Chapter 257: Memories of the Mirage
"And then?"
Shiromo pressed.
Based on what [Konan] had said so far, aside from the mysterious masked man casually mentioning that he had controlled the Three-Tails' jinchūriki, there was no other useful information.
"After that, we investigated the relevant intelligence and uncovered the truth about Uchiha Madara."
"Once we understood who the real Uchiha Madara was, we realized that the mysterious masked man could not possibly be Madara."
[Konan] replied with a serious expression.
"Oh? Why? Was he too weak?"
[Terumi Mei] asked curiously.
"No. As for strength, the masked man was extremely mysterious. It was difficult to judge him on that basis. Our conclusion was based on personality."
[Konan] shook her head.
That was indeed a valid way to distinguish them.
Hearing this, Shiromo nodded in agreement.
Anyone familiar with Uchiha Madara's life could tell at a glance that the masked man was not Madara.
In the Fourth Great Ninja War of the original story, Ōnoki had been deceived for a time, largely because Madara was a nightmare he did not wish to recall.
All Ōnoki remembered was the fear and helplessness of those days. He dared not confront or recall anything else.
If it were truly Uchiha Madara, he'd be strutting about openly, even dancing naked if he felt like it. Why would he bother hiding behind a mask?
"If it were Uchiha Madara, he would have used his power to directly force Nagato, rather than skulking in a room, shouting 'Zero' while… entertaining himself."
[Konan] stated the Akatsuki's analysis at the time.
"…"
That actually sounded quite reasonable.
After thinking about Madara's behavior in this world, Shiromo found nothing wrong with the logic.
"Now that you mention it, I remember something. When the Third Mizukage, Yagura, was discovered dead, there were signs that he had been violated. And at Yagura's residence, we found a book recording the history of the shinobi world. However, its contents differed from the version we know."
[Terumi Mei] suddenly raised a finger as she spoke.
"Konan, since you know the Three-Tails' location, lead the way."
"Mizukage, keep talking."
Shiromo addressed them both.
[Konan] gave a slight nod and moved to the front.
"That historical record was very brief. We didn't pay much attention to it at the time. But thinking back now, it was most likely left behind by Uchiha Madara. I mean the real Madara, not that perverted masked man you mentioned earlier."
"It stated that after Madara used the Sharingan to hypnotize the Nine-Tails, he first tied it up at the gates of Konoha, then went inside to challenge Senju Hashirama."
"However, during that interval, the future Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama, Hashirama's younger brother, actually used the Flying Thunder God Technique to teleport to the village entrance and took advantage of the defenseless, hypnotized Nine-Tails…"
"Afterward, Tobirama even set his sights on Kumogakure's Eight-Tails, intending to invade it under the pretext of negotiations with the Second Raikage. According to the official shinobi history, Tobirama was killed by Kumogakure's righteous envoys, Kinkaku and Ginkaku."
"Those two had consumed the Nine-Tails' flesh and could transform into miniature Nine-Tails forms, which utterly captivated Tobirama. Tobirama intended to 'play' with the two little Nine-Tails. He grew careless, failed to use the Flying Thunder God Technique to escape in time, and was killed by them."
"But the historical record we found in Kirigakure claimed something different. It said that Madara, who had faked his death, suddenly launched a sneak attack at that moment, killing Tobirama along with Kinkaku and Ginkaku."
"Damn that Uchiha Madara! How dare he slander my reputation like this! No matter the world, Madara is inherently evil!"
In the audience stands, Senju Tobirama ground his teeth in fury.
"Huh? Were Kinkaku and Ginkaku former Kumogakure shinobi?"
Hanabi suddenly asked Tsunade with curiosity.
"Yes. Why?"
Tsunade, recalling the incident where Kumogakure had once kidnapped Hanabi's sister Hinata, assumed the girl was referring to that matter.
"Then why does Fū call me 'Silver Horn King'?" (King Ginkaku)
Hanabi scratched her head, completely baffled.
"?"
How would she know? Tsunade looked helplessly toward the Seven-Tails' jinchūriki.
"Why do you think so?"
Fū pouted.
Back when they were sparring with Shiromo, the way Hanabi kept shouting…
If that didn't qualify as 'Silver Horn King,' what did?
---
Below…
The mist gradually thickened.
[Terumi Mei] glanced down at her map, sensing something amiss, and quickly called out to [Konan], who was leading the way.
"Wait. Stop for a moment. Have you been here before?"
"No. This is my first time in the Land of Water. I located the Three-Tails using a scale given by Kisame's Samehada."
[Konan] took out a scale.
"You should've said that earlier. We nearly ran into trouble. This area may be the habitat of the Second Mizukage's summoned beast, the Giant Clam. If any genjutsu appears, try to remain calm."
[Terumi Mei] warned the three.
"The Giant Clam? The one associated with mirages?"
Uchiha Hikari asked curiously.
After all, the Limited Tsukuyomi itself was a genjutsu she had created.
What would it feel like to fall into a genjutsu within a genjutsu?
"Exactly."
[Terumi Mei] remained deadly serious.
"Don't assume that having the Sharingan makes you immune to illusions. The Giant Clam's genjutsu doesn't target individuals. It doesn't manipulate chakra to create hallucinations. Instead, it generates tangible yet untouchable illusions directly within the environment."
The moment she finished speaking, the surroundings shifted.
A massive boulder fell from the sky.
Uncertain whether it was an illusion, [Konan] immediately wrapped the three in paper and swiftly moved them aside.
Thud.
"Kakashi… I never gave you a gift for your promotion to jōnin. I'll give you my Sharingan…"
A voice suddenly echoed from beneath the rock.
"Huh?"
Shiromo scratched his head, utterly confused.
This scene had already been replayed countless times in the anime's flashbacks. How was it that, even here in reality, a genjutsu was forcibly recreating yet another flashback?
Within the mirage, Kakashi now bore the Sharingan, while Obito beneath the rock was barely clinging to life, unable even to speak.
The cliffside began collapsing once more. Rin and Kakashi prepared to retreat.
Just before leaving, Kakashi suddenly turned back and removed Obito's goggles.
How moving. Was he taking a keepsake from a fallen comrade?
Kakashi hesitated briefly, then reached beneath the rubble pinning Obito down.
"Obito… among the three unfilial acts, leaving no descendants is the gravest. Orochimaru's artificial insemination technology has already matured. I will help you."
With that, Kakashi removed Obito's "essence."
Then he departed with Rin.
The mirage shifted again.
The half-paralyzed Obito was rescued by an elderly Uchiha Madara. After several months of recovery, Obito learned that Kakashi and Rin were being pursued by Kirigakure shinobi.
Due to the Bloody Mist policies, the Kirigakure ninja continuously employed bizarre "favorability-increasing tactics." They clearly could have killed Kakashi and Rin, yet refused to do so.
Instead, they frantically patted the two on the head and even threw small pink bottles of water.
(End of this chapter)