In the original course of the Chūnin Exams, Orochimaru would have planted the Heavenly Curse Mark on Sasuke, later reviving himself through it once.
Souma didn't know Sasuke's exact condition yet, but based on what he had observed through the Telescope Technique, Orochimaru hadn't planted the Curse Mark at all—he had only used a drug.
Even Orochimaru himself probably never imagined this.
A sure-win, at-the-very-least-I-can-escape Konoha Crush Plan, ending up like this.
It seemed that later on, he'd need to go see Uchiha Sasuke in person.
"By the way," Tobirama suddenly asked, "that Orochimaru—was he Sarutobi's disciple?"
"Yes," Souma nodded.
Tobirama fell silent for a moment, then shook his head.
That disciple of his disciple…
Sarutobi must have been too soft-hearted. Otherwise, Orochimaru wouldn't have made it out of the village alive. If it had been Tobirama, Orochimaru would never have taken a single step beyond Konoha's gates.
He turned his gaze toward the stone faces behind them.
Four heads stood there clearly.
After staring for a long while, Tobirama frowned.
"Why are there four?"
"The Fourth Hokage died sealing the Nine-Tails," Souma replied.
"A few years ago, the Third Hokage had no choice but to resume office to stabilize the situation."
Tobirama was silent for several seconds, then sighed.
"How did Hiruzen govern things for Konoha's talent pool to wither to this extent?"
One Hokage died—and there wasn't even a suitable Fifth to succeed him.
Truly, each generation was worse than the last.
"That Fourth Hokage statue looks pretty young," Hashirama said thoughtfully.
"He must've been a genius. And isn't he right there? That means they were still cultivating talent. As for the Nine-Tails… well, dealing with it is troublesome for most people."
He said it lightly.
But paired with his experiences, the words felt strangely off.
Souma didn't even know how to respond.
Tobirama's focus was very different from Hashirama's.
Of course, he knew Souma was a genius.
Earlier, when he spread his perception, he sensed Flying Thunder God markings—not just here, but also within ANBU and near the exam grounds.
Someone had recently mastered Flying Thunder God.
At the very least, they had learned how to place markers.
Yet it was also true that Sarutobi had led Konoha into a state where no second "Hokage candidate" could be found—despite the abundance of elites Tobirama had left behind.
How could that not anger him?
"Second Hokage-sama, the Third Hokage has worked very hard. It's just that…"
Genma Shiranui stepped in, trying to defend Sarutobi.
He spoke of frequent wars, great conflicts, and how talent had been lost generation after generation.
Souma, meanwhile, said nothing.
Tobirama glanced at him mid-way through, his expression turning odd.
He understood.
This kid never spoke when a topic might harm the Third Hokage—he let others do it instead.
But on inconsequential matters, he answered freely.
Old fox.
Still—
A good seed.
Sarutobi's luck was absurd.
Earlier, he had encountered a Fourth Hokage who could take office at a young age. Now he had run into a prodigy barely fourteen or fifteen, already comparable to a Kage.
Tch.
Tobirama felt a flicker of envy.
If he had disciples of that caliber, why would he ever have needed to train Sarutobi… or Danzō?
"All right, we should be going," Hashirama said with a sigh.
"I told you not to research such dangerous techniques. The dead should remain in the Pure Land and not interfere with the future."
Tobirama shot him a sideways look, irritation clear.
"Big Brother, if you have time to lecture me, you might as well fill in the gap left by Danzō's sealing and free up manpower to rescue others."
"That makes sense."
"..."
Even though Souma had seen similar scenes in manga before, watching Hashirama get lectured by Tobirama in person was still deeply surreal.
Who was really the older brother here?
And when Hashirama actually went off to fill the massive hole—
That sense of dissonance only intensified.
So this is the God of Shinobi?
"First Hokage-sama, you don't have to—"
"Hahaha, it's fine. We've just gone through chaos, manpower is scarce. Let me help repair things a bit," Hashirama said warmly.
"Oh right, there should be plenty of documents inside the building. I'll be careful."
In no time, he blended perfectly with the younger generation.
Then—
He clapped his hands together.
The ground rumbled.
The massive pit was rapidly filled in, earth leveling itself as if it had never been disturbed.
