At this moment, Uchiha Madara had already begun to believe what Ito Akira said.
And yet… he still couldn't accept it.
Even if the Uchiha clan had once turned its back on him, they were still Uchiha.
His clan.His blood.A family that had stood at the very peak during the Warring States Period.
And now… exterminated?
Just like that?
The complexity in Madara's heart was impossible to put into words.
"Kid," Madara said slowly, his voice low and heavy, "you clearly know far more than you should."
"So tell me—how was the Uchiha clan wiped out? What happened during that time?"
"And who did it?"
The moment he asked that final question, Madara's chakra compressed violently.
Even though Akira was only present as a chakra clone, waves of suffocating pressure rippled through the summoning space.
Akira glanced at Madara, then casually sat down on the ground.
"It's a long story."
"Then make it short!" Madara snapped.
"…Fine," Akira said. "It starts with the Warring States Period."
Madara froze.
"The Warring States Period?"
That was his era.
Back then, the Uchiha were at their strongest.
How could the clan's destruction have anything to do with that time?
Akira continued calmly.
"During the Warring States Period, two exceptionally powerful shinobi emerged. One was Senju Hashirama. The other was Uchiha Madara…"
Madara's expression twisted.
"Kid! I'm asking you why the Uchiha clan was exterminated—and by whom!"
"Why are you telling me about the Warring States Period?! I lived through it!"
Akira sighed.
"See? You're getting impatient again."
"AAAAH! Enough!" Madara roared."My patience has limits! If you keep dragging this out, forget about me teaching you anything!"
"Alright, alright," Akira replied. "I'll get to the point."
"After the Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama, took power, he began suppressing the Uchiha clan."
"I know that," Madara said coldly."That vile Senju. Every time he opened his mouth, it was 'evil Uchiha.'"
"From my perspective, Senju Tobirama was the most insidious man alive."
Akira nodded.
"After him, the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, inherited his will."
"And so did Shimura Danzō—another of Tobirama's disciples."
"Once they came to power, they fully adopted Tobirama's ideology."
"That the Uchiha were dangerous."
"That the Uchiha were unstable."
"With the Third Hokage's tacit approval, and Danzō's direct planning, the Uchiha massacre began."
"In the end, the clan was slaughtered."
"Only Uchiha Sasuke remained in Konoha."
"The rest is easy to guess."
"The eyes of the dead were harvested, and many three-tomoe Sharingan were transplanted into Danzō's arm."
Madara's face darkened completely.
"So," he said slowly, "the ones behind all this were Sarutobi Hiruzen and Shimura Danzō?"
"That's right," Akira replied.
"Then who carried it out?" Madara pressed."Did the entire village turn on the Uchiha?"
"The Uchiha weren't weak. I refuse to believe those two alone could destroy the clan."
"You guessed wrong," Akira said flatly."No one else in Konoha took action."
"Not even Sarutobi Hiruzen or Shimura Danzō themselves."
Madara's eyes widened.
"Then who did it?!"
"Uchiha Itachi."
Silence fell.
"…What?" Madara said slowly.
"Uchiha Itachi? The Uchiha you mentioned earlier—the one outside Konoha?"
"But he was an Uchiha!"
"Why would he slaughter his own clan?!"
Akira sighed again.
"It's a long story."
"DON'T dodge it!" Madara barked."You promised to teach me, and you promised to tell me!"
Madara was genuinely furious now.
Of all the possibilities he'd imagined, this was the one he never expected.
The Uchiha… destroyed by one of their own?
That was harder to accept than anything Senju Hashirama could have come up with.
"I promised to explain Danzō's eyes," Akira said calmly."I didn't promise to give you everything else for free."
"Any further information… costs extra."
Madara clenched his fists.
"What do you want?"
"You make a move for me once."
"Impossible!" Madara snapped."Absolutely impossible!"
Akira felt a trace of disappointment, though he'd expected that answer.
"One piece of information isn't enough to make you act," he admitted. "I figured."
"But that's fine. I've already told you what I said I would."
"From today on, you'll teach me properly."
"I trust that the great Shura of the Shinobi World wouldn't go back on his word."
"After all…" Akira added with a grin,"I might summon Senju Hashirama someday."
"You wouldn't want him finding out that you, Uchiha Madara, break your promises… right?"
"Hehehehehe…"
"Hmph!" Madara snorted."Brat, who do you think I am?"
"If I say I'll teach you, then I'll teach you."
"But my training is brutal," he warned."I hope you can endure it."
"That's fine," Akira said casually. "I'm almost home anyway."
"We'll talk later."
With that, Akira's chakra clone dispersed, vanishing from the summoning space.
Madara remained seated, his expression blank.
The destruction of the Uchiha clan weighed heavily on him.
Even if they had betrayed him… they were still his people.
After a long silence, Madara scoffed.
"Hmph. Damn brat."
"So you want me to teach you properly?"
"Fine."
"That contract prevents me from harming you directly…"
"But when it comes to training?"
"Oh, I can teach you very well."
"Hehehehehe—"
Madara abruptly covered his mouth.
"…Damn it. That laugh again."
"How did I pick that up from that annoying kid?"
"…But it is kind of satisfying."
"Hehehehehehehe…"