"Senju Tobirama, are you slandering Kazuki?! You bastard!"

Unlike the quiet curiosity of the shinobi from the other villages, Uchiha Madara erupted in outright fury.

The war god of the shinobi world jabbed a finger at Tobirama's nose, voice brimming with rage: "Open those mutt eyes of yours and look! Kazuki is using his chakra to heal everyone—how the hell could he be possessed by some demon?!"

The very phrase demonic obsession seemed to hit a nerve, triggering something deep in Madara's psyche.

Senju Hashirama hurried over from the side. Bathed in the light of the Yang Release orb, the black receivers embedded in his body had melted away, restoring his ability to move freely.

He grabbed Madara's arm tightly, clearly worried that his old friend might lose control. Using his body to block him, he whispered urgently: "Madara, Madara! Don't get riled up over Tobirama's words. He's close to Kazuki—he didn't mean it like that!"

"Tobirama has a Mangekyō Sharingan now, so technically, he's both Senju and Uchiha. That makes him your clanmate too, doesn't it? Come on, take it easy… if there's an issue, we can talk it through calmly…"

Off to the side, Uchiha Izuna, known for his impeccable self-restraint, felt his expression twitch slightly at those words.

Hashirama really is a sly fox!

Was that mediation or provocation?

Just a moment ago, Madara had called Tobirama 'mutt-eyed', and now Hashirama was deliberately pointing out his brother's Mangekyō Sharingan…

Madara clearly sensed the shift in tone as well, and turned sharply to glare at Hashirama—but the moment he saw that signature foolishly innocent Asura smile plastered on his friend's face…

His fury was instantly doused like a bucket of cold water.

He sighed in frustration. "You really are impossible, Hashirama…"

Uchiha Izuna rolled his eyes dramatically, suppressing the twitch in his mouth as he spoke in a low, steady voice to Senju Tobirama: "This 'demonic obsession' you mentioned—what exactly do you mean?"

"…Brother, I think we misjudged Tobirama. He does care about Kazuki. I confirmed it during the earlier battle."

Uchiha Izuna explained this much to Uchiha Madara before casting a haughty glance at Senju Tobirama and scoffing, "He couldn't fool me!"

The crowd watching this verbal duel between the two pairs of Senju and Uchiha brothers collectively fell into silence.

Something felt… off.

The atmosphere was strange.

At that moment, the Yang Release chakra orb Kazuki had left behind continued to bathe everyone in light. After healing most of the injuries present, it drifted toward Might Duy, whose body still hadn't fully recovered.

Within seconds, Duy's flesh took on a reddish hue, and the burnt, lava-like wounds across his body slowly began to heal. New pinkish muscle grew in the charred grooves as if molten marks were being restored.

Following the trajectory of the chakra orb, all the shinobi turned solemn, respectful eyes toward this 'forever genin' of Konohagakure.

Aside from Kazuki, Might Duy was the only mortal to have challenged gods—and won.

He had surpassed even Uchiha Madara and Senju Hashirama.

No one doubted that, should the shinobi world survive this day, Might Duy's name would be engraved in history in bold, indelible strokes—forever remembered as the man who slayed gods with the legendary Night Guy.

Slowly, Might Duy rose to his feet, weakly making his way toward Senju Tobirama.

As he walked, the crowd gently parted, opening a path and watching him approach in reverent silence.

"Second Hokage… Does Kazuki-sama need my help right now? I think… I can still burn one more time."

When he reached Tobirama, he took a deep breath. His eyes were filled with unshakable resolve.

"I trust Kazuki-sama's judgment in choosing you. I have no attachment to my own life—please, give me your orders!"

Senju Tobirama was visibly moved as he looked at Might Duy.

Could he truly burn again? The answer appeared to be no…

Even though Kazuki's Yang Release chakra was miraculous—able to heal even the most grievous wounds on someone like Uchiha Madara—Might Duy had already burned away the entirety of his life force from head to toe.

So even as the chakra orb entered his body, he remained like someone barely recovering from a catastrophic illness, still unable to move properly.

And yet, Tobirama had no doubt—

If the moment came, Might Duy would unleash that staggering willpower once more, igniting his blood and flesh to conjure unimaginable strength.

And all of this…

Was thanks to Kazuki.

A no-name genin… It was only Kazuki's discerning eye and unwavering trust that allowed this late-blooming seed to awaken and grow into such formidable power.

'Perhaps… this is what the Will of Fire truly means,' Tobirama thought to himself. Then he pressed a firm hand on Duy's shoulder, looking him earnestly in the eye: "Duy, if Kazuki ever needs it—I will absolutely call on your youthful strength to aid him."

Might Duy nodded firmly, his voice deep and resolute.

"Second Hokage-sama, I am Kazuki's house guardian. If I act on his behalf, I ask you—please don't call it a request!"

"…Understood, Duy."

Senju Tobirama cleared his throat, then swept his gaze across everyone present, his expression now grave.

Tsunade, Shisui, Uchiha Yashiro, Hiruzen, Hatake Sakumo, Kakuzu, Hiruko, Kaguya Jinzaburo, Kisame, Senju Hashirama, Uzumaki Mito…

Uchiha Madara, Uchiha Izuna, the Kage from every village, the previous generations resurrected by Edo Tensei, the former Jinchūriki…

Everyone gathered here embodied nearly a full century of shinobi history.

And they were all waiting for Tobirama's explanation.

What exactly did demonic obsession mean?

What had happened to Kazuki?

"No one knows Kazuki better than I do," Tobirama began quietly. "At one point, I was like the Tailed Beast inside him—we lived together for years."

