Chapter 105: Oh, Great-Grandfather. Oh, Cousin.
Konoha Village, Medical Department.
The medical ward was unusually noisy today.
Hearing the deputy director of the Medical Department shouting from the rooftop, the workers repairing the wall hurriedly picked up their pace.
Seeing the craftsmen work faster, the deputy director rubbed his shiny bald head and grumbled angrily.
"You bunch of lazy bastards! Are you planning to finish repairing this wall by tomorrow?"
"And Asuka—couldn't he use the front door?"
"And when is the director finally going to retire? I'm only acting as director in my capacity as deputy director right now. This isn't appropriate at all. If things aren't done properly, nothing gets accomplished. And if nothing gets accomplished, how am I supposed to become director?"
After cursing for a while, he looked up at the clock.
Realizing it was time for his inspection, the deputy director quickly pushed open the office door and headed downstairs.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Heavy footsteps echoed through the stairwell.
Holding his notebook, the deputy director quickly arrived at the third floor of the Medical Department.
He glanced at the Uchiha clan members in the corridor and frowned.
"Didn't your clan leader come here earlier?"
Several people exchanged glances before one of them stepped forward.
"The clan leader went to negotiate with his superiors."
"What a carefree man."
The deputy director glanced at the brightly lit delivery room and walked straight over.
He knocked on the door before calling out,
"How are things going?"
"I just got an oxytocin injection!"
Hearing the woman's voice from inside, the deputy director nodded and hurried back downstairs.
Thinking about Tsunade enjoying herself at gambling dens every day, the old man muttered angrily as he ran off.
"The gambling web is vast and boundless. Once you lose, you'll never escape. May you lose every last bit of your money."
At Ryoichi's house.
Asuka and Ryoichi stood rigidly beside the bed, their expressions complicated as they stared at the person lying on it.
Uchiha Madara.
At that moment, Madara lay quietly on the bed, his hands folded over his abdomen and his legs unconsciously spread slightly apart.
The dried blood in his eyes, his aged face, his gray-white hair, and his motionless chest all told them the same thing.
The Asura who had once ruled the shinobi world was dead.
Sigh.
Thinking about the Uchiha Madara who had lived with him for two months, Asuka quietly sighed.
Ever since he had become aware of things, learning that he was actually a descendant of Uchiha Madara had left him deeply confused.
The old man wouldn't choose me as his agent, would he?
During that period, he often dreamed at night that Madara had kidnapped him and taken him to a cave, where someone pressed a sickle against his neck and forced him to become Madara's agent.
Later, after Asuka learned about Obito's "death" and Kakashi killing his teammate, he completely forgot about that old man, Madara.
What was there to think about when the old man had already gone to the Pure Land?
Then came that chance encounter at the Uchiha Fried Chicken Shop.
Sigh.
At that moment, Ryoichi sighed as well.
Although his cousin had always been cold and stern, and had often beaten and scolded him when they were children, Ryoichi couldn't deny that his cousin had treated him well.
It was only later, for some unknown reason, that his cousin left.
"I want to take you all away from Konoha. I don't know where I'll take you, but compared to Konoha, you'll undoubtedly be safer outside under my protection."
"Madara, our clansmen have settled down now. Everyone wants to live peaceful lives. Do you still intend to lead the clan wandering from place to place?"
"Kid, your brother Ryota once entrusted you to me, but I have to leave now."
"Then let me get some money."
"Get lost. I don't need you following me. From now on, we have nothing to do with each other."
"Ryoichi, I heard Madara died. He was killed by Senju Hashirama himself."
"Impossible. My cousin is that strong. Hashirama was only slightly stronger than him. How could he possibly die?"
"His body has already been brought back."
"Bullshit! I'll kill you!"
All kinds of memories flashed through Ryoichi's mind like a revolving lantern.
He lowered his head and looked at Uchiha Madara's body, which had already lost its warmth. He couldn't help closing his eyes and murmuring,
"My cousin was actually a good person. He just insisted on opposing Senju Hashirama back then."
