As the blaring alarm across Sunagakure finally ceased...
The upper echelons of the village, along with many of its shinobi, put on a show of openness—"welcoming guests" with forced calm.
Yamanaka Shinno and Senju Hashirama clapped their hands in unison.
From the towering walls encircling Sunagakure, massive wooden bridges—born of Wood Style—extended outward beneath their feet, stretching for kilometers straight to the front of the Kazekage Building.
Yamanaka Shinno, Kushina, Hashirama, Tobirama, Tsunade, Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and the others walked calmly across the wooden bridge.
Uchiha Madara, shrouded in his Susanoo, zipped through the air to arrive at Hashirama's side. With a snort, he dispelled the Susanoo and silently matched Hashirama's pace on the bridge.
Meanwhile, Uchiha Izuna went straight for Tobirama, his face twisted with bitterness.
Ever since his resurrection via Edo Tensei two days ago, he'd heard the unbelievable news: his brother had cooperated with the Senju clan—Uchiha's age-old enemies—to co-found Konohagakure. And to make matters worse, not a single Uchiha held the title of Hokage!
It was enough to make a man question the entire world.
But then he heard the Senju had dwindled to a single descendant, while the Uchiha had flourished.
So, was it really that hard to accept?
Senju… Hmph.
A pitiful clan that perished chasing after hollow fame.
"Tch. Some people really are pathetic. Even have to borrow a tailed beast from the younger generation just to show some face."
"People who got one-shotted don't get to talk."
Tobirama scoffed, shooting a cold glance at Izuna, who had closed the distance.
"(▼ヘ▼#) My brother lent me the power of the Rinnegan! My Susanoo is a Perfect Form now. Some people, though, can't even touch Wood Style."
"People who got one-shotted don't get to talk."
"(╬◣д◢) Even after becoming Hokage, some folks are still utterly useless. Staying behind to cover your subordinates, only to die doing it?"
"People who got one-shotted don't get to talk."
"（╯‵□′）╯︵┴─┴ Senju Tobirama! You only beat me once! Once we get back, I'll show you exactly who's in charge!"
Izuna's hair practically stood on end with rage, but with his brother present, he didn't dare cause a full-on ruckus.
All he could do was force the fury back down.
"People who got one—"
"Can't you say anything else?!"
"Your brother got beat by my brother. You got beat by me. Your brother got beat by my granddaughter's husband. You also got beat by my granddaughter's husband…"
Tobirama's lips curled into a smirk, his tone as dry and disdainful as ever.
"Come on then! Stab me!"
Izuna grabbed Tobirama's hand and pressed it against his chest.
"Now that you've got this Edo Tensei body that can't die, you've got the guts to talk back—oh, right, that was my jutsu too."
"SENJU TOBIRAMA, I'M GONNA KILL YOU!"
"Hmph."
Tobirama looked down—literally—at Izuna, who was nearly ten centimeters shorter, with a sneer of contempt.
Note to self: gotta get Kushina to unleash the Nine-Tails more often. This is so worth it.
...
Elsewhere on the wooden bridge, far ahead...
Hashirama shielded his eyes with one hand, watching Tobirama and Izuna's antics with a broad, carefree grin.
"Madara, look how well our little brothers are getting along—they're practically holding hands."
"…"
With his Rinnegan, Madara had seen everything. After a long, heavy silence, he decided there was no point arguing with a fool.
Izuna, you dumbass. If you're losing an argument, then hit him!
Use your Perfect Susanoo and beat that smug Senju brat into the dirt!
This is Sunagakure, not Konoha! Who cares if a few Suna ninja die in the process?
You moron.
...
As the group continued their march across the Wood Style bridge, countless Suna shinobi stood beneath their feet. Some clutched kunai and short swords, others activated their puppet weapons.
Their eyes trembled with fear, their knees shook, but not one of them backed down.
"The song of humanity… is a song of courage. Humanity's greatness… lies in courage."
