Jie almost laughed when he heard Madara's plan.
It was not because Madara wanted peace. That goal was not wrong. The problem was that Madara still did not understand the gap between them, nor did he fully understand the gap between himself and Hashirama.
Jie's chakra was deeply restrained because his Six Paths transformation was nearing completion. Madara could sense that he was powerful, but not how powerful.
That alone showed the difference.
And if Madara could misjudge Jie like this, then his confidence against Hashirama was not as solid as he thought.
In Jie's memory, Madara and Hashirama had fought many times. Once Hashirama mastered Sage Art and Wood Release, however, the balance had already begun to tilt. Even the final battle at the Valley of the End had only ended the way it did because Madara used Izanagi to survive.
Without that, he would have died.
Thinking of that battle, Jie suddenly had another idea.
He had already changed Roran's fate. Since he had come to this era, there was no reason to merely watch Madara and Hashirama repeat the same path.
The Madara in front of him had not yet been led astray by Black Zetsu or the Eye of the Moon Plan. He was still fighting for the Uchiha and for peace in the only way he understood.
That made him worth interfering with.
Madara noticed Jie's expression and felt a slight chill, as if this unknown clansman had thought of something troubling. But when he looked again, Jie's face was already normal.
Madara pushed the feeling aside.
"So, Jie," he said seriously, "will you help me?"
He paused, then added, "If you do, once this war ends, I can give you whatever position you ask for in the clan."
Jie smiled.
Once the month ended, he would return to his own era and continue being Hokage. He had no intention of staying here.
"I can help you," Jie said. "But I won't fight Tobirama for you."
Madara frowned.
Before he could speak, Jie continued, "Your brother's death is something you should settle yourself."
"For the next few days, I'll teach you something new. If you can learn it, defeating Hashirama should no longer be impossible."
Madara fell silent.
To him, Jie's answer sounded like a refusal. Teaching him something new felt more like an excuse than real support.
As for defeating Hashirama, Madara did not think he needed someone else to tell him how. If necessary, he would push the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan further than ever before.
The conversation seemed to have reached its end. Madara sighed and stood with the wine bottle in hand.
Jie spoke before he could leave.
"Are you not even curious about what I plan to teach you?"
Jie continued, his tone casual.
"...That's a pity. I was considering teaching you Sage Mode so you could stand on the same ground as Hashirama."
Madara turned around quickly.
"What?... You know Sage Mode?"
The reaction was exactly what Jie expected.
For Madara, those two words mattered more than almost anything else Jie could have said.
Hashirama's Sage Mode had been the thing that pushed him ahead. Madara had only managed to keep pace after awakening the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan with Izuna's eyes.
Sage Mode was not some ordinary technique.
At their level, even a small difference could decide a battle. Sage Mode was much more than a small difference.
If Jie truly knew how to teach it, then the next fight with Hashirama could change completely.
Jie smiled faintly.
"I do."
Madara stared at him. "Can you really teach it?"
"That depends on whether you can learn it."
Jie knew several paths to Sage Mode.
But Shikkotsu Forest was out. He did not know its method, and that was likely the one Hashirama had learned.
His own Sage Mode was also impossible. It had been created around his body, chakra, and Six Paths transformation. Others had no way to copy it.
Mount Myōboku's method was powerful, but it required too much time. Jie had mastered it quickly only because of the system and his own foundation. Even with Madara's talent, a few days would not be enough.
That left Ryūchi Cave.
Its Sage Mode was more aggressive, and its nature suited Madara better. More importantly, Jie could start the process directly by injecting Ryūchi Cave's senjutsu chakra into his body.
Normally, that role belonged to the White Snake Sage, but Jie could do it himself.
He raised one hand.
Senjutsu chakra gathered in his palm, condensing into a small sphere. It was dense and cold, carrying the unique nature of Ryūchi Cave.
Madara immediately became serious. Before he could ask anything else, Jie pressed the sphere into his chakra pathway.
The senjutsu chakra entered Madara's body. His face changed at once.
This energy was nothing like ordinary chakra. It was heavier, wilder, and far harder to control. The moment it entered his body, it began spreading through his pathways, trying to change him from within.
Jie stepped back and watched.
He believed Madara had the talent to endure it. Even among Indra's reincarnations, Madara stood at the peak of what a normal ninja could reach.
But belief was not certainty.
If Madara controlled the senjutsu chakra, he would gain the chance to learn Ryūchi Cave's Sage Mode.
If he failed, that same chakra would transform his body.
Jie had no intention of helping with that. He wanted to change this era, but not by protecting Madara from every consequence. If Madara could not pass this test, then there would be no point in putting him against Hashirama.
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