Deidara, Hashirama Senju, and Jiraiya returned to the previous battlefield, which was still in chaos. The Akatsuki members were all injured, but fortunately, the fight had been stopped before any fatalities occurred.
"Yo! Everyone!" Hashirama greeted casually, his thick-skinned demeanor making it seem as if nothing had happened.
Tobirama Senju, on the other hand, stood with a cold expression, arms crossed, radiating an unapproachable aura.
"Grandpa, what's going on here?" Tsunade asked, confused.
"Reconciliation!" Hashirama waved his hand casually, summing it up in just one word before leisurely repeating his earlier explanation.
"This..." Both Tsunade and Hiruzen Sarutobi were at a loss. Mortal enemies who had been fighting to the death had suddenly turned into allies?
"Lord Hashirama..." Hiruzen began, wanting to say something. He was the one most deeply attached to the Hidden Leaf Village and the one with the narrowest perspective.
In his life, there was only the Leaf and the Land of Fire—he couldn't comprehend the idea of peace for the entire ninja world.
In his view, even if this outcome was inevitable, the Rain Village and the Akatsuki could have joined the Leaf instead. Why did they have to humble themselves and join the other side?
"Monkey, there's no need to say more," Hashirama interrupted.
"While the Leaf is indeed my life's work, true peace has always been my ultimate goal. The Leaf is merely a byproduct of that pursuit—this is something you must never forget," Hashirama explained.
"I once believed that by uniting various ninja clans and wandering ninjas into villages, war would end, and peace would come."
"But I was wrong. Perhaps Madara was right all along."
"True peace can only come when there is only one ninja village left in the world."
Hashirama was a man of extraordinary vision. Even if this peace didn't originate from his own Leaf Village, he was willing to support it.
"Alright," Hiruzen sighed reluctantly. Though he was unwilling, his voice carried little weight in the current situation. What could he say?
"Since we've resolved our differences, why don't you all come visit our Rain Village? See for yourselves whether this peace is genuine," Deidara suggested.
This was the best way to eliminate the last bit of hesitation and resistance in Jiraiya and Tsunade's hearts. As for Kabuto...
Wait, where was Kabuto?
"I don't know!" Hidan scratched his head. "That guy was hiding in the back the whole time. If you hadn't mentioned him, we wouldn't have noticed. When did he run off?"
Kakuzu took over the explanation. "Don't lump me in with 'we.' You're the only fool who doesn't observe the battlefield."
"When you called for a stop, he quietly slipped away," Kakuzu added.
"But at the time, the situation was unclear, so we didn't bother stopping him. After all, the fewer enemies, the better," Sasori chimed in.
Deidara felt a headache coming on. Kabuto wasn't someone who could be easily left unchecked, especially now that he had gained the power of the White Snake Sage and could use Edo Tensei. Letting him escape was a huge problem.
"Forget it. Let's focus on getting everyone into the village first."
The group began walking toward the Rain Village. Along the way, they could clearly see ninjas from various villages and clans. While it couldn't be said that all barriers had been completely removed, they were at least coexisting relatively peacefully.
"By the way, how many Uchiha are left now?" Though broad-minded, Hashirama still felt a stronger connection to the Leaf, so he asked.
Deidara glanced at Itachi. "Two."
"One is him, and the other is Itachi's younger brother, who seems to be with Orochimaru at the moment."
"Two... just two?!" Hashirama was shocked. Though he had heard about the Uchiha Clan's massacre, he had assumed there would be some survivors. But to think there were only two left?
"Was this your doing, Monkey?" He turned to Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Hiruzen's face twisted with guilt. "Lord First, it was indeed my fault. I failed to keep Danzo in check, which led to this tragedy."
Fine. Hiruzen Sarutobi had once been a beloved junior to Hashirama. Now that the situation was a done deal, pursuing accountability further would be pointless.
"Hey! Isn't that a little girl from the Hyuga Clan? Call her over," Hashirama said, pointing to a figure in the distance. It was Hinata Hyuga, accompanied by Kiba Inuzuka and Shino Aburame.
Faced with these legendary figures, the three young ninjas were stunned. What was going on? The First, Second, Third, and Fourth Hokage had all been resurrected?
