Your Little Brother Is Dead!

A minute later, inside the Hokage's Office.

Natsu Yuu and Hashirama Senju sat facing each other. Outside the door, Tobirama, like a resentful wife, had his ears pricked as he eavesdropped.

Hashirama naturally noticed Tobirama's rash behavior and could only ask helplessly first:

"Do we need soundproofing?"

"No."

Natsu Yuu had not intended to hide anything anyway. It did not matter whether Tobirama eavesdropped or not. As long as he could convince Hashirama himself, could Tobirama really ride roughshod over his Elder Brother?

"Then what exactly did you wish to discuss?"

Natsu Yuu paused, then began laying out what he had planned.

"The future of the entire Ninja World."

"Oh?"

"One question each. That seems fairer. No pressure—you may refuse to answer." Natsu Yuu took the initiative to suggest.

With someone like Hashirama, sincerity was often more effective than manipulation.

Hashirama relaxed slightly as well. He preferred communicating with someone who was willing to reason.

"You go first."

Hashirama hesitated briefly before asking the question that concerned him most. "Your eyes?"

"They are the [Rinnegan]!"

Natsu Yuu admitted it frankly. It would naturally be best if he could use these eyes to put on a bit of a show and add some weight to the negotiations.

"The eyes of the legendary [Sage of Six Paths], the most exalted of the three great Dojutsu... I never expected them to truly exist! It seems the legend was not merely a fairy tale. You and the [Sage of Six Paths]..."

"We know each other, but we are not close."

How could he not know that old man who loved handing out cheat powers? Any Naruto fan knew him.

But to Hashirama, those words were terrifying.

This man actually knew the [Sage of Six Paths]! Knew the founder of the [Ninja Sect]! Could he have lived from the age of legends until now?

How was that possible?

Yet those [Rinnegan] did not seem fake...

"Who exactly are you?"

"You could say I am a sage who does not belong to this era."

Natsu Yuu laid his cards on the table. In a sense, he counted as a sage too—a "sage-in-training" currently on the main quest to become one.

Hashirama was stunned once more.

Though he did not rashly believe it all, the shock was indeed considerable.

He had already begun considering how to verify the other party's identity without offending him.

"My turn."

"Please ask."

"Aren't you in a hurry to go see that best friend of yours?"

"You mean 'Madara'? No hurry, no hurry. He'll wait for me!" Hashirama declared confidently, thumping his chest. He had great faith in his bond with Madara.

Natsu Yuu smiled faintly, no longer teasing him as he went straight to the point.

"First Hokage Hashirama Senju, what kind of world do you truly wish to create?"

Hashirama's aura shifted. He became noticeably more serious and answered with great solemnity:

"I want to build a peaceful world, one where children do not have to go to war!"

"By using your so-called village system of ninja clan alliances?"

"Yes! Konoha, founded jointly by the Uchiha and the Senju Clan, has already gained the recognition of more and more people. [Iwagakure] has emerged in the [Land of Earth], and its leader calls himself the Tsuchikage. Other countries are following suit. Once this village system is gradually perfected, it will certainly replace the chaos of the Warring States Period. At the very least, ninja will no longer have to depend on powerful clans and noble families, and the endless wars will cease..."

Hashirama had personally experienced the darkness of the Warring States Period.

Even a foremost ninja clan like the Senju Clan could not remain untouched by it. Of Butsuma Senju's five sons, only two survived.

The average lifespan during the Warring States Period was under thirty. Any child capable of wielding a blade would be forced onto the battlefield, and most children were lucky to live past the age of ten.

It was precisely because Hashirama understood the brutality of the Warring States Period that he worked so hard to end it.

He had always been a man of action, never a mere dreamer.

And indeed, through his own methods, he had ended the Warring States Period and ushered in a new era of Ninja Villages!

"Then how can you ensure that this Ninja Village system is the right one? Could even larger wars between villages break out in the future?"

"I cannot guarantee the future. But at this stage, this system is indeed effective. It can indeed bring an end to the chaotic Warring States Period! And I am also exploring ways to restrain the major Ninja Villages in the future." Hashirama answered with utmost sincerity.

He also felt a little more delighted inside. This was exactly the difficult question he had been pondering and intended to share and discuss with others.

