Izuna * Perception

Suddenly, Izuna sat bolt upright at the table, his eyes wide with shock.

"Ah!"

He let out a short gasp.

Why am I adding more work to my schedule again?!

He raised his hands and grabbed his head.

"What happened to today's rest day?! What happened to 'I don't want to work today'?! I was just sulking and saying I was going to plan ahead and annoy you all, how come now--"

He turned to look at Hashirama, then at Tobirama, and finally fixed his gaze on Madara, his face filled with a blank expression of "Who am I? Where am I? What have I done?"

Ban finally couldn't hold back and burst into laughter.

The hearty, cheerful laughter echoed through the Office, startling several birds outside the window into fluttering away.

"Ha ha--"

Ban laughed so hard he involuntarily slammed his fist on the table.

Izuna's face instantly turned red.

"Big Brother!"

He shouted in exasperation.

Ban managed to stop laughing, but the corners of her mouth still couldn't help but turn upwards, and her eyes even glistened with a little moisture.

He raised his hand and waved at Izuna.

"Sorry, sorry," he tried to make his voice sound serious, "But you're just so cute."

Izuna: "..."

Hashirama muttered to himself, "Actually, I really wanted to laugh too, but I just didn't dare."

Tobirama glanced at him expressionlessly. "Isn't it the same whether you say it now or not?"

Hashirama immediately covered his mouth.

Izuna took a deep breath and slowly exhaled, trying to calm himself down.

But it didn't work.

He grew angrier the more he thought about it.

What started as a simple act of defiance turned into a serious discussion of a complete Ranking Matches system plan.

He only wanted to give these three guys a headache, so how did it turn into him taking on the work himself?

He glanced down at a piece of draft paper that had appeared on the table at some point, covered with dense notes outlining the key points of the Ranking Matches.

That's what he jotted down as he spoke.

The handwriting was messy but clear, logically sound, and even included a few to-do items.

Izuna: "..."

Enough! Destroy this world that makes idle fish powerless!

Ban finally finished laughing, walked over, and reached out to ruffle his hair.

"Alright, stop being angry." A hint of amusement lingered in Ban's voice. "Aren't you quite capable? You came up with so many things in such a short time."

Izuna looked up and met those smiling eyes, and suddenly most of the grievances in her heart dissipated.

But he still stubbornly insisted, "You can't order people around like that... I'm just here to come up with ideas, how did I end up being the one who executes them?"

"Because your idea is so brilliant," Hashirama leaned closer, his face full of sincerity. "So brilliant that we all feel it would be a shame not to implement it."

Izuna: "..."

Is this a compliment or an insult?

Tobirama also stood up and walked up to him.

The smile on Ban's face vanished, and he stared intently at him.

But Tobirama ignored him.

"Since you're so unwilling, then you can leave. Oh, and bring us lunch."

Izuna took the money and glanced at the time.

10:00 AM.

He blinked, a little confused. "Eating lunch this early?"

But he didn't ask any more questions, simply stuffed the money into his pocket, and walked towards the door.

"Okay, what do you want to eat?"

Tobirama walked back to his desk, not even looking up, and began flipping through the files on it. "I want Udon noodles."

"Mushroom rice bowl!" Hashirama raised his hand, a broad smile on his face.

"Inari Sushi," Ban said casually.

Izuna paused, turned to look at his older brother, and gave him a subtle look.

"Brother Ban," he drawled, "How about we order a main course?"

Spot. "..."

Ban fell silent.

He tilted his head slightly, his ear tips turning a little red, but his words remained stiff. "What's wrong with Inari Sushi? I just want to eat this."

"It's not that it's impossible, but—" Izuna stood at the door, speechless, "Look, Hashirama ordered a rice bowl, Tobirama ordered noodles, both with soup and vegetables, enough to fill you up. And you? Inari Sushi, gone in a few bites, is that even a main course?"

"Yes, it does," Ban said matter-of-factly.

"No."

"Calculate."

"No."

