"Where were we last time?" Nagasawa, having finished their meal, was ready to continue sharing the story of Hashirama and Madara with Naruto.
"Uhh… when Hashirama and Madara's father had investigated their sons' weird behavior and discovered everything. They then ordered their sons, but you left abruptly, Uncle Nagasawa. What is their father's order and what happened to Hashirama and Madara?" Naruto was getting impatient.
"Patience, Naruto. Let me think," Nagasawa paused for a moment, recalling the story, and then continued:
"Because the Senju and Uchiha are lifelong enemies, Both Madara and Hashirama's father order them to kill each other after finding out what Madara and Hashirama have done behind them!"
"Both Hashirama and Madara were didn't want to carry out their fathers' order. During their time by the river, they had bonded, discussing their dreams, and honing their Ninjutsu. They had grown attached to each other and didn't want to kill each other."
"So, on the day they met, neither of them said a word. Instead, they each threw a stone to the river as a warning to run."
"It's like Hashirama and Madara know what each other is thinking." Naruto was amazed and hoped that he could also have a friend that close one day.
"However, what Hashirama and Madara didn't know was that both Clan Leaders were secretly present that day, with the goal of eliminating the other's son..."
Nagasawa then continued the story about Madara and Hashirama.
"Madara and Hashirama eventually became the leaders of their respective Clans, playing pivotal roles in the Shinobi World. Their younger brothers were also outstanding Shinobi. Izuna Uchiha was known as an impeccable Shinobi, while Obitorama Senju earned the title of the fastest Shinobi in the world. However, the war between the two Clans didn't cease because of this. Their hatred ran deep, and they continued to fight year after year. In one particular battle, Senju that was led by Hashirama defeated the Uchiha that was led by Madara, and Madara's younger brother, Izuna, was severely injured in that battle. Hashirama could have defeated Uchiha Clan once and for all at that time, but he chose not to. He still held onto their childhood dream. Hashirama didn't want Senju and Uchiha to keep fighting each other. He hoped to join forces with the Uchiha to suppress the Land of Fire and bring peace to the world. Madara was initially swayed by this proposal because he, too, hadn't forgotten their childhood dream. However, at that moment, Madara's severely injured brother vehemently opposed Hashirama's suggestion. He warned Madara not to forget the enmity between the two Clans, thinking of it as a conspiracy by the Senju."
Nagasawa then paused. Naruto thought that Nagasawa was just taking a break, but he grew anxious when Nagasawa still didn't continue. So, he asked, "Uncle Nagasawa, why did you stop? Did Madara agree to Hashirama's proposal? Did they join forces and create the village?"
Nagasawa smiled as he ruffled Naruto's orange hair and pointed to the window, saying, "Naruto, it's already late. Uncle Nagasawa has been talking for a long time and it's about time I go."
Being a proper storyteller, Nagasawa knew that stopping the story midway would arouse Naruto's curiosity, ensuring that it was etched in his mind. What was the point of storytelling if you forgot it all afterward?
Moreover, he did have other tasks to attend to. He still had to teach Itachi, and being late might tarnish his image in Itachi's eyes.
"Alright then," Despite his eagerness to hear the rest of the story, Naruto knew that he couldn't trouble other people.
After bidding farewell to Naruto, Nagasawa exchanged greetings with Kushina and Minato before leaving.
Using the Flying Thunder God Technique, Nagasawa immediately arrived at his meeting place with Itachi.
Even so, Itachi was already there the moment he appeared.
"Nagasawa-sensei," Itachi greeted Nagasawa politely, showing no signs of being upset for his tardiness.
Nagasawa also forgave his own tardiness and asked, "Do you have any issues with your training lately, or any other questions, Itachi?"
Itachi nodded and proceeded to ask the training-related questions he had noted over the past few days. Their meetings had become less frequent, about twice a week and always in the evening.
