"Ah... hahaha..."
"Sorry, sorry. I misunderstood the situation..."
Hashirama scratched his head and apologized to Haru.
"Then, Third Hokage, has Konoha run into some crisis it can't resolve?"
Hashirama's expression turned serious. For the living Third Hokage to go so far as to disturb the soul of someone already dead, Konoha must have encountered an enormous disaster.
Hashirama examined his current condition. It was far worse than he had expected.
It felt as though a huge mountain were pressing down on his body. If he had to fight an enemy, even using Wood Release would probably be difficult, let alone a major technique like True Several Thousand Hands.
But if it was for Konoha, then no matter how difficult it was, he would still fight with everything he had.
"No. Konoha is still relatively stable right now."
"At the moment, Konoha..."
Haru briefly explained Konoha's recent situation. Tobirama's death should have been the most dangerous moment Konoha had faced lately, since it could very easily have led to internal conflict within the village. But with Haru's rise to power, such infighting would most likely not happen.
"So Tobirama also sacrificed himself for Konoha..."
When Tobirama's sacrifice was mentioned, Hashirama's expression turned sorrowful. In the end, his younger brother too had died for Konoha.
Hashirama knew that Tobirama had contributed no less to Konoha than he himself had. Hashirama had basically been a hands-off leader, while nearly all of Konoha's major and minor affairs had been handled personally by Tobirama.
"Sigh. It was all for the sake of protecting Konoha. Tobirama's spirit surely won't regret his choice."
Hashirama let out a quiet sigh. Having long since become accustomed to loved ones dying in war back in the Warring States era, he had long accepted such things. That was precisely what had driven him to establish Konoha in the first place.
"Hm?"
"Then why did you summon me out?"
Only now did Hashirama remember that question. If nothing was wrong with Konoha, then why had Haru disturbed the soul of a dead man?
"Tobirama-sama was attacked and killed during negotiations. The guard who should have protected the Hokage fled back to Konoha, and one of them claimed that he had already received Tobirama's approval and was therefore the future Third Hokage."
"But Konoha's ninja clans did not recognize him. In the end, because of my character, I gained the clans' recognition, and they elected me as Hokage."
"I was originally just an ordinary ninja of the Uchiha. What connection did the seat of Hokage have to me? But since everyone entrusted me with the great position of Hokage, then I will certainly devote myself wholly to Konoha!"
Haru spoke in a spirited tone, explaining how he had become Hokage, though with a little artistic refinement added here and there.
After all, martial virtue was still virtue.
Wearing the Hokage robe and speaking in a righteous tone, Haru looked exactly like a man ready to throw himself into fire and water for Konoha, leaving Hashirama with not the slightest suspicion.
Unlike Tobirama, Hashirama did not carry racial prejudice against the Uchiha. On the contrary, he had a rather favorable impression of them.
There was probably a layer of Madara filter involved in that.
Madara had come from the Uchiha, so Hashirama's affection extended to them as well. No matter how bad the Uchiha were, how bad could they really be? They were merely people whose eyes had been clouded by the fate of mutual hatred between clans.
"First Hokage-sama, I know that your original purpose in founding Konoha was to erase the barriers between ninja clans, especially the barrier between the Uchiha and the Senju."
"As for the so-called Will of Fire, wherever Konoha's leaves dance, the fire will also burn on endlessly. That is the ninja way I have come to understand."
"Tonight, this impudent junior Hokage has disturbed your soul's rest for one reason only: to tell you that Konoha's Will of Fire has a worthy successor."
"I hope you can acknowledge me!"
Those righteous, stirring words made Hashirama's heart surge with emotion.
His efforts had not been in vain.
At last, there had finally appeared an Uchiha who had risen above clan divisions, and who had even gained the recognition of Konoha's people through his character and become the village's Hokage.
It truly was something worth celebrating.
A gratified smile appeared on Hashirama's face. His original purpose in founding Konoha had been to eliminate the barriers between ninja clans, to make them tolerate and understand one another, and ultimately to bring peace to the ninja world.
The seed he had planted back then had finally borne fruit today.
"Congratulations, Third Hokage!"
"I acknowledge you."
The moment Hashirama said those words, the system sounded with a notification.
"Hashirama Senju's acknowledgment obtained."
Long-Term Mission: Recognition from the Predecessors. Obtain the sincere approval of all previous Hokage.
Completion Progress: (1/2)
The mission interface appeared in Haru's eyes. The progress bar was now halfway complete.
The mission was already half done.
Nice!
Haru was delighted inside. Everything was going smoothly.
"I really wish Madara could know all this. If he could see you, then he probably never would have left Konoha."
Hashirama's tone carried deep regret. If Madara's eyes could have seen this day in advance, then perhaps he would not have abandoned the dream they had shared.
"First Hokage-sama, you really had a very good relationship with Madara Uchiha."
Haru said it somewhat speechlessly.
Shouldn't this have been the moment to praise him a little more?
How had the conversation circled right back to Madara again after only a few lines?
"If there were a next life, and Madara and I weren't born into opposing ninja clans, then perhaps we really could have become good brothers."
Hashirama's tone was full of regret. He had been born into the Senju clan, while Madara had been born into the Uchiha clan. Those two clans were hereditary mortal enemies.
The origin of that hatred had long since become impossible to trace. They had simply slaughtered one another for who knew how many generations.
From the day Hashirama was born, his father had already warned him:
The other side of the ninja world is the enemy. The enemy's surname is Uchiha. If you ever see someone named Uchiha, man, woman, old, or young, kill them all without exception.
That had nearly become a clan law of the Senju.
Of course, the Uchiha were the same.
Back when Madara and Hashirama first met, both had concealed their surnames from one another. They were afraid the other might turn out to be a Senju or an Uchiha and suddenly stab them.
That was how severe the relationship between the Uchiha and Senju had been at the time.
"I really wish I could see Madara one more time. I want to tell him that I'm truly sorry. In the end, I really did wrong him."
"My brother Tobirama killed his brother Izuna, and in the end I myself killed Madara."
Hashirama's tone was full of apology. Haru, standing beside him, nodded instinctively.
Hashirama was not wrong at all.
The two Uchiha brothers really had been ruined by Hashirama and Tobirama.
"That guy Madara is probably still holding it against me. I've been dead for so long, and he still hasn't come to see me even once."
"He really does hold grudges..."
"Back then, the two of us used to run happily together under the sunset..."
"..."
"Even though Madara was the one who struck first..."
Once Hashirama started talking about Madara, he became like a chatterbox who simply could not stop.
(End of Chapter)
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