Deep down, Uchiha Madara was starting to believe what Hirofumi Ito had told him, even if he couldn't fully accept it yet.
Sure, the Uchiha clan had betrayed him back in the day, but they were still his clan! The Uchiha, a family that shone brighter than any other during the Warring States era. And now, what? They were just… gone? Wiped out?
The thought sent a storm of conflicting emotions swirling through Madara's heart.
"Kid," Madara said, his voice heavy with suppressed chakra, "you seem to know a lot. So tell me—how exactly did the Uchiha clan get wiped out? What happened? Who was responsible?!"
Each word dripped with barely contained rage, especially when he said "who was responsible." Even though Hirofumi was just a chakra clone in this summoning space, he could feel the terrifying pressure radiating from Madara.
Seeing Madara sitting there, Hirofumi plopped down on the ground across from him. "Well, it's a long story. Like a kid without a mom—takes a while to tell, and by the end, the kid's still got no mom…"
"Cut to the chase!" Madara snapped.
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"Alright, fine. It all started back in the Warring States era…" Hirofumi began.
Madara blinked, caught off guard. "The Warring States era? That's my time! The Uchiha were at their peak back then! What does that have to do with their extinction?!"
Hirofumi's voice continued, unfazed. "So, during the Warring States era, two ridiculously powerful ninjas showed up. One was named Hashirama Senju, and the other was Uchiha Madara…"
Madara's face grew weirder with every word. Was this kid seriously about to give him a history lesson on the Warring States era and the founding of Konoha?
"Kid!" Madara interrupted, exasperated. "I'm asking you why the Uchiha were wiped out and who did it! Why are you rambling about the Warring States era? I lived through it! You think I don't know what happened back then?!"
"Geez, chill out, you're getting all worked up again," Hirofumi said, waving a hand.
"Argh! Kid, my patience has limits!" Madara growled. "Keep stalling, and you can forget about me teaching you anything!"
"Alright, alright, I'll keep it short," Hirofumi relented. "Basically, after the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, took over, he started cracking down on the Uchiha clan."
"That much I know!" Madara spat. "That scheming Tobirama! Always going on about the 'evil Uchiha.' If you ask me, he was the most treacherous snake in the world!"
"Yup," Hirofumi continued. "And the current Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, was Tobirama's student. So was that Danzo Shimura guy you saw today. They both inherited Tobirama's brilliant philosophy: the Uchiha are evil, the Uchiha are unstable. So, with Hiruzen's silent approval and Danzo's scheming, the Uchiha massacre happened. The clan was slaughtered, leaving only Sasuke Uchiha as the sole survivor in Konoha. Oh, and all the dead Uchihas? Their eyes were gouged out. Danzo's got a whole collection of Sharingan implanted in his arm."
Madara's face darkened, his expression like a storm about to break. "So, the masterminds behind this were Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzo Shimura?"
"Yup," Hirofumi confirmed.
"And who carried it out?" Madara pressed. "It can't have been the entire village, right? The Uchiha were strong. I refuse to believe those two alone could wipe them out!"
"You're wrong there," Hirofumi said. "The rest of the village didn't lift a finger. Not even Hiruzen or Danzo themselves got their hands dirty."
"Then who did it?!" Madara demanded.
"Uchiha Itachi," Hirofumi replied.
"What?!" Madara's eyes widened in disbelief. "Uchiha Itachi? The one you mentioned before, the other surviving Uchiha outside the village? He's an Uchiha! Why would he turn on his own clan?!"
Madara was practically shaking with fury. The idea that an Uchiha would destroy their own clan was more unthinkable than Hashirama suddenly becoming a genius.
"I only agreed to tell you about the eyes on Danzo's arm," Hirofumi said, smirking. "Anything else? That's gonna cost extra."
"Kid, what more do you want?!" Madara growled.
"Gotta pay up!" Hirofumi said cheekily.
"What's the price?!"
"Fight for me. Just once."
"Absolutely not!" Madara roared. "No way in hell!"
Hirofumi's shoulders slumped, though he'd expected as much. A single piece of intel wasn't enough to get the Asura of the Ninja World to do his bidding. Still, it was worth a shot.
"Fine, whatever," Hirofumi said. "I already told you what you wanted to know. Starting today, you're gonna train me properly, right? The great Asura of the Ninja World wouldn't go back on his word, would he? Especially since I might just summon Hashirama Senju someday. You wouldn't want him to find out you're a liar, would you? Heh heh heh heh heh!"
Madara snorted. "Tch, you think I'm some kind of coward, kid? I said I'd train you, and I will. But don't expect me to go easy on you. My training's brutal—hope you can handle it!"
"Sweet, we've got a deal!" Hirofumi said. "Alright, I'm almost home. Catch you later!"
With that, Hirofumi's figure vanished from the summoning space, leaving Madara alone, his expression unreadable.
The fall of the Uchiha clan hit Madara hard. Sure, they'd betrayed him, but they were still his family. After a long silence, he pushed the thoughts aside.
"Hmph! You cheeky little brat," Madara muttered. "You want me to train you properly? Fine. I'll train you, alright. That contract might stop me from killing you, but when it comes to training… let's just say I'll make you regret it! Heh heh heh heh heh!"
Madara let out a strange, cackling laugh, then quickly clamped a hand over his mouth. "Damn it! That laugh is ridiculous! Did that kid rub off on me or something? …Though, it's kinda catchy. Heh heh heh heh heh!"