"The First Hokage, the Second Hokage, Uchiha Nako, and..."
The Sandaime's voice trembled as he wiped his eyes, almost groaning as he named the individuals before him.
Among them was one figure he didn't recognize. However, judging by the attire and aura, it was clear this individual was a member of the Uchiha clan—and no ordinary one at that.
Before the Sandaime could collect himself or Tsunade—who stood dazed beside him—another voice pierced the tension. It was Jiraiya, her old friend and comrade, who reacted first.
"Toshiro!! You dare to desecrate the souls of the dead!"
Seeing the First and Second Hokage emerge from the Uchiha compound, their faces blank and devoid of life, Jiraiya stared at Toshiro in shock, struggling to suppress his rising fury.
"How could you... disturb the eternal rest of your ancestors, Toshiro? You've strayed too far down a dark path! I... I..."
The Sandaime, initially paralyzed with shock, finally regained his senses after hearing Jiraiya's furious outburst. He had been on the verge of declaring that he would end Toshiro's life, even at the cost of his own.
But as his eyes lingered on the formidable figures standing beside Toshiro, his resolve wavered. He opened his mouth to speak, but the words failed him. A sinking weight pressed on his heart as he began to grasp the enormity of what he faced.
He recognized the method Toshiro must have used to summon the First and Second Hokage. Though unsure of their full strength, their mere presence sent a foreboding chill through him.
"Tsk tsk tsk... Is the Sandaime now condemning his own sensei?"
Toshiro's mocking laughter broke through the tense atmosphere. He tilted his head slightly, his gaze locking on the increasingly distraught Sandaime.
"This jutsu was developed by the Nidaime himself," Toshiro said, his tone dripping with irony. "If I've fallen to evil, then what does that make your sensei, the Nidaime? And, by extension, what does that make you?"
He chuckled darkly, reveling in the hypocrisy.
"What a convenient double standard. If I'm evil for using this jutsu, then wouldn't the Second Hokage be the original 'founder of evil'?"
"You... Lord Tobirama... the original intention behind creating this ninjutsu was to protect Konoha..."
The Sandaime's voice faltered as he tried to justify himself, but the words rang hollow even to his own ears.
Indeed, just as the Nidaime had originally developed the jutsu to safeguard Konoha, Toshiro was now using it to protect his clan. At its core, the intent was the same. There was no denying the uncomfortable parallel.
"Oh! It's Saru! And Tsuna-chan! You've both grown so much... It's been so long since I last saw you!"
Breaking the tense silence, the Shodaime Hokage's cheerful voice rang out. His expression softened into a warm, hearty smile as he finally regained his awareness, his gaze falling on the familiar faces of the Sandaime and his granddaughter.
"Grandfather..."
Tsunade, who had been frozen in a trance ever since the Shodaime and Nidaime had appeared, stared at her grandfather's familiar face and heard the voice that had haunted her memories. Slowly, she took two tentative steps forward, her emotions wavering between disbelief and longing.
Unfortunately, just as she was about to take further action, Jiraiya intervened, stopping her in her tracks.
"Hmph... As expected, you Uchiha are always steeped in evil, even abusing the ninjutsu I developed."
The biting remark cut through the room, halting Tsunade as she was about to reminisce with her grandfather. All eyes turned toward the speaker—Senju Tobirama, the Nidaime Hokage—his tone laced with cold disdain for the Uchiha clan.
"You dare use my own jutsu to summon me? Tell me, boy, what exactly are you trying to achieve?"
Though he had briefly glanced at the aged Sarutobi and the grown-up Tsunade, Tobirama's sharp, critical gaze quickly locked onto Toshiro, his demeanor as unyielding as ever.
"It's you... Senju Tobirama!"
Another voice broke the tension. The speaker was one of the figures Toshiro had summoned—a man clad in traditional Uchiha attire, exuding an aura of authority. His eyes burned with animosity as he turned toward Tobirama.
"So, you've died too? It seems my brother has finally avenged me!"
The Uchiha's tone was cutting, his words aimed like daggers at the Nidaime, rekindling the old animosities between the Senju and Uchiha clans.
"It's Izuna! You've been summoned too. It's been such a long time!"
Before the Nidaime could frown or offer a retort, the Shodaime's unmistakably warm voice broke through, greeting Izuna as though they were old friends. His tone carried a sense of familiarity, as if their rivalry had never existed.
"Hmph."
Izuna, however, showed no such warmth. He regarded Hashirama coldly, his expression icy. To him, this was the same man who had always competed with him for her brother's attention. Ignoring his enthusiasm, he turned his gaze away dismissively.
"You are... Nako-chan?"
Izuna's sharp eyes shifted toward another figure. Though it had been decades since his death, the faint outline of the girl he once knew was still recognizable.
"When I died, you were just a child. How long have I been gone? How is it that even you...?"
"Izuna-senpai," Nako responded, her tone hesitant as she glanced quickly at the Sandaime for reference. "I don't know the exact number of years, but..."
After a moment's thought, she continued with uncertainty:
"It seems to have been about 50 or 60 years since you passed away."
When she died, the Hiruzen had not yet ascended to the position of Hokage. Now, seeing the old man before her, aged and weary, it was clear that a significant amount of time had passed.
"How is my big brother... What happened to him?"
"Did he lead the Uchiha clan to defeat the Senju in the end?"
When Izuna had fallen, the war between the Uchiha and Senju clans was at its peak. His abrupt summoning now filled him with questions. Aside from his brother, what weighed most heavily on his mind was the outcome of that fateful conflict.
"…"
Nako remained silent, unsure of how to respond. How could she explain the reality? Not only had the Uchiha failed to defeat the Senju, but the clan had also been brought to the brink of annihilation.
A flicker of crimson light gleamed in her Sharingan. Choosing to forgo words, Nako transmitted the truth directly into Izuna's mind through the Sharingan's visual prowess—a torrent of memories revealing all that had transpired since his death.
"Damn it! You Senju are truly despicable and shameless, always using flowery words to deceive my trusting brother!"
Upon receiving the memories from Nako, Izuna's eyes flared crimson with fury. His gaze, intensified by the Mangekyō Sharingan, bore into the Senju brothers with unrelenting anger.
"If I hadn't died so young, my brother wouldn't have fallen for this bastard's honeyed lies!"
"Shut your trap! Your elder brother was the one who failed to gain the support of his clan. Don't go blaming us for his choices," the Second Hokage retorted coldly, his disdain for the Uchiha as sharp as ever.
"Enough!"
Toshiro's voice cut through the brewing tension, his irritation clear. "We don't have time for old grudges and petty arguments. There are more pressing matters to address."
"You insolent brat! Why did you summon us?"
Senju Tobirama's piercing gaze shifted to Toshiro as he addressed him in a tone dripping with hostility.
"This is my creation—my ninjutsu. No one understands it better than I do!"
As he spoke, Tobirama's hands began forming seals.
He wasn't a fool. While the others had been caught up reminiscing, he had taken stock of the battlefield and now had a clear grasp of the situation. If the Edo-tensei wasn't dispelled quickly, things could spiral out of control.
However, just as he was about to act, an overwhelming force suddenly restrained him, freezing him in place. The power radiated from Toshiro's direction.
"You… activated the Mangekyō Sharingan?"
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