Next, towering trees burst upward, propping up the arc-shaped section of the Hokage Tower damaged by the sealing.
Collapsed walls. Ruined roads.
Under Hashirama's hands, everything was restored—down to the patterns and contours, perfectly identical.
What was professionalism?
This.
Calling him the God of Civil Engineering wasn't an exaggeration in the slightest.
Someone really needs to let Yamato see this.
If even the God of Shinobi used Wood Release and Earth Release for construction work, what excuse did a knockoff like Yamato have?
Souma inwardly praised him.
Tobirama, used to the sight, turned back.
"Let's continue our discussion. You've mastered Flying Thunder God, haven't you?"
"I've only been learning it for less than two months," Souma replied.
"For now, I can only teleport small objects. The truly impressive one was the Fourth Hokage—his Flying Thunder God was renowned across the shinobi world. They called him the Yellow Flash."
"..."
Tobirama wore an indescribable expression.
They chatted a bit more, Tobirama learning many details about the Fourth Hokage.
Only when Hashirama finished his work did Tobirama stop.
"I really wanted to take a proper look at Konoha…"
"Tobirama, it's time," Hashirama said gently.
"The future belongs to the living."
Hashirama flashed back over.
Their bodies weren't particularly strong, but if they wanted to, they could linger for days.
However—
"My brother is most opposed to the dead remaining in the world," Tobirama said.
"The rest is up to you. I look forward to seeing you become Hokage and lead Konoha to even greater heights."
With that, he formed the release seal.
The next instant, his soul rose from the body, drifting upward.
"Farewell, First and Second Hokage-sama."
Souma bowed lightly.
"Farewell, First and Second Hokage-sama!"
Voices echoed around them.
Hashirama Senju and Tobirama Senju departed once more.
Souma gazed at the sky in silence for a long time.
For the two Senju brothers, remaining in the world wasn't actually difficult. Techniques like Spirit Transformation were loopholes they could exploit easily.
But Hashirama clearly had principles.
Otherwise, the Scroll of Seals would never have existed.
"Souma-sama, the First and Second Hokage…"
"They were summoned by Orochimaru. Once things were resolved, they naturally left," Souma said calmly.
He looked at Genma and smiled.
"How did it feel, seeing the First and Second Hokage in person?"
"It was incredible… hard to put into words," Genma said, then hesitated.
"Uh… you're actually much younger than me, right?"
Even Kakashi was older than Souma.
Yet Souma spoke as if he had always known the First and Second Hokage.
Genma complained for a bit, then sighed softly.
"If the First Hokage were still alive, there wouldn't be any wars."
"Even the Sage of Six Paths died," Souma replied.
"And besides, that might not truly have been the First Hokage."
Then he added casually,
"If immortality were possible—would you want it?"
Genma looked over curiously.
Souma thought for a moment.
"I'd be lying if I said I wasn't interested. But if immortality means taking others' lives and turning yourself into something inhuman… I'd rather die early and go study the Pure Land."
"That's a high level of enlightenment!"
Genma gave a thumbs-up.
"Not as high as the First Hokage's," Souma said.
"He truly had a chance at longevity. I'm different."
As he spoke, he lowered his gaze to the two corpses left behind after the First and Second Hokage ascended.
They were unfamiliar faces—likely Orochimaru's subordinates.
Thinking about it, the Sound Three were pitiful in their own way. Loyal to Orochimaru to the end, yet discarded like rags.
The other two were dead or crippled—so be it.
But Dosu…
That guy had talent.
And—
Sound Village couldn't just be left unmanaged. Otherwise, Orochimaru's followers would riot.
Souma narrowed his eyes.
An idea formed.
Kabuto.
Yakushi Kabuto was Orochimaru's right-hand man. He surely had influence within Sound Village.
Kimimaro was another option, but he wasn't Souma's subordinate yet—and compared to Kabuto, Kimimaro was too rigid, too unafraid of death, impossible to fully trust.
"If only I could get Izanami…"
Souma sighed.
Unfortunately, even Danzō hadn't known that technique. That meant it was deeply secret even within the Uchiha.
After some thought—
Aside from Uchiha Itachi, there was probably no other path.
