Uchiha Madara

As the door was gently pushed open, the two of them stepped slowly into the room. Tsunade's heart, which had been somewhat restless, gradually returned to calm, like a pebble settling into the depths of a lake.

She did not ask what had happened, but instead walked to the table with practiced grace and began to prepare tea.

At this moment, Uzumaki Mito was chatting with Uchiha Kō about trivial household matters.

Uchiha Kō wore a smile, responding with ease; he caught every remark perfectly, ensuring the conversation never faltered.

Moreover, his humorous and witty remarks often drew hearty laughter from Uzumaki Mito, filling the entire room with a joyful and peaceful atmosphere.

Tsunade stood quietly to the side, focused on brewing the tea.

The corners of her mouth turned up slightly in a faint smile, her eyes gazing tenderly at the chatting Uzumaki Mito and Uchiha Kō, as if she were completely immersed in this warmth.

However, just as this tranquil moment unfolded, a sudden shout shattered the peace. With a loud "bang," the door was flung open, and a figure burst in, shouting excitedly, "Grandmother! Sister! My master finally agreed to let me go to the front lines!"

As the shout echoed, the expressions of everyone present shifted instantly.

Uchiha Kō raised his eyebrows with interest, a faint smile playing on his lips; Tsunade frowned, her face showing clear worry; while Uzumaki Mito's expression darkened, clearly displeased by the news.

Meanwhile, Uchiha Kō turned his gaze toward the boy—Senju Nawaki.

He had caught a glimpse of Senju Nawaki at the camp in the Land of Rain, but he hadn't examined him closely then. Now, looking at him intently, he couldn't help but praise him inwardly: Hmm, he truly is a vibrant and spirited youth!

Tsunade furrowed her brows tightly, her heart filled with anxiety. Even though her younger brother, Nawaki, was already twelve years old and a genin, in her eyes, he was still just a child.

Even with Nawaki apprenticed to Orochimaru, Tsunade harbored deep concerns about whether he could survive the brutal battlefield.

At this moment, Uzumaki Mito's face was so dark it seemed as if water could drip from it. One had to remember, their clan had only two descendants left: Tsunade and Nawaki.

Now that Tsunade was heading to the battlefield, it was, by all accounts, her duty as a disciple of the Hokage, and Uzumaki Mito would not say much against it.

However, her precious grandson—the direct grandson of the First Hokage, Senju Hashirama—was only twelve! To send someone so young to the war-torn front lines, what kind of logic was this?

If something were to happen to him, who would bear the responsibility? Would it be Orochimaru? The answer was clearly no.

Orochimaru knew full well that Nawaki's identity was special and would never easily let him go to the dangerous front lines.

Yet this time, Orochimaru had unexpectedly agreed to it.

Uzumaki Mito could not believe for a second that there wasn't some ulterior motive at play behind the scenes.

Uchiha Kō sensed Uzumaki Mito's concern and said with a chuckle, "Nawaki, do you remember me?"

Senju Nawaki looked at Uchiha Kō, his eyes lighting up. "It's you! Lord God of War! Our last meeting was too rushed for a proper greeting. What brings you to my home today?"

There wasn't a ninja who had participated in the Second War in the Land of Rain who didn't know Uchiha Kō; in Konoha, there was even a growing sentiment that referred to him as the God of War.

Uchiha Kō was stunned. God of War? What was this? But he shook his head and smiled, "Nawaki, I came to your home to discuss important matters with your sister and your grandmother."

"Oh!" Nawaki nodded.

"Nawaki, I want to ask, was it you who begged Orochimaru to let you go to the front lines?" Uchiha Kō asked, feeling puzzled. Why did the grandson of the First Hokage die so unjustly?

Being caught in an explosion and having his internal organs gutted—dying without even a whole body—was truly baffling.

Nawaki nodded. "Yes! Because I am the grandson of the First Hokage, and I want to become Hokage in the future, I must experience the baptism of the battlefield to grow!"

Uchiha Kō paused, then said coldly, "Who told you these things?" He finally understood; someone must have been baiting Nawaki to go to the front.

Although the boy had always had a desire to become stronger and a dream of becoming Hokage, he hadn't possessed this specific mindset before. There was only one truth: someone had manipulated Senju Nawaki.

Nawaki froze. Seeing Uchiha Kō's cold, stern expression, he couldn't help but shiver. "It... it was an old man, he..."

He struggled to recall, then looked at Uchiha Kō, his pupils shrinking. "He had a face just like Lord God of War, only he was older!"

Uchiha Kō was stunned, then collapsed into his chair with a thud. His reaction startled both Uzumaki Mito and Tsunade.

Tsunade, in particular, asked quickly, "Is something wrong, Kō-kun?"

Uchiha Kō shook his head. "I'm fine." He had only lost his composure for a moment. He had seen his own reflection; he looked eighty percent like Madara, and Senju Nawaki's description of an older man who looked like him pointed to one person.

The identity of that man was obvious: the Rose of the Warring States, the Asura of the Ninja World, Uchiha Madara.

Uchiha Kō never expected that Madara's shadow would still be present after all these years. And if Madara was acting this way, it likely wasn't his own intention, but rather the influence of Black Zetsu.

Otherwise, given his relationship with Hashirama, how could he possibly provoke Nawaki into going to the battlefield?

Uzumaki Mito sensed something was amiss. "Kō, did you figure something out?" She had a premonition that Kō had guessed a secret—a massive secret.

Otherwise, with Kō's steady nature, he wouldn't have lost his composure like that.

Uchiha Kō looked up, about to speak, but swallowed his words; he didn't know how to explain it to Uzumaki Mito.

Uzumaki Mito seemed to see through his thoughts, forcing a smile. "It's alright, Kō. If you have a theory, you can tell me."

Uchiha Kō nodded. "If I'm not mistaken, the person Nawaki saw was Uchiha Madara."

"Uchiha Madara? That's impossible! Wasn't he killed by my grandfather!" Tsunade exclaimed. She couldn't believe that a ninja who had been dead for over a decade could suddenly appear in Konoha.

Uzumaki Mito's gaze sharpened. "Kō, what evidence do you have that it was Madara?" She began to frown. She had once suspected that Madara couldn't have died so easily, but she had seen his corpse on the day of his burial, which had convinced her he was truly gone.

"I don't know, but have you heard of Izanagi?" Uchiha Kō said gravely.

Uzumaki Mito's eyes narrowed, her pupils contracting. As a member of an old, prestigious clan from the Warring States Period, she had naturally heard of the Uchiha clan's Izanagi.