"Roasted sweet potatoes!"
"Fresh, sweet roasted sweet potatoes!"
The lively night market was brightly lit on both sides of the street, and people came and went along the road. Sosuke was calling out with all his strength, while Madara had moved a small stool over and sat there.
"Grandpa... don't just sit there. Customers are here. If you're too embarrassed to call out, then you can handle the roasted sweet potatoes."
"Oh. All right."
Madara hurriedly stood up from the stool and clumsily took two roasted sweet potatoes from the stove, wrapped them up, and handed them to the customer.
The fragrance of roasted sweet potatoes attracted more and more people. Madara fell into mechanical work, constantly bending down to take roasted sweet potatoes from the stove and wrap them. His movements gradually became more and more practiced.
After the busiest time of the night market passed, Sosuke took two leftover roasted sweet potatoes from the stove and handed them to Madara. For the rest of the time, he no longer needed Madara. He could handle it alone.
Selling roasted sweet potatoes was a little tiring.
Madara wrapped one roasted sweet potato and placed it near his stomach.
Warm.
With his hands, he peeled open the skin of the roasted sweet potato, revealing the warm red flesh inside. After working for half the day, he was indeed very hungry, so he ate in big bites.
Didn't I come to the Leaf to find Haru?
Forget it. Roasted sweet potatoes are delicious.
Chew, chew.
Madara ate the roasted sweet potato in big bites. Only after working for half the day did he remember his original goal in coming to the Leaf. Now, it seemed to have deviated quite a lot.
But Haru was Hokage in the Leaf. He was not going to run away. Madara could play around here first!
In the dark shadows, Black Zetsu's yellow, bean-like eyes were staring fixedly at Madara.
Madara, you bastard, what exactly are you doing?
You spent the entire afternoon drawing stupid cards!
And now you're selling sweet potatoes at night?
The Rinnegan! The Rinnegan!
Have you forgotten your past of being beaten up by Hashirama?
There are major matters like peace in the ninja world waiting for you!
Black Zetsu roared madly inside. Even though Black Zetsu had sat above the clouds and watched the ninja world's storms for a thousand years, its mentality had already exploded at this moment. Black Zetsu really wanted to rush out and slap Madara twice, telling him to hurry back to the underground cave and obediently awaken the Rinnegan.
It knew that Indra's descendants became insane once they awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan, but Black Zetsu had never expected Madara to be this insane.
Could it be that staying in an underground cave for too long had made him sick?
Dementia?
No way...
Black Zetsu had a thousand years of experience and had seen more than one or two of Indra's reincarnations, but even now, it still could not understand Madara's current thoughts.
Such a good seed could not be ruined.
It had waited a thousand years to finally find an Uchiha who gathered both Indra's and Asura's power. A good seed like this could be considered something seen only once in a thousand years.
If Madara wasted his time and really developed dementia without awakening the Rinnegan, wouldn't Black Zetsu have to wait another thousand years?
Mother, I miss you so much.
A child without a mother was like a blade of grass. It had been this blade of grass for a thousand years. When would it finally become a treasure with a mother?
But!
It could only keep waiting.
Black Zetsu felt bitter inside. This body had not inherited its mother's powerful strength at all. It could only hide in dark shadows where the sun never shone and guide Madara as much as possible.
But Black Zetsu had already done everything it should have done.
Everything had clearly been going very smoothly.
Why had Madara suddenly gone crazy?
Coming to the Leaf to sell sweet potatoes.
How could Madara do such a thing?
Black Zetsu fell into deep thought, constantly muttering inwardly.
"Grandpa, after we close the stall later, you have a place to stay, right?"
Sosuke counted the roasted sweet potatoes left in the stove. There were only a few scattered pieces left. They had sold faster than usual today.
Grandpa should have a place to stay, right?
"I do... I do."
Madara sat on the little stool, eating roasted sweet potatoes while responding unclearly to Sosuke.
He only had no money to stay at an inn. Couldn't he sleep in a tree or in the wilderness just the same?
"That's good."
Sosuke felt relieved. Right now, he could only support Madara with a few roasted sweet potatoes. At night, he could go back to the dormitory provided by the school or go home to live with his mother. Neither place could let Madara stay overnight.
Madara sped up and finished the remaining roasted sweet potato in a few bites.
"Brat, I will draw a full set of those cards."
Madara was still brooding over it. Failing to draw his own card and show off made Madara extremely annoyed. He had to recover that face.
