Chapter 165: The Forbearance of a True Strong One

Gulp.

The faint sound of a throat swallowing echoed softly through the other-dimensional space.

Everyone stood silently, staring at Hashirama, who sat cross-legged atop the scroll, an overwhelming aura radiating from him.

He wasn’t doing anything—just sitting there—yet everyone present felt as though an ordinary person were facing a ferocious beast.

“It really is Grandpa!”

Tsunade was the first to react. Joy and complicated emotion surfaced on her face as she looked at Hashirama with his eyes still closed.

Among everyone here, only Tsunade had truly met Hashirama before—so only she could be absolutely sure that the Hashirama in front of them was the real Hashirama.

Not some special method that merely copied his appearance.

But it was precisely because of that certainty that complexity flashed in Tsunade’s eyes—

Yamato’s presence was gone.

At the same time, the roaming sealing marks on the scroll began to slow, gradually coming to a halt.

The terrifying pressure and aura filling the space started to fade little by little, and everyone finally let out a breath.

Homura and Koharu exchanged a quick glance and wiped the sweat off their foreheads.

Danzo gripped his cane tightly, eyes fixed on Hashirama, his thoughts unreadable.

Among everyone present, only Kakashi and Jiraiya had sorrow and helplessness flash through their eyes.

Konoha was already in extreme danger. Reviving the First Hokage was the only way—and the last way.

Maybe, from the moment Yamato became a test subject and survived back then… his fate had already been decided.

Kakashi thought silently.

As the terrifying pressure in the air continued to dissipate, Hashirama—still seated—slowly opened his eyes under everyone’s gaze.

“This is that other-dimensional space… so in the end, you still used this technique, huh…”

Hashirama lowered his head to glance at his body sitting on the scroll, scratched the back of his head, and smiled helplessly.

“Grandpa!”

A joyous cry rang out from ahead and reached Hashirama’s ears.

Hashirama lifted his head and looked forward—only to see a blonde woman suddenly throw herself at him.

Tsunade clung to him, her face bright with happiness. Hashirama’s face went red instantly; he hurriedly raised both hands over his head, wearing a strangely awkward expression.

Only then did Tsunade realize what she’d done. Her cheeks burning, she pushed herself up, then spoke with an unhappy huff.

“Grandpa! Don’t tell me you don’t recognize me?”

Not far behind Tsunade, Jiraiya and Shizune both widened their eyes.

They had never, ever seen Tsunade with a face this red.

Seeing Tsunade’s blonde hair and her dissatisfied expression, Hashirama’s mind overlapped the image of a petite figure from his memories with the woman in front of him.

Then realization dawned across Hashirama’s face as he looked at her.

“You’re Tsunade! I can’t believe you’ve grown this big—I didn’t even recognize you! Hahaha!”

With that, Hashirama burst into hearty laughter, looking utterly simple and guileless.

Tsunade’s expression went stiff as she lifted a hand to her forehead.

Yep. Definitely Grandpa.

Everyone else nearby wore odd expressions as they looked at Hashirama, who was laughing like an idiot.

The Hashirama who had just been radiating a terrifying aura and the Hashirama laughing foolishly now looked like two completely different people.

After laughing a few times, Hashirama suddenly noticed how stiff the air had become. The goofy smile froze on his face.

He coughed lightly a few times, trying to ease the awkwardness.

“And you all are…?”

He scratched his head again, leaning to the side to look past Tsunade at Jiraiya and the others, curiosity in his voice.

Under Hashirama’s gaze, Danzo and the others tensed instinctively and put on deeply respectful expressions.

Jiraiya hurried forward and spoke respectfully to Hashirama.

“First Hokage-sama! My name is Jiraiya. We resurrected you because Konoha is in an extremely dangerous situation.”

“I know. Yuto has already come out of the seal.”

Hashirama scratched his head, the corners of his mouth pulling into a bitter smile.

Jiraiya blinked in surprise. “You knew?”

Not only Jiraiya—everyone else looked over too, clearly curious how Hashirama, freshly resurrected, could already know.

“Yuto breaking the seal… part of it is because of me.”

Hashirama gave a helpless smile, then looked at Jiraiya with curiosity.

“By the way, is there a junior in Konoha who mastered Edo Tensei (Impure World Reincarnation)?”

Mastered Edo Tensei (Impure World Reincarnation)?

Jiraiya froze, then couldn’t help turning back to look at Danzo.

Danzo’s face immediately flushed red. Especially with Hashirama’s gaze on him, Danzo forced out a stiff denial, each word like it hurt to say.

“Not me!”

Hashirama glanced at Danzo and shook his head as well.

Jiraiya exchanged a look with Tsunade, and a name instantly surfaced in his mind.

“Orochimaru!”

Hashirama’s eyes lit up. A delighted expression appeared on his face as he looked at Jiraiya with open curiosity.

“Where is this person? The Edo Tensei (Impure World Reincarnation) Tobirama left behind was incomplete. I didn’t expect it would be perfected! Someone like that is a genius on Tobirama’s level. Konoha needs ninjas with that kind of innovation.”

Hashirama’s voice brimmed with appreciation, as if he didn’t care in the slightest that Orochimaru had released Yuto.

Seeing the look on Hashirama’s face, Jiraiya froze for a long moment.

Orochimaru was an extremely dangerous man—this was common sense to anyone who had ever met him.

Even Jiraiya, once Orochimaru’s close friend, didn’t deny that deep down.

Letting someone like that stay in the village… most people would never feel at ease.

But the Hashirama in front of him—

Jiraiya could clearly sense Hashirama’s genuine admiration.

Even the act of releasing a former enemy like Yuto… Hashirama showed no intention of blaming at all.

Not just Jiraiya—Kakashi and the others also saw the joy on Hashirama’s face. It was completely undisguised.

For a moment, the air fell into silence.

Everyone who had been tense deep down because of the news that Yuto had broken the seal…

Suddenly realized that their tension was slowly fading.

Even Danzo and the others felt as if they’d let out a breath without noticing.

That feeling wasn’t because Hashirama was strong.

It was because, faced with the news that Yuto had been released, Hashirama wore that calm, unbothered expression—

That breadth of spirit.

Is this… what a true strong person’s magnanimity looks like?

Jiraiya thought silently.

Maybe only someone like this could gather even a clan like the Uchiha around him in an era of chaos, and build Konoha.

Maybe only someone like this could, in an environment like that, accomplish something as staggering as dividing the nine tailed beasts equally.