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After a lengthy explanation that left Kagaya's mouth completely dry, the final result was that Tobirama still didn't believe him!
Damn it!
"Why won't you believe me? The facts are right here in front of you."
Kagaya spoke with a face full of exasperation.
Tobirama, on the other hand, stared at Kagaya with a deadly serious expression.
"Spit it out! How many years ago did you secretly start learning my Flying Thunder God?"
Kagaya: "..."
Tobirama had actually hit the nail on the head. Kagaya had indeed begun secretly studying the Flying Thunder God from the Leaf Village over two years ago, long before he had ever arrived in the Warring States era.
But this was obviously not something he could tell Tobirama. So, Kagaya once again began earnestly trying to reason with him.
After another long stretch of time, Tobirama finally let out a helpless sigh.
"Fine. Although I have no idea how you managed it, as things currently stand, you are indeed on the verge of mastering the Flying Thunder God. That said, the fact that you've consistently refused to tell us your name probably means you're carrying some rather significant secrets on your shoulders, doesn't it?"
The matter of Kagaya's unwillingness to share his name had already become known to the current Leaf Village higher-ups during the two months he had spent lying in bed recovering. Kagaya had even specifically requested that Hashirama and the others erase certain records of his deeds, ensuring that the majority of people would remain unaware of his existence.
So, it was no surprise that Tobirama knew Kagaya didn't want to reveal his name.
Kagaya panted slightly. After spending so long persuading him, he had finally managed to make Tobirama reluctantly accept this reality.
"As for secrets, there definitely are some, but I can't tell you about them. Alright, let's get back to the main topic. Are you willing to teach me the Flying Thunder God or not?"
Tobirama shook his head calmly.
"Although the fact that you've been able to learn the Flying Thunder God to this extent genuinely astonishes me—no, 'astonishing' isn't even enough to describe it—rationally speaking, even now, I still don't believe you could learn the Flying Thunder God to this degree in just two and a half months. I'm a person who places great weight on rationality. So, earlier, I absolutely refused to believe you could learn it in two and a half months no matter what. But now, it seems that regardless of everything, facts are facts. Even if I don't believe it, I'm forced to acknowledge its existence.
However, even if you possess such talent, what does that have to do with me? I still have no reason to teach you. Isn't that correct?"
Kagaya sighed. "Fine. Tell me, what would it take for you to be willing to teach me?"
Tobirama narrowed his eyes, pondered for a moment, and then spoke.
"You're different from Madara. I don't sense any hatred emanating from you. In that regard, you don't seem like a member of the Uchiha clan at all. So, while I don't like you, you're by far the Uchiha I dislike the least."
Kagaya, utterly speechless, interjected. "Is it really okay to badmouth the Uchiha right in front of an Uchiha clansman?"
Tobirama was unperturbed.
"My stance has always been very clear. Both you and Madara should be able to see through my attitude perfectly well, so I see no need to hide it. To continue—I hope that in the future, you can become the leader of the Uchiha clan and guide the Uchiha forward."
"Huh? Why would me becoming the clan leader make you willing to teach me the Flying Thunder God? What's the logic behind that?" Kagaya asked, puzzled.
Tobirama spoke with grave seriousness. "This is for the good of the Uchiha! And for the good of the Leaf Village! As a member of the Uchiha, you might not feel it yourself, but I know with absolute certainty that the Uchiha clan is one whose ocular power grows stronger the greater their hatred. A clan like this, if continuously led by an Uchiha like Madara who harbors such deep hatred, will eventually cause a catastrophe! But you are different. From beginning to end, I've never sensed any significant hatred from you. If someone without hatred can lead the Uchiha, that would naturally be for the best."
Kagaya suddenly understood. Tobirama was indeed just like in the original story, deeply prejudiced against the Uchiha. The only difference was that, at this moment, the Senju and the Uchiha had only just merged. Tobirama's attitude toward the Uchiha wasn't yet the exclusionary and surveilling stance he would adopt later. At the very least, at this point in time, Tobirama still believed the Uchiha could be salvaged.
