Chapter 227: The Nine-Tails' Three Punches to Hashirama, The Bond Between Obito and Kakashi, Danzo Nominates Orochimaru

Hearing the voices of the Nine-Tails and Mito…

Hashirama froze in place like a potted plant!

At this moment, the First Hokage’s brilliant mind spun wildly, trying to think of how to handle the situation…

Beside him, Isshin and Tenzo, who had been accompanying Hashirama on his tour of the village, exchanged a glance. The two men tacitly focused their eyes on their noses and their noses on their hearts, quietly sliding backward without changing their expressions…

Even an upright official finds it hard to judge family matters…

Let alone the family matters of the First Hokage!

Even if the Third Hokage himself were here, he probably wouldn’t be much help…

Better let these two deities sort it out themselves!

Hashirama naturally remembered Mito’s voice.

But who was the one stirring up trouble here?

How rude!

The voice of a small Nine-Tails was different from its complete form, which was related to the special structure of Tailed Beasts as chakra lifeforms.

The complete Nine-Tails had a deep, rumbling voice, but the small Nine-Tails sounded very much like a young fox.

At first listen, Hashirama actually mistook it for that woman, Touka Senju…

And this was also one of the reasons why the current Nine-Tails was so popular in Konoha.

Aside from generously handing out Tailed Beast chakra left and right…

The change in appearance and voice was also a crucial factor in the Konoha villagers quickly accepting the notion that “Tailed Beasts are not natural disasters.”

“Could it be Touka? Is she still alive too? Or a new friend Mito made…”

Hashirama’s mind raced with wild thoughts, and he couldn’t help but groan inwardly!

Why did Hiruzen have to build Konoha up so well?!

“This is bad, this is bad…”

“Hiruzen clearly warned me that Mito was still alive and missed me terribly!”

In reality, Mito wasn’t actually upset that Hashirama hadn’t come home to see her immediately.

Because Mito knew Hashirama’s personality. Seeing the Konoha that Hiruzen governed, he would definitely be incredibly excited. Wanting to stroll around and look at everything was perfectly normal…

She had given Hashirama plenty of time.

The problem was, Hashirama had been strolling for far too long.

Especially when he passed by the Senju ancestral compound several times without even realizing he should pop in for a look. This made Mito a bit unable to hold back.

It could only be said that Mito’s sensory abilities were simply too strong. She could clearly sense Hashirama’s movement trajectory, as well as his emotions when he passed the Senju compound…

Which was nothing but pure excitement about Konoha getting better, without a single stray thought about her…

“Forget it, it’s not the first time this has happened. I’ll just apologize to Mito!”

Hashirama tried hard to think of a way to explain himself, but suddenly remembered that his wife seemed capable of reading minds. The two strands of hair on his forehead drooped, and he turned around dejectedly.

But this look left Hashirama stunned.

His gaze focused on the little fox perched on Mito’s shoulder…

“Who are you?”

Hashirama stared intently at the Nine-Tails: “Why do you look so familiar to me? Have we met?”

This instantly broke the Nine-Tails’ defenses.

How did I get to Konoha and get sealed inside Mito? You bastard, don’t you know?!

Mito couldn’t help but be amused by Hashirama.

She didn’t believe for a second that with Hashirama’s intuition, he wouldn’t recognize the Nine-Tails’ chakra…

Saying that was clearly his passive dark-bellied nature at work…

“I am the Nine-Tails!”

As the little fox spoke, it leaped from Mito’s shoulder and lunged right at Hashirama’s face!

Face-hugger Fox Jutsu!

“Ah? You’re the Nine-Tails?”

Hashirama scrambled to block the Nine-Tails’ assault. Why did this fox just start attacking out of nowhere!

“Ha-ha-Hashirama!”

The Nine-Tails gritted its teeth. Its paws balled into fists, wrapped in a sliver of Tailed Beast chakra, and fiercely hammered three punches onto Hashirama’s head!

Thump, thump, thump…

A crisp sound echoed from Hashirama’s head.

The Nine-Tails then vaulted backward, as if afraid Hashirama would retaliate, and returned to Mito’s shoulder, shouting loudly:

“I am absolutely not using public office for personal revenge! I hit you for Mito’s sake!”

“Do you know how much she misses you? Every day in her spare time, she looks at your photos and reads the anecdotes about you that Hiruzen collected from around the shinobi world…”

“Hitting you only three times is giving you face because you’re the First Hokage! Consider yourself lucky!”

The Nine-Tails stated self-righteously.

Isshin and Tenzo wore subtle expressions.

Really?

They didn’t buy it…

The other observing Konoha shinobi didn’t buy it either…

But Mito remained silent, and everyone else kept quiet, watching the scene with a smile.

