'Fine, let me bear the hardship—it's for Kazuki, after all!'
Tobirama drew in a deep breath. Quietly, he took Izunai's hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. Speaking with honest gravity, he said, "It's just that… I still can't believe this is real."
"Honestly, I never thought you'd agree. That's why I still had the Senju clansmen bring weapons. For that, I owe you an apology…"
"But I had no choice. You know this. As the head of the Senju clan, I couldn't risk putting my people in danger just for my sake."
Izunai smiled faintly, her expression unreadable, motioning for him to go on.
"But from this day forward, the days of suspicion between Senju and Uchiha, between you and me—they're over." Tobirama locked his gaze on Izunai's bright, scarlet eyes and spoke with deep sincerity: "I will protect you with all my heart."
Uchiha Izunai's smile bloomed from within. Interlacing her fingers tightly with his, she answered softly, "And I will always be your most loyal partner…"
"But you don't need to apologize to me. Before we opened our hearts to each other, if you, as the head of the Senju clan, had brought your people unarmed while unsure of my stance, I would have thought you wrong for it."
"I like you this way—rigorous and cold. But what I like most is seeing you now, being honest about everything with me…" Izunai blinked playfully, her tone teasing.
Watching Izunai's sudden, bewitching charm in every smile and glance, Tobirama felt dizzy.
In truth, his confession just now hadn't been calculated at all. It was nothing more than the plain truth.
Because for an emotional Uchiha, concealment was the deadliest misunderstanding of all. A single small detail could set Izunai's imagination running wild, leading to calamity.
The most stable and effective method was simply to say things as they were.
And it clearly worked. What Tobirama truly hadn't expected was that, in Uchiha Izunai's eyes, his decision to have the Senju bring weapons and prepare for a clash with the Uchiha clan actually came across as… attractive?
In that instant, Tobirama seemed to understand what was meant by "the love of the Uchiha."
A little extreme—but strangely, not unpleasant.
Meanwhile, hidden beneath the ground, Black Zetsu watched this grand union of the Uchiha and Senju, and felt himself going mad!
What the hell was happening here?
Senju Tobirama—there was absolutely something wrong with this man!
Not only had he hinted at Kaguya's existence, but now he had even turned the Senju and Uchiha—eternal enemies—into allies. This was something Black Zetsu simply could not tolerate!
If the Senju and Uchiha made peace, then who would carry out the Infinite Tsukuyomi?
Not only that. Before Tobirama's explanation, Black Zetsu had actually come up with a plan—if Tobirama failed to explain why the Senju had brought weapons, perhaps it could use that as a breakthrough point.
But the very moment the thought formed, Tobirama had already resolved it. It was as though he could sense the gaps inside the Uchiha heart itself, sealing Izunai's doubts so seamlessly there wasn't a crack left.
"No… this man is far too dangerous! His existence has already influenced too much. I must find a way to eliminate him—I must!"
Black Zetsu glared fixedly at Tobirama, wishing it could appear behind him right now and cut him down with a single strike.
[Sensing the immense surge of emotion within Black Zetsu, a certain amount of alien temporal aura has been absorbed!]
[Your Sage Mode has been fully unlocked!]
Hearing Kazuki's voice prompt, Tobirama's heart stirred, and he swiftly swept his gaze across the hall.
At that moment, Black Zetsu, still hidden beneath the ground, met Tobirama's searching eyes—and for the first time, a flicker of fear rose in its heart. It felt as though this man had sensed its anger and was actively hunting for it!
Senju Tobirama's strangeness drove the ever-cautious Black Zetsu into panic. Like a stray dog, it fled the hall in haste…
'Black Zetsu… As expected, he must be watching over the Senju and Uchiha clans. A troublesome creature—though it seems to have little combat strength, it does appear to possess a measure of Six Paths power.'
A cold gleam flashed in Tobirama's eyes. 'When the chance comes, I'll kill it.'
For Tobirama, this was simple.
He didn't really know much about this "Black Zetsu." As for Uchiha Rin, he only had the faintest impression.
But it wasn't just Black Zetsu. The matter of Indra's and Asura's chakra also needed to be dealt with in time.
The influence of these two existences on Hashirama and Madara had to be resolved as soon as possible.
"Izunai, after the ceremony, you and Madara should come back with me to the Senju compound. Beyond the wedding, I need to find a way to handle the chakra inside our two elder brothers."
Perhaps worried Izunai might misunderstand, Tobirama added, "Or Hashirama and I can go to the Uchiha instead…"
"You see? Overthinking again. Senju or Uchiha—it doesn't matter. Since I said I believe in you, that means I'll believe in you forever! From now on, when you speak to me, don't be so cautious!"
Izunai pretended to glare at him in annoyance, then happily went to find Uchiha Madara, eager to tell her brother about Tobirama's plan.
In truth, Izunai couldn't have been more satisfied with what Tobirama said…
Our brother!
Look at how quickly her Tobirama had slipped into the role of Uchiha son-in-law!
"Hmph. That guy… I'll hear what he has to say!" Madara first agreed to Izunai's request, then shot Tobirama a murderous glare.
This bastard—he'd stolen the Uchiha clan's rose?
But when he glanced at Hashirama standing beside him, Madara could only shake his head helplessly. From now on, not only would they be brothers—they'd be in-laws as well.
All in all… perhaps this wasn't such a bad thing.
On that day, the entire shinobi world was shaken.