This made sense. As a rational person, Tobirama was unlikely to outright expel a powerful clan like the Uchiha from the village's leadership based purely on personal likes and dislikes. At the very least, the first thought of a rational person wouldn't be how to eliminate the clan they disliked, but rather how to reshape the clan they disliked into something they could approve of.
"That's impossible." Kagaya stated this flatly.
He was not a person of this era. Although the system hadn't yet told him when it would send him back, he was certain of one thing: the system was unlikely to keep him here forever. Sooner or later, Kagaya would vanish from this era. That being the case, leading the Uchiha or anything of the sort was naturally out of the question.
Tobirama furrowed his brow.
"Give me a reason."
Kagaya smiled faintly.
"I won't always be with the Uchiha."
Tobirama reflexively inquired. "You plan to leave the village?"
Kagaya shrugged. "Who knows?"
Tobirama's expression darkened.
"Saying you plan to leave the village right in front of one of its leaders... do you really think that's appropriate?"
Kagaya was unconcerned. "You were just badmouthing the Uchiha right in front of me!"
Tobirama: "..."
"Hmph!"
Tobirama let out a cold snort, turned around crisply, and once again prepared to leave.
"Since you intend to leave the village, that gives me even less reason to teach you the Flying Thunder God. I have no desire to see a forbidden jutsu I developed used against the village in the future."
"Hey, hey, hey."
Kagaya hurriedly blocked Tobirama's path.
"Come on, why would I ever attack the village?"
Tobirama looked at Kagaya coldly. "That's far from certain!"
Kagaya spoke helplessly. "Can't we negotiate a little more?"
Tobirama sank into thought once again for a moment, then narrowed his eyes, as if preparing to probe something.
"In the future, should the Leaf Village face danger, you must intervene three times!"
Kagaya fell silent for a moment, not immediately agreeing.
Seeing that Kagaya hadn't agreed right away, Tobirama wasn't angered—instead, he smiled. It seemed his judgment hadn't been wrong.
If Kagaya had agreed instantly without a second thought, Tobirama would absolutely have ignored him and walked away. Because a person who could agree to such a condition without even pausing to think—would they really honor that promise in the future? Probably not.
But when a person hesitated, it showed that they were genuinely thinking it over with the premise of actually fulfilling the promise. That was sufficient.
However, that alone wasn't quite enough. What Tobirama truly wanted to probe was something else, something even more deeply concealed!
After thinking for a while, Kagaya sighed.
"The village has Hashirama. It won't need my protection."
Tobirama nodded, acknowledging the point.
"What you say is a fact. However, I am the one setting the terms. You don't need to consider anything else. I'm simply asking you whether you agree or not."
Kagaya spoke.
"No time limit?"
"Correct, no time limit. As long as there are remaining interventions, whenever the Leaf Village faces a danger it cannot withstand, you will be required to act!"
"In that case, one Flying Thunder God isn't enough!"
Hearing Kagaya say this, Tobirama didn't reply immediately. Instead, he simply looked at Kagaya quietly. A long while later, Tobirama finally spoke.
"You little... as I suspected."
As mentioned before, the current village had Hashirama and Madara. Even if danger arose, Kagaya's intervention wouldn't be needed at all. So, how did Kagaya have the nerve to bargain over this matter?
Connecting this to Kagaya's earlier statement that he couldn't always stay with the Uchiha, and his refusal to reveal his name, a vague conjecture had already begun forming in Tobirama's mind.
Thinking of this, Tobirama sighed.
"The danger is great?"
Kagaya couldn't help but feel a jolt of surprise. Tobirama's words carried an enormous amount of hidden meaning. Could this man have already begun to deduce his origins?
The phrase "The danger is great?" was posed as a question. What kind of matter would require asking Kagaya? Naturally, something that Kagaya knew but Tobirama didn't! What could such a matter be? After thinking about it, Kagaya concluded: very likely, matters concerning the future!