"If he'd lost once or twice, the clansmen wouldn't have said anything. But my cousin became obsessed with Hashirama. He fought for decades as though only a single day had passed, and lost for decades as though only a single day had passed."
"Your grandfather, my brother, and my cousin Izuna all died in battle."
"Those who remained loyal to him died in battle as well."
"The clansmen who suffered losses during the wars didn't have a good opinion of him either."
"In fact, toward the end of the war, some members of the clan had already begun defecting to the Senju."
"In the end, we lost the war and won peace."
"Just when everyone thought we could finally live happily together, the clan leader suddenly wanted to take everyone away."
"No one could accept suddenly becoming refugees."
"The Uchiha were second only to Konoha. The Uchiha and Senju occupied the best territories in the shinobi world. Other ninja villages couldn't offer the Uchiha such favorable conditions. The difference was simply too great."
At this point, Ryoichi paused and turned toward the window.
Looking at the lively Konoha Village outside and the bustling Uchiha district, he murmured,
"I never got the chance to ask my cousin for a massage. What a shame."
"My cousin spent his entire life fighting, spent his entire life losing, and in the end, never got to enjoy the pleasures of life."
"Enjoy…"
"Enjoy…"
After muttering the word twice, Ryoichi suddenly blinked.
His eyes fell on Asuka.
At the same time, Asuka's gaze landed on Ryoichi.
The two looked at each other.
Asuka watched the regret in Ryoichi's eyes gradually turn into excitement.
Ryoichi likewise saw the excitement in Asuka's eyes gradually become determination.
The room fell into an eerie silence.
A moment later.
Ryoichi took out the Three-Tomoe Sharingan he had treasured for many years.
He handed the Sharingan, preserved in nutrient solution, to Asuka, his voice carrying a hint of sadness.
"This is the coming-of-age gift your great-grandfather left for you."
"Congratulations on becoming an adult."
Asuka reached out and took the bottle.
He looked down at the yellowed, corroded bottle, and the corner of his mouth twitched.
Judging by its appearance, the Three-Tomoe Sharingan inside was at least twenty years old.
Where did old Ryoichi even get a Three-Tomoe Sharingan older than I am?
However…
He glanced at Uchiha Madara lying on the bed, then unscrewed the bottle cap and said solemnly,
"Our Uchiha clan never owes anyone a favor."
"Mm!"
Ryoichi nodded in agreement.
"The hardest debt in this world to repay is a debt of gratitude. If you can avoid owing one, don't incur it."
At that moment, Asuka suddenly plucked out one of his own eyes.
He took the Three-Tomoe Sharingan from the bottle and placed it inside.
After a brief application of medical ninjutsu, he blinked several times while adjusting to it.
"Old man, I'm planning to revive Uchiha Madara. Whatever reason you give me won't stop me."
Ryoichi's expression darkened as he scolded him.
"You've got it wrong! Uchiha Madara is a traitor to the clan—"
Suddenly, as though he had thought of something, his face slowly turned pale.
Ryoichi instinctively took several steps backward.
His aged face seemed to grow several years older in an instant.
He slowly bent over and sighed.
"Forget it. Forget it."
"Uchiha clan members have always been too emotional."
"There's no controlling it. No controlling it."
With that, he turned and walked out of the room, casually closing the door behind him.
Darkness.
Light.
After walking through the darkness for an unknown distance, Madara looked at the faint light appearing ahead, his expression becoming somewhat impatient.
"I've walked this far. Haven't I reached the eternal resting place yet?"
"This old man just wants to sleep now."
Thinking about the matters he had entrusted to Obito, Madara couldn't help stretching.
Youth really is wonderful.
When I open my eyes and see reality again, it'll probably be the critical moment for carrying out the plan, won't it?
As long as Nagato can revive me, it will mark the final completion of the Eye of the Moon Plan.
After walking for a long time, he looked at the lights in the distance and slightly furrowed his brows.
He had walked for so long, yet he still hadn't reached them.
There's definitely something wrong with this distance.
Whatever. I'll sleep here for now.
With that thought, Madara immediately sat cross-legged on the ground and closed his eyes to rest.
He hoped that when he woke up, the shinobi world would give him a surprise.
