Watching Tobirama's decisive actions on the Light Screen, Senju Hashirama suddenly furrowed his brow tightly.
He truly could not understand why the Ninjutsu Tobirama had developed would be classified as Forbidden Jutsu.
Back when Tobirama first spoke to him about researching new Ninjutsu, Hashirama had felt these techniques were far too dangerous.
Especially those arts that manipulated the souls of the deceased—they touched upon a major taboo.
"Tobirama!"
Hashirama called out to him in a low voice. Tobirama had already guessed what his elder brother wanted to say.
But this time, he was unwilling to listen, stubbornly believing that his actions back then were entirely justified.
"Brother, there's no need to say more," Tobirama said solemnly. "The situation at that time demanded swift and decisive measures. Without these Forbidden Jutsu, the war would never have ended so easily! War means death, and Konoha, still young, could not have borne such losses!"
Aoki and the others nearby also nodded in agreement.
During the First Great Ninja War, Konoha was surrounded on all sides, becoming the primary target of every ninja village.
Every nation wanted to take a piece of Konoha for themselves.
Tobirama understood clearly that if they relied solely on conventional methods, Konoha would eventually sink into the quagmire of war, unable to extricate itself.
Seeing this, Aoki couldn't help but think of the future.
If Tobirama had not developed these Forbidden Jutsu, how would the story of the Hokage have unfolded?
At the very least, these techniques extended the tale of the Ninja World by hundreds of chapters.
Hashirama fell silent and continued watching the content on the Light Screen.
He was curious about how exactly Tobirama had broken the deadlock.
In the sixteenth year of Konoha, the war reached its most intense phase.
The entire Land of Fire was completely encircled by enemy forces.
Tobirama knew this war could no longer be dragged out.
Continuing to stall would only lead Konoha to its destruction.
Thus, he personally took command, leading elite troops to launch a counteroffensive.
With the power of the Forbidden Jutsu, the scales of victory had already tipped in Konoha's favor.
Tobirama poured all his efforts into rallying Konoha's entire fighting strength.
He even deployed the Flying Thunder God Technique on the battlefield.
By then, the Second Tsuchikage and the Second Mizukage had already perished in the chaos of war.
Seizing this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, Tobirama swiftly mobilized troops to attack both nations.
Utilizing the Flying Thunder God Technique, Tobirama appeared simultaneously on two battlefields.
Unstoppable, he successfully defeated the Land of Earth and the Land of Water.
Forcing both nations to sign peace treaties.
With these two battlefields resolved, Tobirama turned his gaze toward the Land of Wind.
Bearing the title of the fastest ninja in the Ninja World, his presence greatly boosted the morale of the Konoha forces.
The Land of Wind was quickly defeated and similarly signed a peace treaty.
Thus, only the Land of Lightning remained as the final opponent.
With the conflicts on other battlefields settled, Konoha finally breathed a sigh of relief.
They began reorganizing and preparing for a protracted war with the Land of Lightning.
Hashirama stared at the scenes on the Light Screen, his entire body frozen in place.
He had never imagined that after his death, Konoha would find itself in such dire straits.
This Great Ninja War was essentially the other four nations joining forces to attack the Land of Fire.
Hashirama's mind raced as he pondered possible countermeasures.
In the seventeenth year of Konoha, the war between Konoha and Kumogakure neared its end.
Tobirama and the Second Raikage reached an agreement and prepared to sign a treaty to end the war.
But just one month before the signing, Tobirama joined the Hokage Chat Group and rewrote his own fate.
He entrusted the signing matters to Sarutobi Hiruzen and Danzo Shimura.
After the two left, he immediately led the Senju Clan and wiped out both the Sarutobi and Shimura clans in one fell swoop.
Everyone was stunned by Tobirama's undisguised ruthlessness.
They were all left speechless by this sudden reversal.
Minato Namikaze was especially shaken.
He had just become Hokage and now realized that the Second Hokage had rewritten his fate through the Hokage Chat Group.
This ignited hope in his heart—once he returned, he too would have the chance to change everything.
This was a true ninja.
Just as Blackbeard was a true pirate—ruthless and merciless, never wasting words on useless peace.
Without real power or resources, one had no right to dictate how others should live.
Though Tobirama's methods were shocking, he showed no trace of mercy.
Even toward his own disciples, he did not hesitate to send them to their deaths.
Aoki and the others were all taken aback by his swift and decisive ruthlessness.
At this moment, Tobirama instead showed a hint of displeasure and suddenly spoke: "Letting them die on the battlefield would be too easy for those two."
Upon hearing this, everyone looked ashamed.
It was clear to all that Tobirama had lived his entire life with this same ruthless determination.
[The world of Second Hokage Tobirama Senju—National Power Display complete!]
A score popped up on the Light Screen, and Tobirama frowned at the number: "452 points?"
In his view, Konoha under his leadership was rapidly developing.
Yet it was still 110 points behind Aoki's world.
According to the rules of the Hokage Chat Group, this gap was equivalent to half the strength of one of the Five Great Ninja Villages.
Tobirama felt disappointed for a moment but secretly resolved to claim the top spot next time.
He also memorized all of Aoki's strategies and the talented youths who would emerge in Konoha's future.
Upon returning, he would recruit them all under his command.
One setback did not mean permanent defeat.
With careful planning, he would surely reach the top.
Meanwhile, Senju Hashirama stared intently at the Light Screen before him.
He eagerly awaited the announcement of the third-place ranking.
Tsunade and Minato Namikaze also looked concerned.
Both hoped this position would belong to their own world.
The text on the Light Screen shifted continuously until finally, a line appeared:
[Third place selection complete… Third place: The world of the First Hokage!]
"Wahahahaha! It's me!"
Hashirama burst into laughter—in this ranking that felt like a gamble, he had ultimately won.
Tsunade's expression grew increasingly gloomy.
Minato, however, seemed to take it in stride. Having just joined the group, he hadn't fully grasped the situation yet.
As Hashirama's excitement subsided, a question arose in his mind.
He looked at the still-confused Tsunade and Minato, his eyes filled with suspicion, and asked solemnly: "This… Minato, Tsuna… what exactly happened to Konoha under your leadership? How could it fall short of even the early days when I first founded it?"