Otsutsuki Isshiki felt pretty good about his recent move.
Just when Uchiha Raijin gained the power to kill Uchiha Madara, he boosted Madara's strength so that Madara could continue to stand against Raijin.
This way, he could sit back and watch the two of them fight it out.
After all, Raijin was determined to kill Madara.
And he almost succeeded.
In a situation like this, there's no way both sides could walk away unharmed. No matter who died, Isshiki would be fine with it.
Of course, if they ended up evenly matched, that would be even better.
...
*Clang!*
The staff and the Futsunomitama clashed, and Raijin and Madara quickly separated after the brief exchange.
They both stopped, seemingly by mutual agreement, with no intention of continuing the fight.
When Raijin first broke free, he was ready for Madara to follow up with another attack.
But the expected strike never came.
So, after that single clash, Raijin chose to hold back.
Raijin looked up, and his eyes met Madara's in the air.
"Do you really want to keep going? It's pointless," Madara said softly, staring at Raijin.
"So what then?" Raijin shot back.
"I need to figure out Jigen's origins and his goals. And to do that, I need your help," Madara replied calmly.
"You know how important this is," he added after a pause.
Raijin fell silent for a moment before responding, "But there's an irreconcilable conflict between us."
No matter what, Raijin could never accept Madara's Moon Eye Plan.
"I get it. I'm not asking you to support my Moon Eye Plan. But given the current situation, shouldn't we join forces against Jigen?" Madara spread his hands and questioned Raijin.
"You know how I got my power, and I have a rough idea of how you got yours. Our powers are unique, impossible to replicate.
But Jigen is different. How did he gain such power? Can it be copied? Is he even just one person? These are all unknowns. I still believe my Moon Eye Plan is the only way to achieve peace.
But I don't want to face potential invaders after I've carried out my plan."
"You're right. We should team up. If Jigen isn't alone, neither of us can take them on by ourselves," Raijin nodded, agreeing with Madara.
It was a clear and obvious truth.
The conflict between me and Madara is, at its core, a conflict within the shinobi world.
It's just a relationship between an oppressor and a rebel.
You could even say it's an internal conflict within the Uchiha clan.
But Jigen is different. No one knows where he came from or what his goals are. In the past, people might not have paid much attention to Jigen.
But now, when Jigen pulled out a second Ten-Tails, the nature of the situation changed entirely.
Both Uchiha Madara and Uchiha Raijin have grown deeply wary of Jigen.
After all, the Ten-Tails is an absolutely terrifying thing.
From Raijin's perspective, one Ten-Tails created someone like Uchiha Madara.
If there are two Ten-Tails, or even three, how are we supposed to live with that?
It's one thing for someone to be stronger than me, but it's another for them to mass-produce people stronger than me.
Who can handle that? From Madara's perspective, it's even simpler.
One Ten-Tails already pushed him to his limit.
Two Ten-Tails? Unbearable. Completely unbearable.
So, it makes perfect sense for the two of them to join forces now.
No matter how you look at it, there's no fault in their decision.
Madara needs more power, and permanent Senjutsu is the only thing he's after now.
As for Raijin, if conditions allow, having a powerful shinobi like Madara to share the burden is the best possible outcome.
But the Moon's Eye Plan is like a huge rift between Madara and Raijin.
"But as you said, you won't give up on the Moon's Eye Plan, and I can't accept it either. This means there's an irreconcilable conflict between us. If that's the case, our combined strength might not even be as effective as it is now."
Raijin said this to Uchiha Madara.
If there's a problem, it needs to be brought up first.
Only after it's brought up can there be a chance to solve it.
"But this is between you and me, isn't it? How about this—let's make a deal."
Madara chuckled and said to Raijin,
"You teach me permanent Senjutsu, and I'll help you unlock this."
Madara pointed to the Nine Tomoe Rinne Sharingan on his forehead.
"Sorry, I refuse."