The “young fox” aura was definitely working!

The visual of a cute critter throwing three punches was entirely different from a roaring monster doing the same…

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry…”

Hashirama was stunned for a moment, a trace of sourness welling up in his heart.

Although his feelings for Mito were absolutely genuine.

Because he indeed harbored more important matters and more important people in his heart, he couldn’t say he had devoted himself entirely to Mito all those years…

Yet Mito had given her whole heart to Hashirama, inheriting her husband’s Will of Fire and ideals, continuing to burn with light and heat for Konoha even at her advanced age…

Isshin and Tenzo had subtly mentioned Mito’s contributions along the way, but just as Hashirama was about to sigh about how wonderful it was to have Mito, his attention was immediately drawn away by Konoha’s new facilities and policies…

There was nothing he could do about it.

Whether it was Hanzo, Kimimaro, or Kakuzu from the beginning, every “Warring States-esque shinobi” who came to the current Konoha would have such reactions and feelings.

Let alone Hashirama, who viewed Konoha as a part of his own body and his highest ideal.

Hashirama stared straight at Mito.

Mito also smiled gently, meeting Hashirama’s gaze.

A light breeze blew, and the sunlight spilled onto the street, draping a faint, warm light over the two of them.

Hashirama suddenly scratched his head, nervously clasped his hands together, stared at Mito’s face and the silver threads in her hair, and coughed lightly: “Mito, you are still as beautiful as ever!”

Similar to making a “shooting hoops” motion when nervous, Hashirama would sometimes subconsciously clasp his hands together in a hand seal when he was with Mito…

Mito, originally watching Hashirama’s movements, almost wanted to laugh.

But Hashirama’s straightforward words still made her heart skip a beat. Mito rolled her eyes dramatically: “You’re an old man now, act your age!”

“What old man? I feel like it hasn’t even been two days since I married you…”

“You haven’t changed a bit!”

Hashirama chuckled goofily. A bouquet of fresh flowers appeared in his hands from nowhere. He brought them up to Mito and presented them to her with both hands.

His expression also turned serious.

“You’ve worked hard all these years, Mito…”

“The most correct thing I, Hashirama, ever did in my life was marrying you.”

“Thank you.”

Even Mito felt an imperceptible blush flash across her face at this moment. Trying her best to maintain her composure, she accepted the flowers with both hands: “As long as you know!”

With a flick of Mito’s shoulder, the little fox was bounced off and landed on Isshin’s head nearby.

Mito opened her arms to Hashirama, and Hashirama understandingly embraced his wife tightly.

In this moment, even veterans of the Warring States era like Isshin and Tenzo, despite their cunning and the myriad things they had seen in the shinobi world, couldn’t help but feel an indescribable emotion.

A meeting across time and space!

Infected by the atmosphere, Isshin and Tenzo seemed to grow younger. The two old men, abandoning their seniority, put their fingers to their lips and whistled.

The surrounding Konoha shinobi and villagers cheered, shouting Mito and Hashirama’s names.

For a time, the scene and atmosphere were incredibly passionate!

The Nine-Tails, squatting on Isshin’s head, stared blankly at Hashirama, sighed, and also started clapping along with the surrounding shinobi.

It truly had no answers for Hashirama!

The “sure-kill” situation the Nine-Tails had meticulously designed was actually handled this easily by the “botanical human” using the ultimate counter: sincerity?

Is this guy just pretending to be dumb all the time?!

“This is definitely not Asura’s personality…”

“Asura genuinely wasn’t that bright. But Hashirama—not only are his cells and Wood Style bizarrely powerful, but his personality isn’t the type to suffer losses either…”

“The world has misjudged him! Hashirama is the shrewdest of them all…” The Nine-Tails ranted frantically in its head.

However, as the fox looked at Hashirama and Mito, the corners of its mouth naturally curled upwards into a beautiful arc.

Perhaps because it, too, was a part of Konoha…

“Alright, how long are you going to hug me?”

Mito pushed Hashirama away and nodded in satisfaction: “You keep touring the village! I won’t bother you anymore. There are some things that aren’t convenient to say here…”

Mito needed to talk to Hashirama about how to handle the Tobirama situation!

But in this public setting, Tobirama’s matters couldn’t be discussed.

This was both out of respect for Hiruzen and because it was one of the few sensitive topics in Konoha’s currently open atmosphere…

They could talk about Madara, but not Tobirama…

Hashirama rubbed his head, chuckled, looked at the Nine-Tails nearby, and said with a slight hint of foolishness:

“Did you secretly hit me three times just now?”

The Nine-Tails’ fur instantly stood on end!

Oh no!

