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JST Chapter 372: Monkey See, Monkey Obey
🕑 Added 2025-07-07 16:57:04 +0000 UTCHiruzen stood frozen in place.
The words spoken by Kazuki… or rather by Naruto… or perhaps, in Hiruzen’s eyes, by Senju Tobirama…
Each one struck like a bolt of Lightning Release—sharp, direct, and brutal—rattling the fragile threads of reason left in his mind.
Even amidst this logical thunderstorm, Hiruzen barely managed to keep thinking clearly.
What had he just heard?
That the Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama—his former sensei—had not found peaceful rest in the Pure Land after death, but had instead lingered in the world as a wandering spirit for nearly 40 years?
All to prevent the birth of an uncontrollable genius among the Uchiha who might one day bring disaster to Konoha?
It sounded utterly insane.
So much so that even the Hiruzen of this alternate timeline—who had faced countless storms in his life and prided himself on the calm composure of a man who wouldn’t flinch even if the Hokage Rock crumbled before his eyes—was forced to admit one thing today:
'Tobirama-sensei… he really is my sensei after all.'
This was the kind of move that could only be described as hellish.
Yet as Hiruzen gradually calmed down and thought it through more deeply…
He realized—this was exactly the kind of thing he would expect from Senju Tobirama.
That man, who had explored space-time with nothing more than a mortal’s body, who had even found ways to manipulate souls—how could he have died so easily?
In the early years after the First Great Ninja War, when Hiruzen had just taken up the mantle of Hokage, he had often been overwhelmed by the pressure.
During those times, he frequently found himself thinking: Maybe… maybe my sensei isn’t dead. Maybe he’s just somewhere, quietly recovering, watching over me as I lead Konoha…
He’ll come back one day!
That belief was one of the few things that had given the young Hiruzen the strength to grit his teeth and keep pushing forward for Konoha’s sake.
But as the years passed, Hiruzen had come to understand—it was just a fantasy. A source of comfort in his heart.
His sensei… was probably truly gone.
But now—today—
All those youthful memories of gazing up at the Hokage Rock, wondering when Senju Tobirama would return…
All of them came flooding back like a surging tide.
He was back.
His sensei, Senju Tobirama, had truly returned!
Only… it had been 40 long years.
In those 40 years, Hiruzen had gone from a young man with thick hair and a straight back to a hunched old man, white-haired and inseparable from his tobacco pipe…
And Senju Tobirama…
Had become a fair-skinned boy, only in his first year at the Ninja Academy…
The feeling Hiruzen experienced now—of total dissonance—could no longer be described by 'as if a lifetime had passed'. It was something far more absurd and surreal.
And in that moment—
Naruto and Kurama were both left stunned by Kazuki’s maneuver.
There had been no use of external forces—no Genjutsu or illusions.
It was purely through speech and a careful layering of information that Kazuki had completely ensnared Hiruzen in a web of lies.
From Naruto and Kurama’s perspective, Kazuki’s intelligence reservoir was about the same as theirs.
How could someone like Kazuki—who seemed more like a celestial sage from beyond the stars—possibly know anything detailed about a small village like Konoha?
There was no way he could be familiar with Senju Tobirama, a former Hokage from decades past!
His knowledge of Tobirama, just like Naruto’s and Kurama’s, likely came only from the Konoha Chronicles, and whatever fragmented intel Naruto had managed to gather here and there.
And yet.
Kazuki had mimicked Tobirama’s demeanor and tone with such precision that it was as if he had actually lived alongside the man for years.
Even Hiruzen—Tobirama’s direct disciple—hadn’t sensed anything off.
In fact, after just a few words, he had fallen for it completely…
“Naruto! All Kazuki-sama did was call him ‘Monkey’, and Hiruzen just froze!” Kurama exhaled slowly, his fox-like face filled with reverence and awe.
“When the Konoha shinobi rushed over, Kazuki gave them a single look—just one—and Hiruzen completely panicked… How does someone do that?”
“No chakra. No tricks. Just a few casual words that dug right into someone’s deepest fear…” Kurama’s voice was filled with genuine admiration.
“If I had even a third of that power—no, even a tenth—all those Jinchūriki who sealed me away would’ve undone the seal themselves under my influence!”
That’s what it meant to truly sway the human heart…
Compared to that, all Kurama could ever manage was to recklessly flood the Jinchūriki’s mind with his Tailed Beast chakra, hoping to forcefully shake their resolve…
It was crude. Clumsy.
“I saw it, Big Fox…”
Naruto whispered, “Kazuki-nii really can do anything…”
“Honestly, even without chakra, I think he’d still be a top-class powerhouse… Tell me, how did we get so lucky? To meet someone like Kazuki-nii—so gentle, so patient, so devoted to teaching us everything?”