Raijin shook his head without hesitation.
Putting everything else aside, that Ten-Tails is not something good.
In the original timeline, Black Zetsu took advantage of Madara while he was casting the Infinite Tsukuyomi and turned him into Otsutsuki Kaguya.
If anyone says that Ten-Tails has nothing to do with Otsutsuki Kaguya, Raijin wouldn't believe it.
Even though the Rikudou Sennin was once a Ten-Tails Jinchuriki for a long time and eventually died peacefully,
that doesn't erase this fatal flaw.
The Infinite Tsukuyomi might be a key turning point.
And this fatal flaw is hidden in the moon, something we see every day.
Raijin really didn't want to accept this kind of power.
And that guy Madara... he's got a good plan, trying to pass on permanent Senjutsu to Uchiha Madara, so Madara can leave him whenever he wants.
Meanwhile, Raijin feels powerless.
To truly become the Jinchuriki of the Ten-Tails, he at least has to wait for the Three-Tails and Six-Tails to revive.
So, Uchiha Madara's actions are just a typical case of trying to gain something without giving anything in return.
"Why don't you just die?"
Madara slightly pressed his lips together when he heard this. Raijin's rejection was something Madara expected.
But even though he knew Raijin would refuse, Madara had to say it.
After all…
If he didn't say it, it would never happen.
"Then, what about the alliance?"
Madara didn't linger on the previous topic for too long and directly asked Raijin about the alliance.
If they could join forces, things might change after they worked together for a while.
This deal would definitely require one side to make the first move.
Otherwise, he wouldn't be able to steadily improve.
And Uchiha Raijin would lose a chance to quickly strengthen his own power.
"Okay."
Raijin thought for a moment, then nodded.
Permanent Senjutsu could never be passed on to Uchiha Madara.
But an alliance was indeed possible.
Trust needs actions to back it up.
The key point lies in the battles that may come in the future. Although the future would be full of tests with Uchiha Madara, overall, the benefits would outweigh the risks.
"Then, I hope we have a smooth cooperation in the future."
Madara chuckled lightly and extended his hand.
Raijin, seeing this, put away Futsunomitama, and in a flash, appeared right in front of Uchiha Madara.
Madara, not showing any signs of tension, remained completely relaxed in the face of Raijin's speed, which was as fast as a sprint.
Besides showing his sincerity, this also showed Madara's confidence in his own strength.
"Smack!"
A crisp sound echoed as Raijin nodded at Madara.
"Let's go."
In the next moment, Raijin's figure vanished from the space of the Heavenly Emperor.
"Phew~"
Madara slowly exhaled as he watched Raijin disappear.
As expected, he couldn't get rid of Uchiha Raijin.
This guy could vanish in front of him whenever he wanted.
Even if Madara used Infinite Tsukuyomi, it probably wouldn't have any effect on him.
Raijin had been fighting Madara in this space for so long.
The truth is, it wasn't because this space had trapped him.
It was because… Konohagakure was holding him back.
If it weren't for Konohagakure, he would be like a free bolt of lightning.
No one could stop him, and no one could threaten him.
Senju Tobirama…
He's really done it.
He actually found a way to control the Uchiha.
Madara sneered, his figure slowly disappearing from the spot.
...
"Did it work?"
In the Hokage's office in Konohagakure, Senju Tobirama eagerly asked Raijin.
If Uchiha Madara died, Konohagakure could focus all its strength on dealing with Jigen.
"No, I agreed to team up with Uchiha Madara."
Raijin took the teacup Tsunade handed him, took a sip, and then answered Senju Tobirama.
"What?!"
Senju Tobirama immediately stood up, staring at Uchiha Raijin in shock.
Danzo and Hiruzen also looked at Uchiha Raijin in surprise.
Danzo's hands even started trembling slightly.
Teaming up with Uchiha Madara made Danzo and Hiruzen feel very uneasy.