How did he count so clearly?!

This is bad! Mito just got sent away by this botanical human, and now I’m completely isolated and without support!

Bad memories flooded back into the Nine-Tails’ mind…

The most fatal part was, although it was a Konoha Committee Member now and held a rather high status in the village…

Hashirama Senju was the First Hokage, Hiruzen’s mentor!

If he decided to be unreasonable, it seemed that other than Hiruzen and Mito, no one else could stop him…

“You can’t lay a hand on me!”

“I am a Konoha Committee Member! I have exerted effort, dedicated sweat, and chakra for the village!” The Nine-Tails could only pin its hopes on the Will of Fire, speaking rapidly:

“I reached an agreement with Mito. We use malice sensing to defend against spies from other villages and protect the core technology of the Research Department from leaking. We’ve caught over a dozen elite enemy spies!”

“I also provide chakra free of charge to talented shinobi in the village. Hundreds of shinobi have received my gifts. Even your current body contains my chakra!”

“Especially that Uzumaki brat, Naruto from the Hokage faction. He has received my meticulous care since childhood, realizing his potential early on and cultivating Ashina Uzumaki’s ‘Ten Thousand Seals Body Integration’!”

“My contributions are recognized even by the current Hokage! My position as a Konoha Committee Member is ironclad!”

The Nine-Tails loudly proclaimed its achievements:

“Not only that, I also recruited the Three-Tails and Six-Tails to Konoha. Even that stinking tanuki reached a deep cooperation with Nagato because of me…”

The Nine-Tails’ speech left Hashirama, who had been preparing to aggressively pet the fox, completely dumbfounded.

Wait…

Where did this benevolent fox come from?

He originally thought the Nine-Tails managing to reconcile with Mito and exist in the village without causing a stir was already a scenario he never dared to imagine…

How had it made so many contributions?!

Elevating the quality of shinobi, providing massive amounts of chakra, defending Konoha’s Research Department…

The way Hashirama looked at the Nine-Tails gradually changed.

But the Nine-Tails kept going, as if venting all the grievances it had suppressed for decades, showing a hint of recklessness.

Whatever, there are a lot of people around!

Even if Hashirama does try to hit me, someone will probably stop him, right?

“You sealed me away without any explanation back then, saying things like I was too dangerous!”

“If you ask me, you are the most dangerous one! Are your cells even human? Even the Sage probably couldn’t understand their structure. They’re way more absurd than a Tailed Beast!”

“Did I ever proactively attack Konoha? Wasn’t it Madara Uchiha who hypnotized me, trapped me inside his Susanoo to fight you, and then when I finally woke up, I got beaten up by you…”

“You two sure had fun fighting, didn’t you? But I was innocent…”

“I hit you three times just now! So what!”

The Nine-Tails spat out all the words it had repressed for so many years right in Hashirama’s face, feeling significantly relieved.

It felt like a heavy burden had been lifted from its chest.

The observing Konoha shinobi nodded slightly, looks of surprise on their faces.

Committee Member Nine-Tails actually makes a lot of sense!

But there was nothing anyone could do about it. Who can reason with the Asura of the Shinobi World?

That guy was inherently unreasonable!

Of course, Madara’s self-perception was that he was the most reasonable and fair person in the shinobi world…

“I’m sorry, Nine-Tails.”

Hashirama slowly walked up to Isshin, lifted the little fox until it was at eye level, and said with an incredibly serious tone and gaze: “What happened back then was my mistake.”

“Sealing you so hastily was wrong of me. I apologize to you.”

“I never imagined the Will of Fire within your heart would be so blazing…”

“Let alone three punches, even if you hit me three hundred times, I would accept it. Hit me! I absolutely will not fight back…”

The Nine-Tails locked eyes with Hashirama, the entire fox stunned.

Although it had just been secretly criticizing Hashirama for being dark-bellied and shrewd…

But facing this offensive, its previous thoughts seemed to vanish into thin air…

The Nine-Tails turned its head away, seemingly unwilling to meet Hashirama’s overly intense gaze: “Forget it, forget it. Having a friend like Madara Uchiha, it hasn’t been easy for you either…”

“It’s been almost fifty years, it’s all in the past. I was just joking around…”

“But there’s one thing we have to be clear about!”

“If an enemy targets me in the future, you have to help me this time!” The Nine-Tails turned its head back, locked eyes with Hashirama earnestly, and said in a deep voice.

But Hashirama didn’t shy away from the Nine-Tails’ gaze in the slightest…

Because let alone a Tailed Beast, Hashirama was used to staring into Madara’s Eternal Mangekyo.

He was immune to genjutsu, and when it came to being straightforward and applying emotional pressure, Hashirama was a master.