"Forget it, Grandpa. That card-drawing game isn't for poor people like us. If you don't have money, don't go."
"I have money!"
Madara subconsciously touched his pocket. There were still only a few coins inside.
But that did not stop Madara from being stubborn. Mere worldly possessions could not trouble him at all. As long as he wanted, he could get several million ryo at any time!
"All right, all right."
Looking at Madara's stubborn appearance, Sosuke gave up arguing with him.
Grandpa was stubborn and liked to brag.
Evening.
Laboratory.
That night, Haru sent a group of young Uchiha men to Tobirama.
The instant those young men saw Tobirama, each of their eyes widened.
Second Hokage Tobirama was not dead?
He had been hiding inside the Uchiha clan all this time?
Haru very skillfully used the same excuse he had used to fool Orochimaru and convinced them.
Although they said they believed it, their expressions said otherwise.
Could they not know Tobirama's attitude toward the Uchiha clan?
However, the truth was not important.
No one cared.
Haru was now the Third Hokage of the Leaf. That was enough. As for the previous Second Hokage?
Not important!
Haru instructed the young Uchiha men that they had to keep this secret. To ensure nothing went wrong, he also engraved the Tongue Eradication Seal on them.
This time, the Uchiha clan members had been gathered for an experimental project that could benefit the entire Leaf.
Haru briefly explained the Hashirama cell experiment to them. As long as the Uchiha clan obtained the powerful recovery ability of Hashirama cells, vast chakra, enhanced Sharingan eye power, and perhaps even the ability to use Hashirama's Wood Release...
Of course, this experiment had risks. There was a tiny possibility of death.
Then this group of Uchiha collectively became excited.
There was such a good thing in the world?
The Uchiha clan was going to steal the power of First Hokage Hashirama!
As for the experimental risks Haru mentioned afterward, they selectively ignored them.
That was the power of First Hokage Hashirama, power enough to rival Lord Madara's Mangekyo Sharingan. An endless sea of trees that covered the sky, a towering wooden giant hundreds of meters tall, and unmatched strength!
If they could gain power of that level, what was a little danger to their lives?
No problem. No problem.
If they died, they died. The atmosphere inside the Uchiha clan had always respected strength above all.
A few quick-witted Uchiha quietly approached Haru.
Clan leader, could this Second Hokage Tobirama really be so kind?
Helping the Uchiha clan steal the power of First Hokage Hashirama? If there was such a good thing, why not find the Senju clan?
Had he been imprisoned here by the clan leader?
The outside was heavily guarded by Uchiha clansmen. Until now, aside from members of the Uchiha clan, only that boy named Orochimaru had come in.
It was hard not to think in the wrong direction.
Cough, cough.
Why say such truthful things?
Haru gave each of them a flick to the forehead and made them shut up.
Could they not see how ugly Tobirama's expression had become? His vile face had even spat on the ground. His quality was extremely poor. Orochimaru would have to clean it later.
"These naturally evil Uchiha!"
"Ptui!"
Tobirama became annoyed the moment he saw this group of excited Uchiha.
His brother's power was actually going to be stolen by the Uchiha clan.
Clearly, the Senju clan had been here first, and many of them had died to obtain precious experience and data. Now all of it was making wedding clothes for these Uchiha.
So annoying.
He really wanted to give them a huge injection and send them to meet the Sage of Six Paths.
However, Tobirama was still rational. He simply recorded the information of these Uchiha with a displeased face: height, weight, age, Sharingan tomoe, chakra volume, and so on.
Haru tactfully did not interfere with Tobirama's work. Instead, he went straight to Orochimaru and asked whether Orochimaru had learned the Summoning Technique.
A dead horse could still be treated like a living one.
Maybe Orochimaru was also a summoner chosen by Ryuchi Cave and could get lucky by being reverse-summoned there.
Orochimaru shook his head.
But his eyes could not stop glancing toward the Uchiha, making Haru feel a little nervous.
At this time, Orochimaru probably would not be interested in Uchiha bodies, right?
"What are you looking at, Orochimaru?"
"That experiment should be very interesting. Using the Hokage's clansmen as experimental material..."
Orochimaru's eyes were filled with longing. For this to make the Hokage and the Second Hokage mobilize so much, even bringing Uchiha clansmen in as experimental subjects, what level of experiment must this be?
He really wanted to personally take part too.
Good, good. He only wanted to experiment on the Uchiha clan.
Wait. That was not okay either!
