Dead Soul Reincarnation! The Awakening of Living in the Present!

After listening to the Second Hokage's heart-piercing discourse on the "Uchiha Curse," Lin Hai felt unbearably stifled.

He silently rose to his feet, walked to the window, and watched a memorial funeral rite being held on the town streets for someone's first death anniversary.

White paper money fluttered through the sky, mirroring the tangled emotions in his heart.

"I thought that since I'd transmigrated into this world, gained family members who cared for me, and a teacher who wholeheartedly taught me, I would completely integrate into this place and forget everything from my previous life."

"But it seems I haven't."

Lin Hai silently dissected himself in his heart.

"My dependence on my parents only exists because I never had that in my previous life, so I'm afraid of losing it in this one. My admiration for Teacher Hashirama is only because he guided me onto the path of becoming stronger. This isn't any profound love at all!"

"I don't have extreme love, so naturally I won't develop extreme hatred either. I've never truly been kind, nor can I understand what pure evil is."

"Tobirama guards against me, afraid I'll follow Madara Uchiha's old path and be consumed by that so-called 'curse.' But how could he know that I don't have feelings powerful enough to destroy heaven and earth in my heart at all?"

Seeing Lin Hai standing there in silence, the Second Hokage, Tobirama, walked to his side and gazed at the funeral outside as well.

They stood shoulder to shoulder, yet each was lost in his own thoughts.

Time quietly passed in silence.

Not until the afterglow of dusk filled the town and stretched their shadows long did Tobirama finally speak, his tone carrying rare comfort.

"Don't let so-called fate trap you. Work to change yourself. Nothing in the ninja world is set in stone."

"You must carve out your own future. Perhaps one day, you'll become the one who personally breaks the Uchiha Curse."

Lin Hai turned to look at Tobirama and asked seriously, "Second Hokage, do you believe in previous lives?"

Tobirama froze, clearly not expecting Lin Hai to ask such an irrelevant question.

He frowned. "You're a ninja. Why do you also believe in all that illusory Buddhist and yin-yang mysticism?"

"I just want to know. Do you believe?" Lin Hai stubbornly pressed.

Tobirama sneered. "I don't."

"There are no previous lives in this world, nor is there immortality! The only thing we can grasp is the future! We should use our own hands and strength to create a better future, not stand here agonizing over some illusory previous life! Understand?"

Lin Hai was still somewhat dazed as he murmured softly, "But I believe... I truly believe people have reincarnation and another life."

Tobirama was so irritated that he laughed. "I don't know what kind of nonsense books you've been reading."

"But let me make this clear: when people die, their lights go out! Everything returns to nothingness. As for reincarnation and rebirth, that's complete bullshit."

"Because a ninjutsu I developed is enough to prove that all those charlatans' teachings are nothing but crap!"

Lin Hai was startled and looked at Tobirama in confusion.

A trace of pride flashed through Tobirama's eyes. "The Dead Soul Reincarnation Technique! Though I prefer to call it—Impure World Reincarnation!"

"It is a forbidden technique capable of forcibly summoning a dead person's soul from the Pure Land back into this world, granting them an immortal body and allowing the caster to control them in battle!"

Tobirama's voice carried chilling coldness. "My original purpose in creating this technique was to turn former powerful enemies into Konoha's weapons after death and reduce Konoha ninja casualties."

"I once used this technique on a large scale during the fight against Iwagakure."

"I discovered that the souls of those revived dead remained perfectly intact, with their memories forever frozen at the instant of their deaths! There is no such thing as reincarnation, or drinking Meng Po Soup and forgetting one's past!"

Tobirama patted Lin Hai's shoulder and said earnestly, "So get all those messy thoughts out of your head!"

"Don't think about previous lives or future lives. Face the present and live in the moment! That is what matters most!"

"Live in the moment..."

Those four words were like a great bell, striking Lin Hai's heart with tremendous force and completely jolting him awake from his confusion.

That was right! In his previous life, he had liked purple and green, believing them to be full of vitality.

But in this world, those colors represented ill omen and sorrow.

In his previous life, he had liked cats, but here, cats with certain coat patterns were seen as symbols of bad luck.

Even ordinary foxes were hated because of the Nine-Tails.

"I'm no longer on Earth. This is the world of Naruto. This is my battlefield, my home!"

Having understood all this, clarity returned to Lin Hai's eyes.

He looked at Tobirama and gave him a deep bow.

