My Techniques are a bit off

Allied Shinobi Forces Building – Executive Committee Office

Click—

Gaara pushed open the door. Seeing the small child behind the desk, he was momentarily taken aback.

"Reincarnation," Tobirama Senju said succinctly, then added, "Sit."

So this is what happens after reincarnation? That name… isn't he the Second Hokage of Konoha?

Gaara sat down on the opposite side of the desk. Although rumors about "reincarnation" had long circulated on Web Net, the people who knew the real story never discussed it publicly. Most chatter came from small shinobi villages or organizations making wild guesses to fish for information. He used to think the Alliance's leader "Tobirama Senju" was just someone with the same name as the Second Hokage. He never expected that reincarnation truly existed.

Does reincarnation really turn you into a child? If that's the case, then what if my uncle Yashamaru or my mother…?

Tobirama's voice cut through his thoughts. "I doubt you went through Sasuke just to catch a glimpse of me for fun. If I recall correctly, I told Sasuke you only have one minute."

Gaara refocused. Facing the child's sharp gaze, he asked, "I want to know what plans you have for the Alliance's future."

"The future?" Tobirama gave a small smile. "And how far ahead are you talking about?"

Gaara hesitated, knowing his time was limited. He simply decided to lay out all his worries about the Alliance's future in one go.

He spoke of concerns about the Alliance's highly loose structure and how the possibility of "reincarnation" could drastically alter people's views on life and death. The Alliance was stable now because it had unrivaled power figures at the top. Would that dominance last forever? What if reincarnation were abused, leading to corruption among the Alliance's upper ranks? What if the continued development of scientific ninja tools ended up undermining the Alliance's authority? What about dangers from unknown worlds—Ōtsutsuki Kaguya, who once destroyed an entire world—could she be just the first of many?

And in peacetime, when there were fewer and fewer missions, how would the Alliance handle an ever-increasing number of shinobi? Ordinary humans were the cradle of new ninja—but with ninja now unified, what would become of the regular populace?

(So he really is worthy of being considered the "youngest Kazekage in the future"—thinking about all this.)

Tobirama showed a hint of admiration. It was unusual to see someone so young with such a broad perspective, though he was indeed worrying about a lot of things all at once.

"So, you're saying that if we're afraid of all those potential disasters, we should just stop moving forward altogether?" he countered in an even tone.

Gaara's gaze fell. "I don't know." Sometimes, when you think too far ahead, the future just seems overwhelming. He had absorbed so much information in the past two days, feeling the onrush of a new era.

He simply didn't know, so he'd wanted to ask someone who might.

"I don't know what the future holds, either," Tobirama said with a chuckle. "But all we can do is race toward it, actively try to take hold of it."

He then explained the Executive Committee's current thinking in detail.

Yes, the Alliance's structure was deliberately loose for now. They could fix it bit by bit in the future.

Reincarnation was just the proverbial carrot on a stick—sooner or later, it would be taken away or set aside. After all, the Alliance couldn't rely on a single person's presence. Right now, they'd be in trouble if Link vanished, but over time, the Alliance had to stand on its own.

Most villages or organizations in the Alliance didn't actually think they'd ever accumulate enough contributions to earn "reincarnation." They mostly joined for the money, resources, benefits, knowledge, technology, ninjutsu, manpower, and so on that the Alliance provided.

With the Final-Chapter World on board, they'd filled some of the gaps in the Main World Konoha's contribution-based system. Even if reincarnation was the initial spark, once the system was up and running, it could keep going without that incentive.

As for relying on top-tier power to enforce peace indefinitely, or potential corruption among the upper ranks, or instability from technological advancement—those could all be boiled down to one idea:

Each generation deals with the problems of its own time. They'll do what they can now, and leave the more distant future to the next generation. As long as they left clear evidence that peace had once existed, even if chaos rose again someday, someone would be there to rekindle the flame and fight tirelessly for peace.

"I see," Gaara said after listening, no longer hesitating. He spoke earnestly. "Thank you for explaining all of that."

He glanced at the clock and saw more than ten minutes had passed. Rising to his feet, he bowed. "Forgive me for taking so much of your time."

"It's fine," Tobirama replied casually, half his attention still on Web Net, where he was juggling paperwork.

Everything he'd told Gaara just now was nothing new. Gaara wasn't the first to voice those doubts. Shinobi with sharp minds—like Kakashi, Minato, Shikaku, and others—had all raised similar questions long ago. Conversely, Final-Chapter Naruto and Sasuke, having experienced so much, saw more clearly and, together with the two Hashiramas and Tobirama, had come to the current conclusion. Tobirama had repeated these points countless times.

"Interested in working with the Alliance?" he offered, extending an olive branch.

He wouldn't normally bother giving someone this much time, except that Gaara had a good relationship with Link, and Tobirama saw in him considerable potential. Perhaps he'd become a valuable asset to the Alliance someday.

"Sorry," Gaara declined instinctively, then explained, "I still have some personal matters to deal with, so—" Realizing how lame that sounded, he added, "Once I've taken care of them, I'll definitely come back and work for you."

"Not for me—for peace," Tobirama corrected him. He sent Gaara a Web Net message listing suitable positions. "Take a look and see what interests you or what you're capable of. When the time comes, report to Koharu Utatane."

He paused. "If there's nothing else, let's consider our discussion over."

"Right," Gaara said, then left. Outside the door, he repeated quietly, "For peace…"

Hope for this future, one that he could help build with his own hands, filled his heart. He almost wanted to jump straight into Alliance work now.

But the new Fourth Great Ninja War in the Main World was looming, and Link's condition also needed to be addressed. Before devoting himself to the Alliance for peace, he still had a lot of personal issues to resolve.

Moreover, he wanted to visit that "Future World" first, to see his future self and hear how that Gaara had handled things regarding Sunagakure and their father. He needed to know which decisions had led him to wherever he was today.

~~~

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