[Senju Hashirama]: Wait… you died sealing the Nine-Tails?!
One could easily imagine Hashirama's current mood.
In his mind, the image of the Nine-Tails being casually pinned down by his Wood Release kept replaying again and again.
They were all Hokage…
So why was the gap this huge?
Was Madara right after all?
Was each generation really getting worse than the last?
The moment that thought slipped out, the chat suddenly became awkward.
[Senju Tobirama]: Big Brother! Could you not say things like that? It's… pretty hurtful.
[Senju Hashirama]: Tobirama… don't tell me you also died sealing the Nine-Tails…
[Senju Tobirama]: Of course not! Shut up!
Seeing the scene unfold, Ryu decided to throw in a perfectly timed follow-up.
[Furukawa Ryu]: Yeah, the Second Hokage didn't die sealing the Nine-Tails.
[Furukawa Ryu]: He got killed by two "mini Nine-Tails."
[Senju Tobirama]: Ryu brat, shut your mouth!
Ryu could not help laughing when he saw the normally stone-faced Tobirama getting embarrassed.
Meanwhile, Tobirama rubbed his forehead helplessly.
"My reputation… ruined…"
[Senju Hashirama]: Ah! The Hokage of Konoha really are getting worse with every generation. Looks like I'm still the strongest! Hahaha!
Ryu really wanted to tell him something.
Following the normal course of events…
The Third Hokage would later die trying to seal a pair of hands.
And the man who briefly became the "Sixth Hokage for a day"—Danzō—
Had died trying to seal half a bridge.
…
But Ryu decided to keep that information to himself for now.
[Uchiha Madara]: You successors really are disappointing. Back in my day, Hashirama and I could suppress tailed beasts whenever we felt like it.
Madara's comment instantly triggered someone's dissatisfaction.
[Uzumaki Kushina]: Hmph! No matter how strong you were, you're still dead now!
Ryu grinned.
Looks like Kushina's fiery temper had kicked in.
She was defending her husband.
[Uchiha Madara]: Oh? And who exactly are you, brat? How dare you talk to me like that?
Ryu curled his lips.
In truth, Madara had lived secretly underground for many years.
There was no way he did not know who Kushina was.
He just did not want to reveal that fact right now.
[Uzumaki Kushina]: Hmph! I'm not afraid of you! I'm the previous Nine-Tails jinchūriki—and Minato's wife!
[Uchiha Madara]: Heh. Which just proves my point. Compared to Hashirama and Mito, you two are far inferior.
[Furukawa Ryu]: Hahaha! Didn't expect Madara to respect his rival in love this much.
[Uchiha Madara]: What nonsense are you talking about? Rival in love?
Madara froze for a second.
Then he noticed the ridiculous title attached to his name.
"The Ninja World's Dance King Who Loves Hashirama Most."
Only then did he realize what Ryu meant.
The "love rival" was referring to Uzumaki Mito.
[Uchiha Madara]: Ryu brat, shut up!
…
[Namikaze Minato]: Of course we can't compare to the First Hokage. But Madara-sama, pretending not to recognize us feels a bit excessive.
[Uchiha Madara]: What? And why would I recognize two juniors like you?
In the Pure Land, Madara looked puzzled.
Wait… did someone find out I stayed alive underground for years?
[Uzumaki Kushina]: Shameless! Everyone here is already dead. Why keep pretending? Weren't you the one who released the Nine-Tails back then? That's why Minato died!
[Senju Hashirama]: What?! That's impossible! I personally killed Madara!
[Senju Tobirama]: Hmph. Madara has always been full of tricks. It wouldn't surprise me if he survived somehow.
[Uchiha Fugaku]: Great-Grandfather… was the one who released the Nine-Tails in Konoha really you?
[Uchiha Shisui]: It sounds unbelievable… but if someone could easily control the Nine-Tails, it would most likely be our ancestor.
Madara narrowed his eyes slightly.
His thoughts began racing.
When he pieced together the clues, only one conclusion made sense.
The one who released the Nine-Tails was most likely his pawn—
Uchiha Obito.
"That brat got a bit of power and immediately started showing off…"
"If you're collecting tailed beasts, then collect them. Why attack Konoha for no reason?"
Madara was a little annoyed.
"Now the Nine-Tails just got sealed again."
But right now, the most important thing was obvious.
Deny everything.
He absolutely could not let these people believe he was the mastermind.
Madara knew very well how wary these people were of him.
If they believed he was pulling the strings from the shadows…
They might go all out to raise Furukawa Ryu's strength.
And if that happened—
That brat could easily become a variable in the Eye of the Moon Plan.
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