"Tailed Beasts?"

"I had considered it, but I haven't made contact with all the Tailed Beasts yet. The village is still under construction. I plan to stabilize things over the next few years before approaching the various Tailed Beasts."

Although Hashirama was a gambling addict, an alcoholic, and obsessed with Madara, he had sincerely thought about the village's future.

"One final question: what exactly do you want to protect—the village, or your family?"

"Of course, it's..."

Hashirama froze. The answer that had rolled off his tongue more than a year ago now gave him a moment's hesitation.

"There's no rush to answer. First, listen to Konoha's future."

"In Year 17 of Konoha, the First Shinobi World War broke out."

"In Year 37 of Konoha, the Second Shinobi World War broke out."

"In Year 45 of Konoha, the Third Shinobi World War broke out."

"In Year 68 of Konoha, the Fourth Ninja World War broke out..."

"In less than seventy years, four Shinobi World Wars took place. The intensity and casualties of every one of them were no less brutal than those of the Warring States Period."

"This is the peace maintained by the Ninja Village system you spoke of?"

Hashirama was stunned. Natsu Yuu's words struck his heart like a heavy hammer.

He had indeed expected the future not to be entirely peaceful. Competing for resources and pursuing power were instinctive to human nature, but he had never imagined the wars would be so devastating. Four worldwide wars had erupted in just a few short decades.

Could the other man be bluffing him?

Or could the legendary Rinnegan truly see the future?

"Wait! Is everything you said true? Will all of it happen in the future? Can you predict the future?"

"Do you believe me?"

"I... don't want to believe it..."

Hashirama was utterly certain that as long as he remained alive, he would do everything in his power to prevent a Shinobi World War from breaking out.

Logically, wars shouldn't have erupted so frequently, should they?

Unless...

Natsu Yuu saw Hashirama's doubts and stated plainly, "You're right. You died in Year 16 of Konoha. The very next year after your death, the First Shinobi World War suddenly broke out!"

"Impossible!"

The door was flung open, and Tobirama Senju, who had been eavesdropping outside for some time, finally could not hold himself back.

He refused to believe that Elder Brother would die so young. No one in the entire shinobi world could defeat Hashirama anymore.

He would expose this liar's lies!

"Elder Brother, don't believe his nonsense!"

"Tobirama!"

Hashirama shouted angrily, apologizing for Tobirama's rude behavior.

"Elder Brother, I..."

Natsu Yuu did not take it to heart. Instead, he continued asking, "Tobirama Senju, do you want to know how you died?"

"Huh?"

"You were beaten to death by several Cloud Ninja."

"Impossible, absolutely impossible! Damn it, don't even think about deceiving me. I'm not as easy to fool as Elder Brother!"

Tobirama flew into a rage, becoming extremely agitated.

He could not accept such a manner of death at all!

What a joke! He was a grandmaster of Forbidden Jutsu, with Flying Thunder God, Impure World Reincarnation, Mutual Explosion Tag, the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique, a whole pile of Sea Release techniques, and more... How could he possibly be surrounded and killed by a few Cloud Ninja?

Wait, what clan were these Cloud Ninja from?

He had never even heard of them.

It had to be made up. It had to be complete nonsense!

Yet compared to Tobirama, Hashirama beside him was even more enraged. Overwhelming killing intent spilled from his body, and the nearly tangible oppressive force of his Chakra directly crushed the wooden floor.

As one of the shinobi world's hereditary Brother Complex cases, Hashirama's care for Tobirama was no less than Madara's for Izuna.

Now that he had heard his beloved little brother had been killed, how could he possibly remain calm?

"Sir, could you explain in more detail?"

"It can't be explained in just a sentence or two. I'll take you to see it directly."

"Huh? See it?"

"You'll know soon enough."

As soon as Natsu Yuu finished speaking.

Whoosh—

Inside the Hokage's Office, Natsu Yuu and the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju, vanished in an instant without a trace.

This was also one of Natsu Yuu's system abilities:

He could bring the leader of a bound faction and Travel Through to another parallel world, where they would be forcibly sent back after one hour.

Perfect timing to let Hashirama see how his dear little brother got fucked over by the Cloud Ninja!