Tobirama had probably already vaguely perceived his true origins!
As expected, these extraordinary figures of the Warring States era were not so easily fooled.
Still, Kagaya wasn't particularly afraid. In this era, as long as Hashirama and Madara weren't coming after him, Kagaya was essentially invincible. So what if Tobirama had figured it out? There was nothing to fear. Thus, Kagaya smiled faintly and answered with calm composure.
"Yeah, it's pretty huge."
What dangers could the Leaf Village possibly face?
The ones Kagaya might experience included: the attack Madara would launch on the village while controlling the Nine-Tails a few years later, and, after returning to his own time, Pain's invasion and the Fourth Great Ninja War.
Every single one of those was a colossal event. The danger was definitely immense.
Tobirama sighed again.
"Very well. I'll trust you. So, if the Flying Thunder God alone isn't enough, what else do you want?"
Kagaya spoke up.
"The Mutually Multiplying Explosive Tags jutsu!"
Tobirama gave Kagaya a rather peculiar look.
"You even know about that? And besides, that technique is meant for the dead. The living can't use it."
Kagaya smiled faintly.
"Combine it with the Flying Thunder God, and that problem's solved, isn't it?"
Tobirama rolled his eyes.
"Fine. I've never met anyone as greedy as you."
"Does that mean...?"
"Deal!"
"Excellent!"
"But you had better keep your end of the bargain!"
"Of course!"
After that, Kagaya began studying the Flying Thunder God under Tobirama's guidance.
"The Flying Thunder God is a space-time ninjutsu. Although it can be categorized under the Body Flicker Technique, in essence, it has somewhat transcended the scope of ordinary Body Flicker. The most crucial aspect of learning the Flying Thunder God lies in the perception and capture of space. The fact that you've been able to inscribe a mark already proves that your spatial perception and capture abilities are basically qualified. What you need to learn next is how to utilize the space you perceive!
Remember, the mark of the Flying Thunder God is, at its core, a beacon—a beacon that maintains a special connection with you. It's a mark you can sense anytime, anywhere, regardless of distance. Therefore, the first step to inscribing a true Flying Thunder God mark isn't being able to teleport to it. Rather, it's being able to sense it anytime, anywhere! Make 'sensing it' your top priority and strive to engrave the Flying Thunder God mark with that goal."
To the north of the Leaf Village, there stood a cliff face. In the future, this cliff would become the site of the Hokage Monument, though at present, the faces of the Hokage had yet to be carved into it.
It was atop this very cliff that Tobirama was diligently instructing Kagaya.
Kagaya listened with utter seriousness, striving to master the Flying Thunder God as quickly as possible.
And so, the training began.
The first day, Kagaya made no progress.
The second day, likewise no progress.
The third day, Kagaya made slight headway.
The morning of the fourth day.
After getting up early, washing up, Kagaya yawned and made his way toward the training grounds.
He had to admit, this feeling of continuous training over the past few days genuinely reminded him a little of the time he had spent with Shisui back in the day. It made him somewhat nostalgic.
"These past few days, I've heard you've been learning the Flying Thunder God from Tobirama."
Dressed in black, with his hair covering his right eye, Madara stood ahead, seemingly waiting for Kagaya.
Kagaya paused, slightly surprised. "Yeah, that's right, Madara. What are you doing here?"
Madara spoke flatly. "Nothing much. Just happened to run into you. By the way, since you're learning the Flying Thunder God from Tobirama, be sure to stay on your guard."
Kagaya smiled. "Don't worry. Tobirama doesn't have the ability to do anything to me."
Madara turned around.
"Good, then. I'm off."
With that, Madara left.
Walking through the streets, it was plainly visible that when the early-rising villagers saw this man—Uchiha Madara—though they weren't exactly afraid, they were certainly not eager to step forward and greet him.
Hashirama, on the other hand? The moment Hashirama appeared on the streets, practically hordes of villagers were happy to come up and greet him.
