Uchiha Sasuke's refusal to show even a shred of respect—calling Uchiha Madara by his name rather than "Clan Head"—caused the guard's brow to twitch incessantly.
Having confirmed that Uchiha Tajima was gone for good—likely already busy preparing for his next reincarnation—Madara had naturally taken the reins of the Uchiha clan. At such a young age, he had become the de facto leader of the Uchiha.
Then again, "young" was a relative term. In this era, many clan leaders were Madara's age, and some had even ascended to the position much earlier.
Regarding the downfall of his cold-blooded father, Madara felt little grief. Instead, he felt a sense of frustrated anger at his father's failure to thrive. Yet, throughout this period, he had kept his sorrow buried deep within his heart... partly for his third brother who was currently drifting, and partly for the late Shichimi.
Because of this, while the Uchiha clan was enjoying a rare period of internal peace, an invisible shroud of low pressure hung over the compound. The Clan Head was clearly unhappy, and as a result, everyone else was walking on eggshells.
Under these circumstances, even if Sasuke had arrived with a smile, the guards wouldn't have given him the time of day—let alone now, when he stood there with a sour expression and an exceptionally "arrogant" demeanor.
An Uchiha shinobi from the future? The guards figured he was more likely an Uchiha who had majored in charlatanism. He was practically a disgrace to the name.
But Sasuke couldn't help it; this was the only way he could prove he was the real deal. That was just his personality. To put it in perspective: Hatake Kakashi had taught him for so long, even passing down his ultimate Chidori (One Thousand Birds), so it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say Kakashi was "sincere" toward him. Yet, Sasuke had never once uttered the word "Teacher."
Even when his body was being "honest" while serving under Orochimaru, did anyone really expect him to say "Lord"?
Hmph. In his dreams. At most, he'd just consider it a debt to the Uchiha and refuse to pay it back. Even when being supported by others, he refused to change his nature, maintaining a fiercely independent—almost diva-like—personality. He was the quintessential Uchiha "princess."
So what if Sasuke gave them the cold shoulder? What if he didn't respect the Clan Head? The guard couldn't do anything about it regardless.
As an Uchiha, the guard understood all too well the suppression a superior Dojutsu (Eye Technique) exerted over a lower one. He could only seethe in silence, unable to achieve the "glorious feat" of dragging this insolent brat before the Clan Head.
Fine. He would allow it, purely for the sake of the Mangekyo Sharingan.
"Wait here. I will go inform him."
"Where is Madara? I'm coming with you."
Inform him? Did the guard really expect Sasuke to wait around? He followed directly behind, and the shinobi still found himself powerless to stop him.
To be honest, Sasuke owed Hane Genma a debt of gratitude for taking out Tajima. If Tajima were still in charge instead of Madara, Sasuke's "overbearing" attitude would have ensured he never left the Uchiha compound alive today. Or rather, given how much they valued the Mangekyo, Sasuke might have been allowed to leave, but his eyes would have stayed behind.
The poor guard was followed every step of the way, until finally, Sasuke stood before Uchiha Madara. Everything was indeed being "forgiven" for the sake of the Mangekyo; the Uchiha were quite willing to acknowledge anyone possessing those eyes as kin. Otherwise, a mob of Uchiha would have already swarmed Sasuke with "warm hospitality."
In front of the Clan Head's residence within the Uchiha compound, Sasuke didn't even give the guard a chance to knock. He pushed the door open, stepped inside, and commanded without looking back:
"You may leave."
The unfortunate guard nearly exploded with rage. Is a single word out of your mouth even human? Even a neighborhood security guard wouldn't tolerate being ordered around like a dog... especially by someone who didn't even "own the property."
Just as he was about to lose his cool and strike, Madara finally appeared.
"What is happening?"
Madara's gaze immediately fell upon Sasuke. A flicker of surprise crossed his face, vanishing as quickly as it came.
"I remember you. The Uchiha who stays by Hane's side. We are enemies, not friends. Why are you here?"
Madara loathed mentioning Hane's name. Since the current Senju Tobirama hadn't done anything particularly noteworthy yet, Hane remained his number-one most hated person.
"Uchiha Madara, I have things to discuss with you. In private."
Sasuke ignored Madara's question entirely, simply stating his business. After speaking, he tilted his head slightly, gesturing with his chin toward the guard who didn't seem to realize it was time to go.
