Senju Tobirama's gaze was extremely complicated.
The Uchiha before him had only just reached adulthood, yet he clearly understood that interests were the essence of politics.
He could skillfully analyze Kirigakure's tangled web of interests. He could easily grasp the most critical institution inside the Uchiha clan. He could bring half of the elders under his command without Uchiha Fugaku noticing.
He even possessed foresight that made Senju Tobirama marvel. By arranging things ahead of time, he could spend one portion of effort and easily obtain ten portions of benefit.
Most importantly, he was filled with disdain toward high-level ninja, daimyō, and nobles, yet he greatly respected front-line ninja and lower-level villagers.
He even felt sympathy for the ordinary people of the Land of Fire, while still being able to ruthlessly kill bandits and mountain thieves.
It had to be said that Uchiha Yoru's way of handling people and affairs suited Senju Tobirama's taste perfectly.
Even Yoru's method of distinguishing between the upper and lower levels of the Uchiha clan gave Senju Tobirama great inspiration. Back then, Tobirama had treated ninja clans as unified wholes. Compared to Uchiha Yoru's method, his own had been far less refined.
Senju Tobirama felt that if he had known this method ten years before his death, the Uchiha clan would surely have fully integrated into the village. In that case, there would have been no need to preserve the Hyūga clan either.
His impression of the Hyūga clan was even worse. He especially disliked the Main House and Branch House system, which was no different from slavery.
It was just that after the Senju clan withdrew, Konoha had truly been dominated by the Uchiha clan alone. Even Uchiha Madara's departure could not change that reality.
To prevent the situation from spiraling out of control, Senju Tobirama established the Police Force to appease the Uchiha.
He had also deliberately accepted Uchiha Kagami as his disciple, while simultaneously supporting the children of five other mid-sized ninja clans. He had even gritted his teeth and tolerated the Hyūga clan in order to balance the Uchiha clan.
The more Senju Tobirama thought about it, the more he felt Uchiha Yoru was an excellent candidate for Hokage.
When he brought up this idea again, Uchiha Yoru refused without the slightest hesitation.
"My ambition is not there, so forget about becoming Hokage."
Senju Tobirama frowned and asked, "Then what exactly do you want?"
Uchiha Yoru smiled and answered, "My pursuit is very similar to Orochimaru's. I want longevity in the ninja world."
Senju Tobirama was very surprised. He snapped without hesitation, "Longevity? Impossible!"
"Second Hokage-sama, longevity is possible."
Uchiha Yoru calmly counted on his fingers. "The Sage of Six Paths, Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo, in the Pure Land. The Great Toad Sage, Gamamaru, of Mount Myōboku. The White Snake Sage of Ryūchi Cave. The Slug Sage of Shikkotsu Forest. Aren't they all long-lived beings?"
Senju Tobirama said disdainfully, "Hmph. The Sage of Six Paths died long ago, and the other three sages are not human."
"Besides, the examples you gave are all sages. You—"
Uchiha Yoru extended both hands and turned his palms upward. A mass of chakra appeared in his left hand, while his right held natural energy that Senju Tobirama could not sense.
Then he brought his hands together.
Chakra and natural energy fused into senjutsu chakra.
This time, Senju Tobirama could sense the fluctuation.
And this fluctuation was extremely familiar to him.
Uchiha Yoru had deliberately used Wood Release chakra as the foundation. The senjutsu chakra he created was exactly the same as the First Hokage Senju Hashirama's when he entered Sage Mode.
Senju Tobirama immediately guessed a possibility. He looked at Uchiha Yoru and stammered, "Y-you brat… you damn brat, you actually know senjutsu? Wait, you… you can use Wood Release too?"
He stared at Uchiha Yoru in shock, finding it unbelievable yet filled with expectation.
"Could it be that you also have Senju blood?"
Uchiha Yoru shook his head.
"I would like to have Senju blood, but both my parents were from the Uchiha clan. My bloodline is still very pure."
"However, I have indeed mastered Wood Release, and I have also mastered senjutsu."
"Second Hokage-sama, you wouldn't want me to betray Konoha and become a rogue ninja capable of destroying Konoha, right… so you have to keep this secret for me."
Senju Tobirama fell silent.
