The Idealist

He immediately expanded the limits of his perception, spreading it like a giant net in all directions, covering the city of Kyoto, the suburbs, and even extending to the edge of the distant forest.

But no.

Tobirama's heart sank.

In his perception, lights, crowds, and buildings all became a blurred background, with only the light of Chakra twinkling like stars.

The sparse dots of light that he had marked beforehand, belonging to Ninjas from other countries, remained in place or moved slowly, without any unusual movement.

Apart from that, no other unfamiliar or powerful Chakra reactions appeared.

It was as if those two precise and provocative spatial jumps were merely hallucinations caused by his excessive tension.

But that's absolutely impossible.

Tobirama had absolute confidence in his own perception and judgment.

That mysterious entity, like a drop of water merging into the ocean, vanished completely. Did it disappear into the shadows? Is there truly a way to completely conceal Chakra reactions?

He had to temporarily abandon the pursuit, his figure blurring again, as he used the Flying Thunder God to return to the vicinity of the still bustling theater backstage.

At this moment, the final, poignant scene is unfolding on the stage.

Hyuga Akari, who plays Tokuko, is dressed in a simple nun's robe and kneels in the simulated lighting of a Buddhist temple.

She was unable to follow her family to the bottom of the sea; she was rescued, and for the rest of her life, all she could do was pray for the souls of the dead.

And then Izuna's Biwa rang out again, accompanied by the melodious flute notes, as Izuna's clear yet slightly hoarse voice softly chanted the opening verse:

"The bell of Gion Monastery, reminding us that all things in this world are impermanent."

The twin flowers of the Sal tree spread the Dharma; its flourishing inevitably leads to its decline—such is the vicissitude of life.

Wealth and pride are fleeting, like a fleeting dream on a spring night.

A triumphant spree eventually fades, leaving only dust and grime in the wind...

A gigantic Ageha butterfly, formed by the interplay of light and shadow, slowly flapped its wings in mid-air above the stage, scattering dreamlike, shimmering white light spots, like a butterfly guiding souls to the Transcendence.

The entire scene was breathtakingly beautiful, sorrowful yet not tragic, pushing the tragedy and Zen-like tranquility of the play to a final moment of serenity.

The audience held their breath, many with tears in their eyes, lost in the lingering emotions.

But Tobirama had no interest in appreciating it.

His gaze was like lightning, rapidly scanning every corner of the audience below the stage. His perception was like the most sophisticated radar, filtering the Chakra reactions of nearly a thousand people.

Anxiety burned in his cold, red eyes. Could that mysterious figure be hiding among this crowd? What exactly was their goal? To sabotage the performance? To target the Konoha High Command? Or did they have some other motive?

Just as he was conducting his investigation, a figure wearing a dark black hood walked back from the outside.

He slightly raised his head, looking towards the stage.

The sight of Izuna playing the koto caught his eye, and he seemed to waver for a moment, but he quickly regained his composure and turned away from him.

Then it walked into the shadows and disappeared.

In Tobirama's perception, that familiar fluctuation once again emanated from the space.

Here we go again!

This time, the fluctuations are pointing in the direction of... Konohagakure!

"It's Konoha!" Tobirama's pupils contracted sharply, and alarm bells rang in his mind. The target of this leap was actually their village!

Without any hesitation, and without even having time to notify Hashirama and Madara who were nearby.

Protecting the village is the top priority! Chakra's Tobirama surged at an unprecedented speed, and the imprint of the Flying Thunder God Technique lit up in his mind like stars, locking onto the nearest of several emergency coordinates within Konoha.

"Call out--"

But he still couldn't find the person who used his technique.

The ripples in space completely subsided the moment Tobirama arrived at the Konoha Training Ground, as if they had never occurred.

Once again, the opponent timed his jump perfectly precisely at the exact Setsuna he completed his teleportation, disappearing without a trace.

This time, however, due to the greater distance traveled and the greater energy expenditure, Tobirama completely lost his sense of where the spatial fluctuations went.

He got away again.

A rare sense of frustration mixed with a chilling anger rose in Tobirama's heart.

This feeling of being led by the nose is disgusting.

The other party seemed to have some understanding of his abilities and even his thought process, which was terrible.

"Tsk." He spat lightly, the intense Chakra consumption from continuously using the long-range Flying Thunder God made his breathing slightly rapid.

He quickly took out Military Rations Pill from his Ninja Tool Pouch and swallowed it. A slightly bitter but rapidly spreading warm current relieved the burning sensation in his meridians.

He closed his eyes and regulated his breathing for a moment, and his disordered breathing gradually calmed down.

Since the pursuit has yielded no results, and the enemy's target is clearly Konoha, staying behind in the village is the safest option.

With my Big Brother and Madara Uchiha in charge in the Capital, their Strength and resourcefulness are more than enough to handle any unforeseen circumstances.

As for Konoha... this home that he and his Big Brother had worked so hard to build, it absolutely could not be allowed to suffer any mishaps.

He stopped attempting a large-scale search, activated the Body Flicker Technique, and in a few leaps, he traversed the village and arrived at the top floor of the Hokage Building.

Pushing open the heavy wooden door to my Office, I saw the setting sun casting a warm orange glow on the floor through the window.

Everything seemed just as it had been when he left; the documents were neatly stacked, and the experimental equipment was spotless.

However, Tobirama's gaze froze instantly.

In the very center of his large desk, where the surface had been empty, lay a completely black scroll.

The Capital of the Land of Fire.

The Reception Room.

The atmosphere briefly became subtly tense.

Hashirama put forward many ideas.

