Hiruzen's expression twisted slightly.
And he was still one of the better ones…
Beside him, Isshin had already put on an exaggerated face show.
Isshin, who had always been labeled as "steady" and a "strategist," now had all his features squeezed together, his brows knotted into a ball, and the three-tomoe Sharingan that originally belonged to Uchiha Setsuna had unconsciously activated…
The Young Clan Head meant to say…
That Seisui, the child blessed by their ancestor who had descended from the heavens and turned the Uchiha Clan's fortunes around…
Had Senju Tobirama's blood flowing through him?
If anyone else had said that, Isshin might have temporarily let it slide on the surface, out of respect for Sarutobi Hiruzen.
But he would definitely remember it viciously and look for a chance to get even!
Disgusting the Uchiha was one thing, but joking about Senju Tobirama was going too far!
The problem was…
These words had not been spoken by just anyone, but by Uchiha Izuna…
Even Isshin could not hold himself together anymore. For a moment, his brain overloaded and crashed.
Hiruzen subconsciously pulled out his cigarette case, but after glancing around and remembering this was Mito's home, he still did not light one…
After all, he was in an elder's house, not his Hokage Building.
Even Mito, who had always been detached, sucked in a breath of cold air and looked at Izuna with a face full of confusion.
Mito had expected Izuna to lie and make up stories.
After all, in a certain sense, Izuna and Tobirama were very similar. Neither cared much about minor scruples when pursuing their goals…
But could he really care this little?
Even the Nine-Tails was scratching its head. It had not spent the whole day listening to Mito and Hiruzen chat for nothing…
It had also listened with great interest to the awkward relationship between Tobirama and Izuna.
"Hiruzen, stay out of this matter!"
A light of interest appeared in Mito's eyes. In that instant, she even seemed to look a little younger. "Go ahead and smoke. I know this is hard for you to accept. I'll ask him properly!"
Hiruzen nodded.
This had nothing to do with the Third Hokage, okay…
These were all problems left behind by Tobirama. As his disciple, there was nothing he could do about it…
Just as Mito had sharply judged that Danzō was not qualified to evaluate Izuna.
Hiruzen could make use of stories about the previous Hokage and invent a little history.
But when it came to private morals, it was better not to get involved…
Letting Mito handle the interrogation on his behalf was best.
Hiruzen silently rose from the main seat, moved a small stool over to the corner of the wall, and took out his cigarette case.
Isshin walked over silently, sat cross-legged beside Hiruzen, and said in a low voice, "Hokage-sama, could I have one?"
Isshin had actually quit smoking long ago.
But what had happened today had hit him a little too hard…
Although the effects of tobacco on a shinobi's physique could only be considered better than nothing, there was at least a sense of ritual to it. It could somewhat suppress the things weighing on his heart!
Hiruzen handed him a cigarette, a faint flame rising from his finger as he lit it for him.
Isshin nodded gratefully. "Thank you, Hokage-sama…"
And when Hiruzen lit his own cigarette, Isshin also leaned over and lit it for Hokage.
The two of them leaned together by the wall, exhaling clouds of smoke, and sighed in perfect sync.
Sigh!
Isshin and Hiruzen subconsciously looked at each other, then both smiled bitterly and shook their heads.
Their thoughts were the same…
'Why are the older generation such a handful!'
"You truly haven't had it easy! In order to clean up Senju Tobirama's mess, you spent the first twenty-five years carrying so much infamy before finally laying the foundation for reform step by step…"
"Now that the village has finally gotten on the right track, with the Uchiha and Konohagakure heart to heart, something he buried in the past can still blow up like this. I truly don't even know what to say!"
Isshin took a vicious drag, exhaled a thick cloud of smoke, and spoke in a hoarse voice. "Please forgive my disrespect toward the Second Hokage, Hokage-sama…"
"Rest assured, I know you are a victim too. This is all the sin committed by certain people!"
"The Uchiha's firm resolve to follow you will never be destroyed by anyone!"
