Chapter 290 – A Conversation with Mito
"After that, you left to undergo training for three years. When you returned, you already possessed the foundation to become invincible. During the Third Great Ninja War, for Tsunade's sake, you destroyed Sunagakure. Then, for reasons unknown, you stopped taking part in the war altogether. After the Third Great Ninja War ended, you fought the Raikage and revealed a truly unbeatable technique—Limitless. From that moment on, you became the absolute strongest. Afterward, you traveled throughout the ninja world together with Tsunade, and then disappeared without a trace. In addition to that, you have a particular fondness for sweets, and your wife is your childhood friend, Yūhi Kurenai," Mito said, revealing everything she knew about Yusuke in a single breath.
"Not bad. It seems you really put in a lot of effort, Uzumaki Mito," Yusuke said with a faint smile.
"What? Are you angry?" Uzumaki Mito asked, showing no sign of panic at all.
"I'm not angry. It's just a little uncomfortable knowing my personal information can be exposed so easily," Yusuke replied.
"There was no other choice. After all, you're Tsunade's husband. I needed to understand you," Mito said.
When she first learned all of this, she herself had been deeply shocked. The man before her was simply too extraordinary. To think that at just sixteen years old, he had already dominated the entire ninja world.
One had to know that even Senju Hashirama, at the age of sixteen, had only been slightly stronger than an average adult. But when she thought about it carefully, the man standing before her had clearly surpassed Senju Hashirama long ago.
"Alright, that's understandable," Yusuke said casually, switching the arm he was resting on.
"I still have one more question. Since you have the ability to end this war, why don't you intervene? You should know that if that Uchiha truly succeeds in fully obtaining the power of the Eight-Tails and Nine-Tails, his strength will rise to a terrifying level," Uzumaki Mito said.
"Do you know the conditions required to become the Ten-Tails' Jinchūriki?" Yusuke asked in return.
"I don't know, but I assume it has something to do with the Rinnegan," Uzumaki Mito said. She was extremely sharp and immediately arrived at the right conclusion.
"That's correct. Then do you know who possesses those eyes?" Yusuke asked again.
"I don't," Mito shook her head.
"Uchiha Madara," Yusuke said, calmly speaking the name that made Mito's heart tremble.
"Madara? Then… is the ultimate form of the Sharingan the Rinnegan?" Mito asked in shock.
"Exactly. However, to awaken the Rinnegan, one condition is required—the power of both Senju and Uchiha, the power born from all phenomena," Yusuke said flatly.
"Then how did Madara awaken it? If every Uchiha could awaken the Rinnegan, then…" Uzumaki Mito trailed off, not finishing her sentence.
"The reason Madara was able to awaken the Rinnegan is because he fused himself with Senju Hashirama's cells. In his old age, he successfully awakened the Rinnegan. Of course, what you're suggesting—every Uchiha awakening the Rinnegan—is impossible. Uchiha Madara was different from all other Uchiha," Yusuke explained.
"What makes him different?" Mito asked.
"The Sage of Six Paths once had two sons. The elder son was named Indra, and the younger was named Ashura. One inherited the Sage's eyes, the other inherited the Sage's body. These two brothers became the ancestors of the Uchiha clan and the Senju clan. However, they later came into conflict with one another, and their chakra began to reincarnate," Yusuke said.
"When the power of Indra and Ashura merges, the Rinnegan can be awakened. Of course, whether it can truly be awakened or not also depends on the individual's talent," Yusuke continued.
He knew very well that the reincarnations of Ashura and Indra were not limited to just two pairs. Judging by the time span between Madara–Hashirama and Naruto–Sasuke, there had been at least four pairs of reincarnations.
Yet not a single one of them had succeeded in awakening the Rinnegan. He didn't believe Black Zetsu would have simply remained idle during that period.
"So Madara and Hashirama were their reincarnations," Mito said softly.
"That's right. And in this generation, it's those two boys," Yusuke said, pointing toward Naruto and Sasuke, who were currently unleashing their respective powers, Perfect Susanoo blazing on the battlefield.
"So your goal is to train those two boys. But why? By your own words, sooner or later they would reach the level of Hashirama and Madara anyway," Uzumaki Mito asked, confused.
"This time is different. Naruto and Sasuke are the final reincarnations. And when they face the Ten-Tails' Jinchūriki, I believe the Sage of Six Paths will appear to help them awaken the power of Six Paths," Yusuke said.
"Oh? So you're saying those two boys will completely surpass Madara and Hashirama, and reach the same Six Paths level as the Sage of Six Paths?" Mito asked.
"That's right."
"But there's one thing I don't understand. Why are you doing all of this? Honestly, there's no need to go to such lengths," Mito said as she looked at Yusuke, puzzled.
"That's true. There's no need to go this far. However, three people with Six Paths–level power should at least be able to provide me with a bit of entertainment," Yusuke said, a smile curling at the corner of his lips.
Mito stared at Yusuke carefully. At last, she understood why the man before her had done all of this. He wanted to satisfy his own desire to fight. Perhaps this was his tragedy—because he was too strong, he had to raise opponents for himself.
"What you're doing is extremely selfish," Mito said. Even so, there was no trace of accusation in her voice.
"This is what humans are like. Everyone is selfish, aren't they? You are, and Senju Hashirama was as well," Yusuke said.
Mito fell silent.
"Senju Hashirama, in the name of peace, did sacrifice many things—甚至 his own life. In the eyes of many, he appeared incredibly selfless. He even captured the Tailed Beasts and distributed them among the Five Great Nations. But that action was also driven by personal interests. Why did he give them to the Five Great Nations?" Yusuke said, staring ahead.
"Because only the Five Great Nations were capable of threatening Konoha."
"Exactly. He feared that the other four nations might unite. So, in an extremely selfish act, he captured the Tailed Beasts and distributed them among them. To be honest, Senju Hashirama's vision was very narrow. He only worked for the false peace right in front of him, merely to satisfy the idea of peace in his own heart. He never realized that after obtaining the Tailed Beasts, those four great ninja villages became even stronger. He didn't care in the slightest about how much the smaller villages around them suffered. That's why, back then, there were far more people who hated Senju Hashirama than those who admired him," Yusuke said calmly.
"Perhaps he truly was naive and never thought that far ahead. But at his core, he simply dreamed too much. Even in places he couldn't see, countless people suffered because of his decisions. A man who could almost be called foolish like that—what exactly is there about him that deserves my respect?" Yusuke said, smiling as he looked at everything before him.
"Ah, Hashirama… he really was just too naive," Mito said as she gazed at Hashirama's figure.
"But even naivety should have its limits. Fundamentally, the Tailed Beasts are actually easier to get along with than humans, aren't they?" Yusuke said.
As a former Jinchūriki, Mito understood the Nine-Tails all too well. She knew that it was humans who had wounded the Tailed Beasts first.
"That's true. But Yusuke, you also treat too many things as a given. Because you're different from everyone else. Your strength and way of thinking have already surpassed this world. The perspective you see from is something most people will never be able to reach, isn't it? This world itself was never perfect to begin with," Mito said.
"Yes, what you're saying isn't wrong. That's why I never intended to change this world. I only want to change the people around me, so they won't get hurt. The reason I say so many things to them is simply so they won't burden themselves too much," Yusuke said with a faint smile.
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