"Don't cry, don't cry!"
"Tsunade, be good."
"."
Mito Uzumaki wiped the tears from Tsunade's face, patiently soothing her until she gradually calmed down.
Meanwhile, Toma Senju stood off to the side, frozen as if struck by lightning. He still hadn't recovered from the shock.
Was his second uncle really dead?
That couldn't be!
His second uncle knew the Flying Thunder God Technique and had all those powerful forbidden techniques. If he wanted to escape, who in the Ninja world could stop him?
But the truth was right in front of him. No matter how much he didn't want to believe it, he still had to accept it.
Tears welled in Toma Senju's eyes as memories of his time with Tobirama Senju came flooding back. After his father, Hashirama Senju, died, Tobirama had taken on the role of a father, raising and teaching him as if he were his own son.
"Toma, now isn't the time to grieve."
"I know."
Toma Senju wiped away his tears, took a deep breath, and followed Mito Uzumaki into another room.
Toma Senju felt nervous, eager to hear what Mito Uzumaki had to say.
She had called him back from the front lines in such a hurry. It had to have something to do with Konoha's Third.
Toma Senju was already prepared to take over as Third.
"According to Tobirama's final wishes, Hiruzen Sarutobi is his choice for Third."
"What?"
Toma Senju could hardly believe his ears. Hiruzen Sarutobi?
Who the hell was he?
Did his Sarutobi Clan really give him the right to covet Konoha's Hokage seat?
If Tobirama had passed the position to Kagami Uchiha, Toma Senju could have swallowed his pride and accepted it.
Wait, wasn't Hiruzen Sarutobi his second uncle's guard? If his second uncle had died, how could Hiruzen have made it back?
A conspiracy!
This was a conspiracy!
"That's impossible!"
Toma Senju instantly lost his composure. He didn't believe Mito Uzumaki, and only after asking her over and over did he finally accept what she'd said.
"Mother, you didn't call me back in such a hurry because you want me to help Hiruzen Sarutobi take the position, did you?"
Toma Senju's expression turned cold. He couldn't understand his second uncle's decision. No matter how the Hokage position was passed down, it could never go to someone from a minor clan like Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Even if the Senju Clan pinched their noses and accepted it, the Uchiha wouldn't.
This was going to be trouble!
Mito Uzumaki sighed. She came from a prominent shinobi clan and had read widely about history. She knew all too well the dirty dealings that went on in powerful clans.
People could fight like dogs over the position of clan head, even causing strife within their own families. The position of Konoha's Hokage was an even bigger prize.
If she supported Hiruzen Sarutobi, her own son might turn against her on the spot.
Toma Senju was the Senju Clan's heir. Now that he had automatically become clan head, all he had to do was rally the clan and they could have her confined in an instant.
Could she really fight her own son?
For Hiruzen Sarutobi?
Not a chance!
"How could that be? Of course I support you."
Mito Uzumaki immediately made her position clear, putting Toma Senju's mind at ease. His expression softened considerably.
"Hiruzen Sarutobi is only a minor player. Your real rival is the Uchiha."
Toma Senju nodded. He hadn't taken Hiruzen Sarutobi seriously either.
If he wanted to, he could use the Senju Clan's power to make Hiruzen Sarutobi take five Shuriken in the back today, then have it ruled a suicide.
The Uchiha were the real threat!
"The Uchiha have produced someone who may one day rival Madara Uchiha. He's awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan."
At the mention of Madara Uchiha, Toma Senju immediately pictured him riding his Susanoo across the battlefield.
In the entire Ninja world, no shinobi could match Madara Uchiha—except his father, Hashirama Senju.
Now the Uchiha had produced someone like that. Toma was nowhere near as strong as his father, Hashirama Senju.
There was no doubt the Uchiha would set their sights on the Third's seat this time.
Toma Senju grew anxious again. He hated that he hadn't inherited his father's Sage Body, Wood Release, or the ability to enter Sage Mode in an instant.
Compared with his father, Hashirama Senju, he was just an ordinary person.
Compared with an average shinobi, he only had a little more talent for Ninjutsu, a little more Chakra, and a little better recovery.
He had no advantage at all!
"Don't sell yourself short. He's only shown a little potential. Someone like Madara Uchiha doesn't appear so easily."
"I'm just reminding you not to forget who your real opponent is."
Seeing Toma Senju's confidence falter, Mito Uzumaki spoke gently.
Across the Uchiha Clan's thousand-year history, a genius capable of awakening the Mangekyō Sharingan appeared every few generations. The Senju Clan, in turn, produced geniuses capable of matching the Uchiha, almost as if it were a tradition.
Madara Uchiha was an exception. The Uchiha who had awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan in the past were nowhere near as powerful as he was, and the Susanoo dwelling in their eyes had rarely appeared.
The reason Mito Uzumaki thought so highly of Uchiha Nan was simply that he had demonstrated the power of Susanoo. That didn't mean he was unbeatable.
Mito Uzumaki recalled Tobirama Senju's research. The fact that Madara Uchiha was an exception, far more powerful than any other Uchiha in history to awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan, had set Tobirama's scientific curiosity ablaze.
According to Tobirama's theory, the Mangekyō Sharingan had a flaw. If its power was used continuously, the user would eventually exhaust their ocular power and go blind.
The only way to fix this flaw was to replace one's eyes with Mangekyō Sharingan belonging to a blood relative. Madara Uchiha had replaced his eyes with those of his younger brother, Izuna Uchiha, and his power had undergone a qualitative transformation.
It was only a theory, but Tobirama wouldn't have said it without a reason. For all they knew, he had already dug up Madara Uchiha's grave and put the body on his laboratory table.
Uchiha Nan's parents had died early, and he had no siblings. The chance of him replacing his Mangekyō Sharingan with another pair was next to nothing.
"Toma, don't you think Hiruzen Sarutobi could be useful right now?"
"Since Tobirama thought highly of him, we might as well put him forward first. We won't need to do anything ourselves. The Uchiha won't let him off, and we can use him to gauge that Uchiha's strength and gather more information."
That was a good idea!
Toma Senju's eyes lit up. In a shinobi war, the importance of intelligence went without saying. The Ninja world was full of strange Ninjutsu, and plenty of elite shinobi had been caught off guard because they lacked information.
"Then I'll do as you say, Mother."
A sly smile appeared on Toma Senju's face. His mother really was wise and always looked out for him.
Mom really did love him best!
Mito Uzumaki nodded in satisfaction when she saw that her son agreed.
Hiruzen, don't blame me.
At least when it came to dealing with the Uchiha, the Senju Clan and I support you. If you can take care of the Uchiha, the Senju won't stand in your way.
As for Mito Uzumaki's earlier promise to Hiruzen Sarutobi that she would help him deal with the Uchiha, she had conveniently forgotten about it.
Things were different now. Back then, the Uchiha didn't have a shinobi who had awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan.
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