"Revive Grandpa, then have him open the Eight Inner Gates and die again?!"
Tsunade's eyes widened. She shouted at Kou, furious and appalled:
"Do you have any idea what you're saying, kid?! That would be an even greater insult to the dead than Impure World Reincarnation!
"How could we possibly—"
"We can."
Before Tsunade could finish, Hashirama spoke to Kou, his expression grave.
Tsunade froze. She stared at Hashirama's back and opened her mouth, as though she still wanted to say something.
"Don't worry about it so much, little Tsunade."
As Tobirama spoke, he stepped beside Hashirama, shielding his elder brother from Tsunade's gaze.
His voice was gentler than usual, but beneath that gentleness lay a ruthless certainty:
"My brother and I are already dead. We don't care what happens to us.
"If it means stopping Uchiha Madara and saving the Ninja World, then any means at all... are acceptable."
Tsunade listened to Tobirama's firm words. Her mouth slowly closed, and she fell silent.
Her gaze went past Tobirama to Hashirama's resolute back. Her shoulders sagged, leaving her looking defeated.
Jiraiya and Sarutobi quietly came to her side. Neither spoke; they only watched her with conflicted expressions.
Jiraiya raised a hand toward her shoulder, but in the end, he could not bring himself to touch it.
(Kou: Well, well. Jiraiya's lost his nerve again?)
Hashirama did not turn around. Perhaps he could not bear to see Tsunade's face just then.
Through Kou, he had learned the broad outlines of what Tsunade had been through over the years.
Her fear of blood, the deaths of her younger brother and the man she loved...
It was not hard for him to imagine what his return and second death would do to a granddaughter who had already watched so many loved ones leave