Uchiha Yoru always managed to shock him. The more he learned about him, the heavier the worry in his heart became.
Uchiha Yoru was an Uchiha ninja. At only eighteen years old, he already possessed the three-tomoe Sharingan.
Most importantly, his ocular power was clean and pure. Senju Tobirama could not sense even the slightest cold or sinister aura from it. Clearly, Yoru had his own theory and method for awakening the Sharingan, one that did not require exchanging it for a tragic fate.
In just this short month, Senju Tobirama had clearly sensed Uchiha Yoru's ocular power steadily grow by twenty percent. Perhaps it would not be long before he awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan.
Today, Uchiha Yoru had shown Tobirama senjutsu and Wood Release. Although Tobirama did not know exactly how strong they were, and although Yoru was certainly not comparable to his elder brother, that skilled and effortless control proved his Wood Release was definitely not weak.
To Konoha, Wood Release was far too symbolic.
If a Wood Release ninja defected and attacked Konoha in return, the morale of Konoha's ninja might suffer a fatal blow.
Add to that Uchiha Yoru's mature thinking, sharp political instinct, and astonishing military wisdom.
Senju Tobirama was horrified to discover that if Uchiha Yoru defected and joined any other ninja village, he truly had the ability to destroy Konoha.
This was madness.
Senju Tobirama was a pragmatist. He quickly thought everything through and said, "Rest assured. This old man will not reveal your secret."
Uchiha Yoru smiled and gave him a thumbs-up.
"As expected of the Second Hokage. You understood everything so quickly. I believe your promise."
"Hmph. I'm only doing this for Konoha's sake."
"Hehe, I know you're doing it for Konoha. That's exactly why I trust you."
"…"
"I now feel that if you really had been born twenty years earlier, I might have beaten you to death very early."
Senju Tobirama was saying that Uchiha Yoru's words were too irritating. If he had strength, he would have hit him.
Uchiha Yoru stopped speaking.
He brought in a goat from outside and left it at the center of the sealing array as a sacrifice, then began forming hand seals rapidly.
Chakra surged out like a tide and violently poured into the sealing array, activating hundreds of seals. Using them as a foundation, he began communicating with the Pure Land.
Senju Tobirama's eyelids twitched.
This was the first time he had personally seen Uchiha Yoru cast a ninjutsu. Unlike the minor experiments from before, this chakra fluctuation had already surpassed the standard of an A-rank ninjutsu.
But on Uchiha Yoru's face, there was not the slightest sign of strain. His attention was entirely on the sealing technique, while his chakra control seemed extremely casual.
Based on his rich experience, the Second Hokage estimated Uchiha Yoru's chakra volume.
It was roughly equivalent to Tobirama's own chakra volume at his peak.
He could not help murmuring to himself, "With this much chakra, no matter how I look at it, he seems like someone from my Senju clan or the Uzumaki clan."
"Honestly, why did he have to have a pair of Sharingan?"
Ninja Art: Edo Tensei.
The space at the center of the sealing array suddenly collapsed.
It did not collapse downward, but opened a crack toward an unknown dimension.
Real matter leaked through, while large amounts of flaky grave soil rushed out and spun around the goat.
The terrifying aura of the world of death gushed out, frightening the goat so much that it did not dare move. Its whole body trembled violently as it let out shrill bleats.
The moment the goat's cries sounded, the flying grave soil seemed to find its target. It surged onto the goat's body, wrapping it layer upon layer and piling into a small mound of earth.
Very quickly, the mound of grave soil began to deform. It rose upward, became thinner, and gradually took on a human outline. Even the appearance of clothing emerged.
As the final flake of grave soil stuck to the human-shaped face, the facial features suddenly became clear. Even the clothing gained the texture and color of fabric.
The Yuki clan head, Akira, returned to the human world.
He slowly opened his pitch-black eyes and saw Uchiha Yoru. He stiffened for a few seconds, then turned his head to observe his surroundings. When he saw Senju Tobirama, he froze for several more seconds.
Finally, Akira observed his own body, then asked, "Uchiha ninja, I remember you. You should have killed me. What is this situation now?"
