Chapter 296: Madara’s Escape, Tobirama’s Worries

Funan had always admired Tobirama.

To him, Tobirama wasn't just a brilliant scientist—he was also an exceptional politician and inventor.

If he had lived longer, Konoha would be a very different place.

He revolutionized the shinobi world.

He left behind countless invaluable legacies for Konoha.

Many of these contributions were overlooked or even forgotten, but that didn't mean they didn't exist.

Most people believed Hashirama was the greatest Hokage in Konoha's history. But in Funan's eyes, Tobirama was just as worthy of that title.

In some ways, he even surpassed Hashirama.

Hashirama, for all his overwhelming strength, lacked other qualities.

And yet, strength alone had the power to change everything.

It was a simple truth in the shinobi world:

Strength wasn't everything, but without strength, you were nothing.

That was why, after resurrecting Tobirama with Edo Tensei, Funan made him his right-hand man without hesitation.

His position in Konoha was now second only to Yako.

And Tobirama was fine with that.

Working alongside Uchiha Funan was refreshing in a way he hadn't expected.

Their ideas aligned naturally.

Funan's vision was bold—sometimes even beyond Tobirama's expectations.

If someone like Funan had existed in his time, Sarutobi Hiruzen would never have been Hokage. Tobirama would have chosen Funan as his successor without a second thought.

The truth was, Konoha had already strayed far from his original plans.

Sarutobi Hiruzen was meant to be a transitional Hokage.

The Fourth Hokage should have come from the Uchiha Clan.

It was a calculated move—to maintain balance, to keep the Uchiha from feeling excluded.

After all, the Senju couldn't hold onto power forever.

Who would accept that?

Having an Uchiha in the Hokage seat, just as the Senju had before, would have integrated them further into the village, removing tensions before they could become threats.

But things hadn't gone as planned...

Every time he thought about it, Tobirama felt the urge to drag Hiruzen over and beat him up.

"Honestly, my first choice for the Third Hokage was Kagami."

Tobirama's expression darkened.

He had always valued Kagami. After two generations of Senju leadership, it only made sense to put an Uchiha in the position—not just as a political move, but because Kagami was worthy.

But back then, it wasn't an option.

Making Kagami Hokage would have been the spark that ignited a civil war in Konoha.

So Tobirama had chosen Hiruzen instead.

And it remained his biggest regret.

Now, many people are aware that Tobirama was Uchiha Funan's advisor.

And not just any advisor—his most trusted one.

Naturally, this meant many people were trying to get close to him, hoping to gain favor through association.

That was why Hashirama's wealth kept increasing—people wanted to use his name to build connections with Tobirama.

"What are you going to do about it?"

Funan asked, amused. "If it's within reason, I don't mind—"

"I care!" Tobirama interrupted coldly. "They can do whatever they want. It has nothing to do with me. My brother's business is his own. If they want to throw money at him, that's their problem. They spent money on it. Does it have anything to do with me? If they're not happy, they can ask my older brother to return it."

Ask Hashirama for money back?

Funan's mouth twitched.

Sure, Hashirama was kind, but anyone daring enough to demand a refund from him...

Well, they were welcome to try.

If they had the guts.

Some things weren't about whether someone minded—it was about whether you dared to act.

"Fine," Funan said, narrowing his eyes slightly. "But more importantly—what about Uchiha Madara?"

"He's vanished."

Tobirama's expression darkened further.

He had personally searched the blast site and found nothing. He had then deployed sensory shinobi to assist in the search, but they had come up empty as well.

"There's only one conclusion—Uchiha Madara escaped."

A man as dangerous as Uchiha Madara had actually managed to get away.

The thought unsettled Tobirama.

"Let him run."

Funan, however, remained unfazed. "Give it time. I know you'll find a way to restore Hashirama's strength."

"And once he's back at full power, not even the Rinnegan will be able to stand against him."

Sometimes, even Funan had to marvel at how absurdly powerful Hashirama was.

But Tobirama remained tense.

He wasn't as optimistic as Funan.

Mangekyō Sharingan had multiple abilities—so what about the Rinnegan?

During their last battle, Uchiha Madara had already demonstrated several of its powers…

Flipping the possibilities over and over in his mind, Tobirama kept coming back to one answer.

Repulsion force.

Could that really be all there was to it?

Was Uchiha Madara hiding his true power?

Why?

What was he planning?

Or rather—what was Orochimaru, the one controlling him from the shadows, really after?

Could Orochimaru even control him?

Question after question pounded against Tobirama's skull, making his head ache.

But what annoyed him the most…

Was Uchiha Funan!

That bastard definitely knew something he wasn't sharing.

And that made Tobirama want to smack him.

Yet, even under Tobirama's sharp glare, Funan remained all smiles, as if he didn't notice—or simply didn't care.

Meanwhile, the remnants of the Five Great Shinobi Villages still needed to be dealt with.

There was still a loose end.

Ōnoki, Sarutobi Hiruzen, Shimura Danzō, and a handful of surviving shinobi.

Thus, another hunt was set into motion.

Jiraiya, Uchiha Komehi, Uchiha Tetsuhi, Hatake Kakashi, and Might Guy formed an elite pursuit team to track and eliminate them.

Each of them was accompanied by several jonin for support.

Ōnoki and the others had been injured while escaping.

If the team caught up to them, there would be no escape.

The only question was…

Where were they hiding?

Funan hated loose ends.

Just as he was pondering the situation, he turned to Tobirama. "Second Hokage."

