"I see…"
After listening to Ren's explanation,
both Tsunade and Shizune finally understood.
At the same time, however, they were deeply astonished.
They didn't even know what to say anymore.
As a branch member of the Senju Clan, awakening Wood Release alone was already incredible.
Yet Ren's Wood Release seemed even more outrageous than the First Hokage's.
It could actually plunder other people's bloodline limits.
"Tsk tsk… you really are bold beyond belief."
Tsunade looked at Ren with admiration.
"Although I don't know exactly what Danzō wants those Sharingan for, the fact that you managed to take some right under Root's nose—and even took away the Uchiha clan's stored ninjutsu and secret technique scrolls—is unbelievable."
"Ren, did you awaken the Mangekyō after devouring those Sharingan?"
Shizune asked curiously as she examined his eyes.
"Originally, I wanted to try devouring them to see if I could awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan."
Ren shrugged.
"But I didn't expect the ocular power and chakra within those Sharingan to resonate with my own."
"I was affected by the residual information within them. Under intense emotional stimulation, my Mangekyō awakened. And after merging their ocular power, it even advanced further."
"I remember that excessive use of the Mangekyō Sharingan eventually leads to blindness."
Tsunade didn't doubt his explanation.
Her expression turned serious as she warned him.
"You need to be careful. Your Wood Release alone is already no weaker than the Sharingan. Don't rely too much on that power."
She wasn't a narrow-minded person.
Nor did she cling stubbornly to clan pride.
Although she disliked the arrogant attitude of the Uchiha clan,
she understood that power itself wasn't good or evil.
What mattered was the person who wielded it.
She didn't hold any resentment about Ren hiding this from her.
She still saw him as her disciple.
Her only worry was that he might become lost in the overwhelming strength of the Mangekyō Sharingan.
Hearing her concern,
Ren felt warmth in his chest.
"You can rest assured, Tsunade-nee. I never intended to rely excessively on the Mangekyō."
He smiled.
"Normally, the Mangekyō Sharingan will gradually lose vision with overuse and eventually lead to blindness."
"But I'm different."
"I possess the Wood Release bloodline, and I devoured a large number of Sharingan, gaining stronger ocular power."
"Just like Uchiha Madara, I have the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan."
"Uchiha Madara?"
"Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan?!"
Upon hearing this,
both Tsunade and Shizune's pupils shrank in shock.
"So that's the case…"
Tsunade nodded slowly, finally relaxing a little.
She wasn't surprised that Ren knew about Madara.
After all, he had looted the Uchiha clan's archives.
It wasn't strange that he had learned about their history.
"A single person possessing both Senju and Uchiha power…"
She looked at Ren, who was only eight years old.
"I'd say you're probably the first in history."
"Yeah, that's true…"
Shizune nodded repeatedly.
She couldn't even imagine how powerful Ren already was.
If he continued to grow,
he might even surpass the First Hokage—the legendary God of Shinobi.
"No, Tsunade-nee."
Ren shook his head.
Through various secret techniques and records he had taken from the Uchiha clan,
he said in a deep voice,
"I suspect Uchiha Madara might not be dead."
To ensure Tsunade would cooperate with his future training,
he decided to reveal some shocking information ahead of time.
Besides, he had indeed visited the Uchiha clan's Naka Shrine.
He knew the contents of that altered stone tablet very well.
"What?!"
Both Tsunade and Shizune widened their eyes instantly.
They stared at Ren in disbelief.
"Ren… you're saying that Uchiha Madara, the man equal to the First Hokage, is still alive?"
Shizune swallowed nervously.
"That's impossible…"
"Don't joke about something like that, Ren."
Tsunade raised her voice.
"I remember that after his final battle with my grandfather, his corpse was brought back. There's no way he could still be alive!"
Even her grandfather, the First Hokage, had died shortly after defeating Madara due to severe injuries.
How could Madara—who had been killed by him—still be alive?
"Tsunade-nee, calm down and listen to me."