"..." Madara paused for a second, then said expressionlessly, "Then add some char siu for me."

Izuna laughed, "That's more like it. Wait here, I'll bring you two servings of Inari Sushi with char siu."

Ban's expression visibly softened.

Tobirama's lips twitched slightly as he listened to their conversation.

Then he couldn't help but burst out laughing.

Madara's gaze swept over them instantly, his eyes filled with murderous intent.

"Why are you laughing?"

Tobirama immediately composed himself, saying expressionlessly, "It's nothing."

You just laughed.

"No."

"I heard you."

You misheard me.

Hashirama quickly spread his arms to block the two, looking anxious. "Alright, alright! Stop arguing! Tobirama, shut up! Madara, calm down, calm down!"

Izuna chuckled twice as he looked at them, then pushed open the door and left.

The footsteps faded into the distance and soon disappeared at the end of the corridor.

The moment the door closed, the atmosphere in the Office subtly changed.

Hashirama's smile slowly faded. He turned his head and looked at Madara.

"Spot."

"Um."

Ban responded, his gaze still fixed on the doorway, the lingering smile in his eyes gradually replaced by a complex emotion.

Tobirama spoke directly, his voice very low.

"How exactly does his perception work?"

After returning from the Capital City, Hashirama told Tobirama some things.

Regarding the "past" that Izuna recounted in the car, regarding Izuna's ability to detect Black Zetsu's presence from a thousand miles away, and Black Zetsu's possession of Senju Hideki without his knowledge.

Tobirama was furious at Black Zetsu's attempt to destroy Konoha, but he quickly calmed down.

If Black Zetsu is truly as hidden and ancient as Izuna described, then it is indeed inappropriate to act rashly.

The price of alerting the enemy could be the entire Konoha.

But now, something else is attracting his attention.

Uchiha Izuna's sensory abilities.

He could sense the Black Zetsu thousands of miles away.

Why?

"He didn't notice the children's arrival?" Tobirama frowned.

"Those kids have been squatting outside the door for so long, chattering and pushing each other. Even if our Office is soundproof, with Izuna's senses, he should have noticed them long ago."

He paused for a moment, then said, "But his expression just now... it was genuine surprise. He wasn't faking it."

"Back at the Hyuga Clan," Hashirama began, "He was able to dodge the attack from behind. And his reaction was instantaneous, so fast that his attacker didn't even have time to touch him."

Madara continued, "That brat named Takuma was the one who started that duel between our clans; he was the one who launched the sneak attack on Izuna."

But he dodged it.

The fact that Izuna was able to dodge shows that his senses were always active.

But if that's the case, why didn't he sense the children's arrival?

That doesn't make sense.

"Want to give it a try?" Tobirama suddenly asked.

Madara's eyes instantly turned sharp, his hair almost standing on end, as he stared intently at Tobirama: "You dare?!"

Tobirama returned his gaze expressionlessly, his tone calm. "If you're not comfortable with that, why don't you go and try it yourself?"

Ban fell silent.

His fingers tightened slightly, his knuckles turning white.

"... I don't want to." After a long while, he said in a low voice.

I don't want to test the waters.

He didn't want Izuna to think he was doubting him.

I don't want to disrupt this... hard-won peace.

Even if he had many questions in his mind, even if those questions were like thorns pricking his heart, he didn't want to verify them in this way.

Because that's Izuna.

He is his only younger brother.

She was the person he swore to protect.

Tobirama looked at him, remained silent for a moment, then looked away without saying anything more.

A brief silence fell over the Office.

Hashirama Madara and sighed.

"Then I'll go."

Ban suddenly looked up at him.

Hashirama met his gaze, his eyes filled with a reassuring firmness.

"Ban, do you believe me?"

Ban opened his mouth as if to say something, but in the end he only nodded slightly.

Hashirama smiled, a smile that carried his usual cheerfulness and a power that inspired trust.

"Then leave it to me," he said. "I won't let Izuna be upset. I just... want to confirm a little. For his sake, and so we can have peace of mind."