Assign a mission?
Tobirama paused slightly. He was still somewhat unaccustomed to that phrasing.
Yet Hiruzen looked at him calmly, as if there were nothing inappropriate about it.
"That's true…"
"After all, you are the Hokage now…"
Tobirama said with a smile, "You really do have some of the bearing and authority of a Hokage now…"
"Sensei, you will always be my Sensei—my respected Second Hokage, Tobirama-sama…"
Hiruzen also laughed. "But when it comes to experience as Hokage, you don't have more than I do… I've held the position for over twenty years. You only had about ten years in office."
"In terms of seniority as Hokage, I'm actually the older one."
"As for today's Konoha, you may also need some time to understand it. The times are different."
Tobirama was momentarily speechless, but that was indeed the truth.
Impure World Reincarnation and the inversion of life and death had truly made the original sensei–disciple order rather peculiar…
At least now they were the same age, which was manageable.
If a father were revived only to be twenty or thirty years younger than his son, that would be so awkward as to make coexistence difficult.
And Hiruzen both respected him and clearly expressed his stance as the current Hokage…
It left Tobirama somewhat displeased, yet also somewhat gratified.
This was how a Hokage should act!
Even if a former Hokage were to return to life, he could not simply be obeyed without question.
For the village to operate at high speed and with smooth efficiency, having a clearly defined final decision-maker was absolutely necessary.
This was also a manifestation of Hiruzen's confidence in himself.
If everything still had to rely on the wisdom of predecessors, that would only prove that Konoha was trapped in its former glory and moving backward!
Then the "Will of Fire" emphasis on inheritance would become nothing more than empty talk.
"I can listen to you, Mon—"
Tobirama paused, corrected himself, and changed to an appropriate form of address for the Hokage: "But once I have integrated into Konoha, if there are problems, I will still point them out, Hiruzen."
"As for the right to participate in governance—serving in an advisory capacity—I should at least have that authority, shouldn't I?"
"Of course. Forget being an advisor, I could even make you an assistant…" Hiruzen joked.
"I very much look forward to Sensei helping me check for omissions and make up for deficiencies in my work, and offering good suggestions."
Tobirama nodded in satisfaction.
The attitude was very good!
But in truth, he could be rather petty…
When the time came, he would indeed have to find a few of that monkey's shortcomings and occasionally display the authority of a sensei…
That thought, too, was something passed down in a single line.
Tobirama examined the intelligence scroll regarding Kusagakure.
With his intellect, he naturally grasped it at a glance.
"A good idea. Kusagakure is indeed suitable as the foundation for my new identity…"
"Find an appropriate role and simply replace his identity." Tobirama gave a slight nod.
He was very skilled at infiltration back in the Warring States era.
"That's right—and this also naturally gives you, Sensei, an entry point for having your heart aligned with Konohagakure…"
"You're not an innate prodigy born of the Uchiha Clan; you're a descendant of the Uchiha who was rescued by Konohagakure, yet you possess extremely high talent."
"Right now, the Uchiha clan head, Isshin, is Setsuna's younger brother."
"According to intelligence from the patrol forces, he's always going on about the appearance of an Izuna and a Madara, teaching the Uchiha Clan to endure. He's quite an interesting old fellow." Hiruzen said leisurely.
If an Izuna showed up, wouldn't Isshin go crazy with excitement?
But there was nothing to be done—this was a rescued Uchiha descendant, someone with a natural favorable impression toward the village's upper ranks…
What standing or means would you have to oppose it?
And it wouldn't seem abrupt at all.
"After you repair this body, you'll go to Kusagakure and lie low, find that Uzumaki Clan woman, and protect her as much as possible."
"You can also use her to provide cover for your identity…"
Tobirama nodded thoughtfully; this truly was a natural layer of protection.
"Lastly, it's the matter of this body's appearance and the source of its talent…"
Hiruzen gave a light cough. "I originally planned to set you up as a descendant of Uchiha Izuna's…"
Tobirama's face darkened. "No. That's not reasonable!"
Although, based on his understanding of Uchiha Izuna, that guy had probably been with women…
Back then, the degree to which he was fawned over within the Uchiha Clan was even higher than Madara.
But Tobirama could swear—without making it too vicious—that he wasn't refusing because he didn't want to be that bastard's descendant…
Rather, the notion of "descendant" left far too much that could be traced back—far too specific and detailed.
