Naruto: Starting with Tsunade-san

"Are you joking with me?!"

Tōshirō's reaction was filled with rage as he tried to defend himself with logic.

His sharp response was expected. Itachi slightly lifted his eyes and calmly said, "Don't be so impulsive. I'm not asking you to complete these two tasks right away. They are long-term missions."

Tōshirō sighed in relief and said, "Oh, that makes sense."

Wait... What makes sense?

What Itachi had done was push him to the brink of despair and then give him a glimmer of hope—a clear psychological trick.

Realizing this, Tōshirō decided not to fall for it, waving his hands firmly, "I'm not going, I won't do it. A single S-class mission is insane enough to ruin my life, let alone two! You're sending me straight to hell."

Itachi paid no attention to Tōshirō's refusal and his tone became slightly more stern: "Listen carefully before making a decision."

"Alright."

Tōshirō sat upright, ready to listen seriously.

Although he sometimes ignored others, he always listened to his mentor, who had taught him all his skills.

Moreover, he owed Itachi a great deal, which was the main reason behind his attention.

Then, Itachi slowly uttered a name: "Uchiha Madara..."

Tōshirō froze as soon as he heard that particular name, a look of shock filling his eyes.

Itachi continued speaking in a measured tone, "Both missions revolve around this person."

Tōshirō frowned deeply.

Missions related to Uchiha Madara? No wonder they were S-class.

But the problem was that everyone knew Madara had died a long time ago.

What could possibly be connected to him now, and at such a high level of difficulty?

Could it be that Itachi knew Madara wasn't dead and wanted Tōshirō to investigate?

If that were true, Tōshirō found it even more confusing. Someone at Madara's level wasn't someone Tōshirō could approach so easily.

Perplexed and unable to figure things out, Tōshirō decided to simply ask: "What exactly are the missions?"

Itachi said, "Before Madara's battle with Senju Hashirama, he left Konoha briefly and took some important information about the Uchiha Clan with him. That information was lost with Madara's death, and no one knows where it is now. I want you to find that information. And if you can, try to uncover what Madara was doing during that time, and what drove him to attack Konoha so suddenly. That's the first mission."

Tōshirō easily agreed, saying, "That sounds reasonable. What's the second mission?"

Itachi paused briefly before speaking in a low voice: "I want you to find Uchiha Madara's body."

"Madara's body?"

Tōshirō asked in confusion, "Wait, isn't Madara's body in Konoha?"

Itachi sighed, "Uchiha Madara's body was stolen."

"Stolen?"

"Yes, after Madara's death, his body was buried somewhere in Konoha. But one day, during a routine inspection, it was discovered that the body had been replaced with a shadow clone. Powerful bodies hold great value for research, let alone a body like Madara's, who possessed immense power. Someone probably stole it for sinister purposes, and I want you to track any information that might lead to its whereabouts."

Tōshirō narrowed his eyes slightly.

It made sense that using a shadow clone to deceive everyone after Madara's death wasn't logical. Shadow clones don't last long, and if they were used in experiments, it would have been discovered quickly.

Hashirama Senju's body had been used in numerous experiments, so it was certain that Madara's body, being of a similar caliber, had been as well, especially since he possessed the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan.

Tōshirō looked at Itachi, who was completely serious. Tōshirō wanted to tell him, "Uchiha Madara isn't dead; he's alive somewhere, preparing to awaken the Rinnegan."

Itachi continued to speak at length about the importance of these two missions for the Uchiha Clan, and it was clear that he would force Tōshirō to carry them out in the end. Finally, he asked symbolically:

"Do you have any other questions?"

Tōshirō cried out in despair, as it was obvious that this question didn't need to be asked, but he tried again: "Can I not go?"

Itachi flatly refused, "No, unless you'd like to repay all your debts immediately."

Tōshirō felt defeated: "I don't understand, why am I being assigned a mission of this importance? Surely there are many strong ninja in the clan."

Itachi smiled and explained, "Don't underestimate yourself. First, your strength isn't weak; you're at least at the level of a Special Jōnin now. In two or three years, becoming a full-fledged Jōnin won't be difficult. So, you're more than capable of conducting these investigations.

