's easier and more reliable than trying to make them understand."

"Not daring to act and not wanting to act are two different things." The speaker was the Clan Head of the Nara Clan, his voice calm and measured. "Making them afraid to act might keep us in check for three to five years, but making them unwilling to act will reduce our troubles for the next thirty to fifty years. Lord Hashirama invited the Envoys from the Four Nations precisely for the latter purpose. If we revert to the old path of Strength, then our invitation will have been wasted."

Clan Head Shimura turned his head to look at Nara Clan Head, and said indifferently, "Tell me, how do you make them not want to move?"

The Yamanaka Clan Head continued, "For them to understand us, we must first understand their perspective."

After the Yamanaka Clan Head finished speaking, there was a brief silence in the Meeting Room.

They understood the words of the Yamanaka Clan Head.

If you can understand, you can intervene; if you can intervene, you can change.

If they can understand their way of thinking, then Konoha can make them act as they wish.

But how could they possibly know what those nobles were really thinking?

"What else could they be thinking?" Madara leaned back in his chair, his tone flat. "They simply think Ninjas are still as terrifying as ever, and they don't want to cooperate with us anymore. They listened to Hashirama's speech, and we even took them to the Amusement Park, but in the end, they were brought back to reality by an attack."

Clan Head Shimura nodded. "So I suggest we don't rush things. Let's put this matter aside for now and let them process it."

Sarutobi Clan Head, his knuckles unconsciously tapping the table. "I think we should strike while the iron is hot. Think about it, what was the attitude of those Envoys before they came to Konoha?"

"They didn't treat us very well in the past, but now that we've fought a war, those noble lords are sending their guards to help us. It's hard to say whether their attitude has improved or worsened."

Hyuga Tennin shook his head. "They helped us because that man in white attacked anyone he saw, regardless of whether they were from Konoha or another country."

"That was self-preservation, not trust. And what happened after the fight? Did you see the faces of those Envoys? The way they looked at us was even more complicated than when they came."

"What do you mean?" Clan Head Akimichi asked.

"It means they're both grateful and afraid now." Hyuga Tennin thought for a moment, then corrected his wording. "Perhaps gratitude isn't quite the right word, but at least they saw with their own eyes that the Konoha Ninjas didn't abandon anyone, even rescuing guards from other countries. They should understand that."

The Aburame Clan Head, who had been silent all along, finally spoke, her voice muffled from beneath her hood. "The key is how those Envoys will write their reports after returning to their own countries."

"Will they write 'The Ninjas of Konoha saved our guards,' or will they write 'The Ninjas of Konoha are devastating in battle; they are invincible'?"

"Write them all down," the Nara Clan Head replied quickly. "They will certainly report the truth. The question is, which aspect do we want to prevail in their decision-making?"

Hashirama.

He placed his hands on the table, clasping them together with his thumbs intertwined, his expression much more serious than when he was in meetings.

After the Clan Head had finished speaking, he cleared his throat and slowly said, "I say, aren't you all overthinking this?"

Everyone turned to look at him.

"I really don't understand what those Envoys are thinking." Hashirama scratched the back of his head, smiling somewhat sheepishly. "But just now at the door, the Daimyo told me something. He said he's going to hold a Memorial Service."

The moment the word "Memorial Service" was uttered, the Meeting Room fell silent.

The Clan Head exchanged glances.

Hashirama's words came out of nowhere, and for a moment they didn't realize what this unfamiliar term meant.

"Memorial Service?" Clan Head Shimura frowned, muttering the word to himself. "What's that?"

The Nara Clan Head coughed lightly. All eyes turned to him, and he explained, "I've seen it before. It's a ceremony to commemorate the dead, gathering all those involved to observe a moment of silence, recite eulogies, offer flowers, and burn incense. It's usually a formal event held only by the nobility."

Hyuga Tennin looked at Hashirama thoughtfully, "Why did you do this?"

Hashirama summarized his conversation with Yuan Yusheng at the main gate. He recounted the whole story, from how Yuan Yusheng asked about the time of the Memorial Service in public, to how he privately chased after him to ask what the Memorial Service was, to how the Daimyo wife explained the process of the Memorial Service, and finally to how he himself agreed.

When Yuan Yusheng mentioned "relatives and friends coming on stage to recount their deeds," his speech unconsciously quickened, and his eyes lit up as if he had discovered something good.

"So the Daimyo wants me to hold it in three days, at the Dueling Arena. Everyone has to be there, and we also need to invite Envoy the Four Nations," Hashirama said. "I think it's a good idea."

The Meeting Room fell silent for a moment, but this silence was different from the previous one.

Those present were all tribal Clan Head; everyone sitting here was an exceptionally shrewd and capable individual.

They didn't need Hashirama to spell it out; just hearing the two points, "The Daimyo requested everyone to be present" and "The Envoys from the Four Nations were invited," was enough for them to understand roughly what Yuan Yusheng had hidden behind the Memorial Service.

Hyuga Tennin spoke first, his tone much gentler than before. "I see. It's the Daimyo who's cleaning up our mess."

Clan Head Shimura nodded. "Good decision."

"As expected of Your Daimyo, you so quickly grasped our current predicament and provided a solution so quickly," Clan Head Sarutobi said with admiration. "We could never have imagined something like this."

Hashirama said happily, "Right? You all think it's a good idea too! Ever since he said that, I've been thinking that I would be very happy if someone were willing to recite what I did at my funeral and remember my name."

"After all, when a person lives in this world, someone has to leave something behind for them."

He spoke with such seriousness that the Clan Head, looking at his face, were momentarily speechless.

Tobirama couldn't help but ask him, "You... you only wanted to hold this ceremony because of this?"

"Yes, that's wonderful! We've never had a ceremony like this before! If it can be implemented, everyone will have another way to remember family and friends! How great!"

Ban nodded in agreement. "That's very good. This way, everyone has an outlet for their longing, and they don't have to feel melancholy alone."

Tobirama couldn't help but cover his face.

Those two emotional fools!