Inside Madara, Isshiki made a gesture as though pinching his nose shut.
He was about to pass out from the stench of the shinobi world's bonds and overwhelmingly intense emotions.
'Wait...'
'What are all of you even doing?!'
'I gave you the power of the Ōtsutsuki so that you Uchiha, obsessed with pursuing power, would go mad for it and continuously stir up wars throughout the shinobi world!'
'You don't even know how to appreciate Kāma, the Ōtsutsuki Clan's standard-issue premium product?!'
'As expected of a bunch of inferior creatures who've never had anything good before...'
'Why are you sitting around thinking about this and that? Just kill everyone who opposes you!'
Isshiki, in a rare moment, actually cursed.
'Fuck me!'
Isshiki made a decision.
If the day ever came when he returned to his peak, then after defeating Sarutobi Hiruzen, he absolutely had to ask him something.
Just how did Hiruzen manage to remain an emotionally stable leader among these humanoid creatures?
Isshiki had only watched a single episode of Izuna and Madara reuniting, and his sheltered self was already struggling to take it.
The Ōtsutsuki Clan favored atomization. Most of the time, everyone simply went about their own business...
No one knew how long they hugged.
Eventually, Madara and Izuna separated.
Before Madara could even react, Izuna spoke again with an apologetic expression.
"I'm sorry, Brother... Actually, while I was inside Seisui, I was conscious. I knew about everything involving the Crimson Organization."
"But because I kept traveling back and forth to the Pure Land and returned to the shinobi world through methods other than Yata Mitama, my memories from the living world became somewhat sluggish, almost like when I had just died during the Warring States Period..."
However, that was a lie.
It was simply a way for Izuna to give Madara an out.
A tiny white lie told with good intentions.
After all, Izuna had been revived, while in Madara's current state, he clearly wouldn't be able to reach the Pure Land anytime soon.
And with Yata Mitama serving as an additional complicating factor, there was no way to disprove it...
Madara clearly appreciated the gesture. Despite being visibly delighted, he deliberately put on a stern face.
"Stop apologizing, Izuna! All you did was mistake me for Senju Tobirama. Even if you genuinely got it wrong, that only proves that as your older brother, I'm indeed more cunning than you..."
"I'm simply too good. You can't be blamed for that."
Izuna's expression became subtle.
Ever since they were children, Madara had always wanted to prove that not only was his power world-shaking, but his intellect was also among the finest in the Uchiha Clan—even surpassing his younger brother's...
"Mm-hmm. You're right, Brother."
"What is that 'mm-hmm' supposed to mean?" Madara asked, eyeing Izuna suspiciously.
The brothers stared at each other before suddenly bursting into laughter, just as they had sixty years ago.
Isshiki listened in silence.
He was beginning to regret his decision and found himself considering a question.
Back then, should he have simply endured the pressure from that Ōtsutsuki and forcibly implanted Kāma into Sarutobi Hiruzen?
It wasn't that Isshiki couldn't take it.
Rather, Isshiki had discovered that Uchiha Madara's thoughts were extraordinarily chaotic. It was extremely difficult to scheme against someone like that...
Because he would think one thing today, then change his mind the very next day...
Izuna sat beside Madara and listened as he explained the Infinite Tsukuyomi plan, question mark after question mark practically appearing over his head.
In fact, Konoha's Medical Department currently had a somewhat similar program.
For example, if a shinobi developed a truly incurable terminal illness, or years of accumulated hidden injuries suddenly erupted and left them suffering terribly near the end of their life...
Then after multiple rounds of review and approval signed by several Konoha Council Members, a shinobi from the Kurama or Uchiha Clan could place them under genjutsu, allowing them to peacefully leave the shinobi world while immersed in a pleasant dream.
The difference was that Konoha did this out of compassion.
Madara, meanwhile, wanted to forcibly euthanize the entire shinobi world!
Izuna could barely keep his composure, the corner of his mouth twitching repeatedly.
