Watching the stone finally reach the opposite bank, Hashirama seemed to experience a sudden epiphany. He stood up numbly, staring blankly at Uchiha Madara beside him.
The look in his eyes was like someone gazing at a dear friend they had been waiting years to meet. Paired with Madara's current confident smile, the entire scene practically radiated an intense, undeniable bromance.
Madara turned to him and said, "Even if I can't see what's inside your heart, I do know one thing about you..."
"What?"
"Whether it's your haircut or your clothes, they are both incredibly tacky," Madara teased, his tone suddenly shifting to mockery.
Well said! Standing off to the side, Xuan mentally cheered. Hashirama's bowl-cut and atrocious fashion sense were things he had desperately wanted to roast for a long time.
Watching the two of them interact, a profound sense of realization washed over Xuan. As expected of the reincarnations of Indra and Asura. Even if they are reborn into rival clans, the moment they meet, they are unconsciously drawn to each other. I suppose this is the 'bond' everyone always talks about in Naruto.
Thinking of this, Xuan suddenly stood up and chuckled. "Since the two of you want to change this broken world so badly, why don't we start with the three of us?"
Madara and Hashirama simultaneously turned to look at him, thoroughly confused. "What do you mean?"
Xuan smirked. He suddenly slammed his hand against the ground. With a loud poof of white smoke, a traditional wooden offering altar materialized. Atop the altar sat three bowls of clear sake and an incense burner with three long sticks of incense already lit.
"What is this?"
"It's an application of my space-time Ninjutsu. Pretty amazing, right?"
"That's not what I was asking..."
Xuan laughed it off, but his expression abruptly turned dead serious. "Madara just said that if we truly want to change this world, the only way is to completely lay our hearts bare to our enemies, hide nothing, and swear an oath of brotherhood. If that's true, let's start with us three. Right here, right now, we throw away all the stupid rules of the shinobi. We reveal our surnames to each other and become sworn brothers. If we can't even back up our own words and do something this simple, what right do we have to talk about changing the world?"
Xuan's speech left the two boys absolutely stunned. They stared at him blankly, completely at a loss for words.
Xuan smiled effortlessly. "I'll go first, then. My original surname is Uchiha. I am Uchiha Xuan. It's a pleasure to officially meet you."
"Xuan... you...!" Madara stared at him in absolute shock, his gaze incredibly complex. He opened his mouth to say something but forcefully swallowed the words, his face twisting in a violent struggle of hesitation and conflict.
Xuan stared unblinkingly at the two of them. "I have already given you my answer. Now, it's your turn."
Hashirama's fists unconsciously clenched tight. He lowered his head, his entire body trembling slightly. It was impossible to tell exactly what kind of chaotic emotions were warring within his heart.
Suddenly, he violently threw his head back. Tears were streaming down his face, yet he wore the absolute brightest, most radiant smile imaginable. "We can do it! We absolutely can! As long as we lay our hearts bare to one another, as long as the three of us join hands, we can definitely change this world! I am Hashirama! Senju Hashirama! Please take care of me!"
"Madara. Where is your answer?" Xuan turned his gaze to Madara.
Hearing the words 'Senju Hashirama' leave the boy's mouth, Madara's entire body jolted. The deep conflict and gloom on his face gradually melted away. He opened his mouth and said, "I am Madara. Uchiha Madara. Please take care of me."
The three young boys—who were only meeting for the second time in their lives—looked at each other and burst into joyous, unrestrained laughter.
Xuan pointed at the offering altar. "Let's swear the oath. From today onward, we are brothers."
On the banks of the long river, the three boys knelt in a row before the altar. Bowing deeply to the heavens and the gods, they recited the oath to become sworn brothers. Yet, the thoughts and emotions swirling in each of their minds were vastly different.
On the surface, Uchiha Madara looked resolute, but a faint trace of hesitation lingered deep in his eyes. He truly didn't know if he was making the right choice. The Senju were his sworn enemies, yet he was now blood-brothers with one. If the day ever came where he was forced to choose on the battlefield, would he be able to uphold the oath he swore today? He didn't know...