How boring.
"Cousin?"
"Great-grandfather?"
"Cousin?"
"Great-grandfather?"
The moment Uchiha Madara closed his eyes, he suddenly heard two familiar voices calling from beside him.
He kept his eyes shut, reached up to scratch his ear, and looked annoyed.
"Have I lived with them for too long? Why am I hallucinating even after dying?"
"Two annoying bastards."
"Great-grandfather?"
"Cousin?"
Madara scratched his ear again.
When he realized the hallucinations were still appearing in his mind, he suddenly opened his eyes and looked upward, wanting to see what exactly was happening.
???
After taking a moment to adjust to the dazzling light, Uchiha Madara closed his eyes again.
They said that the passage of time after death was different from that of the living world.
In the blink of an eye, an enormous amount of time could pass.
But…
When he opened his eyes again and saw two huge faces suddenly hovering above him, Madara couldn't help feeling confused.
Looking at those two faces filled with joy, Madara instinctively blinked.
The Eye of the Moon Plan…
The climax???
What the hell?
Uchiha Asuka.
"Uchiha Ryoichi."
Snap!
Asuka slammed his right fist into his left palm before patting Ryoichi on the shoulder.
"See?"
"Although all his organs have aged, I used all my chakra as a medium to give him a new lease on life."
"A Kage-level powerhouse's vitality should be enough to let Great-grandfather live for another three months."
"Mm!"
Looking at Madara's increasingly gloomy expression, Ryoichi gave Asuka a thumbs-up and praised him sincerely.
"Among all the medical ninjas I know, no one is more outstanding than you."
"You actually found a loophole in a forbidden technique."
"A genius."
"Tsunade isn't even worthy of carrying your shoes."
"My friend, your wisdom, foresight, and insight are truly admirable."
Listening to the two of them showering each other with praise, Uchiha Madara slowly shifted his gaze.
Eventually, his eyes settled on the wall beside him.
When Madara saw the calendar and clock hanging on the wall, his already gloomy expression became even darker.
That idiot, Zetsu.
Why didn't he take this old man away?
Idiot. Two hours have already passed.
Remembering his two-hour "tour" of the Pure Land, Uchiha Madara gritted his teeth.
"Can someone tell this old man what exactly happened?"
Hearing that, Asuka scratched his head awkwardly.
"I feel like I still have some problems with mastering the Mangekyō Sharingan, so I wanted to ask you a few questions."
Madara looked at Ryoichi again.
Ryoichi suddenly looked up at the ceiling as well and said awkwardly,
"We Uchiha can only blame ourselves for being too emotional."
Uchiha Madara was silent for a moment.
Then he immediately leaped out of bed and shouted furiously,
"This old man is going to kill you two bastards!"
Crack!
A crisp sound of breaking bone rang out.
Uchiha Madara clutched his aged back and collapsed.
He was truly sick of this rotten body.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Just as the atmosphere became somewhat awkward, someone suddenly knocked on the door.
"Lord Asuka, something terrible has happened."
???
Asuka scratched his chin, a suspicious look appearing on his face.
Did one of my students accidentally kill someone during treatment?
With that thought, he quickly opened the door and looked at the clansman standing outside.
"What happened?"
The clansman wiped the sweat from his forehead and said anxiously,
"Lord Asuka, something terrible has happened."
"Mrs. Mikoto is having a difficult labor."
???
After learning that it wasn't a problem with his student, Asuka secretly breathed a sigh of relief before looking at the man in confusion.
What does Mikoto Uchiha having a difficult delivery have to do with me?
Are all those medical ninjas in Konoha useless?
Just as he was about to order the clansman to summon the jōnin medical ninjas specializing in gynecology, a flash of lightning struck Asuka's mind.
"Gasp!"
Asuka couldn't help sucking in a breath.
He quickly turned around and looked behind him.
At that moment…
Uchiha Madara sat cross-legged on the bed.
His face was flushed, and his expression was extraordinarily complicated.
Annoyance.
Regret.
Unwillingness.
And a profound sense that there was no meaning whatsoever in being alive.
Could it be…?
Did something happen to Indra?