A few days later.
Outside the Senju Clan's intensive care tent, a breeze drifted by, carrying the distinctive bitter scent of medicinal herbs.
Yue Uchiha sat cross-legged on his bed. The dark purple diamond-shaped mark between his brows pulsed faintly at an exceedingly slow but steady rhythm.
After several days of complete rest and recuperation, his nearly depleted spiritual power had finally recovered a little. His blinded left eye still couldn't see, but the tearing pain had completely disappeared.
"Rustle."
The tent flap was lifted, and Hikari Uchiha hurried inside.
She had changed into the gray homespun robe issued by the Senju logistics department, but it did little to hide her youthful, graceful beauty.
"Yue," Hikari said in a hushed voice, excitement flashing in her eyes. "That white-haired adjutant who's always scowling sent someone to tell us that the two people in the main tent... are about to wake up."
Yue's right eye snapped open, a glint flashing in its dark pupil.
"Hashirama Senju's Yang Release truly lives up to its reputation. They were brought back from the brink in just a few days, despite the Nine-Tails piercing the edge of their hearts and their souls being ravaged by the Death God."
"Come on, Hikari. Let's go see them."
At that moment, inside the Senju medical main tent.
The air was thick with such a powerful vitality that it almost made one feel intoxicated.
Minato Namikaze abruptly opened his eyes, emerging from endless darkness, and gasped for breath.
His memories stopped at the moment the Death God brought down his Short Blade and the Nine-Tails' claws pierced his and his wife's chests.
"Kushina! Naruto!"
Minato instinctively tried to form Hand Seals, only to find his body empty of chakra. His chakra pathways were as dry as a cracked riverbed.
And yet, the sensation in his chest wasn't the soul-rending agony he expected. Instead, it was filled with a tingling warmth.
"Oh! You're finally awake! Your vitality is truly astonishing!"
A booming male voice, full of honest delight, rang beside Minato's ear.
Minato turned his head sharply, his vision gradually coming into focus.
The face before him belonged to a man with rugged features, long black hair, and a strip of cloth tied around his forehead. He was smiling.
The man wore layered, dark red armor. His broad hand hovered over Minato's chest, radiating a gentle green glow of life.
That face...
Minato's mind was struck as if by lightning.
As Konoha's newly appointed Fourth Hokage, how could he fail to recognize the face carved atop Kage Rock and revered by the entire village?
"F-First?" Minato's voice came out dry and hoarse, his eyes wide with disbelief.
"First? What do you mean?"
Hashirama Senju scratched the back of his head and burst out laughing. "I'm Hashirama Senju! Are you still a little muddled from your injuries?"
"Big brother, don't waste your breath. These two were impaled and wounded so severely that even their souls seem to have been gnawed at by something evil. This isn't the work of an ordinary battle."
A cold, rational voice, threaded with deep suspicion, came from the shadows of the tent.
Minato turned his eyes with difficulty. A stern young man with spiky silver-white hair and red markings on his cheeks leaned against a post with his arms crossed, staring at him with piercing blue eyes.
The Second, Tobirama Senju!
"Minato..."
As Minato's thoughts spiraled into chaos, a faint murmur came from beside him.
He turned and saw Kushina Uzumaki, her long red hair spilling over the neighboring bed as she struggled to open her eyes.
At Kushina's bedside sat a beautiful woman with an elegant bearing and equally brilliant red hair.
The woman held a warm towel and gently wiped the cold sweat from Kushina's forehead. Her eyes were full of warmth and concern.
"Don't be afraid, child. We share the blood of the Uzumaki Clan. Seeing you so badly hurt breaks my heart."
The woman smiled reassuringly. "My name is Mito Uzumaki. This is the Senju Clan's home, and you're safe now."
Mito Uzumaki! The First's wife, and the first Nine-Tails Jinchuriki!
Minato was completely bewildered.
One First might have been a genjutsu, but the Second and Lady Mito were here too. And the wild, ancient chakra fluctuations around them, along with the crude furnishings in the tent, were nothing like anything Konoha Hospital could have faked.
Was this the Pure Land?
"Looks like you're both recovering well, Minato and Kushina."
Just then, a familiar voice came from the tent entrance.
Minato looked up.
"It's you... Yue Uchiha." Gritting his teeth, Minato tried to force himself upright.
"Stop! Uchiha, didn't I tell you to wait outside? Who gave you permission to come in?"
Tobirama's gaze turned cold, and he instantly stepped in front of Yue. The water-nature chakra around him stirred faintly.
"Lord Tobirama, there's no need to be on guard. We only came to check on our badly wounded 'comrades.'" Yue was unfazed by Tobirama's killing intent. Instead, he turned to Hashirama. "Clan Head Hashirama, thank you for your miraculous medical skills. Without you, my two friends wouldn't have survived."
"Hahaha, a doctor's duty is to save lives! Besides, you represent the voices among the Uchiha Clan who long for peace!" Hashirama waved his hand cheerfully, then looked at Minato with some curiosity. "But your friend Minato called me 'First' as soon as he woke up. That's a strange way to address me."
Minato opened his mouth, about to ask something.
In that split second, his gaze slipped past Hashirama's broad shoulders and landed on Yue, who stood behind him.
Yue gave him the faintest shake of his head, then blinked twice in quick, deliberate succession. His eyes held an unmistakable warning and hint.
As the Fourth Hokage, renowned for his exceptional intelligence and emotional awareness, Minato's mind raced through countless possibilities in a thousandth of a second.
The living, young Hashirama Senju and Tobirama Senju;
The rough canvas tent and ancient layered armor;
And Yue Uchiha, who had severed the Death God's contract on the Night of the Nine-Tails and brought them here.
Everything was too strange.
Minato forced down his overwhelming worry for Naruto and Konoha. His face, tense with shock only moments before, relaxed at once. He gave a bitter smile, rubbed his temples, and put on the air of someone weak and aching after waking from a serious injury.
"Sorry... Lord Hashirama."
Minato's voice was hoarse, tinged with confusion and lingering fear. "My mind's still a complete mess. I just had a terrible nightmare. I dreamed of our clan's departed First Elder... When I was at death's door and saw you, I thought the Elder had come to guide me. I misspoke. Please forgive me."
Before you continue