In the camp, Tobirama Senju summoned Tianqi to his room alone.
Looking at Tianqi, who bore a strong resemblance to Madara, Tobirama's thoughts drifted back to the Warring States era. Back then, Madara had stood above the entire Shinobi World and looked down on everyone except Tobirama's older brother. It would have been a lie to say Tobirama hadn't envied Madara's strength.
"Tianqi, do you know? I've been fighting the Uchiha since I was a child, and many of my relatives died at their hands. So, naturally, I have some prejudice against the Uchiha. You understand that, right?" Tobirama said earnestly.
Tianqi didn't respond. He wanted to see what Tobirama was getting at.
When Tianqi didn't answer, Tobirama—unusually—didn't get angry. He continued.
"I've never liked Madara. And since you're his son, you could say that my hatred for him transferred directly to you."
Konoha was founded by my older brother and your father. You should know that. At first, Madara was willing to put aside the feud between our clans and build Konoha with my brother. I still didn't like him back then, but my opinion of him began to change.
You may not know this, Tianqi, but going from fighting each other to helping each other—peace like that is hard-won. Yet that bastard Madara actually wanted to destroy it. I could never allow that.
Even though your father, Madara, is gone, my hatred for him has never disappeared. He may be gone, but you're still here, Tianqi—the biological son of Uchiha Madara. Madara's power was terrifying, but my older brother could still keep him in check.
But now my older brother is dead. If you become another Madara, there'll be no one left to restrain you.
So when I first saw you, I wanted to nip the threat in the bud. I was afraid you'd become the next Madara. My older brother and sister-in-law both tried to stop me, but I still couldn't rest easy. So I took every ninjutsu and every bit of money from your family that could help you grow stronger, had people watch you, and even kept you from going to school. You could say I tried every method I could think of.
Listening to this, Tianqi realized just how deeply Tobirama feared Madara.
"But later, I came to understand that you're you, and Madara is Madara. Madara isn't you, and you aren't Madara. So I lifted the restrictions on you and wanted to see just how far you could go."
"But today, when I saw the Mangekyō in your eyes, I started having doubts again. So I want to know your truest thoughts about Konoha, Tianqi. Don't flatter me. I want to hear what you really think."
"Flatter you? Tobirama Senju, you've got it all wrong. I, Uchiha Tianqi, have never flattered you." This time, Tianqi didn't call him Second or Lord Hokage. He addressed him by name.
"Didn't you want to hear what I really think about Konoha? I can tell you: I've never cared about Konoha. Who becomes Hokage has nothing to do with me!"
I, Uchiha Tianqi, have always believed in one principle: if others don't offend me, I won't offend them; if they do, I'll strike back! Whatever I do, I just want to be able to answer to my own conscience.
As for your fear that I'll turn out like my father, I can tell you this with complete confidence: I am not Uchiha Madara! I like this peaceful atmosphere, and I hope I can keep living in peace in the future.
"That's all I have to say. Whatever you think, you can think it over on your own. I'm a little tired, so I'm leaving." After saying that, Tianqi walked out of the room without looking back.
Tobirama sat there in a daze, thinking about Tianqi's words. Could he really have been overthinking it? Had he forced his own understanding of Madara onto Tianqi? Had it all just been his own wishful thinking?
Tobirama spent the whole night sleepless.
Meanwhile, Tianqi was drinking with Sarutobi Hiruzen and the others at the camp. Uh... drinking was normally forbidden in camp, but both sides had stopped fighting, and all that remained was to sign the treaty and leave. So Sarutobi made an exception and joined them.
"Hahaha, Tianqi, I can't believe how strong you've gotten! You even awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan. I'm so happy for you, brother!" Sarutobi slung an arm around Tianqi's shoulder, already drunk.
"That's right, Tianqi. You even beat the Raikage's designated successor. I admire you more than anyone," Torifu Akimichi said cheerfully.
"It was all luck, just luck. You guys don't have to praise me so much. You're embarrassing me." Tianqi said he was embarrassed, but inside he was delighted. He wasn't afraid or worried about anything now. It felt great to let off some steam.
Nearby, Danzo drank with a disgruntled look on his face. He had lost his match, so he hadn't felt comfortable saying anything. Tianqi hadn't wanted to hang around Danzo, but Sarutobi was close to him, so Tianqi had let it go.
But to Danzo, Tianqi's humble act looked like showing off. He was only acting so smug because he had the advantage of the Sharingan. What was there to be proud of? One day, Danzo would get a pair of his own. Then he'd show Tianqi what it meant to have a Sharingan without being an Uchiha.
Tianqi had no idea that this drinking party was what gave Danzo the idea of getting the Sharingan.
Three days passed.
At last, it was time to sign the alliance treaty. Tobirama Senju set out for the capital of the Land of Iron with his four disciples. The signing ceremony had been arranged there, with the Land of Iron's leaders acting as witnesses.
And who were the four disciples? Sarutobi Hiruzen, Shimura Danzo, Utatane Koharu, and Mitokado Homura, of course.
At the camp entrance, Tianqi watched them leave and said quietly,
"Goodbye, Tobirama Senju."
"This is probably the last time I'll see Tobirama Senju." Tianqi had been feeling a little melancholic, but when he remembered that nobody would be breathing down his neck anymore, his spirits instantly lifted.
"Hahaha! From now on, I can do whatever I want. Anyone who gives me a hard time will get a couple of slaps!"
Oh, right. I was still a few kills short of completing that system mission, wasn't I? When Sarutobi and the others come fleeing back, I can pick off a few enemies on the way.
I remember the original story going something like this: the brothers Kinkaku and Ginkaku assassinated the Raikage and the Hokage during negotiations between the Land of Fire and the Land of Lightning.
The Second, Tobirama, sacrificed himself after exhausting his strength to buy time for his subordinates to escape. He was hailed as a hero who had protected Konoha. The enemy paid a terrible price as well: Ginkaku died, and Kinkaku was left covered in wounds after being beaten by the Second, on the verge of death. Gazing at the Second's corpse, Kinkaku laughed wildly and boasted that he and his brother had killed both the Raikage and the Hokage, claiming that they really were the strongest.
Meanwhile, after learning that his teacher, the Second Raikage of Kumogakure, had been assassinated, Ei succeeded him as Raikage thanks to his outstanding performance and formidable strength. He and Kumogakure's leaders held a funeral for the previous Raikage. Gazing at his teacher's portrait, Ei was heartbroken. To avenge him, the Third Raikage planned to kill Kinkaku and Ginkaku before attending his teacher's funeral.
He then led Kumogakure's elite shinobi to confront Kinkaku as Raikage. Unleashing Lightning Release Chakra Mode, he dealt Kinkaku a devastating blow. Kinkaku died, and the Third Raikage brought his Amber Purifying Pot back to Kumogakure.
That's more or less how it went, I think. I guess Tobirama Senju didn't know those two brothers would turn on them—or that they'd be so strong.
Before you continue