He enthusiastically proposed ideas such as "Konoha and the Land of Fire should support each other like brothers," "establish an academy where Ninjas and civilians can study together," and "establish a peace committee jointly managed by Ninjas and Ordinary People to meet regularly to resolve disputes."

These ideas are not necessarily bad; they shine with the light of idealism and depict an extremely bright future.

The problem is that most of them are too... ahead of their time, or to put it bluntly, they are just wild ideas.

Some of the proposals were so naive that they would place an immeasurable burden and risk on Konoha alone.

"Hashirama," the young Daimyo finally pressed his temples after hearing a proposal about "Ninjas volunteering to build infrastructure in remote villages across the country free of charge," trying to be as tactful as possible.

"Your magnanimity is admirable, but this move may drag Konoha down, which would be detrimental in the long run. Moreover, governing a country requires more than just goodwill; it also requires balancing the interests of all parties."

Madara was much more direct, adding a cold jab from the side, "Are you planning to make all the Ninjas stop taking missions and spend their Tenten building houses and planting trees? Chakra and energy unlimited? Who will pay for it? Where will the village's operating funds come from? Do you want everyone to starve, or do you expect the Daimyo's Residence's Mansion to support us entirely? Don't forget, we are first and foremost Ninja group; survival and strength are fundamental."

"But if everyone is better off, we'll be better off too..." Hashirama tried to argue, but his voice trailed off under the disapproving gazes of Madara and the Daimyo.

Another idea, "to completely open up Konoha and allow anyone to freely enter and communicate," was rejected by both of them.

"Where do you place intelligence secrecy and village security?" Ban scoffed.

"Hashirama, excessive openness sometimes equates to a lack of defenses." The Daimyo shook his head. "Trust needs a foundation, but even more so, it needs boundaries."

The proposals were rejected one by one with sound reasoning, and a palpable low pressure seemed to materialize above Hashirama 'Hashirama. He slumped down again, his fingers unconsciously drawing circles on the table.

The young Daimyo looked at the legendary "God of Shinobi" who now resembled a moldy mushroom, his heart filled with complex emotions.

He tried to hold back, but finally couldn't resist. He turned his head slightly and asked Madara Uchiha, who was sitting opposite him, in a low voice.

"Lord Madara, please forgive my intrusion... Is he... truly the leader you all jointly elected, the future 'Hokage'?"

Upon hearing this, Ban raised his hand, his slender fingers touching his forehead, and let out a sigh.

Silence is sometimes the most powerful answer. It seems even the Uchiha Clan Head often finds this a headache.

Daimyo understand.

It seems unrealistic to expect these two top combatants to come up with a concrete and feasible plan on the spot.

They possess immense power and the drive to build ideals, but when it comes to the meticulous planning to bring those ideals to fruition, they seem... not so adept.

Hashirama himself realized this, and lifted his head from his dejection, looking at Madara with a clear message in his eyes: There's no other way, we still have to find outside help.

Madara exchanged a glance with him, his face clearly showing his disdain, as if to say, "I knew this would happen," but he didn't object.

After all, this concerns the future of Konoha, and efficiency is more important than engaging in meaningless daydreaming or stalemates here.

"Ahem," Hashirama, turned to the Daimyo, and gave him a slightly apologetic smile. "Daimyo, regarding the conception of the specific cooperation framework, we might need some off-site support. Would you mind if we invited another companion over to discuss it together? He has some ideas on how to implement things."

The Daimyo naturally wouldn't object; on the contrary, he was somewhat curious. "Of course, please do. Which distinguished person from your village are you?"

Neither Hashirama nor Madara answered immediately. Hashirama simply turned around and Chunin an order to an Uchiha standing at the door.

The Chunin the order and vanished in Body Flicker Technique.

A few minutes later, there was a gentle knock on the door to the Reception Room, which was then pushed open.

Uchiha Izuna walked in.

His face still bore the faint trace of fatigue from removing his stage makeup, and his forehead was slightly damp, as if he had just quickly wiped his face before coming over.

His beautiful phoenix eyes drooped slightly, turning into Dead-Fish Eyes, as he looked at Hashirama and Madara, his tone flat.

"You need my advice again? What is it this time?"

The attitude was one of utter disdain, and the young Daimyo raised an eyebrow in surprise.

He noticed that when Izuna appeared, Hashirama Senju visibly relaxed, a kind smile appearing on his face.

Madara Uchiha, though still standing with his arms crossed and an arrogant posture, couldn't hide the pride that emanated from within.

Oh dear, these two actually rely on him so much?

Izuna seemed oblivious to the Daimyo's probing gaze. He walked straight to the empty seat next to Madara, poured himself a cup of slightly cooled tea, drank half of it in one gulp, and then let out a long sigh of relief, finally feeling a bit better.

Then he Hashirama and Madara, his Dead-Fish Eyes still fixed. "So, where did you get stuck? Did you come up with some brilliant idea again, Hashirama- kun, like 'everyone holding hands is a good friend' or 'powered by love'?"

Hashirama didn't understand, but the meaning wasn't hard to grasp, so he chuckled twice and scratched the back of his head.

The spot starts off, which is the default.

Izuna rolled his eyes, giving me a "I knew it" look.

Only then did he seem to finally have time to shift his attention to the other protagonist of the meeting, turning to the young Daimyo, his face instantly switching to an impeccable business smile.

"My apologies, Your Daimyo. I was just dealing with some final matters. Where were you all in your conversation? If there's anything I can do to help, please feel free to speak up."

The young Daimyo watched as the youth before him changed his expression as easily as turning the pages of a book, and his curiosity and apprehension rose once more.

It seems he wasn't wrong; Uchiha Izuna was indeed a very troublesome person.