— — — — — — —
"You mentioned a giant blue chakra warrior… I've seen something like that before. Did it have two massive swords at its waist, resembling a towering samurai with a crow tengu mask?"
Sarutobi Hiruzen's expression was grim as he recalled the image and questioned Minato.
"Huh?... That's right!"
Minato blinked in surprise before nodding. He looked at the Third Hokage with curiosity. "Lord Hokage, you've actually seen it before? Then, do you think that person was really Uchiha Madara?"
If Hiruzen had seen it, that would make things easier—it would further validate Minato's claim.
Minato genuinely wanted the Third Hokage to take this matter seriously. At the same time, he hoped that by using Madara's name, he could pressure Hiruzen and Danzo into easing up on their suppression of the Uchiha clan.
He wasn't sure if Madara would retaliate, but he knewthat if things escalated too much, Renzo would definitely flip out.
"Ah…"
Hiruzen let out a long sigh, picked up his smoking pipe, and started taking deep puffs.
Minato frowned slightly as he inhaled the strong, acrid smell of tobacco, silently complaining in his mind: 'Being Hokage really means you can do whatever you want, huh? Not even worried about setting a bad example for the younger generation…'
Hiruzen, of course, had no idea what Minato was thinking. He simply walked to the window, gazing out at the slightly desolate streets of Konoha. His voice was low and distant.
"I did see it before… but that was decades ago."
"You weren't wrong—he really must have been Uchiha Madara."
"That massive blue chakra warrior is a technique granted by the Sharingan after it evolves beyond the three-tomoe stage, into the Mangekyō Sharingan."
"That's also why you saw his Sharingan had a different pattern."
"That kind of power… it's terrifying."
As he spoke, Hiruzen's hand trembled slightly, as if recalling a particularly unpleasant memory.
"Mangekyō Sharingan?"
Minato's expression showed just the right amount of shock.
"Yes."
Hiruzen nodded. "Most people today believe that the three-tomoe Sharingan is the Uchiha clan's ultimate form—even many Uchiha themselves think that way."
"But those of us who lived through the Warring States Era know the truth—it's far beyond that."
At this point, Hiruzen furrowed his brows deeply.
"Still… by now, Uchiha Madara should be incredibly old. There's no way he could still be alive, right?"
"Besides, we know he was definitely killed by the First Hokage. The Valley of the End was carved out by their battle!"
"That fight shook the heavens and earth. Even though it happened far from Konoha, I could feel the ground tremble all the way from here!"
Hiruzen turned to Minato, his eyes sharp and serious.
"What did Madara look like when you saw him?"
Minato hesitated for a moment before answering, "He looked… young. If I had to guess, he seemed to be in his early thirties—strong and full of vitality."
"His hair was long and jet black, and he wore red armor, just like in the old records."
Minato carefully described the Madara he had seen.
Hiruzen's expression grew even more rigid, his unease deepening.
"It's confirmed. That was definitely Uchiha Madara… But how? Why hasn't he aged?"
He locked eyes with Minato.
"And the fight? What happened? Who won? Where did Madara go? And what about that mysterious Uchiha?"
Minato answered without hesitation, "It seemed like Madara lost…"
"What?! That's impossible!"
Before Minato could continue, Hiruzen interrupted him, his face filled with disbelief.
Madara…lose?
To anotherUchiha?
That was beyond absurd!
Hiruzen had never seen any Uchiha stronger than Madara.
"But I saw it with my own eyes," Minato insisted. "Madara fled. He left behind a shadow clone to stall the mysterious Uchiha and used it to fight for a while before dispelling it and disappearing."
Minato sighed inwardly. "Why won't he believe me? I'm telling the truth!"
"No… no… this can't be happening!"
Hiruzen clutched his head in frustration, his fingers digging into his hair. He was losing it.
"Who the hell is that Uchiha?! How can someone even stronger than Madara exist? What did he look like?!"
At this point, Hiruzen's usual calm and dignified demeanor had completely crumbled.
Screw this world.
Why does the Uchiha clan keep producing these absolute monsters?!
This isn't fair!
Madara? He was a complete cheat.
All the Uchiha were.
Against monsters like them, Hiruzen's talent and hard work felt like a cruel joke.
So yeah, maybe he did have a reason for not liking the Uchiha. It wasn't really his fault.
If anyone was to blame, it was Danzo.
That bastard encouraged him.
"The mysterious Uchiha appeared to be in his twenties or early thirties," Minato described. "From what I could see of his build and hair, he was definitely a young man. But he wore a crow tengu mask, so I couldn't get a clear look at his face."
He continued, "I only saw him after he defeated Uchiha Madara. Madara left behind a shadow clone to stall him and then escaped. After that, this Uchiha emerged from his massive puppet-like construct."
Minato had already confirmed these details with Kakashi and the others.
Hell, he wasn't even worried about Hiruzen questioning them separately.
As for interrogation or memory extraction techniques?
Yeah, no.
You don't just use those on your own village's shinobi so easily.
That was Minato's confidence in this story—his trump card.
It was also why Renzo was willing to trust him. Otherwise, Renzo might've just wiped Team Minato's memories of the entire event.
"I see…"
"A young Uchiha in his twenties or thirties? There shouldn't be anyone like that in the clan! Could the Uchiha have some secret force they've kept hidden all this time?"
That was the only logical explanation.
Otherwise, how could a random Uchiha nobody surpass Madara?
And there was no way it was Uchiha Obito—that kid had zero redeeming qualities.
As for Uchiha Renzo? Impossible.
For one, Renzo hadn't even left Konoha these past few days. He'd been busy training Kurenai and Asuma.
Not to mention, Renzo didn't have that kind of power.
Hiruzen was willing to acknowledge Renzo's talent. The kid was strong.
But compared to Madara? Not even close.
Even if Renzo had awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan recently, there was no way he could suddenly reach Madara's level and summon a full-body Susanoo of that size.
Hiruzen had read Tobirama's research on the Uchiha.
He had detailed notes on the Mangekyō Sharingan, Madara's unique abilities, and even Susanoo.
Why had Tobirama recorded all that?
Hiruzen wasn't sure.
But he had read it. And so had Danzo.
"Wait… Hold on!"
Hiruzen suddenly froze as a realization struck him.
"Why did my teacher document all of that in such detail?"
"Could it be… he already knew Madara wasn't actually dead?!"
"Izanagi!!"
"That's it! It has to be Izanagi!"
"Madara must've faked his death back then by rewriting reality with Izanagi!"
"And later, Tobirama must've discovered the truth! That's why he recorded all this intel on the Mangekyō Sharingan and Madara—to secretly warn us!"
Hiruzen's brain was on overdrive.
Everything clicked into place.
The truth was right there!
— — —
Minato, meanwhile, just stood there watching the Third Hokage's expressions cycle through panic, disbelief, and sudden enlightenment—like a damn slideshow.
Now, Hiruzen was practically shaking with excitement, like he had just solved the world's greatest mystery.
Minato's face darkened slightly with concern.
"Is he… okay? Did I just break the Third Hokage's brain?"
Sure, Minato had lost a lot of respect for Hiruzen lately, thanks to Renzo.
But he really didn't want the old man to lose it completely.
If Hiruzen had to go insane, Minato would rather he wait until after the Third Shinobi War.
Once he handed over the Hokage position, then he could go crazy all he wanted.
That would be the perfect timing.
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{ +80 advanced chapters are available at: patreon.com/_Coreal }