Naruto: Starting with Tsunade

Chapter 27 Uchiha Madara (7000)

Aokiji chuckled to himself.

"What are you laughing at?"

"It's nothing... I hope you remember what you said today."

A meaningful smile played on Aokiji's lips.

Tsunade couldn't understand her and felt confused: "Fine, since you want to be a medical ninja, then do it well. Although it's a bit of a waste for someone with your talent to be a medical ninja, it's still better than you not doing your job."

Aokiji revealed a smug smile and confessed, "You don't actually think I'll honestly become a medical ninja, do you? If you think that, you're seriously underestimating me."

Sharing some of your little secrets can help you get closer to Tsunade and the others, and also provide an opportunity to cultivate a "playing dumb" persona.

Moreover, it's unrealistic to hide everything. The truth and the falsehood are the hardest to distinguish. Even if his strength was exposed that day, it wasn't because he deliberately hid it, but because of his motivations in line with his persona.

Tsunade: ? ? ?

Aokiji wasn't afraid to tell her, making his stance clear: "My goal with medical ninjutsu is just to dabble in it, as long as I know some of the most basic medical techniques."

Tsunade had a bad feeling.

"Otherwise, if I excel too much on the path of a medical ninja, I will definitely be entrusted with important responsibilities."

Tsunade didn't understand: "Isn't it a good thing to be entrusted with such an important task?"

Aokiji said with utmost seriousness, "What's wrong with that? Being entrusted with such an important task means that I am an important person, which also means that I will be on the wanted lists of various countries. I don't want to be constantly worried about my head and live in fear all day long."

"That's enough of you."

Tsunade rolled her eyes; this guy was too sneaky.

I originally thought there was still hope for Aokiji on the path of a ninja, but I underestimated him. He actually had such crooked ideas just to live a comfortable life.

Aokiji was very proud of his cleverness: "In this way, even if I unfortunately become a ninja, I can still live a comfortable and peaceful life. Isn't that ingenious?"

"I think you're a cunning fellow."

Tsunade sighed and said, "Aokiji, just how far do you want to fall? I don't think your deceased grandmother would want to see you like this. She was the true inheritor of the Will of Fire. You should inherit her will and become an excellent ninja, instead of being lazy and wasting your talents all day long."

Upon hearing the mention of his grandmother and the Will of Fire, Aokiji's previously nonchalant expression instantly changed. Seemingly provoked, he snapped, "Enough! Don't mention my grandmother in front of me again! And can you please stop talking about the Will of Fire all the time? Anyone who didn't know better would think you'd been brainwashed. To be honest, I despise that kind of thing from the bottom of my heart."

Tsunade's pupils dilated slightly. She had tried to reason with him, but he not only didn't appreciate it, he even dared to scoff at the Will of Fire left behind by her grandfather. This was intolerable to her.

Tsunade's face was as cold as ice; she was truly angry: "I cannot pretend I didn't hear what you just said."

"What do you want?"

"Apologize."

Aokiji snorted twice: "Hmph, if I don't apologize, what can you do to me?"

Tsunade clenched her fist, her brows furrowed, her expression turning murderous: "Then I'll beat you until you apologize."

"Did you know? I'm actually much stronger than you think."

Aokiji stuck out his thumb and poked his forehead, then smirked and said disdainfully, "If I wanted to, you couldn't even touch a single hair on my head."

"That's perfect, I'd like to see your true strength too. I know your performance at the Ninja Academy was far beyond what you usually show."

The previously playful atmosphere suddenly vanished, and the air gradually filled with the smell of gunpowder.

Jiraiya and Orochimaru both sensed something was wrong; a battle was about to break out. It seemed the two were really going to fight. To prevent things from escalating to an irreversible point, Jiraiya took the lead and advised, "Hey, Aokiji, that's enough. If this continues, Tsunade is going to beat you to death."

Tsunade interrupted coldly, "Jiraiya, get out of my way, or I'll beat you up too. I will never forgive anyone who disrespects my grandfather."

Jiraiya shrank back, not daring to utter a sound. He noticed that Tsunade's current expression was very unusual.

In the past, Tsunade often lost her temper, but those were all impromptu outbursts that would dissipate quickly. She had never been so angry and furious as she was now.

Orochimaru stared calmly at the two men, their expressions thick with tension, and remained silent.