He had expected his brother to be somewhat irrational, but he hadn't expected him to be this insane...
If he liked Infinite Tsukuyomi so much, couldn't he just cast it on himself? Why force it onto everyone else, especially when Konoha was flourishing like this...?
In the past, Infinite Tsukuyomi actually would have found some support in the shinobi world.
But under Sarutobi Hiruzen's development of Konoha and the Will of Fire, many aspects of life had improved beyond anything shinobi had previously considered possible. Some of it was more than they would have dared dream of...
More importantly, these improvements to the shinobi world weren't Sarutobi Hiruzen's achievement alone. They were the result of the sweat and effort of every Konoha-aligned shinobi.
Everyone treasured these tangible results.
At that moment.
A spiral-shaped spatial ripple appeared.
After receiving Sarutobi Hiruzen's approval, Obito had rushed over as quickly as he could...
He was terrified that the Great Clan Head would have another episode!
Over the past few days, after some guidance from Hi-kun, Obito had belatedly realized something...
He was serving at the Ninja Academy as the jōnin instructor of its elite students, had become Lord Hokage's first Shadow Guard and a member of Root, had taken a photo with Lord Hokage when he was little, and was Minato's student...
And then there was his unusual relationship with all these old fossils from the Warring States Period.
His chances of becoming Hokage really were much higher than Kakashi's!
No wonder Kakashi had voluntarily offered to become his second-in-command...
When Obito told Hi-kun what he had realized, Hi-kun stared at him in astonishment and once again gained a profound appreciation for the power of Konoha's great bonds.
'So even after getting both Kamui, you're still thinking about Kakashi every day?'
Hi-kun couldn't help wondering.
Could Might Guy, who also talked about Kakashi every day, be just like Obito—possessing tremendous power yet still unable to stop obsessing over that masked guy?
"Oh, Great Clan Head, my dear sensei, you're thinking about that Infinite Tsukuyomi again..."
As soon as Obito arrived and heard Uchiha Madara muttering to himself, his voice reached them before he did.
"Please stop bringing that thing up. I tell the kids at the Ninja Academy every day about how far-sighted you are..."
"I don't even dare tell them about Infinite Tsukuyomi! What if the kids decide peace can be achieved just by dreaming and stop working hard at their training?"
"You have no idea how many kids idolize you. And not just members of the Uchiha Clan. Lots of kids without much talent say you didn't awaken your Sharingan until your teens, so you're the perfect example of someone whose hard work took time to bear fruit..."
"There's even a kid named Rock Lee who hasn't entered the Ninja Academy yet, but he's already gradually increasing his training. His usual slogan is all about following the Shura of the Shinobi World's youthful example..."
After Obito had undergone Madara's training and the Sharingan Awakening Plan had been peacefully resolved, their relationship had fundamentally changed.
From their original positions as pawn and player, they had gradually begun to resemble a grandfather and grandson...
The two really were quite compatible.
An Obito who had never fallen into darkness had an enthusiastic personality. Even as a child, he could blush while praising Kakashi for being amazing, and Madara happened to be particularly susceptible to that kind of thing...
"Enough, enough! Stop talking about all that useless stuff!"
Seeing Obito arrive, Madara waved a hand. His face was dark, but the corners of his mouth had risen as he listened.
"Things are different now. The Infinite Tsukuyomi plan has already been shelved."
"But the tests for Konoha and the Will of Fire aren't over yet. Don't think you can sweet-talk me out of them..."
"The last stretch of a journey is often the hardest. Hiruzen said that. You'd do well to learn from it!"
Obito rolled his eyes and set down the bags and packages he was carrying.
"These are Konoha's latest cell phones. I asked Lord Hokage for two of them. They're registered under my real name, so posts from them usually won't get blocked, but please show some restraint..."
"I mean, I guess you can insult Lord Second if you really want to, but could you at least be a little more subtle about it...?"
Obito raised his head and only then noticed Uchiha Izuna standing nearby. He froze.
