The sharp jab to his side caught Asura off guard. He'd been frowning in thought as he watched the Allied Shinobi Forces drilling, when a sudden stab of pain shot through his back.
When he turned, still dazed, to see who was playing tricks on him, a man with hairline fringes like cockroach feelers suddenly loomed in close—so close that their faces almost touched.
Wait… who the hell is this guy?
Before Asura could even react, Senju Hashirama's barrage began.
"You're my reincarnation?"
"You had to beat Indra with the Nine-Tails at your side—and even borrow other people's chakra?"
Asura looked at Hashirama's earnest face, those curious, almost childlike eyes locked on him with genuine but foolish intensity, and felt his composure starting to crack.
Of course, he knew who Senju Hashirama was—
The reincarnation of his chakra.
And not just any reincarnation. Across countless centuries and dozens of cycles, this man was easily one of the strongest—perhaps even surpassing Asura himself.
Still, even if you're stronger than me, you can't just flip the heavens upside down like this.
"Uh… you're Senju Hashirama, right?"
Asura took several large steps back, putting a safe distance between their faces, then sighed helplessly and waved his hand.
"You're my reincarnation, not the other way around. About that… I'm sorry. To stop my brother's chakra from reincarnating and threatening the peace of the shinobi world, I had no choice but to let my own chakra reincarnate as well—so there would always be someone capable of opposing him."
He let out a quiet sigh and gave Hashirama a slight bow.
"My strongest reincarnation yet… and judging from the dissatisfaction in your tone, that little edge in your words, and the hint of sarcasm… you've probably come to demand an explanation from me."
Sigh… I really did mishandle this one. Hopefully, he can forgive me, Asura thought to himself.
After all, who wouldn't?
When it comes to something that feels like your own mind has been influenced—almost like being taken over—anyone would have lingering resentment.
But Hashirama's expression only grew more puzzled. He shook his head.
"No, what are you talking about?"
"You're weaker than me—how could I be your reincarnation? You have to understand, when I fought Madara, he had the Nine-Tails on his side, but I still beat him one-on-one…"
Hashirama crossed his arms, recalling the phrasing Tobirama had coached him on.
"I just want to know—why is it that even though you also defeated Indra with power, you still stubbornly insisted that the shinobi world should pursue mutual understanding?"
Asura straightened from his bow, eyes suddenly sharp and bright, drawing in a sharp breath.
Oh? So this isn't about demanding an explanation over the chakra reincarnation business…
Looks like he's here for a debate!
He wants to challenge him—to see whose philosophy, his or Indra's, is the right one.
Well, if it's about that, Asura's wide awake now.
He'd been butting heads with Indra over this for a thousand years—how could he possibly back down from his own reincarnation?
In a fight, Asura suspected he wouldn't be able to beat Hashirama…
But in a debate?
He wouldn't lose.
"You're looking at this from a rather one-sided angle… May I call you Hashirama?"
Asura waved his hands vigorously, his exaggerated gestures leaving no doubt that he disagreed.
Senju Hashirama nodded. "All right, then tell me—how exactly am I being one-sided?"
"When I defeated my brother, it might have looked like I won purely through force, but in truth, it was through the support of my comrades in the Shinobi Sect, the help of the Nine-Tails, and even some spiritual encouragement from my father…"
Asura's voice deepened.
"All of that strength came from mutual understanding. My brother always wanted to accomplish everything alone, chasing forbidden power while ignoring everyone else. That path only brings disaster!"
Hashirama frowned, his expression distant as if lost in thought.
Asura, however, looked at his silence with satisfaction.
He knew it—his philosophy was sound. Strength was secondary; the true key to victory was earning the recognition of others.
A moment later, Asura spoke again. "So this time, you understand—"
"Hold on," Hashirama cut him off abruptly. "Let me go ask the party involved. I'll be right back!"
Without another word, he spun on his heel and sprinted toward the Allied Forces' encampment.
Asura blinked, baffled.
Party involved? What party involved?
Was this his way of running off after losing the argument?
But in the blink of an eye, Hashirama was back—dragging along an equally bewildered Uzumaki Kushina, who stopped beside Asura.
"All right, since you said the Nine-Tails helped you, let's just ask it directly!"
