Why would mere preparations left behind cause such apprehension?
Danzo's eyes narrowed slightly, his face bearing an extremely serious expression as he looked toward Jiraiya.
Not just Danzo, but everyone else's gazes were also fixed in this direction.
"This is the village my grandfather established back then. No matter what, I will give my all to protect it, even if it costs my life."
Tsunade crossed her arms, her voice carrying a seriousness that had never been there before.
Sensing the solemn expressions on everyone's faces, Jiraiya couldn't help but freeze, then smiled bitterly as he scratched his head:
"When Hiruzen-sensei handed the key to me, he specifically mentioned the two scrolls placed in the very center."
Jiraiya's voice rang in everyone's ears, causing everyone present to pause for a moment, then immediately prick up their ears.
"Those two scrolls are indeed both contingencies left behind by the First Lord, but strictly speaking, the contingency left by the First Lord is only one. As for the other scroll, it was left behind by Tobirama Senju."
Jiraiya paused at this point.
Tsunade froze and asked in confusion, "Left by my second grandfather?"
"That's right. Hiruzen-sensei didn't know what the contingency left by Lord Hashirama Senju was, but for the other scroll left by Lord Tobirama Senju, Hiruzen-sensei was well aware of the jutsu contained within."
Jiraiya nodded and continued speaking to everyone.
"What jutsu did Tobirama-sensei leave behind?"
Homura Mitokado, standing to the side, couldn't help but ask immediately.
Homura's question was also what everyone else present wanted to know.
"There's a forbidden jutsu in Konoha called 'Edo Tensei.' The two advisors should know this technique, right?"
Jiraiya looked at Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane, speaking softly.
Edo Tensei!
Hearing the name of this technique, except for Tsunade and Shizune who weren't quite clear about it, the faces of Danzo and the others simultaneously revealed expressions of shock.
"Could that scroll contain this technique?"
Homura Mitokado's voice carried a tense tone.
Danzo immediately denied it: "It's definitely not 'Edo Tensei.' That jutsu itself is incomplete, and it also has considerable flaws."
Danzo was naturally quite familiar with the "Edo Tensei" technique.
More importantly, wantonly manipulating the dead was behavior that would make one an enemy of the entire ninja world. No one would want to be controlled by others even after death.
Although Danzo did things without scruples, he would absolutely not do anything that would put Konoha in danger.
"Ahem, can you tell me what exactly this 'Edo Tensei' technique is?"
Tsunade coughed lightly, interrupting the conversation between everyone.
Jiraiya immediately gave Tsunade a general introduction to the "Edo Tensei" technique.
"Manipulating the dead... Did my second grandfather already begin researching the domain of the dead back then?"
Tsunade couldn't help but frown. Anyone who heard that the dead could be manipulated probably wouldn't have a good expression.
"The technique left behind naturally isn't 'Edo Tensei.' That jutsu was merely a prototype of the technique Tobirama Senju truly wanted to research."
Jiraiya spoke with an inexplicable tone, then continued in a somewhat hoarse voice:
"A technique that can truly resurrect Hashirama Senju!"
Boom!
Although Jiraiya's voice wasn't loud, his words exploded like a muffled thunder in everyone's minds.
Resurrect Hashirama Senju!
Danzo couldn't help but swallow his saliva. He finally understood why Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes had carried such complex and apprehensive expressions back then.
Perhaps there truly existed some technique that could deal with the First Mizukage, Yuto, but all of this had a prerequisite.
It was just like a commoner holding a sharp sword still couldn't defeat a genin who was empty-handed.
The more Danzo studied the history of the Warring States Period, the more he could appreciate what level the First Mizukage Yuto's strength had reached.
If he wasn't a match when alive, could the methods left behind after death defeat him?
Even if such a technique existed, without someone of the same level to provide containment, even with such a technique, it would be impossible to eliminate or even trap someone like Yuto.
Thinking of this, a glint flashed in Danzo's eyes.
The scroll left by the First Hokage Hashirama Senju should be that so-called technique, and what the Second Hokage Tobirama left behind was the means of containment.
Only by combining the two could they be truly foolproof and completely erase someone like Yuto.
While Danzo was pondering, Jiraiya's voice also rang out from the side.
"In this world, doing anything requires paying a certain price, let alone something like resurrection."
Jiraiya said this, then turned his head to look in Tsunade's direction:
"Tsunade, that necklace around your neck is the most important tool for resurrecting Lord Hashirama Senju."
Danzo narrowed his eyes, looking at Jiraiya and said, "I'm afraid it's not just that, is it?"
Hearing Danzo's words, Jiraiya nodded slightly, his eyes flickering with a complex expression.
Before long, the Hokage's office suddenly fell silent.
Then, an Anbu ninja guarding outside walked into the Hokage's office. Not long after, this Anbu member walked out of the Hokage's office, heading toward a certain direction in Konoha.
Soon, the Anbu member who had left returned, and following closely behind him was the figure of a Konoha ninja.
This Konoha ninja walked into the Hokage's office with a puzzled expression on his face. In an instant, everyone's gazes fixed upon him.
"Greetings, my lords!"
Sensing everyone's gazes, an embarrassed look appeared on Yamato's face as he quickly spoke.
Jiraiya and Tsunade's expressions were complex; for a moment, they didn't know how to begin.
Compared to Jiraiya, the expressions on the faces of Danzo and the other two were clearly much calmer.
Seeing that Jiraiya hadn't spoken, Danzo stepped forward, looking at Yamato as he spoke first:
"There's a mission I need you to undertake next. You can refuse, but I hope you can make the right choice for Konoha."
For Danzo, the leader of Root, a trace of apprehension flashed in Yamato's eyes, but there was no nervousness on his face.
From the moment he left Root, he already belonged to the Hokage's faction.
