The Struggle Session

Izuna watched as the Tsuchigumo Clan members walked away with Haruto's attendants, let out a soft breath, and muttered to himself, "Done."

Hashirama was still sobbing to the Hashirama, his shoulders shaking, his crying so realistic that even the underlings from Hiroyama couldn't help but glance at him, wondering how sentimental the Hokage must be to cry like this on the battlefield for someone else's marriage.

Tobirama, unable to contain himself any longer, lowered his voice and cursed, "Big Brother, that's enough!"

"Waaah... I'm really touched..." Hashirama peeked out from between his fingers and winked at Tobirama.

Tobirama 'Tobirama throbbed. He took a deep breath and decided not to say another word to this dramatic older brother.

Ban looked at them and sighed silently.

He knew that Hashirama was deliberately drawing everyone's attention to him so that the Tsuchigumo Clan wouldn't pile all their resentment and pressure on Izuna.

But this method... well, as long as it works. He stood up, brushed the seaweed off his clothes, and walked to the center of the dock.

"Things have escalated to this point, and regardless of why you've come here today, it's all over," Madara declared loudly. "The people from the Land of Lightning and the Land of Water will be under the care of Konoha, and the Land of Hot Water will decide how to deal with them tomorrow."

He paused here, his gaze sweeping over the weary faces of the people, his tone softening slightly. "Gentlemen, it's fortunate that no one was injured tonight. Whatever grudges you may have, go home for now. Take a shower, change your clothes, and we can talk about it tomorrow."

Everyone looked at each other in bewilderment. After a long while, the workers were the first to move. The old technician bowed slightly to Ban and led a group of brothers who were supporting each other slowly into the town.

The chamber of the Merchants' Association members looked at Haruto.

Haruto handed the oil lamp to his attendants and waved to them, "Go back, we'll settle tonight's score tomorrow. Anyone injured, go to the pharmacy and register under my name."

The merchants breathed a sigh of relief and dispersed in twos and threes. The chairman nodded to him from behind.

Haruto nodded in acknowledgment from afar.

Izuna waved to Enma, who was leaving with the merchants, "See you tomorrow, Enma!"

Enma turned around and waved to him.

Hiroyama stood up, stretched his stiff neck, and bowed slightly to Ban, "I'll leave those people in your care, gentlemen."

Ban nodded slightly. Hiroyama then led his gang of underlings, dragging the half-dead Masato, towards the direction of the Hiroyama Family.

Masato was still mumbling something when Tamaro stuffed a rag he'd picked up from somewhere into his mouth, so he could only make muffled noises.

Soon, only the four people from Konoha, the prisoners from the Rai and Shui countries, and the devastation remained on the dock.

Hashirama was still sobbing Hashirama him, his broad shoulders trembling. Tobirama held back Tobirama a while, but finally couldn't take it anymore and kicked him in the shin. "Stop crying! Aren't you ashamed!"

Hashirama yelled, clutching his leg and jumping up and down. "Tobirama, what are you doing! I'm helping Izuna attract hatred! Didn't you see those guys looked a little better when they left?!"

"Everyone's gone, what are you doing here putting on this act!" Tobirama's Tobirama throbbed with anger. "A Hokage wailing like this at the dock, what kind of image will that have?!"

Ban couldn't help but laugh out loud.

Hashirama immediately jumped over and patted Madara on the shoulder, lightly changing the subject. "Madara, what you said at the end was really good! You really should be the Hokage."

Tobirama's already unpleasant expression darkened further. "Big Brother, could you please not say such things in front of people from other countries?"

Am I wrong?

Tobirama looked angry, but Madara glanced at Hashirama and didn't bother to argue.

Because Madara knew he would have a million ways to refute him.

In short, we must make him the Second Hokage.

Tobirama took the initiative to take care of settling the Ninjas and left alone, Hashirama, Madara, and Izuna went back to their Hot Springs hotel.

