Starting From Being Adopted by the Second Hokage!

"Hey, little Renya, long time no see..."

Several months later, just as Renya returned home after completing a mission, he saw Senju Hashirama sitting in the courtyard, smiling and waving at him.

"Hashirama-san, what brings you here?" Renya asked in surprise.

It was well-known that except for the Fourth Hokage, the other Hokage of Konoha were always incredibly busy.

For Senju Hashirama to come personally, something significant must have happened while Renya was away on his mission.

Senju Hashirama sighed and explained, "I don't know why, but lately I've just been feeling off... I don't even have an appetite."

Recently, he had been experiencing bouts of heart palpitations.

It was as if a pair of invisible hands were silently tightening the threads of fate.

The feeling unsettled him deeply.

Uzumaki Mito noticed Hashirama's changes. She believed her husband had developed a form of anorexia from overwork, so she suggested he try a meal cooked by Renya.

After understanding the situation, Renya smiled and said, "So that's what it is. Hashirama-san, I'll cook for you a bit later."

"Hahaha, thanks, little Renya." Senju Hashirama forced a smile.

Renya didn't think too much of it, assuming Hashirama's appetite loss was just physical.

He planned to cook a few of Hashirama-san's favorite dishes to see if it might spark his appetite.

If not, there wasn't much else he could do.

Renya frowned slightly. "But still, for someone as strong as Hashirama-san to develop anorexia... is that even possible?"

Maybe this wasn't anorexia at all.

It was something deeper... a problem of the heart.

...

After leaving, Senju Hashirama didn't return home but instead headed alone to the Hokage Rock.

Below, smoke rose gently from the homes of Konoha. The calls of street vendors and the laughter of children playing pierced the thin mist, weaving together a vivid scene of life.

His wooden clogs crunched across the gravel on the rock's surface until the sensation underfoot suddenly became familiar—the grooves and protrusions in the stone matched exactly what he remembered.

Memories from years ago surged forth like a tide: he had once stood right here with Madara, discussing the future of the village.

Back then, Madara stood on this very spot, pointing to the barren land below and saying,

"We'll make this place bloom with symbolic white flowers."

Now the cherry blossoms in Konoha were in full bloom, their soft pink and white petals leaving him stunned.

The wind carried the voices of merchants and children past his ears. He suddenly reached out into the air, as if trying to grab hold of his dear friend.

"Madara..." Hashirama's expression was conflicted.

He couldn't understand why his friend had chosen to leave. Wasn't this the village they built together?

He stood silently atop the Hokage Rock, deep in thought.

Only when night fell did Senju Hashirama finally come back to himself. Staring into the distance, he muttered,

"Madara, what are you doing right now?"

...

Senju Hashirama's residence.

"Sis-in-law, why isn't brother back yet?" Senju Tobirama asked, staring at the food laid out on the table, gulping.

These weren't just Hashirama's favorite dishes—they were his favorites too.

If this wasn't his brother's house, he'd have already dug in.

Uzumaki Mito frowned. "Hashirama is really something... making everyone wait like this..."

Ever since he left that morning, he hadn't returned. She had no idea where he'd gone.

Renya was also puzzled. Where exactly had Senju Hashirama gone?

He had come in the afternoon to cook.

But after finishing the food, he discovered that Hashirama-san wasn't even home.

Renya thought Hashirama would return soon, but after waiting the whole afternoon, he still didn't show.

He had no idea how many times he'd reheated the food already.

Finally, after a long wait, Hashirama showed up, late as ever.

"Hahaha, sorry about that, everyone! Kept you waiting."

"Where the hell have you been all this time?" Uzumaki Mito marched up and grabbed his ear.

"Ow, ow, ow! Mito, let go!" Hashirama quickly begged for mercy.

With a cold snort, Mito finally let go.

Rubbing his reddened ear, Hashirama explained, "I went up to the Hokage Rock to enjoy the view and lost track of time."

Mito rolled her eyes in exasperation. She didn't even know what to say to her husband anymore.

Renya and Tobirama both twitched at the corner of their mouths.

They thought Hashirama had gone to handle some serious business—but he had just gotten distracted by the scenery.

That really was something only Senju Hashirama would do.

"Little Renya, could you reheat the food again?" Mito asked softly.

"Sure thing, Mito-san."

Renya carried the dishes back to the kitchen.

Before long, the food was reheated and brought back out.

Senju Hashirama sat in the main seat, staring at the delicious dishes laid out before him, but he had no appetite at all.

He held his chopsticks above the soup for a long time, the steam blurring his vision.

Even his usual favorite—golden, crispy tempura—failed to stir any interest.

"Is this really just anorexia?" Hashirama whispered.

"Brother, why aren't you eating?" Tobirama noticed something was off and asked in confusion.

"I just don't feel like it." Hashirama sighed.

Renya watched silently from the side, saying nothing.

His instincts told him—something big was about to happen.

He began to think: what's supposed to happen around this time?

Just then, a low rumble of thunder echoed from the distance, startling the wind chimes under the eaves into a frantic clatter.

Hashirama suddenly felt a tightness in his throat, his breathing growing heavy.

He stood up and walked to the doorway, staring at the stormy sky.

"Could it be you? Madara..." he murmured.

His instincts told him—this had something to do with Madara.

Upon hearing that, Renya's body froze. Suddenly, everything became clear.

If something major was about to happen around this time...

It could only be the Battle at the Valley of the End.

...

Somewhere in the Shinobi World.

"Beast, I've finally found you!"

As lightning tore through the clouds, Uchiha Madara's long hair whipped wildly in the wind. His crimson Sharingan eyes glowed in the darkness like twin blood-red moons.

The Nine-Tails roared, its cries shattering the skies. Its nine colossal tails swept across the land like mountains, shattering rocks and flinging chunks of earth wrapped in violent chakra, leaving red trails in the air.

Madara's figure flickered, easily dodging the strike of a tail.

He looked up at the towering Nine-Tails and nodded in satisfaction.

"Not bad. You'll make the perfect pet."

At those words, the Nine-Tails instantly flew into a rage. It wanted to tear this human to shreds!

Facing its wrath, Madara's lips curled into a cold smile. His three-tomoe Sharingan spun madly, morphing into the shape of a Mangekyō.

He cast a genjutsu on the beast using the Mangekyō.

"Beast, submit to me!"

Madara's chakra surged into the Nine-Tails like a tidal wave.

The beast howled and thrashed, but it could only watch helplessly as its body slipped out of its control.

In its eyes, three tomoe began to swirl.

The Nine-Tails had been completely subjugated by Uchiha Madara.

Standing atop the beast's head, he looked off into the distance.

"Step one is complete."

"Now onto step two."

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Pls Drop some Power Stones

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