"Senju Tobirama, I'm here!"
A loud shout echoed from the sky, and the people of Konoha all instinctively looked up at the source of the sound.
"What is this??"
"Enemy attack!!!"
When the ninjas saw an old man wearing a gray cloak flying toward the Hokage building at an incredible speed, the entire village's ninjas erupted.
Regardless of whether this old man was an enemy or not, given his unusual way of entering the village, even if he wasn't an enemy, he might as well be one.
Immediately, shuriken, kunai, fire-style jutsu, and more were launched at the sky.
If it were Uchiha Madara's usual temperament, he wouldn't have spared any of those who dared attack him.
But for the sake of Izuna's safety, he suppressed his anger and ignored the attacks.
"Senju Tobirama, aren't you going to come out and see me?"
Uchiha Madara flew above the Hokage building, and at that moment, Senju Tobirama appeared on the balcony of the building.
"Alright, this isn't an enemy, he's a guest I invited. You all go calm the villagers and the ninjas who've arrived."
"Yes, Hokage-sama."
After arranging for the Anbu to calm the crowd, Tobirama waved his hand at Madara, signaling him to come down.
Madara, bold and fearless, had no concern about any tricks Tobirama might be planning. Without a second thought, he followed Tobirama into the office.
"Big brother?"
"Little brother!"
As soon as they entered the office, Uchiha Madara saw the young Izuna.
Overcome with emotion, Madara didn't care about Tobirama and Hashirama being present. He immediately hugged Izuna tightly and said, "It's so good to see you again."
Izuna's eyes misted up, and with equal emotion, he responded, "I feel the same way, big brother. It's so great to see you again."
The two of them shared a brief moment of warmth, but suddenly, Madara remembered where he was.
He glanced around, seeing the moved Hashirama and the playful smile on Tobirama's face.
Madara's body stiffened for a moment, then he pretended to remain calm and released Izuna, turning to look at the Senju brothers with a neutral expression.
"What the hell is going on here?"
Before coming, Madara thought Izuna would be brutally mistreated by Tobirama, which was why he rushed over in such a hurry.
But now that he's here, it seems like Izuna hasn't been mistreated at all.
The letter, from the looks of it, was just a trick to lure him to Konoha, intentionally written that way.
So, Madara is a bit confused. What could be so important that they needed to summon him like this?
"You two brothers just reunited. I'm sure there's a lot to talk about. I've already told Izuna the specifics, so you can ask him."
After speaking, Tobirama gave Hashirama a look.
Hashirama understood and said to Madara: "Madara, Izuna, we'll step out now, don't want to disturb Tobirama's work."
Madara nodded, giving Tobirama a deep look before leaving the Hokage office with his brother and Hashirama.
"Things said by me and things said by your brother are different, you know."
Who is he?
The Second Hokage of Konoha.
The second-in-command of the Senju clan.
The "white-haired brat" in Madara's words.
Anything coming from his mouth automatically loses half of its effectiveness in Madara's heart.
But Izuna is different.
He's Madara's real brother.
Things said by him naturally earn Madara's trust.
Even if those words came from the mouth of this "white-haired brat," once they're spoken by Izuna, Madara would definitely take them seriously.
Of course, Tobirama wouldn't put all his hope on Izuna.
After all, Tobirama himself doesn't completely trust Izuna.
Izuna's main role here is to hold Madara back.
To keep Madara distracted until the next video review begins.
Let him watch the light screen video once. Even if it doesn't have anything about him, just the magic of the light screen itself will grab his attention.
If he could see something about himself, that would be even better.
After leaving the Hokage office, Hashirama wisely didn't interrupt Madara and Izuna's conversation.
The reason he followed them out was that Tobirama was worried about Madara and wanted him to keep an eye on the two brothers.
"Izuna, why did that white-haired kid try to lure me over?"
After the excitement earlier, Madara had completely calmed down and turned back into his usual self, the one with a domineering, CEO-like aura.
"Big brother, are you planning something related to the Eye of the Moon project?"
"Hm? Who told you that?"
Madara was quite surprised.
The Eye of the Moon project—he hadn't told anyone about it, except for Black Zetsu.
Where did Izuna learn about this plan?
Suddenly, Tobirama's image flashed in Madara's mind.
"Did Tobirama tell you?"
"Yes."
Madara glanced at Hashirama, who was distracted by a small merchant nearby, both relieved and helpless.
His old friend really trusted him. Wasn't he worried about Madara running off with Izuna?
Without Izuna, Tobirama wouldn't have the means to restrain him.
But Madara only briefly thought about it. He didn't intend to take Izuna away right now.
At the very least, he wanted to figure everything out before making a move.
"Tobirama said the Eye of the Moon project is fake. That guy named Black Zetsu deceived you."
"Impossible."
Madara spoke firmly: "The Eye of the Moon project is something I came up with. It has nothing to do with Black Zetsu. Besides, it's the embodiment of my will. It's impossible for it to deceive me."
"Big brother, are you really sure it's the embodiment of your will?"
"What do you mean by that?"
"Is it possible that the idea of it being your will's manifestation is also a lie?"
"Impossible, absolutely impossible."
Madara became slightly agitated, and his tone unconsciously raised a bit.
"Why is it impossible? Big Brother, do you have any evidence to prove it's your will's manifestation?"
"Of course I do."
At this point, Madara realized that he didn't actually have any evidence to prove it was truly his will's manifestation.
"Wait, I created Black Zetsu right under my nose. Why would I need any evidence to prove it?"
Madara shook his head. From the beginning, he never doubted Black Zetsu's identity.
Even though those words came from his brother, he didn't fully reject Black Zetsu.
However, a seed of doubt was still planted in Madara's heart.
Just like Tobirama had thought.
If those same words had come from his mouth, Madara would have thought he was trying to sow discord, and he would have dismissed it immediately.
But Izuna, after all, was his closest and most trusted person. When he spoke, Madara couldn't ignore it.
"Hah, I knew you wouldn't believe it, Big Brother. To be honest, I don't fully believe it either. Though you're an arrogant, hot-headed fool who's stubborn, sensitive, antisocial, tsundere, and not very smart, you're not so easily fooled, right, Big Brother?
But Big Brother, you can be a bit naïve sometimes. It seems like being tricked isn't an impossible fact to accept. You were fooled before."
Izuna's words left Madara silent.
He wasn't sure if his brother was complimenting him or insulting him.
Seeing that Izuna was about to continue, he quickly interrupted him, saying, "Brother, on this joyous day of our reunion, don't make me hit you."
At that moment, Izuna finally remembered the fear he used to feel when his big brother used to beat him.
He swallowed and replied, "Okay, Big Brother, I understand."
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