Chapter 300: Why Not Try Genjutsu?

"You're here?" 

Madara, sitting calmly at a square table in the courtyard, glanced at Raijin as he walked in. 

"Yeah." 

Raijin nodded and sat down across from him. 

"I really didn't expect you to come to me over something like this." 

Madara couldn't help but chuckle. 

"You—" 

Raijin lifted his head to look at Madara, about to say something, but before he could, Madara continued. 

"Or… are you using this as an excuse to scheme something with Tsunade?" 

 The smile on Madara's face slowly faded, replaced by a blank expression that radiated an intimidating presence. 

Under that gaze, anyone weaker than Uchiha Madara would feel their fear amplified endlessly. 

"If I wanted to scheme something, I would've said everything I needed to when we left the village." 

Raijin chuckled, completely unfazed by the pressure Madara was trying to exert. 

"Oh? So that means you really are here because of…" 

Madara trailed off, but he knew Raijin would understand what he meant. 

He had intentionally left the sentence unfinished, giving Raijin some dignity. 

"It doesn't really matter anymore. Honestly, you can just pretend I never came to see you today. Do whatever you want—let's see if you can pull it off." 

Raijin leaned back and spoke casually to Uchiha Madara. 

To be honest, regardless of what Tsunade thought, Raijin was getting tired of constantly being watched. 

"Aren't you afraid that if I step outside your surveillance, I might do something?" 

Madara smirked, unfazed by Raijin's increasingly blunt attitude toward him. 

"Do whatever you want. If the Uchiha decide to side with you, that's fine. It's just the Uchiha. Wiping out that clan wouldn't take too long." 

Raijin kept his hands tucked into his sleeves, head slightly lowered, speaking with indifference. 

"If you want to go ahead with the Eye of the Moon Plan, do it. I don't care. Your Moon's Eye won't affect me anyway. 

I can make sure the people around me don't fall under the Infinite Tsukuyomi." 

"Something's off with you today." 

Madara frowned slightly, looking at Raijin with a hint of confusion. 

He could understand Raijin becoming more disrespectful toward him. 

After all, he had been treating this kid quite well lately. 

By human nature, Raijin acting more brazenly toward him was only natural.

But now, this kind of giving up on everything… it's clearly not normal. 

"There's nothing wrong. I'm just tired. Sick of it." 

Raijin spoke softly. 

He wasn't sure exactly when it happened. Maybe just a moment ago. 

All he knew was that right now, he was annoyed. 

"Want to talk about it?" 

Madara nodded and asked. 

"There's nothing much to say. I just feel like… the thing I've been chasing all this time isn't really worth it anymore." 

Raijin shrugged, sounding indifferent. 

"And what is it that you've been chasing?" 

Madara frowned slightly and pressed on. 

"To be someone who doesn't matter to this world." 

Raijin chuckled and answered. 

"Someone who doesn't matter to this world?" 

Madara muttered under his breath, realizing that this was an opportunity for him. 

For someone like Raijin to have grown this strong, there had to be something driving him. 

That obsession must have carried him from nothing to where he was now. 

And people like that—words alone wouldn't change them. 

Unless… they started to doubt themselves. 

But Raijin's wish… 

Raijin glanced at Madara and let out a small, helpless laugh. 

Did he have something pushing him forward? Of course he did. 

The one who kept him moving all this time… was Uchiha Madara. 

It was simple—Raijin didn't want to die. 

Or rather, he didn't want his life to be in the hands of Naruto and Sasuke. 

But now… 

Even after becoming this strong, every move he made was still watched by others. 

Sure, he was watching them too. 

But that didn't make it any less frustrating. 

And on top of that, Jigen was out there, hiding somewhere. 

Everyone knew about him now, but he hadn't made a single move. 

It was like having a knife pressed against his back, a bone stuck in his throat. 

Then there was Black Zetsu. He knew exactly what Black Zetsu really was, but because of Madara, he had to hold himself back from dealing with him. 

And the mark on Tatsu… 

It was all so exhausting. 

This feeling… it reminded Raijin of his past self, the 25-year-old him before he traveled to this world. 

The shift from dreaming about a bright future… to realizing that as long as he was alive, there would always be endless problems waiting for him to solve.

Some of these problems can't be solved completely. 

"I don't know what's going on with you, and I'm sure there are things you won't tell me. But you should know why I came to Konohagakure." 

Madara pressed his lips together and spoke softly as he looked at Raijin. 

"You're right. So what if Uchiha disappears from this world? So what if the Infinite Tsukuyomi happens? Even if you throw everything away, your very existence would still make me stay on guard every second. 

But you have to understand, these things can wait. Our alliance has a simple goal, doesn't it? 

As people who grew up in this world, we should stand together against the dangers that might come in the future, right?" 

Madara's voice wasn't loud, but he was clearly trying to reason with Raijin. 

"When I was your age, I was lost too. On one side was the dream Hashirama and I shared since childhood. On the other side, my brother was killed by Senju Tobirama with his own hands. 

Wasn't it just as painful for me back then?" 

He reached out and patted Raijin's shoulder before continuing. 

"I can somewhat understand how you feel right now. Back then, I asked myself the same question—why? I had already become the leader of the Uchiha clan, and the one who shared my dream had become the leader of the Senju clan. 

But even then, we still had to fight each other." 

"It was because of hatred. Because your own people pushed you forward," Raijin said to Uchiha Madara. 

A leader holds the power of the clan, but at the same time, they are also influenced by their people. 

"That's right. I wanted the ninja world to have lasting peace. I wanted someone to step up and create that kind of world. 