Moreover, with Jiraiya and Tsunade present, Yamato wasn't afraid that Danzo had any schemes against him.
Just as Danzo was about to speak, a knocking sound suddenly came from outside the door.
Then, the door to the Hokage's office was pushed open, and Kakashi Hatake walked in with a languid expression on his face.
"Sorry to disturb you, Lord Danzo. I wonder if I can hear Yamato's orders?"
"Kakashi-senpai!"
Yamato couldn't help but freeze as he looked at Kakashi Hatake who had suddenly walked in.
Danzo couldn't help but frown, his gaze turning toward Tsunade and Jiraiya, discovering that these two had no intention of speaking at all.
At this moment, Danzo realized that once again, he had been pushed into the position of the villain.
"Villain? For Konoha, what does it matter if I play this villain?"
Danzo let out a cold snort, seemingly expressing his dissatisfaction toward Jiraiya and Tsunade.
Tsunade acted as if she hadn't heard Danzo's dissatisfaction at all, her gaze drifting somewhat.
Meanwhile, Jiraiya on the other side showed an awkward expression on his face.
Seeing the scene before him, Kakashi, who had just walked in, couldn't help but wrinkle his forehead.
He had originally thought that Yamato was suddenly summoned by the Anbu because of Danzo, which was why Kakashi had rushed over. But now it seemed that this matter wasn't just Danzo's personal idea.
"We just received intelligence that the First Mizukage Yuto has been resurrected, and this entire war was secretly orchestrated by him."
"The only means to deal with him now is to use the contingency left behind back then—resurrecting Lord Hashirama Senju."
"And you, who also possesses Wood Release abilities, are not only the best candidate for resurrecting Lord Hashirama Senju, but can also allow Lord Hashirama Senju's strength to reach his former peak level."
Danzo spoke directly, without any concealment.
For a moment, the entire Hokage's office fell silent again.
Kakashi, who had just walked in, was completely frozen in place. The development of events had far exceeded his initial expectations.
Yamato's body was somewhat stiff. Although Danzo hadn't explicitly stated what would happen to him after the resurrection, the result was already obvious.
Jiraiya slightly clenched his fists. At this moment, he suddenly felt a sense of powerlessness he had never experienced before.
Sacrificing one person in the village to protect the majority of the village—such an approach might be right, but in Jiraiya's heart, it was wrong.
But before his eyes, it was no longer a question of right and wrong.
This was probably also the real reason why Hiruzen-sensei didn't want to use these two scrolls back then.
At this moment, Yamato suddenly recalled the dark childhood he had experienced.
From when Orochimaru's experiments were exposed and he defected, to being taken in by Root, and then entering the Anbu.
In this large span of memories, in Yamato's view, the only time that could be called truly living was probably the period after entering the Anbu.
However, to protect this Konoha, the Third Lord had already died.
Just as the Third Lord had once said to him: The burning leaves will use their light to illuminate the village.
Yamato slowly raised his head, looking at Danzo across from him. Just as he was about to speak, Kakashi suddenly spoke up from the side:
"Yamato!"
Yamato's body stiffened slightly, a brilliant smile appearing on his face as he turned to look at Kakashi and said:
"Thank you, Kakashi-senpai. The decision that follows may be my true mission."
After saying this, Yamato turned back to face Danzo and spoke in a firm voice: "I agree!"
As Yamato's voice rang out, Danzo's eyes flickered slightly, and a light sigh rose in his heart.
Tsunade suddenly walked in front of Yamato. Although she still had a smile on her face, no one could feel that Tsunade was smiling.
Tsunade raised her hand and heavily patted Yamato's shoulder several times.
A determined glint flashed in Jiraiya's eyes as he once again took out that special key, his hands beginning to rapidly form hand seals.
Before long, a special energy fluctuation appeared in everyone's perception.
The next moment, a portal to another dimension appeared before everyone.
Jiraiya was the first to step into this other dimension, walking directly toward the position of the two scrolls in the very center.
Jiraiya picked up the slightly smaller scroll in the middle.
At this time, the others had also walked into this other dimension.
For Kakashi and Yamato, entering this other dimension for the first time, they looked around curiously. However, the entire space was empty, so after just a few glances, they withdrew their gazes.
Jiraiya took a deep look at Yamato, then placed the large scroll in his hand on the ground and slowly unrolled it.
On this large scroll, all sorts of curse marks and special symbols were carved.
In the very center of this scroll was a large black circle, and at the center of the circle was written the character for "Seat."
Tsunade removed the necklace from her neck and hung it around Yamato's neck.
Under everyone's gaze, Yamato walked directly onto the large scroll, then sat cross-legged in the black circle.
Not long after Yamato sat down, the necklace left by the First Hokage suddenly burst with brilliant light.
Then, an extremely massive chakra appeared in everyone's perception, quickly surrounding Yamato.
The next moment, the curse marks carved on the scroll seemed to come alive, beginning to rotate around Yamato who was sitting cross-legged in the center.
At this moment, Yamato suddenly felt an extremely drowsy sensation surge up. In the next instant, he had fallen asleep.
At the same time, the life aura on Yamato's body became increasingly rich, and branches suddenly began to sprout from Yamato's body.
At this moment, everyone couldn't help but widen their eyes.
Yamato's appearance and body were changing at a visible speed.
When everyone reacted, what appeared before them was unmistakably Hashirama Senju's appearance.
An extremely terrifying aura emanated from Hashirama Senju, whose eyes were still closed.
This terrifying aura, as if from another dimension, caused everyone present to involuntarily take a step back.
Terrifying chakra, rich life aura—all of this was telling Danzo and the others that the Hashirama Senju of the past had been resurrected.
It was resurrection! True, genuine resurrection!
Not the false kind of existence like "Edo Tensei."
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