At this moment, Orochimaru's secret chamber had turned into the private meeting place of Mito and Tsunade. No one outside knew what was going on within its soundproofed walls.
When it was over, Tsunade, Mito, Tobirama, and Hashirama returned together to the Senju Clan compound. Uchiha Hikaru accompanied them.
After all, work still needed to be arranged for these two reanimated legends.
Of course, having been brought back via Impure World Reincarnation, they couldn't exactly stroll through Konoha in broad daylight. So, they used Transformation Jutsu to conceal their identities until they reached the Senju grounds.
Shizune had already prepared dinner and was quietly waiting at home.
…
Tobirama and Mito sat at the dining table, watching Tsunade, Uchiha Hikaru, and Shizune eat.
But the great God of Shinobi, Hashirama Senju, was staring longingly at Tsunade—who was happily devouring her meal—and felt an illusion of hunger gnawing at his stomach... even though he didn't technically have one.
"Uh… Hikaru, do you think the undead like us can still eat?"
At that moment, Uchiha Hikaru was chewing on a perfect piece of pork belly—just the right balance of fat and lean, glistening in soy sauce.
"I don't know. Why don't you ask Second Grandpa?"
That's right. After everyone finished laughing at Hashirama inside the soundproof barrier earlier, something unspoken had formed between him and Hikaru.
Put simply: You call me Grandpa, I'll call you Brother.
Their relationship quickly grew closer.
The real reason, though, was that after Tobirama saw the current state of Konoha from atop the Hokage Rock, he had fully acknowledged Uchiha Hikaru. Teasing Hashirama together had just been a convenient bonding moment.
Tobirama folded his arms, expression blank.
"Big Brother, Impure World Reincarnation bodies can't feel. Technically, you can eat—but you won't taste anything."
But Hashirama clearly only heard one thing: "You can eat."
Grinning like an idiot, he ran to the kitchen, grabbed a bowl and chopsticks, and excitedly sat back down.
It was like watching a university student rush out of class the moment the lunch bell rang.
Food! I'm thriving!
He reached for the dish he'd never seen before—braised pork belly.
He held up a glistening cube of meat with his chopsticks and admired it. The top was a centimeter-thick layer of firm, lean meat. Below that, alternating layers of fat and lean formed a delicious cross-section, with chewy, dark brown skin on the bottom.
Subconsciously, he gave it a light squeeze—the juice dripped out, rich and fragrant.
"This is amazing… Has Konoha's cuisine evolved this far?"
"Let me try a bite."
The moment he popped it in his mouth, the savory juice splashed across his tongue, the texture silky and perfect.
Hashirama swallowed—and his eyes welled with tears.
Tobirama raised an eyebrow. Could Orochimaru's enhancements to Impure World Reincarnation allow sensory input now?
That shouldn't be possible. Theoretically, these bodies lacked all physical sensation.
Tsunade looked at her grandfather, his expression on the verge of breaking down.
"Well? Is it good? Can you taste it?"
Hashirama nodded… then shook his head.
Tsunade blinked. "So… is that a yes?"
"It's delicious… but tasteless…"
Tobirama's mental gears screeched to a halt.
"What the hell does that even mean—'delicious but tasteless'?"
Hashirama kept picking up food, chewing slowly, his face contorting from joy to sorrow.
"I know I'm eating… but I can't taste it…"
He turned to Tobirama, desperation on his face.
"Tobirama! Isn't there anything you can do to let us taste food again? Even with these Impure World Reincarnation bodies?!"
At that moment, it felt like a lone crow slowly flew across Tobirama's head, dropping six cartoonishly black dots in its wake.
"Big Brother… Impure World Reincarnation is a jutsu meant for battle, not fine dining…"
But Uchiha Hikaru, who was standing nearby, suddenly spoke up.
"Maybe not with the reanimation bodies. But what if you had your own body again?"
Hashirama's eyes lit up immediately.
"Wait—really?! Hikaru, are you serious?! You're not messing with me, right?!"
Uchiha Hikaru finished the last bite in his bowl, set down his chopsticks, and began explaining.
"I can use my Mangekyō ability, Sword, to extract your souls from the reanimated bodies. Then we can find you new vessels."
Tobirama crossed his arms and began to analyze.
"Theoretically, it's possible. Impure World Reincarnation works by binding the soul to a sacrifice using part of the deceased's original DNA. If we can sever that bind and transfer the soul…"
Hashirama's expression had gone serious.
"In other words, if we want real bodies again… we'd have to steal someone else's body."
Tobirama nodded. It didn't bother him personally—but something else did.
"Yes, but the mismatch between the soul and an unfamiliar body would cause severe chakra instability. Our power would drop drastically. We'd lose everything that made this technique valuable."
"Hikaru, if this is how we'd be revived, I'd rather not. I'm not taking an innocent life. We came back to protect Konoha."
But Uchiha Hikaru waved his hand casually.
"I'm not suggesting you take someone else's body. I mean… use your own."
Mito raised an eyebrow, clearly skeptical.
"Hikaru, I died of old age. My body has long since turned to dust. Tobirama died in battle—his body would be gone too."
"Only Hashirama's body might still be usable."
At that moment, Tobirama cleared his throat.
"Ahem… I, uh… may have dissected Big Brother's body for research."
Hashirama turned slowly to look at him, wide-eyed. He slumped into a chair like a deflated balloon.
Uchiha Hikaru was pretty sure he just saw a human-shaped shrimp.
"Tobirama! We're brothers! How could you cut up my body for experiments?!"
"You—!"
Tobirama turned away, pouting like a guilty child.
"I had no choice. I asked Mito for permission. She agreed. Once you were dead, your cells were our best shot at developing new defenses for Konoha."
Hashirama stared at his wife.
"Is that true?"
Mito nodded calmly.
Hashirama leaned back in his chair in complete despair. Even though his reanimated body couldn't cry, Tsunade could swear she saw a glimmer of tears at the corners of his eyes.
He looked like a neutered cat that had just been told it would never grow back.
Shizune stood off to the side, eyes wide with disbelief.
Am I dreaming? Did I fall under genjutsu? These are supposed to be Konoha's legendary First and Second Hokage?
Why do they all act like this?
What the hell happened to the world? Or maybe… what the hell happened to me?
Mito sensed the girl's mental spiral through Kagura's Mind Eye and gently patted Shizune's head.
"Don't overthink it, child. The Hokage you've read about—those stories are just idealized versions told by later generations."
"At the end of the day, we're all human. You've been with Tsunade long enough. You should've figured that out by now."
"Treat us like family. That's enough. You can call me Grandma, if you'd like. It's perfectly fine."
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Bonus Chapter at 150 Power Stone
Second Bonus Chapter - 300 Power Stones
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