Naruto: Wooing Tsunade from Day One!-Chapter 454: Lies

"Is it really Madara Uchiha?"

Tsunade took a few steps forward, staring at the scroll in Orochimaru's hands, her voice filled with disbelief.

"If my deductions are correct," Kawakaze began, speaking slowly, "then we can piece together what really happened back then."

All three pairs of eyes locked onto him.

"The battle at the Valley of the End ended with your grandfather's victory."

"But that wasn't the true conclusion."

"Madara Uchiha used a secret technique to escape detection and faked his own death."

At this, Orochimaru couldn't help but question it.

"Feigning death under Hashirama Senju's watch? That seems a bit unrealistic, doesn't it?"

"Grandpa knew him so well—how could he not notice?"

Tsunade also looked doubtful.

Madara may have been Hashirama's rival, but that didn't change the fact that they had once been the closest of friends.

"It's hard to say. We still don't fully understand the extent of the Sharingan's abilities."

"Maybe Fugaku can give us a reasonable explanation."

Kawakaze deliberately withheld certain details. After all, it would be suspicious if an outsider like him knew everything.

"That's true."

Orochimaru frowned, but for now, he accepted Kawakaze's reasoning.

"Even if Madara managed to escape that battle, he must have been gravely injured."

"So, how do you think he survived?"

Kawakaze posed the question, and in an instant, Orochimaru's eyes lit up with realization.

Tsunade, though a beat slower, was equally shocked.

"That's right—Hashirama's cells."

"When I encountered Madara, I was surprised to find that he could use Wood Release."

Kawakaze made it sound like their meeting was a coincidence, ensuring that no one would be suspicious.

With Obito as a witness, he could easily spin a convincing story.

"He planned this all along," Orochimaru concluded, connecting the dots.

Madara's departure from Konoha, his supposed death at the hands of Hashirama—everything had gone far too smoothly.

"He was critically wounded. There's no way he had the time to conduct research."

"Could his body really be that compatible with Grandpa's cells?"

Tsunade knew firsthand how difficult it was to integrate Hashirama's cells. Kawakaze's explanation was hard for her to believe.

"There's no other explanation."

"And yet, he succeeded."

Kawakaze had no way of explaining the deeper truths behind Ashura and Indra's reincarnations, so he simply avoided the topic.

"He faked his death and disappeared for decades."

"But why? What's his endgame?"

Orochimaru wasn't convinced that a man like Madara would go through all this trouble just to escape.

"I don't know the full picture."

"But he did say that he would bring peace to the ninja world—his way."

"His ideology clashed with your grandfather's, and that's what ultimately drove him to leave Konoha."

"After staying in the shadows for so many years, he must be setting the stage for something massive."

"If he succeeds, the entire ninja world could face catastrophic consequences."

Kawakaze only revealed what he could, and everything he said was enough to be convincing.

"Good thing you found him first."

"Someone like him... he's far too dangerous to the world."

Tsunade shivered slightly, remembering the stories from her childhood about towering battlefields dominated by Madara's overwhelming power.

No one wanted to make an enemy of someone like him unless they had no choice.

"If Madara Uchiha fused with Hashirama's cells, just how strong would he be?"

Orochimaru suddenly noticed something—Kawakaze didn't seem seriously injured at all.

Could it be that Madara's power hadn't actually increased as much as expected?

"He was blind, old, and most of his strength was gone."

"If I couldn't beat him in that state, I wouldn't have the right to call myself Hashirama's successor."

Kawakaze let out a scoff.

Who the hell do you think you're underestimating?

"Blind?"

Orochimaru, latching onto the key detail, quickly unsealed the scroll.

Madara's corpse appeared intact on the dissection table. His face was aged, his hair a stark white, and his body looked withered.

Everything about him confirmed Kawakaze's words—no one, no matter how powerful, could escape the ravages of time.

"This isn't his original eye either."

As expected of a professional, Orochimaru only needed a brief inspection to determine that the remaining Sharingan in Madara's socket wasn't his own.

"That's Grandpa's facial structure."

Tsunade's gaze locked onto the face embedded in Madara's chest. The truth of his fusion with Hashirama's cells was laid bare before her.

"Ordinary Sharingan don't hold much value."

"I've got more."

Kawakaze took out several bottles containing Sharingan and placed them on a small cart.

Every single one had three tomoe. Misaki picked one up, examining it with curiosity.

These were definitely contraband in Konoha, and the Uchiha Clan would never allow Sharingan to be leaked outside.

But since these had been obtained from Madara, even if Fugaku found out, he'd likely turn a blind eye to it.

"Not a bad haul. Keep them all."

"I'll handle Fugaku."

Orochimaru licked his lips unconsciously. He had wanted to study the Sharingan for a long time.

If not for the concern that Fugaku wouldn't agree, he would have been tempted to take Fugaku's Mangekyō for research.

"Forget about taking Fugaku's eyes."

"Even if you finish studying them, do you think you can put them back?"

"Using Madara's corpse as a model, we might be able to find a way to counter the Mangekyō's side effects."

Kawakaze saw right through Orochimaru's thoughts. He wasn't about to let him pluck out Fugaku's eyes.

If Orochimaru got his hands on them, they'd be dissected into pieces—an utter waste of potential.

"I'll keep that in mind."

"How strong was Madara's Wood Release?"

Orochimaru nodded solemnly. He had been working on cell fusion for Fugaku, after all.

"At least as strong as mine."

Kawakaze gave a fair assessment. But this wasn't just based on their fight—it was a conclusion drawn from the original story itself.

Madara's mastery of Wood Release was nearly on par with Hashirama's.

"Then it's worth looking into."

"My Wood Release... still lacks power."

Orochimaru muttered, seemingly to himself.

He was already considering how researching Madara could help him strengthen his own Wood Release in the future.

"It's a viable approach, but be careful."

Tsunade was well aware of Orochimaru's experiments with Hashirama's cells.

But the risks were too high—she only hoped that Orochimaru would be fully prepared before attempting it again.

"I know."

Orochimaru nodded. He had too much to lose now—he wouldn't gamble his life recklessly.

"By the way, count me in."

"Let's see if I can awaken the Sharingan."

Kawakaze, feigning seriousness, threw out the idea. Of course, his real goal had nothing to do with gaining a pair of Sharingan.

"You just have to stick your nose into everything."

"Trying to make my job harder?"

Orochimaru shot him an exasperated look. This guy was way too good at ordering people around.

"Haha, what can I say? You're the best at what you do."

"I trust you."

Kawakaze threw out a casual compliment, making the others chuckle.

"The chances of you awakening a Sharingan are slim."

"You shouldn't get your hopes up."

Tsunade doused him with cold reality. She understood that the eyes functioned as an independent system, separate from the rest of the body.

No external force could change the fundamental nature of a person's eyes.

If Kawakaze really wanted the Sharingan, he'd be better off just replacing his own.

That would be faster—and much more direct.