Back at the Hot Springs inn, Izuna seemed to realize belatedly remark, "So Madara-nii can be this gentle... How rare."

Madara had just taken off his outer robe, which had been soaked by Izuna's fan, and hung it on the screen when he heard this. He turned around, his eyebrows raised high. "Strange?"

"It was just now at the dock," Izuna gestured, "When you said, 'It's a stroke of luck that no one was injured tonight,' your tone was particularly kind. And you told those workers to go home early to shower and change... I've never seen you like that before."

He thought for a moment, then said, "In front of others, like this."

Ban was both amused and exasperated. "What exactly is your impression of me?"

Hashirama poked his head in from next door, his hair still dripping wet, clearly having rinsed his face. "Madara has always been gentle! Although he's sometimes too lazy to listen to people and often resorts to violence, he's always been very gentle!"

"Go wipe your face!" Madara grabbed a dry towel draped over the screen and threw it at Hashirama's face.

Hashirama caught it steadily, then wiped his face twice. "Look, look, you're still embarrassed."

Tobirama of the corridor, carrying a scroll, writing brush, ink, and a bottle of ointment.

"I've settled the people from the Land of Lightning and the Land of Water. They're tied up in an abandoned house, with two Shadow Clones watching over them. I'll interrogate them when I have the chance."

He paused, then naturally interjected, "What Ban said at the dock just now was indeed quite appropriate. Although he's a powder keg most of the time, he's not always explosive; when things are normal, he has a lot of leadership qualities."

"Thank you for your generous compliment," Ban replied with a forced smile.

Tobirama ignored him and placed the ointment on the low table by the door. "Izuna, did you scrape your hand earlier? Put some on it yourself."

Izuna looked down at the back of his hand and saw a faint red mark, probably from when he brushed aside the group of workers earlier.

He didn't even notice it himself, but Tobirama did.

Ban sneered, "Hypocrite."

Izuna remained silent, took the medicine, and applied it to himself.

After tidying up, the four of them sat around a low table in the center of the inn.

The flame of the oil lamp flickered gently in the night breeze, casting swaying shadows on the four people's faces.

Tobirama checked all the doors and windows, then used Barrier Ninjutsu to create a thin sensory network inside the room. Only after confirming that no one could eavesdrop did he sit down at the table.

"Let's begin." Tobirama placed his hands on his knees, his Red Eyes fixed on Izuna. "Tonight, we must clarify everything that needs to be said. There are too many mysteries surrounding you, and we've been using 'no memories' to cover it up before. But after Isshiki's battle, things can't be delayed any longer."

Izuna sat properly next to Madara, with a dry towel draped over his back and his half-dry hair hanging down beside his face.

He nodded.

Ban sat beside him, his expression calm.

Hashirama sat Tobirama, unusually quiet and focused, watching Izuna intently without making any jokes.

"Let's start with Isshiki." Tobirama stared at Izuna, leaving no room for evasion. "Your performance in that battle didn't seem like someone facing an enemy like that for the first time. You knew his Black Rods could absorb Chakra, you knew he could use Space-Time Ninjutsu, and you even knew what his final form would be. Izuna, explain."

Izuna lowered his head, his fingers unconsciously picking at the fabric on his knees. After a long while, he spoke, "I... I don't really understand either. When I see him, something pops into my head, as if I've known it for a long time."

"I feel like I've seen every single one of those moves he knows before. But if you ask me where or when I saw them, I can't remember at all."

Tobirama frowned. It was that ambiguous statement again.

He looked at Hashirama, Hashirama simply shook his head.

"And what about your Mangekyō Sharingan?" Tobirama continued to ask.

"I know that," Izuna said. "I have two abilities. My left eye is Kamui, and my right eye is Bishamonten."

"Bishamonten can grant me a period of time in which I will not be injured or die." Izuna carefully chose his words. "As long as this ability is activated, everything on my body will be restored to its original state, exactly as my soul was."

