Fireworks

Tobirama knelt in the room, his deep gaze passing over the incense slowly burning in the center of the hall to look out at the unknown purple wildflowers blooming by the courtyard wall.

Following a cough from the Daimyo, his wandering gaze shifted back.

His ornate clothing could not hide his aged face, and the Daimyo's trembling hands took the list of supplies from the attendant at his side.

Senju Hashirama spoke to the Daimyo, who was clearing his throat to begin: "Please wait a moment longer; there is one more person who has not arrived."

"It is Uchiha Madara, is it not?" The Daimyo, his body hollowed out by wine and women, scanned the Senju brothers before him with turbid eyes. "Then let us wait."

Warm, yellow sunset light shone into the room through the windows, casting a dazzling glow upon the wooden floor and stretching the shadows of the three men across the railings inside.

The drowsy Daimyo was startled awake by the sensation of his head sinking, and feeling the dampness at the corner of his mouth, he wiped it away in a daze, casting an inquiring look at the silver-haired man.

Tobirama shook his head, answering on behalf of his brother, who sat like a wooden statue in the setting sun.

"Is that so?" The Daimyo shifted his slightly numb calves, leaned back, and began to beat them gently with his fist, adjusting to a more comfortable sitting position. "Then let us wait a little longer."

The clouds on the horizon turned a deeper, more brilliant red, and the afterglow in the room grew even more intense.

"I apologize for the trouble, Daimyo. Please come back to attend the meeting tomorrow."

Hashirama said this with a somewhat hoarse, apologetic tone, then stood up and walked away with his back to the sun, his lonely silhouette gradually disappearing at the end of the corridor as the sunset faded.

"Ah, is that you, Tobirama?" The Daimyo handed him the supply list from his sleeve. "I shall rely on you in the future."

Tobirama took the list and examined the text, reading it carefully several times before tucking it into his pocket with satisfaction.

"Teacher!"

In the familiar training ground, Rikusei, who had just finished his lesson, pushed aside the branches blocking his view and called out to the figure sitting on a rock, gazing toward the clan grounds.

Uchiha Madara's figure under the shade of the trees seemed somewhat desolate. Rikusei knew what had happened; he sat beside him, wanting to say something, but found himself unable to speak.

"Have you been to Naka Shrine?"

Madara's voice was dull, his gaze fixed tightly on the direction of the shrine as he spoke softly.

"No."

Rikusei answered crisply in the quiet, knowing that Madara must have seen the stone tablet modified by Black Zetsu.

The Madara who once held a fleeting dream of being Hokage was already dead.

Watching the person beside him step by step into the abyss of a misguided path was truly bitter.

"I will take you to see it."

Uchiha Madara stood up readily and invited the only person he could speak his heart to.

Crossing the towering red torii gate, they followed Madara's footsteps up the stone stairs and into the ancient shrine.

Inside the wooden structure, Madara walked straight to the wall painted with the Gunbai, concentrated his chakra into his palm, and pressed it against the surface.

The stone wall began to shake and sink into the ground. After a burst of intense vibration, the darkness hidden behind the wall was revealed by the torches that ignited, showing its true face.

It was a secret passage, and Rikusei followed Madara down into it.

The torches ignited one by one as if voice-activated, accompanying their footsteps through the dark passage. The bright yellow firelight illuminated the path ahead until they reached a spacious chamber.

Uchiha Madara, wearing his High-Collar Robe, stared at the stone tablet filled with obscure and difficult-to-understand text, and said softly: "Open your Sharingan and look."

Rikusei activated his Sharingan, his Single Tomoe spinning. The moment his gaze touched the stone tablet, his mind was suddenly flooded with various methods for using the Sharingan.

Madara watched the boy, who had his eyes tightly shut to digest the contents of the tablet, and slowly stepped forward. His Eternal Mangekyo spun rapidly in their sockets as he gently tapped his finger on the boy's forehead.

"Transcription Seal!"

Pupil power surged through his finger into the boy's closed eyes, and the specific conditions were set.

Having finished all this, Madara waited quietly for him to wake.

"Only information regarding the Single Tomoe." Rikusei opened his eyes, the tomoe gradually fading from his pupils, and said with a tone of regret.

Madara, his eyes restored to normal, turned to the stone tablet and said: "I have discovered a way on this tablet to realize the dream I once held."

No, you have discovered the method Black Zetsu used to split the moon and save his mother.

Rikusei complained silently in his heart, knowing that even if he said it out loud, Madara would not believe him.

The stone tablet was passed down by the Sage of Six Paths; how could he claim it had been tampered with just because he said so?

Where was the proof?

Rikusei could not produce any.

Black Zetsu?

Even Madara and Hashirama, at the peak of their power, could not detect his existence, let alone him.

"What is it?" Rikusei asked, playing along.

"A god, in pursuit of stability, divided Yin and Yang into two poles. The two are opposites that interact with one another, giving rise to all things in the universe."

Madara, having activated his Eternal Mangekyo, stared at the content on the tablet and recited it. He did not want to drag his disciple too deeply into this, and subsequently fell into silence.

Seeing Madara fall silent, Rikusei feigned an analysis: "Taking it literally, the 'god' should be the Sage of Six Paths passed down through oral tradition. Is it the Yin and Yang mentioned earlier that creates all things? Is it Yin-Yang Release?"

"Yin-Yang Release?" Madara shook his head, indicating he did not know. He only knew he had found a new path, and he stared intently into the boy's eyes. "Izuna once entrusted the clan to me; now, I wish to entrust them to you."

"?"

Rikusei found it incomprehensible; was it really appropriate to burden someone who hadn't even reached adulthood with the weight of the Uchiha Clan?

"Your eyes are very special." Madara pierced through the secret in Rikusei's heart and continued, "This is also one of the reasons why I chose you as my disciple. After spending these days together, I believe that your way of thinking is different from the average clansman, and you will not let the Uchiha Clan perish within the village."

Why did he start making personal attacks and calling others unconventional while they were talking? Masking his inner thoughts, Rikusei responded firmly, "I accept your request, Teacher."

The elongated shadows in the secret chamber danced with the flickering flames, emitting a "crackling" sound. As the shadows fell upon Madara, a silent smile appeared on his stern face: "Rikusei, today is your birthday, isn't it?"

Having never celebrated a junior's birthday before, Madara hadn't made any preparations and asked, "Chiri told me. Do you have any wishes?"

"Fireworks!" Rikusei blurted out. Before he could react, he realized he wanted to see the unique fireworks of this world. Blinking, he said, "Let's find a deserted place to set off Fire Style, and it would be best to bring the Gunbai along."

""

Uchiha Madara looked helplessly at his whimsical disciple; every time, he managed to come up with something new. He curled the corners of his mouth, shook his head, and said, "There's no need to bring the Gunbai. We are going to set off a firework exclusive to the Uchiha."

"You aren't going to blow up Konoha, are you!"

Looking at the eager gaze Madara had begun to show, Rikusei said with some concern.

"I am not like you, filling your ninja tool pouch with Explosive Tags on your first day of school." Madara began to get excited about his sudden whim. "It won't happen. Hashirama will handle everything. Let's go."

"It must have been Elder Kaku!"

Rikusei immediately covered the ninja tool pouch at his waist with his right hand, instantly pinpointing the person most likely to have leaked the secret.

"Well, as a teacher, how can I not show extra concern for a disciple who is about to go study at the Senju Clan's school?" The bonfire in the secret chamber flickered, and Uchiha Madara spread his hands in explanation.