It was always Madara who looked away first, never Hashirama…

It could only be said that, besides a certain someone, both Hashirama and Hiruzen, these two Hokage, were very good at this…

“I will protect you with all my might and my life, Nine-Tails.”

Hashirama said in a deep voice:

“You are already a part of Konoha, and a pillar of the village! You are a Konoha Committee Member who has made outstanding contributions to the Will of Fire, admired and trusted by your comrades in the village.”

“You are a Konoha shinobi even more excellent than I am!”

“I need to learn from you, and I hope you will guide me in the future…”

Hashirama’s tone was incredibly sincere, his gaze seemingly carrying his powerful vitality. In an instant, it made the Nine-Tails feel like it couldn’t handle it.

It seemed to understand why Mito didn’t hold a grudge against Hashirama…

No one could resist this!

Isshin and Tenzo chuckled.

Such a familiar scene…

When Hashirama came to the Uchiha and Hyuga clans to recruit them into Konoha back in the day, he probably adopted this exact posture.

The God of Shinobi humbling himself…

Tenzo still remembered that when Hashirama heard his father, the then-Hyuga Clan Head, was visiting, he ran out of the Senju compound barefoot, not even bothering to put on his shoes…

“Everyone knows there might be other motives involved here…”

“But when the God of Shinobi does something like this, who wouldn’t appreciate the sentiment? Besides, even someone like my old man couldn’t tell if Lord Hashirama was naturally like that or doing it on purpose…”

Memories surged in Tenzo’s heart, and he laughed genuinely.

Isshin, on the other hand, sighed inwardly:

“Great Clan Head, you didn’t lose unjustly… The Mangekyo visual jutsu and Susanoo are certainly powerful, but they truly cannot withstand Lord Hashirama’s charm…”

“Alright, alright, stop saying things like that. I understand what you mean…”

The Nine-Tails had no answers for Hashirama’s ‘super-gravity-type’ remarks. It broke free from his grasp, jumped onto his head, and sat cross-legged atop the botanical human’s crown:

“Let’s go, I’ll take you on a tour of the village!”

“Isshin and Tenzo introduced you to the village’s policies. Now I’ll tell you about Konoha’s shinobi, the excellent saplings among the Hokage faction and the civilians…”

“And Konoha’s Tailed Beasts and their Jinchuriki. These are the sectors I’m responsible for.”

Hashirama let out a “wow” and praised from the bottom of his heart:

“You are amazing, Nine-Tails! I wanted to learn about these things before, but Tobirama wouldn’t teach me; he just took it all upon himself to do…”

“Can you tell me about them?”

Puffing up under the praise, the fox’s tail instinctively rose, and it hmphed:

“Hmph, if you ask me, you were an unqualified Hokage! What did Tobirama Senju know about education? To be frank, a disciple like Hiruzen could have been taught into an outstanding Hokage even by Madara Uchiha…”

“The hardware for education is one aspect, but the most important thing is the source of the students. A good sapling can grow into timber even in saline-alkali soil. Tobirama Senju was purely just too lucky!”

“So what I need to do is make good use of the Tailed Beast chakra, under Lord Hokage’s guidance, supplemented by your cells and the curse marks developed by Committee Member Orochimaru, to elevate the quality of Konoha’s shinobi…”

“Which is the student source I just mentioned. Got it?!”

Now Hashirama was truly stunned.

Wait…

Fox, do you actually know your stuff?!

Isshin and Tenzo listened, nodding slightly, secretly thinking the Nine-Tails had truly become a force to be reckoned with!

The ability to inevitably attribute credit to Lord Third Hokage showed it had already mastered one of Konoha’s core technologies…

No wonder the “Tailed Beast Faction” rapidly became one of Konoha’s major power blocs!

This leading figure was indeed remarkable…

However, standing behind Isshin, “Ao Uchiha,” who had been the subject of Hashirama’s intense focus, had an expression that looked like he was barely holding it together, the tomoe in his Sharingan wavering slightly.

In all of Konoha, does no one other than Hiruzen have anything good to say about him?!

This is too much!

“Hashirama is actually quite a nice guy.” Izuna commented fairly:

“Having a brother like Tobirama, yet still maintaining such a reputation… It shares a common meaning with what Hiruzen said about ‘rising from the mud unsullied, bathing in clear ripples without being demonic’…”

Tobirama deadpanned and retorted:

“That was Lord Hokage praising Sunagakure’s ‘Sasori’ and ‘Pakura’. It was a critique of how, despite originating from Sunagakure, they weren’t led astray by the Third Kazekage, and adopted a stance of avoiding combat during the great war!”

“Child, you must learn to transfer concepts…” Izuna said earnestly.

