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Two days later.
The voting for Hokage began.
The Leaf Village had only just been established not long ago, so there were still plenty of open spaces. It hadn't yet become packed with buildings the way it would in the future.
It was in one such open area at the center of the Leaf Village that a great crowd of people had gathered right now. Emotions were running high, as if they were undertaking some monumental event.
And in truth, what they were doing genuinely could be called a "monumental event." They were casting their precious votes to elect the very First Hokage of the Leaf Village.
Dressed all in black, Kagaya stood not far away, quietly watching this grand spectacle unfold.
No unforeseen incidents occurred during the process. The outcome deviated in no way whatsoever.
In the end, Hashirama won the position of Hokage by a landslide margin of votes.
*****
One month later.
Atop the Hokage Monument cliff.
"You still haven't learned the Mutually Multiplying Explosive Tags. Are you sure you're leaving already?" Tobirama looked at Kagaya before him and asked.
Kagaya nodded. "Yeah. I'm getting ready to go."
Tobirama fell silent for a moment before speaking.
"In that case... farewell forever. Remember the agreement between you and me!"
"I will!"
With those words, Kagaya slung a small backpack over his shoulder and departed from this place.
Tobirama believed Kagaya was about to leave this entire era. But in truth, that wasn't the case. Kagaya was only planning to leave the Leaf Village. The system had not yet notified him to depart from this era.
And the reason he was leaving the Leaf Village was that Kagaya couldn't be certain when the final battle between Madara and Hashirama at the Valley of the End would take place. To avoid getting caught up in that fight, Kagaya had decided to leave the village ahead of time.
The outskirts of the Leaf Village.
Kagaya had just stepped beyond the village boundary when he saw a figure dressed in black quietly leaning against a tree up ahead.
"You're leaving?"
The speaker was the black-clad man waiting for Kagaya—Madara himself.
Kagaya hefted the backpack behind him.
"It's time to go."
Madara straightened his body, pushing away from the tree trunk he had been leaning against. "Do you have a moment?"
"What do you want?"
"I want to show you something."
"I'm about to leave right now. What use would it be even if I saw it?"
"It'll be useful eventually."
A brief silence hung between them. Then, Kagaya answered.
"Fine. Let's go."
The two figures quickly vanished from this spot and re-entered the Leaf Village.
Beneath the Uchiha clan grounds.
In a dimly lit underground chamber.
Madara pointed at the stone tablet before them and spoke.
"This is the stone tablet passed down through generations of our Uchiha clan. Many things are recorded upon it. Unfortunately, the script on it is no ordinary text. It requires corresponding levels of ocular power to decipher. You possess the Eternal Mangekyo, so you should be able to see the same words I can. Give it a try."
Kagaya immediately understood. So this was what Madara wanted to show him.
His Eternal Mangekyo activated. Kagaya focused his gaze intently on the stone tablet.
Just as expected, the tablet, which had previously been completely unreadable to him, now had words he could make out.
"A single deity, in pursuit of stability, divided yin and yang into two opposing poles. These two forces, opposite in nature yet mutually interacting, gave rise to all of creation."
Kagaya scratched his head. Putting it into plain language, this passage meant that some god had split power into two forces. These two forces were opposite in nature...
And at the same time, they interacted with each other, thus creating everything.
To put it even more simply: two forces created everything in existence.
This was all the content Kagaya was able to decipher so far.
Madara looked toward Kagaya. Without knowing when, Madara had also activated his Eternal Mangekyo.
"So, you saw it too, right?"
Kagaya inquired. "What are you trying to say?"
Madara narrowed his eyes slightly.
"What the tablet states is that as long as two opposing forces complement and interact with one another, true happiness can be attained. That's correct, isn't it?"
Kagaya nodded. In the original text, the result of the two forces interacting was the creation of all of creation, and "all of creation" equated to everything. Since it was everything, then so-called happiness should indeed be encompassed within it.
Seeing Kagaya nod, Madara continued speaking.
"But, kid, when you read that passage, didn't you stop to think? Perhaps its meaning can be interpreted from another angle!"
"Another angle?"
"Yes. If two forces complementing each other can bring about true happiness, then what if a single person were to simultaneously acquire both of these opposing forces? Couldn't they also achieve true happiness?"
Kagaya jolted in shock. A faint, flickering flash of inspiration darted through his mind. There was... there was something important...
But, just as quickly, he lost track of what it was. That flash of insight came as swiftly as it went.
"What are you planning to do?"
Madara smiled. "No, nothing. Forget what I just said. This time, when you leave... will you ever come back?"
Kagaya felt somewhat perplexed. He always had this vague, nagging feeling that what Madara had just said was some sort of crucial hint, but he couldn't recall what it was hinting at.
"This time I'm leaving? I'm afraid I won't be coming back."
Madara smiled a carefree, unburdened smile.
"Is that so? Then... farewell forever."
"Farewell forever."
This time, Kagaya truly left the Leaf Village. No one came to stop him again.
