Infinite Tsukuyomi? Tsunade's Emotion

But her heart skipped a beat.

From what Tsunade knew of her second grandfather, Tobirama Senju,

there was no way he, who loved researching Forbidden Techniques above all else, would have been uninterested in the corpse of a powerful figure like Madara Uchiha.

He might really have kept Madara Uchiha's corpse for himself.

"I wouldn't know about that... Maybe he set up some special mechanism that would trigger a Transcription Seal if anyone tried to destroy his corpse!"

Rikuto spread his hands.

Madara Uchiha really had taken something of a risk.

Looking at Tsunade, he said seriously, "But Sister Tsunade, my speculation isn't without basis..."

"I once found a strange stone tablet at the Uchiha Clan's Naka Shrine..."

"The words on it can only be deciphered with the ocular power of the Sharingan, and the stronger the ocular power, the more of it can be deciphered!"

"You need the Sharingan to decipher it?"

Both Tsunade and Shizune were quite surprised.

"It seems to have been left behind by the legendary founder of Ninshu, the Sage of Six Paths..."

Nodding, Rikuto spoke with a mixture of truth and falsehood. "It records that a god divided yin and yang into two extremes, and that, in pursuit of stability, when the two extremes become one again, all things in creation can be obtained."

"And I understand the extremes of yin and yang to be the Uchiha Clan's Sharingan and the First Hokage's Wood Release!"

"In other words, if those two powers were united, one could very likely obtain the power of the Sage of Six Paths!"

"Wait, the Sage of Six Paths?"

"Did someone from legend like that really exist?"

For a moment,

Tsunade and Shizune

both felt their hearts give a fierce jolt.

Shocked beyond measure, they looked at Rikuto in disbelief.

"Though I don't know whether it's true or not..."

Rikuto shrugged and said with certainty, "But as the former head of the Uchiha Clan, Madara Uchiha couldn't possibly have failed to decipher that stone tablet..."

"Besides, considering that he lost to the First Hokage more than once, if he really wanted to challenge the First Hokage again, it's entirely possible he made preparations in advance..."

"I can't help suspecting that he deliberately challenged the First Hokage and pretended to lose in order to obtain his power!"

As she listened to Rikuto's analysis,

Tsunade thought of something, and cold sweat broke out on her skin.

"Could that guy... really still be alive?"

Chapter 52: Infinite Tsukuyomi? Tsunade's Emotion

"By the way, that night, a masked guy helped Uchiha Itachi slaughter the other members of the Uchiha Clan!"

Seeing that Tsunade

was beginning to believe him,

Rikuto seemed to recall something and added, "My Wood Clone heard a conversation between him and Uchiha Itachi. Uchiha Itachi called him 'Madara'!"

"What!?"

Shizune, standing to one side, was completely stunned.

Madara Uchiha—the man once renowned throughout the Shinobi World, notorious and known as the "Asura."

Was he really still alive?

"That night, did you really see a Masked Man who called himself Madara Uchiha?"

Tsunade stared fixedly at Rikuto, utterly shocked.

She said irritably, "Why didn't you tell me sooner, kid?!"

"His Chakra wasn't weak, but I don't think he's the real Madara Uchiha. Nine times out of ten, he's a guy borrowing someone else's reputation to play tricks!"

Rikuto shrugged.

"No, not necessarily..."

Tsunade's expression changed.

Taking Rikuto's earlier, well-reasoned analysis into account,

and recalling the Nine-Tails' Attack eight years ago, which the Fourth Hokage had been forced to sacrifice his life to suppress, she had begun to suspect something.

After all, the Third Hokage had once mentioned to her

that someone had attacked the Fourth Hokage's wife, Kushina Uzumaki, that day.

Taking advantage of the Jinchūriki's weakened state after giving birth, when the seal was somewhat unstable, the attacker released the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox.

They had also used the Sharingan to control him.

That made the Uchiha Clan the prime suspects.

But even after the Uchiha Clan had been wiped out, it had never been confirmed.

Of those in the Uchiha Clan known to possess the Mangekyō Sharingan, Shisui Uchiha and Uchiha Itachi had both been too young at the time to have been the mastermind.

In that case, Madara Uchiha was indeed highly suspicious.

Given his hatred for the First Hokage, he had every reason to do it.

"I heard that before Madara Uchiha parted ways with the First Hokage, he once tried to lead the Uchiha away from Konoha. But the Uchiha Clan had finally managed to enjoy peace, and no one was willing to leave with him."

