Haru spoke with a grave expression. Words like "the Leaf" and "the entire ninja world" made Tobirama's heart tremble.
Could it be that Haru was about to lose his mind?
Right now, everything in the Leaf was stable and improving.
As long as he and Haru worked together, within ten years, even if the other four great ninja villages joined forces to attack the Leaf, they would no longer be the Leaf's match. It would not be like the First Ninja World War, where they had fought so frustratingly.
Back then, Madara had left the Leaf for no reason while everything in the Leaf was flourishing. Then he came back with the Nine-Tails and tried to fight his brother to the death. There had definitely been something wrong with his head.
"What happened?"
Tobirama's tone became cautious. With Madara as a precedent, Tobirama felt that he needed to speak a little more gently. He could not provoke Haru.
Haru's prestige in the Leaf was terrifyingly high now. Even if Tobirama revealed himself, he would not be able to suppress Haru. If Haru suddenly lost his mind and led the Leaf into the abyss, then everything would be over.
"Perhaps the ghost of the Uchiha has returned."
Tobirama frowned deeply.
The ghost of the Uchiha?
Haru, why have you become a riddle speaker? Can you not just say things directly?
What was there to fear from the ghost of the Uchiha? He was the ghost of the Senju!
"Madara may not be dead."
"Impossible! Absolutely impossible!"
As soon as Haru finished speaking, Tobirama reacted like a frightened rabbit, shouting that it was impossible.
"I personally handled Madara's corpse back then! I personally used his body to study the secrets of the Sharingan! I personally buried his body in the rear mountain of the Leaf!"
Tobirama excitedly shook out the secret hidden in his heart. It seemed the shadow Madara had left in Tobirama's heart back then was not ordinary.
Most likely, after Izuna died, Madara had ambushed Tobirama more than once, wanting to kill Tobirama to avenge his younger brother, Izuna. But without exception, all of those attempts had failed.
"Tobirama, calm down. Even I'm not as nervous as you. You're already dead. Why are you so excited? You're not afraid of Madara, are you?"
"How could that be?"
"How could I be afraid of Madara?"
"It's just that what you said is too absurd. I personally examined Madara's corpse, and I personally buried him in the rear mountain. I remember every single detail clearly."
Tobirama denied it instantly. How could he be afraid of Madara? Even if there was a tiny bit of fear, everyone was dead now. What was there to fear? Could Madara make him die again?
"Heh, Tobirama, speaking of this matter, it was actually your fault. Back then, Madara was certain that you would not dispose of his corpse, and that you would secretly use Madara's body to study the Sharingan. That was why he dared to boldly fake his death."
"What do you mean? Madara faked his death?"
"Don't tell me you think I can't tell the difference between a living person and a dead one."
Tobirama coldly snorted. He felt that tonight, Haru had come specifically to use Madara's ghost to mess with him.
Truly a naturally evil little Uchiha brat!
"Tobirama, resent yourself for not having the Sharingan!"
"You still underestimate the power of the Sharingan!"
Haru revealed a contemptuous smile. What did an old man like Tobirama, who appeared so early in the story, know about the later settings added to the Uchiha clan?
Hiss.
Why did those words sound so familiar?
He remembered. Izuna had said something like that back then too!
"Hmph. So what if it's the Sharingan?"
"My brother defeated Madara, and I killed Izuna. Without exception, both of them possessed the Mangekyo Sharingan. The Sharingan is not as amazing as you boast."
Tobirama immediately counterattacked. Every Uchiha had an almost pathological worship of the Sharingan.
Tch.
What was the Sharingan?
It merely greatly improved perception, dynamic vision, allowed the user to copy ninjutsu and taijutsu, and significantly enhanced illusion techniques. After awakening the Mangekyo Sharingan, it could also awaken two powerful eye techniques, and even use Susanoo to attack in the form of a giant.
Ahhh!
Aside from all those benefits, what did the Uchiha clan's Sharingan even count as?
"Tobirama, you are not Uchiha. You will never understand the power of the Sharingan, especially the Mangekyo Sharingan. When it is used, it is simply..."
Haru looked at Tobirama with disdain. This old man Tobirama was clearly saying the Sharingan was trash only because he could not use it. If a pair of Mangekyo Sharingan were installed in his eyes, he would use them more diligently than anyone else.