"The wounds will disappear, the missing parts will be replenished, whether it's being cut off or pierced through, it will return to its state before the injury."

"That's why you were able to fight like that." A bead of cold sweat trickled down Hashirama's cheek. "Your completely unguarded state back then really scared me."

Madara frowned. "What do you mean? Izuna was injured?"

Hashirama froze, then hurriedly began gesturing, "Ah! This! That!"

"Why didn't you tell me!" Madara exclaimed angrily. "You should have told me this much sooner!"

Hashirama huddled by the table, his head in his hands, not daring to utter a sound.

Izuna asked doubtfully, "Have I been injured?"

Madara looked at him and asked worriedly, "Don't you feel anything? Does this Bishamonten power have any side effects?"

"No, as for side effects... um..." Izuna thought for a moment, "It will consume a lot of Chakra. If the Chakra is exhausted, you can no longer use Bishamonten, that's about it."

Tobirama, "That's why you fainted back then."

"Which time?!" Ban was so excited he almost leaned over the table.

Tobirama leaned back speechlessly. "Can you please not get so agitated?"

"Stop talking nonsense! When are we going to start?!"

"When he delivered Isshiki final blow, he was injured and immediately passed out. I was wondering what had happened, but now I think he probably just suddenly ran out of Chakra and lost consciousness."

Why didn't you pull him away in time?!

"You know what level he's Isshiki! Opportunities are fleeting, and you have no choice but to go for it! Besides, how was I supposed to know why he didn't dodge!"

"Heh, Flying Thunder God Technique, huh? You're good at killing people, but you're always just one step behind when it comes to saving them."

Tobirama found this person's excessive concern for his younger brother to be somewhat annoying.

Hashirama quickly changed the subject by asking a question, "What about Kamui? Is it the technique that Isshiki the teleportation portal?"

"Right... right... I don't remember, but Kamui definitely can shatter the space within my sight," Izuna said. "Anywhere I see can be torn to pieces."

Hashirama remarked, "Wow... that's a really powerful ability. It's a pity Isshiki acted too quickly, otherwise we could have stopped him then and there."

But more than the ability itself, Izuna cared about the name.

Kamui, it shares the same name as Obito's ability, but Obito's two eyes have different functions: one is for absorption and the other is for intangibility.

Does that mean all space-based systems are called this?

"How many times can it be used?" Hashirama asked. "What's the cost?"

"As long as I have Chakra, I can use it an unlimited number of times."

"That's amazing!"

Madara, however, recalled the horrific state of Izuna's eye when he examined it.

It was covered in blood, and the eyeball was covered in growths. When it was removed, the entire eyeball was bulging, making it look extremely gruesome.

However, Izuna himself knows his own abilities best. Since he said that he can use it an unlimited number of times as long as he has Chakra, then it must be true.

So the reason that eye looks like that is simply because Izuna's technology in Tobirama's world was inadequate!

Tobirama could tell what Madara was thinking at a glance, but he was too lazy to argue with him. He knew that he couldn't reason with this brother-obsessed guy.

After shifting the blame, Ban slowly fell into deep thought. Then, as if he had thought of something, his face turned pale.

Hashirama noticed his unusual behavior and turned to look at him. "Madara?"

"Bishamonten," Madara's voice was soft, "Restore the soul to its original form."

Izuna nodded. "Yes, that's right. What's wrong?"

Ban didn't speak.

He recalled the layers of old wounds on Izuna's body when they soaked in the Hot Springs.

It appeared after he woke up.

Or rather, his body changed after the Tengu's wings appeared.

He thought it was a side effect of the Tengu's awakening, but now he understands.

Those scars, those wings, that movement style that wasn't typical of Ninja —it was all "their original form."

It was Bishamonten who was gradually returning Izuna to himself.

In other words, before his battle with Isshiki, Izuna did not come into this world in his original form.

