Naruto: Wooing Tsunade from Day One!
Chapter 565: Izuna Uchiha

Chapter 565 - 565: Izuna Uchiha

In the vast, endless desert, time seemed to crawl at an agonizingly slow pace.

It had only rained once, and since then, the sky had remained clear, the sun beating down relentlessly.

Before they knew it, Kawakaze and the others had spent two monotonous months waiting.

During this time, it was as if Madara had completely vanished from the ninja world. No one had managed to find a single trace of him.

As the days dragged on, frustration began to build. No one knew how much longer they would have to wait.

"Sensei, do you think Madara might be hesitating? Maybe that's why he hasn't shown up yet?"

Inside a small hut in the desert, Minato sat across from Kawakaze, his question laced with naive optimism.

"No."

"You don't understand Madara."

Kawakaze shook his head with a smile. Madara was not the type to waver.

"If I know Madara,"

"he's making preparations elsewhere."

"Once he sets his mind on something, nothing can change it."

Hashirama's voice carried absolute certainty. He didn't believe for a second that Madara was simply lying low.

"Then where the hell did he go?"

"We've turned the entire ninja world upside down, and there's still no sign of him."

"If he keeps hiding, we can't just sit around here forever, can we?"

Minato had dispatched search teams over and over again, yet they had come back empty-handed each time. It was no surprise he was starting to doubt.

"He'll show up."

Tobirama's confidence was unshaken, though even he couldn't say exactly why. His gaze remained sharp and unwavering.

"We can't let our guard down."

"I'll go check in with Hayato and the others."

If even they were starting to feel restless, the regular shinobi were bound to be even more on edge.

Led by Hayato, the Jōnin had been stationed in the nearest town, ready to provide backup the moment anything happened.

"Go ahead."

Kawakaze nodded, watching as Tsunade stepped out of the room.

...

"Brother-in-law, have you ever considered this?"

"Spit it out."

Kawakaze glanced at Nawaki, who was grinning like he had just come up with the most brilliant idea. That alone told him it was anything but.

"What if Madara is just waiting for you to die of old age?"

Kawakaze blinked. Then he burst out laughing.

This kid was ridiculous!

Did he think Madara was Sima Yi, trying to outlast him in some drawn-out war of attrition?

"I think I can outlive him."

Kawakaze shot Nawaki an exasperated glare. He wasn't just boasting—given his current body, there was no way he'd die before Madara.

"If you have nothing smart to say, just shut up. No one's stopping you from being quiet."

Mito sighed, rubbing her forehead. This grandson of hers truly had a hopeless way of thinking.

"At least he's not completely stupid," Kushina teased. "He knew to wait until Tsunade left before saying that."

If Tsunade had still been in the room, Nawaki would've been in for a beating.

"Of course! I'm a genius."

Far from feeling embarrassed, Nawaki looked smug.

His antics lightened the mood, breaking the tension that had been building over the past few days.

By the time Tsunade returned, the conversation had already drifted all over the place.

Hashirama, prodded by Kawakaze, ended up recounting his experiences from the Warring States Period, thoroughly satisfying Kawakaze's curiosity.

Mito took a moment to reminisce about her days in the Land of Whirlpools, giving everyone a deeper understanding of the Uzumaki Clan's sealing techniques.

As for Tobirama, when Kawakaze asked why he had never married, he turned red and struggled to come up with an answer.

"Him? Let me tell you—"

"Haha~"

Hashirama laughed, and everyone leaned in, eager for some gossip on Tobirama.

"Big brother—"

Tobirama shot Hashirama a pleading look, silently begging him to stop.

"It's just us here, what's the big deal?"

"When he was younger—"

Before Hashirama could finish, his expression suddenly changed.

In the blink of an eye, he vanished from the room.

But he was fast—Kawakaze was even faster.

As the two of them disappeared, the rest of the group finally realized something was wrong and rushed outside.

...

Following a chakra trail, Kawakaze reached the southernmost part of the Land of Wind.

His gaze locked onto a raised sand dune.

He couldn't see anyone, but he was certain—someone was there.

"Do I have to drag you out myself?"

Kawakaze stepped forward, already having a good guess who it was.

"...As expected, I can't hide from you."

A bandage-covered figure emerged from the sand dune—Mu, the Second Tsuchikage.

"Gathering intel?"

Kawakaze didn't rush to attack. Mu posed no real threat to him.

Even Dust Release wasn't something he considered dangerous anymore—his Truth-Seeking Balls could block it effortlessly.

"Do I even need to?"

The moment those words left Mu's mouth, Kawakaze knew—Madara was controlling his body.

"You finally decided to show up."

"The Tailed Beasts are right here. If you want them, come and get them."

If Kawakaze could tell, then Hashirama certainly could as well.

Arriving just a moment later, Hashirama caught sight of Mu's revealed form.

"I'm here, aren't I?"

"Summoning Jutsu."

Mu pressed one hand to the ground, and in an instant, dozens of coffins erupted from the sand.

At that moment, Tsunade and the others arrived, standing face-to-face with Madara's reanimated forces.

Boom!

A figure crashed heavily into the ground, sending dust flying into the air.

Who else could it be but Madara?

The lids of the coffins fell forward, revealing an army of reanimated shinobi stepping out one by one.

"Long time no see, Tobirama Senju."

As the dust settled, a figure stepped forward, standing shoulder to shoulder with Madara.

"...What the hell—Sasuke?!"

Kawakaze's eyes widened in shock.

The man looked far too much like a certain second-born Uchiha from the future.

"Izuna Uchiha?"

Tobirama instantly recognized his old rival.

A thought flashed through his mind, and his gaze quickly shifted behind the Uchiha brothers.

Among the revived shinobi, aside from several Second and Third Hokage-era Kage, dozens of them wore the Uchiha clan crest on their backs.

All familiar faces.

Tobirama could name most of them without hesitation.

There was no doubt about it—Madara had revived nearly all of his fallen Uchiha kin from their era.

These were the warriors who had clashed with the Senju during the Warring States Period, the strongest of their time.

"This time, I won't fall for your tricks," Izuna said coldly.

His three-tomoe Sharingan spun wildly, morphing into a Mangekyō Sharingan in an instant.

"Even if we fight a hundred times, the outcome will be the same."

Tobirama met his gaze with steely determination, though he made sure not to look directly into Izuna's eyes.

"I thought you had crawled into a hole somewhere."

"Took you two months just to dig up your own clan's graves?"

Kawakaze smirked, stepping forward to taunt Madara.

"Don't think I don't know what you're planning."

"The Samsara of Heavenly Life Technique isn't something you can use whenever you want."

"The people behind you—they'll never truly come back."

Madara took a step forward, expression unreadable.

He gestured at the reanimated shinobi standing behind Kawakaze, then continued before Kawakaze could respond.

"You're right about one thing—the Eye of the Moon Plan isn't true peace."

"Kaguya Ōtsutsuki... what right does her will have to dictate mine?"

"I've made my decision."

"The Uchiha will rule the ninja world."

Madara's crimson Sharingan burned with conviction.

"And I have you to thank for this."

"The current ninja world... isn't as weak as I once thought."

"The Uchiha will ensure its peace, generation after generation."

"When you're all gone, I won't forget you."

Since sealing away Black Zetsu, Madara's ideals had shifted.