The Power of Merit! Big Pillar's Resurrection!

Naruto World, Underworld—

This was the final resting place of all departed souls. Whether you had been a Kage of the Five Great Shinobi Villages or an ordinary Ninja in life, everyone was treated more or less equally here.

Yet Senju Hashirama, the strongest Hokage in history, was undergoing a slight abnormal change at this moment.

He had snatched a red packet called "One Hundred Merit" from the Dimensional Chat Group.

Then, as if he had been bathed in golden light, his entire body suddenly blazed with radiance. Like a tiny golden man, he illuminated the surrounding area and drew the attention of nearly half the Underworld.

Whoosh—

A Konoha Ninja with silver hair, red eyes, and an iron forehead protector styled like a face guard instantly rushed over.

He had three markings on his cheeks and wore a black skintight combat suit beneath layered blue armor, with a white fur collar draped over his shoulders and connected to the back.

He was Konoha Village's Second Hokage—Senju Tobirama!

He possessed exceptionally powerful sensory abilities and a cool, wise mind. His Flying Thunder God Technique was used to perfection, earning him the title of "Fastest Shinobi in the Ninja World"!

However, among the Myriad Heavens, his strength could only receive an evaluation of "Golden Core (C)."

"Big brother, you..."

"Yo, Tobirama. Do I look bright?"

"Why are you glowing all over like you ate Jinkela?"

Senju Tobirama silently covered his eyes with a hand and complained.

His unreliable big brother had always been such a worry. Even while alive, he often pulled bizarre stunts. He had even planned to give away the Nine Tailed Beasts he had captured to the other Shinobi villages for free, all for the sake of so-called peace.

If Tobirama had not stopped him in time, he probably would have actually done it and become the world's biggest sucker on the spot.

After dying, his big brother had become increasingly unreliable. He would even stare into space and grin foolishly by himself all the time.

"Hahaha!"

Scratching the back of his head, Senju Hashirama laughed heartlessly.

He had none of the bearing or majesty expected of the God of the Ninja World. He seemed more like an unreliable older brother.

"Hurry up and put away that golden light. You're about to blind me."

"How do I put it away? I'm not really sure."

"..."

What kind of "new ninjutsu" had his big brother come up with now? They were already in the Underworld, so why was he still developing techniques?

Still, this "new ninjutsu" did make one feel warm, as though one had returned to a mother's embrace, or received the blessing of the world itself. But that blessing was limited to Senju Hashirama alone.

The Sage of Six Paths, the manager of the Underworld, silently appeared behind them.

He wore a pair of homemade Underworld-version sunglasses to block out the endless light radiating from Senju Hashirama.

"Ahem."

"Yo, Sage of Six Paths. Long time no see."

"Hashirama, you're about to be resurrected."

"Resurrected?"

"The golden light on your body seems to be some kind of special energy. It keeps pulling at your soul, as though it wants to bring you directly back to the Ninja World. Even I can't stop it."

Even the Sage of Six Paths was encountering something this bizarre for the first time.

It would have been one thing if it were the Rinnegan's "Outer Path: Samsara of Heavenly Life Technique," but the golden light emerging from Senju Hashirama's body was actually producing the same effect. What the hell was this?

Sure enough, the longer one lived, the stranger the things one got to see.

"Wait, I can be resurrected?"

"Of course. Get yourself sorted out. You'll be heading back to the Ninja World soon." The Sage of Six Paths rolled his eyes. "I heard Konoha Village's Fourth Hokage has been dead for twelve years already. Think about what you'll do after going back."

"Big brother, what kind of 'new ninjutsu' did you create that lets you resurrect right where you stand?!"

Senju Tobirama asked in shock.

As Konoha Village's developer of forbidden techniques, he had basically categorized anything that was not Water Release as a forbidden technique that could not be practiced.

But he had never expected his normally dim-witted big brother to silently develop such a powerful "forbidden technique." This genius of the Ninja World suffered ten thousand points of emotional damage.

"It's not ninjutsu. I merely received a gift from a Big Boss," Senju Hashirama corrected him.

"Whatever the case, since you're going to be resurrected, take good care of Konoha," Senju Tobirama said with a sigh.

Even the Fourth Hokage had been dead for twelve years. He had no idea how Konoha Village was developing now.

He also did not know who had taken up the burden of becoming the Fifth Hokage and inheriting the Will of Fire.

If his big brother were willing to act, he could have long since suppressed the other four Shinobi villages with one hand and unified the Ninja World with the Nine Tailed Beasts. Why did things need to be so troublesome?

"No. I'm already dead, even if I do get resurrected."

"I don't want to interfere too much with Konoha's development. I believe in the Fifth Hokage's strength."

"As for me, I'll just observe from the shadows and see whether today's Konoha has inherited the Will of Fire."

"..."

Senju Hashirama was rather open-minded about this.

After Uchiha Madara died, he had basically had no opponents left. Going out to fight would just be bullying people, wouldn't it?

The four Shinobi villages combined were not enough for one of his hands. With both hands clasped together, a single Wood Human Technique would be enough to beat them until they cried for their fathers and mothers. After all, he was an expert at the "Nascent Soul (B)" level.

Whoosh—

The power of Merit continuously tugged at Senju Hashirama's soul.

The next second, his figure vanished from everyone's sight and was directly brought back to the Ninja World through resurrection...