But no one did. When I stood there and looked around, all I saw were people staring at me with fear and awe. 

So I knew—I was the only one who could make it happen. There wasn't even a single person I could discuss it with." 

Madara let out a small laugh and nodded. 

"I remember back in your time, you weren't a match for Senju Hashirama," Raijin said, looking at Uchiha Madara. 

"That's true. In the battle at the Valley of the End, Senju Hashirama was the one who walked out of that valley. 

The entire ninja world believes Uchiha Madara wasn't a match for Senju Hashirama. But you can't think that way. Uchiha can't think that way. 

Because you have the same eyes I once had. You understand what the Sharingan is capable of. 

If I could bite off a piece of Hashirama's flesh, fake my death, and awaken the Rinnegan… then why couldn't I have just slit his throat instead?" 

Madara looked at Uchiha Raijin seriously as he spoke. 

"Yeah… you definitely could have done that." 

Raijin nodded, paused for a moment, and said softly. 

~~ 

"What an enviable friendship." 

"If you're willing, I'd like to have that kind of friendship with you too. 

Though, to be honest, I'd prefer it if you called me 'Grandpa Madara' instead." 

Madara chuckled, but then his smile faded as he turned serious again. 

"There are some things you can't avoid. Things you have to do. 

The stronger you become, the greater your responsibilities will be. 

Because aside from you, who else is capable of carrying that burden?" 

"Yeah… there's no other choice. I'm strong, but that's because I've taken most of this world's resources for myself. 

It's hard for another person like me to appear in this world again. 

So there are some responsibilities that I have no choice but to take on." 

Raijin nodded. Everyone understands the logic, but sometimes, emotions are not that easy to control.

"As long as you understand." 

Madara nodded and took out a cup, pouring Raijin some tea. 

"Everyone feels tired sometimes—maybe when dealing with something difficult, maybe after facing a small setback. 

But we are shinobi. Taking a short break is fine, but we can't stop moving forward. 

I know you're exhausted. In the village, you have me pressuring you. Outside, you have Jigen pressuring you. And in the future, there will be even more unknown enemies pushing you down. 

But do you think it's any different for me?" 

"That's why we need to work together, to let go of our guard against each other. We share the same blood, the same name… and the same enemies." 

"Ah…" 

Raijin took a small sip of the tea Madara handed him and let out a slow breath. 

"The way you're talking makes it seem like you're trying to get closer to me." 

He lifted his head, silently looking at Madara. 

There was a hint of amusement in his eyes. 

"Is that not allowed?" 

Madara raised an eyebrow at Raijin. 

"Of course, it is." 

Raijin nodded. 

Madara wasn't a bad person. He was just an idealist with a nearly impossible dream, led down the wrong path by someone who had been lurking in the shinobi world for a thousand years. 

If possible, Raijin wanted to stand alongside Madara and face the dangers ahead together. 

But now wasn't the time. 

He had to find a way to show Madara proof that Black Zetsu was not truly loyal to him. 

Nawaki's Team 7 was actually bait that Raijin had set up. 

"You said something right earlier—there won't be another Uchiha Raijin in this world, just like there won't be another Uchiha Madara. 

That means some things can only be done by you and me." 

Madara sat down again, holding his teacup with one hand as he took a sip. 

He had seen Raijin lose his composure before. Not only that, but he had also experienced it himself. 

Even the strongest minds have moments of frustration. 

Honestly, even if no one talked him through it, he would've calmed down on his own. 

Still too young… 

"Hmm." 

Raijin hesitated for a moment, then spoke. 

"I don't know what you think, but I've always felt that Zetsu… might have his own agenda." 

"Oh? What do you mean?" 

Madara's expression stiffened slightly, his smile slowly fading as he looked at Raijin. 

"I can't explain it, but I feel like something's off about him." 

Raijin knew his words lacked solid proof, but it was the best he could say for now. 

It might not sound like much, but in reality, this sentence held far more weight than if he were to reveal he was a time traveler. 

"I see." 

Madara nodded, a thoughtful glint flashing in his eyes.

Raijin's words sounded like he was trying to sow discord between him and Zetsu. 

But Madara knew that wasn't the case. 

Because Raijin had no reason to do so. 

Even if Raijin wanted to weaken him, Zetsu wasn't important enough anymore. 

Back when he had just died of old age, Zetsu was crucial because he needed him to bring him back to life. 

But after his resurrection, Zetsu's value was basically gone. 

Later, when Madara needed to track the Tailed Beasts, Zetsu became useful again. 

But once he became the Ten-Tails Jinchuriki, Zetsu's value disappeared once more. 

So even if Raijin was trying to turn him against Zetsu, it wouldn't really matter. 

It wouldn't affect him in any significant way. 

And thinking back to how Zetsu had approached the ninja academy without his knowledge, nearly escalating tensions between him and Raijin, Madara couldn't help but feel a little suspicious. 

"Whether he has a problem or not doesn't matter. What matters is that he's still useful to me." 

Tapping his fingers lightly on the table, Madara spoke to Uchiha Raijin. 

"If he does anything out of line, I'll deal with him accordingly." 

After a moment of thought, he added. 

"You two have such a close bond." 

Raijin chuckled but didn't say anything more. 

"He's done a lot for me, after all." 

Madara shook his head. If possible, he wouldn't mind letting Zetsu live comfortably. 

But if Zetsu really was a problem, he wouldn't hesitate to take action. 

"Then why not test him with Genjutsu?" 

Raijin tapped his forehead with his finger as he spoke to Madara. 

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