After carefully examining the wound and confirming that the bleeding had stopped, he finally let out a sigh of relief and turned his attention to the remaining system notifications.
[Basic Function 2 — Random Draw Available Once Every Two Months]
[Warning: Senju Hashirama will die under mysterious circumstances in two years!
Please prepare accordingly.]
[Hint: Advanced functions will unlock after the shinobi world is unified.
Keep up the good work, Host!]
“What?
Only two years left to live?
And I don’t even know how I’ll die?
How am I supposed to deal with that?”
After some thought, he made up his mind.
“I need to find that person first.
If I’m too late, he might already have left the village.”
Kaito immediately activated the Kagura Mind’s Eye.
The moment he closed his eyes, countless blue and gold points of light appeared across his vision, like stars suspended in a flowing galaxy.
One cluster of crimson chakra stood out above all others.
That had to be Uchiha Madara.
Kaito could feel the unique aura emanating from it—violent, yet profoundly lonely.
After confirming the location, he flickered away in a blur of movement.
The wind roared along the cliffside, whipping Madara’s long hair and black robes wildly around him.
He stood there alone, radiating an icy aloofness that kept others at a distance.
His dark eyes reflected the peaceful village below, occasionally revealing traces of complicated emotions.
“Madara, I knew I’d find you here!”
A voice shattered the silence as Kaito strode over casually.
“…”
Madara didn’t respond.
The only sound was Kaito ‘s footsteps.
Scratching his head awkwardly, he looked toward the horizon.
“Our dream has finally come true.
Thank you.”
“Are you mocking me?”
Without changing expression, Madara glanced at him coldly.
Kaito hurriedly waved his hands.
“You know that’s not what I mean.
I understand how you feel about losing to me, and about Izuna’s death…”
“Enough!”
Madara interrupted sharply.
“I understand the logic of it all.
Wherever people exist, conflict and hatred will always follow.
But Izuna’s death…
I’ll never forget it.”
Kaito cautiously probed.
“So…
are you still upset about losing to me?”
Madara spun around, fury flashing in his eyes.
“Hashirama, you bastard!
Defeat itself isn’t shameful.
What’s shameful is being spared by your enemy and continuing to live in disgrace!”
Kaito stepped forward and tried to pat him on the shoulder, only to be shoved aside.
He awkwardly lowered his hand.
“When someone dies, that’s the end of it.
The Senju also lost many people.
My brothers, Itama and Kawarama, were brutally killed before they even turned ten.
Did they deserve to die?”
He took a deep breath and smiled with apparent acceptance.
“People have to keep moving forward.
Our childhood dream has finally been realized.
Children no longer have to die on battlefields.”
“Don’t you want to witness this dream grow with your own eyes?”
“Are you really willing to spend the rest of your life carrying the title of a loser?”
“Of course not!”
“If you die, I’ll be lonely.”
A trace of sadness appeared in Kaito ‘s eyes.
“Tch.”
From an angle Kaito couldn’t see, the look in Madara’s eyes grew complicated once more.
Then Kaito ‘s next sentence nearly shattered his composure.
“Madara…
you should become the Hokage.”
His voice was completely sincere.
Madara’s eyes sharpened instantly as he stared directly at him.
Bracing himself under that terrifying pressure, Kaito pointed toward the village and smiled.
“You don’t want to?
The village needs someone with your ambition and determination to lead it.”
“Hashirama…
is this really what you think?
Tobirama and those old fools would never agree.”
Watching Madara lose his usual cold composure, Kaito secretly rejoiced.
At this point in time, Madara still retained his emotional side.
He hadn’t yet become the ruthless man of the future.
Maintaining his bright smile, Kaito said,
“If I entrust my dream to you, I’ll have no worries.
As for Tobirama and the elders…”
His gaze suddenly turned sharp.
“They’ll agree.”
“Stop pretending!”
Madara’s black eyes instantly transformed into crimson three-tomoe Sharingan.
“Don’t stand there acting like the victor.
I don’t need your pity!”
His chakra surged violently, shattering the rock beneath his feet.
Kaito inwardly cursed.
Why was this guy like a lunatic who exploded at the slightest provocation?
Spreading his hands in surrender, Kaito forced himself to remain calm.
“This isn’t pity.
It’s trust!
I want to change this world.
I want to abolish the daimyo system!”
Madara’s eyes lit up.
He studied the man before him carefully before saying something that made Kaito ‘s hair stand on end.
“Hashirama…
you feel different somehow.
