Under the cover of a dark cloak, Mu slipped into Konoha. Thanks to the overwhelming presence of Hashirama and Madara, the newborn village had yet to install barrier defenses. Mu's infiltration was effortless.
He came for one reason only.
To persuade Tobirama to join him in hunting Madara.
Mu knew the risks of challenging Madara head-on. He needed allies.
From memory, Tobirama had harbored the thought of killing Madara more than once, but his strength wasn't enough, and Hashirama's constant intervention had stopped him every time.
Inside the Hokage Building
Under flickering candlelight, Tobirama's brush scratched quickly across parchment. He was drafting proposals for his envisioned anbu and the Ninja Academy.
Even in the late hours, Tobirama buried himself in work.
"Tobirama, good evening…"
A faint voice broke the silence.
Tobirama's eyes sharpened immediately, his head whipping toward the sound.
From the shadows, cloaked and hooded, Mu stepped into view.
"You… Mu. Appearing here at this hour, what is your purpose?"
Tobirama's tone was cold, wary.
To come uninvited, in the dead of night, could only mean serious business.
Both men were sharp minds of the shinobi world. Tobirama wasn't naïve enough to think Mu came for idle chatter.
Mu calmly walked forward, sitting across from him. The dim light cast half his face in flame's glow, the other half in shadow.
"I've heard rumors… that one of Konoha's founders, Madara, has defected."
Mu spoke flatly.
Tobirama, without lifting his eyes from his papers, replied with equal calm.
"That is Konoha's internal matter. I suggest Iwagakure not interfere."
It was a warning in disguise. Tobirama assumed Mu was prying into Madara's betrayal.
But Mu's eyes narrowed, and he pressed forward.
"I've also heard… that you created many forbidden jutsu."
"During the Warring States period, it was your Flying Thunder God that made you renown throughout the Land of Fire. You even used it to slay Madara's younger brother."
"…Correct."
Tobirama gave a short nod, studying him now.
Those weren't secrets.
Many already knew Tobirama had slaughtered countless foes with that jutsu. What puzzled him was why Mu brought it up.
"I'll be direct. I came here to ask, would you be willing to teach me the Flying Thunder God Technique?"
Tobirama blinked, momentarily stunned.
'This man dares to demand my personal secret technique so openly?'
'Does he truly think I will hand it over?'
A cold smirk crossed Tobirama's lips.
"Heh. You think you're qualified to take my Flying Thunder God course? Don't flatter your..."
Mu cut him off.
"What if I told you… I intend to use it to assassinate Madara?"
The room fell dead silent.
Tobirama's head shot up, his reddish-brown eyes locking onto Mu's face. For a second, he wondered if his ears deceived him.
"Do you even hear yourself?"
He stared hard at the bandaged man, disbelief in every word.
Mu's tone did not waver.
"No. I'm deadly serious. With your Flying Thunder God and my techniques combined, I believe we can finish Madara once and for all."
The flame crackled between them. The weight of his words pressed heavily into the night.
When Tobirama realized Mu truly intended to assassinate Madara, he couldn't help but feel a strange sense of respect.
'Incredible… absolutely incredible.'
Even his elder brother won't raise his hand against Madara. But Mu was plotting to kill him. That takes more nerve than even Hashirama himself.
"Why?" Tobirama asked after steadying his breath. "Why do you want to kill Madara? Did he attack Iwagakure after his defection?"
"If he's declared war on your village, that doesn't mean he represents Konoha."
He was quick to distance Konoha from Madara's actions. The last thing he needed was Mu taking Madara's rampage as justification to drag Konoha into conflict with Iwagakure.
Mu nodded slightly. "Not Iwagakure itself. He ambushed my anbu forces. That alone is enough reason. Since he's no longer part of your Konoha, eliminating him shouldn't be an issue, correct?"
"That much is true," Tobirama admitted. "But if you plan to kill him, why involve me?"
Beneath his bandages, Mu's face darkened.
'Playing dumb, are we?'
"Because I know even I can't take Madara alone. I came to request two things."
"Your Flying Thunder God and your direct participation in the assassination."
"You and Madara have always been at odds. Now that he's a rogue, isn't this the perfect chance to end him?"
The words landed heavily. Tobirama's eyes grew solemn. This was no trivial matter.
Seeing his hesitation, Mu pressed harder.
"Madara's betrayal is a threat not only to Iwagakure but to Konoha itself. He's already seized the Nine-Tails. Inevitably, he'll seek revenge against your village, or even clash with Hashirama."
"If you let him roam free, you'll be raising a tiger that will one day turn on you. Why not strike first and eliminate him before he becomes an unstoppable disaster?"
Every word struck home.
Tobirama had always restrained himself out of duty to the village, out of deference to his brother's ideals.
But Madara was no longer a Leaf Shinobi.
He was a traitor.
And traitors deserved no mercy.
If Madara returned to attack Konoha, the blame would fall squarely on Tobirama for failing to act when he had the chance.
At last, he spoke, his voice low and edged.
"Why should I believe you? Why should I believe you even have the power to kill him? My brother himself may not have the certainty to end Madara's life."
Mu's tone dropped to steel.
"You've seen my technique before. If Madara is caught within it, he dies without question."
Tobirama's mind replayed the memory.
Mu's blinding white cube of chakra tearing through Madara's Susanoo as though it were paper. If that jutsu struck flesh, the result would be absolute.
But the weakness was obvious: the preparation time. Too long. By then, Madara would already be at close range.
Unless…
Unless Flying Thunder God could create the opening.
Tobirama's eyes sharpened with sudden light. This plan wasn't impossible. In fact, it was frighteningly plausible.
Hashirama could never bring himself to kill Madara. But Tobirama was not his brother.
So long as Madara was branded a rogue ninja, his execution would be celebrated, not mourned. Even Hashirama, for the sake of stability, would be forced to accept it.
"…I will never teach you the Flying Thunder God. That is my clan's secret. But…" His voice lowered, cautious. "I will join your plan. I will fight in secret, and together we'll assassinate Madara. My brother must never know."
Behind his bandages, Mu allowed himself a small, satisfied smile. As expected. Tobirama was always the pragmatic one.
But Tobirama wasn't done. His gaze was sharp, calculating.
"Still… just the two of us may not be enough."
Both men, cautious by nature, already knew that to hunt the Ghost of the Uchiha, they would need more than resolve.
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