"Young Clan Head, you've been revived too? And you're not even an Impure World Reincarnation..."
Izuna paused.
'This kid has pretty good eyes, doesn't he?'
'As expected of someone with the Mangekyō Sharingan...'
It was worth mentioning that before Tobirama and Izuna worked together to extract the negative emotions from the Box of Ultimate Bliss, perfectly seal Satori inside Tobirama, and turn him into a jinchūriki...
Tobirama had allowed Izuna to possess his body and meet the village's younger generation of shinobi, including Asuma, Kakashi, Guy, and Obito. As Konoha 004, Izuna had offered them some words of encouragement...
Technically, he should have been Konoha 005, since Mito was also there, but she had generously chosen not to make an issue of it...
Izuna had encouraged them to keep working hard and had even sincerely asked them to be patient with the Uchiha Clan's shinobi if they ever did anything wrong.
For the sake of the Uchiha, Izuna had completely set aside the pride of a Young Clan Head.
In a sense, Izuna's apologies and requests weren't all that different from Danzō's...
Madara silently picked up the phone, skillfully logged into the Shinobi World Forum, and smiled faintly.
He immediately made a post.
[What do you all think about the Impure World Reincarnation? It lets people fulfill their dreams. Feels kind of sacred...]
[Whoever invented a technique like this must have had tremendous love in his heart! Sincere question from a genin of the shinobi world.]
[IP: Unable to Display.]
[ID: Flying Thunder God Never Loses.]
Madara nodded in satisfaction.
The Shinobi Network clearly changed people. Even the former Shura of the Shinobi World had learned to put on a mask while arguing with other shinobi online and had begun enjoying the fun of trolling...
He had even stolen Uzumaki Ashina's sentence structure.
The Copy Eye truly lived up to its name.
"I brought you some of your favorites too. There are also some of Konoha's new barbecue dishes and desserts. I didn't know which ones you'd like, so I used my Root allowance to buy all of them for you to try..."
"I've got to go. Lord Hokage has been having me train in space-time sealing formulas lately, and I can't be late. I only slipped away for a moment to come see you. It's been a few days, and I've actually missed you quite a bit..."
Obito said with a grin.
Izuna couldn't help looking at Obito in surprise.
'Well, well. Where did this little expert come from?'
'At his age, he already has this kind of maturity and knows the correct way to talk to Brother!'
Madara coughed heavily and spoke with a stern expression.
"Stop bringing me this useless stuff. I don't need any of it. Just worry about yourself!"
"And wipe that stupid grin off your face. I'm telling you, you haven't passed either. If one day you fail one of my surprise tests and don't possess the necessary caliber, I won't save you even if you die."
Izuna couldn't resist rolling his eyes.
'What the hell...'
'How is this still my brother, Uchiha Madara?'
'Isn't this just our father, Uchiha Tajima, brought back to life?!'
'They're exactly the same...'
But Obito had plenty of experience dealing with Konoha's old men. He merely grinned.
"You can't hit me. Feels like the Eternal Mangekyō isn't as good as Kamui. Maybe I'll make a post about that when I get back..."
The instant Madara glared at him, Obito swiftly slipped into the Kamui dimension.
However, Izuna instantly entered the accelerated state of Kuratsuminomikoto.
"If this involves space, then I have a few things to say to Obito..."
Izuna entered the Kamui dimension together with Obito.
Madara froze.
But with both Obito and Izuna gone, Madara looked around before glancing at Hi-kun.
Understanding immediately, Hi-kun opened the various gifts Obito had brought.
Madara nodded faintly and finally smiled.
"At least the kid has some consideration!"
...
Inside the Kamui dimension.
Obito froze when he saw Izuna.
"How did you—?"
Izuna suddenly vanished, only to reappear directly in front of Obito!
The principle behind the technique was to leave behind a baleful chakra clone capable of exchanging positions with him when entering the Kamui dimension, then simply leave another one after entering.
