Chapter 68: A Glimmer of Compassion
Returning to his tent, Uchiha Raizen's mind was a whirlpool of suspicion. The situation had felt strange from the beginning, and Senju Hashirama's appearance had poured fuel on the fire of his unease. If Hashirama had truly come only to offer congratulations, Madara's reaction would not have been so venomous. There was a layer of betrayal there that Madara refused to voice.
It was a headache. The pieces weren't fitting. With this trajectory—Uchiha Senna still alive, Uchiha Tajima still in power, and Madara's view of Hashirama not yet completely poisoned by all-consuming hatred—the foundation for Konoha should be forming sooner. That was a good thing. It meant less bloodshed. With his own influence, he could potentially thwart Black Zetsu's manipulations from within a unified village. Once the clans were integrated, the Uzumaki's sensory abilities could be used to hunt the shadowy creature down for good. No matter how cunning it was, it couldn't hide from a concerted effort by all the great clans.
It was a future that seemed bright, a path toward averting the worst tragedies. And yet, standing on its precipice, Raizen felt a cold, ominous dread coiling in his gut. He couldn't pinpoint the source, but the feeling was unmistakable and deeply unsettling.
"Elder Raizen," a voice called from outside his tent, pulling him from his dark thoughts. It was one of the jōnin guards. "The Young Patriarch requests your presence."
"Where is he?"
"By the small river to the east of the camp."
Nodding, Raizen stepped out into the cool night air and made his way toward the designated spot. It seemed neither of these two destined rivals could escape their affinity for riverbanks. Perhaps they were both lacking in the Water Nature of their chakra, he mused wryly.
He found Madara standing at the water's edge, his silhouette stark against the moonlit stream.
"Madara," Raizen said, announcing his presence. "You wanted to see me?"
"You saw him?" Madara asked, not turning around.
"I did."
"Do you know why he was really here?"
"You already know the answer to that, don't you?" Raizen countered softly.
Madara let out a long, slow breath. He bent down, picked up a flat stone, and skipped it across the dark water. The ripples spread out, distorting the moon's reflection.
"Yana… is not the Uzumaki princess," Madara stated, his voice low but clear. "She is a daughter from a branch family. She was raised from childhood to be a stand-in, a body double for the true princess. Her purpose was to take the princess's place in political marriages with major clans, to act as a decoy or a sacrificial pawn." He paused, the words tasting bitter. "Their real princess is named Uzumaki Mito. And she has already been promised to Senju Hashirama."
The final piece clicked into place for Raizen. So that was the "pity" Madara had sensed. Hashirama had come to deliver this truth, perhaps thinking it was the honorable thing to do. It was a classic, well-intentioned but clumsy move from the future Hokage.
"And what is your decision now?" Raizen asked, watching the stoic profile of the young heir.
"I saw a hope in her eyes," Madara confessed, his voice losing some of its usual edge. "A hope for life."
"Life?"
"Perhaps by marrying me, she can cease to be a stand-in. She can live as herself, Uchiha Yana. I could feel that expectation in her heart… the desire to be free of the role she was forced into."
Having said what he needed to say, Madara turned and walked away, leaving Raizen by the riverside.
The reason for this summons was now clear. Madara knew Raizen had met with Hashirama. He had called Raizen here not for counsel, but to ensure Raizen understood the truth and, more importantly, to ensure he would not interfere. This act, this decision to grant a nameless girl an identity and a future, was a rare, fragile piece of tenderness from Uchiha Madara, and he was fiercely protective of it. He was moving forward with the marriage, not for political gain, but for a sliver of humanity he had recognized in another outcast.