Isshin's words left Hiruzen silent.
Was he a victim?
In a certain sense, he probably counted as one…
Hiruzen had wanted Tobirama to live a new life different from his life as Hokage…
But he had never expected that even after becoming a young Uchiha, Tobirama could still cause this many incidents!
Izuna possessing him, turning himself into the product of a tragic Senju-Uchiha love affair…
'No wonder Tobirama-sensei could research so many kinjutsu.'
'His mind really is more flexible than most people's…'
Hiruzen patted Isshin on the shoulder and said in a low voice, "I understand. I understand everything…"
"None of us have had it easy. None of us!"
Isshin nodded heavily. "It really hasn't been easy. They're far too much trouble!"
Izuna looked at these two speechlessly.
Isshin was an old man, while Sarutobi Hiruzen had the appearance of a strong middle-aged man…
Izuna, by contrast, looked relatively young. After all, when he died, he had not even been thirty.
This scene looked very much like two parents with a good relationship comforting each other helplessly over some rotten mess caused by their children, the kind where right and wrong could no longer be clearly sorted out…
But the problem was, he was the Young Clan Head of the Uchiha!
In the past, Izuna had always been the one playing the parent. Since when had he ever been treated like the child?
This was truly turning the natural order upside down…
'Is this the price of defying the natural order? Senju Tobirama, the Impure World Reincarnation you researched really is evil…' Izuna cursed inwardly.
And Tobirama was also about to lose his composure.
First of all, the technique that summoned you was Yata Spirit Invocation. What does that have to do with my Impure World Reincarnation? Don't force the connection!
Tobirama had heard Isshin's words very clearly…
He had not expected his worries about his reputation to come true so quickly!
What did he mean, Hiruzen was cleaning up his mess?
If you've never been Hokage, don't talk nonsense, all right!
Reform was something that had to be paved step by step. Who started off by making sweeping reforms with a great slash of the blade?
Tobirama's desire to hint to Hiruzen that he should tell a few little stories grew even more urgent…
It was not that he coveted empty fame, but they could not just dump the chamber pot on his head!
"Izuna, speak…"
Mito's eyes flickered brightly, and her tone actually sounded a little like a middle-aged woman hungry for gossip. "Let me hear what exactly is going on here?"
Izuna's expression turned a bit bitter.
If he had any other choice, he truly wouldn't want to expose Seisui's background…
But there was no helping it!
Letting Konoha's higher-ups know about that bastard's bloodline would, at the very least, be beneficial for Seisui's future development…
"Mito, carefully sense the composition of the cells and chakra in this body…"
"Don't you feel traces of Senju Tobirama in it?"
Izuna let out a sigh: "And the appearance… to be honest, I didn't notice it at first. But later, after I used my Mangekyō Sharingan to analyze Seisui's cells and chakra, I found the clues."
"Overall, Seisui resembles me, his grandfather—but within his bone structure, there's undeniably Tobirama's shadow."
"We've been together constantly these past days, and I've become more and more certain."
"And also, this child's personality is somewhat like Senju Tobirama as well—calm, passionate about researching ninjutsu, occasionally sharp-tongued, yet very tolerant toward clan members with lesser talent…"
Mito gently extended her Adamantine Sealing Chains into Seisui's flesh, closing her eyes as she carefully perceived.
Hiss!
It really was exactly as Izuna had said!
Only someone like Uzumaki Mito, with such extraordinary sensory ability and memory, could distinguish it.
For people she considered important, once she had sensed their chakra, she would almost never forget it…
She was practically a walking archive.
"Seisui's cells and chakra… it's as if you and Tobirama have fused together. Even Tsunade, in relation to Hashirama, isn't as similar as Seisui is to the two of you!"
Mito murmured: "Izuna, I thought you had implanted Tobirama's cells into Seisui's body, trying to use the Hokage's bloodline to bluff your way through the village and obtain resources…"
"And it's actually real?"
Although Mito's sensory ability was extraordinary, Seisui's body was anything but ordinary.
