"What should I make for breakfast?"
The sound of running water echoed softly in the kitchen as Renya mechanically scrubbed the last bowl, his thoughts drifting toward what to eat in the morning.
The faint scent of dish soap lingered in the air.
Ever since Senju Tobirama became Hokage, the tedious chore of washing dishes had almost entirely fallen onto Renya.
He planned to finish washing up and then start making breakfast.
Suddenly, his hands froze mid-motion, and the bowl in his grip nearly slipped.
A chilling sensation crawled up his spine—
Someone was watching him.
There was definitely someone standing at the doorway!
Who would dare sneak into the Hokage's residence?
And worse… he hadn't noticed them until now. Whoever it was, they couldn't be here with good intentions.
Renya spun around sharply, activating his Three Tomoe Sharingan, fully prepared to fight.
Anyone bold enough to infiltrate the Hokage's home in Konohagakure didn't need further explanation, did they?
Eighty percent chance they were assassins sent from another village!
The war had barely ended, and these bastards were still up to their old tricks.
Two tall figures stood at the doorway, sunlight streaming from behind them, casting long shadows across the floor.
The man on the left had long, flowing black hair and wore a black robe, his dark eyes calmly fixed on Renya.
—Uchiha Madara!
The instant Renya saw him, he recognized who he was.
Even though this was technically their first time meeting, he still identified him at a glance.
Back when Renya's original body lived at the orphanage, he had only seen Madara from afar a few times. By the time Renya transmigrated, Madara was already close to defecting from the village.
Standing next to him was another long-haired man, his face wearing a warm yet tired smile.
Who else could it be but Senju Hashirama?
Renya was stunned. He hadn't expected Hashirama-san to actually track down Uchiha Madara…
The shinobi world was vast, yet it only took him two years to find him. As expected, the bonds of blood between brothers were something else entirely.
"Hashirama-san… Madara-sama?!" Renya's pupils constricted sharply, his voice catching in his throat.
The so-called "fake-death duo" of Konoha had returned together.
Could it be… that Senju Hashirama had succeeded in convincing Uchiha Madara to give up on the "Eye of the Moon" Plan?
"Yo, Renya!" Hashirama waved cheerfully. "Madara and I were just passing by Konoha and thought we'd drop in to see you."
Hashirama scratched the back of his head with an awkward smile.
"Ahahaha, it's been a while, hasn't it? You've grown a lot taller!"
"Hashirama-san, yes, it really has been a long time," Renya replied, nodding in agreement.
This guy had faked his death and vanished without a word. Anyone who didn't know better would've thought he'd died out there for real.
Two years had passed, and he hadn't sent a single letter. As expected of Senju Hashirama — he truly had a big heart.
Meanwhile, Mito-san spent her days constantly worried, never knowing if her husband was even alive.
Uchiha Madara said nothing, only regarding Renya with calm, indifferent eyes.
So this was the Uchiha kid Tobirama had adopted?
Judging from his appearance, Hashirama hadn't lied. Tobirama hadn't mistreated him.
But what exactly had Tobirama dragged him off to do last night?
He hadn't returned until almost dawn…
Being stared at by Madara felt like being locked in the gaze of a massive, feral beast. The sheer oppressive aura radiating from him made Renya's skin prickle, every hair on his body standing on end.
So this is Uchiha Madara, huh?
That pressure… it's overwhelming.
If Senju Hashirama weren't standing here, Renya would have genuinely worried that Madara might attack him at any moment.
No wonder Tobirama was so wary of him.
There was no way that old man would ever allow someone this dangerous to roam outside his surveillance.
After all, no one knew what Madara might do next.
But Renya also knew… it was exactly Tobirama's mistrust that ultimately caused Uchiha Madara to grow disillusioned with Konoha.
From either perspective, neither side was necessarily wrong.
Madara's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Kid… haven't you stared long enough?"
His voice was deep and magnetic, yet carried an undeniable weight of authority.
This brat had been staring at him since the moment he turned around, and even now, after all this time, his gaze hadn't shifted.
"My apologies, Madara-sama." Renya immediately looked away, realizing he'd been lost in thought without noticing.
"Hahaha, don't get mad, Madara," Hashirama interjected cheerfully. "Renya probably hasn't seen you in so long, he just couldn't help himself."
He patted Madara's shoulder with a grin, but Madara dodged his hand with a clear look of disdain, forcing Hashirama to withdraw awkwardly.
Renya turned his head, pretending he hadn't seen that happen.
"Kid…" Uchiha Madara looked down at Renya from above, frowning slightly. "There's a strange aura on you."
For some reason, Renya didn't give him the feeling of a pure-blooded Uchiha.
Something about it rubbed him the wrong way — almost like standing in front of Senju Tobirama.
If Renya hadn't just activated his Sharingan moments ago, Madara might have even doubted his Uchiha lineage.
"Maybe it's… the dish soap smell?" Renya pointed at the sink and explained awkwardly. "I just finished washing a lot of dishes…"
Senju Hashirama suddenly burst into laughter.
"Madara, since when did you care about household chores?"
Madara's expression twitched. These two were clearly talking about different things. Why was Hashirama sticking his nose in?
He was only curious, nothing more — he had no intention of prying further.
It was probably just because Renya had spent so much time around Tobirama; some of his aura must have rubbed off.
And besides, whether or not the kid's bloodline was pure had nothing to do with him… as long as he wasn't some Senju-Uchiha hybrid, it was fine.
After a brief round of small talk, Senju Hashirama finally revealed the real reason for his visit…
"Renya, it's been so long since I've had your cooking. How about making us a proper feast today?"
He'd been craving Renya's cooking for ages.
Now that he'd found Madara, it was the perfect chance to bring his closest friend back to enjoy it too.
He was confident Madara would love Renya's dishes.
After all, even Tobirama couldn't stop praising his cooking.
"No problem, Hashirama-san," Renya agreed without hesitation.
He thought they had come to discuss something urgent… turns out, they just wanted him to cook?
Being a chef was something he excelled at anyway.
Hashirama clapped Madara on the shoulder with a huge grin, his eyes narrowing into crescents.
"Madara, you're in for a treat today."
Come to think of it, Madara had never actually tasted Renya's cooking before.
He couldn't wait to see his expression later.
"Pointless." Madara brushed Hashirama's hand away, snorting coldly. "A shinobi's goal is power, not such trivial nonsense."
He'd eaten every kind of delicacy over the years. Hashirama's words went in one ear and out the other.
But Renya understood the underlying message perfectly: growing stronger was the true priority of a ninja.
"Madara-sama is right," Renya replied with a polite smile. "Please, both of you, wait in the living room. The food will be ready soon."
"Come on, Madara, let's not disturb him while he cooks." Hashirama grabbed Madara and led him toward the living room.
Right now, he was focused on tasting Renya's cooking as soon as possible.
As Madara stepped into the living room, his eyes drifted lazily across the furnishings… until they landed on something atop the table.
His expression, calm and indifferent until now, changed for the first time.
There, resting silently on the tabletop, was [Immaculate].
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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