It wasn't suitable as an identity cover, and besides, it also couldn't explain the talent he would display later…
To subdue the Uchiha Clan, you needed a carrot in one hand and a stick in the other. He couldn't very well abandon ninjutsu he'd used for so many years and go relearn the Sharingan playbook, could he?
More than half of his ninjutsu were specifically designed to counter the Uchiha Clan!
It would be a real waste not to use them…
"Mm-hmm, yes, yes…" Hiruzen said with a smile. "You're right!"
"What are you smiling about?"
"Because I'm happy to see you about to return to the shinobi world," Hiruzen replied immediately.
The master and disciple looked at each other for a moment, then both shook their heads and laughed.
"Sensei, my line of thinking is…"
"In your notes, I found references suggesting that phenomena involving ancestral chakra protection and residual chakra bestowal seem to exist in the shinobi world, but you didn't elaborate on them…"
"I think this direction is promising. I consulted the records and confirmed that such cases do exist."
"In the Land of Wind, there is a recorded case of a mother who, upon her child's birth, was unfortunately stricken with a grave illness. Her reluctance to part with her daughter and her lingering worry entwined around the child, granting her the power to manipulate sand."
"In essence, this should be a form of chakra attachment…"
There were many things chakra could accomplish.
It was a fusion of physical and spiritual energy. According to the texts Hiruzen had recently reviewed, some powerful members of the Uzumaki Clan were even capable of sealing a portion of their chakra within their children…
So that after passing away, they would still have another chance to see their offspring.
Tobirama's eyes lit up.
After thinking for a moment, the corners of his mouth suddenly curved upward.
"Hiruzen, that problem is solved. You needn't worry. I have a method."
"Uchiha Izuna, in life, was most opposed to an alliance between the Senju and the Uchiha. He repeatedly tried to dissuade Uchiha Madara…"
"But at the same time, he was someone who cared deeply for his clan."
"When he died, his unwilling soul, much like the legend from the Land of Wind, refused to depart—yet also did not wish to join a Konohagakure that included the Senju."
"So it drifted onto a Uchiha who had once been taken away by Kusagakure."
"But that Uchiha lacked sufficient talent and could not awaken his chakra, so it could only be passed down to his descendants…"
"And after my death, my chakra discovered Uchiha Izuna's chakra, and the two chakras descended upon the same boy."
Hiruzen followed Tobirama's train of thought and picked up the thread: "And this boy, although talented, grew up in enslavement and lacked proper nourishment. Moreover, because the two chakras were entangled together, he also suffered from a bloodline illness…"
"This corresponds to details that would happen to fill in perfectly if instability were to appear in this body."
The appreciation in Tobirama's gaze deepened.
Hiruzen had indeed grown into someone outstanding…
Just this ability to fabricate a story already indirectly showed that his skill in handling people would not be lacking.
"Sensei, roughly how long will it take you to finish?"
"At the latest, within three months. Everything will be ready."
Hiruzen was somewhat surprised. As expected of his teacher.
"Sensei, you know that if we do this, your identity absolutely must not be exposed."
"But I hope you will remember that you are Senju Tobirama, and at the same time begin a new life as an Uchiha—set aside some of your past prejudices and reexamine them."
"No matter what, the Uchiha Clan is a part of Konohagakure. They have shed blood for the village as well…"
"We are engaging in a scheme, but a scheme does not necessarily have to lead to a bad outcome."
Hiruzen spoke to Tobirama with seriousness.
He wanted Tobirama to help the Uchiha integrate into Konohagakure—not to go in and blow it apart…
Tobirama fell silent for a moment. "I will do my best."
"Go on, Hiruzen. Do what you should be doing. You are the Hokage now…"
Hiruzen walked toward the exit covered with Fūinjutsu.
"Sensei…"
"Call me 'Monkey' one more time. The next time we meet, you will be an Uchiha."
"You will have to address me as Hokage-sama."
Those words, so contrary to proper order, stirred a trace of warmth in Tobirama's heart: "Hmph, Monkey…"
"Go be your Hokage properly! If you don't do it well, I will impeach you in my capacity as a leading figure of the Uchiha Clan!"
"I will show no mercy!"
Hiruzen laughed heartily. "I welcome your criticism, Sensei!"
And at that moment, a strange thought suddenly rose in his mind.
He truly welcomed Tobirama helping him find problems…
But if an Uchiha were to criticize the Hokage, he would first have to get past his old comrade, Shimura Danzō.
The Darkness of the Shinobi seemed to have gained a new opponent.
---
I will post some extra Chapters in Patreon, you can check it out. >> patreon.com/TitoVillar
---