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Konohagakure, Hokage Building.
A blinding golden light flashed within the sealed room before gradually fading away.
"It's done."
Kaito's paper clone clapped his hands and looked down at the dormant array on the ground.
He turned to face the others behind him.
"Once the array on the moon is fully prepared, we can officially activate it."
Tsunade nodded and asked, "So, the teleportation arrays in the other villages have already been completed?"
"They're finished," Kaito confirmed.
"This is truly incredible. With this array, we can directly teleport to the moon?" Hashirama, brimming with curiosity, stepped onto the array and examined it from all angles before turning to Tobirama. "Right, Tobirama?"
Tobirama gave him a cold glance.
"Right, Tobirama!" Hashirama persisted, calling out again.
Tobirama remained expressionless but gave a slight nod.
"By the way," Kaito interjected, "Hashirama-sama, Tobirama-sama, Minato—Enma is currently recruiting staff for various positions in the Yomi no Kuni (Land of the Dead). Would any of you be interested?"
"Work?" Hashirama shook his head vigorously. "No interest at all!!"
"Haha… I'm more interested in the battle to protect the planet!" Minato chuckled, scratching the back of his head.
"Explain in detail," Tobirama said, seemingly intrigued.
"Of course."
Kaito proceeded to elaborate on the current state of affairs in Yomi no Kuni.
"You should go, Tobirama!" Hashirama immediately egged him on. "Who knows? You might even ascend to the throne under the gaze of the entire world!"
Tobirama frowned, lost in thought for a moment, then retorted, "Don't get ahead of yourself, brother. Over the past millennia, countless souls have gathered in Yomi. I have no confidence in winning against them all."
"Tobirama!" Hashirama pointed at his younger brother in dissatisfaction. "Why must you be such a downer before even trying?"
"I'm merely being rational," Tobirama replied matter-of-factly. Then, turning the tables, he added, "Though, if you were to participate, brother, you'd stand a real chance."
"No way!"
Hashirama refused outright. "Too much trouble! I want to enjoy my afterlife, not work!"
"Then hurry up and return to Yomi!" Tobirama glared at him. "For all you know, Mito and your descendants are waiting for you there!"
"Mito, huh…"
Hashirama seemed to recall something unpleasant, his face twisting into a grimace as he shuddered.
"Tobirama-sama is right," Kaito chimed in.
"Hashirama-sama, as things stand, you're fine staying in the living world since we've formed a contract. But if you enter Yomi no Kuni without an official position, your stay will be limited. Once the time's up, you'll be forced to reincarnate."
"Wha—"
Hashirama looked dumbfounded.
Kaito continued, "However, if you were to claim one of the ten thrones of the Yomi Courts and still didn't want to work…"
He glanced at Tobirama and lowered his voice.
"You could always appoint Tobirama-sama as your personal advisor."
Seeing Hashirama's eyes light up with interest—while Tobirama's expression darkened in protest—he added, "Speaking of which, Enma intends to appoint Uchiha Izuna as the First Advisor of the Fifth Court, the King Enma's Court. That position is essentially second only to Enma himself in the entire Yomi hierarchy!"
"Hmm?"
Tobirama swallowed his objections, his face darkening further. "A mere advisor? How could that compare to the other kings of the Ten Courts?"
"Well," Kaito smiled, "while the other kings do hold higher status, Enma is the supreme ruler of Yomi no Kuni. Serving as His advisor…"
He gave Tobirama a meaningful look.
Tobirama's expression turned even grimmer. "Kaito, what's in it for you, pushing me and my brother toward Yomi? Aren't you worried about losing combat strength when the Ōtsutsuki invade?"
"Well…"
Kaito smiled "sheepishly."
"I need to borrow Enma's power, so I have to put in a good word for Him. In any case, if you two successfully secure positions in Yomi, you'll be transformed into official Shinigami (Death Gods). At that point, even if I form a contract with you, I can still borrow a portion of your power."
He then turned to Minato. "Minato, even if you take a position in Yomi, you'll still have a chance to participate in the planet's defense. Think it over."
Minato shook his head with a smile. "No thanks. I'd rather stay in the living world and watch Naruto grow up, get married, and have kids!"
"Fair enough." Kaito moved past him and addressed Tobirama again. "Tobirama-sama, as a Shinigami, your power would grow significantly. Even if you lent me some of it, you'd still be as strong as you are now."
"What about me?" Tsunade suddenly interjected.
"Tsunade, you—" Jiraiya tried to stop her.
"Move."
Tsunade shoved him aside and faced Hashirama. "Grandfather, I'm sorry for never telling you…"
"You still want to say it, little Tsuna?" Hashirama cut her off. "I could tell something was off about your condition, but since you didn't bring it up, neither did Tobirama nor I."
He laughed heartily. "After all, you're all grown up now!"
"Since it's come to this, explain everything clearly," Tobirama said sternly.
"Allow me to elaborate," Kaito stepped forward.
"So, it is related to you," Tobirama remarked, his wariness toward Kaito still evident.
"It is," Kaito admitted.
"Back then, Tsunade-sama was accidentally caught in an enemy's Shishiku Fūin (Four Symbols Seal) on the battlefield. To save her, I had to expend a vast amount of her life force."
He paced slowly before them.
"Afterward, with her body severely damaged and her strength completely gone, Tsunade-sama chose to have me assist in transferring her consciousness to a new body."
Tsunade nodded in confirmation under Hashirama and Tobirama's questioning gazes.
"And as I've said before, Tsunade-sama never actually died."
He looked at her. "Thus, you currently cannot enter Yomi no Kuni."
"So my little Tsuna gets to live forever?" Hashirama asked naively.
"Impossible, Hashirama-sama." Kaito shook his head.
"While Tsunade-sama's body no longer ages, remember—humans consist of both body and soul. When the time comes to cross over, she won't be exempt."
"Soul?" Hashirama remained puzzled. "Then what am I?"
"Your situation is entirely different from Tsunade-sama's," Kaito explained. "Your soul was summoned from the Pure Land—a dead spirit. Tsunade-sama's living soul is fundamentally distinct."
"I think I get it now."
Hashirama stroked his chin.
"Basically, even though little Tsuna's body has issues, she's still alive, right?"
He beamed at her. "That's great! At least you're still here, Tsuna. Now I can face your grandmother with a little less worry."