"Don't cry, don't cry!"
"Be good, Tsunade."
"..."
Mito gently wiped the tears from Tsunade's face and patiently comforted her until her emotions gradually settled down.
But Toma, who was standing to the side, looked as if he had been struck by lightning. He stood there frozen, still unable to recover from the shock.
His uncle was dead?
That couldn't be real.
His uncle had the Flying Thunder God Technique and a body full of powerful forbidden techniques. If he wanted to leave, who in the ninja world could possibly keep him there?
But reality was right in front of him. No matter how unwilling he was to believe it, he still had to accept it.
Tears shimmered in Toma's eyes as scenes of his time with Tobirama flashed through his mind. Ever since his father Hashirama had died, Tobirama had taken on the role of a father and raised him like his own son.
"Toma, this isn't the time to grieve."
"I know."
Toma wiped away his tears, took a deep breath, and followed Mito into another room.
There was tension in his heart, but also expectation.
For her to urgently summon him back from the front lines like this, it had to be related to Konoha's Third Hokage.
Toma had already prepared himself to take over as the Third Hokage.
"According to Tobirama's final order, the one chosen to become the Third Hokage is Hiruzen."
"What?"
Toma could hardly believe his ears.
Hiruzen?
Who the hell was he?
What right did someone backed only by the Sarutobi Clan have to covet Konoha's Hokage seat?
If Tobirama had passed the position to Kagami instead, Toma would have gritted his teeth and accepted it.
Wait.
Wasn't Hiruzen supposed to be Tobirama's bodyguard?
If Tobirama died, how did Hiruzen make it back alive?
A conspiracy.
This was a conspiracy!!
"That's impossible!!"
Toma broke down on the spot. He simply could not believe Mito's words. He questioned her over and over again before he finally accepted that what she said was true.
"Mother, you called me back in such a hurry... don't tell me you want me to help Hiruzen take the position?"
Toma's face turned cold.
He could not understand his uncle's decision at all. No matter how the Hokage seat was passed down, it should never have gone to someone from a small clan like Hiruzen.
Even if the Senju somehow forced themselves to swallow it, the Uchiha would never agree.
This was going to be a disaster.
Mito let out a sigh.
She herself had come from a great ninja clan and was someone who knew history well. She understood the ugly struggles within major clans better than anyone.
Just for the position of clan head, families could beat each other senseless and create disasters from within their own walls.
How much more serious would things be when it came to Konoha's Hokage?
If she supported Hiruzen, then her own son might turn against her on the spot.
Toma's identity was that of the Senju Clan's young heir, and now he had naturally risen to clan head. If he called on the clan, the Senju could place her under house arrest in an instant.
Could she really raise her hand against her own son?
For Hiruzen?
Dream on.
"How could that be? Of course I support you."
Mito immediately made her stance clear, and Toma visibly relaxed. His expression improved at once.
"Hiruzen is only a minor figure. Your real opponent is the Uchiha."
Toma nodded.
He had never taken Hiruzen seriously in the first place.
If he really wanted to, then with the power of the Senju Clan behind him, Hiruzen could end up with five shuriken in his back before the day was over, and the final verdict would still be suicide.
The true danger was the Uchiha.
"The Uchiha have now produced someone who may one day stand shoulder to shoulder with Madara. He has awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan."
The moment Madara's name was mentioned, the image of Madara riding his Susanoo across the battlefield instantly rose in Toma's mind.
In this ninja world, there had never been a single shinobi worthy of being Madara's opponent except his father, Hashirama.
And now the Uchiha had produced another monster like that, while he himself was nowhere near his father Hashirama.
Without a doubt, the Uchiha had already set their eyes on the seat of the Third Hokage this time.
Toma's heart grew restless again.
He hated the fact that he had not inherited his father's Sage Body, Wood Release, or his instant Sage Mode.
Compared to his father Hashirama, he was just ordinary.
Compared to normal ninja, he only had a little more talent in ninjutsu, a little more chakra, a little better recovery...
There was no edge there at all.
"Do not belittle yourself. He has only shown a bit of potential, that's all. A figure like Madara does not appear so easily."
"I'm only reminding you not to forget who your true enemy is."
Mito saw Toma's confidence faltering and spoke slowly.
Throughout the thousand-year history of the Uchiha Clan, every few generations there would be a genius capable of awakening the Mangekyo Sharingan. In response, the Senju Clan would also produce a genius capable of matching the Uchiha, almost as if it were some established pattern.
Madara had been special.
The previous Uchiha who awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan had been nowhere near as powerful as he was, and the number of times Susanoo had appeared among them was very small.
The reason Mito held Haru in such high regard was only because he had displayed the power of Susanoo, but that did not make him invincible.
Mito recalled Tobirama's research.
Madara becoming such an exception, far surpassing every Uchiha in history who had awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan, had long since set Tobirama's research instincts ablaze.
According to Tobirama's theory, there was a flaw in the Mangekyo Sharingan. If it continued to be used, it would eventually exhaust the eye power and lead to blindness.
The only way to overcome that flaw was to transplant another Mangekyo Sharingan from a blood relative. Madara himself had taken his younger brother Izuna's eyes, and his strength had undergone a fundamental transformation.
Though it was only a theory, if Tobirama said it, then it was definitely not baseless. For all anyone knew, Tobirama might already have dug up Madara's grave and put his corpse on the lab table.
Haru's parents had died early, and he had no siblings. The chance of him obtaining another pair of Mangekyo Sharingan was almost nonexistent.
"Toma, don't you think Hiruzen is very useful right now?"
"Since Tobirama valued him, we might as well push him forward first. We won't even need to act. The Uchiha will never let him off. He can be used to measure that Uchiha's strength and help us gather more information."
What a great idea.
Toma's eyes lit up instantly.
In a ninja war, the value of intelligence could not be overstated. There were too many strange techniques in the ninja world, and even jonin could die if they lacked enough information.
"Then I'll follow Mother's plan."
A crafty smile appeared on Toma's face.
As expected, his mother was wise and always thinking things through for his sake.
Mother really loves me the most.
Seeing that her son agreed with her, Mito nodded in satisfaction.
Hiruzen, don't blame me.
At least when it comes to dealing with the Uchiha, both I and the Senju Clan are supporting you. If you can solve the Uchiha problem, then the Senju won't become your obstacle either.
As for the promise Mito had once made to Hiruzen, that she would help him deal with the Uchiha, she had already selectively forgotten all about it.
Times were different now.
Back then, the Uchiha had not produced a ninja with the Mangekyo Sharingan.
(End of Chapter)
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