Madara's brow furrowed. You dare speak to me like that? Do you have any idea that I could crush you with one hand?
Fortunately, after being cursed out by Hane previously, Madara's psychological tolerance had improved significantly. He chose to be magnanimous and didn't hold the "brat's" arrogance against him. After all, brats usually had nothing but arrogance to offer.
"Clan Head, he..."
Madara signaled the guard to stop explaining and waved him away. He glanced at Sasuke's Mangekyo and continued, "Follow me."
In the Uchiha clan, the Mangekyo Sharingan was indeed a universal VIP pass.
Upon entering a reception room, Madara sat down casually and motioned for Sasuke to sit opposite him.
"What is your name?"
Sasuke was about to answer, but fortunately, he remembered some of Hane's earlier warnings. He knew that in this era of warring states, the name "Uchiha Sasuke" had no place in history.
"For certain reasons, it's not convenient to reveal my name. You may call me 'Taka' (Hawk)."
Sasuke was actually being clever for once. Hiding his name might be the only thing preventing Madara from killing him on the spot.
"Tsk. A man hiding in the shadows."
Given Sasuke's personality, he was too lazy to make up a real name, and "Taka" obviously sounded like a code name.
"So, what do you want?" Madara asked. Sasuke had first appeared alongside Hane, so Madara naturally didn't trust him. He had no intention of making small talk. If Madara weren't slightly more open-minded about clan bloodlines, he would have "cleaned house" already.
"Can you guarantee that what we say here won't be leaked?" Sasuke went quiet for a moment, showing a rare flash of caution.
Madara grew increasingly annoyed. If you have something to say, say it. Don't be so tedious.
"A powerful sensory barrier is active around my residence. Nothing within this barrier can escape my eyes."
He actually had Hane to thank for this. Even though Hane had caught him off guard with a slash once, Madara still looked down on Hane's raw power. However, he had to admit that Hane's stealth and assassination skills were peerless in the shinobi world. Though he wouldn't admit it aloud, after returning to the village, Madara had implemented several "Hane-proofing" measures.
Because of these precautions, Madara had reaped unexpected benefits—at the very least, he no longer had to deal with White Zetsu peeping on his privacy at all hours.
If there's a barrier, why did you act like you just happened to be at the door? Sasuke felt that Madara wasn't being entirely straightforward either, but now wasn't the time to argue. He nodded and began.
"Listen to me. I am an Uchiha shinobi who has traveled back from the future. Based on the tragedies that later befell the Uchiha clan, I have to intervene to change things... I need your assistance."
Sasuke's delivery was problematic. Although he thought he was just stating facts, his "opening move" made it sound like he was "bestowing" information upon Madara out of the goodness of his heart.
Madara felt like he was wasting his time. How many layers of Genjutsu do you have to be under to spout such nonsense?
"Listen. Soon, the Uchiha will lose in the war against the Senju. You will be defeated by Senju Hashirama, and your brother will die in battle against Senju Tobirama."
"However, you will obtain the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan because of it, fight Hashirama again, and fail again..."
"In the end, the Uchiha will be forced to merge with the Senju. With the two clans as the core and other clans joining, Konohagakure will be established."
"The purpose of the village was to seek peace and end the era of war, but due to the high-pressure policies of the Second Hokage—the village leader—and the Fourth Hokage, the Uchiha's situation became increasingly dire..."
"Was the Uchiha clan wiped out?" Madara asked sarcastically, still not believing a word.
This time, it was Sasuke's turn to be silenced. He didn't know how to describe just how miserable the Uchiha had become.
"Young man, the Uchiha currently face the threat of extinction every single day. Your 'clever' story sounds more like a fairy tale."
Uchiha Madara was so confident that he couldn't fathom losing to Hashirama. Before the final showdown, Madara believed Hashirama was, at best, his equal. As for Izuna and Tobirama? Izuna had the Mangekyo. Someone with the Mangekyo losing to Tobirama? Madara's mocking smile suddenly twitched and faded for a moment, though he wasn't sure why.
Sasuke's description lacked detail. He didn't even mention that Izuna would die to the Hiraishin no Jutsu (Flying Thunder God Technique). How could he expect anyone to believe him? But he wasn't Orochimaru; you couldn't expect him to know every secret of shinobi history.
"I can show you my experiences through Genjutsu (Illusionary Technique)." Seeing Madara's skepticism, Sasuke came up with another poor idea.