Kurama went silent for a long moment.
What Naruto said… was exactly what he had been thinking too.
The years of darkness sealed within Jinchūriki hosts… Naruto’s own miserable childhood…
When compared to the miracle of meeting Kazuki, it all seemed to pale into insignificance.
“Treasure it, you useless little Uzumaki brat…” Kurama said softly.
“Train hard. Maybe—just maybe—we’ll get the chance to repay Kazuki someday.”
Naruto nodded solemnly.
“You’re right, Big Fox…”
Inside Kazuki’s body…
Kaguya’s inner turmoil was no less intense than Hiruzen’s.
“How could this happen? Kazuki… he’s a sincere, passionate, and gentle man… How could he be lying?”
She shut her white eyes in distress, recalling the moment they had first met—when she had charged at him, trying to seize the Tailed Beast chakra.
Even then, Kazuki had simply offered her comfort, speaking gently and asking if she needed help.
Though they eventually fought, Kaguya had come to understand, through their daily interactions, that Kazuki was a pure-hearted man—one who didn’t lie, one who, like herself, placed great value on sincerity in relationships.
To her, Kazuki had once been someone who wouldn’t deceive even his enemies.
But now…
It felt like Kazuki had fallen into darkness.
With just a few expressions, without even using chakra, he had completely manipulated a cunning old man like Hiruzen.
A wave of unfamiliarity exploded in Kaguya’s heart.
This Kazuki… she had never seen him like this before.
'Kazuki… why have you become this kind of person?'
She murmured silently in her heart, her torn emotions sharpening like phantom blades, cutting deep into her chest.
'It’s my fault! Kazuki must have stopped believing in sincerity… ever since he learned I had lied to him.'
'My lie… it’s what pushed Kazuki down this dark path! But this transformation… it’s happening so much faster than I ever imagined…'
Guilt consumed her as she whispered internally, 'What can I do to bring Kazuki back to the way he was?'
She sank into a whirlwind of conflicting thoughts.
...
“Sensei… y-you…” Hiruzen opened his mouth, stammering, unsure what to ask.
Kazuki’s gaze narrowed slightly.
Hiruzen instantly snapped back to focus. His tone became more respectful, his words formal: “May I… may I ask you a few questions, Sensei?”
Naruto and Kurama watched the scene in awe, trying their best to learn from it.
“There’s no need to be nervous, Monkey…”
Kazuki’s gaze remained unchanged, his voice unreadable: “I’m just a former Hokage of Konoha. You, on the other hand, have served as the Third Hokage for 40 years—you’re the one who ruled this village with absolute authority. If you have something to ask… go ahead.”
Hiruzen trembled inwardly. Hiss—why did that feel so pointed?
It carried a heavy tone, almost like a rebuke…
But with the situation unfolding before him, and the urgent need to understand the truth, Hiruzen could only bite the bullet and press forward.
“Sensei… back then… what really happened? Did you plan all of this from the beginning?”
"That forbidden technique of yours... now that it's inside Naruto, what exactly is going to happen next?"
Hiruzen finally summoned the courage to ask the question that had been gnawing at him the most.
Kazuki smiled, eyeing Hiruzen thoughtfully.
"Monkey, am I to understand that you believe I faked my death back then—used the rear-guard mission as a means to escape?"
"Tobirama-sensei, I would never!"
Hiruzen immediately lowered his head, his voice steady and solemn.
"I was just… overwhelmed by your plan. So many questions flooded my mind..."
"Is that so?"
Kazuki nodded slowly, as if in contemplation.
"Well, if the Hokage himself has doubts, then as a humble shinobi of Konoha, I have the duty to explain it to you. This forbidden technique of mine… I did begin preparing it a long time ago. If you've read through my notes on forbidden techniques, then surely by now you’ve started to piece some of it together?"
Hiruzen exhaled deeply, took a moment to think, and then replied: "Yes, Tobirama-sensei… even back when I was still your student, you had already begun researching souls and the Pure Land..."
At that moment—
Kurama patted Naruto on the shoulder and spoke with admiration: "You see that, Naruto? That’s what real technique looks like. Kazuki-sama probably only knows that Senju Tobirama was a master of forbidden techniques—but there’s no way he actually knows what kind of research Tobirama did."
"But it doesn’t matter. Hiruzen’s already caught in the trap—he’ll fill in the blanks himself and create a logical explanation."
Naruto nodded, suddenly enlightened.
"So that’s how it works..."
Kazuki was Naruto’s grand mentor. And now that Kurama had become his friend, it was only natural that the great fox took on the role of his little mentor.
