Did I Get It All Wrong?

Seeing Elder Itachi suddenly break into a violent coughing fit, Aokiji kindly asked if he was all right, out of concern for the elderly.

Unexpectedly, once the other man recovered, he immediately launched into a furious tirade. "Utter nonsense."

Uchiha Madara was very displeased right now, and the consequences would be severe.

What kind of joke was this? How dare he say that it would have been better if Uchiha Madara were a woman?

If Aokiji did not still have some use, he really wanted to reveal his true form and teach this ignorant brat a proper lesson.

Besides.

If they had to talk about being female, then why was he the woman while Hashirama was not?

In their usual interactions, he, Madara of the Uchiha Clan, had always been the more forceful one.

Being inexplicably snapped at left Aokiji a little upset. His little face flushed red as he craned his neck and stubbornly argued, "How is that utter nonsense? I have a basis for saying it, all right?"

He thought the other man was truly strange. It was not like he had said anything about him, so why was he getting so worked up?

But considering that Uchiha Madara had once been the clan head, it was understandable that Elder Itachi, who had once guided Uchiha Madara, would be protective and upset by Aokiji so directly feminizing him.

Elder Itachi snorted coldly and watched him icily. He wanted to see just what this brat could come up with.

If it failed to satisfy him...

Heh heh...

Then Aokiji should not blame him for raising the intensity of his training.

As long as he did not die, he would train him to death.

Aokiji rubbed his throat and cleared his voice. "Ahem, listen up..."

As he spoke, Uchiha Aka and Fugaku both turned their gazes toward him. Given how unconventionally Aokiji tended to think, they were rather curious what sort of argument he would make.

Aokiji raised one finger and put on the air of a grand orator. "As far as I know, Uchiha Madara and the First Hokage were once both friends and enemies, right? Otherwise, they would not have eventually joined hands to establish Konoha."

Elder Itachi shot him a sideways glance. "So what if they were?"

Aokiji shrugged. "If Uchiha Madara were a woman, wouldn't that make things obvious?"

Elder Itachi frowned in displeasure. "What exactly is obvious?"

Aokiji deliberately glanced at Elder Itachi's wrinkled face, then grinned. "Elder Itachi, you must not read many youthful romance novels in your daily life."

Uchiha Madara behind the scenes: ???

Aokiji gestured as he spoke. "You know? When a man and woman start out loving and fighting each other, then finally come to understand one another and end up together, that's the classic romance formula~~ Don't you think it fits perfectly if you just picture Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara that way? The two went from being friends and enemies to building a village together. In a sense, doesn't that count as ending up together? If Uchiha Madara really were a woman, then I imagine there would have been no such thing as Uzumaki Mito."

The corners of Uchiha Madara's mouth twitched slightly behind the scenes.

What kind of messy nonsense was this?

"Shut up right now!"

Aokiji, who was getting increasingly carried away, ignored Elder Itachi's command and continued on his own. "I think that if the two had married back then and been bound by children, that Uchiha Madara would not have suddenly left the village for no reason. And when he returned, he would not have suddenly gone crazy and fought Senju Hashirama in a huge battle..."

"Hey!"

Uchiha Madara behind the scenes was genuinely starting to lose it. Why was this little bastard getting more and more into it the longer he talked?

And he had not gone crazy. That had been for a lofty ideal.

Aokiji was too immersed in his own story to notice Elder Itachi's intriguing expression, and he continued, "In the end, it led to one dead and one injured. After that battle, Senju Hashirama also passed away early because of lingering damage. Without the deterrence of the God of Shinobi, enemies coveting the fertile land of the Land of Fire bared their fangs once more. Thus, war inevitably broke out."

At this point, Aokiji let out a long sigh. "I think none of this would have happened if Uchiha Madara had been a woman. In fact, after joining with Senju Hashirama, the two opposing powers would have interacted and produced the Power of All Creation, and the world would have welcomed true peace."

After hearing Aokiji's reasoned analysis, Uchiha Aka felt his entire worldview shatter. He was utterly speechless. Aside from that final sentence, which sounded somewhat plausible, what in the world had all the rest been about?

But.

The logic somehow made sense, which was utterly absurd.

He truly did not know what sort of messy nonsense this brat thought about all day long.

Uchiha Aka wore a speechless expression. "I really want to take a blade and cut open your head to see what exactly is inside it, for you to come up with this kind of nonsense.

"I think if Uchiha Madara's spirit is watching from above and he heard you say that, he would probably be so angry he could not keep his coffin lid down."

After saying that, he looked at someone beside him and asked, "Elder Itachi, wouldn't you agree?"

After speaking, Uchiha Aka assumed Elder Itachi would agree with him. Instead, the man had lowered his head with a deeply thoughtful expression, which made things rather thought-provoking.

"Er... Elder Itachi, what's wrong?"

Uchiha Aka was puzzled. Could Elder Itachi really think this brat's absurd nonsense made sense?

Elder Itachi slightly raised his head. A profound gleam shone in his eyes as he looked at Aokiji. "Repeat the last thing you said."

"If Uchiha Madara were a woman?"

Elder Itachi: "..."

"I meant the sentence after that."

Aokiji understood and answered, "When two completely opposing powers collide, the Power of All Creation can be attained?"

"That sounds rather literary. It does not sound like something a brat your age could say."

Elder Itachi did not show it on the surface, but Uchiha Madara behind the scenes was stunned, waves crashing in his heart.

With Aokiji's Dojutsu Power, he naturally could not have seen the inscription on the stone tablet at Naka Shrine. That meant this brat had actually comprehended it himself. How could Madara not be shocked?

Aokiji laughed. "Oh, that? It sounds cool, doesn't it?"

Elder Itachi was briefly baffled. "Cool?"

Aokiji chuckled. "Yeah. Don't you think that dropping a line like that every now and then makes me sound very learned?"

Elder Itachi: ...

Perhaps he had overthought things.

Elder Itachi gave him a meaningful look. "In that case, explain it to me."

Aokiji organized his thoughts and answered, "There is not really much to explain. The Senju are a clan renowned for physical energy, while we Uchiha are a clan renowned for Dojutsu Power.

"One is yin and the other yang. Although they are two completely opposing powers, they can complement each other. That is why I said that if Uchiha Madara and Senju Hashirama married, they could attain the Power of All Creation.

"After all, either the Uchiha or the Senju alone already stands above the rest. So how powerful would their descendants be if they inherited both powers at once?

"As the leaders of the two clans became husband and wife, the clansmen they led would naturally begin to set aside their prejudices, interact with one another, and intermarry.

"Then perhaps one day in the future, the Senju and Uchiha would form an entirely new clan. By then, the strength of that clan would be beyond estimation, and no Ninja Clan could compare to it."

"Under the dominance of absolute military power, war naturally could not happen. The world would then welcome true peace."

Aokiji's analysis was reasoned and well-supported. Uchiha Madara behind the scenes lowered his head slightly and fell silent.

If things worked as Aokiji described, then having descendants through the two clans seemed far more reliable than transplanting Hashirama Cells into himself.

For one brief moment, Uchiha Madara even began to doubt himself.

When opposites interacted, the Power of All Creation could be attained.

Had I gotten it all wrong?