“Transfer concepts?” Tobirama gritted his teeth, secretly vowing:

Just wait! Soon I’ll drain all your visual prowess into the Box of Ultimate Bliss and send you packing back to the Pure Land!

Tobirama had already decided to sever ties with the mechanically outdated Izuna. Combining his talents with “Satori” would result in more than just one or two enhancements…

Tobirama sincerely wished Izuna all the best in the Pure Land, promising to find time to miss him…

All good things must come to an end, after all!

“Finally, no one is mentioning me…” Tobirama accompanied Hashirama, the Nine-Tails, and the others as they strolled through Konoha, feeling slightly relieved.

Hashirama listened with a glowing face to the implementation of Hiruzen’s various policies in the village. Amegakure and Kirigakure had been officially brought under Konoha’s effective control, and many elites had even joined the village.

“Hiruzen is actually being called the First Mizukage? Good, very good…”

“Let’s go to the Ninja Academy next. What the Nine-Tails said about focusing on the student source sounds excellent. I only took a quick glance earlier; I want to take a closer look inside the Academy!”

Hashirama said, gesturing enthusiastically.

Just thinking about hearing the laughter and playful sounds of the children made Hashirama’s heart feel warm.

His cold Edo Tensei body seemed to regain its warmth, the flesh feeling as if it had truly come alive.

However, this actually had nothing to do with the Will of Fire.

It was merely a certain Sage of Six Paths balancing the resources between Indra and Asura, pulling on the special connection between himself and the Asura reincarnate, making a slight alteration…

It was worth mentioning that the Sage of Six Paths originally thought that bringing a powerhouse like Hashirama “from death to life,” even for him, would be a moderate hurdle…

Making it unnoticeable to Hashirama would likely be difficult.

But the Sage of Six Paths hadn’t expected that he would only slightly blur the boundary between “life and death” for Hashirama, and Hashirama’s cells would start doing the heavy lifting on their own… Beginning their own revival at a speed that even the Sage found bizarre…

Arriving at the Ninja Academy.

After Hashirama arrived, he first toured the outer corridors and discovered there was actually an introduction about Madara!

Hashirama strode over, stared at Madara’s photo, sighed softly, and said to Isshin beside him:

“If Madara were here, he would definitely be very happy to see this scene…”

Isshin nodded heavily: “The Great Clan Head’s spirit in heaven would certainly feel so!”

The group slowly walked into the Ninja Academy, but then heard loud shouts coming from the children on the playground at that moment:

“Wow! Big Brother Obito has been resurrected with Edo Tensei!”

Hashirama was stunned, and Isshin froze as well. The group rushed over frantically.

No matter the era, Edo Tensei is a ninjutsu that instills a sense of unease upon first impression…

Although in the current shinobi world, there was an increasing trend of treating it as a “Dream Realization Jutsu,” a certain someone’s past stereotypes couldn’t be erased overnight.

“Wait, this leads back to me too?” Tobirama was struggling to keep it together.

He felt today was a good day to stay in the Research Department, or perhaps go sit with Hiruzen for a while…

He was having terrible luck!

“Look at you, still the same old Tobirama?” Izuna chuckled, thoroughly enjoying the moment.

He could listen to jokes about Tobirama a hundred, a thousand times without ever getting bored…

Meanwhile, on the Ninja Academy playground.

Obito was flustered, shouting loudly at Kabuto, who was pointing at him:

“It’s not Edo Tensei, not Edo Tensei! I’m alive! I’m going to be the guiding Jonin for your elite class!”

The Ninja Academy students all froze for a moment, then cheered for Obito’s return.

This was their essay material…

Although Obito had never interacted with most of them, he was an old acquaintance to the students.

Obito bathed in the sound of the children calling his name with emotion, taking a deep breath, feeling that the air at this moment was sweet, filled with the warmth of the Will of Fire…

Kabuto pushed his glasses up, ran over quickly, and pinched Obito’s arm: “Such powerful vitality, Big Brother Obito…”

Obito paused, looking closely at Kabuto, and thought to himself: “As expected of Committee Member Orochimaru’s disciple, he’s exceptionally sensitive to vitality!”

Kabuto merely smiled faintly. He had long realized Obito wasn’t an Edo Tensei body…

As for why, it was because Kabuto was perhaps the only Ninja Academy student with an understanding of the Edo Tensei jutsu.

When Orochimaru taught students, especially those who fit his tastes like Kabuto, he could be somewhat heavy-handed.

And Kabuto, originating from an orphanage, had no taboos about learning such jutsu.

Because Kabuto’s current dream was to become the Root and Head of the Scientific Research Department of Konoha for a generation…

It was truly a case of one daring to teach and the other daring to learn.