Yamanaka Shinno stood before the Kazekage Building.
He swept his gaze across the many Suna shinobi, eyes full of resolve, already prepared to die. In his heart, he felt a deep sense of respect.
No matter the era, those who have the courage to stand tall are always more worthy of admiration.
...
"Edo Tensei…"
Chiyo's gaze swept across the approaching group. The familiar faces with cracks of dirt across their skin made it instantly clear how they had returned.
The power of the deceased… borrowed by the living.
So this was what Tobirama had in mind when he created Edo Tensei?
To bring together the wisdom of the past and light a fire in the present...
Chiyo's expression darkened as she looked toward Tsunade—now wearing the Hokage's hat—and all the powerful figures behind her.
Yamanaka Shinno, Jiraiya, Orochimaru, Kushina...
Even without Hashirama and the others, that lineup alone could raze Sunagakure to the ground.
"Hokage-sama. Everyone. Please—this way."
Chiyo didn't waste time with pleasantries.
She already knew why they were here, and what was coming. Without delay, she turned and led them into the Kazekage Building.
The power Konoha had just shown was suffocating.
But in the midst of that despair, Chiyo noticed something critical.
Konoha clearly didn't want to push Sunagakure too far.
Otherwise, they wouldn't have deployed so many top-level fighters at once.
And that… might just be the opening Sunagakure needs to negotiate for better terms.
...
"Clever old woman," Tsunade muttered, curling her lip.
She ignored the hostile glares surrounding her and strode boldly into the Kazekage Building.
...
"If you two want to fight, take it to the desert," Madara said with a long sigh, watching Tobirama and Izuna silently struggle for dominance—arms locked, faces blank, each trying to one-up the other.
"Yeah, yeah, go work out your differences. Madara and I only got closer after we fought," Hashirama added with a chuckle, waving at them like they were kids on a playground.
Yamanaka Shinno gave the two of them a nearly imperceptible nod.
He respected those with courage. But sometimes, people wouldn't understand pain until the blade touched their skin.
Today's demonstration had all the flair and showmanship, but it didn't seem like the Suna shinobi had truly felt its power.
There were still too many stubborn fools among them.
Even Chiyo seemed to be toying with ideas.
In that case...
That wall Tobirama had been standing on earlier? Looked like a good spot to make a door.
Tobirama, always the tactician, instantly caught on.
He grabbed Izuna and, using the Flying Thunder God Technique, teleported them both to the wall where he had been standing moments earlier.
A kunai embedded itself right where he'd stabbed it last time.
...
"SENJU TOBIRAMA! YOU'RE DEAD MEAT! I'VE GOT PERFECT SUSANOO NOW—SINEI!"
Buzz...
Izuna's full-powered Susanoo erupted with an earth-shaking roar.
Tobirama leapt back, landing atop the Three-Tails' head, syncing his chakra with the beast as he wove hand seals.
Water Style: Great Waterfall Technique!
A towering cascade burst into the air, crashing down like a waterfall from the heavens, pushing even the mighty Susanoo back several paces!
...
Chiyo whipped around. From the edge of the village, she saw massive torrents of water flooding in, submerging entire blocks in moments.
Susanoo slashed upward in a furious arc, carving a deep trench through the walls of the Kazekage Building.
Its wielder glared down at Tsunade and the others with barely contained rage.
"Are you going to start the talks or not?" Tsunade said calmly.
One hand on her Hokage hat, her expression relaxed—completely unaffected by the destruction around her.
She didn't even spare a glance at the Suna ninja still gripping their weapons, ready to attack.
"...Evacuate the civilians," Chiyo said through gritted teeth.
Her fists clenched, face flushed red with anger. She barked the order to Ebizo before turning toward the conference room again.
She understood now—this was a warning.
Konoha wasn't giving her another chance.
----------------
Pls Drop some Power Stones
Fanfic is finished on Patreon (258 chapters in total.)
Patreon(.)com/Jixo (for only $4.50, read this entire fanfic)