Suddenly, Aokiji smiled.

Tsunade glared at her with a murderous look and demanded, "What are you laughing at?"

Aokiji sighed, "I really envy you, being so well protected, living in a world where everything is either black or white."

Tsunade:……

Aokiji suddenly said, "You know what? Actually, I hated your grandfather very much at first."

"hatred!?"

Upon hearing this, the three of them looked down at Aokiji in surprise, not understanding where his hatred came from.

Aokiji murmured, "When my grandmother was still alive, she told me something. Back when your grandfather and the then Uchiha clan leader, Madara Uchiha, joined forces to establish Konoha, Madara Uchiha proposed to use force to sweep across the entire world, unify the world, and kill anyone who disobeyed, until all those who disobeyed were killed and peace was ushered in. Given their strength at the time, this was entirely possible."

"But your grandfather refused, believing that killing would only breed new hatred, so he rejected the decision. Madara Uchiha had no choice but to give up and choose to believe your grandfather. After that, all the major ninja clans joined Konoha, and countries followed suit, creating their own villages. The system of one village per country was carried forward and the world ushered in peace. It seemed that everything was developing in a good direction."

"But peace is short-lived. With Madara Uchiha leaving Konoha and dying in that battle, Konoha's strength greatly diminished. Without absolute power to suppress them, other countries began to stir again, and conflicts started to occur constantly. My parents sacrificed themselves at this time, and after that, your grandfather also died. Without your grandfather's military deterrence, the countries lost their last bit of fear, and so, war broke out. People around me kept joining the war. For a while, I could hear about someone's family member dying almost every day. After a while, these sounds became less frequent..."

At this point, Aokiji grinned self-deprecatingly and said miserably, "Heh...do you know why?"

Why?

The three of them held their breath.

"Because almost everyone is dead, there's naturally no sound. I started to hate your grandfather. Why didn't your grandfather listen to Uchiha Madara and unify the world, killing all those who refused to submit? If he was afraid of hatred, then he should have just killed everyone. If he had killed everyone, there would have been no hatred. At least my parents wouldn't have died so young."

Aokiji clenched his fist into the air, his eyes burning, and roared hysterically, "From that moment on, I began to train day and night, desperately hoping to one day awaken the Sharingan. I want this power to surpass Madara Uchiha, even surpass your grandfather, to become the strongest ninja in the world, to fulfill Madara Uchiha's unfulfilled goal, to bring an end to war in this world, and more importantly, to protect my only beloved grandmother. But then, an accident happened..."

Speaking of this, it seemed as if all his strength had been drained away. Aokiji's shoulders slumped limply, tears welling in his eyes: "I'm all alone now..."

As tears welled up in his eyes, a surge of power rushed into them, causing his pupils to stir restlessly. His pupils turned from black to red, as if stained with blood, accompanied by a tomoe-shaped mark.

The three stared in astonishment at the change in Aokiji's eyes: "Aokiji, your eyes...!"

Sharingan.

Aokiji stroked his right cheek with his right hand, a thin layer of self-mocking expression on his face: "It's ridiculous, isn't it? The power I've always dreamed of, I only obtained after my grandmother died. But what's the use of that? There's hardly anyone left who needs this power to protect them."

With tears streaming down his face, Aokiji said, "After Grandma passed away, a part of my heart died too... After that, I locked myself away and, after a long period of reflection, I came to understand something."

The three of them took a deep breath and asked heavily, "What is it?"

Aokiji sighed, "Humanity has its limits. Even if I possess invincible power and unify the world, bringing peace, the world will immediately fall apart and return to its original state after I die. Your grandfather is a living example. When he was alive, the world was peaceful and seemed perfect, but as soon as he died, a new war broke out. I... I don't want to try anymore. Anyway, no matter how hard I try, I'll just go back to square one. Since that's the case, I might as well live in the present. What the future holds has nothing to do with me anymore."

The three were deeply moved and slowly uttered Aokiji's name. Only now did they truly understand Aokiji.

Aokiji wiped away his tears, sniffed, and said with a bitter smile, "I hope the three of you can keep my Sharingan a secret. As long as there is a battle, there will often be sacrifices. I don't want to experience the pain of loss again."

After he finished speaking, he slowly closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, his eyes had returned to black pupils.

"It's getting late. You three will be going to practice with your teacher at noon, so I won't disturb you any longer."

