"So…"
Tobirama smiled faintly at Uchiha Izunai, the bright pattern of his Mangekyō emerging in his eyes. "What exactly do you want to do?"
"I want to test the sincerity of your heart! I admit—you've thrown my feelings into chaos… But because of that, I awakened a new dōjutsu. Its name is the Totsuka: Izanami."
"As long as there is even a trace of falsehood in your heart, you will be trapped forever in the illusion woven by my eyes—until both your spirit and your soul shatter, becoming nourishment for me!"
Uchiha Izunai stared straight at Senju Tobirama. "Do you dare to try? I swear upon the honor of the Uchiha clan and upon my own personhood—I will only ask you questions about your love for me!"
Young Hashirama's face drained of color. From behind, he clutched his younger brother's sleeve in a death grip.
He could not possibly hope that Tobirama, who had even brought a specially forged short blade to this ceremony, would survive Izunai's trial…
If it came to it—then let it turn into battle!
Hadn't he, from the very start, never truly believed that their clan's feud with the Uchiha could be settled in peace?
Senju Momoka's eyes widened to their fullest. If not for his lack of standing to speak at such an occasion, he would already have roared at Izunai, demanding that this treacherous and devious woman get lost!
This wasn't a test—it was despicable murder!
They were using the wedding itself to force Tobirama into standing still and enduring the assault of that dangerous dōjutsu!
"What are you planning, Senju Momoka? This is the bride's test for the groom—do you have an objection?" Uchiha Setsuna fixed his gaze on him, his killing intent nearly spilling over.
"Don't move. I'm watching you!"
From Setsuna's view, the situation had already tipped in the Uchiha's favor.
At this distance, even if Senju Tobirama refused the test, he could not evade Izunai-sama's eyes. The moment she gave the signal, the annihilation of the Senju would begin!
And beyond Momoka and Setsuna—
The other paired-off elites of Uchiha and Senju were locked in the same hair-trigger standoff.
The entire engagement ceremony had become a powder keg ready to explode. If Tobirama rejected her, the flames of war would instantly sweep through the field!
At this moment, Uchiha Izunai's eyes no longer held anyone else—
Only the white-haired man before her.
"Very well… I accept."
To everyone's shock, Tobirama lifted his brow. "Though I've never believed in swearing by one's honor or clan crest… since it is you making the vow, why shouldn't I give it a try?"
Izunai froze in place.
Even she herself had already lost hope in Tobirama…
He actually agreed?
And was Senju Tobirama truly as guiltless as he appeared?
Of course not!
'With the protection of Ama-no-Iwato upon me, and my eye power far surpassing hers…'
'As long as I can break free from her dōjutsu, then in the eyes of others, I will not have deceived the Uchiha clan… And Uchiha Izunai will never be able to marry me—she'll be forced to strike instead!'
'In that case, once the fighting begins, it will greatly benefit me in bringing the Uchiha clan under control… To help Kazuki locate Shibai's remains as soon as possible, these elites with their three-tomoe eyes cannot be wasted.'
That was the true path of Tobirama's thoughts.
And as a lover of forbidden techniques—
Tobirama also had a certain curiosity to experience Izunai's newly awakened Mangekyō-level Izanami for himself…
"Come then, Izunai—what are you waiting for?" Tobirama spread his arms as though to embrace her, smiling as he spoke.
"You bastard… Fine! Then let me see your sincerity!" Uchiha Izunai bit down on her teeth, forcibly suppressing the panic in her heart, unleashing her ocular power to its utmost.
In an instant—
Tobirama and Izunai both entered a profound illusory space.
Above this space's dome, an immense, blazing Totsuka Blade served as the sun.
The moment it detected a lie, it would ruthlessly imprison Tobirama in this Izanami's space-time forever, forcing him to repeat again and again—
Until his mind was brainwashed into accepting his own falsehoods.
Or until his spirit and soul, caught in endless cycles, shattered with a roar.
"Senju Tobirama… My question is simple…"
Uchiha Izunai stood before him, staring into those crimson eyes—yet suddenly froze.
What she wanted to ask was: "Do you love me?"
But when face-to-face with Tobirama—
She found she simply could not say such a blunt question aloud. It was far too shameful.
"You…"
"You… you lo—no, that's not it…"
"Would you give your life for me… No, no, that's not it either…"
"Would you truly treat a Uchiha with sincerity, and give everything—even your life—for them?
After long hesitation, Izunai could only ask in this roundabout way.
Even so, the beautiful Uchiha's face had flushed crimson.
But she still stubbornly fixed her gaze on Tobirama, even knowing how ridiculous she must look with her cheeks burning red…
Yet when faced with this question, Tobirama did not answer lightly. Instead, his expression seemed to sink into one memory after another.
Would he truly treat a Uchiha with sincerity, and give his life for them?
Of course he would.
To Tobirama, this was not a question he needed to cheat with Ama-no-Iwato in order to pass…
Uchiha…
It was a word bound to Tobirama with ties that ran deep.
For most of his life, in Tobirama's heart, the label attached to this clan was "extreme," "dangerous," "unstable," "driven by the urge to self-destruct and destroy."
It was hard to say this wasn't prejudice.
But the problem was that such distilled, collective labeling came from Tobirama's personal experience.
As enemies, the Uchiha clan's ferocious lust for battle and their all-encompassing abilities were deeply troublesome. And in moments of heightened emotion, there was always the chance of awakening the Mangekyō's power…
At times, Tobirama truly felt that this bloodline was a curse.
