Chapter 14: The First Hokage's Bewilderment
The Ino-Shika-Cho trio was indeed a golden combination for this era. However, if you were to place those three in the era of the First Hokage, they wouldn't stand a chance. After all, that was the Warring States Period, a time when Kage-level ninja were as common as dogs and Jōnin crawled everywhere! A true golden age of chaos and carnage!
[Hashirama Senju: Tobirama, what is the meaning of this? You are definitely hiding something from me.]
[Tobirama Senju: No, brother. During my tenure, I made many contributions to the village. That Ninja Academy you just saw was founded by me. It has trained countless talents for the village.]
[Uchiha Izuna: You call that childish ninja playhouse training talent? I call it leading people astray!]
[Tobirama Senju: Izuna, you dare say that again?!]
[Minato Namikaze: The Second Hokage did indeed make tremendous contributions to the village. I can vouch for that!]
[Tobirama Senju: See? The Fourth Hokage is clearly a reasonable man.]
[Uchiha Izuna: Hmph! The two of you, one the Second Hokage and the other the Fourth, of course you'd stick together.]
[Minato Namikaze: I'm not deliberately siding with the Second Hokage. I'm simply stating facts. If the Second Hokage hadn't founded the Ninja Academy, my wife and I would never have met.]
[Tobirama Senju: You hear that, you trash Izuna... Wait, Fourth Hokage, what did you just say?]
[Minato Namikaze: Actually, my wife and I met at the Ninja Academy. We were just beginning to understand love back then. Thinking of it now, it's a truly beautiful memory!]
[Kushina Uzumaki: Minato! Stop talking! How can you tell outsiders about such things!]
[Minato Namikaze: My apologies!]
[Uchiha Izuna: So, Tobirama, the Ninja Academy you founded was just a place for boys and girls to fool around?]
[Minato Namikaze: Don't talk nonsense! Kushina and I shared true feelings! We were only ten years old then, pure and innocent, very naive. It's just that I couldn't control myself and things went a little too far.]
Tobirama Senju: ...
[Hashirama Senju: ...]
[Uchiha Izuna: Ha! So it was puppy love! Tobirama, you really run a fine school!]
[Minato Namikaze: This was a beautiful encounter! How can you call it puppy love!]
[Tobirama Senju: Fourth Hokage! Please, say no more!]
After Minato Namikaze's "explanation," Tobirama Senju felt his blood pressure rising sharply.
[Hashirama Senju: Tobirama, don't try to change the subject. Tell me, is Konoha's current combat strength related to that school of yours that encourages early romance?]
[Tobirama Senju: Brother, I am wronged! I've been dead for decades! Who am I supposed to ask about this? Ah, right! Isn't the Fourth Hokage here? I think you should ask him.]
Seeing the situation turning sour, Tobirama Senju quickly shifted the blame onto Minato Namikaze.
[Hashirama Senju: Fourth Hokage, you tell me. What is going on?]
[Minato Namikaze: Ahem, ahem... First Hokage, I was killed by the Nine-Tails over a decade ago. I'm not very clear about the village's affairs in the last ten years or so. Ah, right! I believe Hizashi was still alive when I died. You should ask him.]
[Hyuga Hizashi: ? ? ?]
Minato Namikaze had originally wanted to push the blame onto Hyuga Hizashi, who had died later than him. He never expected...
[Hashirama Senju: Wait... Fourth Hokage, you were killed by the Nine-Tails?]
[Minato Namikaze: Yes. Over a decade ago, the Nine-Tails launched a night attack on Konoha. It nearly turned the entire village upside down, and countless villagers were killed or injured. My wife and I sacrificed our lives to re-seal it. Speaking of which, we were practically a model couple for the village.]
Hearing this, Hashirama Senju was utterly baffled. In his eyes, the Nine-Tailed Fox was nothing more than a pet! Since when had it become so powerful? Not only did it turn Konoha upside down, but sealing it also required the sacrifice of a Hokage—no, it seemed it required the sacrifice of the Hokage's wife as well. Back when he sealed the Nine-Tails, it was just a matter of using a Wood Style jutsu, wasn't it?
[Uchiha Madara: It seems the Hokage of Konoha grow weaker with each generation. Back in my day, a single glance from me was enough to make Kurama kneel.]
[Hashirama Senju: Sigh... Madara, say no more. I... I just want to be alone for a while.]
Tobirama Senju: ...
Minato Namikaze: ...