Tsunade couldn't even remember the last time she cried.
When she finally lifted her head from Muzo's embrace, she looked like a mess, like a smudged painting. Her eyes were swollen red, tears welled up and streamed down nonstop.
Yet, his chest showed no trace of dampness.
That was the nature of Edo Tensei.
She covered her eyes with her still-trembling hands, and after a long while, slowly lowered them.
"You all should go back," she said hoarsely.
The three Edo Tensei ninjas exchanged glances, silently communicating with their eyes.
"You've grown so strong," Hashirama sighed. "Don't worry, we're fine. We just wanted to see what the village looks like now."
"And the village is about to go to war," Tobirama added. "With the three of us around, things will be a little easier."
"No way!" Tsunade reacted fiercely. "You're not allowed to go!"
Seeing Tobirama about to speak again, Muzo knew this guy would probably say something to blow Tsunade up completely, so he quickly jumped in.
"Calm down," Muzo said, using his signature 'devilish head-pat technique.' "I am still pretty strong. And the enemy is using a technique I deliberately left in the Scroll of Seals. We may look like this now, but we've still got about 90% of our former strength. Of course…"
Before Tsunade could interject, he continued, "The world of the living shouldn't be overly interfered with by the dead. So we'll only step in when absolutely necessary. This is a rare opportunity for us to return, and we're really curious to see how the newer generation is doing. If we don't take a look, it'll just itch at us."
Yeah, right, like they just wanted to observe.
After taking one stroll around the village, he could already tell: the average ninja of this era was seriously weak.
In every era, the higher up the hierarchy, the more watered down things get. There were never that many true elites.
The jonin of this era were even more diluted than in his time.
The late Warring States period was when the jonin class rapidly expanded. It was nothing like when the title was first created, back then, a jonin was the leader of an organization, meaning one group had just one jonin.
Later, as manpower shortages became common, and to motivate talent within the ranks, the concept of jonin shifted from being a title for the single strongest individual to a mere job designation.
Muzo felt it was necessary to remind the ninjas of this era: being a jonin isn't that easy. Don't think that raising a group of weaklings means you can bare your fangs at Konoha.
The state of being reanimated didn't hinder his performance at all. And as everyone knew, if you could let go of things mentally, a bad reputation didn't mean much when you're already dead.
And being mentally chill was one of his best traits.
If no one cursed his name, wouldn't that just mean he was a nobody? Being respected was just too much trouble. It was far easier, and more effective, to be feared.
Tsunade looked suspiciously at Muzo. She didn't believe for a second that he'd actually behave himself.
If Hashirama or Tobirama had said it, maybe she'd believe them.
"You've got a point," Hashirama nodded. "In that case, I'll go find Madara. Since we're all dead now, the conflicts we had while alive don't matter anymore."
Just thinking about it made him genuinely happy.
Yes, he actually believed what Muzo said!
When he was alive, he was famous throughout the shinobi world for his willingness to trust. And if he ever trusted the wrong person, Tobirama and Muzo would always clean up the consequences for him, making sure that no one alive could ever get away with deceiving him.
After all, who bothered to hold grudges against the dead?
"The fact that he still hasn't shown up proves he hasn't abandoned his evil plans." As soon as Madara's name was mentioned, Tobirama perked right up.
Sure, the living might not argue with the dead, but the dead arguing with each other? That was totally fair game.
"I doubt he'll return quietly to the Pure Land. The three of us should team up and send him back ourselves, before he starts causing trouble."
"I'm down for that," Muzo nodded too. "We came back together, yet I had to carry pressure way beyond my level. Totally unfair."
"…Can you stop messing around? I'm being serious here." Tobirama demonstrated that even in his reanimated state, his face could still grow darker. Then he continued, "Madara is a dangerous man. From what Fugaku said earlier, I can tell the current Uchiha clan is already everyone's ally. But Madara is different, he still lives in that old era. He's nothing like the Uchiha of today; he's practically a different species."
"Tobirama!" Hashirama finally couldn't hold back. "Don't talk about him like that, he's the comrade I founded the village with."
