In the shinobi world, in a valley lying along the central ground between the Uchiha and Senju territories—
Uchiha Madara and Uchiha Izunai, clad in red heavy armor of the Warring States style, arrived at the meeting place well ahead of schedule.
That had been Izunai's request.
After all, behind Madara's back she had secretly deployed a large number of elite clansmen in ambush.
"They're here!"
A red gleam flickered in Madara's eyes, a hint of excitement in his tone.
He had seen Senju Hashirama!
But the next moment, Madara's brows furrowed.
The figures of Hashirama and Tobirama came into view, both dressed in shinobi combat uniforms—yet their attire leaned toward everyday wear.
They wore no heavy armor, not even a samurai blade at their waists.
"No… if Hashirama sees me looking as though I came for battle, that won't do!" Madara muttered to himself, hastily unbuckling the blade at his side and setting it aside, stripping off the crimson armor from his body.
"Sigh…" Izunai shook her head, speechless, though hardly surprised.
She had already warned Madara to wear armor in case of unforeseen events. But the moment he laid eyes on Senju Hashirama, her brother's ability to think rationally vanished. He looked nothing like a seasoned shinobi—and even less like a competent clan leader.
But as a younger sister, what could Izunai do?
Uchiha Izunai did not remove her heavy armor. Instead, the tomoe in her Sharingan began to spin, locking tightly onto Senju Tobirama standing beside the young Hashirama.
And at that glance, a strange feeling welled up within Izunai's chest.
For some reason, she felt that this hated enemy of hers seemed to have undergone some kind of indescribable change. He didn't look as loathsome as before…
Almost as if he were an Uchiha himself?
Izunai narrowed her eyes. Whatever strange transformation had happened to this bastard, once she defeated him and imprisoned him, she could take her time studying it.
"Madara! You came so early! Have you eaten yet?" The young Hashirama, still far away, shouted happily in greeting.
"If not, want to eat together later?"
"Hmph, that idiot…"
Madara crossed his arms, a faint smile tugging at the corner of his lips, and waved back to Hashirama. "Food? Let's talk about that after the negotiations are done! Show me the sincerity of the Senju clan first!"
Meanwhile, Tobirama found himself staring at Izunai, who was staring right back at him. For a moment, he froze.
"Something seems off about Uchiha Izuna…" Tobirama nudged the young Hashirama, pointing discreetly at the striking Uchiha woman, voicing the thought he was trying to confirm.
"Tobirama, why do you keep speaking with that Land of Lightning accent lately? It's Izunai!" Hashirama patiently corrected his brother's words with a grin.
"Isn't she just wearing armor? Nothing strange about that. We brought our ninja tool pouches too, didn't we?"
With that, the young Hashirama hurried forward, rushing to chat with Madara.
And so Tobirama and Izunai.
The two of them stood across the valley, locked in each other's gaze.
'How… how is she a woman in this spacetime? What's going on here?' Even Tobirama was shaken by what he saw.
How could that bastard, after becoming a woman, suddenly look so… pleasing to the eye?!
Heroic bearing, flowing black hair, a pair of Sharingan gleaming like rubies…
[Detected excessive emotional fluctuation toward the opposite sex. Match candidate locked!]
[Strength, compatibility, potential, and extractable spacetime essence all meet your requirements—]
[Your chosen match candidate has been confirmed: Uchiha Izunai]
Senju Tobirama listened blankly to Kazuki's voice echoing in his mind, utterly thrown into chaos.
Huh?
Wait—
How did it end up matching me with Izunai?
I came here to fight!
'Excessive emotion? How could I possibly have excessive emotion toward Uchiha Izuna… Izunai? Damn it, my heart is as calm as still water! This is a misjudgment, a mistake!'
For no reason at all, Tobirama slipped into something like a flustered, angry state, shouting at the silent panel in his mind: 'Kazuki, I know you can hear me—get out here and explain yourself!'
'What's this about Uchiha Izunai being my matchmaking partner? Did you deliberately choose this kind of world?'
'Didn't I promise to help you search for Shibai's Remains?!'
The translucent panel gave no response in Kazuki's voice…
It was clear this was something that only activated under specific conditions, not something designed to argue with Tobirama about whether or not he had just been swept up in a flood of emotion.
'Forget it… a misjudgment is a misjudgment. Better go see what this is about first…' Tobirama consoled himself inwardly.
Izuna had become Izunai. That would certainly make the history of this timeline diverge from the one Tobirama had experienced.
And the methods he once used to deal with Izuna might not necessarily work now…
At this moment, during negotiations with the Uchiha clan, Tobirama knew that Izunai's style of diplomacy would differ from Izuna's.
Compared to Izuna, Izunai might be more meticulous—but also, most likely, more emotional. These were factors he had to account for…
"What, you're not coming up yet?"
Atop the valley, Uchiha Izunai stood like a proud flower on a high peak, her crimson eyes brimming with undisguised disdain. Curling her lips, she looked down coldly at Tobirama.
"What now? Planning to play some new trick?"
Hearing those familiar words, Tobirama was briefly stunned.