Uchiha Yoru smiled and explained, "This is an incomplete resurrection. As someone experiencing it directly, how does it feel?"
Akira reached out and touched the cracks on his body and face.
"Incomplete resurrection. I don't feel alive at all. It feels like layers of seals are restraining me."
"This technique is probably not a resurrection technique, but a puppet technique."
Akira's words made Uchiha Yoru laugh foolishly, while Senju Tobirama shuddered in shock.
Their thoughts were exactly the same.
This Yuki clan head was very clever.
Akira then asked, "You used this shameless ninjutsu to control me. What do you want me to do?"
Uchiha Yoru replied, "You were able to independently develop cooperative ninjutsu in the chaotic Kirigakure, and I deeply admire that. So I want your help. I want your wisdom to help me analyze and explore the deeper secrets of the ninja world."
Akira glanced at the Konoha symbol on Senju Tobirama's metal forehead protector and sneered.
"On what basis?"
"You killed me. Why do you think I would be willing to help you?"
"I am already dead. What can you possibly use to make me help you?"
"Haha, that matter is very simple."
Uchiha Yoru smiled and introduced Kirigakure's current situation to Akira, focusing especially on the suppression of the three great ninja clans, particularly the kekkei genkai ninja.
Akira flatly denied it. "Impossible!"
"Fourth Mizukage Karatachi Yagura-sama is not that shallow. Even if his trusted ninja suffered heavy losses and clan forces began rising, he would never go so far as to leave no room for retreat."
Uchiha Yoru said, "You're right. The Karatachi Yagura you knew was not that stupid. The problem is, the current Karatachi Yagura is no longer normal."
He pointed at his own head.
"His mind should have been affected by hints planted through a powerful genjutsu, causing him to unconsciously go too far whenever he makes any decision."
"Impossible!" x2
Senju Tobirama and Akira spoke in unison, with Tobirama even reacting faster.
Uchiha Yoru curled his lips. "What's impossible about that?"
Seeing his certain attitude, Senju Tobirama's confidence wavered a little, but he still frowned and gave his reason.
"Although I have never dealt with Karatachi Yagura, I know he is a true Water Release genius."
"Since he became Fourth Mizukage after twenty years, he must be a remarkable, genuine Kage-level ninja, and surely an outstanding Mizukage."
"How could a Kage be controlled by genjutsu? Even your Uchiha Sharingan could at most influence him briefly. It is impossible to control him for a long time."
Akira also sneered.
"If even the Fourth Mizukage can be controlled by genjutsu, then how powerful would the one casting the genjutsu have to be? Wouldn't that person alone be able to conquer the entire ninja world?"
Uchiha Yoru suddenly stretched out his hand and grabbed toward Akira with his five fingers.
He sealed all of Akira's senses and forced his will into a dormant state.
This was the control the caster of Edo Tensei had over the summoned being. So Akira saying this was a puppet technique was, in a sense, very correct.
Uchiha Yoru said, "The next words are not suitable for a Kirigakure ninja to know. I don't have enough confidence to restrain him and ensure he won't leak the major secret that follows."
Senju Tobirama's frown deepened.
From Uchiha Yoru's attitude, he had already determined that what this brat said earlier was true. But no matter what, he could not imagine what kind of ninja could control a Kage with genjutsu.
As that Ice Release ninja said, if such a powerful ninja truly existed, the ninja world should have been thrown into chaos long ago.
Uchiha Yoru took a deep breath and softly said a name.
"Uchiha Madara."
Senju Tobirama froze. His mouth seemed no longer under his control as he asked, "Who?"
Uchiha Yoru repeated, "Uchiha Madara."
"Impossible. He's dead!"
"Clearly, he is not dead."
"My elder brother said so!"
"The First Hokage was deceived."
"Deceived?"
"The Uchiha clan has a secret technique. It requires sacrificing the sight of a three-tomoe Sharingan and consuming all of its ocular power. The genjutsu cast can deceive the world and deceive death."
"How… how could there be such an absurd secret technique?"
"No matter how miserable the death, even if the corpse is completely destroyed, the user can return to the moment the genjutsu, Izanagi, was activated, as if time itself had reversed. Apart from the consumption of chakra and ocular power, everything can be restored."
