One night passed.
The following day, Konoha continued cleaning up the destruction. The Kagenami side had suffered heavy losses—first with many ninjas killed, then their entire base blown apart. Reburying this base underground would be no easy task.
Orochimaru's intelligence report hadn't been spread around and remained known only to Haseo for now.
After all, Orochimaru was a dangerous individual. Upon returning to Konoha, he naturally wasn't given any freedom. Since last night, his old friend Jiraiya had been keeping a close eye on him.
There also hadn't been follow-up news back in Konoha regarding the [Raid] at the Land of Iron's meeting venue. Haseo still hoped the Fifth Hokage could return to Konoha, but as time passed, the possibility gradually diminished.
If Minato could indeed return to Konoha, he likely would have done so within a day; otherwise… it might turn out just as Orochimaru described.
Haseo didn't rush immediately to the Land of Iron to confirm the situation. Such "support" would arrive too late—completely meaningless.
From morning to evening, Haseo worked to maintain order in Konoha, including meetings with the Uchiha clan leader and concealing the identity of the intruding Uchiha member.
As dusk approached, he arrived at Konoha Hospital to check on Uzumaki Yayoi's condition.
"Because of the Uchiha's genjutsu, Yayoi sustained serious mental damage and won't recover anytime soon.
Her psychological state is also concerning. With Uzumaki Shikou having just passed away and the Kagenami recently entrusted to Yayoi, suffering such a major loss has been difficult for her to bear mentally. She may keep blaming herself.
Considering her fragile physical condition all along… I can't even determine how much longer she can hold on."
While rubbing her forehead with her hand, Tsunade told Haseo this.
"I see."
"You seem colder than expected, Haseo."
"It's not like that either.
Tsunade, I'm sure you're feeling some unease too. Next, we might very well face a situation where one wrong move loses everything. We should consider Yayoi's situation only after the big picture settles down."
"I do have that feeling. Ever since we returned to Konoha, it feels like the entire ninja world has become a volcano on the brink of eruption. However... why do I sense impatience from you?"
"Really? If so, maybe it's because the waiting period before the end has simply been too long..."
Haseo wanted to say something else when suddenly a sharp jolt in his chest struck him. Instinctively, he turned his head toward a certain direction.
Shortly after, he noticed that Tsunade made the same movement. They exchanged a glance and dashed wordlessly toward the hospital roof.
In the next moment, the Second Hokage appeared beside them together with Niyu Haseo.
"This massive Chakra reaction... it's unprecedented." The Second Hokage, who had recently returned to the living world, found himself gaining more experiences each moment. He'd seen more than his fair share of strange things—not just one, but multiple.
"So it's starting right away without hesitation," Haseo said.
"What do you mean?"
"Nothing, it's just that I've just noticed tonight is a full moon."
At their altitude, naturally no one possessed the vision to pierce through the night sky and see if something was approaching the moon. However, as Haseo spoke, an enormous phantom of the moon began spreading across the continent.
Simultaneously, the bright moon instantly turned into a blood-red crescent moon, with strange black tomoe appearing on its surface.
"What in the world is this? Could it be a technique? Haseo, do you know?" Tsunade also appeared very surprised.
"It's called Tsukuyomi... In layman's terms, this means the end of the world."
Haseo didn't waste another word. Sage Facial Markings surfaced upon his face. He held both his wife's and daughter's hands. Chakra Cloak surged from his body, quickly enveloping the three of them.
"The Six Paths naturally are immune to this power, but the number of people I can protect is extremely limited, and there's really no need to protect so many others." What exactly does "extremely limited" mean? At moments like this, Haseo obviously cared only for his own wife and child. "You're immune to it since you're not alive anyway, so you can just stay here by yourself."
"..."
For some unknown reason, at this moment Tobirama felt an unparalleled sense of loneliness.
The Second turned his gaze toward the village. He discovered that as moonlight shined down, the entire village was sinking into deadly silence.
"A wide-range illusion technique?"
"Not merely genjutsu—it's an apocalyptic jutsu... I'm using the Six Paths' power to resist it. I wonder whether my resistance has been detected."
"So..."
"Hush, next comes the second wave."
With the aim of bringing about the end of the world, all chakra must ultimately be reclaimed. Immediately following this, massive vines pierced up from underground, then hanging from these vines were countless green 'bandages' that bound, lifted up, and strung out those trapped under the Infinite Tsukuyomi to dry in the wind.
The chakra of these trapped individuals would be completely extracted by the God Tree, and this process essentially represented a modern mechanized mass production line for manufacturing White Zetsu.
All that unfurled before them left the recently returned Second Hokage utterly baffled.
"This is... Birth of a World of Forests?"
"No. This might seem like a slight difference, yet the actual distinction is tremendous—it's [God: Nativity of a World of Trees]."
Though differing by only one character in name, the essential differences between these two techniques were enormously significant.
Why does this guy know *everything*, while I don't even know *anything*… Even in such a situation, Haseo still had the skill to make even intelligent men like the Second Hokage feel annoyed. If you understand, then just keep it to yourself! Why do you always have to explain things so casually, like everyone's supposed to know?
Doesn't that make the Second look especially clueless?
The Second Hokage turned his head, about to shoot Haseo a glare. But he discovered Haseo was currently holding Tsunade in a bridal carry.
"Hey, what are you doing?"
Both Tsunade and Niyu Haseo were clearly unconscious.
"I neither want them caught within the illusions nor interfering with my upcoming actions, so let me allow them a temporary nap... I hope when they wake up, everything will have gone back to normal.
Tobirama-dono, please help hold little Niyu."
Well, compared to his granddaughter, Tobirama found himself more suitable for holding Niyu Haseo.
The two of them brought Tsunade and young Niyu back to their home in the Uzumaki District from Konoha Hospital. Haseo gently laid the pair onto the bed, where they appeared to be sleeping peacefully.
"Alright... I'll go handle this problem. If I pull it off, everything will work out for the better."
"Hmm. Though my power as one reincarnated through the Impure World Reincarnation isn't what it was at its peak when I was alive, I can still play a small role," said the Second Hokage.
"No. Tobirama-sama, please stay here and protect Tsunade and little Niyu. Otherwise, I just won't feel secure... To be honest, even if you went over there, you'd just get swept aside without making a difference anyway. You're better off staying here and playing your part.
Protecting Tsunade and Niyu *is* part of protecting Konoha... Everyone else has been caught in a genjutsu, but they're still alive for now. This is also part of your duty as Hokage, isn't it?"
Tobirama Senju seemed somewhat offended... If only he had more confidence, he could've removed that word "seemed."
"Haseo, do you know who you'll be facing?"
"Of course I do, which is exactly why I say Tobirama-sama will be of no use.
Moreover, the living will fight desperately, and whether this world continues or ends should be decided by the living themselves... Relying on the strength of the dead changes nothing.
Tobirama-sama, you're a dead man."
"..."
Haseo kept stating such facts one after another, making Senju Tobirama feel deeply uncomfortable. Even worse, he sensed that Haseo probably repeated those words precisely because he noticed his discomfort—making him feel even more uneasy.
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