Hashirama laughed: "The younger generation is formidable!" The Second cried, "Impossible!"

The Third Hokage wiped the greasy sweat beading on his forehead.

His large, shriveled hand, covered in wrinkles,

pointed at Sen, who stood at the very top of the Divine Tree, hundreds of meters high, dusting himself off.

The Third Hokage sniffed.

"Lord First, Lord Second."

His voice shook terribly, even cracking with excitement.

"He is one of Konoha's younger generation."

"The Senju Clan's last... surviving orphan."

"Sen Senju."

As he spoke,

the old man straightened his slightly stooped, withered back, his face brimming with unmistakable pride.

"A Senju?!"

Hashirama Senju, who had been scratching his head, suddenly froze in mid-motion.

His hollow black eye sockets widened like two large glass marbles.

"You're telling me that's a kid from our Senju Clan?!"

He slapped his palm hard against the dark red armor plates he wore.

Clang!

The plates collided with a metallic clatter, sending old, rotting mud showering off them.

"Hahahaha!"

"Excellent!"

"Excellent!"

"What a Sen Senju!"

Hashirama suddenly burst into hearty, almost manic laughter.

Tears and snot rolled in great drops down his cracked, ashen corpse's face.

They struck the broken rubble beneath his feet, kicking up clouds of dust.

"To think my descendants produced such an incredible monster!"

"He can use Deep Forest Emergence at twelve, and it's fucking instantaneous!"

"Monkey!"

Hashirama took a great stride forward and clapped the Third Hokage on the shoulder with a sharp crack, nearly knocking his old bones apart.

"With this kid around, won't Konoha be able to do whatever we please in the Shinobi World from now on?!"

"How are those fire-playing, red-eyed bastards from the Uchiha Clan supposed to compete with our kid now?! Hahahaha!"

He laughed until his eyes filled with tears.

In contrast to Hashirama's boisterous manner,

Second Tobirama Senju's expression remained as cold and hard as an