Jiraiya had also raised questions about this. Orochimaru’s response was:

“You’re not a genius, you don’t understand! Do you really think Minato was taught by you? You just lucked out by finding a good sapling, give it a rest…”

Itachi also ran over.

He had a very good relationship with Obito because Itachi had basically grown up in Ao’s house…

And both Obito and Shisui were like older brothers to him.

But the moment Itachi tried to hug Obito, he passed right through him. Only his decent taijutsu foundation prevented him from falling over…

Itachi hastily turned around, only to see Obito looking at him with a mysterious smile: “Kid, I heard that while I was gone, you were called the genius of the Ninja Academy?”

“Very good. Ever since I was little, I’ve loved dealing with geniuses the most!”

“Now, the pop quiz begins!”

“Everyone, attack me! This will determine your comprehensive test scores for the future. I will report your situations truthfully to Lord Hokage…” Obito stood with his hands behind his back, looking like a grandmaster.

The Ninja Academy students were stunned for a moment, but then hesitated no longer.

Pop quizzes were now an old tradition in Konoha…

“Hidden Shadow Snake Hands,” “Wood Style: Wooden Pillar Jutsu,” “Fire Style: Phoenix Sage Flower Nail Crimson”!

The first to react were Kabuto, Itachi, and Yamato.

They launched a coordinated attack on Obito!

These were ninjutsu far exceeding what Ninja Academy students should know, but in today’s Konoha, this level of proficiency couldn’t surprise too many people anymore.

Accumulation was the main theme of the Ninja Academy.

Swift snakes, sharp wooden spikes, and explosive flames surged toward Obito in an instant!

The other Ninja Academy students also quickly reacted, throwing kunai and shuriken at Obito in a relatively organized manner. Some even used their signature five-element ninjutsu to block Obito’s possible evasion angles…

Obito watched, nodding slightly, thinking to himself: “Not bad at all!”

But he honestly activated his intangibility.

A tube of lipstick appeared in Obito’s hand, seemingly the same brand Minato Namikaze used.

He flashed a wicked smile, tilted his head, and mimicked his teacher’s tone: “Oh my, oh my, the students of the Ninja Academy are truly as strong as monsters!”

And with Obito’s words, the attacks passed right through his body at this moment.

Kabuto, Itachi, and Yamato’s expressions all changed simultaneously.

This is bad!

It’s a spatial type…

The other Ninja Academy students also seemed to remember something, their eyes widening.

Before enrolling, these little tykes of Konoha already knew about the tradition of dispatching a guiding Jonin to instruct the elite class…

The prestige of the previous generation’s Minato Namikaze resonated like thunder throughout Konoha and the shinobi world. He had even demonstrated his skills multiple times at the First Training Ground, making him well-known to everyone.

The kids enjoyed watching it, but when it was their turn to enroll, the smiles vanished.

If another spatial-type guiding Jonin showed up, wouldn’t they be completely screwed?

Fortunately, the outstanding graduate temporarily invited by the Ninja Academy teachers previously was Kakashi.

Although his kenjutsu and all-nature chakra were difficult to deal with, he didn’t put excessive pressure on the Ninja Academy students, and the overall intensity was still manageable.

But no one expected the deceased Konoha hero, Obito, to suddenly return with Kamui…

“Too slow…”

Obito curled his lips. Right now, he just wanted the Ninja Academy students to feel pain!

Not just the pain of being “bullied” by Minato Namikaze, but also the pain of realizing the effort and sweat he put into his grueling training at the Mountains’ Graveyard…

How can you become a star without eating bitterness!

Activating Kamui, Obito’s figure vanished in an instant amidst vortex-like spatial ripples.

“Where is he?!”

Itachi furrowed his brows deeply. The moment he turned around, he heard a mocking voice from behind.

“Yo…”

Obito appeared behind Itachi, drawing a red line across his neck, exactly as Minato Namikaze had done to him, whispering: “Where are you looking?”

Itachi felt a chill run down his spine, his eyes widening.

I couldn’t react…

Kabuto and Yamato attacked Obito from the left and right, but found themselves completely helpless against his intangibility.

Obito tilted his head and took them both down as well…

In the blink of an eye.

On the Ninja Academy playground, Obito continuously unleashed intangibility and spatial displacement. One vortex-like spatial ripple after another spread out, taking down every single Ninja Academy student in Konoha!

“Tsk…”

“Sigh, each generation is worse than the last. When we fought Minato-sensei back then, we could at least put him under significant pressure. You guys really need to work harder!”

