Senju Tobirama, dressed in a white lab coat, stepped out of his laboratory. There was a trace of fatigue on his face.
At this moment, he no longer carried that sharp, commanding aura he once had.
The overwhelming presence and dignity that had once surrounded him were now absent. His entire demeanor felt changed.
Even those most familiar with him would find it hard to believe this was the same man who had once been the Second Hokage.
Compared to his stern and unsmiling nature before his resurrection, Tobirama still appeared calm and serious, but he no longer gave off the chill that pushed others away, nor the suffocating pressure that used to hang in the air around him.
Now, he looked more like a typical researcher—someone you'd expect to find in the Technology Development Department.
His temperament and habits were much like the other scientists who worked there.
Even though some of the researchers were aware of his existence, when Tobirama denied any connection to the deceased Second Hokage, no one seriously questioned it.
At most, they assumed he was just a member of the Senju clan who happened to look a lot like the former Hokage.
"Lord Senju!"
A voice called out from behind him—one Tobirama found somewhat familiar. He turned around, and a look of subtle appreciation flickered in his eyes.
"It's you, Kabuto?" Tobirama replied calmly.
He had met all three of Kagetsu's disciples before and had formed his own opinions of each of them.
In terms of ninja talent, the one who stood out the most was undoubtedly the boy named Uchiha Itachi.
Neither Kagetsu nor Orochimaru had kept secret the agreement they had with the Uchiha.
So, when Tobirama first encountered Itachi, he focused most of his attention on observing him.
After all, this young man had a high likelihood of becoming the Sixth Hokage—the first Hokage from the Uchiha clan.
Tobirama needed to know whether he truly had what it took to shoulder that title.
So far, everything Itachi had shown was flawless.
His talent was extraordinary, and his strength, for someone his age, was remarkable.
The Uchiha bloodline, particularly the Sharingan, had been mastered by him to a near-perfect degree.
It was clear that his clan had invested deeply in nurturing him.
But talent alone wasn't enough to earn Tobirama's recognition.
What truly shifted Tobirama's perspective was that Itachi didn't seem to believe his clan stood above the village.
Or perhaps, more importantly, he didn't possess the emotional flaws Tobirama had always associated with the Uchiha.
It could be said that there was potential, but Senju Tobirama didn't see it clearly.
However, the generosity, kindness, gentleness, insight, and emotional control that Itachi showed, along with his understanding of the ninja world, already far surpassed others his age.
If nothing major happened and he was allowed to grow like this, he truly deserved to become a qualified Hokage.
Senju Tobirama saw in him the shadow of his former subordinate, Uchiha Kagami.
After learning that Itachi's closest companion since childhood was Uchiha Shisui—who inherited Kagami's bloodline and ideals—he abandoned all other biases and began to see Itachi correctly.
Among Kagetsu's three disciples, besides Itachi, the one he valued most was Yakushi Kabuto.
Kabuto was not from any famous ninja clan and was an orphan, a common existence in the ninja world.
Near the end of the Third Great Ninja War, he was picked up from the battlefield by Tsunade's trusted subordinate, Yakushi Nono, and then recommended by Tsunade to Kagetsu to become his disciple.
In terms of direct ninja combat talent, Kabuto was excellent but not as outstanding as Itachi.
Yet in another aspect, his talent for research was particularly remarkable.
Many times, to nurture Kabuto, Kagetsu used him as an assistant, involving him in various research projects.
At first, Kabuto was assigned by Kagetsu to help Senju Tobirama build his own laboratory and conduct research.
Therefore, Tobirama had a deep understanding of Kabuto's talent and abilities in research.
At least in human anatomy, bloodline cloning, and even forbidden techniques' improvement and creation, Kabuto showed extraordinary talent.
Kabuto was intelligent, eager to learn, and mentally quick enough to keep up with Tobirama.
Such talented and pure-background commoner ninjas were always favored and appreciated by any Kage.
Tobirama had been training Kabuto, sharing much of his knowledge about chakra, ninjutsu, and the human body without reservation.
Though some of the knowledge was somewhat outdated for Kabuto's current level, it didn't mean it was useless or that Kabuto didn't recognize Tobirama's guidance.
With Kagetsu's tacit approval, the old and young naturally developed a tacit understanding.
In contrast, the son of the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Asuma, who was the closest to Tobirama among the three, left him somewhat speechless.
Was Asuma excellent?
Of course he was!
As the son of the Third Hokage, although Hiruzen didn't teach him well, the effort to cultivate him was no less than that for the sons of any clan leader.
At least the basics were quite solid for someone this age, and he had already started walking his own path in ninjutsu.
In terms of growth potential, he would definitely become an elite Jonin in the future.
How many elite Jonin does Konoha have in total?
This level was already close to the high ranks that could participate in the Hokage election!
But with Itachi and Kabuto—two shining stars—a bit ahead, Asuma's excellence seemed somewhat ordinary compared to his two comrades.
Tobirama Senju might have thought that Asuma becoming Kagetsu's disciple was probably due to his connection with the Third Hokage.
After all, the current Fourth Hokage was the Third's student, and Kagetsu, a disciple of Orochimaru, taking in the Third's son as a disciple was not unusual in the ninja world.
"I'll be going out of the village on a mission with my teacher for a while. If you still need an assistant, you can talk to my teacher," Kabuto said respectfully, bowing.
"An out-of-village mission?" Tobirama paused. In his memory, Kagetsu, as the head of the Technology Development Department, rarely left the village on missions, especially with a disciple.
"The negotiations with the Cloud Ninja have entered a new stage. According to the cooperation agreement made by the four villages during the talks, the Cloud Ninja have offered the perfect Jinchuriki as a bargaining chip.
"For those of us who don't need this chip, the Fourth Raikage revealed the existence of a Falls of Truth. Both the Hokage and my teacher are very interested in that waterfall," Kabuto explained seriously.
The negotiations with the Cloud Ninja had lasted nearly three years. There were many long struggles, and just the times both sides had fought during the talks could be counted on more than ten fingers.
Afterwards, with the addition of the Iwa and Suna shinobi, balancing the interests of all parties became even more complicated.
At least when Jiraiya returned to the village as the main negotiator, he had already become a weary middle-aged man, looking like a dead fish.
Even Minato Namikaze, when meeting Naruto, had to arrange for his Shadow Clone to swiftly use Flying Thunder God Technique to come and then quickly return at a certain moment.
Fortunately, after Konoha put forward many conditions and the leaders of the four villages each made concessions, they finally reached the ultimate cooperation agreement.
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