"Second, you're a cautious person, which makes you well-suited for investigation missions like this. You don't make mistakes easily. Many in the Uchiha Clan are impulsive and reckless, which could expose things prematurely.

"Third, your current role makes you the perfect candidate for these secret missions."

Tōshirō: "???"

"When ninja undertake a mission, they must report to the mission office and work in teams of four. This isn't just to improve mission efficiency but also to keep an eye on each other and prevent any suspicious activities that might harm the village."

Itachi gave Tōshirō a meaningful look, adding that Tōshirō should seize the opportunity to carry out family missions while handling official tasks.

Since Tōshirō neither leads a team nor has colleagues, this makes him the ideal candidate for these missions.

Feigning confusion, Tōshirō asked: "Does this really require such secrecy?"

Itachi replied seriously, "This is a family matter, and I don't want others knowing about it, especially the higher-ups in Konoha. They've always had a bias against us. If they find out we're searching for Uchiha Madara's body, they'll assume we're planning something sinister."

Itachi added with a deep tone, "Emotionally and logically, there's nothing wrong with searching for the body of a clan member, but Madara is a special case."

"A special case."

"The Mangekyō Sharingan—perhaps you've heard of it before."

Tōshirō nodded in agreement.

Even though Tōshirō wasn't originally from this world, he had now heard some information about this ability.

In this era, the Mangekyō Sharingan wasn't as mysterious as it would be in the future. Some of the clan's Jōnin often talked about it with enthusiasm, so Tōshirō had heard about it several times.

Tōshirō calmly replied: "If I'm not mistaken, Uchiha Madara's eyes are the legendary Mangekyō Sharingan, correct?"

Itachi responded seriously, "As the Sharingan grows stronger, the number of tomoe increases to three. That's the common understanding. But in reality, there's a higher level of the Sharingan called the Mangekyō Sharingan. Those who obtain these eyes gain immense power, which is why the Uchiha Clan has always been one of the great forces in the ninja world. But..."

Itachi paused for a moment, prompting Tōshirō to ask, "But?"

Itachi replied with sadness: "Obtaining such power comes at a great cost. Perhaps because these eyes are so powerful, a curse was placed on them by the gods."

Tōshirō wondered: "A curse?"

"Yes, the more you use the power of the Mangekyō Sharingan, the more you gradually lose your sight."

Tōshirō feigned surprise: "I didn't know the Mangekyō Sharingan had such a secret."

Itachi added: "But what's special about Madara's eyes is that they don't lose their vision."

"They don't?"

"His were the first Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan in Uchiha history."

Tōshirō murmured, "The Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan."

"They say these eyes are extremely rare and may never exist again in the future."

Tōshirō agreed with this statement, knowing how difficult it was to obtain Indra's chakra and the Mangekyō Sharingan eyes.

Itachi added: "For ordinary people, using the Sharingan comes with many side effects, but for us, as members of the clan, the effects are much less."

Itachi gave Tōshirō a look full of hidden meaning: "Do you understand what I mean?"

Tōshirō nodded: "In other words, if we find Madara's body, we could recover his power and lead the Uchiha Clan back to the top, right?"

Itachi slowly replied: "Exactly."

It was clear that Itachi wasn't talking about the Mangekyō Sharingan for no reason; he had a clear purpose.

Surely, sending Tōshirō to search for Madara's body was just a diversion.

Especially since Madara was still alive and well, and very close to Tōshirō...

Madara planned to use Tōshirō as a tool to search for his own body, leaving clues along the way.

At the same time, Madara aimed to take advantage of Tōshirō's departure from Konoha to lead him toward Tsunade's location, eventually bringing them together.

Madara realized that keeping the two in Konoha wouldn't ignite any sparks between them, so he decided to intervene.

Even though he didn't understand love or relationships, having been single his entire life.

But!

Even if he hadn't eaten pork, he had seen pigs run.

(Meaning: Even if he was single, he had seen many people get into relationships.)

(End of Chapter)

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