Ren reassured her.
"I discovered a technique in the Uchiha clan's secret arts called Transcription Seal."
"Transcription Seal?"
Tsunade frowned.
"What kind of technique is that?"
"It allows a Sharingan user to seal a technique within their own eye—or the target's eye—through eye contact."
"When a certain condition is met, the seal automatically activates and releases the technique."
"But what does that have to do with Madara possibly being alive?"
Shizune asked in confusion.
Tsunade also looked at Ren expectantly.
"That brings us to the Uchiha clan's forbidden technique—Izanagi."
"Izanagi?"
"Uchiha forbidden technique?"
Both Tsunade and Shizune were stunned.
"It's a forbidden technique that sacrifices one Sharingan."
Ren explained calmly.
"It can turn any unfavorable event within a certain period into an illusion—as if it never happened."
"Only the favorable outcome becomes reality."
"Even death itself can be reversed."
"What?!"
"Even death?!"
Tsunade and Shizune were completely shocked.
Even Tsunade, born into the Senju clan, felt her scalp go numb.
She had never imagined that the Uchiha possessed such a terrifying forbidden technique.
"Based on my investigation, Root's leader Shimura Danzō likely took Uchiha Shisui's Mangekyō Sharingan."
Ren continued.
"And his right arm has a very strange chakra signature. It's likely implanted with the First Hokage's cells and multiple Sharingan."
"I'm fairly certain he has mastered this forbidden technique."
"That's why he worked so hard to eliminate the Uchiha clan."
"So he could obtain a large number of Sharingan as spare eyes."
"Danzō…"
Hearing this,
Tsunade's expression darkened.
She immediately became extremely wary of Danzō and Root.
"Wait… Ren."
Shizune raised her hand cautiously.
"You mean Madara might have used that Transcription Seal to seal the forbidden technique Izanagi in his own eye beforehand?"
"But that's just speculation."
Tsunade frowned deeply after thinking for a moment.
"To prevent anyone from coveting Madara's power, the First Hokage ordered the Second Hokage to destroy his corpse."
Even as she said that,
her heart skipped a beat.
Knowing her second grandfather Tobirama Senju—
a man obsessed with researching forbidden techniques—
it was hard to imagine he wouldn't be interested in the corpse of someone as powerful as Madara.
Perhaps…
he really had secretly preserved the body.
"That, I can't say for sure."
Ren shrugged.
"Maybe Madara set up a special trigger. If anyone tried to destroy his corpse, the Transcription Seal would activate immediately."
Then he looked seriously at Tsunade.
"But Tsunade-nee, my theory isn't baseless."
"I once found a strange stone tablet in the Uchiha clan's Naka Shrine."
"The writing on it can only be read with Sharingan."
"And the stronger the ocular power, the more of it you can decipher."
"Only readable with Sharingan?"
Tsunade and Shizune were both surprised.
"It seems to have been left behind by the legendary Sage of Six Paths."
Ren nodded.
"According to the text, a god once divided Yin and Yang into two extremes. To achieve peace, the two must reunite, giving birth to all things."
"I interpret the extremes of Yin and Yang as the Uchiha's Sharingan and the First Hokage's Wood Release."
"If those two powers unite, it may grant the power of the Sage of Six Paths."
"Wait—Sage of Six Paths?"
"Did such a legendary figure really exist?"
Tsunade and Shizune felt their hearts tremble violently.
They stared at Ren in disbelief.
"I don't know whether it's true."
Ren shrugged.
"But as the former leader of the Uchiha clan, Madara must have deciphered that stone tablet."
"And considering he lost to the First Hokage more than once…"
"If he truly wanted to challenge him again, he might have prepared ahead of time."
"I suspect he challenged the First Hokage deliberately—pretending to lose."
"So he could obtain the First Hokage's power."
Listening to Ren's analysis,
Tsunade suddenly thought of something.
Cold sweat appeared on her back.
"Don't tell me…"
"That man…"
"Could really still be alive?"
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