The clans large and small who had been watching the Senju and Uchiha tear each other apart were stunned by news they could scarcely believe.
Senju Tobirama and Uchiha Izunai were officially engaged. The two clans had entered into an unbreakable alliance.
What on earth was happening?!
With these two united, was there still any space for other clans to survive?
It seemed this Warring States era was about to usher in a transformation unlike any before!
...
Within the Senju compound, deep in an underground chamber.
Tobirama stood at the front. The dim light carved shadows into his features, lending them a sinister edge. Behind him, the curtain was covered in sheets filled with tangled arrows and diagrams—like the instructions for some forbidden technique.
The young Hashirama and Uchiha Madara sat with furrowed brows. Several times during Tobirama's account, they nearly lost control of their emotions, but each time his sharp gaze swept across them, they settled back into silence.
Among the listeners, however—
—only Uchiha Izunai's expression stood apart.
The rose of the Uchiha clan stared at Tobirama with a gaze that was gentle, enamored, yet tinged with possessiveness. It was as if at any moment this man, crafted like a work of art, might vanish in a flash of Flying Thunder God—or some other jutsu—and never belong to her again.
Tobirama, of course, was not explaining forbidden techniques.
Why had the Senju and Uchiha—families born of the same origin—spent centuries locked in endless battle?
What was truly happening in this shinobi world?
Like a lecturer, Tobirama was explaining to Hashirama, Madara, and Izunai the story of the Sage of Six Paths' family and the Ōtsutsuki clan.
His sources came partly from the Uchiha stone tablet and the Senju stone tablet he himself had created, and partly from his own dōjutsu.
As Tobirama told them, one ability of his eyes was to see the past and future of the shinobi world.
It aligned perfectly with the principle of the "Eye of Reflection"—and as a master of forbidden techniques, Tobirama often sought out jutsu buried deep within the currents of history, as well as considered how shinobi arts might change in the future.
It also fit the image others already had of him.
Using this reasoning, Tobirama laid bare the entire truth without concealment—
—from Kaguya, the progenitor of chakra, turning against Isshiki; to her attempt to destroy the shinobi world, which led to her being sealed away by the Sage of Six Paths; to Asura and Indra's struggle against their father's will.
To help Uchiha Madara and Senju Hashirama better grasp the meaning of reincarnated vessels, Tobirama even composed a fragment of history from several centuries ago—
There had once been a pair of Senju and Uchiha clan leaders, bound since childhood by deep friendship and fate, much like Hashirama and Madara.
Both longed to recognize each other, to find a way to end the cruel wars between their clans. With that hope, step by step, they took up the reins of leadership.
In their youth, the Senju and Uchiha leaders shared respect and spoke of everything without reserve. Even when disagreements arose, they could nearly always seek common ground while setting aside differences.
But at some point, something shifted.
Friends who had once been inseparable suddenly experienced a violent change of heart.
Though their actions seemed no different than before, the Senju leader came to feel the Uchiha leader's methods were too extreme, too reckless—bound to bring greater disaster upon the shinobi world.
Meanwhile, the Uchiha leader began to see the Senju leader not as open-minded as he once had been, but hesitant, indecisive, even corrupt—always trying to obstruct him at every turn.
Both of them, under the influence of some hidden force, became less and less like themselves.
Others began to notice this strange change as well. In time, the Senju and Uchiha leaders even wondered if it was all the scheme of another clan—
—whether some genjutsu had clouded their minds, interfering with the alliance between the Uchiha and Senju.
After both clans' genjutsu specialists examined them countless times in every way imaginable, they still found no trace of tampering.
Thus, the sudden rift could only be attributed to an irreconcilable divergence in the very consciousness of the Uchiha and Senju leaders.
In the end, the peace they had dreamed of since childhood was shattered. Once friends, unable to accept each other's ideals, they could only carry on the hatred written into their clans' history—leading their people into the battlefield, trapped in a cruel cycle like Izanami itself.
Until the final moment of death.
Only as their blades pierced each other's vital points did the Senju and Uchiha leaders seem to break free of some hidden seal. Their eyes locked in defiance and resignation as life slipped away.
Within their gazes lingered both relief and fury, tangled and complex.
Relief, because the friendship they had shared was real. Without the deep, hidden chakra influencing them, they never would have reached such a tragic end.
Fury, because this chakra—so well concealed that even the Mangekyō Sharingan could not detect it—was born of some unknown being's venomous art.
Was it truly necessary that Uchiha and Senju fight to the death, never knowing peace?
Yet this riddle, discovered only at life's end, left them no time to uncover its answer…
Fortunately, centuries later, there came a man called Senju Tobirama—born of both Uchiha and Senju blood—who could step into the flow of past time, simulate those who had once lived, and witness the secrets buried deep in the dust of history.
Senju Tobirama, a man who gazed down upon all ages from the long river of time!
When Tobirama finished his tale—
—Uchiha Madara and the young Hashirama were both struck with profound shock.
The fate of those Senju and Uchiha leaders centuries ago was almost identical to their own…
If Tobirama had not awakened this eye technique by chance, would they not have ended the same way as their predecessors—lost in confusion, friendship destroyed, forced to kill each other?
It was all too possible. In fact, it was nearly certain.
For this was the nightmare that had replayed between the Uchiha and Senju countless times over a thousand years. No matter how brilliant or gifted the shinobi, none had escaped this endless cycle.