"The academy teaches this now?"
Uchiha Madara stood there, momentarily stunned.
He had been gone from Konoha for too long.
So long that even the fundamentals of ninja education had changed beyond recognition.
Productivity. Physics. Chemistry.
What were these things?
He had never even heard of them.
"They don't even teach shuriken throwing anymore?"
"Do they not train you in combat at all?"
"How are you supposed to complete missions in the future?"
"This world is dangerous—rogue ninja, wandering samurai…"
"When I was your age, I was already—"
Madara wanted to curse.
What kind of system was this?
If they didn't teach combat—
Could these students even be called ninja?
Were they just teaching chakra extraction and theory?
"Wow… Grandpa, you must've been really strong!"
Itō Sōsuke's eyes sparkled.
Madara's stories captivated him completely.
Like any child—
He dreamed of becoming a powerful ninja.
But reality was cruel.
The academy had already determined his limits.
Konoha's current system—
Sorted students early.
Those with poor talent—
Low chakra.
Weak control.
Little combat aptitude—
Were separated from the start.
They would learn basic chakra refinement.
Theory.
Mathematics.
Physics.
Chemistry.
And most importantly—
Ideology.
As for ninjutsu—
The Three Basic Techniques:
Clone Technique.
Transformation Technique.
Substitution Technique.
Plus—
The Shadow Clone Technique.
That was enough.
After graduation—
They could work in construction.
Factories.
Become the foundation of Konoha's expansion.
Even future administrators.
Literate.
Disciplined.
Experienced.
The backbone of a new system.
The old world—
Would eventually fall.
And when it did—
It wouldn't be an elite ninja alone who shaped the future.
It would be these countless ordinary ones.
A spark—
Could start a wildfire.
As for weapons like shuriken—
What use were they to people like this?
Better to develop firearms.
Mass-produce them.
Equip the lower ranks.
They might not threaten elites—
But against genin and chūnin—
They would be devastating.
"…Hmph. Of course."
Madara crossed his arms slightly.
"Back in my day, even jōnin weren't worth mentioning—except Hashira—"
He cut himself off mid-sentence.
Sōsuke listened with admiration.
Madara found himself… enjoying it.
This simple praise.
This innocence.
"…It's a shame my talent is lacking."
Sōsuke's expression dimmed.
"When we enrolled, the academy tested us."
"Only those with talent receive full combat training."
Madara listened quietly.
A relic of the Warring States era—
Trying to understand a new world.
"…Wasting resources on weak ninja."
"The Third Hokage… how foolish."
He didn't finish the sentence.
But the meaning was clear.
To him—
Uchiha Ren's approach was absurd.
"Grandpa!"
Sōsuke protested immediately.
"The Hokage said—"
"The shinobi world needs revolution!"
"Every ninja has a different role!"
"But no role is insignificant!"
Madara raised an eyebrow.
"…Interesting. Revolution."
A new word.
But the meaning—
He understood.
Revolution.
To overturn something.
But what?
The ninja system itself?
He had already heard—
Uchiha Ren had awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan.
A battle powerful enough to shake the world.
An Uchiha with such eyes—
Would never remain ordinary.
"…What else has your Hokage said?"
Sōsuke eagerly pulled out a red booklet.
Golden characters gleamed on the cover—
"Will of Fire."
"The Hokage wrote this himself!"
Madara took it.
Flipped it open.
"'The future of the shinobi world rests in your hands…'"
"'The path is winding, but the future is bright…'"
"…'Peace is a long-term pursuit…'"
"…'The key lies in developing productivity…'"
"…'The old ninja system must evolve…'"
Madara fell silent.
As he ate his roasted sweet potato—
His attention was completely absorbed.
This—
Was ideology.
Structure.
A vision.
If he wanted to persuade Uchiha Ren—
He would need to understand this fully.
Break it.
Then rebuild it.
Meanwhile—
"Chiyo, how was the meal?"
"Was it worth it?"
"Absolutely delicious…"
Uchiha Ren walked out of Konoha's most luxurious restaurant.
Public funds.
The best kind of spending.
Konoha's consumer culture had exploded.
Nobles drove demand.
Luxury defined value.
VIP systems.
Private rooms.
Exorbitant pricing.
Even Ren—
I found it painful to pay.
But tonight—
He wasn't paying.
Perfect.
Chiyo, slightly drunk, walked unsteadily beside him.
The bill had nearly given her a heart attack.
If she had to pay—
She would've fled immediately.
And never returned.
The owner personally escorted them out.
Handing Chiyo a black card.
A symbol of status.
She accepted it politely.
"Next time, next time…"
But inside—
She knew.
There would be no next time.
Too expensive.
"Here," Ren gestured.
"Konoha's night market."
Lights stretched endlessly.
Crowds flowed like rivers.
The city pulsed with life.
Chiyo stared.
Mesmerized.
Compared to Sunagakure—
This was another world.
There—
Darkness.
Cold winds.
Sand.
Danger.
Here—
Light.
Warmth.
Prosperity.
The gap—
It was overwhelming.
As she sank into her thoughts—
Ren froze.
A notification echoed in his mind.
"Ding!"
[Long-Term Mission: Turn Back the Prodigal]
[Guide Uchiha Madara to abandon falsehood, sincerely repent, and return to Konoha.]
"…What?"
Ren nearly choked.
What kind of mission was this?!
He wasn't Senju Hashirama!
Without beating Madara first—
How was he supposed to talk sense into him?!
Among the Uchiha—
The strength was the truth.
If you couldn't win—
You were wrong.
Simple.
Brutal.
Logical.
And the worst part—
This mission only appeared when certain conditions were met.
Which meant—
Madara might already be in Konoha.
Ren's scalp tingled.
This was a nightmare.
Even old.
Even with one eye—
Madara would still crush him effortlessly.
One eye or two—
It made no difference.
This was Uchiha Madara.
A man who pushed Susanoo to its absolute peak.
Even Indra himself might not surpass him.
And if he unleashed it—
Susanoo clad over Wood Release—
A perfect fusion of power—
Against him?
Ren didn't even want to imagine it.
There was no fight.
None.
"…Yeah… no."
Instant surrender.
100%.
But—
Maybe he was overthinking.
Madara should still be in some cave—
Trying to awaken the Rinnegan.
There was no way—
He'd just walk into Konoha.
…Right?
◇ BONUS & SUPPORT ◇
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 10 reviews — drop a comment!
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 100 Power Stones.
◇ Read chapters ahead on Patreon → patreon.com/c/MythArcstudios