Naruto: Starting with Tsunade

Chapter 32 Reanimation Jutsu

Why did you do that?

From their conversation, Elder Itachi had already deduced that Madara Uchiha might have been eyeing Aokiji for a long time: "With your power, you don't need the power of a brat at all."

"To paraphrase what you just said, the only constant in this world is change. Everyone changes. One day I will become an old man on his deathbed, while the kid will become a strong and excellent ninja. At that time, I will need him to help me with some things. Even if I die, he will inherit my will and fulfill my long-cherished wish."

Elder Itachi said coldly, "You will not succeed. Human abilities really have limits. In my long life, I have learned that the more a person schemes, the more likely they are to stumble in unexpected situations."

Madara Uchiha let out a soft breath: "You're right."

Elder Itachi stared intently at the other party, knowing that Madara Uchiha wouldn't agree with him so easily given his personality.

To refute someone's point of view, the best approach is to first agree with their viewpoint, and then calmly and logically explain your own. This is far more effective than simply refuting them.

Soon, Madara Uchiha's next actions confirmed Elder Itachi's conjecture. Madara slowly spoke, a mysterious smile playing on his lips: "Therefore, I must become an existence beyond humanity."

"What do you mean?"

Elder Itachi understood each word of the sentence, but he couldn't understand it when they were put together.

"I don't want to be human anymore!"

Madara Uchiha clenched his right hand forcefully towards the void, his aura rising to its peak, burning flames flickering in his eyes, releasing an ominous aura.

"What the hell are you talking about?!"

"I want to become the Sage of Six Paths."

"Are you crazy?"

"Hmph... an old man is an old man, his thinking is traditional and conservative."

"What a joke, the Sage of Six Paths is just a legend."

Elder Itachi looked at Madara Uchiha as if he were a lunatic; it was hard to imagine that someone like him would say such a thing.

"The Sage of Six Paths is real. Your existence and mine are the best proof of that. The power of the Sharingan comes from the Sage of Six Paths."

"Mmm."

Elder Itachi fell silent, pondering the meaning of those words.

"Beauty is but a fleeting moment; only truth is eternal, and truth can never be beautiful! But with the power of the Sage of Six Paths, all of this can be turned upside down, making 'beauty' an eternal existence."

"You saw this information on the stone tablet at Nanga Shrine, didn't you?"

"Hmph, even though you're old and your legs aren't as nimble as they used to be, your mind is still as sharp as ever. How about we lead our people back to my side...?"

Madara Uchiha extended another invitation.

Elder Itachi resolutely met Madara Uchiha's cold, icy gaze. His gaunt figure erupted with immense chakra, and a terrifying killing intent flickered and flowed throughout his body as naturally as breathing. This was the aura of a powerful being who had survived that era of meat grinders.

Compromise is useless. In the face of the Sharingan's powerful eye power, any pretense or lie will be ruthlessly exposed. This applies to Aokiji as well as to him.

"So this is your answer... What a pity. Well... in the end, it was just a spur-of-the-moment decision made out of consideration for our clan. It seems that to accomplish such a feat, the power of outsiders is ultimately unreliable; I have to do it myself."

Facing the murderous aura emanating from Elder Itachi, Madara Uchiha simply shook his head dismissively and took a step forward without a care in the world.

This seemingly insignificant step brought the two sides to a distance that could kill each other.

Suddenly, accompanied by a loud bang of white smoke, the weapon whipped up a gust of wind, sweeping towards its target from all directions at lightning speed.

A barrage of attacks can turn the enemy into a sieve in an instant.

Elder Itachi wasn't so naive as to think he could kill, no, injure Madara Uchiha with just such an attack. His goal from beginning to end was only to slightly delay the opponent's movements, and then use a forbidden technique to release an explosion centered on himself, taking Madara Uchiha down with him.

Facing a powerful figure like Madara Uchiha, there is only one chance.

However, something unexpected happened: Madara Uchiha was hit by countless hidden weapons and was covered in blood.

Elder Itachi's face turned pale instantly. He stared ahead with wide, fearful eyes, speechless.

"What are you so surprised about? Are you that surprised to have fallen for my genjutsu, Madara Uchiha?"

"..."

Madara Uchiha appeared in front of Elder Itachi at some point and gently patted him on the shoulder as if to reward him.

Despite having thrown a large number of hidden weapons just now, the room remains as if nothing had happened, as if nothing had occurred.

Madara Uchiha slowly raised his right hand, held up two fingers, and began to form a hand seal.

Madara Uchiha's strength was not what it used to be, but that was relative to himself. Facing an old man who was almost buried in the earth, he was naturally no match for him. He could easily control him with just a glance.

Elder Itachi let his hand fall limply to his side.

"Stubborn people will bring about their own destruction."

Madara Uchiha snorted coldly, lowered his hand seals, looked up at the ceiling, and muttered to himself, "Since Tobirama isn't going to say anything, that's fine. There's a ninjutsu he developed that I've always been interested in; perhaps it can help me in the future."

That night, it was dark and windy.

A black-haired man quietly sneaked into a secret room. The bookshelves on both sides of the room were filled with scrolls, documents, and ninja tools, which were arranged in a sparse yet orderly manner.

However, these were just illusions; the real treasures were not placed here. After a little searching, he quickly discovered a hidden door and took out a white scroll from it.

Far from the village center, on the outskirts, no one would be here at this time of day, and naturally no one would come here at this late hour.

Madara Uchiha emerged from the shadows behind a tree, took the scroll from the black-haired man, unfolded it, and saw that it contained the forbidden technique, Impure World Reincarnation.

Madara Uchiha nodded in satisfaction.

He then gave the black-haired man a look, and the black-haired man disappeared from the scene, avoiding the guards' sight, leaving the village, and heading to a forest far from Konoha. With no one around, the man formed a hand seal and summoned a clone, handing the katana in his hand to the clone.

The clone, wielding a samurai sword, stabbed the man in the throat from behind, blood gushing out.

The man stared in disbelief, lying in a pool of blood with his eyes wide open in death.

Madara Uchiha slowly opened his eyes, lowered his hand seals, and smiled slightly.

In this way, a scene of betrayal of the village, which was then murdered to cover it up, has been staged. When Tobirama returns and discovers that the forbidden technique has been betrayed by his trusted subordinate who stole it for profit, he will surely be in a very difficult situation.

Seeing is believing, hearing is not.

But sometimes the eyes can deceive you.

Sometimes what people see and believe is just what others want you to see.

(End of this chapter)