Madara: No One Will Remember You

"Empiricism really can be a real pain sometimes."

Inside the home of Uzumaki Kushina, Haori wiped away dust from the surroundings while silently complaining to himself.

Because he had finally realized exactly what he had gotten wrong.

This place might be the ancestral home of the Uzumaki Clan, but more importantly, it was the home of Uzumaki Kushina!

He knew that Uzumaki Kushina was already living with Namikaze Minato, but he hadn't dared to come over precisely because he was worried about running into trouble.

The sealing arts of the Uzumaki Clan were something the entire ninja world coveted.

Although it sounded absurd, Kushina had actually been kidnapped by Kumogakure when she was a child.

If it hadn't been for Namikaze Minato, who had already taken an interest in her and kept a close watch, noticing something was wrong and rushing to save her immediately...

Otherwise, there was a high chance that Kushina would have ended up in Kumogakure.

And beyond the incident with Kushina, Kirigakure had truly wiped out the Land of Whirlpools during the Second Shinobi World War.

Under their systematic slaughter, the population of the Uzumaki Clan was likely decimated, leaving nine out of ten houses empty.

Their objective was also incredibly pure: it was all for the sake of the sealing arts.

If they couldn't have them, then no one else should either, so they simply wiped out the entire Uzumaki Clan!

With Uzumaki Mito holding down the fort in Konoha, they naturally didn't lack the sealing arts of the Uzumaki Clan.

It was just that Haori had previously held a misconception, wondering if the sealing arts would be kept here, after all, even the Shinigami Mask had been left behind.

But thinking about it carefully, he suddenly realized he was being ridiculous.

Aside from Orochimaru, it seemed no one even knew about the Shinigami Mask.

Moreover, Uzumaki Mito had married Senju Hashirama and had long since moved into the Senju compound.

Kushina was also already living with Namikaze Minato, and if nothing went wrong, they would likely be married after the war.

There was no one left here, so how could those treasures belonging to the Uzumaki Clan possibly be kept in this place?

"So, what exactly is left here?"

Haori felt a bit helpless for a moment; if Konoha had already taken all the good stuff from inside, then what the hell was he supposed to find?

"What's wrong, Haori?"

Seeing Haori looking a bit dazed, Kakashi, who was nearby, couldn't help but ask out of curiosity.

"Are you worried about when Kushina-sensei will be back?"

"Not at all, I was just thinking about what Jonin Kushina might teach me."

Haori quickly adjusted his mood and replied with a smile.

In truth, he didn't care what she taught him; what he was more anxious about now was what he could actually find.

If he remembered correctly, Kushina should have gone to reinforce her seal.

As a Jinchuriki, Kushina's life wasn't actually particularly easy.

Haori seemed to recall that in The Tale of Minato he had seen before he transmigrated, Kushina couldn't even leave the barrier.

However, she later broke free from those shackles and helped Namikaze Minato complete his training for the Rasengan; perhaps it was from that point on that she could move about freely.

But matters regarding seals could not be taken lightly; after all, no village could afford the consequences of a Tailed Beast breaking loose.

"Is cleaning up too boring?"

Kakashi asked with a chuckle, then he simply offered.

"There isn't much left to do, so just leave the rest to me.

Kushina-sensei has quite a few books here, you can read them to pass the time while you rest."

"Oh?"

Haori blinked, and he asked as if it were a casual thought.

"What kind of books are there?"

"It seems like there's only some basic information on sealing arts."

Kakashi recalled for a moment before speaking; he had helped clean up here before, so he was relatively familiar with the place.

And since there really wasn't anything important here, he spoke with complete ease.

"Of course, there are also some history books, I think that's about it."

History books?

Hearing this, Haori was stunned for a moment, but his eyes soon began to glow slightly.

The sealing arts couldn't be left here, as those could determine a village's control over a Tailed Beast.

But those scrolls regarding family history were very unlikely to have been taken away by Konoha!

Because these scrolls merely recorded the history of the Uzumaki Clan and their past heroes.

With the destruction of the Uzumaki Clan, these items could only be considered a few keepsakes left for the remaining members of the family.

Besides, they had already taken the most important things, so it was only right to leave something behind, wasn't it?

History books are good things, after all.

Thinking of this, Haori couldn't help but feel his heart race.

Although he didn't know how many years back the history books stored here went, Haori knew the approximate timeframe of that Uchiha Mumei.

The Uzumaki and Senju had always been allies; as long as he found the corresponding period and saw what they had generally been up to, he might be able to pinpoint the location of that Uchiha Mumei!

"But, wouldn't it be inappropriate for us to go through the books of a Jonin like Kushina?"

Even though Haori was excited inside, he tried his best to remain calm.

"Historical archives are usually important family items. If we just flip through them like this, wouldn't it be very rude?"

"If you want to read them, just read them."

Before Haori could finish his sentence, a voice suddenly rang out from behind him.

Turning his head, he saw that Kushina had already returned.

"Jonin Kushina."

"Teacher Kushina."

Haori and Kakashi immediately bowed slightly; although Kushina was easygoing, some etiquette still had to be maintained.

"Alright, no need to be so formal."

Kushina waved her hand dismissively, then her gaze shifted toward Haori.

However, Haori keenly noticed a hint of melancholy in her eyes.

"If you want to read them, just read them. It's no big deal; after all, the Uzumaki Clan is basically gone. It's actually a good thing that someone is willing to remember its history."

Inside the underground base in the Land of Grass, Uchiha Madara watched Obito, who was gradually waking up, and couldn't help but nod slightly.

He had finally woken up, and Madara no longer had to listen to this kid constantly repeating dream-talk like "Kakashi" and "Rin."

Although he had been incredibly annoyed by the boy, the mention of "Kakashi" had forced Madara to revise his plans.

But all in all, he had figured out what he needed to think through.

An extra person meant an extra bond, which wasn't necessarily a bad thing.

Moreover, when that Haori returned to Konoha, he had let White Zetsu follow him, just to see what their current situation was.

Now that White Zetsu had returned, he had obtained the results he wanted.

Whether it was Kakashi or Nohara Rin, they both seemed to have moved on from the shadow of Obito's "death."

And all of this was inseparable from that guy, Haori!

What a formidable little brat, but that actually makes things better.

Madara muttered silently to himself. If Obito discovered that the two people he cherished most had replaced their feelings for him with someone else—and that person happened to be Haori, whom Obito held such a prejudice against—then everything would be simple!

After all, no one remembers you anymore, and no one cares about you. Even the people you cherish most are the same. Would you still like a world like this?

Madara looked at Obito indifferently, a smile appearing on his face.

"Where... is this?"

Just as Uchiha Madara was deep in thought, Obito finally opened his remaining right eye weakly.

"Am I dead?"

Obito whispered, his memory still lingering on the moment he was buried by the giant boulder.

"Ah!"

Suddenly, he let out a scream, as if a piercing pain had surged from the right side of his body.

He tried to struggle, only to find that his right side was wrapped so tightly there wasn't a single gap, making it impossible to move.

"You're awake?"

Just as he was at his most confused and in pain, a voice containing the hoarseness peculiar to an old man, yet possessing a strange rhythm, suddenly sounded in his ear.

"This is the crevice between the underworld and reality. It seems you have crawled back from death, member of the Uchiha."