Senju Hashirama wore a brilliantly radiant smile. He firmly believed this was a divine revelation from the heavens. A Senju and two Uchiha had laid their hearts bare to one another. As long as the three of them stood united, they could definitely bring an end to the endless, bloody feud between their clans. They could definitely fix this broken world.
Xuan's expression was incredibly tranquil. Although he was bowing respectfully, his eyes were crystal clear and calculating. As he pressed his forehead to the dirt, his gaze shifted subtly toward the distant forest. There was nothing there, but he firmly believed that an invisible pair of eyes was silently watching this exact moment unfold.
The owner of those eyes was named Black Zetsu—the deepest, most heavily concealed ultimate mastermind of the original story, whose singular goal was to resurrect Kaguya Ōtsutsuki, the mother of the Sage of Six Paths.
Long ago, when he first transmigrated and the System issued the main quest to unify the world, Xuan had immediately thought of this entity. If Xuan wanted to become the ultimate Final Boss of the Naruto world and unify the globe, Black Zetsu was his most direct, immediate competitor. Peers in the same industry are natural enemies—that logic applied everywhere.
Unfortunately, Black Zetsu was simply too good at hiding; he never left behind a single trace. Xuan hadn't even seen a ghost of the creature yet. But that didn't matter. Just because he couldn't find Black Zetsu didn't mean he couldn't force the creature to expose itself.
By doing something exactly like... what he was doing right now.
Heh. Black Zetsu. Uchiha Madara and Senju Hashirama have just laid their hearts bare and become sworn brothers. I bet you didn't see that coming, did you? My first piece is on the board. How are you going to respond?
Smiling inwardly, Xuan maintained a perfectly solemn face. Moving in absolute sync with Madara and Hashirama, he kowtowed heavily against the dirt, swearing an oath to never betray his brothers.
The three of them stood up, picked up the bowls of sake from the altar, and downed them in a single gulp.
With the heavy knots in their hearts completely untied, the three boys chatted freely and happily for a long time. It wasn't until dusk began to settle that Hashirama suddenly gasped. "Oh crap! I'm going to be late! I have to go first! Let's rendezvous here again next time!"
With that, he hopped across the river surface and disappeared into the trees on the opposite bank.
Madara and Xuan exchanged a look before heading back toward the Uchiha compound. Along the way, Madara was visibly buzzing with excitement. He secretly clenched his fists, genuinely believing that the time to change the world had finally arrived. As for the bitter feud between the Senju and the Uchiha, the ocean of blood between their clans, and the unimaginable pressure he would face if the clan discovered this—he deliberately shoved all of it to the back of his mind.
Xuan smiled and played along, echoing his sentiments, which only made Madara feel even more ambitious and eager to make a massive splash in the world.
Upon returning to the compound, the two parted ways. When Xuan arrived at his manor, his little maid had already prepared a hot dinner for him.
As he ate, his mind raced. By forcibly inserting himself into the narrative today, how would the future unfold? Would Madara and Hashirama still have their ultimate, tragic falling out? How exactly would Black Zetsu react? Everything was an unknown variable now.
He smiled softly to himself. But the unknown is what makes this fun, isn't it? If everything just rigidly followed the original plot, what would be the point of me even coming to this world?
After finishing dinner, he quietly called Hotaru over and gave her a hushed order. "Secretly procure a full-body black cloak for me. Make sure it's sized for an adult. Also, find me a mask with a spiral pattern. I'm going to need them later."
Ever since the night she had saved him, he trusted the little maid implicitly.
Dismissing her, he opened the System redemption interface in his mind. Staring at his balance of 20,000 points, he smiled bitterly. He had originally planned to stockpile them to purchase a fully matured Mangekyō Sharingan, but it seemed he couldn't afford to hoard them just yet.
"System. Redeem Intangibility."
[Intangibility (Right Eye Kamui). Rank: S. Mangekyō Sharingan Visual Prowess. Cost: 10,000 Points. Prerequisite: Mangekyō Sharingan. Detected that the Host possesses a Three-Tomoe Sharingan. Host may forcibly redeem this ability for an additional 5,000 Points. Confirm redemption?]
"Confirm."
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