"Thank you for your guidance, Second Hokage. Sir, I would like to request permission to leave Konoha for a while and travel around the Land of Fire alone."

Tobirama studied Lin Hai for a moment. Seeing the clarity in his eyes, he nodded.

"You won't be of any use getting involved in this daimyo assassination."

"Once we return to the village, I'll have someone give you maps of some places your grandfather visited back then, as well as former secret Uchiha Clan bases. Go gain some experience."

Overjoyed, Lin Hai thanked him again before turning and leaving the room.

Land of Fire, Okayama Castle, garrison headquarters.

A heavily armored general knelt on one knee beneath the hall and reported loudly:

"General! According to reports from Konoha spies, the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, has broken away from the main force and is secretly making his way toward Okayama Castle!"

A burly man seated at the head of the hall was enjoying the massage of a maid kneading his legs.

Upon hearing the report, he sneered. "I understand. Leak this news to those idiot nobles! What a pack of fools. They actually dared to make trouble for Tobirama Senju at a time like this. They must be tired of living."

"Pass down the order. Tell our men to keep their heads down lately. If that monster Tobirama Senju sets his sights on them, I won't be able to protect them!"

Late at night, Okayama Castle, the general's residence.

After finishing his inspection of the city defenses, the burly general returned home and was about to drink some hot tea to soothe his throat.

"Hatake Sakutsuki, it's been a long time."

An icy voice suddenly rang out in the dim hall without warning.

Sakutsuki shuddered, nearly dropping the teacup in his hand.

By the faint candlelight, he made out the figure sitting across from him. It was Tobirama Senju!

"Tobirama Senju! Can you stop pulling this ghostly stunt in the middle of the night? Do you know people can be scared to death!"

Tobirama ignored his complaint. His gaze was sharp as a blade as he went straight to the point. "The daimyo died in his own bedchamber. Who did it?"

Sakutsuki gave a dry laugh. "How would I know? I'm also sending people to investigate the murderer. You came at just the right time. I'll feel at ease leaving this matter to you..."

"Shut up! Cut the official bullshit!" Tobirama brutally interrupted him. "I'll ask one last time. Who is the murderer?"

Facing Tobirama's surging killing intent, Sakutsuki sighed helplessly.

"It's not that I'm hiding anything. I truly don't have any solid evidence. Which of the great nobles of the Land of Fire doesn't have a few informants among Konoha's upper ranks? Who knows which idiot wanted to seize the throne?"

Tobirama fell silent for a moment before dropping a bombshell.

"Hand over the list. I promise that your Hatake Clan will be formally admitted into Konoha!"

Sakutsuki abruptly raised his head, his eyes filled with shock.

"Are you serious?! Konoha is willing to take us in?"

Tobirama snorted. "You should know that your Hatake Clan was turned away by my brother back then because you were too close to the Uchiha Clan. But circumstances are different now. As long as you help me uncover the mastermind, it will count as a great service."

"I heard your clan recently produced a genius not seen in a century? Once you join Konoha, Konoha's resources will be directed toward you, and we'll fully cultivate him. What do you say?"

Sakutsuki was delighted at first, then laughed mockingly. "I was wondering why you suddenly became so kind. So you've set your sights on our clan's prodigy."

Tobirama neither confirmed nor denied it. "Each of us gets what we need."

Sakutsuki's expression turned serious, his tone grave.

"None of the seven great noble families of the Land of Fire can be cleared of suspicion. The daimyo's recent decrees affected their interests. Unless you can uproot them all and kill every last one of them... you know the consequences."

Tobirama's eyes turned cold. "Where is the daimyo's only son now?"

"The castle keep!"

Tobirama stood, his voice icy. "From today onward, I will take over the castle keep's security. I'll personally escort him to the position of daimyo! Let's see who dares touch him!"

Sakutsuki's expression changed drastically. "Are you insane?! By doing this, you're publicly tearing apart all ties with the entire noble class of the Land of Fire!"

In the dense forest outside the city, Tobirama found Lin Hai, who had been waiting there.

He casually tossed Lin Hai a scroll. "This marks the former secret bases of the Uchiha Clan. Go explore them yourself. The waters here run too deep. Your little frame can't bear it."

Lin Hai caught the scroll, somewhat surprised. "Second Hokage, don't you need me to stay and help? I can leave right now?"

Tobirama turned away, and his figure instantly merged into the darkness, leaving only a cold sentence drifting through the night wind:

"I won't have time to deal with you for the next few months."

"Report back to Konoha yourself in half a year!"