Inside the sealing space, the water's surface had lost its usual ripples, lying as still as a stagnant pool.
Naruto curled up on the water, hugging his knees. Golden bangs fell over his eyes, hiding them, his small frame contracted into a tight little ball.
The Nine-Tails exhaled a warm breath, its tail tip gently nudging Naruto's back.
"Hey, brat… stop pretending to be dead."
Naruto didn't respond, burying his face even deeper.
Madara's spiritual form hovered not far away, brows furrowed.
He had never seen Naruto like this—the lively, noisy, hyperactive kid now sat quiet, hollowed out like an empty shell.
"Listen, Naruto." Madara tried to lower his voice, though it still carried the stiff edge of command.
"On the battlefield, it's kill or be killed. Those Root operatives—"
"I know!" Naruto suddenly lifted his head, blue eyes brimming with tears.
"I know, Dad… you did it for me…"
His voice broke, choking on his words.
"But just now… I could hear the sound of bones snapping…"
Madara froze.
He opened his mouth, yet the usual taunts and scoldings lodged stubbornly in his throat.
The Nine-Tails coiled silently around Naruto, its tip resting lightly on his trembling back.
"Hmph… humans are troublesome."
Despite the words, the tail's tip tapped gently against Naruto, soothing him like a frightened cub.
Watching this, Madara felt an unfamiliar irritation.
He strode to Naruto and crouched before him, stretching a hand out stiffly—but froze midair just above his hair.
Finally, the hand settled heavily on Naruto's shoulder.
"…The first kill is always like this."
Madara's voice dropped to a nearly inaudible whisper.
"When I was seven, I slit a member of the Senju clan's throat with a kunai… and I vomited all day."
The Nine-Tails' ears perked sharply.
"Huh? Madara Uchiha would say something like that?"
Naruto lifted his head, tears clinging to his lashes.
"…Really?"
"Shut up, beast." Madara glared at the Nine-Tails, clearly annoyed.
Then he looked back at Naruto.
"But remember this: only those who survive have the right to feel pain. If you had died today, no one would shed a single tear for you."
The Nine-Tails covered its mouth with a paw, mockingly mimicking Madara's tone.
"'Only survivors have the right to feel pain'—Old man, why are you talking all lovey-dovey now?"
A vein bulged on Madara's temple.
"Looks like you've gotten too cocky without a good beating lately, huh?"
Naruto watched them bicker and suddenly giggled through his tears.
"Dad… were you… trying to comfort me just now?"
Madara shot up, turning to leave.
"Nonsense! I just don't want the son of Madara Uchiha to be so fragile!"
Yet the crimson tips of his ears betrayed him.
The Nine-Tails grinned and curled its tail, nudging Naruto closer.
"Don't mind that tsundere old man. Let me tell you a joke—once upon a time, there was a Uchiha clan leader. He cared about his son but insisted on keeping a grumpy face…"
"Nine-Tails!"
Within the sealing space, Madara's roar echoed alongside Naruto's laughter and the Nine-Tails' outrageous teasing.
Finally, the water's surface rippled again.
Meanwhile, in the real world, Madara, to prevent pursuit by Root, had to continue controlling Naruto's body.
The small child's frame bore the weight of an adult as they weaved rapidly through the dense forest.
The Nine-Tails flicked its tail.
"Hey, old man, where are you taking this kid?"
Madara snorted coldly.
"Say 'old man' again and I'll beat you up right now."
Sitting on the water, Naruto quietly asked,
"Dad… is that person okay?"
Madara didn't answer, but his steps unconsciously quickened.
Soon, he found a small hunter's cabin, a place to rest.
He kicked open the rickety wooden door, sending dust swirling.
He laid Shisui on a crude straw mat. The motions weren't gentle, but he avoided any fatal mistakes.
"Troublesome brat."
Madara muttered as he tore his clothes for bandages and used some herbs to tend to Shisui's wounds.
Although Madara excelled more at crippling than healing, his survival experience from the Warring States era had taught him basic first aid.
Half an hour later, Shisui's lashes fluttered, and he suddenly coughed violently.
Instinctively, his left hand reached for his ninja tool pouch—but grasped nothing.
"Don't move." A young, icy voice cut through.
"I've taken your weapons."
Shisui's remaining left eye widened. Through his blurred vision, a golden-haired boy sat by the fire, the flames flickering in his crimson Sharingan.
"A Nine-Tails jinchūriki?!" Shisui recoiled, pain from his wound making him gasp.
"How… how do you have a Sharingan?"
Madara casually tossed a kunai in the air.
"That question should be for me. Uchiha prodigy… how did you end up blinded by Danzō?"
Shisui's pupils constricted sharply.
"You know Danzō? Wait…"
He touched the bandages on his right eye, realizing it was empty.
"My eye…"
"I got it back." Madara casually tossed a glass vial, inside floated a crimson eye.
"Though I don't really understand why I went through the trouble."
Shisui trembled as he caught the vial. The Mangekyō Sharingan slowly rotated in its solution.
Shock turned to confusion, then to a complex gratitude.
"You… why did you save me?"
Madara stood, moving to the window, back to him.
"Passing by."
The Nine-Tails saw through Madara's posturing and rolled its eyes.
"Such an actor."
Naruto's eyes sparkled.
"Dad's so cool—I want to be like that too!"
After a moment, Shisui drew a deep breath.
"Anyway… thank you. I'm Uchiha Shisui."
Madara turned and asked,
"There used to be an Uchiha named Uchiha Kagami. You resemble him a lot. Who is he to you?"
Shisui froze.
"You know my grandfather?"
His grandfather had served in the first Hokage's era, loyal to the Second Hokage's protective forces.
If this being inside the Nine-Tails jinchūriki knew his grandfather, he must have been born in the Warring States era at least.
Madara smiled faintly.
"Grandfather, huh… you two really do look alike—both in appearance and temperament."
Madara suddenly turned, Sharingan fixed on Shisui.
"Tell me… why did Danzō take your eyes?"
The fire crackled, illuminating Shisui's pale face.
He lowered his head, voice hoarse.
"Because… I tried to use the Kotoamatsukami to stop the Uchiha coup."
"A coup?" Madara's voice rose dangerously.
Those fools dared to rebel?
Back then, as clan leader, he had tried to lead the Uchiha out of Konoha—yet not a single person had followed.
And now, these same people dared to revolt?
Shisui didn't know that story. He only assumed Madara's surprise was over something else, nodding bitterly.
"Lord Fugaku gathered the clan's elite. In three days, they would act. I intended to use Kotoamatsukami to change his mind, but Danzō…"
Madara suddenly laughed, mockery dripping from every note.
"Using the strongest genjutsu to stop a bunch of idiots from dying? Shisui… you're even more naïve than your grandfather!"
Shisui countered,
"But… it's the only way to peacefully resolve the conflict between the Uchiha and Konoha right now."