"I'll tell you this. The Mangekyo Sharingan can set a technique into the eye with a time delay, causing it to trigger automatically at a specific moment."
"So what? Can your Uchiha clan even possess a technique that brings people back from the dead?"
Tobirama looked disdainful. The Mangekyo Sharingan actually possessed such an ability. It was truly unbelievable. However, no matter how envious he was, he could not show it.
"That's right. The Uchiha clan really does!"
"What?"
Tobirama revealed a shocked expression. The Uchiha clan actually had that kind of technique?
"That is a forbidden technique belonging to the Uchiha clan. Across the long passage of time, the Uchiha clan once experienced an unprecedented internal war. At the time, the Uchiha clan developed a technique that could be called a miracle. Its name was Izanagi."
"Izanagi is a forbidden technique that can change fate. For a certain period of time, it can turn events unfavorable to the caster into dreams. However, the cost of using the technique is extremely high. It requires sacrificing the sight of one eye."
"The Uchiha clan back then became obsessed with this forbidden technique. Ambitious people rose one after another. You should understand the Uchiha clan's atmosphere. Cough, cough. In short, the clan fought endlessly among itself."
Haru did not want to say too much on this point. Every Uchiha clan member was stubborn in battle. Unless you used force to make them submit, they would not settle down and obediently accept restraint.
Izanagi was precisely a technique that invited chaos. An Uchiha who learned Izanagi could have up to three lives. In a fight between experts, victory or defeat could be decided in just a few breaths. An Uchiha suddenly had two extra lives. You thought you killed me, and the next second, I could appear behind you and stab you.
The result was that every Uchiha clansman who learned Izanagi acted as if heaven was first and he was second.
"What happened afterward?"
Tobirama listened with great interest. This was an absolute secret of the Uchiha, an internal clan scandal. Outsiders would never have the chance to know about it.
"Later, one Uchiha developed another forbidden technique, Izanami, and saved the Uchiha clan from internal chaos."
"The effect of the forbidden technique Izanami is... Why did you stop talking? Continue."
Tobirama was full of curiosity. He was very interested in the Uchiha clan's hidden forbidden techniques. First he would understand them, then study them, then finally find ways to counter them and pass those methods to the Senju clan when he had a chance.
"Tobirama, you're this curious. You're not thinking of cracking this forbidden technique and inventing corresponding ninjutsu to counter the Uchiha, are you?"
Haru stared at Tobirama, instantly seeing through his little thoughts.
A dog truly could not stop eating filth.
Even at a time like this, he was still thinking of stabbing the Uchiha clan in the back.
"No, no. Hahaha. Of course not. I'm just curious."
Tobirama put on an innocent expression and waved his hands repeatedly.
Then Haru looked at Tobirama and said,
"Since then, the two forbidden techniques, Izanami and Izanagi, were completely sealed away by the Uchiha clan. Only the clan leaders of each generation could know about them. Back then, the leader of the Uchiha clan was Madara. If Izuna had learned this forbidden technique, the one who died would have been you."
Haru laughed sinisterly. Tobirama had always been proud of single-handedly killing Izuna, who possessed the Mangekyo Sharingan. Most of the original settings were plot kills. Izuna did not even get the chance to use his Mangekyo eye techniques before dying. His death had been far too hasty.
He wondered what Tobirama was thinking now.
"Tch. There are no ifs in this world. On the battlefield, I was the one who survived. Izuna was a loser before me."
Tobirama saw this very clearly. On the battlefield, there were not so many what-ifs. Victory meant life, defeat meant death. He, Tobirama, had survived, so he was the victor.
However, the Uchiha clan's Izanagi truly was unbelievable. Twisting reality, turning falsehood into truth, even reversing life and death.
Wait.
If that was the case...
Did that mean Madara really might not be dead?
Was he currently somewhere in the ninja world, secretly watching the Leaf?
Bad. This was bad.
Was the Leaf about to face a major crisis?
"According to what you said, Madara really might not be dead!"
"This is over!"
Tobirama was filled with regret. Back then, how had he been so blinded that he kept Madara's corpse and did not burn it to ashes?