Hashirama patted Kushina on the shoulder. "Descendant of Mito! I'm counting on you—let the Nine-Tails out. Asura and I have a few things we want to ask it."
"This is important—it concerns the future of the shinobi world, and Kazuki…"
Kushina gave them both a blank look, glancing from Asura to Hashirama.
What on earth were these two doing?
A son of the Sage of Six Paths and the First Hokage, the so-called God of Shinobi—yet here they were, bickering like two children and dragging in a mutual friend to settle it.
Inside Kushina's mind, the Nine-Tails gave a cold snort.
"A fool from that old man's family, and a lunatic who's already dangerously unstable yet insists I'm the one with problems. If this didn't involve Uchiha Kazuki, I wouldn't bother with either of them…"
After all, it was Kazuki who had made its life better after the sealing.
Back when it was inside Uzumaki Mito or Kushina, the Nine-Tails had been bound by thick, diamond-hard chains, suppressed by layers of sealing talismans, cold gates, and even external barrier formations—restraints within restraints.
There had been no freedom at all.
But when Kazuki approached it, he had torn open its seal with his own hands and expressed his trust, saying he wanted to be its friend.
For the first time, the Nine-Tails had lived in comfort.
Of course, part of that was because Kazuki's overwhelming strength meant he had no fear of the beast going berserk.
But among all the powerful shinobi the Nine-Tails had met, Kazuki was the only one who spoke to it with an unexplainable, undeniable sense of equality.
As for Tobirama's past conspiracy theories—that the Sage of Six Paths had stolen Kaguya's power and used the Rinnegan to control it—those had long since faded away after the Allied Shinobi Forces were formed.
Back then, both the Nine-Tails and Kushina had listened with great interest—so much so that, at night, the woman and the fox would talk it over and convince themselves that Tobirama's words might actually be true…
Even after the Allied Shinobi Forces were formed, the Nine-Tails and Kushina would sometimes chat idly at night and agree that perhaps the Sage of Six Paths had made some questionable decisions back in the day.
"If you've got something to say, say it. I've got sleeping to do."
From Kushina's shoulder, streams of orange chakra bubbles gurgled into the open air, swirling together into the form of a small fox. It bared its fangs and growled: "Damn Senju Hashirama, stupid Asura—you two really are old acquaintances!"
"So? You two blockheads need the great me to help you with something?"
Perched on Kushina's shoulder, the little fox lashed its nine tails in irritation, radiating impatience.
"All right, Nine-Tails—this is the First Hokage and Asura, after all…"
Kushina gave an awkward smile, like an older sister apologizing for a pair of mischievous younger brothers. "Sorry about this, you two…"
"Haha, did we wake you?" Hashirama chuckled. "Still, descendant of Mito—what's going on with the Nine-Tails' seal on you?"
Narrowing his eyes, Hashirama noted the way the Nine-Tails' chakra seeped beyond Kushina's body. Combined with his exceptional chakra-sensing abilities, the God of Shinobi instantly realized—
The sealing technique holding the Nine-Tails inside Kushina had either vanished… or been broken beyond function.
"You think you're any better? You're the idiot who kept shouting that the Nine-Tails was too dangerous—then went and fought that lunatic Uchiha Madara so hard you shifted the entire coastline of the Land of Water!"
The Nine-Tails spat on the ground in a very human gesture. "If you ask me, you and Madara were the real dangers. If someone had sealed you both away, the Warring States era would've been over ages ago!"
"And you—yes, you, Asura! If you hadn't wasted centuries arguing with Indra over pointless crap, would the two of you have been reincarnating for a thousand years, throwing the shinobi world into chaos?"
"Even I got dragged into it! Couldn't even nap in a forest without being tied up and forced to play hired muscle for you two!"
Hashirama hadn't even gotten to his question yet.
The Nine-Tails unleashed a torrent of words, lashing out at both men with equal venom, venting years of pent-up resentment in one go.
From the fox's perspective, neither Asura nor Indra had ever been good people.
After all, Hashirama—Asura's reincarnation—had once sealed it away without a second thought, treating it like a weapon to be passed down from generation to generation…
And Indra, along with Uchiha Madara, needed no introduction; both had been ruthless opponents.
In short, as far as the Nine-Tails was concerned, the Sage of Six Paths' two unlucky sons were nothing but trouble.
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