In the end, Tobirama still didn't teach Impure World Reincarnation to Yuya.
Instead, he gave Yuya the highest level of access to the Konoha Secret Technique Room.
Tobirama had stored all the techniques he'd created in Konoha's secret technique room. Sealed inside were every technique he had ever developed.
Only someone with a seal he had given them, or the Hokage's seal, could enter and temporarily undo the seals inside.
Tobirama carved a transparent seal into Yuya's palm. As long as Yuya still had that hand, he could enter the secret technique room without hindrance.
Yuya was very satisfied. He promptly gave Tobirama thirty kilograms of gold.
After receiving the gold, Tobirama didn't waste time with pleasantries. He left at once.
He had to think carefully about how to use this enormous fortune of one hundred and fifty million Ryo.
But, just like last time, Senju Tobirama couldn't give the money to any one clan.
Right, if anyone asked why there was still money, he'd just say it was what remained from last time. He wouldn't breathe a word about having gotten another thirty kilograms of gold.
Senju Tobirama had wondered whether the kid Yuya had hidden some of the gold away. But then he thought about it: several dozen kilograms of gold was already a lot. Besides, as Yuya had said, it couldn't have come from a gold mine. After all, during the war, the whole land had been turned upside down in battle. If there had been a gold mine, how could nobody have found it?
At the very least, someone would have found scattered pieces of gold.
And besides, this was the product of a child's own labor. Tobirama already felt a little ashamed to accept it from Yuya, let alone dig around to see if there was any more.
The most important thing now was to quickly turn the gold into something that benefited Konoha.
Senju Hashirama had no opinion on the matter. Lately, he'd been spending less and less time at home and liked to lounge around in gambling dens whenever he had nothing to do. Yuya had even used his ability to turn rocks into gold so Hashirama could swindle the people running those dens.
Those gambling den operators weren't exactly good people, anyway, so Yuya felt no pressure at all about swindling them.
But then, a month later, on the first day of the new year, something unexpected happened.
It wasn't that Konoha had no entertainment to speak of. It was more that it had absolutely no entertainment at all.
Well, ordinary people had to struggle with all their might just to stay alive. They couldn't even be sure they'd get enough to eat at every meal, so there was naturally no way they could spare the energy to develop entertainment industries or anything like that.
As a result, the new year didn't hold any special meaning for Konoha at the time.
Work was even still underway at Wetland Bridge. As the bridge neared completion, nobody was willing to take a break.
That was because they didn't know when they'd get another opportunity like this.
So they wanted to take what they could while they could.
That night, Yuya was drifting in and out of sleep when he suddenly felt the ground shake. Thinking there'd been an earthquake, he scrambled out of bed and ran into the courtyard in fright.
Only then did he realize there hadn't been an earthquake. A towering tree had grown up through the house.
Yuya's face was full of question marks. Of course, he knew who was responsible.
Senju Hashirama's Wood Release was famous throughout the Shinobi World.
But what was this supposed to be?
Using Wood Release right in his own home?
Yuya stroked his chin, wondering if his cheap mentor and his wife had started fighting again.
Soon, Uzumaki Mito came to his room, clearly worried Yuya might have been hurt.
When she saw Yuya standing in the courtyard in his pajamas, Mito let out a relieved breath and beckoned him over.
Yuya walked over and said with a smile, "I thought there'd been an earthquake. Turns out it was Master's Wood Release.
"Why did Master use Wood Release in his own house?"
Uzumaki Mito's expression darkened slightly. Then she said to Yuya, "Come with me. Your master has something to tell you."
Yuya was utterly confused. Why was everyone being so serious?
Then Yuya went to Senju Hashirama's room.
When he arrived, he saw Senju Hashirama scratching his head awkwardly as he looked at the tree in his room, thick enough for six people to encircle.
But when he saw Yuya, he acted as if it wasn't a big deal. "Oh, you're here, Yuya."
Yuya nodded, but his gaze couldn't help drifting back to the tree.
Senju Hashirama gave an awkward cough, then knelt on the floor and addressed Yuya with a serious expression. "Yuya, there's something I have to tell you.
"Your master... is about to die."
Yuya had been staring at the tree and didn't react at first. He nodded absentmindedly, then his eyes widened as he looked at Senju Hashirama...
"What?! Master, you're joking, right?!" Yuya stared at Senju Hashirama in utter confusion. "Y-You don't look like you're about to die at all!"
Indeed, Senju Hashirama looked energetic and ruddy-faced. How did he look like he was about to die?
Senju Hashirama scratched his head and laughed. "I knew you wouldn't believe me. Well, even if you don't want to believe it, it's the truth..."
As he spoke, Senju Hashirama motioned for Yuya to kneel down too.
Yuya knelt in front of Senju Hashirama and eyed him suspiciously. "Master, did you go into debt again and want to fool me into paying it off?"
Senju Hashirama's face darkened. Was that really what kind of person his master was?
But when he thought about it, he really had made the kid help pay off quite a few of his debts.
After coughing, Senju Hashirama said solemnly, "Do you know Madara Uchiha?"
Yuya paused. Who didn't know Madara?
He nodded, growing even more suspicious. Was this guy trying to change the subject?
Senju Hashirama lowered his eyes and suddenly began telling Yuya the story of his relationship with Madara Uchiha...
"Madara and I first met when we were children...
"Later, we grew up and became the strongest members of our respective clans. To keep our people alive, we had no choice but to accept mercenary missions from daimyō and wealthy merchants. And because we were evenly matched in strength, whenever someone hired the Senju Clan, they would also hire the Uchiha Clan...
"Later, Madara's younger brother died at Tobirama's hands, and we fought a battle that left more than a thousand dead.
"Madara and I were both tired of it.
"So creating a village where all the clans could live together in peace became our shared ideal.
"You know what happened after that...
"Deep down, Madara hated Tobirama, since Tobirama had killed his younger brother.
"And when the people voted for the Second, not a single person voted for him. Believing he had no place in the village, he left and then fought me one last time..."
After talking for over half an hour, Senju Hashirama suddenly pulled open his kimono, exposing the skin beneath.
Yuya stared, dumbfounded, at the muscles on Senju Hashirama's chest. They were bulging and twisting as if they were alive...
"In that battle, I killed him, but in return... I was badly injured too. But because of my body, I recovered.
"Something just seems to have gone wrong. Or maybe it's a case of too much of a good thing. I suppose that's how it works. I recovered far too well, and now my body has started to be devoured, so..."
Senju Hashirama smiled at Yuya. "I'm about to die."
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