His body is now disabled.

Ban suddenly thought of a question.

How exactly did Izuna come into their world?

What price did they pay, and what choices did they make, to be able to enter their world?

Ban suddenly found it hard to breathe.

Hashirama Madara.

He had never seen Madara with such an expression before, as if something had suddenly drained the color from his face. His lips were tightly pressed together, and his gaze was fixed on Izuna, but it seemed as if he wasn't even looking at him.

Hashirama wanted to say something, but with Izuna still there, he could only swallow back the words that were on the tip of his tongue. He simply moved closer to Madara without making a sound and nudged him with his knee.

Ban snapped out of his daze, blinked, and straightened his posture.

Tobirama glanced at Madara, then looked at Izuna and continued with his question.

"About the Tengu. Madara told us about it once before, but he spoke incoherently, and many of the things he said were not things you would say. Similarly, it was so absurd that it probably wasn't Madara's own idea; someone else must have told him."

"And this 'someone,' I suspect, refers to the concept of Shikigami that he explicitly mentioned in his description," Tobirama stared at Izuna. "In Madara's description, Shikigami are never far from their master. So, that so-called 'Shikigami' is right beside you right now."

Izuna gave Dead-Fish Eyes and said, "Actually, it was there from beginning to end, but you couldn't see it, and even if you did, you'd forget it immediately, so I've always been annoyed."

Tobirama raised an eyebrow. "Even if you have a low profile, you won't be forgotten immediately, will you?"

"Will you remember everyone you've ever met?"

The voice came from Izuna's arms. When Izuna heard him speak, he took out the fan that Haruto had given him from his arms.

The fan had been possessed by Mokushō, and the previously damaged paper surface had become smooth again, with several very faint dark green Vines patterns appearing on the fan ribs.

Embroidered with bird patterns, it shimmered slightly with a pearly sheen in the candlelight.

"Mokushō, come out." Izuna placed the fan flat on the low table.

The oil lamp flame flickered on its own without any wind.

The fan made a very soft pattering sound, as if something had woken up beneath the paper.

Immediately afterwards, a few wisps of extremely faint green smoke escaped from between the fan ribs, spreading along the tabletop and gathering around Izuna to form a human shape.

Mokushō changed his clothes; he was no longer the boy who wore a dark green Kariginu and had his face covered with Talisman Paper.

Standing before them was a tall, slender young man.

The pattern on his kimono was exactly the same as that on his fan, both featuring a vibrant design of birds and flowers, with the lush floral and bird motifs extending from the hem of his clothes to his waist, creating an exceptionally beautiful effect.

His hair had grown long and was tied up high with a dark green rope. The Talisman Paper that had covered his face had also changed, replaced by a plain Fox Mask with a crescent moon and a smiling face painted on it.

"Phew... That was a really good night's sleep." Mokushō tilted his head and stretched his shoulders, the pattern on the lining of his Haori flashing with tiny golden light as he moved.

He looked at his clothes, then raised his hand to touch his face, letting out a satisfied sigh, "Oh, I like this outfit."

Izuna stared at him for two seconds, then said with a serious expression, "You seem to have become more expensive."

"Hmph," Mokushō put his hands on his hips, his Fox Mask tilting slightly upwards with his chest puffing out, "Of course! I'm now the Tsukumogami of the antique, of course I'm noble!"

"That's still Yōkai," Izuna retorted.

"That's true, but don't worry. Although they are Tsukumogami born from people's obsessions, they won't harm anyone." Mokushō sat down with a smile in the empty seat between Izuna and Tobirama.

He looked at Tobirama, his eyes behind the mask curving into two crescent moons. "Didn't you want to ask me something? Go ahead. For Izuna's sake, I'm in the mood to answer tonight."

Tobirama front of him and felt for some reason that this guy was radiating a kind of free demonic aura that was just not right.

His intuition told him that the following questions would plunge him into a vicious cycle of hell.