The three hesitated, then sighed heavily and nodded in silence.

A fleeting, almost imperceptible cunning glint crossed Aokiji's eyes, which were brimming with tears.

In this way, his persona should be very solid, and revealing his Sharingan was a decision Aokiji made after careful consideration.

As these three continue to improve their strength, it will be difficult for Aokiji, who is in frequent contact with them, not to reveal his true colors. Rather than that, it would be better to take the initiative and leave him with the persona of someone who has become war-weary due to the death of a loved one. This would also garner some sympathy and strengthen the bond between them.

Having spent so much time with Tsunade, Aokiji has always been curious whether Tsunade has a dedicated bodyguard to protect her.

Because he wasn't strong enough, Aokiji couldn't detect it.

His actions carried some risk, but were within a controllable range.

Because of this, the impression he gives is that he didn't intentionally hide his Sharingan abilities, but rather that he deliberately hid them because he was afraid of losing his comrades and hated fighting.

When Aokiji reveals his Sharingan on his own initiative, he will have a glorious and righteous reason. He will have a complete awakening, recover from his despair, and become a steadfast inheritor of the Will of Fire... a perfect prodigal son returning home.

At that time, relying on his friendship with the Sannin and the strength of the Uchiha clan, Aokiji did not believe he could not become Hokage.

Hidden in a tree unnoticed by anyone, a black cat silently watched Aokiji's departing figure, its gaze deep and unfathomable.

In an instant, with a bang, it turned into a cloud of white smoke, which dissipated with the wind, leaving nothing behind.

………………

"What's wrong? Why do you all look so unhappy today?"

At the appointed time, Hiruzen Sarutobi saw his three disciples arrive, looking preoccupied. Even Jiraiya, usually the most lively, seemed somewhat preoccupied.

"It's nothing," Tsunade replied casually.

However, the more he said this, the more it aroused Hiruzen Sarutobi's curiosity.

Seemingly sensing Hiruzen Sarutobi's thoughts, Orochimaru took the initiative and said, "Sir Sarutobi, I want to ask you a question."

Hiruzen Sarutobi was surprised for a moment, then said with delight, "It's rare to see you ask me a question."

Orochimaru asked, "Among the three of us, who has the most chakra?"

Why would you ask that question?

"Just a little curious."

Hiruzen Sarutobi found it strange, but he still explained it to his disciple: "If we rank them by strength, Jiraiya has the most chakra, followed by Tsunade, and then Orochimaru."

"Jiraiya has significantly more chakra than we do."

"If you're a 1, then Tsunade would be around a 1.5, and Jiraiya would be around a 4."

"So many?"

Orochimaru smiled bitterly, realizing that Jiraiya, whom he had always looked down upon, actually possessed such talent.

A ninja's chakra is one of the most important indicators of a ninja's abilities. No wonder someone like Jiraiya, who is not very bright and is reckless and has the worst grades, would team up with him and Tsunade.

Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded.

The three of them lowered their heads, muttering to themselves, "Just as Aokiji said."

Hiruzen Sarutobi assumed Orochimaru was upset because of his low chakra levels and comforted him, saying, "Orochimaru, your chakra is already quite high compared to your peers. Jiraiya is a special case. Besides, a ninja's strength is considered from multiple aspects."

Even so, Hiruzen Sarutobi knew that this statement was somewhat untenable.

Chakra is extremely important to ninjas, it could even be ranked number one.

While many aspects of a ninja's abilities can be acquired through training, chakra is unique. Like height, training might improve chakra levels to some extent, but chakra levels are essentially fixed from birth, so training can only have a minimal impact.

This is the real reason why Jiraiya, despite being a liability in many ways, was ultimately able to be grouped with geniuses like Orochimaru and Tsunade.

It's definitely not the kind of lame excuse used by ordinary people to balance power.

Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at Jiraiya and saw that he did not show much excitement. Hiruzen was a little confused about this. Logically speaking, Jiraiya should be very happy to hear that he had a huge amount of chakra. Why did he not show any reaction at all, as if he knew beforehand?

"What's wrong with you?"

"It's nothing, just a bit of a sentimental feeling..."

Hiruzen's disciples lamented Aokiji's fate, and at the same time felt a deep regret that their good friend, such a genius, did not want to become a ninja.

……

……

Located on a remote island in the vast ocean south of the Land of Fire.