Heh, the tone was right…
From the angle of sneering sarcasm, Izuna and Izunai weren't much different at all.
But here was the strange part.
If it were Uchiha Izuna's face saying these words, Tobirama would already be firing back, sharp against sharp—wasn't it always about who could sling the nastier insult?
Yet from Uchiha Izunai, the same words left his state of mind surprisingly calm.
'Why am I like this? Just because Izuna became Izunai? No, that's not it… Perhaps it's because I know I am not the Senju Tobirama she despises—her displeasure is only a misunderstanding…'
Tobirama was quietly unsettled by his own reaction, but quickly found a reason to reassure himself, and stepped forward into the valley.
It could only be said: humans always grant a bit more tolerance to beautiful creatures—especially of the opposite sex.
'As expected, just like I thought, just like with that fellow Uchiha Izuna… this valley is perfect for an ambush. And it looks far too natural…'
Tobirama's sharp gaze swept over the valley terrain, analyzing it in his mind.
Too natural—that itself was unnatural.
Having witnessed Kazuki's battlefield layouts, and after many battles involving tens of thousands, Tobirama's grasp of details far surpassed that of Uchiha Izunai of this era. Even though she had done quite well, she still left subtle traces.
This kind of arrangement almost certainly meant there were troops in hiding.
It was obvious this couldn't be the work of Uchiha Madara, who was already in animated conversation with the young Hashirama—though his face was stern, he was speaking even more than his counterpart.
Within the Uchiha clan, the only one capable of moving troops behind Madara's back was the woman standing before Tobirama…
He had already formed his judgment. Having recovered part of his strength and with the Flying Thunder God Technique at his disposal, Tobirama wasn't overly concerned with Uchiha Izunai's arrangements.
Especially since at this point, Izunai had merely awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan. Even if the circumstances differed from the timeline he had lived through, she had never seen the Flying Thunder God Technique before—and it was impossible for her to awaken "Kanrō," a power that countered spatial abilities.
'According to this so-called panel Kazuki gave me… since I'm now bound to Uchiha Izunai, that means as long as I provoke her emotions, I can draw in her alien temporal aura and continue unlocking my abilities…'
As Tobirama pondered how to make use of the panel, his eyes involuntarily swept back and forth over Uchiha Izunai.
"You trying to get yourself killed, Senju Tobirama?"
Izunai let out a cold laugh. "Looking for my weakness? Let me tell you—last time you managed to cut my shoulder by sheer luck. That was also the last time you'll ever land a blow on me!"
Her eyes flared. The three tomoe spun, shifting instantly into the Mangekyō Sharingan. "I'll let you in on a secret, Senju Tobirama… I have obtained the legendary power!"
"You are no longer my match!"
[Detected emotional fluctuation from Uchiha Izunai. A certain amount of alien temporal aura has been extracted.]
[Your Mangekyō Sharingan basic functions have been unlocked.]
Tobirama's lips curved up without him realizing.
All it took was a few casual glances, and she reacted this strongly? He had been wondering how to provoke Uchiha Izunai—but she was so sensitive she revealed her Mangekyō at a mere look.
A faint realization dawned on him.
Indeed, Izunai and Izuna were not the same at all.
Senju Tobirama openly locked eyes with Uchiha Izunai's Mangekyō, feeling a power that so closely mirrored his own. Grinning, he said playfully, "Really? I don't believe it."
"Honestly… the Mangekyō Sharingan doesn't feel any stronger than Water Release to me."
Izunai rolled her eyes so hard it was almost exaggerated, then laughed angrily. "Senju Tobirama—so even someone as devious as you can only hide behind empty words, when faced with an absolute difference in strength?"
She was irritated.
In her plans, when this negotiation began and she unveiled her Mangekyō Sharingan, Senju Tobirama was not supposed to react this way!
That sinister bastard of the Senju clan should have stiffened, face darkened, and displayed deep wariness!
Izunai had imagined this moment for a long time. She had longed to savor Tobirama's helplessness and fear at the sight of the Mangekyō—it would be her sweetest memory in recent times.
Not only that—revealing such power before the talks would put immense psychological pressure on him, forcing him into a passive stance…
By all logic, the plan was flawless.
In the timeline Tobirama had once lived, his first clash with Uchiha Izuna after the awakening of the Mangekyō Sharingan had nearly spelled disaster. He had escaped only because Hashirama's surge in power turned the fight into a two-on-one, allowing them to barely break free.
From that point onward, Tobirama increased his efforts in developing the Flying Thunder God Technique and countless forbidden jutsu, officially stepping onto the path of a master of forbidden arts…
But here lay the problem.
Uchiha Izuna had succeeded, but Izunai had not.
Senju Tobirama did not scowl or turn grim. On the contrary, he wore a carefree smile, studying her as if she were some rare and exotic beast…
If this was an act of bravado, Uchiha Izunai couldn't shake the feeling that Tobirama truly had some hidden trump card.
In all the shinobi world, she couldn't think of any condition more explosive in raising one's power than an Uchiha awakening the Mangekyō Sharingan!
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