"Am I wrong though? You know exactly what he did later, don't you? Honestly, you should've let me study him back then. That way, he wouldn't have been able to fake his death and escape!" Tobirama's voice was louder than Hashirama's.
Hashirama choked up.
Even though Madara was his friend, there was no excusing the attack on the village using the Nine-Tails, and he himself was the one who decided to strike Madara down.
But that's how people are. Even after making a choice, they look back and wonder if there was a better solution.
Muzo understood exactly what Hashirama was thinking. But on this point, he firmly sided with Tobirama.
There was a time when Madara could have taken a different path, but reality proved it, character truly determines destiny. He had power far beyond others, believed in authoritarian rule, and had a lone-wolf mindset. From the moment he got tricked by the stone tablet, his path was already set.
That overwhelming self-confidence was the source of his strength, and the root of his tragic fate.
Until the moment Black Zetsu stabbed him through the heart, he never realized he'd been manipulated. He wouldn't even believe anyone could manipulate him.
"Even so, I have to see him myself before making any decisions," Hashirama said. This wasn't the first time his views on Madara had clashed with those of his brothers, and he was experienced in handling it.
Even if they fell out, Madara was still his best friend, second only to the village in importance, equal to his family.
Besides, they knew each other too well.
When he pierced Madara's heart, Madara held no hatred, he only warned that this would give birth to the village's darkness.
On that point, Hashirama had to admit, Madara was right.
What Fugaku had said stemmed from that very darkness, born "for the sake of the village."
He had never imagined that the Uchiha clan would be persecuted so severely. If it weren't for that young man named Masashi, he might not have seen a single Uchiha still around upon his return.
"If he still intends to oppose the village," he said, "then I will stand in his way again. But until then, I won't allow anyone to treat him like an enemy from the start. Tobirama, Muzo, you two stay here. I'll go alone."
Muzo had his own unique way of judging whether what Hashirama said was negotiable.
If Hashirama called him "Taka," then there was room for discussion. But if he called him "Muzo," then there was no room for negotiation.
Once Hashirama got stubborn, no one could do anything about it. Some had doubted this before, but they all came to believe it eventually. And so, Hashirama left the house boldly and confidently, leaving only Tobirama and Muzo staring blankly at each other.
They exchanged a glance and sighed deeply.
"He is too stubborn…" Tobirama said, his expression full of frustration. Then, turning his head, his sharp gaze sparkled. "I noticed you haven't been doing any work since earlier." As the focus of his stare, Minato felt extremely uncomfortable and tried to explain himself.
"No need to explain." Tobirama waved his hand grandly. "I know you're inexperienced, it's fine. Before I leave, I'll try to pass as much of my experience to you as possible. Learn what you find useful."
That was what he said, but to Minato, Tobirama's expression clearly said: I can't win an argument against my brother, but you? I can definitely lecture you.
"Thank you for your guidance…"
To be fair, he really wasn't slacking off this time. With the war starting, how could he possibly be idle? It was just that everyone was too focused on those few people and had overlooked him. And right now, he had no further administrative orders to issue, because he'd already issued them all!
He couldn't talk back to Tobirama, who was clearly upset because of Hashirama.
If he argued back, that would just further fuel Tobirama's frustration toward Hashirama, which would be bad.
Tobirama sat back down next to Minato.
As for Minato, though he grumbled internally, he understood that Tobirama genuinely wanted to take the opportunity to share his experience.
Tobirama's tactics during the First Great Ninja War had long been studied as case examples by the later generations of the Five Kage. Simply put, he had shattered the other villages' psychological expectations through a combination of diplomacy and military strategy, turning what started as a joint assault on Konoha into a chaotic free-for-all among the villages.
The ANBU also gained their renown in that war. They operated across the entire shinobi world, gathering intelligence, sowing discord, and assassinating key enemy figures, wreaking havoc behind enemy lines. At that time, the other four villages didn't have an equivalent special forces unit like the ANBU and suffered heavily in that regard.
After the First Great Ninja War, the entire shinobi world began to study Konoha's systems and recognized the strength of both the ninja academy and the ANBU.