In contrast, Uchiha Motohide didn't seem to care.
So what if they teamed up? After all, Madara still carried the Uchiha name.
The Uchiha could always side with Uchiha Madara if needed.
Besides, the Uchiha now had the power to counter Uchiha Madara.
So, Uchiha Motohide wasn't afraid at all.
Moreover, what happened back then was the Uchiha's own problem.
Madara left the clan without a word—fine, it was to save Izumi, and the clan understood.
But when Madara returned, he immediately started a fight with Senju Hashirama without saying a word.
Honestly, the whole Uchiha clan was stunned.
If he had just told them before starting the fight—it's just the Senju, it's just Konohagakure, let's take them on! But he said nothing, just attacked, and then lost.
The whole clan thought he was dead. What else could the Uchiha do? So now, when they meet Madara, they're not afraid.
At the very least, the Uchiha never betrayed Uchiha Madara.
But Uchiha Madara, the former leader of the Uchiha clan and the pride of every Uchiha, abandoned the clan.
"What happened?"
Senju Tobirama took a deep breath, trying to calm the turmoil in his heart, and asked Uchiha Raijin in as steady a voice as possible.
He hoped it wasn't what he was imagining.
For now, Senju Tobirama still chose to trust Uchiha Raijin.
Now, Senju Tobirama had no choice but to trust Uchiha Raijin.
"With the goal almost in hand, Jigen released the second Ten-Tails, and Uchiha Madara became the Ten-Tails Jinchuriki."
Raijin looked at Senju Tobirama upon hearing this.
"Sorry, with my current abilities, I really can't kill him."
After speaking, Raijin stood up, bowed his head to Senju Tobirama in apology, and then slightly turned, addressing everyone in the office.
As Raijin made this move, everyone in the office stood up and bowed their heads to him, including Senju Tobirama.
"There's nothing to apologize for. I should be the one apologizing. As your wife, I couldn't fight by your side when you needed me the most."
Tsunade didn't bow her head but reached out to steady Raijin's arm.
"Are you still being so polite with me?"
Raijin chuckled lightly and asked Tsunade.
Tsunade smiled and her gaze softened.
"But it was because of the appearance of the second Ten-Tails that Jigen's threat level increased once again. So, when Madara requested an alliance, I chose to accept."
Turning to Senju Tobirama, Raijin said,
"But don't worry, I will continue to oppose the Eye of the Moon Plan. However, before that, we may need to put this matter aside for now."
After a pause, Raijin continued, speaking to Senju Tobirama.
"You were right."
Senju Tobirama pursed his lips upon hearing this and said to Uchiha Raijin,
"I don't trust Uchiha Madara. I only trust you."
Senju Tobirama said to Raijin.
"I'm responsible for your trust."
Raijin smiled lightly and nodded, saying to Senju Tobirama,
"Uchiha can accept Uchiha Madara, but they will not accept the Eye of the Moon Plan."
Just then, Uchiha Motohide's voice rang out, drawing everyone's attention.
No matter what happens in the future, Uchiha Motohide was unwilling to place his life in someone else's hands.
Even if that person was Uchiha Madara.
"Hm."
Senju Tobirama nodded solemnly toward Uchiha Motohide.
"Since we've already chosen to ally with Uchiha Madara, the future direction must be adjusted accordingly. If possible, I think…"
At this point, Senju Tobirama's tone showed a slight change.
This iron-willed ninja, who had never been uncertain, now showed a trace of hesitation.
"If possible, we should try to change Uchiha Madara's mind and make him rejoin Konohagakure."
"It's difficult, but I will try to make it happen."
Raijin nodded in response and said to Senju Tobirama.
Changing Uchiha Madara's plan to carry out Infinite Tsukuyomi?
That really seems like an almost impossible task.
(End of chapter)
-----
Read +20 advanced chapters on my patreon
patreon.com/GustinaKamiya
---