Madara stared at Hi-kun with a strange expression.
One thought kept echoing through his mind: 'I made it into the textbooks... and they portrayed me in a positive light!'
Madara slowly shook his head.
Why does this feel like I've been caught in a genjutsu...?
He felt a little dazed.
"Wha..." Madara began, only to realize his voice had become slightly hoarse.
He coughed forcefully, took a moment to steady himself, then turned back and asked in an intentionally casual tone, "Oh, I see. So what exactly happened? I smell a conspiracy."
"A conspiracy? That can't be it, Madara-sama..." Hi-kun scratched his head.
Among all the White Zetsu, Hi-kun had a job that belonged to him alone: gathering intelligence inside Konohagakure.
Now that Shio, Kushina, the Hyūga Clan, and the Nine-Tails had all become part of Konoha's surveillance network, the White Zetsu's range of movement had become extremely limited. Moving around or harboring hostile intent would expose their existence...
So at most, they could only wander around the Uchiha district.
But Hi-kun was different...
He held no hostility toward Konoha, and he was clever enough.
As a result, he could disguise himself as an ordinary-looking villager and move through most public areas of Konoha without being discovered.
When Madara first learned about this, Hi-kun had answered very wisely:
"How could I possibly harbor ill intent toward the village that Madara-sama built with his own hands?"
The truth, however, was that Hi-kun constantly mulled over Sarutobi Hiruzen's fireside talks...
He felt that, in a way, he could be considered a Konoha shinobi too...
If Madara-sama ever came around, wouldn't arranging an official position for him be effortless?
"Madara-sama, the Third Hokage posted a biography of your life on the village bulletin board. It emphasizes that you were one of the key decision-makers who brought the Warring States era to an end and one of Konohagakure's founders..."
"It says you didn't betray the village back then. Instead, you and the First Hokage simply developed different philosophies regarding how the village should be built and how it should develop. Your dispute was settled in the Warring States fashion—that is, through the Battle at the Valley of the End."
Hi-kun did his best to recall the bulletin's contents, polishing the wording a little as he recited them.
"The Third Hokage said that, strictly speaking, your demands at the time weren't wrong. Because of certain historical circumstances, the effort to integrate the shinobi clans had indeed been pushed too aggressively, overlooking the legitimate concerns of the Uchiha and the other clans."
"He also said that your status as one of Konoha's founders wasn't given the respect it deserved..."
Upon hearing that, not only did Madara's feeling of being trapped in a genjutsu fail to fade...
It actually grew even stronger.
This... is Sarutobi Hiruzen's official assessment of me?
Anyone who didn't know better would think Izuna had become Hokage.
Otherwise, how could they have written something that resonated with him so perfectly?
Back then, Senju Tobirama had gone too far!
Every single day he would pull Hashirama aside behind his back, badmouth him and the Uchiha Clan, and encourage the other clans to oppose him...
When it came to contributing to Konoha's founding, Senju Tobirama wasn't even qualified to compare himself to him!
The corners of Madara's lips had just begun to curl upward...
...when a sudden wave of embarrassment hit him.
Oh no!
Didn't I send the Sky shinobi to attack Konoha just two or three months ago...?
Well... this is awkward.
A tangle of complicated emotions welled up inside Madara.
Hi-kun, however, knew nothing about that and continued faithfully reporting everything happening in Konoha to his Madara-sama.
"The Ninja Academy textbooks also include a section about you..."
"They say your Sharingan awakened very late, but that wasn't because you lacked talent. It was because you forced yourself to keep your emotions stable in order to protect your clansmen..."
"They describe how you earned an awe-inspiring reputation during the Warring States era. Though cold on the outside, you were warm-hearted, always quietly watching over your clansmen's growth while pretending not to care. Because of that, many people misunderstood you and thought you were difficult to approach..."
"But in truth, your character embodied the ideals of remaining unyielding without being overbearing, and compassionate without being weak... and never fearing the powerful while never bullying the vulnerable..."
Hi-kun awkwardly repeated those two lines.
"They even included a few little stories about you..."
He continued.
For example, there was the time Madara saw a little girl trip on the road and hurried over to help her up.
Instead, the girl was frightened by the killing intent surrounding him and by his eyes, and burst into tears.
Some people worried Madara would take offense.
But he merely waved his hand and said,
"How could an adult hold a grudge against a child? What truly troubles me is that I still don't know how to resolve my differences with Hashirama."
"What path should Konoha's future take?"
Madara blinked hard.
He actually remembered that little girl...
Hashirama had been standing beside him at the time as well...
But...
Did I really say something like that?
"Hmm..."
"I suppose... that really was what I was thinking back then..."
