Reborn in Konoha; I Think I’m Cultivating Immortality

Tobirama felt a strange unease in his heart but chose to trust Hui and Nawaki. After a pause, he spoke again to Hui.

"You should take a good rest and recover. This has taken a significant toll on you," Tobirama said.

"Understood," Hui replied with a nod.

His gaze shifted to the lifeless Uzumaki Mito.

"Mito-sama achieved what she wanted. For her, reuniting with Hashirama-sama must have been a joyful prospect," Hui said softly.

For most, death is a source of fear and pain, but for some, it is an anticipated release, a reunion with loved ones.

Unlike the Konoha of the original timeline, where Uzumaki Mito had to endure immense pressure as one of the village's strongest pillars this Mito lived in a Konoha safeguarded by Hui's overwhelming presence.

Here, she didn't have to live with the fear of failing to protect the legacy of her beloved husband, Hashirama. With her children, family, and successors safe and happy, she was free from burdens and attachments.

With nothing left to anchor her to the world, her longing for Hashirama grew into an ailment that consumed her.

By the end, she lived as one whose heart had already passed on.

Now, she was finally free.

"Yes, she's at peace now… Let's prepare the funeral," Tobirama sighed. With Mito's passing, another friend of his generation was gone.

He didn't have many friends to begin with, and their numbers dwindled further with each passing year.

His contemporaries—such as the Second Tsuchikage, Second Mizukage, Second Kazekage, and Second Raikage—had all perished in the last war.

Now, there were only a few left who truly understood his era, making Tobirama acutely aware of his own advancing age. 

A fleeting thought of stepping down from his duties crossed his mind, but he quickly dismissed it.

Konoha still needed him to hold the reins for a couple more years. Once Hui turned twenty, Tobirama would feel at ease passing on the title of Hokage to him.

After their conversation, Tobirama lifted Nawaki's sleeping body and disappeared. When he reappeared, Nawaki was gone, safely relocated to rest.

Hui exited the room, allowing the worried family members waiting outside to enter.

Grief filled the house, and soon, it was awash with tears and sorrowful cries.

Uzumaki Mito's funeral was modest, with the news of her passing was kept mostly within the inner circle.

Only members of the Senju and Uzumaki clans, a few other clan leaders, and select elites of the village attended the ceremony.

After the funeral, Hui and Tsunade wandered aimlessly along the outskirts of the village. 

Tsunade's emotions had settled somewhat, as she had come to understand that death was a release for Mito.

"Hui, if I were to die before you one day, would you grieve as much as everyone did today?" Tsunade asked, her voice distant, her gaze unfocused.

The day's events had deeply affected her. Perhaps anyone would feel the same, witnessing such an event steeped in love and devotion.

Hui chuckled softly, taking her hand in his. "What are you thinking? With me here, you won't die. And neither will I."

Tsunade smiled at his words. She knew of Hui's abilities; what seemed inevitable for others wasn't so for him. Death, to Hui, was a problem with solutions.

"If only Grandpa Hashirama hadn't passed… then maybe we could all be together forever," Tsunade murmured wistfully.

"Death is no big deal. When I uncover the secrets of the Pure Land, I'll make it so everyone can live forever," Hui declared boldly.

He didn't care about the balance of the world or the harmony of life and death.

As long as the people he cared about wanted to live, he would make them live forever.

Tsunade rolled her eyes at him. "If that happens, wouldn't the ninja world descend into chaos?"

The two continued their leisurely conversation, walking aimlessly, letting the moment guide them.

Eventually, their path led them to a secluded spot on the village's edge, where they saw someone.

A pale-faced boy stood under a tree, dressed in black funeral attire, staring intently at a wilting flower. Most of its petals had fallen, with only one clinging stubbornly to the stem.

"Orochimaru?" Tsunade called out in confusion, wondering what Orochimaru was doing here alone..

The voice startled Orochimaru, who turned to face them.

"Tsunade, Hui," 

"What are you doing out here alone? Reflecting on life or something?" Hui teased lightly, though inwardly, he was on high alert.

He understood that Orochimaru's psyche was at a critical juncture, in a stage where his thoughts were being shaped.

If left to spiral, he could follow the trajectory of the original timeline, becoming an unpredictable and morally ambiguous "villain."

Hui decided to guide Orochimaru, just as he had with others, nudging him toward a path more suited to his talents.

"Reflecting on life? Hui, what do you think the purpose of living is? Is it to wait for death, like this flower? 

"Life and death… is it an endless cycle no one can escape," Orochimaru asked, his gaze fixed on the dying flower.

When he was six or seven, his parents died during the First Shinobi World War. This loss had left him confused about the fragility of life.

His teacher, Hiruzen Sarutobi, had once told him that snakes shedding their skin symbolized good fortune. It led to his fascination about snakes.

As Orochimaru grew, the missions he undertook exposed him to even more death and loss.

A ninja's missions were always accompanied by death.

Although he hadn't participated in the Cold war, it was no less brutual to the ninjas involved.

Orochimaru did not have only Tsunade, Hui and Jiraya as friends, he had a lot of aquaintances, and he wasn't someone to reject the idea of befriending someone.

Unfortunately, many of his acquaintances and friends had died just during the Cold War.

The Confusion that was suppressed as he went on with his life had once again emerged in his heart. This time he didn't suppress the thoughts as much.

Then, the recent Second Shinobi World War brought forward by Hui's influence, commenced.

Though it was shorter thanks to Hui, it was no less brutal. 

Orochimaru had been on the Kirigakure frontlines with Tsunade and Jiraiya.

Although it wasn't a literal meat grinder like the battlefield at the Land of Rain was, Konoha had suffered significant losses. 

Kirigakure ninjas who used mist as a shield to swiftly eliminate Konoha ninja's like the reapers of death, and the confused faces of many of his comrades had left another lasting impression on Orochimaru.

How life was so fragile.

These experiences piled up, deepening Orochimaru's contemplation of life's meaning.

Today, Uzumaki Mito's death had brought his internal struggles to a boiling point. His thoughts were on the verge of crystallizing, potentially setting the course of his future.

"People live, and then they die. What, then, is the point of living?" Orochimaru murmured, his tone distant.

Even Tsunade sensed something was amiss.

Hui, however, took a step closer to Orochimaru, his mind racing as he thought of the words he needed to say.

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