Without his brother, who in the Leaf could defeat Madara?
"Has Madara already infiltrated the Leaf?"
Tobirama looked anxious. He understood Madara's power very clearly. If Madara started slaughtering people inside the Leaf, no one in the entire Leaf could stop him.
"It's possible, but I can't be sure."
Haru was also uncertain whether Madara had infiltrated the Leaf at this time. Relying only on his guess about the system issuing a mission to conclude that Madara had given up trying to awaken the Rinnegan and returned to the Leaf would be far too arbitrary.
"Whether he has infiltrated the Leaf or not is no longer important. The mere fact that Madara is alive is a timed explosive for the Leaf. At any moment, he could blow the Leaf into the sky."
"Madara clearly had the opportunity to kill my brother through Izanagi, yet he chose to fake his death instead. That makes no sense at all."
"My brother has been dead for so many years, yet Madara still has not attacked the Leaf. This means Madara's target is not the Leaf at all. In the vast ninja world, what could make Madara scheme with such effort? Could Madara be trying to overturn the entire world?"
"If it is Madara, that possibility is not impossible. There is still too little information."
Tobirama quickly calmed down and began analyzing Madara's motives and purpose. As expected of Tobirama. In such a short time, he could analyze the rough direction.
"Tobirama, stop guessing blindly."
"I know Madara's purpose."
"What? Hurry up and tell me!"
"Madara wants to bring complete peace to the ninja world!"
Haru spoke Madara's ultimate goal.
"Things are already urgent, and you still have the mood to joke around here? Haru, you are the Leaf's Third Hokage. You are the person most responsible for the Leaf's safety and future!"
"If you don't want to be Hokage, then step down directly. I can come back!"
Anger surged in Tobirama, and he shouted at Haru. It was clear that Tobirama was truly anxious. He did not believe at all that Madara's goal was to bring peace to the entire ninja world.
If Madara truly had that intention, then he should not have left the Leaf and should not have fought his brother in a life-or-death battle. In that battle, Madara died, and Hashirama did not fare much better. His body suffered severe injuries, and not long after, he died as well.
Once those two pillars died, the ninja world completely fell into chaos. A messy conflict evolved into a war that swept across the entire ninja world.
In Tobirama's view, Madara absolutely bore responsibility for the First Ninja World War.
"Calm down, calm down. Everything I'm saying is true."
"Madara is the same as Hashirama. They are both peace-lovers who hold the ninja world in their hearts. If it could bring permanent peace to the ninja world, I believe Madara would heroically sacrifice himself without hesitation."
"The Uchiha are the clan that understands love best, especially Uchiha who have awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan. It is just that Madara's love is incredibly grand, encompassing the entire ninja world."
However, Tobirama was dismissive of this.
"If Madara had not broken with my brother, and if the two of them had not died one after another after that great battle, the First Ninja World War would never have happened. The entire ninja world would not have lost that many people."
"So?"
"Could Hashirama have lived forever?"
"Tobirama, you should understand very clearly that when Hashirama was alive, this ninja world was already a powder keg. Everyone was waiting for Hashirama, the God of the Ninja World, to die. The First Ninja World War was bound to happen sooner or later."
Tobirama choked. Naturally, he understood such a simple truth.
But Tobirama still could not understand why Madara had suddenly defected and then attacked the Leaf, why he had suddenly fought a life-or-death battle with his brother, when everything had clearly been moving in a good direction.
"Tobirama, I know very clearly that Madara's purpose is the entire ninja world. He wants to correct the mistakes he and Hashirama made back then."
"Hey, hey, hey. What do you mean by that?"
Tobirama looked displeased and interrupted Haru at once. How did this conversation suddenly drag his brother into the blame?
"Hmph. The ninja world becoming what it is today is something Hashirama bears the main responsibility for."
"Tobirama, you don't also support the First Hokage's nonsense system of one village and one country, do you?"
"Don't tell me. Don't tell me, Tobirama, that you don't want to unify the entire ninja world?"
Haru stared intently at Tobirama. It was one thing for Hashirama to be a naive fool, but Haru did not believe Tobirama had no thoughts of unifying the ninja world.
(End of Chapter)
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