HSU: Ch. 284

Fugaku didn't follow Hashirama into the prison cell. He waited outside.

Hashirama had once been willing to strike down even Madara for the sake of the village. Precisely because of that, everyone believed that the decisions he made were genuinely fair and just. From a procedural standpoint, having him conduct the interrogation would clear the Uchiha clan of all suspicion.

Fugaku didn't hide his intent and directly told him about this line of thinking.

Hashirama immediately expressed that, as comrades from the same village, he was happy to help, and saw it as his duty.

To be honest, walking alongside Hashirama all this way, Fugaku felt like he was getting brainwashed. No wonder he's called the God of Shinobi, truly terrifying!

Hashirama's eloquence... was actually pretty awful, but his ability to inspire and move people was extraordinary. Even if you didn't agree with his views, you'd still feel he was genuinely sincere, not trying to manipulate you.

Fugaku was starting to understand why, despite there being so many powerful ninjas during that era, it was Hashirama who was credited with bringing peace to a chaotic world. To get the most stubborn and difficult ninja clans to move their families and live together in one village required not just power, but the ability to win over hearts and minds.

Before the Uchiha clan allied with the Senju, they protected their non-combatant clansmen by hiding them in secret strongholds unknown to outsiders.

As long as those civilians survived, even if all elite ninjas were wiped out, the clan could always rise again.

The reason the Uchiha were so agitated and impulsive under the scrutiny of the Hokage Building was that their people now lived in a walled-off section of the village. They lived separately, and if the village ever turned against them, their civilians would have nowhere to run. Even if a few elite Uchiha managed to escape, it wouldn't mean much.

As a ninja clan, they would be wiped out. In response to Fugaku's thoughts, Hashirama simply said, it was his failure as Hokage back then.

Then, to Fugaku's stunned disbelief, he strode right down into the underground prison.

It took him a long moment to snap out of it.

So this is the First Hokage's style?

I love it!

No wonder, when he was younger, he always heard the elders of the clan complain about the Second and Third Hokage, but never about the First.

If he smoked, he probably would've lit one up right then and there and started reminiscing. After this firsthand experience, he now had immense confidence in Hashirama's persuasive ability. He was afraid his presence might interfere with the performance, so despite being the Uchiha clan leader and an important aide to the Hokage with countless duties, he quietly waited at the entrance to the underground prison.

Some time passed, and Hashirama still hadn't come out.

Fugaku sighed at Obito's stubbornness, and at that moment, he noticed someone else approaching from the same direction. This was deep in Uchiha territory, and it was wartime. All the elite Uchiha forces had returned for defense, so no outsider should've been able to get this far. Once the figures came into view, he saw that it was Tobirama and Tsunade, accompanied by Masashi, and surprisingly, Black Zetsu.

So... what was going on here?

He was a bit confused.

Leaving aside Tobirama and Tsunade for the moment, Black Zetsu had already been mentioned by Masashi in his initial reports on Obito, he used to be allied with Obito.

And now... He seemed to be working closely with Masashi. But Fugaku didn't count Black Zetsu as one of their own just because of that. Personal relationships didn't mean anything in political matters. Didn't he have a good relationship with Minato? But when it came to official business, they always followed protocol. It would be the same, in principle, with Black Zetsu and Masashi's relationship.

In this day and age, possessing powerful chakra meant one could easily enjoy a life of luxury. If someone who had such power still chose to live rough, exposed to the elements, then they were either driven by great ideals and lofty goals, or they simply had something seriously wrong with them.

He believed Black Zetsu was the former. He didn't believe the whole "embodiment of Madara's will" story. He thought the being was just a powerful ninja. Moreover, it was clear this individual wasn't someone who placed much value on emotional ties. For example, he seemed to abandon Obito rather easily.

More than ten years had passed, and now Obito had finally returned to the Uchiha clan, though in a different form.

But… it all seemed a bit too smooth. Or perhaps… something bigger was being hidden?

Could this all have been part of a larger plan orchestrated by Madara?

If that were the case, it would actually be a bit more reassuring. After all, even if Madara had a scheme, he wouldn't go so far as to harm the Uchiha clan.

"Muzo-sama, Tsunade." Fugaku stepped forward to greet them.

"Oh, I remember you, Fugaku, right?" Muzo said with a smile. "Who's so important that they've got a clan leader like you standing guard?"

"Fugaku, you're being too modest," Tsunade replied.