"Orochimaru, your thoughts should be focused on how to improve the Leaf's productive forces. Experiments like this are things only an old man like Tobirama... uh, only the Second Hokage can come into contact with. Your level is not there yet."
Haru earnestly taught him.
Unfortunately, it was useless. Orochimaru's eyes still kept drifting over there, so Haru gave up. As long as Orochimaru did not go too far, it would be fine.
In this life, Orochimaru had not experienced war and had not suffered the blow of losing that unlucky disciple Nawaki. He was still a harmless child, just a little too curious.
In the future, Haru did not plan to let Orochimaru run around outside the village either. He only needed to grind experiments every day. However, ideological education could not stop.
"Orochimaru, from now on, you can't stay in this laboratory all the time. You must go to school every day. Although your talent is excellent, you still need to experience the normal growth process of a student and build bonds with your companions."
Haru was truly not at ease leaving Orochimaru to Tobirama all the time. Tobirama had probably fed Orochimaru plenty of private ideological material.
"No, Hokage!"
"I've already learned everything taught at school. Only here can I..."
Orochimaru was struck as if by lightning and begged Haru to show mercy.
However, Haru's attitude was firm. He had to attend school on time. Every afternoon after school, he could come here.
After graduation, he might be allowed to live here permanently.
Orochimaru could only nod helplessly.
After that, Haru taught Orochimaru how to use the Summoning Technique. From afar, he summoned Bankichi over, a huge fat cat.
"What a fat... what a sturdy cat!"
Orochimaru chose his words tactfully.
Bankichi's current figure was indeed not very praiseworthy.
Very fat...
No, very sturdy.
He could not let Bankichi keep lying flat at home!
"Haru, what are you doing? Ow!"
"I was enjoying being brushed just now."
Bankichi was somewhat dissatisfied with Haru's summoning. Haru directly ignored Bankichi's complaints and casually assigned him a weight-loss task.
Bankichi raised his paw in protest. His contracted ninja had become Hokage. As the Hokage's summoning beast, couldn't he enjoy himself?
However, the protest was invalid!
"Did you remember all the seals?"
"Boar, dog, bird, monkey, ram."
Orochimaru smoothly recited the five simple seals, but if he wanted to use the technique successfully, he still had to practice a little.
"Hokage, I'm confident I can perform the Summoning Technique tonight!"
Orochimaru spoke with great confidence.
Tobirama cared a great deal about Orochimaru, this disciple. As for Haru's instruction to only teach Orochimaru productive scientific research, Tobirama had treated it with disdain.
I am Tobirama, the Leaf's Second Hokage. Do I need you interfering with how I teach my disciple?
Ninjutsu, practical combat, scientific research and experiments. Tobirama taught all of them.
"Then I'll wait for your good news."
Haru nodded in satisfaction. The Summoning Technique had certain requirements for ninja, whether hand seals, chakra volume, or chakra control. It involved space-time ninjutsu, and there were not many such techniques in the entire ninja world.
In the original story, that perverted brat Jiraiya seemed to have practiced for a long time, sitting on top of a tree to practice hand seals and carrying a huge rock while walking along a cliff to train chakra control and extract more chakra.
"When you go to school tomorrow, remember to bring that brat Jiraiya to my office after class in the afternoon. Also remember to teach him this technique."
Orochimaru had originally still been immersed in the joy of having the Hokage personally teach him ninjutsu, but his face collapsed the next second.
He had to go to school again tomorrow.
Annoying!
"Jiraiya? Hokage, why are you looking for him?"
Orochimaru curiously asked Haru. What could that guy, whose mind was full of perverted thoughts, have that the Hokage valued?
"Him... His talent is quite good. He is destined to become a strong person. No, why are you asking so much? Just bring him over when the time comes!
"Some things are still not something a brat at your level can come into contact with."
After Haru finished speaking, he rubbed Orochimaru's head hard. The feeling was pretty nice.
After explaining everything to Orochimaru, Haru looked toward Tobirama, who was still busy.
Had Tobirama signed his name on Shikkotsu Forest's summoning scroll?
As Hashirama's younger brother, as long as Tobirama wanted to summon the slug, it should be extremely easy, right?
Whether there were dates or not, strike the pole twice first!
Trying would not cost anything!
With the spirit of a thief...
Cough, cough.
With the spirit of a Hokage who never left empty-handed, Haru walked toward the busy Tobirama.
"Tobirama, I have an important matter to discuss with you!"
(End of Chapter)
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