"Madara-sama, what are you doing?"
Inside the cave, Renya entered and immediately saw Uchiha Madara standing with his back to him, in front of Senju Hashirama's bed, doing something that looked rather suspicious.
"Kid, what are you doing here?" Uchiha Madara turned around in surprise.
He had been completely focused on observing the changes in Hashirama's body and hadn't noticed the faint sound behind him at all.
"Are you feeding Hashirama-san your own flesh and blood?" Renya stepped closer and looked at Madara's bleeding left hand, then at the blood around Hashirama's mouth. He quickly understood what was going on.
No wonder Hashirama-san was still alive.
So Madara-sama had been feeding him his own flesh.
The fusion of Indra's and Asura's cells had once allowed Uchiha Madara to awaken the Rinnegan, so using the same method to repair Senju Hashirama's wounds seemed perfectly reasonable.
Renya couldn't help wondering—would Hashirama-san also awaken the Rinnegan because of this?
And would a face of his closest friend appear on his chest, just like Madara's?
If Madara weren't standing right here, Renya would've been tempted to lift Hashirama-san's shirt to check for himself.
"Hmm. My flesh can temporarily repair the injuries on Hashirama's body," Uchiha Madara said softly.
Since Renya had already seen everything, there was no point in hiding it.
Besides, this kid wasn't really an outsider.
"I see," Renya nodded, understanding the principle behind it.
But... only temporarily?
Didn't that mean Madara would have to regularly cut off pieces of himself to feed Hashirama?
Instinctively, his eyes drifted to Madara's wounded arm. Ever since Madara had implanted Hashirama's cells, his regenerative abilities had improved tremendously.
Just a moment ago his arm had been bleeding profusely, but now it had already stopped.
It wouldn't be long before the missing flesh regrew completely. One had to admit—the power of Hashirama's cells was indeed terrifying.
"Kid, what brings you here to find us?" Uchiha Madara turned his head and asked.
Wasn't that Senju Tobirama forbidding this boy from leaving the village?
When he had learned of that restriction, if it hadn't been for Hashirama's desperate attempts to stop him, Madara would've gone straight to Konoha and killed Senju Tobirama on the spot.
Wasn't that just blatant suppression of personal freedom?
Because of that, it had already been over three years since he and Hashirama had last seen Renya.
He hadn't expected the boy to show up today—it was quite a surprise.
"Hashirama-san thought I was sleeping too much, so he made me leave the village for a mission—to help me kick the habit," Renya said honestly.
"Senju Tobirama is truly senile," Uchiha Madara snorted coldly. "He doesn't even let people take naps anymore. Might as well throw him out and take the Hokage's seat ourselves."
"Hehe..." Renya gave a wry smile. Was this really something he should be saying out loud?
If the hawkish Uchiha clansmen heard such words, they would immediately stir up a coup without hesitation.
After all, Madara-sama himself had just spoken—it would be their duty to make an Uchiha the next Hokage!
"Madara-sama, I have no interest in becoming Hokage."
Uchiha Madara gave him a long, searching look, his thoughts unreadable.
After a brief silence, he finally said in a low voice,
"You're right. Hokage means nothing. It can't change the shinobi world as it is."
The shinobi world might appear peaceful on the surface, but beneath it, dark currents surged.
Every hidden village was secretly amassing strength, and once the time was ripe, they would not hesitate to start another war.
The shinobi world had already rotted from within. Only he could change its current state—only he could bring true peace to the ninja.
But even after more than ten years, Madara still hadn't awakened the Rinnegan.
This made him anxious. His body was already deteriorating. In a few decades, he might not even live to see his ideals realized.
That's why he needed someone who could inherit his dream.
Madara's gaze settled on Renya. This boy had always been the successor he believed in.
Too bad... Renya had never agreed with his ideals and had rejected his invitations time and again.
"Kid, how about coming with me this time?"
He knew Renya probably wouldn't agree, but he asked anyway.
While he still had the strength, it was time to lay the groundwork for the future.
And Renya—he was the perfect candidate to carry out the "Eye of the Moon Plan" in his stead!
Renya froze in place upon hearing those words.
He had waited years for this moment. Madara had finally invited him again!
As long as he joined the "Eye of the Moon Plan," Madara would stop targeting his friends and family.
When Uchiha Madara saw Renya remain silent, a trace of sadness flickered in his eyes, followed by a quiet sigh.
So be it. Truly, there was not a single clansman willing to follow him.
Even the junior he admired most was no exception.
A bunch of short-sighted fools—they had no idea what the "Eye of the Moon Plan" really meant.
Just as Madara sank into silent sorrow, Renya's voice suddenly rang out, filled with excitement.
"Madara-sama, I'm willing!"
"What did you say?" Uchiha Madara looked utterly stunned.
Did he hear that right?
This kid had actually accepted his invitation?!
"Madara-sama, I'm willing to join the 'Eye of the Moon Plan,'" Renya said seriously. "The shinobi world has completely decayed. I want to follow you—to bring true peace to this world!"
He wasn't speaking without reason. Back in the Hokage's office, he had discovered reports showing that the Land of Lightning, the Land of Earth, and the Land of Water were all secretly building up their forces.
Once they recovered, another war would inevitably break out.
Using this speech to persuade Uchiha Madara would definitely work.
"Wherever there are people, there will be war. That's something we can't avoid."
"I've seen too much suffering over the years, yet I was powerless to stop it."
"It made me realize... only you can change everything."
"Only by joining you can I bring true peace to the shinobi world—so that everyone can live in happiness!"
Renya had prepared this speech years ago. The only problem was, Madara hadn't invited him again—until now.
Finally, he could use it.
Seeing the look of satisfaction on Madara's face, Renya knew this plan was working perfectly.
Sure enough, there was open admiration in Uchiha Madara's eyes as he clapped softly.
"Kid, you're absolutely right."
"Only by joining me can true peace be achieved! Those short-sighted fools will never understand what we're trying to do!"
As expected of the only junior he had ever truly acknowledged—even their thoughts were aligned.
Renya nodded earnestly. "Madara-sama, you're exactly right!"
It was clear that Madara had been completely taken in by his words.
For now, he just needed to keep things stable. After a decade or so, he could tell Madara the truth.
"Madara-sama, I'll continue lying low in Konoha. When the time comes for you to execute the plan, I'll come to assist you immediately!"
Renya added a quick precaution—joining the "Eye of the Moon Plan" didn't mean he'd abandon the village.
"Mm." Uchiha Madara didn't care about that.
As long as the boy agreed to join the plan, that was enough.
Until he awakened the Rinnegan, Renya could do whatever he wanted.
"Madara, Renya—what are you two talking about?"