Chapter 146: Love story with Senju Hashirama?!
"My name is Uchiha Madara. I am the eldest son of the Uchiha clan, just an ordinary shinobi of the Warring States Period.
My father always said that we shinobi were born for war—that killing is our destiny.
But I never believed that. Shinobi aren't tools for killing—they never were. It's just that I was too young back then, and no one cared what I thought."
"I used to go to the river alone, throwing stones across it, hoping that I could toss my worries away with them. That's when I met him—Senju Hashirama—the man who would entangle with my life forever.
I'll never forget the first time we met. That ridiculous haircut of his, how he kept standing behind me, making it impossible to ignore him... and his completely idiotic behavior."
Uchiha Kei stared blankly at the aged, yellowed manuscript in his hand. He hadn't expected that the precious journal Uchiha Madara had guarded so dearly... was just his personal diary.
And not only that—but why did he start writing it not from childhood, but from the exact day he met Senju Hashirama?
Kei sighed in exasperation. Still, he flipped through the pages in hopes of finding some useful information. But the further he read, the more his head hurt.
"Why... why didn't you record more details about the battles? Why is every page filled with emotional monologues and your daily life with Hashirama?!"
After several pages, Kei was speechless. What was this?
Your love story with Senju Hashirama?!
Even if you admired each other that deeply... did you really have to write it like this?
Couldn't you have left behind something more useful?
Kei let out a helpless sigh, then adjusted his mindset.
Well, since it's come to this, I might as well just read Madara's diary like a novel.
Stories about powerful figures and their lives still intrigued him.
And indeed, this diary revealed the shift in Madara's mindset over time, along with the tangled love-hate relationship he had with Hashirama.
Eventually, Kei started feeling sleepy as he read.
But that changed when he reached the part where Madara read the Uchiha stone tablet, became fully corrupted, and seized the Nine-Tails. Kei's drowsiness vanished immediately.
This time, Madara had actually written out detailed reflections on his mental transformation, his plans, and the battle strategy he executed.
Though his notes were divided into several parts and lacked smooth continuity, they didn't hinder Kei's comprehension. If anything, the later entries made him sit up and focus.
---
"I was certain that the shameless rat, Tobirama Senju, would obsess over unlocking the secrets of the Sharingan. He wouldn't dispose of my corpse right away—instead, he'd stash it somewhere in Konoha's deep forests for further study.
Though thinking of defeat before battle is a grave mistake... this was Hashirama. My lifelong friend—my eternal rival. Losing to him... wasn't shameful.
Tobirama didn't destroy my body. So, just before death, I implanted Izanagi into my right eye.
I rewrote reality at the cost of that eye, came back to life, swapped my real body with a shadow clone, and slipped away silently from the backwoods of Konoha. I got what I wanted.
Hashirama... this time, you're the one who lost."
---
"Hashirama, I heard your injuries are getting worse. I made some plans to deal with you, but with your constitution, you should be able to suppress the effects. So why didn't you?
Maybe... you're tired too.
Yeah. We're all tired. This world is like a living hell. Our dreams—the ones we built together—they came true, but in the end, they were laughable."
"Hashirama... I could go to Konoha and visit your grave. But I won't. Because if I turn to leave, I know I'll imagine you standing behind me again—dusty, annoying as ever."
"Today, I opened a bottle of sake. It's been a long time since I last drank... but today, I broke that habit.
This cup... is for you."
---
"Time flies, Hashirama.
Did you know? The 'One Country, One Village' system we built... it sparked another great war.
A war larger than anything we'd ever imagined."
Hatred. Self-interest. Nations and individuals tangled in a web of greed.
That's the shinobi world now."
"It's all just false peace we created back then. But don't worry, Hashirama—I'll destroy it with ease.
And in its place, I'll build a new world. A world of true peace. A world where you and our dreams will finally be realized."
"Hashirama, I never imagined that through your cells, I'd come to wield the full power of all things.
The Rinnegan—I gained it because of you.