The Land of Water.

Kirigakure Village is famous for being surrounded by mist all year round because it is located deep in the mountains.

Inside a cylindrical building, in a dark room.

A middle-aged man with a messy, flamboyant hairstyle slowly opened his eyes, revealing scarlet eyes with three tomoe around the pupils. If anyone were present, they would surely exclaim in surprise that it was the Sharingan.

Strangely, however, his other eye is indeed white, a result of his vision loss and blindness, so his eye appears white from the outside, which makes people curious about the man's identity.

"Meow..."

With two meows, a black cat emerged from the shadows and leaped onto the man's lap. The middle-aged man placed his hand on the cat's head, not to pet it, but to probe its memories. After a long while, he moved his lips, a murky, dark, and twisted smile appearing on them: "Uchiha Aokiji..."

To outsiders, that smile undoubtedly hinted at some kind of conspiracy, sending chills down their spines.

"You seem very happy, Lord Mizukage, no, Lord Ban..."

Suddenly, a second voice rang out in the room.

A middle-aged man with long, straight black hair stepped out of the shadows. His eyes were closed, and his appearance was unusual.

It was none other than the current Third Mizukage of Kirigakure. One couldn't help but wonder what his purpose was in appearing here as the most powerful leader of Kirigakure. However, compared to the man named Madara opposite him, his status as the Third Mizukage was clearly insignificant.

Because before Madara's name is another surname that everyone knows: Uchiha...

His combined name is Uchiha Madara, a peerless powerhouse who was on par with the First Hokage.

After his defeat by Hashirama, Madara Uchiha went into hiding in order to verify the information on the stone tablet at the Uchiha Naga Shrine.

The Land of Water was the place he chose.

Located at sea and shrouded in fog year-round, far from the mainland and isolated from the world, this place is perfect for hiding.

At the Five Kage Summit, in addition to the five Kage of that time, there were also guards who participated to protect the Hokage. Without exception, all of these guards became the Second Kage after the First Kage died. However, there was one exception: the current Third Mizukage. He lost the election for the Second Mizukage position to Gengetsu Hozuki and held a grudge about it.

Madara sensed his resentment and secretly approached him, promising to help him become the Third Mizukage in return. In return, the Third Mizukage would help him gather intelligence. Both parties got what they needed, and the deal was struck.

Moreover, the Third Mizukage was not able to refuse.

Water and fire have been incompatible since ancient times. The Uchiha clan is the most skilled in fire-style ninja techniques. Now, the strongest among them, Uchiha Madara, has controlled the leader of the most skilled water-style ninjas and become the Second Mizukage of Kirigakure behind the scenes. It is undeniably a great irony.

The man with the stigma snorted coldly, seemingly displeased that his mood had been interrupted, and said expressionlessly, "What do you want?"

The Third Mizukage chuckled, "It's nothing much, just wanted to let you know that, thanks to your suggestion, the overall quality of this year's students has reached an unprecedented level. The Daimyo of the Land of Water greatly appreciates this policy that reduces military spending while maintaining combat effectiveness."

"Of course."

Ban didn't take the news seriously; it was something he had already expected.

After all, this year's graduation is very different from previous years; to graduate, one must kill one's own comrades.

Therefore, the students were training desperately in order to avoid being killed.

In his view, no matter how many low-level ninjas there are, they can't compare to an elite ninja.

This inspiration comes from Madara's experience of killing his friend to awaken the Mangekyou Sharingan. Only by experiencing pain early on can a ninja grow rapidly.

When this policy was first proposed, it naturally met with unanimous resistance from Kirigakure, led by the Second Mizukage. However, such a thing was nothing in the face of the Uchiha's great power and eye power. He directly used his Sharingan to control the Second Mizukage and force him to submit.

However, the strong members of Kirigakure were not fools, and it wouldn't be long before they noticed something was wrong. In order to eliminate any future troubles, Madara sent him to die together with the Second Tsuchikage, whom he had a grudge against.

This matter has become a mystery between the two countries. After all, the geography of the Land of Water and the Land of Earth are completely unrelated. In addition to being separated by a distance of 108,000 miles, there is also the Land of Fire in between, so there is no geopolitical issue between them.

Any leader of a major power with a modicum of sense would not risk a life-or-death struggle over personal grudges, causing a significant decline in national strength and allowing other countries to take advantage of the situation.

