"Am I going to end up like Uchiha Obito?"
That thought made Uchiha Ren uneasy. Obito's fate had been miserable—used, manipulated, and ultimately ruined. Ren could not allow himself to fall into the same situation. He forced himself to calm down, noticing his heartbeat accelerating. This was not the time to panic.
He grabbed the ice-cold cola on his desk and gulped it down in one go, chewing on the remaining ice. The chill gradually steadied his nerves.
Fighting Uchiha Madara head-on was completely out of the question. A direct clash would end with him being utterly crushed—there wasn't even a sliver of hope. The only advantage he had was information.
Madara might be operating in the shadows, but everything he planned was already known to Ren. The so-called Eye of the Moon Plan, the Infinite Tsukuyomi—none of it was a secret to him.
If Madara approached him quietly and tried to persuade him with that awkward "talk-no-jutsu" of his, Ren felt he could immediately surrender without hesitation.
"I have drifted through half my life without meeting a worthy master. If you do not abandon me, I am willing to call you father…"
Madara had no son. Ren had no father. Becoming his "filial son" didn't sound so bad.
At worst, he would just play along—treat it like acting in a long game. As long as Madara didn't resort to violence, everything was negotiable. Ren was still young; he could afford to stall. Time was on his side.
Madara, on the other hand, hadn't even awakened the Rinnegan yet. As long as Ren stayed alive and continued growing stronger, there would always be a way out.
Ren exhaled slowly. After analyzing the situation, his anxiety eased considerably. The only remaining worry was when Madara would come to find him.
"For now… this is the safest path."
Join first. Survive first. Think about everything else later.
As for the deeper truth behind the Eye of the Moon—the Otsutsuki clan, Black Zetsu's scheme—Ren decided he would not reveal anything unless absolutely necessary. The butterfly effect had already gone too far. One wrong move, and everything could spiral out of control.
In this world, power was everything.
Madara embodied that truth.
Hashirama, the only one who could suppress him, was already dead. Right now, Madara's understanding of power was the truth of the world.
Ren rubbed his temples. His current strength was still far from enough.
The system's golden rewards were too rare. Regular draws were basically useless. His only reliable option was completing missions.
Hashirama cells were within reach—Tobirama was already working on them—but even that wouldn't be enough.
"…Sage Mode."
Ren's thoughts shifted.
Hashirama's strength didn't come from Wood Release alone. It came from overwhelming chakra reserves, regeneration, and most importantly—perfect Sage Mode.
Sage Mode could amplify a ninja's power several times over. Hashirama's ability to suppress Madara throughout his life was inseparable from it.
But learning Sage Mode was incredibly difficult.
The three great holy lands—Ryūchi Cave, Shikkotsu Forest, and Mount Myōboku—each held their own form of sage arts. Without a summoning contract, it was almost impossible to even find them.
Currently, only the Senju clan possessed access to Shikkotsu Forest.
And there was no way they would allow Ren to obtain it.
That was a core inheritance—something even more important than secret techniques. Even as Hokage, forcibly taking it would be nearly impossible.
Ren clicked his tongue in frustration.
That path was blocked.
As for Ryūchi Cave—Orochimaru had found it on his own in the original timeline, but how exactly? No one knew.
Mount Myōboku… that depended on Jiraiya.
In the original story, Jiraiya was "randomly" transported there. But Ren doubted it was pure luck—the toads clearly had their own foresight abilities.
Still… it was worth trying.
The timeline had already deviated. Whether Jiraiya could still reach Mount Myōboku was uncertain.
"…I'll test it."
Ren made up his mind.
Tomorrow, he would call Jiraiya over and teach him the Summoning Technique. If luck was on their side, they might open a path to Sage Mode.
"…Hopefully it works."
He let out a long sigh.
The records about Sage Mode in the Scroll of Seals were laughably brief—just a few vague lines. Even Tobirama hadn't mastered it. In the Senju clan, only Hashirama had succeeded.
And his "experience"?
"Sense natural energy. Balance it. Enter Sage Mode."
That was it.
Utterly useless.
For most people, Sage Mode was a death trap. Countless individuals had turned into stone trying to learn it.
But for Hashirama?
It had been as natural as breathing.
"…Damn talent monsters."
Ren muttered.
Even someone with a system like him felt jealous.
—
He walked to the window and opened it, letting in fresh air.
The sky was already turning orange.
"…Time to get off work."
Worrying wouldn't solve anything.
Might as well relax.
—
Meanwhile, near the Ninja Academy…
Uchiha Madara sat on a bench, staring at the sunset.
Beside him—
A pile of cards.
After an entire afternoon of pulling packs, he had almost spent all his money.
And still—
No Uchiha Madara card.
"…Is my luck really this bad?"
He frowned.
Nearly a hundred cards.
Not a single one.
This was worse than fighting Hashirama.
"…I'll come back tomorrow."
Madara clenched his fists.
It wasn't over.
He refused to lose to a card game.
"…Need money."
That was the real problem.
Factory work didn't pay much.
Bounty missions were better.
He would do both.
Double income.
—
"…But the kid…"
He remembered.
He had promised to meet Ito Sosuke again.
And…
He had bragged.
"…Troublesome."
For the first time in his life—
Madara felt the urge to run away.
Even facing multiple Senju enemies as a child—
He had never hesitated.
Even against Hashirama—
He had charged forward.
But now?
"…I can't run."
Breaking a promise to a child twice?
Unacceptable.
He straightened his posture.
"…I'll face it."
Soon—
School ended.
Sosuke arrived.
"Grandpa… wow… so many cards!"
His eyes lit up instantly.
"…Just a few."
Madara tried to sound calm.
"…Did you get it?"
"…Your card?"
Silence.
"…No."
Madara's voice dropped.
Defeat.
"…Sigh…"
Sosuke started sorting the cards.
"These are still valuable—Eight-Tails, Six-Tails, Four-Tails…"
"We can sell them."
"At least recover some money."
Madara waved his hand.
"…Do as you wish."
"…Grandpa… do you still have money?"
"…Of course."
(A few coins.)
"…Money is meaningless to me."
Sosuke: Yeah right.
"…Let's sell these."
"…And tonight, come help me sell roasted sweet potatoes."
"I'll pay you two."
Madara paused.
"…Fine."
Then he added stubbornly:
"…This was just bad luck."
"Next time…"
"I'll get a full set."
Not just one card.
A full set.
Only then—
Would he regain his dignity?
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