My goal is now within reach… but I'm growing old. Our reunion may have to wait.
Still, if my plan succeeds, this world will know no more war. Only peace.
My plan will succeed. It has to!"
"Funny thing, Hashirama...
I never expected that giving my eyes to a young boy from the Uzumaki clan would grant me such clarity.
I realized the power of the Sharingan doesn't just reside in the eyes.
When the Sharingan awakens, it triggers yin release—a hidden power that truly exists.
Only after losing my eyes did I fully feel this force.
Using that, even without eyes, I discovered I could still access my true powers.
Do you remember Susanoo?
Through yin release, my chakra, and a complete understanding of its nature, I can now activate Susanoo without my eyes!
Impressive, isn't it? Hah... maybe I'm just getting old. Why am I even telling you all this?
I kind of miss your True Thousand Hands. We'll meet again soon—very soon."
At that point, Uchiha Kei stopped reading—there wasn't much else of substance after that.
But he'd already found what he needed. His heart was pounding with excitement. Madara had confirmed his suspicions.
Though the diary didn't catalog Madara's complete abilities, its content thrilled Kei beyond belief.
He knew how terrifying Susanoo was.
Not just its destructive power—but how it devoured the user's ocular strength. In the original story, Sasuke forcibly evolved his Susanoo from a skeletal form to its second stage in no time:
Muscles and tendons forming over bone, wrapped in armor-like chakra, wielding personalized weapons and jutsu.
Kei didn't have spare eyes. And Susanoo was one of the strongest ocular techniques he could think of.
He had to find a way.
And now, Madara's diary had given him a clear answer: even without relying on eye power, Susanoo could still be awakened!
Kei stared at the diary, both excited and conflicted.
What should he do with this thing?
Normally, his instinct would be to torch it and erase all traces—out of sight, out of mind.
But this manuscript… felt too valuable to destroy. After some thought, he decided to seal it away for now.
"I'll keep it for the time being. Who knows? Might be useful in the future. It's definitely... emotionally rich."
He stored the scroll carefully and lay down on his bed. It wasn't as comfortable as his own, but it was much better than sleeping rough outdoors like he had been days ago.
Kei closed his eyes and started thinking about the "yin release chakra" that Madara had written about.
In truth, yin release wasn't that mysterious. All genjutsu utilized it in some way.
Many clans' secret techniques didn't fall under the five basic chakra natures, but instead hinted at yin and yang release.
The Nara clan's shadow manipulation was a form of yin release. The Akimichi clan's body-expanding jutsu used aspects of yang release.
But what Madara described wasn't just any yin release—it was a specific kind generated when the Sharingan awakens.
That detail was the key—and Kei's biggest headache.
He wasn't Madara. His mastery and research into the Sharingan weren't especially deep.
If it weren't for his past life's knowledge of Naruto, he'd probably be clueless about how to evolve the Sharingan at all.
After some thought, he activated his chakra and opened his Mangekyō Sharingan. But the moment he did, he quickly shut his eyes again.
His vision remained flooded in crimson. Even with his eyes closed, the world wasn't dark.
The Mangekyō spun slowly beneath his eyelids, and Kei concentrated on the faint chakra waves it emitted.
Suddenly, his brows furrowed. A pained expression crossed his face.
Dark, inky chakra began to seep from his body.
And in his mind's eye, he could see again.
Through the red-tinted vision, he saw a towering figure cloaked in ancient armor—its eyes gleaming red, its entire form shrouded in shadows.
It stared at him in silence.
Its deep, oppressive aura gripped his soul. The stillness of its massive form radiated overwhelming power, chilling Kei to the bone.
In panic, Kei forcefully deactivated his Mangekyō.
When he opened his eyes again, his entire body was drenched in cold sweat.
But that deep, cold aura… still lingered.
That terrifying figure still haunted his mind.
"Huff… huff…"
Kei gasped for breath, his body shivering.
"That was…"
"My… Susanoo?"