"Wait a second!" Tsunade interrupted forcefully, cutting Makiya off. "What do you mean by Madara and Hashirama 'combining'? Make yourself clear."
Beside her, Minato leaned in with a gossipy look, looking like he was just a step away from grabbing some seeds and a chair to enjoy the show. Although the news about Madara Uchiha was shocking, the man was dead and currently lying peacefully in a casket. This meant Makiya had the situation under control, so there was no harm in indulging in some gossip first!
One shouldn't be fooled by Minato's serious appearance and warm-hearted smile; this guy wasn't exactly 'proper' either. The reason Jiraiya had taken a liking to Minato at first sight was because of a mutual recognition between kindred spirits.
Unlike Jiraiya's overt flirtatiousness, Minato was more of a 'closet flirt.' He just knew how to maintain boundaries and when to do what. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to charm Kushina so thoroughly that she refused to marry anyone but him at such a young age.
A hero who saves the beauty, young and handsome, high EQ, and good at talking—in Kushina's eyes, Minato was simply the perfect husband.
Seeing Tsunade's complicated expression, Makiya paused for a moment before it clicked. He realized his phrasing was a bit problematic and indeed sounded a bit ambiguous.
'This is a standard novel, not some BL fanfic!'
"Ahem, it's not what you think," Makiya said seriously. "This combination is very standard. Both parties contributed a portion of their genes and bloodline power. Through the fusion of Yin and Yang bloodlines, the legendary Sage's Eyes could be born."
Tsunade: "..." 'That still sounds the same! I'm starting to see pictures in my head!'
"Alright, no more jokes. Look here." Makiya pulled back the tattered cloth on Madara's body and pointed to Hashirama's face on his chest. "During the battle at the Valley of the End, Madara bit off a piece of the First Hokage's flesh. He used a fake death to escape and then sewed that flesh directly onto his chest. Eventually, it grew into this."
Minato raised his hand in confusion. "Why would he sew the First's flesh onto himself? This kind of practice is... unheard of."
Minato originally wanted to say 'insane,' but considering Madara was Makiya's former clansman, he changed his wording at the last second.
"That brings us to the stone tablet in the Uchiha Shrine." Makiya activated his Three-Tomoe Sharingan, showing it to the two of them. "There is a stone tablet in the shrine said to be passed down from the era of the Sage of the Six Paths. It's inscribed with mysterious characters that no one can understand. Only clansmen who have awakened the Sharingan can decipher part of it."
"In reality..." Makiya took a sip of tea. "The more advanced the evolution of the Sharingan, the more text on the tablet can be deciphered. Madara's eyes were undoubtedly the Mangekyo Sharingan or even stronger, which allowed him to decipher information unknown to his predecessors."
Because of the attack on Shisui in the Land of Grass, the village's high-ranking officials were already aware of the Mangekyo Sharingan above the Three-Tomoe level. Makiya didn't need to explain that part again.
Madara's eyes were actually the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan, but the secrets involved were too convoluted to go into detail.
"Grandfather..." Tsunade reached out, wanting to touch Hashirama's face, but then she remembered this was Madara Uchiha's chest. Her face turned pale and then green; it was incredibly revolting.
It was almost laughable. Back then, Hashirama Senju had defeated Madara Uchiha, but after returning to the village, he remained depressed, trapped in the grief of breaking ties with his best friend and killing him with his own hands. His health deteriorated until he passed away shortly after.
Who could have imagined that Madara Uchiha had actually escaped through a fake death? Hashirama's mourning seemed like a joke now; the man had been living perfectly well in the shadows.
Makiya wasn't the type to spout nonsense, nor would he fake something like this. Although there were still points of suspicion regarding the news of Madara Uchiha, both Minato and Tsunade chose to believe him.
Tsunade noticed that Madara's right eye was just a bloody socket. Peeling back his left eyelid, she found the pupil underneath was gray and dull, as if it had lost all function.
"These are the Sage's Eyes?" Tsunade was somewhat confused. The appearance of these eyes was quite ordinary and didn't match the descriptions in legends.
"Oh, that's not the Sage's Eye. That's just a Sharingan that Madara used until it went blind. The real Sage's Eyes are not on Madara; he gave them to someone else."
"What?!" they cried in unison.
Tsunade and Minato were shocked once again. For a moment, the world felt surreal. The legendary eyes of the Sage were just given away to someone else like that?
"Yes, I find it strange too." Makiya looked at them. "Based on the descriptions from the ninjas in the frontline units who were attacked, I suspect the other attacker's eyes are the Sage's Eyes: the Rinnegan. He seems to harbor great hostility toward Konoha, but he didn't go on a killing spree during his two appearances. He seems to be planning something."
Minato and Tsunade exchanged looks. Both felt a chill run from the soles of their feet to the tops of their heads. Their spines tingled. A hidden enemy was moving with such stealth, and a conspiracy against Konoha was being carried out. Up until now, Konoha had been completely unaware.
"Then how did you clash with Madara? What happened in between?" Minato asked hurriedly. Now that Madara was lying in a casket and Makiya was sitting calmly sipping tea, an earth-shattering battle must have occurred between them.
"I disguised myself as a Mist ninja and infiltrated their offshore base to investigate. I didn't expect the high-level officials of the Mist to all be Madara's genjutsu puppets. My presence was discovered, and Madara came straight to me. He wanted me to join an organization called 'Akatsuki' to carry out the Moon's Eye Plan." Makiya looked at Minato and added, "By the way, Madara said the person originally chosen for this was Obito, but we intercepted him in the Land of Grass."
