Tempting Madara with His Little Brother's Revival

"W-what do you mean?"

"Don't play dumb. Don't you want to bring your beloved little brother Izuna back to life?"

Natsu Yuu had struck right at the heart of Madara's deepest wish.

As an older brother, how could Madara not want to bring his little brother back?

He wanted it more than anything!

Especially whenever he saw that beast Tobirama hovering around Hashirama day after day. He couldn't help thinking of Izuna, his beloved little brother.

The pain felt like a knife twisting in his heart.

That was one of the reasons he couldn't stand seeing Tobirama.

Unfortunately...

As far as Madara knew, there wasn't a single jutsu in the entire Ninja World that could truly bring the dead back to life.

As for the Forbidden Jutsu Tobirama had invented, Impure World Reincarnation, it didn't count as resurrection at all. It simply defiled the souls of the dead.

Madara would never let his little brother Izuna become a puppet, manipulated and toyed with at someone else's whim.

And so...

Hearing that Izuna could truly be brought back to life, Madara couldn't help getting excited.

"Can the Rinnegan really do that?"

Madara hadn't even obtained Hashirama's flesh and blood yet. He was still far from combining Yin-Yang Power and awakening the Rinnegan.

Naturally, he didn't know exactly what the Rinnegan could do.

"It can."

"What's the price?"

"The caster will lose his life."

"That's the only price?"

"Yes."

Madara nodded slightly, understanding.

The price seemed exorbitant, but clever as he was, Madara immediately thought of all sorts of ways around it.

All it required was the caster's life. Who said he had to perform it himself?

There were so many shinobi, so many villains, so many death-row inmates in the Ninja World...

Would it really be hard to find someone he could use?

Ninjutsu, secret techniques, Forbidden Jutsu... in the end, they were all just tools. How they were used depended on how clever the user was.

The only real difficulty was obtaining the Rinnegan.

Madara instinctively looked at Natsu Yuu.

Or rather, he looked at Natsu Yuu's Rinnegan, his thoughts stirring with desire.

Natsu Yuu saw the greed in Madara's eyes and quickly said:

"After we destroy Iwagakure and capture all the Tailed Beasts, I can help you awaken the Rinnegan."

Madara's pupils contracted as he stared at Natsu Yuu in astonishment.

In that instant, he understood.

This guy was dangling another carrot in front of him!

But...

He was more than willing to take a bite!

He had no regrets about taking a bite!

If it meant bringing Izuna back and saving his beloved little brother, what did it matter if he became the enemy of the entire Ninja World?

"What are the odds of success?"

"Almost one hundred percent."

"How long will it take?"

"Within fifteen years."

Natsu Yuu gave him his assurance.

He himself didn't have much experience combining Yin-Yang Power or cultivating the Rinnegan.

But the old Madara of the future did!

Getting that experience and information from other worlds was no difficult task for Natsu Yuu.

It was worth remembering...

Even Madara, the reincarnation of Indra, couldn't easily awaken the Rinnegan on his own.

After the Battle of the Valley of the End, it took twenty-seven years before Jiraiya discovered Nagato, who had been implanted with Madara's Rinnegan. That was after the Second Shinobi World War had ended.

That showed just how difficult it was to cultivate the Rinnegan.

But this time was different. With Natsu Yuu's support...

Madara would have a stable environment, ample resources, and plenty of experience. As long as the Madara of this world was willing, he could drastically shorten the time it took to awaken the Rinnegan.

He might even awaken it before Hashirama died.

By then, with Madara and his Rinnegan keeping things under control, there was a good chance Konoha could maintain peace for another twenty years after unifying the Ninja World.

That was Natsu Yuu's true goal!

Madara fell silent for a moment, excitement and reason warring within him.

Fifteen years was too long. He wanted to bring Izuna back right now.

But compared to the dream he'd once had no hope of realizing, waiting and working for fifteen years seemed like a bargain.

People weren't afraid of hardship.

They were afraid of having nothing to look forward to, of losing hope for the future.

Besides, he might awaken the Rinnegan early.

"What if it doesn't work?" Madara asked at last, warily.

Natsu Yuu didn't seem to be lying, but reversing life and death was beyond anything a shinobi could imagine. No one could guarantee that something wouldn't go wrong.

"If it doesn't work, I can 'lend' you another Rinnegan."

Natsu Yuu promised with a flourish.

Using the Rinnegan to perform Reanimation Jutsu wouldn't damage the eyes, so there was no risk in lending them out.

"Good!"

With that firm assurance, Madara felt much more at ease.

The whole future seemed brighter.

He wouldn't have to leave Konoha or break with Hashirama. He'd even become the Second Hokage, and now he had a chance to bring Izuna back...

If someone had told him yesterday that this was how things would turn out, he never would have believed it!

"One last thing. Why are you willing to help me bring Izuna back?"

At this,

Natsu Yuu smiled faintly and asked in return:

"Madara Uchiha, do you think you'll be able to manage Konoha in the future?"

"..."

Madara fell silent. He knew his own abilities in that area well enough.

"What if Izuna did it instead?"

"If it were Izuna, he'd definitely be able to manage it!"

Madara said with absolute certainty.

He was much like Hashirama. He might be a little better at politics and managing a clan, but not by much.

He was basically just the Uchiha's strongest figurehead and enforcer.

Before, it had all been thanks to Izuna's help that the Uchiha had barely managed to hold their own against the Senju.

After Izuna died, Madara didn't even know how many people were in the clan, how much money they had, or what reserves and supplies they'd stockpiled!

He had no way of leading the Uchiha to prosperity.

That was why they'd gradually fallen behind in their later conflicts with the Senju...

Until Madara had nearly been left all alone, with no one in the entire Uchiha clan willing to follow him to the death.

That was one of Madara's greatest weaknesses.

For now, it wasn't obvious.

But if Hashirama died in the future and Madara succeeded him as Second Hokage, that weakness would be magnified beyond measure.

Could anyone really expect him to manage all of Konoha—or even the entire Ninja World—by himself?

He couldn't even manage his own Uchiha clan. How could he manage the whole Ninja World?

Could he rely on Tobirama to help him with government affairs?

If the two of them had to see each other every day, it'd be a miracle if they didn't come to blows.

So...

Bringing Izuna back would also help Madara maintain stability in the unified Ninja World.

Of course Natsu Yuu wasn't going to stop Madara from bringing Izuna back. If anything, he was helping him fulfill that wish.

"So you need Izuna!"

"And the future Konoha needs Izuna, too!"

Natsu Yuu gave him his answer.

Madara understood, his lips twisting into a bitter smile.

He took another long drink of cola, trying to numb himself.

Without his little brother, he really was miserable! He couldn't even manage the enormous Uchiha clan.

Looking at it that way...

It wasn't Izuna who needed him. He was the one who needed Izuna more!

As for what Natsu Yuu was really after...

It no longer mattered to Madara.

It was enough that he could bring Izuna back and prove that Infinite Tsukuyomi was a lie.

"All right, that's enough for today."

With his goal accomplished, Natsu Yuu didn't linger.

"I'll be looking forward to seeing how you do in three days. Make sure the Uchiha dance becomes famous around the world again."

Madara's confidence had grown. He declared boldly:

"Hmph! Just you wait!"