Unifying the entire shinobi world?
Of course he wanted it.
Senju Tobirama had dreamed of it countless times.
But dreaming was all it ever was.
The shinobi world was vast.
Clans everywhere.
Factions intertwined.
Hatred built over thousands of years.
Endless conflicts.
Endless contradictions.
Even establishing Konoha had nearly exhausted him.
He had sacrificed time for research—
His greatest passion—
Just to stabilize one village.
And beyond that—
The daimyō of each nation constantly interfered.
Pressure.
Tempting.
Many clans that joined Konoha—
Had done so under both coercion and incentives.
More often—
The latter.
Then there were logistics—
Communication.
Transportation.
Food supply.
Countless problems.
Even with Hashirama's overwhelming power—
Swallowing the entire world in one bite—
It was impossible.
But none of that was the real issue.
The real issue—
Senju Hashirama himself.
He would never agree.
Even if Konoha couldn't govern everything—
They could've crushed the other villages.
Maintained absolute dominance.
That alone—
Would've changed everything.
Tobirama sighed inwardly.
Now that he was dead—
There was no need to hide his thoughts.
Better to speak plainly—
Then be mocked.
"…Yes."
"I wanted to unify the world."
"But you're Hokage now."
"You understand Konoha's limits."
"Even if all villages merged into Konoha—"
"They'd still operate independently."
"The world is simply too large."
He tried—
To soften the blow.
To shield his brother's legacy.
But Ren didn't care.
"I know."
"I know all of that."
"That's why I've been developing productivity."
"Investing in the academy."
"Pushing railways. Communication."
"I've been preparing for it from the start."
Ren's tone sharpened.
"But that's not the core issue."
"The real problem…"
"…is Hashirama's path."
"He pursued temporary, illusory peace."
"We had better options."
"We could've slowly absorbed the world."
"Eliminated threats."
"Controlled the balance."
"But what did he do?"
"He distributed the Tailed Beasts."
"Held the Five Kage Summit."
"And bowed."
Every word—
Struck directly at Tobirama's heart.
Because—
He had thought the same.
Back then—
He had warned Hashirama.
Told him—
The world was not that simple.
People were not that kind.
Blind trust—
Would only lead to disaster.
But Hashirama—
Didn't listen.
Worse—
He got angry.
That look in his eyes—
Tobirama still remembered it.
Cold.
Final.
As if one more word—
And he'd be struck down.
"…Enough."
Tobirama cut him off.
His voice was heavy.
"No more of this."
"My brother…"
"…was the First Hokage."
"He built Konoha."
"Even if he was naive…"
"…even if he made mistakes…"
"He's dead."
"And you—"
"You are the Third Hokage."
"It's your responsibility to clean up the mess."
"I spent my entire life doing exactly that."
"And died doing it."
"You've barely begun—"
"And you're already complaining?"
He covered his face briefly.
"…Drop it."
Ren smirked slightly—
But didn't push further.
Tobirama exhaled.
Then shifted the topic decisively.
"Back to Madara."
"His actions—"
"Make no sense."
"He left Konoha."
"Returned with the Nine-Tails."
"Fought Hashirama to the death."
"Then vanished."
"And you're telling me—"
"He wants peace?"
"…You expect me to believe that?"
Ren's eyes flickered red.
The Sharingan spun slowly.
"You wouldn't understand."
"You don't have the Mangekyō."
That expression—
Arrogant.
Certain.
As if speaking to someone beneath him.
"…Enough with the eyes."
"Speak."
Tobirama's patience was wearing thin.
Ren didn't argue.
Instead—
He spoke calmly.
"The Uchiha have a stone tablet."
"It records the truth."
"A path."
"By awakening the Rinnegan—"
"Summoning the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path—"
"Gathering the chakra of all nine Tailed Beasts—"
"It can be reborn as the Ten-Tails."
"Absorb it—"
"And one becomes the Sage of Six Paths."
"Then…"
"Cast the Infinite Tsukuyomi."
"A dream."
"An eternal illusion."
"Where everyone lives in peace."
"No conflict."
"No suffering."
"Madara—"
"Would become the second Sage."
"And guard that world forever."
Silence.
Long.
Heavy.
Tobirama stared at him.
"…You're serious?"
"That's your explanation?"
"This absurd… fairy tale?"
Ren shrugged.
"I'd rather be home."
"With my two lovely wives."
"Discussing life."
"Dreams."
"…In depth."
Tobirama's face twitched.
He ignored that part entirely.
"…Fine."
"Let's assume this is true."
"Then the key is the Rinnegan."
"Can Madara even awaken it?"
Ren nodded slowly.
"…That leads to something deeper."
"Something even Madara doesn't fully understand."
Tobirama's attention sharpened.
Ren smiled faintly.
"Normally…"
"To awaken the Rinnegan—"
"One must possess both…"
"Indra's chakra."
"And Asura's chakra."
Tobirama frowned.
"…Who?"
Ren leaned back slightly.
"You're about to hear something…"
"That concerns both the Uchiha…"
"…and the Senju."
"The Sage of Six Paths had two sons."
"Indra."
"Asura."
"Indra—gifted."
"He inherited powerful ocular abilities."
"He created hand seals."
"And pioneered ninjutsu."
"Asura—ordinary."
"No talent."
"But he built bonds."
"Relied on others."
"When the Sage chose a successor—"
"He chose Asura."
"Not Indra."
"Indra rejected it."
"And fought."
"The Sage gave his power to Asura."
"And the brothers…"
"…became enemies."
"They founded two bloodlines."
"And even after death—"
"Their chakra reincarnated."
"Again and again."
"Continuing the conflict."
Silence.
"…Those two bloodlines…"
Tobirama's voice was low.
"…The Uchiha…"
"…and the Senju."
Ren nodded.
"Exactly."
Tobirama froze.
For a moment—
His mind went blank.
Thousands of years of hatred—
Endless war—
Countless deaths—
All because—
Of a dispute between brothers?
Ridiculous.
Absurd.
Unacceptable.
And yet—
It explained everything.
Suddenly—
He remembered something.
Their first meeting.
Ren's words—
"…Maybe, a thousand years ago…"
"…we were one family."
"…Uchiha the elder brother…"
"…Senju the younger…"
"…a broken inheritance…"
"…a divided family…"
"…and endless conflict."
So that's what he meant.
He had known—
All along.
"…Then…"
"…Madara and my brother…"
Ren finished it for him.
"They were the reincarnations."
"Indra and Asura."
"Bound by fate."
"Close as brothers—"
"Destined to fight."
Tobirama exhaled slowly.
So that bond—
That strange connection between them—
It was never a coincidence.
It was inevitable.
A curse.
A cycle.
He looked at Ren.
His expression changed.
Subtle.
Complex.
"…Family…"
He muttered.
Then—
His face darkened.
"…So I've been fighting…"
"…my own relatives all this time?"
A pause.
"…Tch."
"…Fine."
"Maybe I should stop calling you…"
'inherently evil Uchiha'."
The room fell silent.
The air—
Strange.
Heavy.
For the first time—
The line between Senju and Uchiha—
Blurred.
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