Madara Uchiha

As the door was gently pushed open, the two of them slowly stepped inside. Tsunade's restless heart gradually settled, like a stone sinking into a lake.

She didn't ask what had happened. Instead, she obediently went over to the table and began preparing tea with practiced ease.

At that moment, Uzumaki Mito was chatting with Uchiha Kō about everyday matters.

Uchiha Kō smiled and handled the conversation with ease, responding perfectly to every remark without letting it falter.

What was more, his witty, humorous words often made Uzumaki Mito burst into laughter, filling the room with a warm, cheerful atmosphere.

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

A faint smile tugged at her lips as she watched Uzumaki Mito and Uchiha Kō chatting happily, her gaze gentle. She seemed completely immersed in the warmth of the moment.

But in that peaceful, harmonious moment, a sudden shout shattered the calm. With a bang, the door was flung open, and someone came rushing in, shouting, "Grandma, Sis! My sensei finally agreed to let me fight on the front lines!"

At the sound of his voice, everyone's expression changed at once.

Uchiha Kō raised an intrigued eyebrow, a faint smile on his lips. Tsunade furrowed her brows, worry plain on her face, while Uzumaki Mito's expression darkened. She was clearly unhappy with the news.

At the same time, Uchiha Kō turned his gaze toward the boy—Senju Nawaki.

He had encountered Senju Nawaki once before at the Land of Rain encampment, but hadn't gotten a good look at him then. Now that he could see the boy clearly, he couldn't help thinking, He really is a lively, energetic young man!

Tsunade frowned deeply, her heart full of worry. Though her younger brother Nawaki was already twelve and had become a Genin, she still saw him as a child.

Even now that Nawaki had become Orochimaru's student, she remained deeply concerned that he wouldn't survive the brutal battlefield.

Uzumaki Mito's expression had darkened until it seemed ready to drip. After all, there were only two younger members of their family: Tsunade and Nawaki.

Tsunade had gone to the battlefield. As the Hokage's student, it was her duty, both by reason and by feeling. Uzumaki Mito had nothing to say about that.

But her precious grandson—the grandson of Senju Hashirama, the First—was only twelve! What sense did it make to send someone so young to the war-torn front lines?

If something happened to him, who would bear the responsibility? Orochimaru? Obviously not.

Orochimaru knew how special Nawaki's status was and would never casually send him to a dangerous frontline.

And yet this time, Orochimaru had unexpectedly agreed.

Uzumaki Mito would never believe that no one with ulterior motives had interfered.

Uchiha Kō saw Uzumaki Mito's worry and smiled. "Nawaki, do you remember me?"

Senju Nawaki looked at Uchiha Kō, his eyes lighting up. "It's you! Lord God of War! We only met briefly last time and didn't get a chance to talk. What brings you to my home today?"

Among the shinobi who had fought in the Second Shinobi World War on the Land of Rain front, there wasn't one who didn't know Uchiha Kō. Even in Konoha, some had begun calling him the God of War.

Uchiha Kō was taken aback. God of War? What's that about? But he shook his head and smiled. "Nawaki, I came to your home because I have something important to discuss with your sister and grandmother."

"Oh!" Nawaki nodded.

"Nawaki, I want to ask you something. Were you the one who asked Orochimaru to let you go to the front lines?" Uchiha Kō asked. He was puzzled. Why had the First's grandson died such an unjust death?

He had been caught in an Explosive Tag blast, and his organs had been ripped out. He hadn't even been left with a whole corpse. It was baffling.

Nawaki nodded. "Mm-hm! I'm the First's grandson, and I'm going to become Hokage someday, so I have to go through the trials of the battlefield if I want to grow stronger!"

Uchiha Kō was taken aback, then asked coldly, "Who told you that?" He finally understood. Someone must have been luring Nawaki onto the battlefield.

Nawaki had wanted to become stronger and dreamed of becoming Hokage before, but he had never thought this way. There could only be one explanation: someone had manipulated Senju Nawaki.

Nawaki froze. Looking at Uchiha Kō's stern face, he couldn't help trembling. "It was... it was an old man. He..."

He tried hard to remember, then looked at Uchiha Kō, his pupils contracting. "He had a face just like yours, Lord God of War, only older!"

Uchiha Kō was stunned. Then, with a clatter, he sank into his chair. His sudden movement startled Uzumaki Mito and Tsunade.

Tsunade was especially quick to ask, "Are you all right, Kō?"

Uchiha Kō shook his head. "I'm fine." His mind had just gone blank for a moment. He had seen his own appearance, and he looked eighty percent like Madara Uchiha. Nawaki said the man looked a lot like him—only older.

The man's identity was practically unmistakable: the Rose of the Warring States Period, the God of Shinobi, Madara Uchiha.

Uchiha Kō had never expected Madara to still be behind things all these years later. And Madara probably hadn't acted of his own accord; he must have been manipulated by that Black Zetsu.

Otherwise, given his relationship with Hashirama, how could he have tried to push Nawaki onto the battlefield?

Uzumaki Mito noticed his reaction. "Xiao, have you figured something out?" She had a feeling Xiao had guessed at some secret—a huge one.

Otherwise, Xiao was far too composed to lose his composure like that.

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

But Uzumaki Mito seemed to understand what was on his mind. She forced a smile. "It's all right, Xiao. You can tell us what you suspect."

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

"Madara Uchiha? That can't be! Wasn't he killed by Great Grandfather...?" Tsunade cried out. She couldn't believe that a shinobi who had been dead for over ten years could suddenly appear in Konoha.

Uzumaki Mito's gaze sharpened. "Xiao, what evidence do you have that the man was Madara?" Her brows furrowed. She had once thought Madara couldn't have died so easily, but she had seen his body on the day he was buried and had finally believed he was truly dead.

"I don't know. Have you ever heard of Izanagi?" Uchiha Kō asked gravely.

Uzumaki Mito's gaze sharpened and her pupils contracted. As a veteran member of a great Warring States Period clan, she had naturally heard of the Uchiha Clan's Izanagi.