The air in the room shifted instantly. One moment, Haruto was testing the metallic resonance of the Asura Path, and the next, a cold, oppressive chakra flooded the apartment. A man appeared in a blur of blue armor and fur—Tobirama Senju, the Second Hokage.
Behind him, Kagami Uchiha stood with a look of profound conflict.
Lord Second! What is the meaning of this intrusion?
Miyuki instinctively scooped Haruto into her arms, her three-tomoe Sharingan spinning to life. Beside her, Hiroto shifted into a defensive stance, his hand hovering over his weapon pouch.
Lower your eyes, Miyuki. I am not here as an enemy, but as a pragmatist. Kagami has witnessed something that—by all laws of shinobi history—should not exist.
Tobirama's gaze locked onto Haruto. The infant did not cry. He did not squirm. Instead, Haruto stared back with the rippled, violet ringed eyes of the Rinnegan.
The tension in the room didn't dissipate; it evolved. Tobirama sat cross-legged on the tatami mat, his crimson eyes studying Haruto not as a monster, but as a peerless biological marvel.
There is no use in pretending, child. I have seen the way you track my movements. That is not the gaze of an infant. It is the gaze of a man who understands the weight of the world. A mutation of the brain's development... fascinating.
He's skipped the suspicion and gone straight to the science. If he's willing to treat me as an intellectual equal, I don't need to play the part of a helpless baby. I need to show him I have the Will of Fire.
Haruto straightened his small back, his Rinnegan glowing faintly. He couldn't speak clearly yet—his vocal cords were still physically underdeveloped—but he reached for a calligraphy brush and a piece of parchment. With steady hands, he didn't draw; he wrote a single kanji: "Peace" (平).
Tobirama let out a short, rare breath of a laugh.
Peace, is it? Your father claimed to want the same, yet he chose a path of illusion and desertion. You... you are different. You possess the 'Eyes of God,' yet you seek the stability of the village.
Turning to Miyuki and Hiroto, Tobirama's voice turned commanding, yet protective.
The Uchiha clan is a powder keg. If the radicals find out Madara's son has surpassed their 'God' before he can even walk, they will try to kidnap him or worship him as a messiah. Both lead to ruin. I will be his shield. I will personally oversee his education.
You would do that, Lord Second? Even knowing who his father is?
I judge a man by his actions, not his lineage. If Haruto can master those eyes and maintain that mind, he won't just be a shinobi. He will be the one to succeed my student, Hiruzen, in the future. He is a candidate for the Third Hokage.
Third Hokage? That changes everything. In the original timeline, the Uchiha's tragedy happened because they were pushed to the margins of power. If I—Madara's son—become the Hokage, I can bridge the gap between the Senju and Uchiha forever.
Over the next year, Haruto's "home" became a fortress of learning. Tobirama didn't just teach him Ninjutsu; he taught him Political Science, Economics, and Strategy.
One evening, while practicing the Preta Path to absorb small bursts of chakra, Haruto looked at Tobirama, who was drafting plans for the Konoha Military Police Force.
Tobirama is a pragmatist to the bone. He knows the village needs the Uchiha, but he fears their emotional volatility. If I can show him that the Rinnegan allows me to remain calm—to see the world for what it truly is—I will have his absolute trust.
Haruto. Tomorrow, we go to the Training Grounds. I want to see if your 'Asura Path' can withstand a direct encounter with my Water Release. It's time we see if the son can surpass the shadow of the father.
(Timeskip)
By the age of six, Haruto had become more than just a student to Tobirama; he was a strategic partner. His physical development had finally begun to catch up with his hyper-mature mind, allowing him to perform high-level Chakra Shape Transformation that would take most prodigies decades to master.
In the heart of Training Ground 44, the air hummed with raw energy. In Haruto's right hand, a swirling sphere of pure kinetic force roared—the Rasengan. In his left, a chaotic screech of high-frequency lightning crackled—the Chidori.
Tobirama stood ten paces away, his arms crossed over his fur-lined plate armor. He had watched this six-year-old child systematically deconstruct the laws of ninjutsu to create two entirely new S-rank techniques.
I know these are iconic moves from the future, but bringing them into existence now serves a purpose. It proves to Tobirama that I am not just a 'user' of power, but a 'creator'.
Haruto dispelled both techniques simultaneously, a feat of Chakra Control that made even the Second Hokage's eyebrows twitch. He walked over to the stone pedestal where Tobirama kept his research scrolls.
Lord Second, these techniques... they are incomplete. The Rasengan is the ultimate form of shape transformation, but without an affinity added, it is just a blunt force weapon. The Chidori, while lethal, creates a tunnel-vision effect that makes the user vulnerable to counterattacks unless they possess the Sharingan.
Tobirama took the notes Haruto had meticulously written.
You are handing these over to me? Most clan heirs would hoard such power to bolster their family's standing.
The Uchiha do not need more reasons to be arrogant, and the village does not need more ways to kill. These are Kinjutsu-class threats if used by the wrong people. I request you seal these in the Scroll of Seals. Only those with the Will of Fire and the mental discipline to handle them should ever see these notes.
Tobirama looked at the boy—Madara's face, but the Sage's eyes and a heart that beat for the Leaf.