Standing at a high vantage point, Kagaya looked back at the newly established Leaf Village in the distance. He sighed deeply. Ultimately, he said nothing more. His figure gradually faded away and vanished.
This departure was not without purpose.
Leaving the Leaf Village to avoid the great battle between Madara and Hashirama was one part of the reason, but there was another part as well. Kagaya wanted to take advantage of this free time to cultivate another weapon: Senjutsu.
Before arriving in the Warring States era, Kagaya had learned the location of Ryuchi Cave from Orochimaru's mouth. Since he had nothing else to do right now, training in Senjutsu seemed like a good use of his time.
After all, the hardest thing—the Flying Thunder God—Kagaya had already successfully trained in. The remaining Mutually Multiplying Explosive Tags technique wasn't particularly difficult. If he studied it slowly, he would eventually figure it out. So even after leaving the Leaf Village, there wouldn't be much of an impact.
******
The Leaf Village.
Inside a room, Tobirama spoke to Hashirama.
"Big brother, that Uchiha kid has left."
Hashirama scratched his head. "He left, huh..."
By now, Hashirama also had some inkling regarding Kagaya's origins.
"Tobirama, what's your opinion of that kid?"
Tobirama thought for a moment, then spoke.
"Although I can't sense much hatred emanating from him, in the end, he's still a member of the Uchiha clan. I don't like him."
Hashirama spoke with a face full of bewilderment. "Huh? Then why did you teach him the Flying Thunder God?"
Tobirama shook his head.
"Big brother, you don't understand. When that brat came to find me, he had already independently trained the Flying Thunder God to the point where he could engrave a blurry mark. Once he'd reached that stage, the brat mastering the Flying Thunder God was only a matter of time. Whether I helped or not, the result would've been the same. I simply took the opportunity to do him a favor and, along the way, made an agreement with him in hopes that he would protect the Leaf Village in the future."
Hashirama burst into hearty laughter. "Tobirama! I never thought you'd start trusting the Uchiha clan too! Hahahaha, this is a good thing!"
Tobirama gave a cold snort.
"Big brother, I haven't completely trusted them. The Flying Thunder God I taught that brat—I taught part of it and withheld part of it. His Flying Thunder God will end up working only intermittently, becoming nothing more than a half-useless jutsu!"
Hashirama furrowed his brow. "Tobirama, aren't you afraid that when he returns, he'll come to resent the Leaf Village because of the Flying Thunder God?"
Tobirama answered without the slightest concern.
"Relax, big brother. I did it very discreetly. He won't think it's my fault; he'll only assume it's his own problem. This way, the Flying Thunder God that the brat could have originally mastered on his own has been turned into a crippled, half-useless jutsu by my hand. And at the same time, we've secured his promise to protect the Leaf Village. The village doesn't lose out either way. It's not like that kid's power is lacking just one Flying Thunder God."
An immense, overwhelming chakra surged forth from Hashirama. His face darkened as he spoke.
"Tobirama, you've gone too far! Even if you don't trust him, you shouldn't have destroyed a jutsu he was meant to learn!"
Tobirama retorted. "That jutsu is mine! Big brother! I don't know where that brat secretly learned it from, but the Flying Thunder God is definitely my jutsu! Furthermore, I have never trusted the Uchiha. You know that very well, big brother."
Hashirama, his expression dark and heavy, glared at Tobirama. Tobirama simply endured it silently. After a long, long moment, Hashirama let out a sigh.
"Right now, the Uchiha have become our comrades, our brothers, our family. Tobirama, I forbid you from continuing to harbor a suspicious attitude toward them!"
Tobirama shook his head. "Time will prove everything, big brother."
"Even if unforeseen things happen, that's a matter for the future! But at the very least, right now, starting from this very moment, I forbid you from treating the Uchiha with suspicion any longer!!"
"Big brother, listen to me—"
"Tobirama!! I am dead serious!!! I need you to answer me: before the Uchiha commit any act of betrayal against the village, you absolutely must not treat them with suspicion again!!"
Terrifying chakra pressed down upon him. Uncontrollable cold sweat streamed down Tobirama's forehead.
"Big brother..."
"Tobirama! Answer me!"
Hashirama cut Tobirama off for the second time. The chakra erupting from his body escalated even further.
Crack... crack...
Large-scale fissures split across the walls of the building, spreading continuously and without pause.
Tobirama's entire back was drenched in sweat. The pressure was simply too immense! It truly felt as if an entire mountain was bearing down on him!
His knees began to weaken. Tobirama could barely stop himself from collapsing to his knees.
"I... I understand, big brother." Tobirama yielded once again.
And the very instant Tobirama's words fell, the terrifying presence emanating from Hashirama vanished without a trace. He transformed back into his usual goofy, good-natured self.
Hashirama raised his right hand, scratching his head as he laughed boisterously.
"Bahahahahahaha! Sorry about that, Tobirama! But it's truly wonderful that you can trust the Uchiha clan! Bahahahaha!"
