At two in the afternoon, Kazu finally woke up.
Kushina was curled against him, her face still flushed with a shy heat that refused to fade.
Kazu smiled.
Kushina immediately punched him lightly with a tiny fist.
Normally, Kushina was fierce enough to scare grown men.But inside Kazu's arms, she was completely different—soft, clingy, and embarrassingly adorable, like a little bird that refused to fly away.
Then Kazu remembered something.
"The super package."
He opened it.
[Ding! Congratulations, Host—You have obtained: Role-Play Template!]
"…Role-play template?"
Kazu read the explanation, and his eyes widened.
This template was designed specifically for Character Cards.
The more convincingly he acted like the character tied to a card, the faster the fusion progress would rise.
If his performance was realistic enough, the fusion could even reach full completion within a single day.
And if he played the role so perfectly that he surpassed the original… then the fusion wouldn't stop at 100%.
It would go beyond.
Fusion above 100% = abilities beyond the original character.
Kazu stared.
Role-playing could push fusion beyond the limit?
That was insane.
He checked his status again.
[Name: Kazu][Strength: Super Kage-Level][Position: Fourth Hokage]
[Character Cards]
SSS — Senju Hashirama (Fusion 100%)
S — First Mizukage: Byakuren (Fusion 10%)
S — Uzumaki Ashina (Fusion 100%)
[Unfused]
S — Senju Tobirama
S — Uchiha Itachi ×2
SSS — Uchiha Madara (Edo Tensei)
[Bloodline Limits]
God-tier Wood Release
Six Paths Power (10%)
[Ninjutsu]
Flying Thunder God Lv3
Edo Tensei Lv3
Lightning: Chidori Lv3
…
Shadow Shuriken Clone Technique Lv3
Kazu's gaze sharpened.
"…Then we'll start with Hashirama."
If he was going to role-play first, there was no better option.
After all—
Uzumaki Mito was still living in the Uzumaki Courtyard.
Uzumaki Courtyard
When Kazu stepped out, he ran straight into Mito.
"Grandma Mito."
Mito smiled warmly. "Up already?"
Kazu nodded. "Yeah."
"Don't forget your Hokage duties."
"I won't." Then Kazu hesitated, and added, "Grandma Mito… I want to ask about the First Hokage."
Mito paused slightly. "You want to know about Hashirama?"
"Yes." Kazu's tone was serious. "I need to know what kind of person he really was."
Because only then could he imitate him perfectly.
Mito studied him quietly… then nodded.
"All right. I'll tell you."
And so she did.
She spoke about the first time she had ever seen Hashirama—back in the Uzumaki village, when Hashirama had come with his father to visit Ashina Uzumaki, the clan head.
She spoke about the marriage, the Senju, the formation of Konoha.
She spoke about the Valley of the End, about Hashirama subduing the Nine Tails and distributing the tailed beasts to the other villages—laying the foundation of the shinobi era that existed today.
She even spoke about Hashirama's beliefs—his habits, the way he talked, the way he dressed, the way he treated people… and the love and hatred that tied him to Madara.
"In my eyes," Mito said softly, "Madara was proud. Too proud."
Of course, that was her perspective.
Compared to Hashirama, almost anyone would seem proud.
Kazu listened with the seriousness of a scholar, memorizing everything.
Mito watched him take notes, and felt a quiet relief bloom in her chest.
Maybe… Hashirama's ideals really could be carried forward through this boy.
But Kazu's true thought was far simpler.
I'm going to act like Hashirama so hard I break the system's ceiling.
The Outfit
That same day, Kazu left the courtyard and headed straight for a tailor shop.
Not just any tailor shop.
It was the place that had once crafted clothing for Senju Hashirama himself.
The current owner was the son of the man who had measured Hashirama decades ago.
When he saw Kazu enter, he nearly dropped his measuring tape.
"H-Hokage-sama?!"
Kazu gave him a simple request.
"I want Hashirama's Hokage robes. Exactly."
The shop owner's eyes went wide.
Then he slapped his chest with confidence.
"Hokage-sama, I swear I can finish it today! I'll sew all night if I have to!"
Kazu nodded. "Thank you."
The tailor tried to refuse payment out of fear and reverence, but Kazu still forced 1,000 ryō into his hands.
Then he returned to the Hokage's office to work—waiting for the clothes like a kid waiting for a weapon delivery.
Evening — Hokage Office
After his duties ended, Kazu went back to the shop.
The tailor nearly ran out to greet him, holding a finished set of clothing like it was a sacred artifact.
Kazu's eyes lit up.
"…Finally."
He didn't return home.
He went straight back to the Hokage office instead.
Then—
"Multiple Shadow Clone Technique."
Clones appeared around the office, positioned like silent guards.
Not for battle.
For privacy.
He did not want ANBU popping in at the worst possible moment.
Kazu stepped into the office with a grin and began.
He changed into the First Hokage's red-and-black robe.He placed the red forehead guard.He sat in the Hokage seat.
Then he held the cloak with both hands and fixed his posture—steady, calm, and broad-shouldered—
exactly like the old photos from the Five Kage meetings.
"…Is this enough?"
[Ding! Congratulations—Host has successfully role-played Senju Hashirama.][Similarity: 10%.]
Kazu coughed lightly, then spoke into the empty air with absolute conviction:
"Konoha's people are part of my body. The village believes in me… and I believe in everyone. That is what Hokage means."
[Ding! Similarity increased: 30%.]
Kazu continued, voice firm, carrying that warm, stubborn resolve:
"I want to protect our—no… my village."
"No matter what happens, I believe that protecting the village means protecting the people… the shinobi… and the children."
"And no matter who it is—friend, brother… even my own child—if they threaten the peace of the village…"
"I will not forgive them."
[Ding! Similarity increased: 50%.]
Kazu's lips twitched.
Only fifty?
He was about to get annoyed—
when the system chimed again.
[Since the fusion of Senju Hashirama is already 100%, fusion has exceeded the limit.][Fusion increased: 101%.]
Kazu froze.
Then he smiled.
And the next line hit even harder.
[Ding! Hashirama's ninjutsu has evolved.][Wood Release: Wood Dragon Technique → Three Wood Dragons Technique!]
Kazu's eyes gleamed.
Three dragons.
Same chakra cost—three bodies.
Three times the suppression.
Three times the terror.
"…Now we're talking."