Kazuki studied the excitement on Izuna's face.
He understood why this guy looked so eager for amusement.
After all, Senju Tobirama was his mortal enemy…
Even though, after the war with the Ōtsutsuki, the two had reached some form of reconciliation, the past between them had not vanished.
In the days of peace, one of Tobirama's favorite pastimes was to suppress his own power to match Izuna's level, then use the wealth of battle experience he had learned from Kazuki to brilliantly defeat Izuna in one contest after another.
This had infuriated Izuna to no end.
But there was nothing he could do about it.
After all, the only true god of the shinobi world now—Kazuki—shared an unshakable bond with that bastard.
Still, Izuna never gave up on beating Senju Tobirama.
The stubborn Uchiha firmly believed that someday he would find a way to best Tobirama in at least one field.
When that day came—
—Izuna already had ninety-nine bitter, cutting remarks prepared to mock Tobirama with!
So what if you had Kazuki on your side? I still won in the end!
Of course, those were only beautiful fantasies.
Deep down, Izuna's outlook on actually defeating Tobirama was pessimistic…
But today—today seemed to bring a chance to overtake him in one bold stroke!
Senju Tobirama had actually gone to a matchmaking event?
And not only that—he had gone to a parallel timeline, declaring that since this planet held no suitable partner, he would search across the countless worlds instead!
Uchiha Izuna had never imagined that someone who looked so proper and serious would harbor such private intentions.
If he could only witness that guy's matchmaking live, just recording one or two embarrassing moments would be enough for Izuna to hold over Tobirama's head for the rest of his life!
Though Izuna didn't really believe Tobirama would disgrace himself that badly—
—it was still like having the ultimate trump card.
That alone would be enough to keep up the bickering forever.
"Kazuki, we're both Uchiha, aren't we?"
Uchiha Izuna pressed his palms together and grinned as he pleaded: "Come on! You know this is important to me!"
Though he was half-joking when he asked Kazuki to let him watch—
—given Kazuki's bond with Tobirama, it was clear he was far closer to Tobirama than to Izuna.
Besides—
How dare Izuna assume that Senju Tobirama wasn't an Uchiha himself?!
The man's Mangekyō pupil power was stronger than his, and the techniques he mastered were far more numerous…
"I'll give it a try," Kazuki nodded, and with a thought, he linked to the mark within Tobirama's soul, observing the surroundings.
If Tobirama were doing something truly private, of course, Kazuki couldn't broadcast it for Izuna.
But if there was something amusing… then letting him see wouldn't hurt.
Even Kazuki, however, froze for a moment when he caught sight of the engagement scene in a parallel timeline.
In a wide ceremonial hall, the lavish crimson carpet was strewn with rows of standard short blades, while pairs of Uchiha and Senju danced together…
Uchiha Madara and Senju Hashirama sat side by side, both smiling broadly as they watched their clansmen.
And Uchiha Izunai, cheeks burning red, clung tightly to Senju Tobirama's arm, refusing to let go—dressed in an elegant white wedding robe.
The festive scene was filled with joy—yet Senju Tobirama alone stood bewildered.
In Kazuki's eyes—
—Tobirama, clad in a pure black haori, was in a dazed state.
Those scarlet eyes of his, usually sharp and alert at all times, now seemed to have lost their light.
Even the few strands of white hair that normally stuck up from his head had drooped with his mood, turning into limp tufts that twitched awkwardly in the breeze.
Kazuki frowned at the sight, unable to stop himself from sighing inwardly: 'Impressive, Tobirama.'
He had indeed crafted a matchmaking system for Tobirama, and even selected a partner for him—
—but Kazuki had never expected the date to end like this!
How in the world had Tobirama managed to make Uchiha Izunai so eager to marry him?
According to the logic of the matchmaking system, shouldn't it have started with insults, then a shower of coins, followed by endless back-and-forth—something like one of those "Win Back the Wife" tragedy arcs?
At the very least, it should have been a battle of wits between the two!
So how had it turned into this… an outright giveaway?
From what Kazuki saw, Uchiha Izunai had flung herself into Tobirama's arms of her own accord!
Tobirama himself didn't even look pleased—he seemed more like a man forced into submission by sheer force.
Truly, a most thought-provoking scene.
'Could it be that Tobirama really mastered the Five-Step Method? The way he's using it doesn't look any worse than me…' Kazuki rubbed his chin, already planning to press a certain white-haired Senju for the details once he brought his new bride home.
Of course, Kazuki could simply keep watching on his own—
—but compared to hearing it from Tobirama's own mouth, the experience just wasn't the same.
"Kazuki, how's it going?"
At his side, Uchiha Izuna rubbed his hands together excitedly, staring at the colorful light flickering in Kazuki's eyes. He asked impatiently, "Did you find that bastard?"
