— — — — — — —
"Hehe! Alright, fine!"
Hearing Madara's words, Hashirama could only sigh helplessly.
It seemed that mending the relationship between his younger brother and Madara would be an uphill battle.
"Maybe... later on, I can have Kaito find a way to revive Uchiha Izuna first using the Edo Tensei technique."
Hashirama pondered to himself. It was clear he genuinely hoped his brother and Madara could reconcile.
— — —
Inside the Lab
Elsewhere, Orochimaru had just teleported back to the science research division's lab.
"What happened? What made you rush back like this?"
Senju Tobirama looked up, puzzled. As far as he knew, there weren't any urgent matters lately.
"It's nothing too serious," Orochimaru replied with a sly smile. "Kaito has managed to create a true resurrection technique, using Edo Tensei as a foundation. He has completely revived the First Hokage!"
"I came to get you so we can go witness the moment together."
Orochimaru knew very well what Kaito had planned for Tobirama. He also believed that reviving Tobirama completely as soon as possible would benefit their research.
Only by practicing Life Force techniques and meditation methods could Tobirama keep up with them, continuously grow, and improve his research capabilities. Otherwise, remaining in his Edo Tensei state would eventually limit him. It wasn't just a matter of diminishing returns—if things went on like this, Tobirama would eventually be left far behind.
It was difficult to find top-tier research partners who worked together, and Orochimaru didn't want to lose such a valuable ally.
"What?!"
Tobirama was stunned. He immediately looked up at Orochimaru in disbelief. "A true resurrection technique? My brother has been completely revived? Are you serious?"
Was that even possible?
After spending time collaborating on research with Kaito's shadow clones, Tobirama knew all too well that this kid was a monstrous genius, far beyond himself.
His learning ability, analytical skills, and growth speed were terrifying. It was as if he was evolving every single moment—truly unbelievable.
If it were Kaito, then creating a true resurrection technique wasn't entirely impossible.
But what concerned Tobirama more was the nature of this so-called "true resurrection."
If Hashirama had been revived, then of course, Tobirama wanted the same for himself. He wanted to fully return to the ever-evolving Konoha.
He had no desire to return to the Pure Land.
Living in the mortal world was far too tempting.
This was paradise!
"Of course it's true!" Orochimaru nodded with a grin. "Why would I lie about something like this? If you don't believe me, you can use your Flying Thunder God technique and teleport directly to the First Hokage to confirm it yourself."
"I assume you've left a marking on your brother, right?"
Without wasting another second, Tobirama abandoned his research and instantly disappeared in a flash of teleportation.
Orochimaru smirked and continued his experiments.
Meanwhile, on the other side, Tobirama had teleported directly next to Hashirama.
"Huh? Tobirama? What are you doing here?"
Hashirama was briefly surprised by his brother's sudden appearance, then quickly realized, "Oh! Orochimaru must have told you about my complete resurrection, right?"
"That's right!"
Tobirama nodded firmly, his gaze locked onto Hashirama. He closely observed him, his expression a mix of shock and uncertainty. "Brother… you've really been completely revived? No side effects at all?"
"Why does your life force feel just as strong as it was during your peak?"
"Hahaha!"
Hashirama laughed heartily. "That's because Kaito revived me at my peak! Otherwise, considering the state I was in before I died, even if I were resurrected, I wouldn't last long before deteriorating again."
Tobirama's pupils contracted sharply. "He can even control the state of resurrection? His technique is that powerful?!"
Uchiha Madara, standing nearby, was equally shocked. Clearly, he hadn't paid attention to that detail before.
"So the time of resurrection can be controlled too? That brat really created an overpowered technique..."
Madara muttered to himself. He desperately wanted to obtain such a technique, but he knew it was impossible.
"Hahaha! That's exactly how powerful it is!"
Hashirama laughed again, then turned to Tobirama with a serious expression. "That's why, Tobirama, you need to change your attitude toward Kaito. You need to earn his trust!"
"Only then can I secure a chance for you to be fully resurrected too!"
"Otherwise, sooner or later, your soul will deteriorate from the strain of Edo Tensei, and you'll be forced back to the Pure Land!"
"I don't think that's something you want to happen, is it?"
Hashirama knew his brother too well.
