They practiced the Flying Thunder God Technique, practiced various Ninjutsu. When the Second Hokage tried to teach the three of them Multiple Exploding Tags, the three shook their heads in unison, refusing to learn!
"We can't afford to learn it either!"
Ino and Shizune stared at Tsunade, their eyes filled with killing intent. Even Tonton glared at her owner. It was this woman who caused her meals to be good one moment and bad the next. This fellow was the culprit for their small team always being so poor!
Tsunade whistled, her expression arrogant, "This is how I am, what can you do about it?"
While Tsunade's team was studying, Zetsu, the Ninja World's top spy, watched them from afar for a moment, then returned to report to Obito.
It must be said, Zetsu's stealth ability was truly top-notch. Ino, under the guise of improving her perception Ninjutsu, and the Second Hokage repeatedly scouted the Land of Hot Springs seventeen or eighteen times, but didn't see a single shadow. In the end, Ino even suspected she was fighting an imaginary opponent, thinking Zetsu might not be nearby. The truth was, Zetsu took important Ninja World figures like Jiraiya and Tsunade very seriously, and had indeed been observing them in secret for a while.
He reported what he had seen and heard to Obito.
"What? The Second Hokage?" Even though Obito's demeanor had become increasingly gloomy recently, he was still momentarily stunned.
Where did the Second Hokage, who had been dead for decades, pop out from?
The relationship between master and disciple was like that of father and son. Even if he killed his teacher, the seniority still stood.
Obito was undeniably Minato Namikaze's disciple, and Minato Namikaze was Jiraiya's disciple, Jiraiya was the Third Hokage's disciple, and the Third Hokage was the Second Hokage's disciple. Calculating it this way, the Second Hokage was absolutely Obito's grand-master level figure.
"This person should have been dead for many years? Could it be Edo Tensei?" he asked curiously.
Zetsu said, "It's not Edo Tensei. He looks... he looks like a soul body. Their perception abilities are too strong, I didn't dare get too close."
Zetsu didn't say many things. As an old monster from the same era as the Six Paths Sage, he was definitely well-informed.
He had seen the Uzumaki Clan's Dead Demon Consuming Seal many times, and he believed he understood the effects of this technique. However, the sudden appearance of the Second Hokage, who had originally been sealed by the Shinigami, was still a bit unexpected.
How did this 'person' appear? He hadn't figured it out yet.
He took a certain risk to eavesdrop on their conversation from a close distance. Coincidentally, he heard Tsunade asking about Uchiha Madara. After that, Ino used her perception abilities to scout the surroundings every other day, which he interpreted as him having exposed some of his movements. Adhering to the principle of caution and absolutely no exposure, he retreated.
Obito asked, "Then what do you think will happen next?"
Zetsu answered this question very frankly: "They will definitely search Uchiha Madara's burial ground, and there will undoubtedly be no corpse there. Do you need me to fabricate a corpse?"
Obito said, "No need. Won't an empty coffin prove my identity even more? Let them search."
Zetsu merged into the ground, and with a spatial shift, Obito also vanished from his spot.
The Second Hokage and Tsunade's team stayed in the Land of Hot Springs for about a month.
Her so-called emotional distress was completely healed; all the gloom between Tsunade's brows disappeared. No longer dwelling on past regrets, Tsunade Hime, one of the "Three Sannin," had returned.
"I have no more lingering concerns. It's truly a great pleasure to see you all again after death. I should go."
Tsunade didn't act like a sentimental young woman towards "Grandpa Second," but there was a hint of sadness in her expression.
"Are you really not going back to the Village to see it?" she asked.
The Second Hokage refused very straightforwardly: "No, my era has passed. Seeing you all, I know that Big Brother's will has been passed down, and I am very happy. That is enough. The future is yours, and I don't need to participate too much."
He looked at Ino and nodded gently.
Ino formed hand seals, and the Second Hokage cooperated with her to form hand seals.
The Second Hokage died on the battlefield back then, and now his soul was free. But without the Shinigami's seal, it was hard to guarantee that no one would use Edo Tensei to control him again.
So he and Ino developed an anti-Edo Tensei Ninjutsu together.
It was like giving a gift to Old Iron the Shinigami. Ino channeled her Yin Style Chakra as an external force to the Second Hokage. When someone used Edo Tensei to summon the Second Hokage, he could use that external force to resist the summoner's technique.
Ino estimated that it could block summons at the Ninja level, but as for the Six Paths Sage's Great Summoning of Shadows, that was hard to say.
Theoretically, it would be impossible to see the Second Hokage for these three years.
Like a silkworm cocoon, dense Sealing Technique formulas enveloped the Second Hokage's soul. He smiled and stroked Tsunade's hair, then dissipated with the wind.
"Grandpa Second has gone, let's go gamble! I feel like my luck is especially good right now!" Tsunade said full of energy.
Shizune: "..."
Ino: "..."
Tonton, who was squatting in the tree assisting them with their Flying Thunder God Technique practice: "..."
Gambling was temporary. Even though the Second Hokage had found peace, Tsunade didn't want to let down her Grandpa Second, who had placed great hopes on her.
Their itinerary changed from the original drinking, gambling, drinking, to drinking, gambling, and practicing Flying Thunder God.
Truth be told, Tsunade certainly hadn't slacked off; she understood the principle that one can never have too many skills. However, the Flying Thunder God Technique was a heavy blow to her confidence, and to Ino's as well. It seemed as if the technique was secretly mocking them for being fools, and the learning process was filled with frustration.
Let alone the laid-back Shizune, even Ino, who had persevered for so many days, was on the verge of breaking down.
"Practicing so hard every day is too inefficient. I'll add some points and then practice!"
After some discussion, they left the Land of Hot Springs. Kitsuchi's message from the Land of Earth hadn't returned yet, and since they were idle anyway, they decided to investigate Uchiha Madara's burial ground.
Uchiha Madara was defeated at the Valley of the End when Senju Hashirama pierced him from behind.
Considering he said he couldn't pee if someone stood behind him, and considering Zetsu was lurking behind him, whispering heartfelt words to him, it was clear that the Konoha Dance King's back was his weakness.
Having made so many preparations beforehand, including biting and faking his death with Izanagi, the Dance King was actually at a disadvantage compared to Senju Hashirama at the Valley of the End.
Before the duel, he had already determined that he couldn't defeat Senju Hashirama.
The First Hokage was deeply saddened by the passing of his lifelong rival and didn't even examine the body after the battle.
The Second Hokage, who always felt that some cunning Uchiha Clan members wanted to harm him, noticed something strange. He transported Uchiha Madara's body back, examined it carefully, and after confirming there were no issues, he secretly buried it.
Not only the Ninja in the Village, but even the Uchiha Clan members didn't know where Uchiha Madara was buried.
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