"Hmm..." Madara was beginning to feel pleasantly intoxicated.
It was the first time in his life he had experienced the power of positive public opinion.
If Senju Tobirama had possessed this kind of skill...
Or even just this much sincerity...
Back then, maybe they really could have sat down and talked things out.
Too bad...
There was already the Eye of the Moon Plan now.
Sigh.
"In the Ninja Academy corridors, your portrait and a statue of you have also been put on display. A lot of the students say you look incredibly cool and handsome, and many members of the Uchiha Clan are thrilled that you've appeared in Konoha once again."
Hi-kun continued speaking while carefully watching Madara's expression.
"What's so important about appearances? They're nothing but a useless shell. Beauty and ugliness are the most meaningless things there are!"
Madara waved a hand dismissively, instinctively launching into the kind of lecture only an old veteran from the Warring States era could give.
Yet his hands were far more honest than his words, discreetly straightening his collar as though students from the Konoha Ninja Academy were watching him.
After all...
What Uchiha didn't care about looking good?
As the Great Clan Head, however, he couldn't afford to make too much of it...
"This whole thing..."
Before he realized it, Madara had risen to his feet and begun pacing back and forth.
He was someone who placed great importance on etiquette and dignity. The Hyūga Clan was an ancient noble clan, but wasn't the Uchiha Clan the same?
The way Sarutobi Hiruzen had treated him unexpectedly stirred a faint sense of guilt within him.
Seeing the opportunity, Hi-kun pressed on.
"Madara-sama, the Third Hokage has done so much to restore your reputation... Now that your name has been rehabilitated, a lot of people have started looking at Senju Tobirama differently."
"Even though an invisible hand is suppressing those voices, I know every street and alley in Konoha. I keep overhearing people talking about it whenever they're drinking..."
"Even Hyūga Hizashi once said, 'The Second Hokage did make some mistakes...'"
Madara gave a heavy cough as unfamiliar emotions continued to well up inside him.
Anyone studying Sarutobi Hiruzen would naturally end up studying the people around him as well...
To Madara, Hyūga Hizashi occupied the same role Setsuna once had for him—a loyal right-hand man.
If Hizashi thought that way, then Hiruzen must think the same.
In reality, however, Hiruzen had no such intention.
After shouldering the overwhelming criticism directed at Senju Tobirama, he had naturally decided to make use of the fact that Tobirama was dead to shape the narrative a little.
Sensei won't mind...
If invoking Tobirama's name could soften Madara's heart and buy Konoha more time to grow stronger...
Then whether Madara truly was Madara or not, it was a deal that cost Hiruzen nothing and could only benefit him. It was worth trying.
"So... the entire village is speaking up for me?"
"This feeling..."
Madara stared at his own hands.
Even within the Uchiha Clan, what he had received throughout his life had been respect and fear far more often than affection.
Hiruzen had skillfully employed a classic propaganda technique.
Someone who couldn't reveal their identity was, for all practical purposes, the same as a dead man.
And dead men couldn't argue back.
So as long as it benefited the village, there was room for a little embellishment...
Judging by Madara's reaction, those embellishments suited the man himself perfectly.
Madara continued pacing, lost in thought.
Carefully observing his expression, Hi-kun cautiously added, "Still... the Third Hokage also said that everyone should learn from what happened between you and the First Hokage. If companions run into problems, they should sit down and talk first..."
"Otherwise, it only brings grief to those who care about you and joy to your enemies."
Madara suddenly stopped walking.
After a long silence, he finally spoke.
"Hi-kun, some things can't be settled with words alone... If Konoha's future under Sarutobi Hiruzen can truly surpass the Eye of the Moon Plan, then prove it to me through action and strength."
"Peace that merely indulges the present is meaningless. I won't make things unnecessarily difficult for Konoha. I'm simply testing the vitality of the Will of Fire in a reasonable way—for the sake of the future."
Hi-kun nodded, only half understanding.
He had once thought Madara was too extreme, creating conflict when there had been no need and making things unpleasant for everyone...
But over the past few days, he had seen some Konoha shinobi equipped with the Sky shinobi's flying ninja gear, effectively establishing control over the skies.
And suddenly...
He understood.
Madara-sama has been helping Konoha in his own special way!
He was simply too awkward to admit it outright.
Of course, there was still an element of testing them as well.
Hi-kun figured that maintaining the status quo was fine for now.
But if Madara-sama ever truly went too far...
Perhaps he could quietly warn the Hokage in his own way.
Hi-kun was working himself to the bone for this family!
"Madara-sama, what did the Hokage mean by those comments about you?" Hi-kun asked with the eager look of someone genuinely thirsty for knowledge.