Madara was not beloved by this village.
Kagaya felt helpless about it. There was no way he could change the personal preferences of others, could he?
With a sigh, Kagaya resumed his steps and continued heading toward the training grounds.
Tobirama harbored misgivings toward Madara. But Madara, equally, harbored misgivings toward Tobirama.
In the entire village, the only people Madara could truly open his heart to were probably Kagaya and Hashirama. Even the Uchiha clansmen, who had once deeply respected Madara, were gradually being changed under the influence of this peace...
"Sigh..."
Half a month later.
Tobirama looked at the mark beginning to take proper shape on the kunai in Kagaya's hand and nodded with satisfaction.
"Not bad. Your talent is indeed exceptionally high. In another three or four days, you should be able to engrave your own unique Flying Thunder God mark. Alright, let's end here for today."
Kagaya raised his head and looked at the sun hanging directly in the center of the sky. Somewhat dissatisfied, he spoke.
"Finishing so early today?"
The corner of Tobirama's mouth twitched.
"Do you think everyone has as much free time as you? You can train the entire day, but I still have to help my brother handle a mountain of administrative affairs. You, you lazy bum, the least you could do is have a little self-awareness! Damn brat!"
Kagaya: "..."
So, Tobirama hurriedly departed, leaving Kagaya all alone.
"Sigh... I'll just train by myself, then."
With a sigh, Kagaya prepared to continue his training alone.
But it was at that very moment that a familiar voice came from beside him.
"Do you have a moment?"
Kagaya turned to look. It was Madara!
"Madara? What brings you here?"
Madara spoke.
"I've been waiting for you. If you have time, there's something I want to discuss with you."
Kagaya glanced around.
"Here?"
Madara nodded.
"Mm. I've already scanned the area with my chakra. No one's around, and Tobirama has indeed left."
"Alright then. What did you want to talk to me about?"
"Hashirama told me a couple of days ago that he intends to make me the Hokage. And the Hokage, in this village, is essentially the leader."
"Isn't that a good thing?"
Madara couldn't help but smile. "Yes. It's a very good thing. Truthfully, I don't care about some so-called position of Hokage. But the fact that Hashirama is willing to give the position to me proves that Hashirama is willing, on behalf of the Senju clan and the entire village, to show absolute trust in us Uchiha. This way, the Uchiha will be completely safe. I didn't misplace my trust after all. Hashirama... is still that same Hashirama."
Kagaya teased him.
"I can tell you're happy. This isn't like the usually composed you at all."
Madara laughed without the slightest reservation. That face, which often seemed somewhat gloomy under the cover of his long hair, was now smiling like a child.
"That's exactly why I couldn't help but come find you to share this. I wasn't able to avenge Izuna. But before Izuna died, he grabbed my hand and, with all his might, said: 'Uchiha!' That one word have been pressing down on my heart ever since. Far too heavy. Now, at last, I've managed to secure the safety of the Uchiha. I suppose I've finally fulfilled Izuna's final wish.
When I die, I'll be able to find Izuna. I'll be able to take his hand, smile, and say to him: 'Uchiha!'"
Watching the smile on Madara's face, Kagaya was momentarily stunned. It was the first time he truly understood just how immensely important this position of Hokage was—to Madara, and to the Uchiha. As long as an Uchiha clansman could sit in that seat, then even without any actual power, it would be enough to make the Uchiha the innermost core members of the Leaf Village, enough to allow the Uchiha to endure in the Leaf for generations to come! Because their clan had produced a Hokage! And not just any Hokage—the very First Hokage! The founding Hokage who symbolized the village's very establishment!
And yet, according to Kagaya's memories... Madara never became the First Hokage.
All the hopes Madara was cherishing right now would ultimately come to nothing.
Perhaps, when Madara eventually died and went to the Pure Land, he would no longer have the courage to face Izuna...
A scene that should have been filled with joy now felt, to Kagaya, inexplicably bleak and desolate.