However, since the person was already dead, neither country pursued the matter further; instead, they focused on engaging in a military competition.

Anyway, since the Third Mizukage is here, Madara happens to have something to ask him, something about the Sage of Six Paths.

According to the information on the stone tablet, he had obtained Hashirama's flesh and blood and implanted it into his own body. Combined with his Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan, it should have evolved into the Rinnegan. However, so much time has passed, and his eyes have not changed at all. Even he has begun to doubt whether the secret on the stone tablet is true.

Therefore, he could not wait any longer and had to take the initiative to search for more information about the Sage of Six Paths and see if there were any omissions in the contents of the stone tablet.

At the same time, he also needs to leave many options open, because for the sake of his dream, the more pieces he has, the better.

"Feel sorry……"

The Third Mizukage was somewhat afraid to look directly into Madara's captivating eyes. Madara's immense strength during the Warring States period had left an overwhelming impression on him, making him afraid to harbor any thoughts of disobedience.

Madara closed his eyes, as if deep in thought. After a long while, he opened them again, speaking slowly and deliberately: "I may have to leave here in the future..."

"Leave here? Where are you going?"

The Third Mizukage was somewhat surprised.

His squinting, scarlet eyes seemed to say, "Are you trying to find out where I am?"

The Third Mizukage fell silent, not daring to say another word.

The Uchiha clan received a satisfactory answer and uttered two words: "Konoha".

He told the Third Mizukage this so that they could maintain contact in the future, as he might need their cooperation to complete his plans.

The Third Mizukage slightly widened his eyes, as if trying to dispel his earlier timidity. He forced a smile and said, "That's right. Hashirama is no longer here. There's no one in this world who can stop you now. The position of Hokage is probably already yours. I think Tobirama's expression when he sees you still alive will be quite interesting."

Madara Uchiha looked at the Third Mizukage with a gloomy gaze and said, "The Hokage is a mortal thing, meaningless to me."

After saying that, he silently closed his eyes as if unwilling to say more. The Third Mizukage wisely shut his mouth, knowing that the other party was really giving him the order to leave. He gave Uchiha Madara one last look with a very wary gaze and left.

Now, there was only one person in the room.

Madara Uchiha slowly opened his mouth and murmured the name of his dearest friend from the past in a voice that only he could hear.

His best friend's method had failed, so now it was Madara Uchiha's turn.

He will eliminate all wars in the world, and then everyone will live in happiness.

Infinite Tsukuyomi...

……

……

Achoo!

After school, Aokiji suddenly sneezed. He rubbed his nose and thought, "That's strange, why would I sneeze out of the blue? Is that little girl in my class thinking about me?"

He was always good at entertaining himself. As the sun set and the afterglow turned blood red, it reflected Aokiji's thin figure. As he walked down the street, he saw several girls gathered together, chattering away, talking about something incoherently.

Aokiji recognized one of the blonde girls; it was Tsunade. Unlike him, Tsunade's social circle extended far beyond just a few people.

Seemingly noticing Aokiji, Tsunade used the excuse of having something urgent to say goodbye to the girls and walked gracefully to Aokiji's side. Seeing his hesitant and reluctant expression, she guessed that he had something to say to her.

"Do you have something to say to me?"

Since that incident, the two seem to have grown apart, and haven't spoken to each other for a long time.

"I'm sorry." Aokiji scratched his head, embarrassed. "I shouldn't have said those things to you last time."

"What did you say? I've already forgotten."

Aokiji smiled foolishly, realizing that Tsunade was giving her a way out.

"Extend your index and ring fingers together."

"what?"

"Just stretch it out when I tell you to, stop talking nonsense. Believe me or not, I'll beat you up."

Tsunade has a bad temper, but Aokiji finds that endearing. Sometimes, Aokiji thinks he's too scheming and feels a bit guilty for her pure feelings.

Aokiji extended his index and ring fingers.

A moment later, a warm sensation came from my fingers.

The index and ring fingers are tightly interlocked on Aokiji's fingers; this gesture is the seal of reconciliation.

"Tsunade..."

"This will not be repeated."

In an inconspicuous, shadowy corner, a black cat licked its paw, its eyes half-closed on the two people.

P.S.: Now that this chapter is finished, I can finally skip over this childish age.

(End of this chapter)