"I found him, yes… but the situation is a little complicated."
Kazuki hesitated. "I'll say this up front—it might be a bit of a shock to you. Are you sure you want to see?"
Given how confusing Tobirama's current matchmaking looked—
—Kazuki decided he wasn't going to be the only one baffled. He would drag Uchiha Izuna into this as well!
Didn't he want to watch?
Then let him watch together!
"Shocking? That's exactly what I came to see!"
Izuna waved his hand broadly. "Don't worry, Kazuki! I can handle it!"
Kazuki nodded knowingly. A strange brilliance flashed through his pupils as he linked his ocular power directly into Uchiha Izuna's mind.
And so, the live broadcast from a parallel timeline gained one more viewer who preferred to remain unnamed.
"Alright… let me see just what kind of woman Senju Tobirama picked."
Uchiha Izuna peered closely at the scene, frowning.
Uchiha Setsuna and Senju Momoka? Both of them were familiar faces!
That meant this was a parallel shinobi world, still in the Warring States era.
Then, as Izuna looked more carefully, he began spotting more and more familiar Senju and Uchiha clansmen.
"That's my brother—and Senju Hashirama? Why are the two of them sitting together so peacefully? Everyone else looks like they're celebrating something, too. What the hell is going on here?"
Uchiha Izuna was somewhat confused.
Although he didn't know the exact timeline, he could clearly see several Uchiha elites—shinobi who, in his memory, had died by the war's end.
For example, the grandfather of Uchiha Yashiro, a loyal follower who had once sought Izuna's guidance in kenjutsu—was now, at this inexplicable banquet, still alive, happily singing and dancing.
That meant this was likely the mid-Warring States period.
At this time, the Senju and Uchiha clans had already united? Impossible!
Then, seeing the Mangekyō's crimson gleam flickering in Uchiha Madara's eyes, Izuna grew even more puzzled.
If Madara had only just awakened his Mangekyō, wasn't that around the time Senju Butsuma and Uchiha Tajima perished together?
Logically, with the deaths of two clan leaders so beloved by their people, this should have been the very peak of tension between the Senju and Uchiha…
Could it be that in this parallel timeline there were subtle differences from his own?
"I found him! What the hell is with that expression?"
A moment later, when Izuna spotted the bewildered Senju Tobirama, he burst out laughing.
"The white wedding robes are quite nice… Hm, and there's the Uchiha clan crest as well! Seems the bride's a kunoichi of the Uchiha…"
Izuna quickly analyzed the useful details, his mind racing, while the corners of his mouth stretched wide.
Just from what he saw now, he already had plenty of ammunition to mock Senju Tobirama!
You bastard, weren't you always spouting off that the Uchiha were born evil?
Then how come, the moment no one's watching, you go and marry a woman of the Uchiha?
Such hypocrisy, Senju Tobirama!
So unwilling to face your own heart, is that it? Hah!
"Just look at yourself, bastard! Our Uchiha are fiery and open—we say it when we like someone, we hold onto their arm proudly. And you? What's with that stiff face?
"Did someone club you over the head? That vacant, brainless look—what the hell are you doing? What, were you forced into this? Don't make me laugh!"
Across the parallel timeline, Izuna unleashed a storm of trash talk, as if rehearsing it for later.
"With that little advantage Kazuki handed you, even the Sage of Six Paths couldn't stop you!"
"You're always the same—so damn fake! Inside, you're grinning from ear to ear, but you still put on that victim act, as if you were unwillingly dragged into marriage!
"Even when there's no one around to see, you keep up the pretense, don't you? Just keep lying to yourself! You just don't dare admit your prejudice toward the Uchiha!"
Izuna ranted until he felt satisfied.
"What a pity… such a good woman of the Uchiha clan, wasted on a bastard like you…"
He glanced at the bride clinging tightly to Tobirama's arm and shook his head.
Because Izunai was still buried shyly against Tobirama's sleeve, her face hidden, he couldn't see her features.
"Now let me see… where am I? I'd love to know how the me of this other timeline actually got talked into peace by that bastard Senju Tobirama!"
Of course, even as he spoke, Izuna knew it was just empty bluster.
Unite, and both sides would prosper.
Fight, and both would suffer.
Especially after learning of the existence of the Ōtsutsuki clan, Uchiha Izuna had to admit that the conflict between the Senju and the Uchiha was nothing more than an extension of the Sage of Six Paths' family squabble.
No matter how much of a bastard Senju Tobirama was, the fact remained: ever since his transmigration, he had resolved the strife between the two clans through peaceful means. Clearly, under Kazuki's modification, the man did have a conscience.
But even so, that didn't stop Uchiha Izuna from mocking him once Tobirama returned.
That was a matter of principle.