Tobirama narrowed his eyes. "What do you want?"

If this guy was talking to him this nicely, it could only mean trouble.

Funan chuckled. "How about I leave Sarutobi Hiruzen to you?"

Tobirama's face darkened.

"You know how dangerous he is to the village." Funan kept his tone light, but his smile didn't reach his eyes. "And don't you want to hear his reasons for everything… directly from him?"

To be honest, Funan had always been curious about Tobirama's death.

Even if he had been surrounded by thousands of enemies, a shinobi with the Flying Thunder God technique shouldn't have died so easily.

Killing someone like Tobirama should have been harder than killing Orochimaru.

Unless…

Sarutobi Hiruzen and his group had something to do with it.

"Fine." Tobirama agreed without hesitation. "Leave it to me. I'll take care of that… and I'll give Jiraiya some proper training while I'm at it."

Funan's mouth twitched.

On the side, Tsunade instinctively suppressed her presence, hoping to avoid Tobirama's attention.

She wasn't afraid of Hashirama, but Tobirama…

[Bang!]

The doors to the Hokage's office suddenly burst open.

A shinobi rushed in, dropping to one knee before Funan.

"Hokage-sama!"

Funan's expression immediately turned serious.

"What happened?"

The ninja took a deep breath before reporting— "Lady Konan was found unconscious at Konoha's gates!"

"What?!" Funan's eyes widened in shock.

In the next instant, he vanished with the Body Flicker Technique.

Tobirama frowned and turned to Tsunade, who had been quietly sitting on the side. "Who is this Konan?"

Tsunade answered in a low voice, "One of Uchiha Funan's women."

"Hmph." Tobirama let out a displeased grunt.

Meanwhile, Tsunade simply shrugged.

Everyone had their own pursuits in life.

...

With the Body Flicker Technique, Funan arrived at Konan's side in an instant.

Karin and Shizune were already treating her.

They were both Tsunade's disciples.

"How is she?" Funan asked immediately.

The moment Funan arrived, Shizune greeted him with a gentle smile and said softly, "Don't worry, it's nothing serious. She'll wake up soon."

"Phew..."

Funan let out a sigh of relief but immediately furrowed his brows again.

He had given Konan a clone.

Why hadn't the clone activated?

"Shizune." Funan turned to her with a smile. "You're finally back."

Shizune had been away for a year, putting into practice the knowledge that Tsunade had passed on to her.

"Now that I've finished my practical studies, of course I'm back." Shizune replied with a smile as she continued treating Konan. "Hokage-sama, I have a request—I want a position."

"Oh?" Funan raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "What do you want?"

"Head of the Medical Corps!"

Funan looked at her in surprise.

Tsunade had always been in charge of the medical corps, although she had tried to resign several times, but Funan refused, claiming a lack of suitable candidates.

"Are you confident?"

"Not a problem at all!" Shizune blinked playfully. "If you're worried, just make Lady Tsunade the deputy."

She muttered under her breath, "Can't let her lose her income streams."

"Fine. You'll take the lead, and Tsunade will assist. If there's anything you don't understand, ask her."

Tsunade, who had just arrived, heard the words and rolled her eyes in fury.

Still, being deputy was better than being in charge.

Fewer responsibilities meant more free time for gambling.

Besides…

This was Shizune.

If she couldn't handle Funan, she could definitely handle her own student.

A few words, and Shizune would end up doing most of the work anyway.

Tsunade smirked triumphantly.

"Mmm..." Konan let out a soft groan and slowly opened her eyes.

Funan felt very distressed seeing her in that state. "I told you to come to Konoha sooner, but you wouldn't listen!" Funan huffed before turning to Yako. "Yako, check her condition."

"Understood!"

After a thorough examination, Yako confirmed that Konan hadn't been tampered with.

Only then did Funan relax.

"Funan..."

"What happened? What's wrong?" Funan's curiosity was piqued. "And if you're like this… where's Nagato?"

A brief silence fell over the room.

Then, in a voice thick with pain, Konan whispered, "He's dead."

"What?!"

…

Hokage's Office.

Yako handed Konan a cup of warm tea.

"Thank you," Konan murmured softly.

Funan let out a long sigh and said, "I understand. From now on, you'll stay at my house. You're one of us now—part of Konoha."

There wasn't much else to say.

Madara had left a cursed seal on Obito, and even more on Nagato.

After all, Nagato had inherited Madara's Rinnegan.

Obito must have triggered Madara's failsafe. Nagato never even had a chance to resist.

The moment it was activated, he had been completely immobilized.

Just like that, Obito had dug out his eyes and turned him into a puppet.

As for Konan…

Obito was afraid that Funan might have left a safeguard on her.

He didn't give her a chance to react—he went straight for the kill.

If Konan hadn't been sharp enough, she would have died on the spot.

Even so, she had barely escaped with her life and had suffered serious injuries.

Fortunately, Konoha had the best medical treatment in the entire shinobi world.

"Funan, be careful." Konan looked at Funan and whispered, "The masked man will probably attack you; he has already obtained the Rinnegan."

"Rinnegan?" Tobirama's voice rang out, sharp with skepticism. "How is there another pair of Rinnegan?"

"Nagato was an Uzumaki," Funan explained. "He was born with a pair of Rinnegan. Jiraiya-sama even believed he was the Child of Prophecy, destined to change the world. But now… he's gone."

Tobirama let out a cold laugh. "Do you really think I'll believe what you just said?"

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