"Oh right—there was also a masked guy that night helping Uchiha Itachi slaughter the other Uchiha!"
Seeing that Tsunade had already begun to believe his words,
Ren suddenly remembered something and added,
"My wood clone overheard part of their conversation. Uchiha Itachi addressed him as 'Madara.'"
"What?!"
Shizune was completely stunned.
The man once infamous across the ninja world, known as "Asura"—
Uchiha Madara.
Could he really still be alive?
"You really saw a masked man claiming to be Uchiha Madara that night?"
Tsunade stared at Ren in shock.
Then she snapped irritably,
"Why didn't you say something so important earlier?"
"His chakra wasn't weak," Ren shrugged, "but I don't think he's the real Madara. Most likely just someone pretending to be him."
"No… not necessarily."
Tsunade's expression changed.
Combining Ren's earlier analysis with something else—
Her suspicion deepened.
Eight years ago, the Nine-Tails attack had forced the Fourth Hokage to sacrifice his life to stop it.
The Third Hokage had once told her that someone had attacked the Fourth Hokage's wife, Uzumaki Kushina, during childbirth.
At that moment, the seal on the Nine-Tails was weakened.
The attacker released the beast—
And even controlled it with the Sharingan.
Because of that, the Uchiha clan had long been suspected.
Yet even after the Uchiha massacre, no definitive proof had ever surfaced.
Among those who possessed the Mangekyō Sharingan—
Uchiha Shisui and Uchiha Itachi had both been far too young at the time.
Which meant the real mastermind might indeed have been…
Madara.
Given his hatred toward the First Hokage,
He certainly had a motive.
"I once heard that before Madara left Konoha, he tried to convince the Uchiha clan to abandon the village with him," Tsunade said thoughtfully.
"But after finally achieving peace, none of the clan wanted to follow him."
"For someone as proud and arrogant as Madara, that must have felt like betrayal."
She frowned.
"It wouldn't be strange if he still held a grudge and wanted to destroy the Uchiha clan."
Besides—
There were countless strange and powerful ninjutsu in the world.
With Madara's abilities,
it wasn't impossible that he had found a way to survive until now.
Of course, if Madara truly had lived this long, his age would be terrifying.
Perhaps after fighting the First Hokage he survived with heavy injuries—
Or perhaps he had lost his peak strength.
Otherwise, someone with Madara's overwhelming power wouldn't need to rely on schemes.
The current Konoha would have no one capable of stopping him.
"…Forget it."
Tsunade shook her head.
Her mind was in chaos.
"Whether Madara is alive or not…"
"It's not something we can deal with right now."
Those problems could be left for the Third Hokage and the others to worry about.
Even if she warned them,
those stubborn old men obsessed with power would likely dismiss her as exaggerating.
And if Ren's abilities were exposed—
They would definitely target him.
Especially Shimura Danzō.
That man would absolutely move against Ren.
"But putting that aside—"
Tsunade glared at him.
"You don't need to risk your life like that just to train!"
The possibility that Madara was alive made her uneasy.
A dangerous man like that—
No one knew what he might be planning.
And Ren had just mentioned the stone tablet at the Uchiha shrine, supposedly left by the Sage of Six Paths.
If the legend was true,
Madara might one day regain his full power.
The one who could stop him…
might only be Ren.
A person possessing both the powers of Senju and Uchiha.
His potential was unimaginable.
Perhaps he might even obtain the divine power mentioned on the stone tablet.
"Honestly, Tsunade-nee… I don't have a choice."
Ren said seriously.
"There's even more shocking information on that stone tablet."
"Even more?"
Tsunade and Shizune were stunned.
"According to the tablet," Ren continued,
"If someone combines the power of Senju and Uchiha and obtains divine power…"
"They can summon the Gedo Statue, gather all the Tailed Beasts, revive the Ten-Tails, and become its jinchūriki."
He spoke calmly.
"Then they can cast the Infinite Tsukuyomi."
"And trap the entire ninja world inside a dream."
"In that way, the world will finally achieve eternal peace."
"What?!"
"The Gedo Statue? The Ten-Tails?"
"Infinite Tsukuyomi?!"
Both Tsunade and Shizune were shocked beyond words.
"In the dream world, people can obtain whatever they desire," Ren continued with a shrug.
"If everyone gets everything they want in a dream, then in a sense… it's a form of peace."
He paused.
Actually—
For some people, that dream might even be appealing.
If given the choice,
some might willingly accept Infinite Tsukuyomi.
After all, the dream would feel completely real.
Every dream could come true.
Power.
Glory.
Becoming the strongest person in the world.
Becoming a savior.
Living in wealth with countless lovers.
Anything would be possible.
"Using a genjutsu to trap the whole world in a dream… what kind of peace is that?!"
Tsunade said angrily.
Then she stared at Ren seriously.
"Don't tell me you've been influenced by that tablet and think it's right."
If Ren had been deceived by those ideas,
that would be extremely dangerous.
Children his age were easily influenced.
"Of course not."
Ren met her gaze calmly.
"I'm not some savior. All I want is for the people who care about me—like you—to live safely."
He paused meaningfully.
"But someone else might think differently."
"You mean… Madara?"
Tsunade and Shizune's faces turned pale.
Cold chills ran down their spines.
If Ren could read the tablet—
Madara certainly could too.
And Madara had lived through the brutal Warring States era.
Even after founding Konoha with the First Hokage,
he had left the village because of ideological conflict.
If he had truly survived until now—
And witnessed endless wars and suffering—
It might only deepen his despair toward the world.
Perhaps he truly believed
that Infinite Tsukuyomi was the only path to peace.
"…Is that why you're training so desperately?"
After a long silence,
Tsunade finally asked quietly.
She looked at Ren with complicated emotions.
This child—
Was he really trying to shoulder everything at such a young age?
"Yes… and no."
Ren smiled calmly.
"Tsunade-nee, forgive me for being selfish."
"I've never wanted to save the world."
"I just want to protect the people around me."
"You little brat… talking like that at your age."
Tsunade was silent for a moment.
Then she flicked his forehead.
But the next moment—
She suddenly pulled him into a tight embrace.
Pressing his face into her chest.
Her eyes grew slightly moist.
She felt deeply moved.
Because she knew—
Among the people Ren wanted to protect,
she was certainly one of them.
Beside them,
Shizune smiled gently.
She wondered…
whether she was included too.
"I understand now."
Tsunade looked down at him lovingly.
"Next time you plan to train like that, tell me first."
"If you keep doing reckless things alone, it's too dangerous."
"Mm… got it, Tsunade-nee…"
Ren's
voice sounded muffled.
"B-but please let go… I'm suffocating!"
Painful—
yet strangely happy.
Those pendants really were high quality.
Just a little too big.
…
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