These days, you could underestimate almost anyone, but you absolutely could not underestimate Senju Tobirama, a man brought back from the dead. The ninja of today are too young; they've forgotten the reputation of the Second Hokage.
Besides his forbidden jutsu, he was also a master of manipulation.
Late one night, Tobirama launched his plan to capture the Six-Tails jinchuriki. Utakata, who was among the rogue ninja army, was quickly lured out by Root ninjas who staged a fake attack to draw his attention.
At dawn, as the casino was closing, Utakata was cornered by Hashirama Senju, who had apparently been gambling all night.
The Six-Tails jinchuriki frowned, his face turning grim as he watched the ninjas who had been running ahead suddenly turn back and surround him. He spoke in a deep voice, "Hmm? So your target this time was me?"
Utakata assumed they were ANBU from the Mist Village. But it didn't matter. Within the entire Mist Village, the only person he was wary of was Mei Terumi, the woman with two kekkei genkai. He wasn't worried about any other enemy he might encounter.
"Ahahaha..."
The man in red plate armor laughed awkwardly and explained with some embarrassment, "The Six-Tails, Saiken, is an old friend of mine... I haven't seen it in a long time, so I wanted to catch up!"
"Clumsy words and even clumsier acting..." Utakata snorted with disdain.
Just as the jinchuriki was about to say more, the Six-Tails, Saiken, suddenly spoke up from within his body. "Utakata, be careful!"
"What is it?"
"That guy..." Saiken's voice was hesitant. "I have a feeling he's a lot like Konoha's First Hokage, Senju Hashirama. Although his chakra is worlds apart from Hashirama's, his aura and his face are identical..."
Whether it was his appearance or his chakra, the man was very similar to Hashirama Senju. The only difference was that Hashirama's chakra was immense, even greater than a Tailed Beast's. The man in front of them didn't seem nearly that powerful.
"I understand..." Utakata's expression immediately turned serious. Toying with a blowpipe in his hand, he decided to strike first. "Water Style: Bubble Jutsu!"
Countless bubbles surged forward. Each one was filled with chakra, and their explosive power was significant. The surrounding Root members had all witnessed it on the battlefield before.
"So unfriendly..." the man in red plate armor sighed. He looked at the Six-Tails jinchuriki and suddenly clapped his hands together. "Wood Style: Deep Forest Emergence!"
Seeing Hashirama's move, Saiken was pulled into a memory. It remembered a time when it was a Tailed Beast no one dared to provoke, living freely...
It was this man...
This move...
This jutsu...
It's back. Everything is back.
From that day on, the fate of the Tailed Beasts changed. Not a single one of them could live freely in the ninja world anymore.
Utakata leaped through the newly formed sea of trees, dodging the attacking vines and branches. "Saiken," he said in a low voice, "is there any way to break this jutsu?"
"...Perhaps." Saiken's tone was grim. What it said next almost made Utakata fall from the sky. "But... I don't know."
Utakata was speechless.
You couldn't really blame Saiken. Decades ago, it had been captured by Hashirama Senju with almost no resistance and was then sold to the Mist Village along with the Three-Tails, Isobu.
Saiken thought for a moment and offered a suggestion. "First, don't go into your full Tailed Beast form... This Hashirama guy is an expert at capturing Tailed Beasts. A huge body is useless against him!"
"Hmm... then let's use a partial Tailed Beast transformation and release a Tailed Beast Bomb!"
Saiken's chakra gradually merged with Utakata's. A violent, red Tailed Beast cloak draped over his body, and six chakra tails swayed behind him. A black and purple Tailed Beast Bomb began to form.
Hashirama looked up and sighed. "If they succeed in forming that Tailed Beast Bomb, the battle will cause too much of a commotion... Luckily, I haven't been idle during this time. Although I still can't use much chakra, releasing one Sage Art should be fine, right?"
"Sage Art..."
Two markings appeared on Hashirama's face. Looking at the wild, red figure in the distance, he shouted, "Gate of the Great God!"
A massive wooden torii gate fell from the sky, slamming the Six-Tails jinchuriki to the ground and suppressing it. Its six tails thrashed wildly as it roared furiously at the sky, trying to vent its rage.
A white-haired man instantly appeared beside Hashirama and gave a low command. "The First Hokage and I will seal the Six-Tails jinchuriki."
"Fu, you send someone back to Konoha with a message. Have the Fifth Hokage come to the Land of Water!"
"Yes, sir!"
After the Six-Tails jinchuriki was captured by unknown persons, the rebel army's offensive was temporarily halted. Although the overall battle situation was not yet clear, the ninjas on the front lines knew that the war had only grown bloodier. In some skirmishes, hundreds of Land of Water ninjas would fight in a chaotic mess until only one was left standing.
While the war in the Land of Water raged on, the atmosphere in Konoha Village was exceptionally harmonious. Everyone was enjoying a rare period of peace, and the villagers were all looking forward to the upcoming summer festival.
The atmosphere in the Hokage's office, however, was very solemn. They had received a message from the Second Hokage. He hoped the Fifth Hokage, Naruto Uzumaki, would go to the Land of Water to mediate the war between the Mist Village and the rebel forces.
Out of respect for the new Hokage, Tobirama did not use words like "order." But the document he sent was very detailed, listing all the pros and cons of the situation.
After Tsunade finished reading, she looked up at the new captain of the Hokage Guard Platoon, Yamato. "Where's that guy Naruto? Why isn't he at the Hokage's office today?"
The Hokage Guard Platoon had been expanded. After Naruto fired two guard teams in three months, he established a new team of more than ten people based on the young, original members of Root. The ANBU ninja Yamato(Tenzo) was inexplicably transferred out to serve as the captain of this team—a proper promotion.
When Yamato learned that his new team was composed entirely of former Root reserve members, he almost coughed up blood. Was this the Hokage Guard Platoon or a new Root organization? He himself had once been a Root ninja.
"Lord Hokage has some private matters to attend to," Yamato answered, though he didn't sound very confident about his next words. "Lord Hokage's whereabouts are classified. Without permission, we cannot..."
Bang!
Tsunade sent him flying with one punch. "Get that brat to the Hokage's office immediately!" she ordered in a deep voice. "We have an important meeting!"
"Yes, ma'am!" Yamato wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth. Luckily, he had the Wood Style kekkei genkai, so his recovery was quick. But just because he was an honest person dedicated to his job, was he destined to be bullied?
Meanwhile, in Konoha's back hills, Naruto and Shikamaru Nara had just finished discussing the situation in the village. Naruto had indeed learned a better approach from his friend.
"Since you proposed it, let your Team 10 handle it," the young Hokage said, very satisfied with Shikamaru's policy. "I remember Asuma-sensei was once one of the Twelve Guardian Ninja of the Land of Fire. He and Chiriku, the head monk of the Fire Temple, are close friends. Sending Asuma-sensei would be a matter of courtesy before force. All ninjas in the Land of Fire must be under Konoha's jurisdiction and command. This is the most fundamental principle."
"Tsk, what a drag," Shikamaru muttered, lying down on the ground and narrowing his eyes.
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Bonus:
Hashirama: Let Saiken come out! We're old friends!
Six-Tails Saiken: ???
Hashirama: What's wrong?
Six-Tails Saiken: I don't see how we're friends...
Hashirama: Didn't I find you a good place to live?
Six-Tails Saiken: Screw you! I was living just fine, then you came and caught me to sell for money...
Hashirama: Wood Style: Deep Forest Emergence!
Six-Tails Saiken: We're all friends here! Let's put away the ninjutsu and Sage Art...