In front of Muzo, she was very mindful of her manners. The same went for when she was in front of Hashirama or Tobirama. But with anyone else, she didn't bother putting up a front, she did as she pleased. Even Hiruzen couldn't control her.

"Not at all. Everyone is very happy that you've returned to the village," Fugaku said. "If you and Jiraiya are willing to stay this time, that would be even better."

Right now in the Konoha, those from Hiruzen's era had completely stepped back. Their physical abilities had deteriorated so much that they could no longer fight as they did in their prime. Even Hiruzen himself, unless he resorted to deadly one-for-one forbidden jutsu, no longer had the strength to be considered Kage-level. He was simply too old.

His stamina and reflexes had seriously declined. Even though he had ample combat experience, age was age.

Among the current Kage-level figures in the village, if tailed beasts were excluded, the power was evenly split between the Uchiha and the Hokage factions. If tailed beast powers were considered, Kushina added another advantage to the Hokage side.

On the surface, the Hokage faction still had the upper hand.

But that depended on Tsunade and Jiraiya returning to support them. That was why, just as Fugaku said, many people hoped that the remaining two of the Sannin would take up permanent residence in the village and stop disappearing all the time.

As for he himself, he made no comment on this.

"Fugaku-sama, who went down there just now?" Masashi asked.

Negotiating with himself was truly exhausting. But he had no choice but to keep up the act. After all, the success of his reincarnation was a secret he would never tell anyone. He would never underestimate the human desire for immortality.

If that secret ever got out, it would bring endless trouble. They were all adults here, not everything needed to be settled by someone showing up to start a fight.

"It was the First Hokage," Fugaku replied. "I just happened to run into him and reported the situation to him. After hearing it, he decided to meet Obito in person."

"I see…" Masashi glanced toward the entrance.

He figured… he'd better stay out of it. If something about him was noticed, that would be bad.

Hashirama could be awfully blunt and straightforward sometimes…

"Since he already went down, I guess I'll go take a look too," Muzo said, and then went down inside.

Masashi thought for a moment and ultimately decided to go down as well. After all, this was probably the last chance he had to send Obito off.

As for his neighbor, although he had long noticed that this guy had been stubborn to a fault since childhood, he had indeed tried to pull him back from the edge.

"Fugaku-sama, aren't you going down to take a look?"

"No, you go," Fugaku replied.

If he wanted Hashirama to give Masashi a better impression before leaving, then the more time the two had alone together, the better. Having served as clan leader for many years, he understood very well that someone like Masashi was the only one who might break through the limitations placed on the Uchiha clan within this village.

If even Masashi couldn't do it, then the current state was already the limit for the Uchiha clan.

"Alright," Masashi nodded, then turned to Tsunade. "Would you like to come too?"

"No need, I'm not interested in that sort of thing," Tsunade shook her head. She was now more interested in Fugaku, through him, she wanted to learn more about the family of this so-called "cousin" of hers.

Muzo's child ended up in the Uchiha clan... if Tobirama found out...

Masashi's invitation was really just a formality, deep down, he actually didn't want Tsunade involved in this. Given Obito's style, it wouldn't take more than a few words before Tsunade might throw a punch.

That was the kind of punch that could shatter Susanoo, after all.

So he didn't bother faking politeness and went straight into the underground prison. Though it was called underground, it wasn't dug that deep, and it was only a single level.

Descending the staircase, it didn't take him long to reach the bottom. The corridor was designed like a straight intestine, with cells on either side. So as soon as he stepped onto the floor tiles of the corridor, he could see Hashirama and Muzo in the distance.

And sitting on the ground was a figure in red armor, he was briefly lost in thought at the sight. But he quickly regained composure. After all, he had mentally prepared for this.

He walked down the corridor.

The conversation between Hashirama and Obito was clearly audible. As for the content, he found it rather meaningless.

Hashirama-style communication didn't work on a hardheaded guy like Obito. And Obito was even more stubborn than Madara. If you hit the right nerve, he'd flip like a switch; if you didn't, then communication was utterly impossible.

On that note, Masashi was sure that when Madara first met Obito, he must've been itching to smack him. Still, props to Fugaku for even thinking of asking Hashirama for help. He really was the only one suitable.

As Masashi approached, Hashirama, who had been talking to Obito, turned around.

"And you are?" he looked at the approaching young Uchiha. He felt a strong sense of familiarity from him. A kind of closeness that comes from spending time together over long periods.