A pity.
At present, his only real connection to Itachi was that they had both beaten up Sasuke before.
Souma narrowed his eyes.
"Whatever. No matter what, meeting Kabuto first won't hurt."
He gave Genma a few instructions, then followed his perception toward Yakushi Kabuto's location.
Kabuto was in the village, treating the wounded.
Though his emotions were in turmoil, he was a veteran actor—handling multiple thoughts at once was second nature. And as a jōnin-level medic, treating minor injuries was effortless.
That said, it inevitably dulled his awareness.
After treating more than ten people, Kabuto's face turned noticeably pale—
Of course, that was part of the act.
"Kabuto, you've treated enough people. Go rest for a bit," Kusuri said gently.
"But—"
"Everyone wants to save lives, but you need to rest too," Kitayama Chō added, her expression slightly strange.
"If you collapse, we'll have to take care of you instead."
Kabuto nodded quickly and stood up.
Only then did he realize—
I might've overdone it.
Oh well.
He had no idea what had happened to Orochimaru-sama.
Kabuto sighed softly.
"Kabuto, busy?"
"!!!"
Kabuto shuddered violently and spun around—
Souma was standing behind him. No one knew when he'd arrived.
"Souma-kun, I just finished treating a few people. The captain told me to rest," Kabuto said calmly.
"Let's talk somewhere else," Souma suggested.
"Yes."
Kabuto bowed, took leave of Kitayama, and followed Souma away.
Kitayama frowned slightly.
"Hyakusa, do you know what Souma wants with Kabuto?"
"He gave Kabuto a project before. Probably something research-related."
Research?
At a time like this?
Kitayama glanced around, then shook her head slightly.
She said nothing more, but she couldn't shake the feeling—
Both Souma and Kabuto were… strange.
"Never mind. Let's keep treating people."
"Yes!"
Around the corner, Souma set up a small soundproof barrier and turned to Kabuto.
"Orochimaru is dead."
"What? Who could possibly kill Orochimaru-sama?"
"The Second Hokage."
"..."
Kabuto froze, stunned into silence.
Orochimaru-sama… just died like that?
And at the hands of the Second Hokage?
He remembered Souma's earlier wager—
If Orochimaru summoned the First and Second Hokage, Souma would give him a lesson.
Now it had come true.
Death.
That was one hell of a lesson.
Kabuto opened his mouth but found no words.
After several minutes, he finally asked,
"What do you want me to do?"
"There's no rush. Another thing—you should know that Danzō is also dead. I killed him."
"!!!"
Kabuto's eyes widened in shock.
Danzō too?
How was that possible?
Would Konoha really allow Souma to kill Danzō?
Then he recalled Orochimaru's so-called "gift."
Could it be—
Had Orochimaru handed that information to Konoha?
That was the only explanation.
Kabuto's emotions grew even more tangled. Then he let out a low laugh.
"Danzō's dead… what does that have to do with me?"
"Nothing at all?" Souma asked lightly.
"I remember your emotional fluctuations were pretty intense when Danzō was mentioned."
"There is a little connection," Kabuto admitted.
Then he fell silent, with no intention of telling the story.
Souma didn't care.
He wasn't trying to recruit Kabuto with that.
"Orochimaru is dead. As long as you stop conducting inhumane experiments like his, I'm willing to let you live," Souma said calmly.
"And I'll need you to guide Sound Village from now on."
"Please give your orders," Kabuto replied respectfully.
Souma thought for a moment.
"Tell Sound Village that Orochimaru isn't completely dead—that he left behind contingencies. For now, I'm suppressing them, preventing his revival. You need time to 'rescue' him."
"Yes. Anything else?"
Kabuto's emotions had initially been complicated—but the more he listened, the more he wondered whether Orochimaru truly had such methods, and whether Souma genuinely held his lifeline.
It wasn't impossible.
Kabuto bowed even lower.
"Sound-based ninjutsu isn't a bad concept. It shouldn't be twisted into what Orochimaru made of it," Souma continued.
"Guide Sound Village onto the path of a proper shinobi village."
"Yes. I will carry out your will."
Kabuto's voice was steady—yet beneath it, unmistakable excitement stirred.
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