Senju Tobirama did not even have the strength to question him.
He merely looked at Uchiha Yoru and waited for him to provide more evidence.
He believed that with Uchiha Yoru's caution and suspicion, he would never determine that Uchiha Madara was still alive just because he knew about an Uchiha secret technique.
Uchiha Yoru also knew what the Second Hokage was waiting for.
His greatest source of information was the plot, but that absolutely could not be said.
Fortunately, deriving clues and evidence backward from the result was always ten thousand times easier than confirming the truth from clues. He quickly thought of a convincing clue.
Uchiha Yoru said, "A few months ago, after I killed this Yuki clan head, I fought Kirigakure's Three-Tails Jinchūriki while helping Orochimaru-sama pursue the Fourth Mizukage."
"Kirigakure's sealing techniques were very immature. They actually allowed the Tailed Beast to break free. I had no choice but to risk using Sharingan genjutsu to control the Three-Tails. Deep within the Three-Tails' mind, I collided with a genjutsu constructed from Mangekyō Sharingan ocular power."
Uchiha Yoru recounted the battle from back then, nine truths mixed with one lie. Then he smiled bitterly and pointed at his eyes.
"With just one strike, my eyes suffered heavy damage and went blind on the spot."
"Fortunately, it was only temporary blindness. Otherwise, I would have been finished."
"I saw the Mangekyō pattern. It was not the same as Uchiha Madara's Mangekyō recorded in the documents, but…"
Senju Tobirama had already freed himself from his shock. He continued Uchiha Yoru's words.
"But other than Uchiha Madara, no one could wield a Mangekyō Sharingan and use such a powerful yet precise genjutsu without being discovered by Kirigakure."
Uchiha Yoru nodded repeatedly. "That was what I thought too."
No one could absolutely guarantee that in the twenty-plus years after the Second Hokage's death, no one in the Uchiha clan had awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan.
For example, the current clan head, Uchiha Fugaku.
But both Uchiha Yoru and Senju Tobirama could confirm one thing: an ordinary Mangekyō Sharingan could indeed control a Tailed Beast, but could not do so without being noticed.
Only Uchiha Madara could accomplish that.
Therefore, this clue could completely serve as evidence proving that Uchiha Madara had not died. At least, he had not died at the Valley of the End.
Senju Tobirama's gaze became sharp, but when he looked at Uchiha Yoru, there was a bit more understanding in his eyes.
He asked, "You learned that Uchiha Madara is not dead, so you sought my help?"
Although that was not the reason at all, Uchiha Yoru's mind reacted extremely quickly. The instant he realized Senju Tobirama had misunderstood him, he formed a new plan.
Moreover, Uchiha Yoru's face was incredibly thick. Even while harboring ulterior motives, his expression did not change at all. He even revealed a relieved smile.
He calmly nodded to Senju Tobirama.
"You can finally believe me now."
Senju Tobirama's expression was complicated. He sighed.
"No wonder you did so much to persuade me. It must have been hard on you…"
"However, if you want to deal with Uchiha Madara, you should use Edo Tensei to summon my elder brother, the First Hokage."
Uchiha Yoru shook his head repeatedly.
"No. All of you are departed heroic spirits. Aside from spiritual inspiration, you should not directly interfere in the world of the living. Helping me strengthen myself is already the limit of what I can accept."
At this moment, Senju Tobirama's trust in Uchiha Yoru was not low. It could even be said that he had been completely fooled.
So when he heard Uchiha Yoru's words, he was deeply moved.
"You're right. The dead must not interfere too much with the living."
"However, Uchiha Madara is also a dead man who should have died but did not. So I can help you improve your strength. That can be considered indirectly dealing with him."
Uchiha Yoru was overjoyed.
"Excellent. Then please guide me well from now on."
Now that everything had been settled, Senju Tobirama's face instead turned cold.
This was the Second Hokage's true nature.
The real Senju Tobirama always spoke coldly, with cold words and a cold face.
Because he trusted Uchiha Yoru, he no longer needed to feign politeness with him. There was no need to put on all kinds of expressions and pretend to have complicated emotions for schemes and mind games.
There was only one person who could truly break Senju Tobirama's expression.
That person was Senju Hashirama.
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