Tobirama Senju's Heart Unravels

"The fault of war? The eyes of the world? Helplessness?"

Tobirama Senju stood frozen, as if sealed within a confined room, while the words Senju Fujima had just spoken echoed incessantly in his mind.

"It is not her fault, it truly isn't her fault, yet I simply cannot overcome this hurdle within my own heart."

"Why can I not move past it? I do not even fear death, so why do I fear this? Am I truly a coward?"

"Shizuka, was I truly wrong? Why? Why, oh why?"

"War, damn this war, why must war exist?"

"It is because of war that my brothers have died one by one, and even Shizuka could not escape such a tragedy. Why?"

"End this chaotic world, end this chaotic world...!"

"That's right, all of this is the fault of war. I must end war, I must defeat war. Only by striking it down can this be considered revenge in the truest sense."

Half an hour later.

"Such things are indeed difficult to accept. The cruelty of war, sigh...!"

Seeing his second uncle muttering to himself, his entire body trembling as he clearly wrestled with his inner turmoil, Senju Fujima let out a long sigh and resolved to lead the world toward peace.

However, peace would inevitably touch upon the interests of others, and in time, he would become the number one enemy of the ninja world. The path he had to walk was truly long, so very long!

"Ah...!"

Suddenly, Tobirama Senju let out a roar.

"Boom, boom, boom...!"

The river water in front of the two suddenly exploded, and countless fresh little fish were blasted onto the bank, though it was clear they had already kicked the bucket.

"Fujima, thank you."

At this moment, Tobirama Senju realized one thing: all of this was indeed not the fault of Shizuka Sarutobi; it was all the fault of war. If he continued to blame Shizuka, then he would truly be the coward.

She was in need of care and his love right now; otherwise, she might very well pine away until her end, and by then, it would be too late for him to regret.

"Hehe! Does Second Uncle really understand now?"

"That would naturally be for the best! Hehe!"

"Second Uncle, don't you like eating grilled fish? I'll grill some for you today."

Seeing Tobirama Senju reveal a confident smile once more, Senju Fujima noticed a heaven-shaking change in him, as if he had become a much more confident man.

Where he was once slightly gloomy, he was now confident, his eyes filled with a newfound light.

"Good, haha!"

Tobirama Senju's only hobby was eating fish, so he quickly looked at him and smiled.

"Hehe!"

Following that, Senju Fujima directly utilized Wind Release to clean the fish, rinsed them with Water Release, skewered them with Wood Release, and finished with a Fire Release.

A quarter of an hour later, dozens of fish were all grilled to perfection.

"Here, Second Uncle, take some for Second Aunt."

"I'll take these for Dad and Mom to eat, hehe!"

Adhering to the principle of not wasting anything, Senju Fujima had grilled all dozens of the fish, since they were dead anyway.

He split them half and half with Tobirama Senju, then grabbed his share of the grilled fish and slipped away in a flash.

"Haha, this child."

Tobirama Senju looked at the large bundle of fish in his hands, shook his head, and smiled.

Ding, detected that the host has made a successful choice and completed the task. Reward obtained: Space-Time Ninjutsu -- Flying Thunder God Technique.

After Senju Fujima left, the various formulas and methods for utilizing the Flying Thunder God appeared in his mind, and it was the configuration of the Fourth Hokage—in other words, the improved version.

"This is quite good, saves me from having to research it myself, hehe!"

Senju Fujima felt the information in his mind and chuckled, then took his grilled fish to find Hashirama Senju and Mito Uzumaki.

Meanwhile, Tobirama Senju returned to his home with the grilled fish, hesitating at the door as to whether he should enter.

"Whoosh...!"

Just as Tobirama Senju reached his doorstep, the door slid open.

A woman of about twenty-four years of age appeared, dressed in a white robe. She had long brown hair and peculiar, bright green eyes. Her features were exquisite, but her complexion was slightly pale, and her eyes looked somewhat listless, carrying a trace of sorrow.

"Husband."

This was Shizuka Sarutobi. When she saw Tobirama Senju, a flicker of a smile clearly crossed her eyes as she called out to him.

"Mm. I grilled some fish just now; would you like some?"

Tobirama Senju felt a bit awkward. After all, having treated Shizuka Sarutobi this way for years, he didn't know how to interact with her all of a sudden. He handed over a skewer of grilled fish, nodded, and spoke blankly.

"Mm."

Hearing Tobirama Senju say this, Shizuka Sarutobi felt a surge of joy; it was the first time in eight years she had seen her husband treat her with such courtesy.

Although he had always been polite in the past, he had invariably met her with cold eyes, but today she clearly sensed a subtle change in Tobirama Senju.

Though she did not know the reason, her heart was filled with immense happiness.

She felt helpless regarding the events of those years, but her strength was insufficient, and she had been unable to resist at all.

She had also loathed that man in her heart, so when Tobirama Senju had aborted the child, she had no objections; after all, she herself had no desire to keep such a child.