It was the result of Tobirama's thousands of experiments, a stroke of improbable success, combined with Hiruko's cell fusion techniques, the removal of nodal interference through Earth Grudge Fear, and then refined as a whole through the Mangekyō technique Sukunahiko Iyume using the full power of an entire Mangekyō's ocular force!
It wasn't Tobirama being arrogant…
But the resources and sheer luck condensed into this body, along with an irreplicable process, were far beyond the research capabilities of the current era—by at least two or three generations!
Let alone Mito—even if he himself came without knowing the inside story, he would be stunned.
Izuna's face filled with question marks as he couldn't help but retort to Mito: "Who would go around collecting other people's cells for no reason? Even if my Uchiha Clan has been a great clan for a thousand years, and some of our members might have somewhat peculiar interests…"
"No one has ever done something that twisted!"
Mito smiled apologetically and withdrew the Adamantine Sealing Chains from Izuna's body.
"Well… actually, there are people like that…"
Mito explained, "This isn't me targeting the Uchiha. It's just that certain individuals left a very deep impression on me."
Tobirama inside Seisui let out a dry laugh.
'There's no way I can keep living like this…'
'Why is my sister-in-law siding with outsiders? And even teasing me in front of this guy!'
"Ha, you're talking about… Tobirama, right? That guy really doesn't seem to know what he's thinking all day…"
"He's always secretly collecting cells from various ninja clans—even bloodline ninjas aren't spared…"
Izuna shook his head. "But I know Hashirama's attitude toward his forbidden research. Even during the brutal Warring States era, he expressed dissatisfaction with the Impure World Reincarnation."
"You and Hashirama, as a couple—you were both feared by the Uchiha Clan, but also deeply respected."
"Worthy opponents…"
Hearing Izuna's words, Mito sighed and shook her head. "Thank you…"
Tobirama only felt a head full of question marks.
Why are you two suddenly appreciating each other?
What about me?!
Taking advantage of the fact that I can't speak right now, are you?!
If not for techniques like Impure World Reincarnation, Mutually Multiplying Explosive Tags, and soul-binding seals…
How many more members of the Senju Clan would have died!
At this moment, Tobirama suddenly felt a bit of empathy with his second disciple.
Those who bear the darkness are bound not to be understood by others, and will inevitably have many unwarranted accusations pinned on them…
"As for the details of Seisui's background, I don't know them clearly—I deduced them."
"You know that Seisui is from Kusagakure, and given his age, neither I nor Tobirama match up with it. So the only possibility is that he is the result of the union between our respective children…"
Izuna slowly narrated what could only be described as a tragic love story.
In short, their respective children had fallen in love…
But due to Konoha's environment at the time and the conflict between the Uchiha and the village, the two chose to leave the village and live in seclusion near the Land of Fire.
And their child, Seisui, was later abducted because they were close to Kusagakure…
Tobirama had heard this once before, so he was relatively fine…
But the expressions of the others were quite colorful.
Hiruzen suddenly stood up, his tone extremely serious as he said: "Izuna, although you have a past relationship with Tobirama-sensei—perhaps even as both enemy and friend…"
"You still have no right to humiliate my sensei like this!"
"He never had a partner in his life—he remained alone, dedicating his entire existence to the village!"
"What you're saying must be false. Impossible—absolutely impossible!"
Isshin hurriedly grabbed Hiruzen's arm and tried to calm him down. "Hokage-sama, calm down, calm down!"
"The Young Clan Head has no intention of insulting the Second Hokage. He's just making deductions—just casually guessing…"
Izuna looked at the enraged Hiruzen. Not only was he not angry, he even felt a bit envious.
'What a good disciple…'
'With Sarutobi Hiruzen's intelligence and logic, he must be able to analyze that what I said isn't fabricated…'
'But for the sake of Senju Tobirama's reputation, he still chose to step forward without hesitation…'
"Sigh…" Izuna shook his head.