Maybe, when Tobirama was first resurrected using Edo Tensei, he had no intention of staying in the mortal world for long.
But things had changed.
Time had passed, and his perspective had shifted.
Just like Hashirama himself, Tobirama now wanted to stay in the world of the living—to contribute to Konoha, to witness its growth, and to help unite the Ninja world under true peace.
And after learning about the world of pirates, Hashirama was eager to explore it himself. He dreamed of making his mark there too.
Right now, he was thoroughly enjoying hearing about the adventures of the Uchiha Pirates.
"Alright, I understand. I'll seriously consider it."
Tobirama fell silent for a moment before nodding solemnly.
Deep inside, however, he was already convinced. If Kaito could check his affinity stats now, he'd see that Tobirama's favorability towards him had just shot up by several points, reaching 69.
"I'm leaving for now."
With that, Tobirama didn't linger and teleported away.
— — —
Three days later
Kaito was in the middle of training when he suddenly received a message from Dragon through their communication network. He took a look and immediately lit up with excitement.
"Finally! We got through!"
"Hm? What's up, Kaito?"
Mikoto and the others turned to him, curious.
Kaito grinned. "Dragon just sent word—he's finally made contact with Dr. Vegapunk and confirmed his location!"
He had been waiting for this moment for a long time.
"Oh?"
Mikoto and the others brightened up. "So does that mean we'll soon be able to mass-produce more of the Human-Human Fruit?"
"If so, we can each have our own and won't need to take turns anymore!"
"And Chopper can finally become a real Chopper?"
Because of the fruit's massive training and learning enhancement benefits, they had been using it in rotation, making the most of its effects every single day.
While it was great for training, having to switch users regularly was a hassle. They all wanted their own copies of the fruit.
"Most likely! As long as Vegapunk can replicate it, it won't be a problem."
Kaito nodded, then said, "Alright, I won't waste time talking. I'm going to meet Dragon. You all keep training."
With that, he focused his thoughts and vanished from the spot.
In an instant, he appeared right next to Dragon.
"Who's there?!"
The moment he arrived, several Revolutionary Army members raised their weapons and prepared to attack him.
"Stand down!"
Dragon quickly intervened. "This is the mentor I've told you about—the guide of the Revolutionary Army, Uchiha Kaito! Show some respect!"
"What?! This is Kaito-sama?"
The revolutionaries were stunned, then hurriedly lowered their weapons and bowed with admiration. "Kaito-sama! It's an honor to meet you! We apologize for our rudeness!"
Kaito could tell they genuinely respected him. The moment they learned his identity, their favorability toward him skyrocketed—each one had at least 80 points, with some even surpassing 90.
It was crazy.
"So this is what having devoted followers feels like? Dragon, you really know how to build loyalty."
Kaito smirked inwardly.
"No need for all that," he said, shaking his head with a smile. "We're all on the same side. No need for formalities."
"Yes, sir!"
They straightened up but continued looking at him with fanatic devotion, making him feel slightly uncomfortable.
Thankfully, Dragon noticed and waved them off. "Go back to your tasks. I have something important to discuss with our mentor."
"Yes, sir!"
The revolutionaries immediately left.
"Thanks," Kaito sighed in relief before asking, "How did you track down Vegapunk? Where is he now?"
Dragon replied, "We used an old contact method he left behind. It took a lot of effort, but we finally got a chance to reach him."
"He's aware of your existence now and has also received the ideological framework I sent. He greatly admires you and is eager to meet in person."
"But security around him is extremely tight. Meeting him won't be easy."
"However, I told him you'd definitely have a way. He just needed to send the coordinates."
"Vegapunk agreed and sent me a location."
"I checked it—it matches the coordinates of Egghead Island that you previously provided me."
This revelation made Dragon respect Kaito even more.
It was like he could see the future.
The more they confirmed his intel, the more they realized just how accurate it was.
The few inaccuracies weren't really mistakes—rather, they were things that had changed due to Kaito's own presence.
"Oh? So he's already on Egghead Island? That saves me a lot of trouble."
Kaito raised an eyebrow, then mused, "Only issue is… I haven't unlocked the New World's map yet."
"Looks like I'll need to make a trip there first and light up the area around Egghead Island."
.
.
.