He trusted his instincts, they had served him well in battle.

Inside the cell, Obito also turned. When he saw Masashi, he was briefly stunned, and then a trace of awkwardness surfaced in his heart. After all, he had even changed his appearance. Now showing up like this in front of Masashi made him quite uncomfortable.

"Shodaime-sama," Masashi concealed his real emotions well. "I'm Masashi. It's an honor to meet you."

"Ohhh!" Hashirama exclaimed with curiosity. "So you're the Masashi everyone's been talking about! Come, come, let me have a good look at you."

He stood up, giving Masashi a thorough once-over.

"The moment I saw you, I felt this deep sense of familiarity," Hashirama praised. "Muzo, do you feel the same?"

"Of course. We came here together, we hit it off instantly," Muzo said with a grin.

Meeting your reincarnation, how could it not feel like hitting it off?

Masashi glanced at Muzo. It had been a while since he'd played this "duet routine." Especially since in his current life, he'd only used Edo Tensei once. As for reanimating someone he just killed to trick the enemy, he hadn't done that even once this time around.

Picking it up again now, he wasn't too rusty.

The performance he put on in front of Tsunade was already finished. Though it had been a bit awkward, it provided a reasonable excuse to eventually reclaim the chakra from his first-life self. Barring any surprises, his first-life self would probably also use that jutsu during the chakra retrieval, just to confirm his suspicions and guard against contingencies, but that wasn't a big deal.

The real issue was that, since Edo Tensei was an extension of the Pure Land's power, and Muzo had already been "registered" in the Pure Land, as long as there was material, others could still summon him via Edo Tensei in the future. But oh well, from now on, he could just treat it as exploiting a bug in the Pure Land, repeatedly retrieving the chakra from his round-one self.

"You really need to talk some sense into your clansman," Hashirama said, looking into the cell at Obito with some distress. "Young people these days are way too pessimistic, that's no good."

This child had such a huge misunderstanding of the village, it truly pained him.

"We've known each other for a long time now. If it were possible, I would've brought him back to the clan a long time ago," Masashi replied.

"You really do know me well," Obito looked at him. "But don't get too happy, I haven't lost yet."

"Which eye of yours sees me happy?" Masashi retorted. "And what's with this weird competitive attitude of yours? You've always been obsessed with outcomes since you were a kid. Why are you always trying to compete with others?"

"..." Obito fell silent for a moment. "Either way, this time I'll definitely win. At the very least, Konoha will be weakened."

"You really never change…" Masashi shook his head. "You're definitely going to die this time. If you have any last requests, now's the time to say them."

A war across the shinobi world had already started, there were bound to be deaths. But whether or not Konoha would be weakened… that was hard to say. Hashirama and Tobirama definitely wouldn't stand idly by, and Konoha still had plenty of manpower to allocate across various fronts.

The current situation was very similar to the First Great Ninja War. The difference was, at the level of the Five Kage, the other villages no longer had such overwhelmingly strong upper-tier powerhouses, while Konoha's top-tier combat strength was now even stronger than it had been back then.

It wouldn't be like back in the day, when Tobirama had to bear the burden alone.

"Wait a minute," Hashirama suddenly spoke. "You said Konoha will at least be weakened, does that mean everything you've planned still isn't over?"

Now, he looked very serious.

"So this is your true face, huh," Obito responded, unshaken by the sudden pressure. "But I won't say any more."

Hashirama looked at Obito and felt the firm resolve within him. His sense of regret only deepened. 

"I see. In that case, I won't ask you again," he nodded. He respected everyone's dedication to their goals. Though full of regret, he would still fight with all his strength against anything that threatened to destroy this village, just as he had in life.

"Let's just kill him," Muzo suddenly said.

Hashirama turned to look at Muzo. Deep down, he truly hated killing. He had built this village to protect children. But now there was a child who stood against the village. It made him feel like he had failed.

"Alright. I'll speak with Tobirama about it," he said, placing a hand on Masashi's shoulder. "This isn't your fault. The village didn't do well enough. I hope the Uchiha clan won't take it to heart."

"Don't worry. Everyone here shares the same feelings toward the village."

"Well said," Hashirama smiled warmly. "Then I'll be off. I need to get back to Tobirama and the others to discuss our next steps."

"Alright. I won't see you out."

"Haha! No need, no need! Don't be fooled by how I look, I can still run really fast!"