If Tobirama, as the Second Hokage, had always concealed the fact that he had children, it would have been one thing…
But if even his children couldn't accept his policies and ended up leaving the village—only for his bloodline to be abducted by Kusagakure…
That would be far too ugly to speak of!
It would definitely affect Tobirama's reputation.
Not fatally—but it would be a stain that could never be washed away…
'Hiruzen truly is my good disciple!'
'That honest nature of his really does come from me…' Tobirama thought to himself—then suddenly paused.
Was he honest?
…He probably could be considered so, barely.
After all, he had given the Uchiha Clan the Military Police Force—a position that guaranteed a stable livelihood regardless of circumstances… As for his intentions, forget about them—just answer this: weren't they well-fed because of it?
'Logically speaking, if Hiruzen wanted to confirm my identity, he should have followed along with Izuna's words…'
'But for the sake of my reputation, Hiruzen still chose to speak fairly!'
'Sigh… actually, that wasn't very rational. He shouldn't have done that!' Tobirama thought, yet he still felt a warmth in his heart.
The only one who had spoken up for him today!
As for Sarutobi Hiruzen, he hadn't thought that much…
He had simply acted strictly in accordance with how Tobirama's good disciple—and a Hokage who knew nothing—should react.
Being Hokage required sincerity, but also the ability to act, to play a role, and to feign ignorance when necessary…
"Hiruzen, calm down, calm down…"
Mito coughed lightly and spoke gently, "I understand your emotions, but things from the Warring States era are not the same as they are now—the way shinobi think was different as well…"
"Although Izuna's words sound absurd, if you think about them carefully, they might actually be the truth!"
This time, Hiruzen wasn't pretending—he was genuinely stunned.
This could actually be the truth?
Seeing the deep confusion on Hiruzen's face, Mito began analyzing seriously: "Hiruzen, first you must understand that during the Warring States era, shinobi had a very high birth rate… and the social atmosphere was relatively open. Those without partners or children were actually the minority."
Izuna sighed: "That's right… the brutal environment of the Warring States era inflicted tremendous damage on a person's mental state. To maintain sanity, there had to be outlets to relieve pressure…"
"What Mito mentioned was something common to the general population. But on an individual level, the stronger a shinobi was, the more likely they were to develop certain quirks as a way to ease their mental strain."
"For someone like Senju Tobirama, his research into forbidden techniques might have been his way of coping…"
"As for me…" Izuna paused.
"You chased women—women from all clans…" Mito said coldly. "You'd better keep quiet!"
Mito still held a grudge against Izuna for once harassing members of the Uzumaki Clan.
Izuna shut his mouth resentfully, but in his heart he said to Tobirama, "See that? The love story I told you is real! That kid Isshin was the one talking nonsense!"
Tobirama let out a dry laugh.
What a strange fellow…
He actually cares about that kind of reputation? Isn't that completely meaningless?
'However, Izuna understands me better than I expected…' Tobirama reflected.
Just as Izuna had said…
While Tobirama conducted extensive research into forbidden techniques for combat purposes, it was also an important hobby for relieving his own stress…
Not everyone was like Hashirama, with such thick and resilient nerves.
No matter what happened, he would only feel down for a moment before bursting into laughter and thinking of a solution…
'And using romance to relieve stress?'
Tobirama also realized something.
Back in the Warring States era, he had indeed been one of the very few shinobi who neither married nor had children, because he felt it was meaningless…
But from a research perspective—
If something was widely accepted by the general population, there must be underlying benefits and reasons behind it…
'That's something I've overlooked. I should study it when I have time…'
'That Uchiha Tomie Isshin mentioned? She's a ready-made subject. There's no need to actually get involved with her—just a bit of observation will suffice. No need to waste too much of my time.'
There was another reason Tobirama didn't say.
A Uchiha woman that Izuna couldn't win over—if he succeeded effortlessly, wouldn't that prove he was superior to Izuna in every aspect?
Tobirama himself didn't even realize it.
Having lived a second life and shed the burden of being Hokage, his personality had grown more open, gaining a bit of youthful spirit…
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