After Madara strengthened Izuna, the number of baleful chakra clones he could create had increased dramatically.
Obito was startled.
Other than Seisui and Minato-sensei's Flying Thunder God, there was actually someone else capable of countering his Kamui?
As for Sarutobi Hiruzen...
That wasn't countering it.
That was outright nullifying it, and Obito was already running out of ways to deal with him.
Over the past six months of sparring,
Sarutobi Hiruzen's understanding of space had advanced at an astonishing pace in some very strange areas.
It was becoming increasingly difficult for Obito to use Kamui to shift the space around Hiruzen.
In fact, if Obito misjudged the distance while the two of them were sparring, he would unconsciously step into a "Spatial Transfer Prohibition Zone" and become unable to activate Kamui at all.
"Your Kamui truly is powerful, and it doesn't require much complicated control..."
Izuna said softly.
"But techniques this simple often lull people into losing their drive to keep improving. Remember that Kamui isn't invincible. You're an Uchiha with tremendous potential."
"And thank you for looking after Brother all these years."
Izuna actually bowed slightly to Obito.
Obito jumped in alarm and hurriedly helped Izuna straighten up.
"Please don't do that, Young Clan Head!"
"About Hiruzen..."
"Did you tell him that the leader of the Crimson Organization isn't Senju Tobirama, but Brother?"
Izuna asked gravely.
"Lord Hokage actually knew a long time ago. I never told him, but he figured it out anyway. He even completely saw through the Infinite Tsukuyomi and the Great Clan Head's entire thought process."
Obito scratched his head.
"The Great Clan Head got completely figured out..."
Izuna froze.
Even he had mistaken Uchiha Madara for Senju Tobirama...
Yet Sarutobi Hiruzen hadn't?
The Hokage truly was extraordinary!
Could this be the bond between Senju Tobirama and his disciple?
"That bastard really got unbelievably lucky..."
Izuna muttered.
"Young Clan Head, Lord Hokage thinks it might actually be better to let the Great Clan Head continue like this. With him serving as a whetstone, the combat strength of both the shinobi world and Konoha's shinobi can be raised even further."
Obito's expression became extremely serious.
"Lord Hokage said that Sages truly exist in the shinobi world! And there's more than one of them. Some can be reasoned with, while others simply want to destroy the shinobi world..."
"The reason the Great Clan Head has become so strange, to the point that even you find him unfamiliar, is that he was probably possessed by a Sage around fifty years ago."
"Normally, after being possessed by a Sage, the Great Clan Head should have had his body taken over. But he's been unconsciously resisting through sheer willpower. That's why his thoughts keep swinging back and forth..."
Izuna was shocked!
But after thinking carefully about it, everything seemed to fit...
Otherwise, how had his brother awakened those so-called eyes of a Sage?
And how had the Shura of the Shinobi World turned into a mastermind hiding in a cave and plotting from the shadows?
So this was the root of it!
But Izuna didn't ask how Sarutobi Hiruzen knew any of this...
Every leader had to keep the workings of their intelligence network confidential.
"Then it all makes sense... It all makes sense..."
Izuna murmured softly.
"A Sage, huh?"
"Hokage-sama asked me to tell you that Sages are far more terrifying than anyone can imagine. If we tell the Great Clan Head the truth now, without any evidence, it might instead make him feel that everyone has turned against him..."
"If his heart is shaken, it'll give the enemy an opening."
"So we should just let the Great Clan Head do whatever he wants! Originally, I was supposed to keep things from going too far. But now that you're here, I'm sure Hokage-sama will be much more at ease..."
"Hokage-sama said there may be more than one Sage."
Obito's expression grew even more solemn.
"There could be as many as three! In other words, besides the one inside the Great Clan Head, in the worst-case scenario we might have to face three Sages at once..."
The source of this intelligence was Kaguya.
According to the rules of the Ōtsutsuki Clan, both Isshiki and Kaguya had lost contact, so the main family would at minimum send a new pair to investigate.
