Within an unnamed realm.
Tobirama Senju awoke from a long darkness.
The moment he opened his eyes, a dim sky greeted him. It was gray and murky, without sun, moon, or stars. Only a muddy, dark yellow remained, as though endless dust had obscured every trace of light.
He discovered that he was in a barren land.
Dead silence surrounded him. He could not even hear the wind.
Tobirama Senju slowly sat up and looked around.
Not a single weed grew on the ground. Nothing but yellow sand shifted across it. Dry and coarse, it trickled between his fingers with a faint rustle.
An endless desert stretched into the distance, without any sign of life.
"Where am I?"
Tobirama Senju murmured to himself, his voice unusually clear in that deathly silent space.
He tried to stand, only to discover that his body was strangely light, as though it had lost all weight. It felt odd, like floating in water or walking on clouds.
Just then, a sharp pain suddenly pierced Tobirama Senju's mind.
"Ah!"
He clutched his head in agony.
Fragments of memories from his life flashed through his mind.
He saw himself following his elder brother Hashirama Senju into battle in his youth, saw the day Konoha was founded, and saw the days and nights he had spent handling affairs after becoming the Second Hokage.
The images flickered endlessly, rushing past his eyes like a revolving lantern.
Until the final fragment came to an abrupt halt.
It was the scene of Uchiha Madara's hand piercing his chest and pulling out his heart.
Blood drenched everything. The sight was horrifying.
Tobirama Senju shuddered violently, as though he had realized something.
"So I'm already dead..."
He spoke softly, a trace of bitterness in his voice.
Memories of death surged over him