After some preparation, Fūmori Masaki led the newly organized Ninja unit from the Village and three members of the Uzumaki Clan to the battlefield. The Konohagakure camp had now advanced further, reaching the territory of the Land of Rice Fields.
Because of their alliance with the Land of Rice Fields, Konohagakure did not need to worry about conflicts with the soldiers of the Land of Rice Fields; on the contrary, they even received favorable treatment from the Land of Rice Fields, allowing them to purchase food locally at reasonable prices.
Following Fūmori Masaki's advice, Tobirama strictly constrained the behavior of his troops. Unlike Kinkaku, Ginkaku, and the others from Kumogakure who plundered in public, they fought very desperately during battles. Although it was not for the sake of the Land of Rice Fields, the Land of Rice Fields still had a very favorable impression of Konohagakure's actions.
As they approached the camp, Hiruzen Sarutobi led people out to welcome Fūmori Masaki. The two fellow disciples, who had not seen each other for a long time, greeted each other cordially and began to talk on the way to the camp.
Upon returning to the front line, Fūmori Masaki learned of some recent events. Back in Konohagakure, he already knew that Utatane Koharu and Homura Mitokado had been promoted to Jonin. While he was leading his team, Danzo and Hiruzen had also been promoted to Jonin, meaning that among their fellow disciples, only Torikaze had not yet become a Jonin.
However, Fūmori Masaki could not congratulate Hiruzen as Hiruzen and the others had congratulated him in the past. The reason Hiruzen was about to become a Jonin was that his father, Sarutobi Sasuke, had passed away.
As a Ninja capable of using all five Chakra attributes, Sarutobi Sasuke was renowned even during the Warring States Period, and he had distinguished himself in this battle against Kumogakure. His greatest achievement was that, during one operation, he coordinated with Tobirama to severely wound the First Raikage, causing him to die from his injuries.
It could be said that the death of the First Raikage was indirectly caused by Sarutobi Sasuke, but this was not without a price. Sarutobi Sasuke had taken great risks to catch the Raikage off guard and wound him, but he himself was struck by the subsequent Lightning Release and killed by the other Kumogakure Ninja present.
The same was true for Danzo's father. During a combat mission, he acted as a decoy to cover his squad while they delivered intelligence, sacrificing himself to save his companions. That mission was crucial; the intelligence delivered directly determined the outcome of a war. Like Sarutobi Sasuke, he was a hero of Konoha.
Although Hiruzen and Danzo had become the Jonin they had dreamed of, deep down, they would rather not have become Jonin than have their fathers die.
Because of this, Torikaze, the only one among their fellow disciples who had not become a Jonin, did not feel disappointed. After all, both Hiruzen and Danzo had only become Jonin based on the sacrifice of their fathers. In his view, at their age, even if they became Jonin, they would still have to listen to the opinions of the older generation. It was better to just be a Chunin, at least he could fight alongside his father.
Fūmori Masaki expressed his condolences for the death of Sarutobi Sasuke, but Hiruzen said, "Masaki, we don't have time to grieve for our loved ones now. Let's save that for when the war is over."
Upon arriving at the camp, Fūmori Masaki took the three Uzumaki Clan Members to see Tobirama. Tobirama already knew from Mito's letter that people from the Uzumaki Clan were coming. Seeing Uzumaki Tetsu and the others, he spoke with them in a friendly manner for a while, then prepared tents for them and had someone take them to get some rest.
After Uzumaki Tetsu and the others left, Fūmori Masaki took out the letter Hashirama had written before he passed away and handed it to Tobirama. Originally, he had wondered whether to send it to Tobirama as soon as possible and hesitated about whether to send someone to deliver it. After thinking it over, he decided to bring it himself to avoid it being lost due to an accident along the way.
Tobirama knew that his elder brother had written him a letter. Seeing this letter now, he hurriedly took it. Just as he was about to open it, his movements paused slightly, and he said, "Masaki, you should go back and rest too."
Hashirama had instructed Fūmori Masaki not to open and read it, as it likely contained very important matters. Fūmori Masaki nodded and left the tent.
Only then did Tobirama open the letter and begin to read it word by word. In the letter, Hashirama first said "Thank you for your hard work" to Tobirama. He talked about how, after he became Hokage, he had let Tobirama be responsible for the daily operations of the Village. It had been like this since they were children; Tobirama had always been the best executor of Hashirama's orders.
Speaking of their childhood, a feeling of nostalgia welled up in Tobirama's heart. Hashirama had a very accurate grasp of the big picture, but his handling of details was not quite as precise. Tobirama, however, had a cautious nature, so he was very good at handling such matters. The two brothers complemented each other in this way.
In the first part of the letter, Hashirama talked about many things from their childhood. Even Tobirama could not help but shed tears. He controlled his emotions well and did not make a sound, only secretly hating himself for not being able to see his elder brother one last time. Because of this, he hated Kumogakure even more for starting the war. If it weren't for the war, he wouldn't have to be here, where he even had to conserve his usage of Chakra.
Next was the second half of Hashirama's letter. After talking about their childhood, he shifted his focus to the future of the Village. He told Tobirama what the Village's future external relations should be like and how the internal environment should be. He then spoke of his disciples, describing the talents of each one and what positions they could be qualified for.
Hashirama mentioned that regarding the successor after Tobirama, there were two people he favored: one was Fūmori Masaki, and the other was Hiruzen Sarutobi. As for which one to choose, it would depend on Tobirama's own choice. Given Tobirama's age, as long as he didn't suffer excessive internal damage like Hashirama did from his battle with Madara, he could hold the position for at least ten years. During this time, both of them might undergo significant changes, which was not something Hashirama could predict; it would have to be judged by the living.
Tobirama took a deep breath and read the letter over and over several times. When someone brought food, Tobirama did not put down the letter; he had them set the food aside and continued to look at the letter.
The contents of the letter had already been memorized by Tobirama, but he still did not let go. It was not until midnight that Tobirama finally put the letter down and began to eat.
Tobirama had made up his mind to end the Kumogakure battlefield as soon as possible, then deal with Kirigakure, and then Sunagakure, to create a peaceful environment for the Village.
Although the Second Raikage had the intention of seeking peace, he was, after all, not someone who would betray the interests of his Ninja Village. It was impossible to collude with him in secret to harm the people in the Village. In other words, they still had to heavily strike the Kumogakure hardliners on the front lines.
In a group like Ninjas, it is not an easy task to easily strike a faction, but Tobirama knew of a clear target. In Kumogakure, Kinkaku and Ginkaku were the representatives of the hardliners, and they had even established an elite group known as the Kinkaku and Ginkakus Squad.
In other words, as long as they could defeat the Kinkaku and Ginkakus Squad on the battlefield, the reputation of the hardliners would plummet, and the Second Raikage could take the opportunity to seek peace. Tobirama felt that if the Second Raikage didn't even have this much capability, then what kind of Raikage was he?
As for how to lure Kinkaku and Ginkaku out and then strike them, Tobirama devised a battle plan. The returning Fūmori Masaki and the three Uzumaki Clan Members were the core of it. Although it would be very dangerous, he felt that Fūmori Masaki would not be afraid; after all, he was the person who raided the grain storage site and took out Kaguya Nobunaga, so he could not possibly let him down.