Itachi valued these sessions highly and came prepared with questions to ensure they didn't waste any time.
Once he finished asking his training-related questions, Itachi would also ask about other matters. Nagasawa would provide some guidance on building Itachi's character alongside his skills.
Aside from that, Nagasawa would share stories about his Academy days. Even though Itachi was so capable that he wanted Itachi to work for him for the rest of his life, he didn't want Itachi to be stuck in a life with only training and work. He believed in maintaining a balanced life.
"Remember, Itachi, you don't need to push yourself too hard. Sometimes, it's okay to relax and spend time with your peers. While striving towards your goals is admirable, the path to peace is long and challenging. Just because you're Itachi Uchiha doesn't mean you'll achieve it overnight," Nagasawa advised.
Itachi was known for his strong sense of responsibility. He often tried to solve everything on his own.
But achieving peace was evidently not an easy task, even for someone with absolute power like Nagasawa. Of course, this was also due to Nagasawa's reluctance to engage in excessive bloodshed.
If he were willing to pay any price, he could've just waited for Naruto and his peers to mature and launch a full-scale assault on the whole world, enforcing peace with an "obey or die" approach. However, this would devastate this world and lead to repercussions, making it not worthwhile.
Nagasawa believed that not everything could be resolved with extreme measures. The system didn't specify that he would be bound only to Konoha. What if he was bound to this entire world in the future? It would be like throwing stones at his own feet.
Progress was a steady progress, and at the moment, the difference in strength between Konoha and other Hidden Villages had once again grown bigger. Instead of Five Great Shinobi Countries, it would be more appropriate to call it one Superpower Country and Four Great Shinobi Countries.
When the other countries realized that Konoha couldn't be defeated, peace would naturally follow because engaging in war would only bring more loss for them.
This peace might be brief, but it was what Nagasawa needed. During that temporary peace, he would accelerate Konoha's development, engraving Konoha's true strength in everyone's heart, and spread the Will of Fire throughout the Shinobi World.
Finally, when exceptionally powerful enemies emerged, everyone would realize that there was only so much a village could do, and they would need to unite. In this scenario, the strongest village, Konoha, would naturally take the lead in shaping the Shinobi World's order.
By that time, the research on the spaceship should be nearing completion, allowing him to introduce the concept of aliens and shifted the focus away from internal conflicts.
At this point, the Shinobi World would become more united, and the rest would be left to time.
"I'll keep that in mind," Itachi nodded appreciatively for Nagasawa's concern. However, he helplessly added, "But I find it really hard to connect with kids my age. I don't know how to interact with them."
Itachi thought about his peers who played games like kicking cans and jumping rope, and his tone conveyed a touch of frustration.
Sometimes, it wasn't that he wanted to stand out; it was just that their thought processes didn't align due to the age difference. Itachi was too mature for his age.
"You don't have to force yourself to play with kids your age, Itachi. I'm just suggesting that you shouldn't feel the need to solve everything by yourself," Nagasawa understood Itachi's dilemma and patted Itachi's shoulder.
Nagasawa had faced a similar dilemma when he had first arrived in this world. His youthful appearance concealed a mature soul, making it challenging to connect with kids his age. That was why he had become friends with Minato. Although Minato wasn't as mature as Itachi as a kid, he was more mature than his peers. That was why Nagasawa felt comfortable talking about anything with Minato.
Kushina, on the other hand, was an unexpected one. She was designated as the Jinchuriki of the Nine-Tails, and Nagasawa had initially tried to keep his distance from her to avoid attracting unnecessary attention as it would be a hassle if someone like Danzo had his eyes on him. But Minato sure had his own unique way to piss Kushina off when she introduced herself, and that left quite an impression on Kushina.