And the Sixth Hokage, Jiraiya, along with Lady Tsunade, were all here in the Rain Village, chatting happily with members of the Akatsuki?
"Is this some kind of prank using the Transformation Jutsu?" Kiba speculated.
"No! They're definitely real. My Parasitic Insects are too scared to move," Shino said.
"Woof! Woof!" Akamaru barked in agreement.
"Ugh! Still with the Caged Bird Seal? The Hyuga Clan is still doing this nonsense?" Hashirama said disdainfully.
"Bring out their clan leader to see me!"
Before long, Hiashi Hyuga arrived, looking equally bewildered.
But Hashirama was even more puzzled. "The Hyuga Clan has branch family members serving as clan leaders now?"
"Ahem! Ahem! Here's the situation," Deidara quickly explained the Hyuga Clan's circumstances.
"That damned Danzo!" For the first time, Hashirama openly expressed disdain for someone.
"And you two, from the Inuzuka and Aburame Clans—how are your clans doing now?"
"Not great. Most of our people are gone," they replied.
"What happened this time?" Hashirama asked, perplexed.
"Ahem! Ahem! Here's the situation," Deidara explained briefly again.
"That damned Danzo!"
"By the way, why didn't you two participate in the earlier battle?" Hashirama asked, looking at Kakashi and Might Guy.
"Because they were originally from the Leaf," Deidara answered for them.
"Ordinary Leaf ninjas defecting is one thing, but why would two powerful shinobi like you join the Akatsuki?" Hashirama asked, genuinely curious. Though the question was a bit blunt, everyone could sense he meant no harm.
"Ahem! Ahem! The situation is like this..."
Hashirama cut him off. "Let me guess—Danzo again?"
"Mm-hmm!"
Hashirama gave Tobirama a resentful look. "You see what kind of subordinates you trained? I feel like Danzo is more to blame for the mess that is our destiny now."
"If it weren't for Danzo, destiny would probably still favor the Leaf."
Tobirama, still cold and aloof, replied, "What does this have to do with me? Go ask Monkey!"
"I passed the Hokage title to him, not to Danzo."
"It's his fault for not keeping Danzo in check."
Seeing the blame being shifted back to him, Hiruzen could only force a bitter smile. "Yes, Lord First and Lord Second, it's indeed my fault."
"Sigh. Speaking of which, Akatsuki's leader—you're from the Uzumaki Clan, aren't you? How is your clan doing?"
"You might not know this, but my wife was from your clan. When designing the Leaf's ninja uniforms, I specifically added the Uzumaki Clan's symbol. Even Tsunade has a quarter of Uzumaki blood," Hashirama said, changing the subject.
Nagato sighed. "Uzushiogakure was destroyed long ago."
"What?!" Both Hashirama and Tobirama were shocked.
"Don't tell me this was also because of Danzo," Hashirama said, glaring at Hiruzen.
The latter braced himself and explained, "Lord First and Lord Second, after I became Hokage, I worked diligently, but my strength was far inferior to yours. I couldn't protect them."
"Forget it!" Hashirama sighed, too tired to delve into the truth of Hiruzen's words. "Now that we've seen everything, it's time for us to return to the world of the dead."
"But isn't Edo Tensei only reversible by the caster?" Hidan asked, puzzled.
Hashirama smiled. "Tobirama's jutsu can't bind me. After all, I'm his older brother."
He patted Minato Namikaze, Hiruzen Sarutobi, and Tobirama Senju on the shoulders, forcibly freeing their wills from the control of Edo Tensei.
Finally, he turned to Tsunade. "Tsunade, live a long life for me. Witness the world of peace."
Tsunade's eyes reddened, the brief reunion with her family about to end.
Minato, meanwhile, looked at Jiraiya. "Jiraiya-sensei, how is Naruto?"
Jiraiya smiled. "Don't worry, Minato. Naruto is safe in Mount Myoboku."
"That's good to hear."
🔥 Want to read the next 20 chapters RIGHT NOW?
💎 Patreon members get instant access!
⚡ Limited-time offer currently running...
👉 [Join on - patreon.com/GoldenLong]