He was referring to the phrases 'unyielding without being overbearing, compassionate without being weak' and 'never fearing the powerful while never bullying the vulnerable.'
Madara chuckled.
He really appreciated how cultured Hiruzen was.
That was one thing he had over Hashirama by a mile!
Whenever Hashirama was with him, the fool's favorite pastime had been laughing like an idiot...
Admittedly, it had been rather endearing...
But it certainly wasn't the sort of thing that looked dignified in public.
"It means standing fearless in the face of power and never backing down, while never abusing those weaker than yourself."
Madara raised an eyebrow and patiently explained.
Those were all compliments about him!
"Thank you, Madara-sama!" Hi-kun said gratefully.
"Go. Bring me some sake."
Madara waved him off.
He was rather fond of this White Zetsu who loved to learn.
It gave him the feeling of raising a pet.
"Why is it such a tiny cup? Go. Bring me a bigger one!"
Madara drained the sake in one bold gulp, wiped his mouth, and let out a long breath.
His eyes sparkled with emotion.
"The whole world misunderstood me. Even Hashirama did..."
"But Hiruzen... he didn't."
"Besides, has Hiruzen figured something out? He doesn't seem to have been fooled by my smokescreen. I keep getting the feeling that he's using all this to interact with me…"
Madara pondered the matter.
The two of them truly seemed to be exchanging secret signals…
He had thrown out the Impure World Reincarnation as a hint that he was Tobirama, only for Hiruzen to respond by restoring Madara's reputation…
Could that really be a coincidence?
Even Madara couldn't be certain.
The thrill of matching wits with someone from afar unconsciously made the corners of his lips curl upward.
"Now this is satisfying!"
"This is finally starting to get interesting…"
Madara narrowed his eyes. "Still, since Hiruzen has gone this far, I suppose I'll have to make some adjustments…"
Madara did not spell out what he meant, even within his own thoughts.
Yet deep down, he knew that the bond between him and Konoha had silently reconnected at that very moment.
Therefore, although the trials to come would still maintain rigorous standards—
After all, the contest between the Infinite Tsukuyomi and the Will of Fire was of paramount importance—he would have to be more mindful of his methods…
No matter how one looked at it, they were still 'his own people'!
Madara drank bowl after bowl of sake, repeatedly savoring Hi-kun's words as an accompaniment. It gave the liquor a rather distinctive flavor.
He had already made up his mind…
One of these days, he would personally visit Konoha and take a walk around to see it for himself!
"Next…"
"I'll give Hiruzen one year at most."
"Starting with Kirigakure, the flames of war will spread to Iwagakure, Kumogakure, and Sunagakure as well…"
"I hope he performs a little better."
Madara narrowed his eyes. "Those are external conflicts. Internally, Hiruzen has handled things relatively well, but he may not be as capable of dealing with certain unforeseen variables."
"The proxy plan can still be put to use. I'll make that brat Obito my puppet and teach Hiruzen that the hearts of those in the shinobi world are impossible to calculate…"
"They may worship him today, only to draw their blades against him tomorrow!"
As Madara considered Obito, his gaze also turned toward the Ninja Academy graduates of Konoha's golden generation.
"Compared to shinobi who have already reached adulthood, these youngsters are the ones who can still be molded. They need to learn how cruel the shinobi world truly is, but it is still too early…"
Madara glanced up at the Gold and Silver Brothers and shook his head.
Sending them alongside Gengetsu and Mū to assassinate shinobi who had only just graduated from Konoha's Ninja Academy was a little too much even for the Shura of the Shinobi World.
That wouldn't be a trial. It would simply be picking a fight for no reason…
At their age, he hadn't even awakened his Sharingan yet…
"I'll use myself as the standard."
"In three to five years, I'll let Konoha's younger generation experience the cold reality of the shinobi world. Reality will not always match them against opponents of equal strength…"
Madara looked over the Gold and Silver Brothers as he listened to them curse Senju Tobirama, finding Hiruzen increasingly fascinating.
There were far too many fools in the world…
Since Hashirama's death, only his contest with Hiruzen had allowed him to rediscover that peculiar relationship he had once shared with Hashirama: both sides fighting with all their might without ever completely breaking apart, standing in that strange space between kindred spirits and rivals…
Still, Madara had no intention of killing Obito's generation.
He would employ a method similar to what had been done with Yashiro, merely expressed through battle instead.
Madara saw no need to let those youngsters who admired him and spoke in his defense be killed by powerful shinobi from other villages.
All he intended was to lay the foundation that would eventually lead those children and their jōnin instructors to support the Infinite Tsukuyomi…
He knew how to wage a battle of words too!
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