The atmosphere turned… strange.
For a moment—
Neither of them spoke.
Then Uchiha Ren broke the silence first.
"Tobirama, now that you understand the root of the conflict between the Uchiha and Senju over the past thousand years…"
"How about acknowledging your ancestry?"
"The Uchiha descend from Indra—the elder brother."
"The Senju descend from Asura—the younger."
"So logically…"
"The younger brother's clan should merge into the elder's, right?"
"The Uchiha are rich now, you know."
"We definitely wouldn't treat the Senju poorly."
"…"
Tobirama's face turned red at a visible speed.
His composure—
Gone.
"Merge the Senju into the Uchiha?!"
"I spit on that idea!"
"In your dreams!"
"You shameless bastard—"
"You evil Uchiha brat, I—!"
A barrage of curses followed.
Relentless.
Ren calmly took out a tissue and wiped his face.
…That was some serious spit.
Good thing he hadn't said everything he was thinking.
Like—
If he and Tsunade had a child—
Maybe they could produce something close to an Ōtsutsuki.
But Tsunade's temper…
And her gambling…
Too risky.
One bad night—
And his entire fortune could vanish.
Not suitable wife material.
Still—
If Tobirama agreed to merge the clans—
He could make that marriage work.
For Konoha.
For the Uchiha.
A small personal sacrifice.
…But clearly—
That wasn't happening.
"What? It was just a joke."
"Why so serious?"
"No sense of humor."
"Even as a joke—it's unacceptable!"
"And don't lie!"
"You've been plotting this all along, haven't you?!"
Tobirama glared at him viciously.
Ren's current influence—
Even surpassed his own.
If he really wanted to target the Senju—
Who could stop him?
"…Just a little."
Ren grinned.
"You have to understand—"
"All chakra originates from the Sage of Six Paths."
"His level…"
"Is beyond our comprehension."
"Even Madara and Hashirama only touched a fraction of it."
"Their strength—"
"Came largely from Indra and Asura's chakra."
"But that's only half."
"If the Uchiha and Senju bloodlines combined…"
"Who knows what might be born?"
"Maybe…"
"We could recreate the Sage's power."
Tobirama paused.
For a split second—
He actually considered it.
"…Interesting—"
Then immediately snapped back.
"No!"
"Don't try to mislead me!"
"Absolutely not!"
"Intermarriage is the first step toward assimilation!"
"You're trying to swallow the Senju whole!"
Ren scoffed.
"You old fossil."
"Hashirama created Konoha to eliminate clan hatred."
"As productivity increases—"
"Clan structures will collapse naturally."
"In the future—"
"Not just Uchiha and Senju."
"Everyone will marry freely."
"You'd break up couples just to preserve old traditions?"
He pointed at Tobirama.
"I, the Third Hokage—"
"Stand firmly against backward clan ideology!"
"I uphold the Will of Fire!"
"You stubborn old Senju relic!"
"You—this is sophistry!"
"And you're dead!"
"Why are you meddling in the affairs of the living?!"
"…"
The argument escalated rapidly.
In the end—
Tobirama lost.
Again.
Because no matter how stubborn—
Individual will could not resist the tide of the era.
Even without Ren—
The Senju would eventually fade.
Intermarriage.
Assimilation.
History had already proven it.
"Enough."
Ren waved it off.
"We're getting off track."
"If Madara attacks—"
"Konoha won't even survive."
"Forget intermarriage."
Tobirama snorted.
"…You'd better not try anything."
"Or I'll go on strike."
"Sure, sure."
Ren dismissed it casually.
Then—
His expression turned serious.
"Madara awakened the Mangekyō long ago."
"He knew the tablet's contents before Konoha was even founded."
"At first—he believed in Hashirama's path."
"But after Konoha was established…"
"He saw the truth."
"The other villages only pretended to submit."
"And…"
Ren glanced at Tobirama.
"…certain individuals kept marginalizing him."
"Both him—and the Uchiha."
Tobirama's eye twitched.
"…Who are you calling underhanded?"
"Whoever answers is the one."
"You—!"
"And don't dodge it."
"You bear responsibility too."
"Even ignoring everything else—"
"You think you did nothing wrong?"
Tobirama fell silent.
…Maybe.
Just a little.
But this wasn't the time to argue.
"…Continue."
Ren nodded.
"Madara lost faith."
"He realized the path he once believed in…"
"…was flawed."
"He gave up many things."
"Even revenge."
"You killed Uchiha Izuna."
"If he wanted—"
"He could've killed you before leaving."
Tobirama's gaze lowered.
For the first time—
A trace of guilt surfaced.
On the battlefield—
There were no regrets.
But afterward…
Perhaps—
Things could've been different.
"…But he didn't."
"He chose another path."
"A path to achieve true peace."
Ren continued calmly.
"When he fought Hashirama—"
"He likely obtained Hashirama's cells."
"His chakra."
"Now…"
"He's probably trying to awaken the Rinnegan."
"Summon the Demonic Statue."
"Gather the Tailed Beasts."
"Become the Ten-Tails' jinchūriki."
"And cast the Infinite Tsukuyomi."
A pause.
"Sooner or later—"
"We'll face him."
Ren looked directly at Tobirama.
"So…"
"What's your plan?"
Tobirama fell into deep thought.
After a long silence—
He spoke.
"…If Madara had already awakened the Rinnegan…"
"He wouldn't be hiding."
"He'd attack directly."
"With overwhelming force."
"Take the Nine-Tails."
"Konoha would already be in chaos."
"But nothing has happened."
"So—"
"He hasn't reached that stage yet."
Relief—
But only slightly.
"Still…"
"If he's already infiltrated Konoha…"
"That doesn't match his style."
"He prefers decisive action."
"…Strange."
Ren internally screamed.
Exactly!
What the hell was Madara doing?!
Why come now?!
"Regardless—"
Tobirama's voice hardened.
"We must prepare for the worst."
"If he moves—"
"We must stop him."
Ren stared at him.
"…With what?"
"You fight him?"
"Or I fight him?"
Tobirama didn't hesitate.
"…Hashirama."
"We summon my brother."
"You used Impure World Reincarnation on me."
"Do the same for him."
Ren rolled his eyes.
"Do you even understand your current strength?"
"At best—you're operating at twenty percent of your peak."
"Even with enhancements—"
"Maybe thirty."
"That's not enough."
"The only way to push it higher—"
"Is with Hashirama Cells."
Tobirama froze.
"…That can increase performance?"
Ren nodded.
"I didn't tell you earlier—"
"Because I didn't trust you not to modify your body."
"And break free from my control."
Tobirama's face darkened.
"…You bastard."
"Relax."
"I've already prepared countermeasures."
"If you try anything—"
"I'll shut you down instantly."
"And when we enhance your body—"
"I'll personally supervise it."
"Add extra restraints too."
"YOU—!"
Tobirama exploded.
"At a time like this—"
"You're still guarding against me?!"
Ren smiled brightly.
"Of course."
"You're Senju Tobirama."
"If I'm not careful—"
"You'll exploit any opening."
"Oh, and by the way—"
"With Hashirama Cells…"
"Your Multi Shadow Clone output should increase."
"Your work efficiency too."
"Don't slack off just because Madara might show up."
"GO TO HELL, YOU HEARTLESS MONSTER!!!"
Tobirama lunged.
For a moment—
Madara didn't matter.
Right now—
He just wanted to beat Uchiha Ren to death.
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