Soon, Tobirama and Minato were deep into analyzing Konoha's current wartime deployment. Hiruzen, Fugaku, Koharu, and Homura also joined the discussion.
Muzo didn't join.
The military deployment of the Senju clan had essentially been handled by Tobirama ever since Hashirama became clan leader, while Muzo mostly took on frontline assault missions.
When it came to practicing the Body Flicker Technique, there was no place more effective than the battlefield.
If you succeeded, you lived. If you failed, you paid with your life.
He decided to step outside and take a look around.
"Want to come take a walk with me?" Muzo asked Tsunade, who had been watching Tobirama. Upon hearing Muzo's invitation, she hesitated for a moment, then nodded.
"Don't keep staring at him. He's a workaholic. Once he gets into the zone, he doesn't care about anything else." Seeing that Tsunade was still unconsciously looking at Tobirama, Muzo teased her, then took her hand and started walking out the door.
She was startled as he pulled her along. Before she could react, she had already stumbled and been dragged out of the house.
Looking down at their joined hands, she seemed to recall something, and let herself be led by him without resistance.
In the original timeline, Tsunade was sometimes compared to Kakashi in terms of strength, which wasn't really fair to her.
After all, while she was a medical-nin, her offensive power was still explosive. Her punches actually surpassed the destructive force of the Fourth Raikage's nintaijutsu.
Even Orochimaru, who was notably tough due to his soft-body technique, wasn't eager to take a direct punch from Tsunade. Moreover, her highly proficient Mystical Palm Technique, in close combat, could function similarly to the Gentle Fist.
The Mystical Palm Technique wasn't some common jutsu. In fact, those who could use it well were incredibly rare. Even with her hemophobia, she was still a formidable kunoichi that not just anyone could mess with.
At the very least, breaking free from Muzo's grip wouldn't be a problem for her. But she didn't. Instead, she allowed him to pull her along, just like when she was a kid, right out of the Hokage building.
Once they stepped outside, Muzo let go of her hand and began walking toward the south end of the street.
Where is he going? Tsunade was a bit confused but followed him anyway.
---
Meanwhile, Muzo was pondering something else.
How did Tsunade overcome her hemophobia in the original timeline again?
He couldn't remember clearly.
He just recalled a scene, Tsunade standing in front of Naruto, blocking Orochimaru's attack, taking several slashes from him.
So… getting slashed enough times would cure it?
That's nonsense!
But now that Minato and Kushina were still alive, Naruto's life path would be vastly different. It was highly unlikely he'd impact Tsunade the same way as in the manga, convincing her to treat him like a younger brother.
Not because it was impossible, but achieving that effect required a combination of factors.
With Naruto's trajectory already altered, it was uncertain whether that emotional bond with Tsunade could still develop.
Being in the state of Edo Tensei wasn't pleasant for ordinary people. Just the lack of sensation alone was mentally exhausting. Even for him, staying in this state too long was uncomfortable.
The discomfort was psychological.
Even when he used reanimated clones in life, he wouldn't remain in them long.
Right. Without a substitute... maybe giving her a something equivalent to a brother would work!
In his opinion, the root cause of her hemophobia wasn't the death of her lover, but the death of Nawaki.
By the time she had grown into one of the Sannin, the Senju clan had essentially vanished. Tsunade had no surviving elders, Nawaki was her only younger brother. His death had dealt her a devastating blow.
It meant she no longer had any family.
For someone like her, who placed tremendous value on familial bonds, this was unbearable.
It was her love for the village that sustained her through Danzō's death. But after that, she no longer wanted to lose anyone else for the village's sake. She shut herself off.
Muzo believed his theory made sense. Otherwise, it was hard to explain why her hemophobia suddenly disappeared just because of Naruto.
...She was never truly afraid of blood?
As for the brother...
His lips curled into a small smile.
Madara might be holed up in the Uchiha compound, but Hashirama had already set off and would definitely handle him properly, leaving Muzo free to take care of another matter.
Solving Tsunade's issue would be a perfectly reasonable thing to do. Especially if that person truly was his reincarnation.
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80 Advance Chapters!
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