Infiltrate my mind? Madara's suspicion deepened. "How about this: I will use Genjutsu to probe the information in your head. That would be much more convenient."
Sasuke shook his head immediately. Are you kidding? He couldn't trust Madara not to mess with his brain. It was only then that he realized how bad his suggestion had been. In truth, even if Madara searched his memories, he wouldn't believe them, as there were countless ways to forge memories.
Sasuke finally realized that his dry words held no weight. He was facing the classic dilemma: How do I prove I am who I say I am?
Sasuke's goal was to keep the Uchiha away from the Senju and Konoha, but Madara didn't even need to ask to "know" the motive. Madara suddenly felt quite brilliant; he "figured out" exactly what this shinobi was doing: trying to sow discord between the Uchiha and Senju to benefit the Yinghuo (Firefly) organization.
Did the relationship between the Uchiha and Senju even need more discord? It was already as bad as it could get. How could Madara ever lead the Uchiha to submit to the Senju? The joke wasn't even funny.
He concluded that "Taka's" goal was logical, but the man himself was an idiot who had made up an utterly absurd story. Since Hane had already tried a similar stunt—luring Hashirama to their last fight—Madara wasn't about to be fooled twice.
Do you think I, Uchiha Madara, don't learn from my mistakes? It didn't matter. Once he dealt with Hashirama... Hmph. In the face of absolute strength, all petty schemes would be exposed.
Madara felt quite satisfied with his own "intellect."
Sasuke was starting to get angry. Everything he said was the truth—why was this man so stubborn? It was incomprehensible. He had never met someone so bull-headed... He failed to realize he was essentially looking in a mirror.
Then again, if Madara weren't stubborn, he wouldn't be Uchiha Madara.
"You—"
"For the sake of the Sharingan, I will allow you to leave. But do not appear near the Uchiha ever again."
It was a waste of time. After this exchange, the only thing Madara felt was the "fear" the Yinghuo organization had for him.
Sasuke took a deep breath and let out a long sigh. He stood up, and just as he was about to leave, he turned back for one last word:
"One day, you will realize everything I said was the truth. I hope you don't regret it then."
Regardless of how it came out, it was a well-intended warning. Madara would indeed eventually realize these weren't lies, but "prophecies." However, given Sasuke's unique phrasing and tone, Madara was already starting to regret... regret letting him walk away.
After leaving the Uchiha compound in a somewhat pathetic fashion, Sasuke didn't give up on his plan. If he couldn't get Madara's help, he would find another way. The honor and survival of the clan rested on his shoulders; Sasuke felt a heavy sense of mission. How could he quit?
At this point, Sasuke compared the current Madara with the "Madara" he had met in the future. He quickly realized that the future version was a fake...
The personalities and auras were completely different. The man he just met was definitely real, while the one from his past was always hiding behind a mask. Sasuke wondered briefly if he was just too easy to fool.
But notice the pattern? Sasuke's methods were too linear, lacking any flexibility. He was a complete mess at this. He should have started by providing time-sensitive, valuable intelligence to gain Madara's trust piece by piece. Instead, he jumped straight to the "prophecy" nonsense that no one would believe.
The Hagoromo Clan!
Sasuke hadn't mentioned a single word about the Hagoromo clan being under attack. By the time he reached the Uchiha, it was already the following day. It was already too late to say anything. By the time the Uchiha received the reports, it would be far beyond "too late."
The decisive battle was over; the dust had settled. If the Uchiha moved now, they wouldn't even be in time to collect the bodies while they were still warm.
So much for reinforcements. Besides, Madara had never liked the Hagoromo clan anyway.
On the other side, moving in real-time, it was now the morning of the fourth day. Although the battle had ended, a significant number of shinobi had not yet left the battlefield due to the wounded.
Did all that noise draw the attention of other powers?
Let them watch. What could they do? Would they really dare move against the force that had just annihilated the Hagoromo clan?
At that moment, Senju Tobirama led someone toward Hane Genma.
The newcomer wasn't tall, had short black hair, and possessed a well-proportioned build. Dressed in grey robes and grey armor, he looked capable, but otherwise unremarkable.
"Hane, let me introduce you. This is Sarutobi Sasuke of the Sarutobi clan. He just arrived and wanted to meet you."
Hane Genma: "..."
Is this my long-lost big brother I've never met?
--
Support me & read more advance & fast update chapter on my patreon:
pat reon .com/yuuwand