The entire Uchiha clan resembled an altar—wherein the original sin running through their blood meant that when one Uchiha died, their power would pass on to another, gradually concentrating into a single person, ultimately summoning forth a demon capable of destroying the world!
There was nothing wrong with pursuing power; in the shinobi world, it was nearly every ninja's instinct.
But the stronger the power, the more unstable the emotions that came with it—and that was terrifying.
As enemies, that was dangerous. As allies, just as dangerous.
No one wanted a comrade who had been reliable the day before to suddenly snap under some inexplicable stimulus… Especially after the founding of the village, when the Uchiha clan even erupted into internal strife.
That, too, was a story linked to the dōjutsu awakened by Uchiha Izunai.
After the village was established, the Uchiha elite gradually uncovered the horror of Izanagi. This dōjutsu, able to reverse life and death, was practically invincible—and it stirred greed within the hearts of many Sharingan bearers.
To be able to trigger Izanagi multiple times, those with three tomoe and even Mangekyō turned their blades on one another…
In the end, it was a kunoichi named Uchiha Naori who appeared.
She developed Izanami, a technique designed specifically to counter Izanagi. Only under the combined suppression of all sides could that turmoil be barely contained.
But the impact it left behind was profound.
As Hokage of that era, Tobirama saw the Uchiha's latent threat. Using this incident—and later, Setsuna's rebellion—he established the Konoha Police Force, placing the clan in a relatively fitting position.
Afterwards, by incorporating Uchiha Kagami into the Shadow Guard, he soothed hearts to some degree…
Yet Tobirama's personal fear of the clan only deepened. The Uchiha were like a double-edged blade—while he swung it to drive back enemies, he himself would be cut.
Memories surged within Tobirama's mind like a storm.
Izunai's question resonated with him, as did her dōjutsu's effect…
It could stir fluctuations in the target's mind, making it easier to discern what was true and what was false in Tobirama's heart.
Although Tobirama had prepared defenses in advance, for the sake of experiencing this dōjutsu that had awakened because of him, he relaxed his defense over mind and soul…
Under Izanami's influence, Tobirama's memories were crystal clear.
It was as though he were a bystander, watching a film of his own life—reviewing his deeds and attitudes toward the Uchiha in his first half of life.
The scene shifted.
To a place resembling a prison. In that memory, Tobirama watched his past self glare viciously at the young boy before him, roaring: "Evil little Uchiha brat, did you think I wouldn't see through your identity? I'll personally—"
This was the scene of his first meeting with Kazuki.
At that time, Kazuki still looked like a child… but just from his features and bone structure, Tobirama had already judged him to be an Uchiha.
The memories flipped by like the pages of an album.
Kazuki's outstanding answer on the Will of Fire, his patient teaching of civilian shinobi—those powerful ninja clans, those Sharingan, all turned into tools for instruction, with that extreme power firmly controlled in his hands.
Then later, when Kazuki entered Tsunade's class: from the very start, he helped her break free from the knot of her hemophobia, and then, just like Tobirama himself, he took the initiative to stay behind for his companions, unafraid of sacrifice.
That was when Tobirama first began to acknowledge Kazuki.
The scenes kept shifting.
Shimura Danzō stirred up public opinion and tried to secretly assassinate Hatake Sakumo. It was then that Kazuki first began to doubt the Will of Fire—but even so, he still rushed in time to Sakumo's home and saved him.
And the wager between the two of them—that if the high council of Konoha ever betrayed the Will of Fire, then Tobirama would kneel in apology before Kazuki…
Kazuki graciously chose not to bring it up, brushing it off with a laugh.
But as a bystander now, Tobirama could see far more clearly the deep anxiety for the village's future reflected in Kazuki's eyes at that moment.
The memories flowed along the timeline.
With the passing of Uzumaki Mito…
The stench of war spread across the shinobi world. Enemy villages, restless and ambitious, began testing the waters, and the shadow of the Third Shinobi World War loomed over Konoha.
Once again, Kazuki stepped forward. After dealing with Shimura Danzō and taking over the Root, he began sweeping reforms, gathering into its fold all those with talent but whose loyalty to the village had already begun to waver—transforming it into a warm, united family.
Weapons of war bearing Tobirama's name were born within the Root.
With the Root at his back, Kazuki singlehandedly cut through the entire shinobi world, standing alone against four great powers and seizing overwhelming victory!
Tobirama watched this scene, the smile still lingering on his face.
But then it froze.
In the midst of that vision appeared a terrifying pair of Rinnegan, etched with nine tomoe.
Tobirama let out a slow breath, raising his hand slightly—only to lower it again.
Of course, he remembered what happened afterward…
So he had no desire to watch.
And yet, despite saying so, he could not bring himself to forgo this rare chance to revisit those memories. The recollections Izunai's dōjutsu revealed played out like a living reenactment, even reproducing the emotions that had filled Tobirama's heart back then.
To relive once more the story he had shared with Kazuki—such a chance was precious.
And so, Tobirama saw that at the very moment of victory in war, Kazuki had no time even to celebrate. Instead, he turned to fashioning a coffin for himself…
And when the time of parting came, though they had agreed to seal away the evil Ōtsutsuki together, Kazuki, at the moment the coffin closed, revived him instead. After giving him careful instructions, he sank beneath the sea.
Tobirama gazed at the pair of Mangekyō Sharingan he had awakened, his expression finally at peace.
This very scene was the perfect answer to Izunai's question…
One day, would you give up everything—even your life—for an Uchiha?
Of course.
Because Kazuki had already done that for him.
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