Obito stood with his hands behind his back, speaking with a pained expression: “You must work hard, everyone! If you are lazy, I will be even more anxious than you are. Sigh, you’re really worrying me to death…”

Itachi looked at the Mangekyo Sharingan in Obito’s eyes, the corner of his mouth twitching continuously.

He really felt that in the Uchiha Clan right now, other than Big Brother Ao, there were hardly any humans left…

Starting with his father, who studied Magnet Style every day at home using his Mangekyo, and Tomie, who came in the middle of the night like a ghost to scare him…

And now this, Obito using his Mangekyo to beat up Ninja Academy students!

Itachi felt so exhausted…

Just destroy it all!

And at this moment.

A joyous voice rang out at the entrance of the playground.

“Hey, hey, hey!”

“An excellent Mangekyo Uchiha? Quick, let me see!”

A wooden dragon soared. Amidst the shocked gasps of the Ninja Academy students, an eager Hashirama descended from the sky, landing beside Obito, laughing loudly and patting his shoulder:

“Your name is Obito, right? I heard from Isshin and Ao that you’re an outstanding Uchiha junior recognized by Hiruzen! You’re really quite something, young man…”

Obito smiled awkwardly: “You praise me too highly, too highly…”

I finally found a chance to stomp some noobs, why did this guy have to show up!

As for intangibility…

When the First Hokage patted his shoulder, his intangibility was automatically sealed…

He couldn’t dodge it at all.

“By the way, how do you play this game? Can I join in?”

Hashirama said with a face full of curiosity: “Hide and seek or tag?”

Obito was struggling to hold it together:

“Lord Hokage, this isn’t a game. It’s a method to encourage the Ninja Academy students to study…”

“Then can I participate?”

Hashirama stroked his chin: “Speaking of which, I haven’t attended the Ninja Academy either. I feel like I’m missing a beautiful memory, making my life as a Konoha shinobi incomplete…”

Obito broke out in a sweat just listening to this.

Wait…

He really has had enough “blessings” for a lifetime!

Trained by the Asura of the Shinobi World at the Mountains’ Graveyard, and upon returning to the village, he runs into the God of Shinobi!

Obito truly wanted to say, if any shinobi ever felt under pressure in the future, they could just think of him.

They’d probably feel relieved…

“It’s enough for you to come and offer guidance occasionally!”

Isshin hurriedly tried to dissuade Hashirama.

Tobirama truly couldn’t hold it back anymore:

“Lord First Hokage, you still need to focus on maintaining the village’s order. You can’t just do whatever pops into your head…”

Hashirama suddenly turned his head and stared at Tobirama, giving him the creeps, and said softly: “You really are like Tobirama! Truly his…”

Tobirama maintained a straight face: “Please don’t say such things. I am only related to the Uchiha.”

“Sorry, sorry…” Hearing Tobirama say this, Hashirama hurriedly apologized.

In Hashirama’s view, he couldn’t blame Ao for not wanting to acknowledge his Senju bloodline…

After all, his own brother had ruthlessly broken up a loving couple…

Hashirama scratched his head:

“Alright, alright! How about this? From now on, I’ll be responsible for sparring with Obito. That way, our exchanges can be considered my participation in the Ninja Academy’s education…”

“That sounds excellent!” Isshin hastily interjected: “Obito, aren’t you going to thank Lord Hokage?”

An Uchiha who has had close contact with both Hiruzen Sarutobi and Hashirama Senju, belongs to the Hokage faction, and has awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan…

No matter how you looked at it, he had the makings of a Hokage!

If Isshin knew that Obito had mysterious connections in every major hidden village, he would probably bet everything on Obito becoming the Sixth or Seventh Hokage…

It’s just that those matters couldn’t be discussed right now.

Obito took a deep breath, controlling his expression: “Thank you, Lord Hokage…”

He really had quite a story to tell now.

His educational resources seemed to have been orchestrated by the Sage of Six Paths himself…

Giving him nothing but the absolute best!

Obito could already imagine, when he returned to the Mountains’ Graveyard to visit the old folks and gather intel, once Madara found out he had sparred with Hashirama, how much pressure he would pile onto him…

“Can my Kamui withstand this?”

Obito blinked hard.

The Ninja Academy students laughed heartily, seemingly very pleased to see the Great Demon King Obito get deflated…

But they forgot one thing.

Pressure is transferable…

The pressure Obito endured wouldn’t just vanish into thin air; it would merely be passed on to other shinobi…

Like them, in the Ninja Academy!

And at this moment.

A cold-faced man wearing a mask also arrived swiftly at the Ninja Academy playground.

It was Kakashi.

These past few days, Kakashi had been acting as the temporary guiding Jonin for the Ninja Academy’s elite class, and today was his scheduled class time.