If my Sharingan hadn’t confirmed your identity, I would have attacked already.”
Cold sweat instantly formed on Kaito ‘s temples.
He forced out an awkward laugh.
“H-Haha…
impossible.
Who could ever fool your eyes?”
Madara seemed somewhat satisfied by that answer.
“Good.
Your words today have given me a new impression of you.”
In truth, he had always entertained the same thought.
How could ants ever command lions?
“So tell me.
What exactly do you intend to do?”
Kaito answered firmly.
“First, you become Hokage.
Then we’ll personally lead a strike force to attack the daimyo’s palace.
I’ve already arranged matters with Tobirama and the Senju elders.
Once my Wood Clone sends back good news…”
Wood Release: Wood Clone Technique!
A branch burst out from behind him, rapidly taking the shape of Hashirama before landing smoothly on the ground.
The clone nodded.
There were things he urgently needed to investigate.
Then, using the Body Flicker Technique, he departed at high speed.
Madara remained silent, lost in thought.
Only the slight upward curve of his lips betrayed his mood.
Seizing the opportunity, Kaito activated his inspection ability.
[Uchiha Madara’s Bond Value with Host: 89%]
Then he suddenly remembered something.
“Right!
System, start the draw!”
Ding!
A massive roulette wheel with a red backdrop and golden trim appeared before him.
Every slot was marked with a question mark.
The pointer began spinning slowly.
For a moment, a flash of golden light appeared—
—but in the end, it stopped at the six o’clock position.
“Damn it!
That was definitely a legendary golden reward!
Why did you let me see the gold flash?
It feels like I just lost a hundred million!”
[Congratulations!
You have obtained: White Underwear — can rapidly establish bonds with specific characters.]
A pair of off-white boxer shorts suddenly appeared in his hand.
They even looked used.
And they carried a distinctly masculine scent.
“What the hell is this?
You’re giving me this?
I wanted a Zanpakutō!
A Devil Fruit!”
As he held the underwear by the corner with visible disgust, he suddenly heard Madara’s icy voice behind him.
“Hashirama.
What are you holding?”
“Underwear.
No idea whose.
Smells pretty strong too.”
Madara’s temple veins visibly bulged.
His improved mood was shattered instantly.
“You don’t know whose?
Then why is it in your hand?!
Die!”
“Nani?!”
An overwhelming killing intent exploded toward Kaito .
Danger alarms blared in his mind.
It felt as though death itself had descended.
Faced with Madara’s relentless assault, he could only flee in utter panic.
“Have you gone insane?!
Stop!”
The murderous intent behind him only intensified.
“I’m insane?
Hashirama, are you really going to deny it after doing something like this?”
“You used the position of Hokage to distract me so you could pull this stunt?
I never imagined you were this kind of person!”
“What are you talking about?!”
“The evidence is in your hand, and you’re still denying it?
Die!”
“Holy shit!”
Only then did he realize the truth.
“Dammit, System!
What the hell are you doing?!
I told you to do a lottery draw, and you pulled out Madara’s underwear?!
What kind of karmic punishment is this?!”
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
The sound of projectiles cutting through the air came from behind.
He barely dodged as kunai grazed his hair and embedded themselves into tree trunks.
There was no time to be afraid.
He only wanted to survive.
At that moment, he wished he had grown several extra legs.
Soon, he reached the gates of Konoha.
“Madara, calm down!
This is all a misunderstanding!
I’ll give it back!”
He immediately threw the underwear back to Madara and sprinted even farther away.
“Madara, listen to my explan—no, I mean my defense—no, my explanation!”
“We’re finally outside Konoha.”
Madara smiled darkly.
Gently tracing the stitches sewn into the fabric, he let out a cold laugh.
“Today, either you die…
or you die.
Prepare yourself!”
[Congratulations!
Collection Encyclopedia unlocked.
White Underwear has been added to the system database.]
[Uchiha Madara’s White Underwear]
[Description: An ordinary pair of underwear.
However, the visible stitches carry the deep affection that his younger brother, Uchiha Izuna, held for his elder brother.]
[If Madara softens toward the person who obtained this underwear, Bond Value will immediately increase by 6%.]
Ding!
[Congratulations!
Your bond value with Uchiha Madara has exceeded 90%!
Keep up the good work!]
[Friendly Reminder: Bond values above 90% allow the target to unconditionally trust you twice, and may also trigger special behaviors.]
The system notification suddenly appeared.
Kaito was overjoyed.
Meanwhile, on the side of the Wood Clone…