Kushina was often bullied due to her red hair and the fact that she was from another village, which eventually led to a fight. At that time, Minato was hesitant to help because Kushina was so fierce, so she should be fine on her own. However, Nagasawa convinced him to help Kushina because, well, she was his future wife. Minato was just a six year-old kid at that time, so he didn't know any better. He was easily duped by Nagasawa and helped Kushina. At that time, Kushina was so fierce that he thought Minato was one of the bullies, so she slapped Minato on the face, leaving Minato completely dumbfounded. However, Minato was quite an optimistic guy as despite being slapped, he still helped Kushina drive away the bullies. When things resolved, Minato actually mentioned Nagasawa's name to Kushina, and it led to their friendship.
Back then Kushina said, 'You are a decent person with good eyes. Well, you barely deserve to be my friend."
Sometimes, having a carefree friend could add some joy to life. After all, who could dislike a goofball that brought happiness?
...
"This is the second one," late at night, in a secluded grove, Obito once again met with Hiruko.
Obito threw the captured Kumogakure Shinobi onto the ground and calmly observed Hiruko.
The Second Bloodline Limit Hiruko had requested was, the Storm Release, which was mostly found in Kumogakure. Hence, this time, Obitorama had taken a special trip to the Land of Lightning.
For Obito, who possessed Mangekyo Sharingan, distance made no difference. Other than Konoha, which he couldn't risk visiting, all the other villages were within his reach.
"As expected of Lord Madara, you truly live up to your reputation. You've already captured another Bloodline Limit user in such a short time. Impressive!" Hiruko flattered.
However, Hiruko's flattery was empty. After all, he had never truly regarded the person in front of him as the legendary Madara Uchiha.
"Enough of the farce! It's your turn to keep the end of your bargain," Obito replied calmly.
He didn't care about the flattery at all. His only goal was to replenish his Bloodline Limit and gain the power of the Sage of the Six Paths.
With someone as powerful as Nagasawa in Konoha, collecting the Tailed Beasts was an impossible task. He also needed to ensure that Nagasawa wouldn't assist other villages against Akatsuki.
To address this unexpected obstacle, Obito had to grow stronger quickly.
"Lord Madara, are you sure you don't want my advice about which Bloodline Limit to absorb? There's actually quite a lot of details involved." Hiruko said as if he was really concerned with Obito.
"Don't use your half-assed knowledge to lecture me," Obito's Sharingan widened, and a powerful aura erupted from him as he issued a warning.
It seemed that Hiruko still tried to poke for information, oblivious to the danger he was in. Obito was wondering if he should eliminate Hiruko right then and there. After all, he had already obtained valuable information about Hiruko through White Zetsu.
That man was too ambitious, and someone like him was bound to bite him back later. Trying to gather information before becoming stronger was a risky move, especially if Obito managed to collect all five Bloodline Limits.
"I apologize; I cross the line," Hiruko stiffened momentarily upon sensing the malicious intent from Obito and quickly apologized.
Hiruko had grown a bit carried away. Currently, he had only gotten one Bloodline Limit, which had enhanced his survival abilities but hadn't significantly improved his offensive capabilities. He knew that the Masked Man in front of him was a formidable person who could move freely among all Five Great Shinobi Countries. His strength was clearly inadequate.
Nevertheless, Hiruko couldn't help but silently mock the Masked Man. If he managed to develop a technique like Chimera Technique with his half-assed knowledge, what about the masked man?
"That's more like it. Just stick to our deal," Obito said, putting away his overwhelming aura.
"Oh, by the way, do you have any stronger Summoned Beasts here?" Obito suddenly remembered something.
"We do have some. However, they were all created through Chimera Technique, and their intelligence isn't very high. Do you need them, Lord Madara?" Hiruko inquired.
"I'll take as many as you have," Obito replied. He didn't want to waste the Ultimate Summoned Beasts he had obtained when capturing the Uzumaki Clan member. He wanted to see how much stronger it could get if he fed it with more Summoned Beasts.
"Since you say so, it won't be a problem. Let's go to my base; you'll find the Summoned Beasts I created there."