After seeing the exaggerated wooden dragon, Kakashi hurried over. But as his gaze swept across, he didn’t even pay much attention to Hashirama, the First Hokage…

Instead, he stared fixedly at the broadly smiling Obito.

This was no coincidence.

In fact, Obito had checked the schedule, knew Kakashi would be coming, and specifically chose this time to visit the Ninja Academy.

He originally wanted to give his best friend a surprise…

But Kakashi was late, and Obito didn’t want to make the Ninja Academy students wait, so he appeared first.

It’s just that Hashirama arrived even before Kakashi…

“Do geniuses arrive late too? I won’t allow this next time, Kakashi…” In this moment, Obito’s eyes seemed to hold only that one person as he smiled and spoke to his brother.

Even though the current Obito possessed Dual Kamui, had been taught by Madara, and possessed connections with numerous Kage…

Obito always remembered that it was Kakashi who carried his crippled self to break out of the Iwa enemy formation, using his own body to block ninjutsu after ninjutsu for him…

It could be said that it was Kakashi who helped Obito pass Madara’s first test.

Having an understanding of Madara that was already top-tier in the shinobi world, Obito knew that even though Madara had saved him then, if they hadn’t survived the initial wave of the Iwa ambush, he would have simply died…

That was just the nature of Warring States shinobi.

“Welcome back, Obito…”

Kakashi stared blankly at Obito.

A thousand thoughts swirled, ultimately coalescing into just this one sentence.

Although he wore a mask, everyone present could feel that Kakashi was smiling.

And it was a genuine, heartfelt, broad smile…

The two walked swiftly towards each other.

And embraced tightly!

Hashirama and Isshin exchanged a glance, and these two old men from the Senju and Uchiha families also smiled.

Perhaps this was the substantive manifestation of the Will of Fire, the most direct expression of Konoha’s bonds!

After Obito and Kakashi went over to greet Hashirama, they walked to the side and talked to themselves for a long time, ignoring everyone else.

But no matter how Obito tried to steer the conversation, Kakashi just wouldn’t ask where he had been for the past year…

If he didn’t ask, how was Obito supposed to execute his smooth combo and show off his relationship with the Lord Hokage!

Obito’s face flushed red, and he finally couldn’t hold it in:

“Wait, aren’t you curious about how I awakened my Mangekyo? And why I disappeared for a year?”

“Are you an idiot?”

Kakashi displayed his signature dead fish eyes:

“One look and it’s obvious your situation is highly classified… Did you forget my father is the Anbu Commander? I’ve known since I was a kid not to ask what shouldn’t be asked, even of my closest family.”

“If you could say it, you would have said it already…”

Obito felt a tightness in his chest.

Damn second-generation ninja!

“When you can tell me, you naturally will.”

“You acting so eager, you probably want me to ask so you can show off some special token Lord Hokage gave you or something, right?” Kakashi said sourly:

“Don’t look at me like I’m a monster. To appear at the Ninja Academy and tease these students, you must have Lord Hokage’s approval. These things can be figured out with just a little analysis…”

Obito’s face darkened.

It’s all the Great Clan Head’s fault!

He still hasn’t taught me properly in the area of intelligence analysis…

“You’re more capable than me now, but you still have the same personality…”

“But don’t worry, I’m here.”

“I will be your strategist. If you become Hokage one day, I am willing to be your Danzo. Of course, I don’t mean the Shinobi of Darkness, I mean the Hokage Advisor…”

Kakashi reached out his hand to Obito, saying very seriously: “I don’t feel at ease leaving you alone.”

“Then it’s a promise, Kakashi!”

Obito was stunned for a moment.

Then he flashed a massive smile and firmly shook Kakashi’s hand.

A promise between brothers was made!

In this moment, Obito no longer wanted to bother fixing his shortcoming in “wisdom.”

With A-Huo and Kakashi around, he only needed to focus on cultivating…

Obito sneaked a glance at the beaming Hashirama and thought to himself: “Just like Lord First Hokage, to be a highly capable Hokage…”

Three days later.

Hokage’s Office.

Hiruzen Sarutobi smiled as he recalled checking the crystal ball and seeing that scene full of the Will of Fire.

Kaguya within his body had also been somewhat stimulated these past few days, pondering the bonds of Konoha…

So the relationships between individuals can be this close and complementary?

Hmm…

I still need to observe more, observe more!

“Teacher, you called for me?”

Orochimaru slowly pushed the door open and walked in:

“Perfect timing, I also have matters to report to you. Regarding the Dragon Vein and informatization, we’ll have initial progress within three months…”

“Let’s put those matters aside for now.”

Hiruzen Sarutobi smiled at Orochimaru: