[Timeline: Second Hokage Era]
[Year: 17th Year of Konohagakure]
[Unification Progress: 18%]
In a flash of light, Hashirama felt his body vanish from the Hokage's office.
The next moment, he found himself deep in a dense forest, surrounded by unfamiliar trees and wild air.
Flying Thunder God? No... this was something different. Something more advanced. Tobirama's Flying Thunder God couldn't teleport someone out of nowhere—not without a seal.
Was this the power of this man's Rinnegan?
Illusion? Hashirama quickly ruled it out. As the God of Shinobi, he had long trained himself to see through even the strongest genjutsu. Not even Madara's Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan could trick him for more than a moment.
And if this was some kind of illusion far beyond Madara's, then all he could do was accept it.
"Where are we?" he asked.
"The world, seventeen years into the future," Kai replied casually. "We're in the Land of Lightning."
"...That village you mentioned earlier—Hidden Cloud Village—was formed here?"
"Correct."
Hashirama was shocked.
Seventeen years into the future… This man had really brought him across time.
Was he truly someone on par with the Sage of the Six Paths?
But Hashirama was not the type to dwell in awe for long. He quickly composed himself and focused.
He had come to see how Tobirama would die.
Closing his eyes, he stretched out his senses, immediately locking onto his brother's chakra signature in the distance.
Without another word, he vanished with a flash, rushing toward him.
Kai shook his head.
These brother-obsessed types are really something else. The moment they hear their precious little brother is in danger, they're ready to tear the world apart.
There was no way Kai, still technically just a normal human, could keep up with Hashirama's godlike speed. He had to activate World Teleport again just to catch up.
A few hundred meters away, Hashirama landed silently on a tree branch. Moments later, Kai appeared beside him, motioning for him to stay low.
Hashirama nodded, crouching beside him, and looked down at the clearing ahead.
There, he saw him.
Tobirama Senju, older, more worn—his white hair looking starker than ever—was speaking quietly with a small team of elite guards.
Hashirama's eyes widened.
"That's Tobirama... He looks so much older. And the flow of his chakra is chaotic—he's clearly injured. He's not at his best prime."
He scanned the others.
"Wait, that's Monkey-kun!—what are they doing out there? And... little Danzo? An Uchiha too? Their chakra is strong. They look much more mature now."
He couldn't help but smile softly. "Tobirama's trained a good group of students."
Seeing Sarutobi and the others standing tall, ready for battle, filled Hashirama with pride.
But his expression quickly turned to confusion.
"What are they doing? What's the situation here?"
Kai answered calmly, giving a short summary of the events leading up to this moment.
It was the 17th year of Konoha.
The First Great Ninja War had erupted, and the Second Raikage, seeing an opportunity after Hashirama's death, launched a surprise attack on Konoha. But Tobirama and his forces repelled the invasion.
Realizing his mistake, the Second Raikage decided to seek peace, intending to negotiate an alliance.
But not everyone agreed.
The infamous brothers, Kinkaku and Ginkaku, opposed the peace talks. The Raikage ignored their protests—and was thus assassinated by them at the negotiation table.
The brothers then turned their blades on Tobirama, ambushing and severely wounding him. They continued to pursue him and his team deep into enemy territory.
With no way to escape and knowing he couldn't protect them all, Tobirama chose to stay behind as bait—to buy time and test his subordinates in one final move.
Danzo had wanted to volunteer, but in the critical moment, his fear held him back.
It was Sarutobi Hiruzen who stepped forward.
Moved by his bravery, Tobirama named Hiruzen as the next Hokage.
And then, Tobirama stayed behind—preparing to make his last stand.
Hashirama watched the scene unfold in silence.
"…Yeah," he whispered. "That's exactly something Tobirama would do."
"He already decided on little Monkey as the next Hokage. This 'test' is just to make sure the others accept it."
"And Danzo-kun… that boy's still afraid of death. He hesitated, well It's human nature to fear. Death isn't as easy to face."
His hands slowly tightened into fists.
"Everything that Madara, Tobirama, and I tried to do… it was to stop generation after generation of children from being forced to make these kinds of decisions on the battlefield…"
He looked at Sarutobi again.
"You've really grown into a brave ninja."
"I think… he'll become an excellent Hokage."
Kai, standing beside him, said nothing aloud.
But in his heart, he sneered.
Wait till you see what this 'excellent Hokage' and his gang of 'trusted advisors' do to your clan in a few decades.
Then you'll understand what "excellent" really means.
Still, to be fair, at this moment—Sarutobi, Danzo, and the others really were worthy of being called elite. Their talents and loyalty were real.
And in the end, past achievements didn't cancel out future sins. Just like future mistakes didn't erase the value of the present.
Soon, the six ninja slipped away quietly, moving through the trees—leaving Tobirama alone behind.
He began preparing traps, using the last of his strength to lay explosive seals and weave complex formations.
He looked terrible.
Most of his chakra was gone, and his internal organs were likely damaged. The only thing keeping him upright was sheer willpower—the pride of a Hokage who couldn't afford to fall in front of his students.
Truthfully, the entire mess had been caused by a moment of carelessness.
Neither Tobirama nor the Second Raikage had expected betrayal from their own side. A peace meeting turned into an ambush—classic miscalculation.
But that was the ninja world.
Even Six Paths Madara had his heart ripped out by Black Zetsu.
Still, even wounded, Tobirama wasn't planning on dying quietly.
He was the Second Hokage.
If he had to die, he would take one—preferably both—of the Kinkaku brothers with him. He would make sure Sarutobi and the others had a real chance to return home alive.
"…If only my brother were still alive," Tobirama muttered as he set another trap.
"These idiots wouldn't even dare think about starting a war."
From the tree above, Hashirama watched his brother's lonely figure moving through the clearing.
His heart twisted in pain.
He couldn't imagine that the proud, powerful Tobirama he knew—his stubborn, brilliant little brother—could look so beaten, so exhausted.
"Are those Kinkaku and Ginkaku really that strong?" Hashirama asked quietly. "I've never even heard of them."
"When he killed Izuna, Tobirama didn't even flinch. Just one clean strike."
Kai replied, "They've got the Six Paths Ninja Tools and some of the Nine-Tails' chakra. Their strength is about the level of a regular Kage. Normally, Tobirama could handle them."
"Then why's he like this now?"
Kai shrugged. "He was ambushed. Took a hit he didn't see coming."
"Ah… That explains it." Hashirama sighed. "Sneak attacks really are the worst."
But then he frowned.
"…Still, Tobirama's gotten sloppy. No more burying himself in forbidden jutsu. He needs to get back to training—sharpen his battle instincts."
At that moment—
Shff—
A group of Cloud ninja broke through the treeline. Leading them were Kinkaku and Ginkaku, blades drawn, ready to kill.
Hashirama's face darkened.
He could sense it clearly—Tobirama, in his current state, couldn't win this fight. Not alone.
Should he step in?
Could he even interfere?
This was 16 years in the future. What would happen to the world if he acted now?
Would it change history? Would it make things worse?
He turned toward Kai, urgent and conflicted, silently asking with his eyes:
Can I help him? Should I?
Kai answered calmly.
"Not yet. Wait a little longer."
"It's a good chance for your proud brother to suffer a bit."
A living Tobirama was far more useful than a dead one.
As long as he survived, Konoha's structure remained intact—and Kai's chances of unifying the ninja world stayed high.
And a little pain now?
That would only fuel Tobirama's rage.
Which made him easier to convince later.
That was the real reason Kai brought Hashirama here.
Not just to save his brother…
But to show him just how much this world needed to change.