Shizuka Sarutobi then took the grilled fish Tobirama Senju handed her and began to eat it in small, delicate bites.

Even without any seasoning, she felt it was the most delicious thing she had ever eaten in her life.

"Heh."

Seeing Shizuka Sarutobi eating the grilled fish happily, Tobirama Senju smiled slightly; he usually kept a straight face, so it was truly not easy for him to smile.

Perhaps I really have been wrong all these years! Shizuka was already a pitiable person to begin with.

If it hadn't been for our Senju Clan seeking a political marriage for the sake of profit back then, Shizuka would never have encountered such a thing.

When it comes down to it, all of this was caused by war; I shouldn't blame her, she was forced into it.

Now that the man has been killed by me, let this matter vanish like smoke from here on out.

Looking at Shizuka Sarutobi, Tobirama Senju raised the corners of his mouth slightly and looked up at the azure sky, the shackles in his heart finally completely undone.

"Husband, why aren't you eating?"

As she ate the grilled fish, Shizuka Sarutobi looked up and saw Tobirama Senju smiling. Thinking he was laughing at her, her face flushed slightly, and she lowered her head to ask shyly.

"Heh, yes, I'll eat too."

Watching the bashful Shizuka Sarutobi, Tobirama Senju's lips curled upward. He then stuck the remaining grilled fish into the ground and began to eat his own.

Grilled fish was his favorite food; eating it while watching a beautiful woman gave him a unique sense of satisfaction.

"Husband, why, why are you staring at me?"

Seeing Tobirama Senju watching her with a smile as he ate, a wave of shyness washed over Shizuka Sarutobi, and she muttered bashfully.

"Looking at my wife—such a beautiful wife—how did I never notice before?"

Seeing Shizuka Sarutobi like this, Tobirama Senju laughed honestly.

"No, that's not true, I'm, I'm not pretty at all."

Shizuka Sarutobi's face turned even redder; she felt as if she were suffocating, her complexion as crimson as a monkey's backside.

"Heh, our Shizuka is the most beautiful, isn't she?"

Tobirama Senju set down the grilled fish in his hand, appeared instantly beside Shizuka Sarutobi, and scooped her up into his arms, looking at her tenderly.

"Husband."

"Shizuka, from now on, I will never let you suffer any harm again. Believe me."

Tobirama Senju and Shizuka Sarutobi gazed into each other's eyes. Looking at the shy, lovely woman in his arms, he spoke with ironclad certainty, a flash of resolve in his eyes.

"Mm-hmm."

Shizuka Sarutobi looked at Tobirama Senju with dazed eyes, feeling an unprecedented happiness in her heart. For the first time in so many years, she felt such joy, and it opened up her previously darkened heart.

A glimmer of light seemed to appear within her, growing brighter and more abundant.

"Heh, I will bring the little monkey back eventually."

"But since he has already been adopted by your brother, let's just have another one."

Tobirama Senju looked at Shizuka Sarutobi, thinking of Hiruzen Sarutobi who was still with the Sarutobi Clan, and said to her.

"Mm-hmm, Hiruzen is very well-behaved; he often comes back to see me."

After hearing Tobirama Senju's words, Shizuka Sarutobi's face turned even redder, as if she were steaming from every orifice, and she whispered softly.

"Heh."

Tobirama Senju then carried Shizuka Sarutobi back into the room and slid the door shut; as for what they did, that is something we do not know.

Early the next morning, Hashirama Senju led over three hundred ninjas from the clan toward the battlefield, including Tobirama Senju and Senju Fujima, as well as the Eight Great Elders.

These were all high-end combatants, and they were necessary to hold back the enemy's own high-level forces.

"Big Brother, the agreed-upon battlefield is just ahead. What should we do?"

Tobirama Senju now also felt a longing for peace and was prepared to settle the chaotic world. Having finally understood why his brother sought peace, he looked at the battlefield ahead and asked Hashirama Senju beside him.

"In a moment, have the Eight Great Elders lead everyone to a halt. The three of us will go up first to negotiate with Madara."

"Tell everyone not to act rashly. This time we are here to discuss peace, not to fight. Make sure no one reveals any killing intent, otherwise, it will cause all our efforts to fall short."

Hashirama Senju looked at the battlefield not far ahead, turned his head, and said to Tobirama Senju.

"I understand."

Tobirama Senju nodded slightly. This great battle was of vital importance; if the Uchiha Clan chose not to agree to peace, force would still be required, so they had to be extremely cautious.

I actually quite like the character of Madara Uchiha; he is a symbol of dominance and invincibility. Especially that line: "Do you also wish to dance?" It's just incredibly cool, hehe!

Senju Fujima followed closely behind. Looking at the battlefield in the distance, he felt a bit excited. He had never been on a battlefield in all his years of growing up; the extent of his father's protection over him was clear to see.