The Thousand Hands and Uchiha's Renewed Alliance

"He is Uchiha Iori, a newly promoted jōnin who came from the village to provide support today. He is a senior I knew back when I was at the Ninja Academy," Shizune hurriedly introduced to Tsunade.

"His medical ninjutsu is quite unique, which is why I asked him to come and treat Lady Tsunade."

"You two go out first; I have some things I want to discuss with him."

Tsunade stepped down from the bed.

"Alright, we'll head out then."

Shizune and Yakushi Nonō cast worried glances at Uchiha Iori, and Iori returned them a reassuring look.

After the two left, Tsunade locked the door and activated sound-insulation runes.

"What exactly happened inside that genjutsu? Why is Lady Tsunade acting like this? Has her hemophobia been cured?"

Shizune asked Yakushi Nonō with a puzzled tone.

"I don't know, but it shouldn't be anything bad. Lady Tsunade's complexion is much better; let's leave the rest for them to handle themselves."

Although Yakushi Nonō had some guesses, she did not intend to voice them.

"Fine, I suppose we'll just have to wait until Lady Tsunade finishes talking with Iori to ask."

Shizune and Yakushi Nonō found a place to sit outside, waiting for the people inside to finish their conversation.

"What are we going to do about our current situation? Why do I feel so strange around you? You didn't add anything extra into that genjutsu, did you?"

Tsunade looked at the slightly youthful Uchiha Iori and said with a hint of agitation.

Damn it, this kid is probably not even twenty, yet I am over thirty. Why were the experiences in that world so real? Damn it...

Iori shook his head, blood and tears slowly streaming from his eyes: "The genjutsu from just now was something I developed myself after awakening the Mangekyō Sharingan. Its purpose was to replicate the clan's forbidden technique, Izanami."

"It's just that the final technique I developed is the exact opposite of Izanami. Izanami sets markers between two points in time, forcing a person to relive them repeatedly until they accept reality."

"But my Kyōka Suigetsu is different; it creates a world that the target dreams of. This world develops according to the target's wishes, making it impossible for them to even consider leaving."

"However, all genjutsu must come to an end. This world is, in reality, nothing more than a flower in a mirror or the moon in the water. Once the genjutsu is destroyed, the target dies along with it."

"So it's that kind of genjutsu? Attacking the weaknesses of human nature... there aren't many people in the Ninja World who can claim they have no regrets. In that case, those who can resist this technique with sheer willpower are few and far between."

Tsunade was astonished by Iori's approach to developing genjutsu. This technique was both gentle and cruel; the one killing the victim was none other than themselves.

"Then what about your eyes? Why are they bleeding now?"

"Izanami is a forbidden technique, and the price for using it is the total destruction of an eye. Although my Kyōka Suigetsu isn't as extreme, it still places immense pressure on my eyes."

"Don't worry about me; I have ways to treat it. But please tell the others—I don't want outsiders to know about this," Iori cautioned Tsunade.

"Then why tell me? Am I not an outsider?" Tsunade's expression grew complex once more. She couldn't accept Iori's existence so quickly, yet she couldn't bring herself to let go.

"Because I trust you, Tsunade. Didn't I entrust my very ideals to you?" Iori smiled, recalling the look on Tsunade's face when he died.

"Hmph, since you're still alive, go achieve your own ideals yourself!"

Thinking back to her own raw display of emotion at that time, Tsunade couldn't help but snort. She had truly been completely deceived back then.

"I want more than just to be Hokage. I hope the Ninja World can achieve lasting peace. To that end, becoming Hokage is merely the first step."

Iori looked at her and slowly revealed his true objective.

"What do you mean? What are you planning to do?"

Tsunade was suspicious. She didn't understand Iori's line of thinking, but peace was not such a simple matter.

"Ever since the First Hokage and Madara Uchiha founded Konoha and established the system where the Five Great Nations divided the world, wars have become less frequent, yet every dozen years or so, a brutal Great Ninja War inevitably breaks out."

"What I intend to do is take it a step further: unify the Five Great Nations, make Konoha the only ninja village, and extend the duration of peace."

"Why? Why would you think that way?"

Tsunade couldn't quite grasp Iori's logic. She didn't understand the concept of total unification, nor did she understand why it would extend the duration of peace.

"Although the First Hokage unified the Land of Fire, he believed that as long as people understood one another and maintained a balance of power, lasting peace could be achieved."

"Thus, he requested the other nations to establish order and distributed the captured Tailed Beasts according to their strength. Peace did indeed arrive, albeit briefly."

"However, after he passed away, the loss of the strongest deterrent meant that war broke out immediately."

"The Tailed Beasts that were distributed to balance the strength of the nations became new weapons of war, which were then turned against Konoha."

"I want to change this cycle. After I unify the Ninja World, there may still be ambitious individuals who want to start wars and disrupt the peace, but it will be difficult to organize a war on the current scale."

"And after my rule has lasted for three generations, there will only be Konoha people left in the world. All wars will have one final goal: to establish a unified regime."

"Peace will last for a long time until the regime declines once more, and the cycle repeats. This cycle might only occur once every several generations."

Tsunade listened, lost in thought, and asked: "Then was my grandfather's approach wrong?"

"No. At the very least, he ended the chaos of the Warring States Period. If he hadn't passed away so early, with the assistance of the Second Hokage, the situation might not be as it is today."

Iori did not deny the First Hokage's achievements.

"In the past Warring States Period, most children couldn't even live to adulthood. His achievements cannot be denied, but simply following the path of those who came before will not bring about peace."

"Therefore, Tsunade, I will unify the Ninja World, complete the task that the First Hokage and Madara Uchiha failed to finish, and bring lasting peace to the Ninja World."

"Will you lend me a hand?" Iori smiled as he reached out toward Tsunade, his gaze gentle yet resolute.

Looking into Uchiha Iori's unwavering eyes, Tsunade's expression grew dazed; in this moment, she felt as though she were seeing her own grandfather, the First Hokage, Senju Hashirama.

Tsunade hesitated for a moment before gripping the hand Iori had extended, then pulled him into her embrace, holding him tightly.

"If you disappoint me, I will surely kill you." Tsunade squeezed him as if she meant to crush him; she could not bear to lose anyone else, so she chose to trust him.

"Don't worry, I won't let you down." Iori stroked her back, soothing her emotions.

"Then take this. Remember, if you die, I will hate you for the rest of my life." Tsunade took off her necklace and handed it to Uchiha Iori.

This time, she was no longer afraid; if Iori died, she would carry on his will and live on with strength.