His tone was calm and steady as he continued: "At that time, tensions between Konoha and the Uchiha had reached a peak. Kazuki, seeking to resolve the issue at its root, turned to the wisdom of the past. He wanted guidance…"

"And he chose me. He was only eleven years old back then. I believe he drew inspiration from the Reanimation Jutsu, and summoned my soul into his body. From the very beginning, his mind was already that of a Hokage…"

Uchiha Madara let out a cold snort. "A sage from history? Aren't you full of yourself… You're the damn culprit who stirred up the conflict with the Uchiha. Kazuki found you to wipe out the problem at its root, didn't he?"

Senju Tobirama ignored Madara's spiteful remark—though deep down, that suspicion had haunted him too.

Kazuki had told Tobirama the truth plainly: his first choice had been Uchiha Izuna. It was only because Izuna hadn't responded to the summoning that Tobirama, the 'Senju devil', had become the fallback.

Had Uchiha Izuna actually entered Kazuki's body back then… Tobirama didn't even dare imagine how disastrous things might have turned out.

The boy would've been completely led astray!

If what had happened now was already demonic obsession, then with Izuna involved, the world might have been destroyed outright…

"Kazuki's intellect was truly extraordinary… I believe even back then, he had already awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan. His dōjutsu, as some of those celestial beings suspected, involved imitation and replication…"

"In order to resolve the tension between the Uchiha and the village, Kazuki presented an external persona modeled after me, while privately acting as Uchiha Izuna. Two personas—one body—binding the two sides together."

"Kazuki gave up a great deal… To dispel the conflict, he allowed himself to be misunderstood, mistaken as a reincarnation of someone else's chakra. But he never minded—he simply kept smiling gently, all for the sake of a better village."

"Even if it meant losing himself—he staged the illusion of a lost identity, just to make others believe in his supposed origins."

Uchiha Madara slowly exhaled.

As one of Kazuki's most devoted observers, he had to admit: Kazuki had completely fooled him.

For countless nights, Madara had been convinced Kazuki was the reincarnation of his brother and Senju Tobirama combined…

And yet, he couldn't bring himself to feel angry at this invisible deception.

Why?

Because it was precisely through such a method that Kazuki had pulled the Uchiha—who had teetered on the edge of the abyss—back step by step from the brink.

He had led the entire clan into prosperity and strength.

As a proud Uchiha, Madara refused to believe that someone with Kazuki's level of talent would ever willingly play the role of someone else's reincarnation.

The Uchiha were proud!

Back in the Warring States era, whenever Madara had heard someone speak of 'reincarnations', he had felt nothing but disgust and irritation.

He was himself.

He was Uchiha Madara.

So how could someone even more talented than him—someone like Kazuki—possibly be content with impersonating another?

It had all been a sacrifice—for the sake of the clan!

"That's the brilliance of Kazuki," Tobirama continued, his voice gradually becoming heavier. "At just eleven years old, he used his own mind and jutsu to begin healing the rift between Konoha and the Uchiha…"

"…But Kazuki was too smart! When I speak of demonic obsession, I mean the latent darkness innate to the Uchiha—the potential for extremism they're born with."

"This isn't slander. Uchiha Izuna, you know exactly what I mean."

Uchiha Izuna grimaced but still nodded reluctantly. "It's true… The more powerful and intelligent an Uchiha is, the more likely they are to harbor thoughts far beyond what ordinary people could understand…"

In truth, his own brother was the prime example.

For decades, Madara had earnestly pursued a prophecy tied to an ancient tablet of unknown origin and a ludicrous-sounding plan called the Infinite Tsukuyomi—and he'd done so with unwavering belief.

If they weren't blood relatives, Izuna might have just labeled Madara's way of thinking as outright deranged.

"As Kazuki continued to grow, he bore witness to the ugliness of the shinobi world… of human hearts… And his extraordinary talent caught the attention of the Sage of Six Paths, who marked him as a future vessel for reincarnation…"

"Under such immense pressure," Senju Tobirama said slowly, "Kazuki kept thinking—how could he bring peace to the shinobi world? How could he purge the darkness and deceit in people's hearts?"

He drew a deep breath, his gaze deep and somber.

"When a Uchiha contemplates killing, it's not particularly alarming. But when a Uchiha begins to contemplate peace… that's when things become truly terrifying."

"Kazuki tried many methods to explore this dilemma. He attempted to sign peace treaties, testing whether the hidden villages truly yearned for peace. He staked Shimura Danzo as a wager—if Danzo could atone with his life on the battlefield, then the Will of Fire would prove itself real and not just hollow rhetoric…"

"My greatest regret… was teaching Shimura Danzo."

"In the end, both the Will of Fire and the hearts of people let Kazuki down. And especially with the Sage of Six Paths lingering inside him, Kazuki's mind was never fully stable—more susceptible to radical paths."

Tobirama's tone dropped to a grave murmur.

"What I fear now… is that Kazuki intends to restart this world."

"There is a stone tablet in the Uchiha compound—it records a method…"

"It's called the Infinite Tsukuyomi. On the surface, it's a genjutsu meant to purge all falsehood from the human heart through mass brainwashing of the shinobi world. But I've studied it thoroughly—this illusion will obliterate reality. It forces everyone to live in fantasy while their real bodies rot and die."

"And the way Kazuki looked just now…

It looked exactly like he was about to activate this so-called Infinite Tsukuyomi."

Just then—

Before Tobirama could say more—

A towering tsunami, over a hundred meters high, erupted from the heart of the ocean, crashing furiously toward the shore.

The apocalyptic sight abruptly cut the conversation short.

Kazuki had begun his battle against Momoshiki and Urashiki!

"Anyone with a Mangekyō Sharingan—summon your Susanoo! Get everyone into the sky!" Tobirama roared, staring into the oncoming waves.

"Support Kazuki—but don't act rashly!"

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