Hashirama's voice returned to its usual bright tone. He quickly left in his usual boisterous fashion. To him, that departure signified that he had realized his words could no longer reach the heart of Obito. As a man of action, he would now rely on concrete deeds to protect the village he cherished.

He was indeed a warm-hearted person, but he was also capable of swift and ruthless decisions. Among the Edo Tensei ninjas, he was definitely the most sentimental. But once he made up his mind, his actions came fast and without hesitation.

After Hashirama's figure vanished, only Masashi and Muzo remained at the prison door. Masashi looked into the cell at Obito and suddenly formed a hand seal.

The curse mark on Obito's body flared up dramatically. Having fought the Uchiha clan for most of his life, just like Tobirama, Muzo had been researching ways to counter the Uchiha right up until their eventual reconciliation.

That included methods for capturing an Uchiha alive.

The Sharingan was the pinnacle of Yin Release; defeating an Uchiha mentally was nearly impossible for someone outside the clan. But there were still ways.

If you couldn't defeat them, then disrupt them.

The Bringer-of-Darkness Technique was a genjutsu created specifically to counter the Sharingan's insight, and it had been invented by Hashirama himself. With his power, the jutsu could render 99% of Uchiha practically blind despite their open eyes. Building on that idea, Muzo used the vast knowledge of secret techniques he had gathered, along with Uzumaki clan fuinjutsu tecchniques he had learned, to create a similar jutsu that disrupted the five senses.

It not only bound and sealed the enemy, but distorted everything they saw and heard into illusion.

Like the Bringer-of-Darkness Technique, it didn't work on Madara. But it still worked on Obito, after all, he could be restrained and his chakra sealed by it.

"So, we're showing our hand now?" Muzo asked.

The fact that someone could activate a technique he had left behind said it all.

"You're just an Edo Tensei body now," Masashi said grumpily. "What were you thinking? Pulling this stunt. You don't have to deal with the awkwardness after, but I will."

"You really don't know what I was thinking?" Muzo replied. "Has life been too cozy for you? You're still worrying about things like that?"

"It's not the Warring States period anymore," Masashi shook his head. "A substitute is still a substitute. You know nothing about the current Tsunade, she's a grown woman now, not the child from your memories."

"She wiped her snot all over me before, how is that not a little girl?" Muzo replied dismissively. "Anyway, you seem pretty close with this Obito?"

"He was my neighbor for over ten years."

"Oh? Then how did he end up like this? Did he steal your girl or something?"

"You think I didn't try to stop him? The Uchiha clan didn't allow it back then."

"Ah, I see." Muzo nodded. "Once he fell into Madara's hands, it was over. We both know how Madara thinks. Best to cut him down early, he's definitely got more tricks up his sleeve. Just look at that smug face."

"Yeah…" Masashi glanced at Obito, who was staring at the wall on the other side of the cell, sneering and muttering to himself.

"He'll definitely be executed, but not now. No one has time. We'll wait until the war is over."

"Alright, then I'll be off too. After the war, I'll arrange a scenario so you can retrieve your chakra, more is always better. The Uchiha really are lacking in that department. Oh, right…"

Muzo suddenly remembered something and added, "If Tsunade ends up misunderstanding something, make sure you steer her right. Wait… you're not gonna misunderstand yourself, are you? That's your niece!"

"I've got a kid now, dammit! What kind of pervert do you think I am?"

"A kid, huh…" Muzo paused, memories surfacing in his mind with a tinge of sadness. "Looking at the village now, it's actually doing pretty well. I hope it stays that way."

"It will." Masashi looked at Muzo and couldn't help asking, "Seeing you like this, sometimes I really doubt whether I was actually reincarnated successfully."

"Who knows? Whether or not souls exist is still an open question. But my chakra was definitely captured by the Pure Land, otherwise, I wouldn't be here now. Be confident. Back then, we didn't even have chakra," Muzo said. "Still, it is weird having conversations with you like this. Once the war is over, let's wrap this up quickly. It's way too awkward."

With that, Muzo felt increasingly uneasy, waved goodbye, and vanished with a Body Flicker Technique.

Masashi turned back and took one last look at Obito. Unable to mold or gather chakra, Obito had completely succumbed to the illusion, trapped within it.

"Farewell, Obito," he said softly, turning to leave.

It was time to go to war. He just didn't know yet which battlefront he'd be assigned to. He hoped it would be Kiri, because there was a ready-made jinchūriki over there.