Wait... what does he mean, "is your mouth dry"? Is this about whether my mouth is dry right now?!
Just as little Jiraiya was about to loudly retort, Hiruzen pressed down on his head and took him and a group of little kids to a shop to buy a cup of chestnut juice.
"Alright, alright," Hiruzen said, rubbing Jiraiya's white hair and handing him the juice. "I'm a ninja from the village. It sounds like you haven't gone to the academy yet. So you're not even five this year?"
"I'm already five!" Jiraiya shouted, holding the juice. "I can enroll this year, and I'll definitely pass the entrance test!"
It had to be said, Hiruzen's affinity was not bad. He was not arrogant and was willing to mingle with these children, quickly winning their respect. When they heard he was a ninja who had traveled for ten years, their eyes were full of admiration.
"Hmph," Danzo glanced at Hiruzen with disdain.
What they need to do now is hurry to the Hokage's office, not waste time with these children.
A ninja's job is not to play house!
Fortunately, Hiruzen didn't delay for too long. He just took the opportunity to inquire about the changes in the village. It seemed Konoha was recently preparing to elect the Second Hokage.
It seems the First Hokage's physical condition is indeed not good...
Coincidentally, the people who came to welcome them had also arrived. After learning of their return, Tobirama immediately sent people to welcome them.
"As expected, even Lord Emiya didn't find the remnants of the God Tree," Tobirama said when he saw Shirou, his face not particularly disappointed. He had also secretly sent people to search during these ten years.
All the ANBU had been ordered to carry out the mission, but they never knew what exactly they were looking for. The things they brought back were often rather strange. When a person has been disappointed too many times, it's really hard to have any hope.
"It seems the God Tree remnants have been cleaned up by Ninshu," Shirou sighed, somewhat disappointed that his journey had been fruitless, even though the most important goal of the ten-year journey had been achieved.
"Then is there no other way?" Tobirama frowned and waved his hand for everyone else to leave. A rare look of gravity appeared on his face. "Lord Emiya, during this time, my brother's physical condition has become abnormally active. He looks full of life, but I'm worried his life is on the verge of its limit, because this year he no longer leaves Konoha to search for Madara."
According to his usual style, Hashirama never stayed in Konoha for too long. However, his behavior this year had become very strange. He hadn't gone out since returning. It was one thing for him to like gambling, but he even took his little granddaughter with him to gamble every day.
This was not normal.
"His body is like a tree," Shirou had long anticipated this. "On the surface, he always looks full of life. However, this tree has squeezed its own life force to maintain its evergreen state. From then on, his power has also been maintained at its peak. The unlimited growth and division of his cells consumes his lifespan, forcing him to walk to the end of his life with great power."
"A long-lived tree, it's normal for it to wither and flourish once a year. People are also like trees. It's impossible to always remain in a lush state. As I've said before, whether it's the remnants of the God Tree or Yang Power, they are all external forces used to forcibly supplement his lifespan."
"Is there really no other way?" Tobirama's eyes dimmed slightly. He had done many things in ten years to ensure Konoha could continue to exist after his brother's death. But his brother had always taken care of him, making it so that even a cold-hearted person like him was somewhat unable to bear the pain of losing a loved one.
Shirou fell silent. However, his silence made Tobirama realize something. If Shirou was truly helpless, he would definitely say it outright.
"Lord Emiya!" he asked, his heart beating a little faster. "You must have a way to save my brother's life, don't you?"
"I can't be sure, because this is not a medical method," Shirou said, unwilling to tell him. "This is the last resort. There is a high probability of failure, and I can't tell you, because this is a top secret of the Pure Land, a secret concerning the dead..."
Tobirama's face changed drastically. As the one who developed the Impure World Reincarnation, he had also done a lot of research on the destination of the souls of the deceased. He knew that the souls of the dead generally returned to the Pure Land. But the Pure Land was not just for the dead.
This information came from the Uzumaki clan. As distant relatives, the Senju and Uzumaki clans had very close communication. Tobirama had studied the forbidden jutsu of the Uzumaki clan. From those, he knew that there was a strange Shinigami (Reaper Death God) in the Pure Land.
He also knew the strong members of the Uzumaki clan could borrow its power and, at the cost of their own souls, cast a strange Dead Demon Consuming Seal jutsu, which could seal a powerful enemy into the Shinigami's body. This jutsu was also the nemesis of his Impure World Reincarnation, because it would seal a person's soul inside the Shinigami.
Tobirama's power could not reach the Pure Land, but he hoped he could know more of its secrets. This was due to his character of liking to have everything within his grasp.
"I should still be able to help, right?" he said casually. "If it's about the Pure Land, I at least know a little. For example, I was able to revive Lord Emiya because I could summon his soul, as it had returned to the Pure Land after death. Some deceased souls are not in the Pure Land, but in the body of the Shinigami of the underworld. Their souls are sealed within and can never return."
Shirou's eyes flickered slightly.
This fellow Tobirama actually has the nerve to say such things. Is disturbing the peace of a dead soul a good thing?
Does he think that maintaining the Impure World Reincarnation won't affect the soul of the deceased?
But this guy is really a genius, to have already researched the Shinigami of the underworld.
Unfortunately, the final method did not come from the Shinigami. Shirou didn't care about the Shinigami that humans feared. Having obtained the power of the Six Paths, his soul and chakra were not always confined to the Pure Land. His soul could even move freely.
Among them, he naturally came into contact with the Shinigami.
The Shinigami, who should have been in charge of souls, had no intelligence. It couldn't even do the most basic soul reaping. Occasionally, when it encountered Shirou's soul, it would rush up, and only after being beaten would it instinctively choose to flee. The next time it saw him, it would rush over again, completely oblivious.
"You even know about the existence of the Shinigami of the underworld?" Shirou sighed deeply. "But the Shinigami doesn't save lives."
"Not the Shinigami? Could it be..." Tobirama's curiosity grew even stronger.
"Don't try to pry secrets from me," Shirou frowned, his face gradually becoming serious. "In these ten years, I have seen too much deception and concealment. Some secrets cannot be spoken of, no matter what. I will only tell Hashirama. And it can only be the Hashirama who is on the verge of death. No matter what, I will never tell another living person."
Because this was his final test. His eyes were somewhat deathly still. This was his final test of that god who was between life and death.