Tobirama panted slightly.
"But let me be clear upfront, big brother. That's only on the premise that the Uchiha do not commit any acts of betrayal against the village!"
Hashirama was noncommittal. "Relax. The Uchiha are now our brothers, our family!"
Tobirama sighed, not saying anything more.
In Tobirama's view, his older brother was still far too naive. He didn't understand the true nature of the Uchiha. And now, he was actually forcing Tobirama to trust the Uchiha. This decision was incredibly foolish. But there was no helping it—this was his big brother, after all. Tobirama had always held deep respect for this elder brother of his.
Fine. Trust them, then. But that would only last while his big brother was still around.
Once the generation of his big brother and Uchiha Madara passed away, the one sitting in the Hokage's seat would, in all likelihood, be Tobirama himself.
At that time, no one would be able to stop his decisions.
In the final analysis, Tobirama still did not trust the Uchiha!
And when one thought about it, that made sense. Even an Uchiha like Kagaya, who carried no hatred within him, was met with Tobirama's distrust. Let alone those ordinary Uchiha clansmen who had lived through the wars and bore intense, burning hatred within them?
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Several days later, as Kagaya was leaping between tree branches to advance on his journey, he was suddenly thrown to the ground by a burst of violent shaking. He landed face-first in an utterly undignified heap.
"What's going on? Did Madara and Hashirama start fighting again? It shouldn't be this soon, right?"
Kagaya scrambled to his feet and spoke instinctively.
The tremors were far too immense. The entire ground was shaking in unison, making it difficult even to keep one's footing.
With tremors this enormous, the first thing that came to Kagaya's mind was the aftershocks of a battle between Madara and Hashirama. But by any calculation, it shouldn't be this soon! Even if Madara had left the Leaf Village right after Kagaya, capturing the Nine-Tails would still take some time, wouldn't it? And bringing the Nine-Tails back to the Leaf Village would take even more time. How could it possibly happen this fast?
But...
"Don't tell me they really started fighting?"
However, the moment Kagaya extended his sensory perception ahead, he unmistakably detected an extraordinarily colossal chakra. A chakra of this magnitude should only exist in two individuals in the entire shinobi world: Madara and Hashirama.
This... this...
BOOM! BOOM!
But Kagaya quickly noticed something off. Although the chakra up ahead was tremendously vast, even appearing to be nearly infinite in his sensory perception—just like that monster Hashirama—
When Kagaya focused his perception a bit more carefully, he immediately realized that this chakra belonged neither to Madara nor to Hashirama!
Whoosh!
Kagaya kicked off with all his strength and leaped high into the air.
With the obstructing forest canopy no longer blocking his view, Kagaya instantly saw the source of that immense chakra.
A body of colossal, gigantic proportions, like a living, moving mountain range. Its entire form was a pure, gleaming white. At first glance, it resembled a magnificent white steed. The most peculiar feature was that behind this monstrous creature, there were five tails swaying!
"Is that... the Five-Tails?"
Kagaya could scarcely believe his eyes. This was the first time he had ever laid eyes on a Tailed Beast manifesting in its true, physical form.
And more importantly, wasn't he just traveling? Why on earth would he run into a Tailed Beast on the road?! And in its true form at that!
This completely baffled Kagaya!
In truth, what Kagaya didn't know was that the widespread capture of Tailed Beasts in later eras, and the practice of using them as weapons of war, could all be traced back to a trend started by one man: Madara!
In the original story, Madara brought the Nine-Tails to fight Hashirama. After losing that battle, Hashirama, fearing that the Nine-Tails might once again bring calamity upon the world in the future, sealed the Nine-Tails away.
This sealing had enormous repercussions. The Nine-Tails' first Jinchuriki was Uzumaki Mito, Hashirama's wife. Although she wasn't a perfect Jinchuriki, she could still wield the Nine-Tails' power exceptionally well.
Then the other nations saw this and thought: Holy crap, so Tailed Beasts are this insanely powerful! This won't do. If the Leaf Village has a Tailed Beast, then we have to get one too!
And thus, the trend of capturing Tailed Beasts was sparked. This subsequently led to the events of Hashirama distributing the Tailed Beasts among the nations.
But before Madara controlled the Nine-Tails, the perception shinobi worldwide had of the Tailed Beasts was that of "violent, wrathful gods." Everyone avoided them like the plague—who would dare to try and capture one? It wasn't until the Leaf Village sealed the Nine-Tails that everyone finally realized: these gigantic creatures could actually be captured!
So, in the era Kagaya was currently in, the Tailed Beasts were all still perfectly fine. They didn't hate humans, but they didn't like humans either. To avoid getting entangled with humanity too much, the Tailed Beasts generally chose to roam in uninhabited regions.
Unfortunately for Kagaya, his destination—Ryuchi Cave—was precisely such an uninhabited region. In other words, it was exactly the kind of place Tailed Beasts loved the most!