Makiya explained the details and goals of the Moon's Eye Plan. Minato and Tsunade fell into a long silence, their heads bowed.
Projecting genjutsu onto the moon and using the moonlight to hypnotize all of humanity, plunging the world into permanent peace... It sounded beautiful, but humans must ultimately live in reality. No one wanted to be permanently drowned in an unrealistic dream.
Especially a dream controlled by someone else.
"Truly... an insane plan. Fortunately, you stopped him, Makiya." After a long silence, Minato gave a bitter smile. The ninja world had unknowingly fallen to the brink of destruction. If it wasn't for Makiya—if Madara had been allowed to develop quietly in the shadows—he might have actually completed the Moon's Eye Plan.
"I think something's wrong." Makiya shook his head. "Madara fought to the death and didn't even try to escape when he was losing. It felt a bit like he was intentionally seeking death. The person controlling the Rinnegan is the key."
"Indeed, there are too many suspicious points. This must be investigated thoroughly." Minato's face was grave. Having such a major event happen so soon after taking over as Hokage felt like a mountain pressing down on his shoulders. He felt as if dark clouds filled the sky and an invisible hand loomed over the ninja world.
"Alright, don't make that face. Madara Uchiha was acting all high and mighty when he showed up, but in the end, I still killed him. Strength is the ultimate foundation. In the face of absolute power, all conspiracies and tricks are laid bare." Makiya smiled to comfort them. "In high-level battles, even a slight intelligence advantage can have a huge effect. Fortunately, I used my private intelligence network to find out who the person controlling the Rinnegan is."
Minato perked up. "Oh? You found out who he is? Which country is he from?"
Tsunade's focus was different. "Where did you get a private intelligence network? How come I didn't know?"
Makiya ignored Tsunade, leaving her with an enigmatic smile. Then, he shared pieces of his 'intelligence': "The possessor of the Rinnegan is named Nagato Uzumaki. He is a child born to refugees from the Land of Whirlpools who fled to the Land of Water."
Tsunade frowned. "Nagato... that name sounds a bit familiar."
"Of course. He was one of the three orphans Jiraiya taught in the Land of Rain during the Second Great Ninja War."
Minato was overjoyed. "So he has this kind of history with Konoha? Is it possible to communicate and bring him to our side?"
Makiya spread his hands. "No chance. Nagato's parents died at the hands of Konoha ninjas, and his sworn brother Yahiko was also killed by a scheme of our dear Lord Danzo. He wants nothing more than to level Konoha to the ground. There's no room for reconciliation."
In the original story, Obito also played a part in Yahiko's death by intercepting the Akatsuki members who were coming to support. Although Madara was missing an easily manipulated asset, he could still manage to manipulate the overall direction of the event from the shadows.
"..." Minato.
Great. The guy's parents and brother all died directly or indirectly because of Konoha. This grudge was indeed impossible to settle.
"I think I heard Jiraiya mention Nagato's parents." Tsunade tapped her head. "Those two Konoha ninjas were searching for supplies and mistook his parents for enemies... but what about Yahiko? Just how many crimes has Danzo committed?"
Makiya looked at Minato. "I gave you a copy of all the Root files. Didn't you see it?"
Minato smiled bitterly. "There were too many. I've only read a third of them. I'll look for it when I go back."
"It's fine. What's happened is done. Let's talk about the Rinnegan's abilities first." Makiya waved his hand casually. The Root archives were massive. If Minato really wanted to find that top-secret mission from the Land of Rain in that mountain of documents, he'd probably have to pull an all-nighter.
'I hope he doesn't become the first Hokage to die of overwork.'
Minato was surprised. "The Rinnegan's abilities... your intelligence network can get even that?"
Makiya sneered, leaning his hands on his knees: "Don't underestimate my intelligence network!"
Minato's breath hitched. A mysterious pressure washed over him, making him subconsciously trust Makiya's words.
"The Rinnegan masters the power of the Six Paths. First is the Deva Path, which can release Bansho Ten'in, Shinra Tensei, and Chibaku Tensei. Among them, Shinra Tensei can repel all ninjutsu, but there's a five-second interval between releases..."
Minato and Tsunade looked solemn. The Rinnegan's abilities sounded incredibly troublesome, a thorny enemy indeed. At the same time, they were shocked by the detail of Makiya's intelligence. To be able to go into such depth...
The Deva Path had appeared twice before, and the battle reports from Konoha's frontline also mentioned these characteristics, so Minato and Tsunade weren't too surprised. They let Makiya continue.
"Then there's the Animal Path, specializing in summoning. It has summoning beasts like the Giant Drill-Beaked Bird, the Giant Multi-Headed Hound, and the Giant Chameleon. We'll discuss their abilities in a moment. The Animal Path can also summon the other Rinnegan puppets..."
"The Preta Path can absorb chakra... The Human Path can pull out souls and obtain information directly through soul searching... The Hell Path is very important; it can repair other damaged puppets. When fighting them, I suggest killing this one first... Finally, the Asura Path... Watch out for Nagato's original body. Although he's disabled, he can summon the Gedo Statue and release a chakra dragon to harvest souls..."
Minato and Tsunade: "???"
Makiya's description was so detailed it was as if he were Nagato himself, or as if he had installed a 360-degree all-weather surveillance camera in Nagato's bedroom.
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