Tsunade frowned and said gravely, "To someone as proud and arrogant as Madara Uchiha, that was undoubtedly a betrayal. It's not impossible that he's held a grudge all these years and wanted to destroy the Uchiha Clan."

Besides-

The world's Ninjutsu came in countless strange varieties, with new ones constantly appearing.

She felt that, with Madara Uchiha's methods, he might well have managed to keep himself alive until now.

Granted, even if Madara Uchiha had survived until now, his age would be staggering.

But perhaps, after fighting the First Hokage back then, he had barely survived and was too badly injured, or perhaps, for some other reason, he had very likely lost the power he possessed in his prime.

Otherwise, with Madara Uchiha's overwhelming strength, there would have been no need for any underhanded scheming.

No one in the present-day Konoha could possibly stop him.

"Forget it. Whether or not that guy Madara Uchiha is really alive..."

Tsunade, whose thoughts were suddenly in a muddle, forced down the shock in her heart.

She shook her head and said gravely, "It's not something we can deal with right now!"

She would leave the Third Hokage and the others to worry about it.

At the very least, even knowing that Madara Uchiha might still be alive,

there was nothing she could do about it now.

Without exposing Rikuto,

even if she personally went to warn the Third Hokage and the others,

those stubborn old men, corrupted by power and concerned with nothing but fighting for it, would only think she was being an alarmist.

There was no way they would listen to her.

If Rikuto's abilities were exposed, those people would surely be unable to sit still.

Especially that gloomy fellow Shimura Danzō.

He would one hundred percent make a move against Rikuto.

"But speaking of that, kid, even if you need to train, you don't have to push yourself so hard, do you?" She glared at Rikuto irritably.

The news that Madara Uchiha was still alive really was unsettling.

After all, no one knew what a dangerous man like that was up to in secret.

From what she knew of Madara Uchiha, a man so domineering and forceful, who revered strength, could hardly be content with losing his power.

And Rikuto had just said

that the stone tablet inside the Uchiha Clan's Naka Shrine had been left behind by the legendary Sage of Six Paths.

Though its authenticity couldn't be confirmed,

perhaps one day he might suddenly regain the strength he had possessed in his prime.

The one who could stop him

might be Rikuto, once he had grown stronger.

Possessing the powers of both the Uchiha and the Senju, this disciple's future was practically limitless.

She couldn't imagine what heights Rikuto might reach someday.

Perhaps, just as the stone tablet said,

he really might obtain the divine power of "all things in creation."

"I have no choice, Sister Tsunade. I have to push myself..."

Rikuto's face was solemn as he said gravely, "Because there's even more shocking information on the Uchiha stone tablet!"

"Even more shocking information?"

Tsunade and Shizune were both astonished.

"According to the stone tablet, a person who combines the powers of the Senju and Uchiha and gains divine power only needs to summon the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path and gather all the Tailed Beasts to revive the Ten-Tails and become the Ten-Tails Jinchuriki!"

Rikuto said bluntly, "They can activate Infinite Tsukuyomi and pull the entire Shinobi World into a dream. Then the world will be free of conflict, and true peace will be achieved!"

"What? The Demonic Statue of the Outer Path? The Ten-Tails?"

"Infinite Tsukuyomi?"

Tsunade and Shizune were horrified.

Both their expressions changed drastically, and they were shocked beyond measure.

"Because it's a dream, people will be able to get whatever they want. If everyone can be satisfied by their dreams, that would be an alternative kind of peace..."

Rikuto shrugged.

Come to think of it, for some people,

if they were given the choice,

they might really prefer to enter Infinite Tsukuyomi and have pleasant dreams.

After all, the dream would be so real,

and any dream or ambition could come true.

Even if they wanted to become an emperor above all others, the World's Strongest, or a savior.

Not to mention having three wives and four concubines, or wealth and glory.

"Using a Genjutsu like Infinite Tsukuyomi to put everyone in the world into a dream—what kind of peace is that?" Tsunade was furious.

At the same time,

her face grew solemn, and she stared intently at Rikuto. "Kid, you haven't been taken in too, have you? You don't think that's right, do you?"

If Rikuto really had been taken in by the information on that stone tablet,

they would be in serious trouble.

Kids his age

were the easiest to sway and influence.

"Of course not. It's not like I'm some savior. As long as you and the others are safe and sound, Sister Tsunade, that's enough for me..."