Naruto: Tobirama Reborn, Invincible in the Ninja World

"Hokage-sama, you must be joking, right?"

"Uh… haha… Haha! What a sense of humor!" Darui froze for a moment, forcing a stiff smile onto his face.

"Hahaha."

"Hokage-sama, you really know how to make a joke!"

"Ha… haha… hahahaha…"

Behind him, several Kumogakure shinobi wore equally awkward smiles, their laughter sounding mechanical and forced.

Even though they could sense the threat and finality in Tobirama's tone, they didn't dare lash out. Instead, they latched onto Darui's words as a way to ease the tension.

"Oh? You think I'm joking?" Tobirama's gaze flicked toward them, his eyes narrowing slightly.

In the next instant—

The loudest laughing Kumogakure shinobi suddenly convulsed, a pained scream tearing from his throat.

"Ugh… Aaahhh!"

Before anyone could process what was happening, his body erupted violently, hot blood spraying onto his horrified companions.

The entire event transpired in an instant. None of them even saw how their comrade had died.

The Hokage hadn't even left his seat.

Uchiha Itachi, who had been quietly observing the proceedings, narrowed his Mangekyō Sharingan slightly, his sharp gaze catching the finer details others missed.

Darui, trembling, instinctively wiped the blood off his nose. His hands shook uncontrollably.

"So… this is the power of the Hokage?"

Even someone like Darui—known as the stalwart "Right Hand of the Raikage"—felt a chilling fear creeping into his heart for the first time in his life.

"Now, do you still think I'm joking?" Tobirama's cold gaze fixed on Darui, his voice calm yet suffused with menace.

The forced laughter behind him ceased abruptly. Heads bowed in unison, none of the Kumogakure shinobi dared glance at their comrade's still-bleeding corpse.

"I won't repeat myself a third time. Go back and tell Ay: deliver the Two-Tails and Eight-Tails to Konoha. Then, take your own lives."

"Of course, you're free to resist."

"But what I might do then… well, I can't say."

Tobirama's words landed like a heavy weight on Darui. With a dismissive wave of his hand, he turned away.

"Shikaku, see them out."

Nara Shikaku, coming to his senses, nodded and stepped forward, gesturing politely toward the stunned Kumogakure shinobi.

"Gentlemen, this way, please."

Supporting the shell-shocked Darui, the group of shinobi stumbled out of the meeting room, their morale shattered.

Not once did any of them dare question Tobirama's actions or even glance at the mangled body of their comrade.

As the heavy doors closed behind them, one of the Kumogakure shinobi finally couldn't hold it in any longer.

"This is… outrageous! Such blatant humiliation!"

The Hokage had treated them with utter contempt.

During Hiruzen Sarutobi's administration, Konoha had always maintained a polite and amicable stance, even when Kumogakure abducted Konoha shinobi with kekkei genkai. Konoha never dared retaliate.

Every time their people came to Konoha, they strutted around as if they owned the place.

Even back when Tobirama was alive, it was Kumogakure that killed him. And now that he'd been revived, he dared treat them like this?

A shinobi village that Kumogakure had once looked down on—now daring to—

"Splurt!"

Before he could finish venting his anger, his body exploded like an overfilled water balloon, red viscera painting the walls on either side.

"Go! Report to Raikage-sama immediately!"

Darui, trembling, clenched his teeth as he barked the order.

The remaining two shinobi followed close behind him, staggering as they fled Konoha in utter disarray.

"Wow, Grandpa Tobirama, you were so cool just now! You didn't even let them finish talking before sending them packing!"

Tsunade's eyes sparkled with admiration as she leaned against Tobirama's chair. However, she couldn't help but glance uneasily at the bloodstains in the room. Although her hemophobia was cured, such carnage still made her uncomfortable.

Tobirama cast her a sidelong glance, and with a faint motion of his hand, the pool of blood compressed into an imperceptible droplet.

"Heh. Tsunade, those Kumogakure shinobi got what they deserved." Stroking his chin, Tobirama spoke with a faint smirk.

No matter how he looked at it, Kumogakure's arrogance was intolerable.

"Still, Hokage-sama, wouldn't agreeing to Kirigakure's alliance proposal have been a better move? They might've been an asset against the Akatsuki and Kumogakure," Shikaku asked, rubbing the back of his spiky ponytail with a puzzled expression.

"No. We don't need alliances. Kirigakure is too weak."

"Besides, Konoha doesn't seek to fight individual villages. We will stand against the entire shinobi world."

"A unified shinobi world—under Konoha's banner—is the only way to achieve true peace."

"Kirigakure, Kumogakure, Sunagakure… none of them need to exist anymore."

Tobirama rose to his feet, each word he spoke carrying undeniable conviction. An overwhelming aura radiated from him, filling the room.

"If it's Hokage-sama, I believe it can be done," Uchiha Itachi chimed in, his tone firm.

This Uchiha genius, after spending significant time with Tobirama, had come to understand the man's character.

If Tobirama were the one to unify the shinobi world, there would be no repetition of tragedies like what befell the Uchiha clan.

"This is hard to believe…" Jiraiya muttered, wide-eyed, his faith in the Great Toad Sage's prophecy shaken even further.

"Everyone, prepare for the coming war!" Tobirama's commanding voice cut through the room.

"Shikaku, mobilize all former Root members. Deploy them outside the village to gather intelligence on the Akatsuki and Orochimaru. Report any findings immediately!"

"Yes, sir!"

With determined strides, Tobirama left the meeting room.

The Akatsuki would surely make their move soon.

And Black Zetsu? He wouldn't sit still for long.

To counter Orochimaru's Edo Tensei, Tobirama needed to ensure everything was in place.

...

Kumogakure

"What? He wants me to kill myself? And hand Bee and Yugito over to Konoha? Tobirama must be dreaming!"

"Lariat!"

Raikage Ay roared, his right hand sparking with lightning as he slammed it into the wall, leaving a gaping hole.

"That's exactly what Tobirama said," Darui replied, wiping sweat from his forehead. "He also warned that if we refuse, Kumogakure will face the same fate as Iwagakure."

"Damn him! Threatening me?! Does he think Kumogakure is as weak-willed as Kirigakure?"

"Spread the word! Prepare the entire village for war! We'll take the fight to Konoha!"

Raikage's furious roar echoed through the village.

----------------

Pls Drop some Power Stones

Fanfic finished on Patreon (Last chap 162.)

Patreon(.)com/Jixo