A combination like Momoshiki and Kinshiki.
The reason Hiruzen said there could be three was because there was another member of the Ōtsutsuki Clan who wasn't particularly strong but always loved joining in wherever something was happening and showing off.
His name was Urashiki.
Put simply, he was the Ōtsutsuki Clan's resident edgelord...
There was a good chance he would come meddle as well.
"Lord Hokage's plan is..."
"He'll take responsibility for dealing with the Sage inside the Great Clan Head, while Konoha, the Crimson Organization, and the entire shinobi world combined need to hold off the other two Sages long enough to buy him time."
"We have to prepare for the worst-case scenario."
Obito looked directly at Izuna.
"Young Clan Head, don't worry. Hokage-sama said that the Great Clan Head is one of Konoha's founders, number 002, and a warrior who has resisted a Sage..."
"He'll do everything he can."
Izuna slowly exhaled.
What else could he possibly say?
The Hokage's reputation for generosity truly was well deserved!
Izuna even had a powerful premonition.
He felt that this so-called Sage might not have possessed Uchiha Madara fifty years ago at all. It might have happened sometime during the past two years, when Madara became active again...
After all, Madara and Hashirama beating each other senseless didn't require a Sage's interference. That was perfectly normal for them.
It was probably just that the Hokage wanted to settle all the old issues at once, so he planned to dump the blame for everything onto this so-called Sage and completely resolve all of Konoha's lingering problems from the past.
Naturally, all of that depended on them winning.
"So the shinobi world's true war is only just beginning?"
"A struggle between Sages and mortals..."
Izuna sighed softly.
"Will we win this time?"
"We will, Young Clan Head."
Obito answered with absolute conviction.
"The Great Clan Head once said that power isn't will. It's a phenomenon produced by matter, so talking about will alone is meaningless... But the Will of Fire is joined together with each individual shinobi..."
"It gives every shinobi illuminated by the Will of Fire both power and conviction!"
Izuna couldn't help laughing.
"Good kid!"
Obito grinned.
"Oh, right. We have visitors from another space-time. Is there anything you'd like me to ask them?"
"It doesn't have much reference value for our own timeline, but it's still pretty interesting. Anything you want to know?"
Izuna paused, then gave a light cough.
"Ask them about Senju Tobirama for me!"
Obito immediately understood and nodded.
The bonds between these old fossils from the Warring States Period really were terrifying...
They cursed each other every day, but when given the chance to ask about someone, they still chose each other...
...
Konoha.
After Naruto and his group from another space-time arrived,
Sarutobi Hiruzen immediately decided to convene a large meeting.
If they were going to compare accounts...
Then they might as well do it openly and compare everything in front of the entire shinobi world!
Otherwise, with the people involved absent and information being passed from person to person, discrepancies were bound to arise...
Every Konoha Council Member was required to attend.
Kirigakure's Nakamaro and Kisame were there, as were Amegakure's Hanzō, Nagato, Konan, and Yahiko...
Even Shima and Fukasaku from Mount Myōboku attended.
But amusingly enough,
because Naruto from the other space-time had only mentioned what happened to Orochimaru, the sight of Naruto looking at Jiraiya with tears in his eyes left the Toad Sage feeling extremely pleased with himself...
He assumed everything had gone quite well for him!
Apparently, even in the other space-time, his life had been smooth sailing...
Hiruzen sat in the Hokage's seat, smoking his pipe and slowly exhaling one plume of smoke after another.
A short while later, Orochimaru, who had been away on official business in Kirigakure, arrived together with Kisame and Nakamaro.
The instant Orochimaru appeared, Jiraiya's eyes lit up. He deliberately drew out his voice and called out with heavy sarcasm, "Well, well, if it isn't Lord Hokage's Assistant?"
"No, wait..."
"So it's First Otokage-sama himself!"
A sense of foreboding flashed through Orochimaru's mind, and his brow furrowed tightly.
'What the hell is this idiot talking about?'
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