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Time flew by like an arrow, the years passed like flowing water… you get the idea.
In short, more than a year had quietly slipped by since Tsunade's first birthday celebration.
Not much had changed in Akio's life—he was still being pestered by Hashirama to gamble all the time. The only difference now was that a little gambler had joined the fray.
Ever since little Tsunade got her hands on a pair of dice at her birthday party, she had been completely hooked. Hashirama indulged her constantly, often bringing her over to Akio's place to gamble—or maybe it was just to find someone with even worse luck than himself?
Akio had been avoiding the two of them for a while, letting them play at the casino on their own. But about a month ago, he voluntarily sought Hashirama out to join them. He had noticed a sudden and significant decline in Hashirama's life force, suggesting that his time might be near.
"I really don't know what Kenji and Kaori are thinking…" Akio muttered under his breath, watching helplessly as Hashirama taught Tsunade how to gamble.
"No wonder Tsunade is so bad at gambling—how could she possibly get better learning from Hashirama?" Akio sighed, shaking his head.
Although Hashirama was hailed as the God of Shinobi, he had absolutely no talent when it came to gambling. Despite Akio teaching him for so long, there had been no improvement.
Still, Akio never planned on teaching Tsunade himself. No matter how skilled he was, he knew he couldn't beat Kishimoto's plot armor—every time Tsunade won a bet, disaster followed. That built-in misfortune was a real headache for him.
"Alright, Tsuna! Grandpa's rolling an 18 for you!" Hashirama's spirited voice snapped Akio out of his thoughts.
The dice cup opened: 2, 2, and 4—totaling 8.
"Ahaha, Tsuna, I meant eight, not eighteen," Hashirama said with an awkward chuckle, trying to cover it up.
"You're amazing, Grandpapa!" Little Tsunade believed him without a doubt. Her eyes sparkled as she grabbed the dice cup with both hands, shook it vigorously, and slammed it down onto the table.
Her hands trembled as she lifted the cup—6, 6, 6. Eighteen.
Hashirama froze mid-smile, then quickly turned excited and looked at Akio. "Looks like Tsuna has real talent for gambling! Great-Granduncle, I could never beat you, but she definitely will someday!"
Akio scoffed. "Dream on, Hashirama. I can roll whatever total I want. I bet Tsunade's luck will be even worse than yours in the future."
He took the dice cup, gave it a casual shake, and placed it on the table without even looking.
Hashirama lifted the cup and looked puzzled. "Six, six, five… Great-Granduncle, were you aiming for seventeen?"
"I won!" Tsunade's excited voice rang in Akio's ears. His eyes widened in disbelief.
He looked at the dice, then at Tsunade, who was overjoyed. Akio fell silent.
"I was trying to roll an eighteen... a max-level skill shouldn't make a mistake." He sighed softly, eyes slightly reddening as he turned to Hashirama. "Then… that must mean…"
Hashirama looked confused. "What is it, Great-Granduncle?"
"It's nothing. You two keep playing…" Akio replied, falling into silence.
Meanwhile, Hashirama and Tsunade continued to play. Strangely enough, despite her usual terrible luck, Tsunade kept winning—and Hashirama looked more and more frustrated.
Akio's heart sank further. If Tsunade kept winning… then…
Just then, Kenji walked in.
Akio thought he might be feeling the same bad premonition, but to his surprise, Kenji had an odd mix of laughter and exasperation on his face.
His first words stunned everyone in the room:
"Father, Mother… seems like she's pregnant."
Akio twitched, muttering, "Mito is forty-seven this year, right? Hashirama, you've really outdone yourself. No wonder your life force took a huge dip a month ago…"
Hashirama fell silent for a moment, then smiled and gently picked Tsunade up into his arms.
"Mito is pregnant? She must be exhausted… Great-Granduncle, I probably won't be around to see peace arrive. Please, you and Kenji… and Tsuna, see that day in my stead." With that, he slowly reclined into his chair.
"Grandpa, why won't you be there to see peace?" Tsunade asked innocently, looking back up at him.
"Father…" Kenji tried to say something more, but Akio placed a hand on his shoulder, shook his head, and stepped outside.
"Want me to see peace for you, huh? I guess… this Transformation Jutsu can only fool those who don't know me well. Hashirama and Tobirama probably saw through it long ago."
"But peace… you will witness that day with your own eyes!"
Akio let out a long sigh and headed toward the Hokage Building, a place he hadn't visited in over a year.
Inside the Hokage office, Tobirama was still going through paperwork. When he noticed Akio's arrival, he looked up, caught a glimpse of Akio's expression, and froze momentarily.
After a brief pause, he looked down again and resumed his work.
Akio didn't interrupt. He quietly sat down on a nearby chair and just watched Tobirama.
Half an hour passed before Tobirama finally finished and looked up again. "Great-Granduncle… you're the last person I wanted to see right now."
"Guzawa!" he suddenly called out. An ANBU that Akio recognized appeared before them.
"Pass down the order. Prepare the funeral of the First Hokage, Senju Hashirama." Tobirama's voice trembled slightly as his eyes reddened.
The ANBU was momentarily stunned, but quickly responded, "Yes, Lord Hokage!"
After the ANBU left, Akio sighed. "Tobirama, let's go. Let's see him one last time."
The two returned to the Uzumaki residence, where a crowd had already gathered.
Kenji and Kaori were there with a confused-looking young Tsunade, along with the semi-retired Senju elder Tenyu, and the newly pregnant Mito...
Many had come upon hearing the news, especially the former clan elders and leaders who had retired during the sixth year of Konoha's founding. Some were so old they needed support to walk, but they had come regardless.
These veterans, who had survived the chaos of the Warring States era, respected Hashirama the most.
Hyūga Tenjin, now over sixty, looked every bit his age. His face was wistful as he muttered, "Butsuma… you raised an extraordinary son…" Of the once-feared Four Great Powers, only he remained. He may have "won" by living longer, but the gap between their descendants was vast…
Seeing Akio and Tobirama approach, the crowd made way for them.
Akio gazed at Hashirama's peaceful face, eyes closed and a faint smile on his lips. He then glanced at the sorrowful Mito beside him and shook his head.
"For a second kid… you really went all in, didn't you, Hashirama?"
"Well then… see you in fifty years."
An hour later, the entire village of Konoha received the news:
At the end of Year Twelve of the Hidden Leaf, the great God of Shinobi, the man who ended the Warring States Era, the First Hokage, Senju Hashirama, passed away with a smile on his face, at the age of forty-nine.
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