"What the hell is going on here?"Hashirama Senju looked around at the unfamiliar, dark space, his round eyes filled with confusion.He had been dead—perfectly, peacefully dead—and yet, for some reason, he was suddenly summoned into this endless darkness.
The whole situation reminded him suspiciously of how Tailed Beasts were sealed.Maybe... it was his little brother Tobirama again, messing around with some fancy forbidden jutsu, trying to revive him?
Just as this thought crossed his mind, the sound of approaching footsteps echoed from the distance.Hashirama lifted his head, and there he saw a handsome young boy walking slowly toward him.
The boy spoke first."Good morning, Lord Hashirama."
Hashirama was about to ask something, but the moment he got a clear look at the boy's face — spiky hair, the Uchiha clan crest, and that all-too-familiar face — his eyes widened in shock.
"Madara! You're still alive?!"
Uchiha Grit froze."Who? Me? Uchiha Madara?"
So it turns out Konoha's long-standing tradition of terrible eyesight must've started with Hashirama himself.
"Lord Hashirama, please, let me explain! I do look a lot like Uchiha Madara, I won't deny that — but I'm not him!"
Before Uchiha Grit could finish his sentence, Hashirama cut him off. His not-so-brilliant brain kicked into overdrive, and very quickly came up with the most "reasonable" explanation:
The Uchiha clan must have used some forbidden jutsu to bring Madara back from the dead, and probably even dabbled in something more dangerous and evil after that!
Hashirama's face turned serious."Madara! You shouldn't disturb the peace of the dead with such filthy ninjutsu!"
Grit was speechless, his face dark with helplessness.Huh?? Bro, do you even understand human language?
But Hashirama had already ignited his battle spirit, shouting:"Madara! Let's have one more glorious, all-out battle!"
"The hell? Who said I want to fight you?! And where's this epic background music coming from all of a sudden?!"
Hashirama clapped his hands and roared:"Wood Release: Deep Forest Emergence!"
…But nothing happened.
Hashirama froze on the spot.W-What the hell? Where's my chakra? Where's my overpowered Wood Release??
At that moment, a crisp, robotic voice echoed in Grit's mind:[You have obtained the Wood Release Kekkei Genkai from Hashirama Senju, along with several Wood Release jutsu.]
Well, clearly — Uchiha Grit wasn't your average ninja. He was a full-on, cheat-code-activated isekai traveler.
Not long ago, Uchiha Grit had transmigrated into the world of Naruto and awakened the [King of Emotions System].
As long as someone felt strong emotions toward him — whether it was admiration, hatred, love, concern, or even pure annoyance — the system would reward him accordingly.
The stronger the person, and the more intense the emotion, the juicier the reward.And once Grit's strength reached a certain level, the system would automatically filter out all the small fry who weren't even worth a pixel of his attention.
But what caught him completely off guard…The system had actually yoinked Hashirama Senju straight into his inner world and bundled him up like some kind of newbie starter pack.
Even better — Hashirama couldn't resist at all. Completely safe, super handy.Now I don't ever have to worry about being wiped out by that airhead Uchiha Itachi in the future!
Thinking about this bright future, Grit let out an unrestrained, evil laugh.
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
That laugh was like a kunai to Hashirama's ears. His mind couldn't help but picture Uchiha Madara's smug face.
That cursed smile... and you dare say you're not Madara?!
But what unsettled him even more was the fact that his ninjutsu were completely sealed off.The chill crawling up his spine told him — this wasn't any ordinary forbidden jutsu.Even Tobirama had never pulled off something this terrifying.
Could it be... after my death, the Uchiha clan evolved beyond recognition?And this psycho-looking kid standing in front of him — just what the hell was he planning?
[Ding! Due to Hashirama Senju's emotional fluctuation, your Senju bloodline has evolved into: Incomplete Sage Body — Hashirama Variant.]
Compared to the tense and battle-ready Hashirama, Uchiha Grit looked as chill as a summer breeze.He plopped himself down cross-legged right in front of Hashirama, like he owned the place.
"First of all — I'm not Uchiha Madara.""Second — come on, Hashirama-sama, sit down, make yourself at home. No need to act like a guest."
The corner of Hashirama's mouth twitched.Tobirama had warned him: All Uchiha are lunatics.And now, facing this one in person, he had to admit — his little brother was absolutely right.
The air was so thick with tension it could explode at any moment, yet this brat wanted him to sit down and chat?What kind of normal human being could relax in a situation like this?
Hashirama stayed on guard, maintaining his combat stance. The deep-rooted Uchiha distrust was clear on his face.But Grit waved his hand casually and offered a polite smile.
"Relax, Hashirama-sama. Let me properly introduce myself.""My name is Uchiha Grit. I'm ten years old. My father was from the Uchiha clan, my mother was a Senju."
"They both died on the battlefield, and the Uchiha raised me afterward. Right now, I'm still a student at the Ninja Academy. If all goes well, I should be graduating pretty soon."
"That's the whole story. Got any other questions?"
Hashirama's expression grew increasingly complicated. He once again examined the boy closely, this time paying special attention to the chakra flow inside his body — that oddly mixed Senju and Uchiha signature.
"You really aren't Madara. Madara would never be this... weak."
Grit: Bro, that's not just a roast, that's straight-up a finishing move.
Once the identity issue was settled, Hashirama finally loosened up a bit — just a bit.
"Grit… are you telling me there's another war?"Hashirama's voice was calm, but a trace of tension slipped through.
Uchiha Grit nodded solemnly. "Yes. After your death, Hashirama-sama, the shinobi world didn't know peace for long. Battles broke out one after another. And… Tobirama-sama also fell, on the battlefield — defending Konoha."
"What? Tobirama's dead?!"Hashirama's voice shot up an octave, pure disbelief crashing through his chest like a rogue wave.
For a long moment, he stood there frozen, as if the world had stopped.Without his little brother, who would shield the villagers from the endless cycle of war?
Grit quietly watched the pure-hearted Senju sink into troubled silence, feeling just a little guilty.If I told him the Third Great Ninja War is still coming in a few years, would he regret not slapping those flip-flopping politicians to death when he had the chance?
With a deep breath, Grit patiently explained the timeline — the wars, the village, the way the world turned without him.Judging by the increasingly grim look on Hashirama's face, the future had long exceeded even his wildest, darkest expectations.
After a long, heavy pause, Hashirama finally lifted his head, fixing Grit with an unblinking stare.
"So… what did you do? How did you manage to summon my soul into this place?"
That question caught Grit off guard. For once, his sharp tongue stumbled.Damn, what do I tell him? Time to pull a classic ninja move: shift the blame to Tobirama.
"Maybe it was Tobirama-sama. He must've developed some kind of forbidden jutsu before he passed."
Hashirama let out a long, heavy sigh.If it involved Tobirama… yeah, that actually made sense. Everything made sense."Tobirama… you never stop, do you?""So this is your final trick — pulling me into this child's body. But for what purpose, I wonder?"
Grit lowered his head, trying desperately not to laugh.God, I can't hold it. If I start laughing now, he's gonna know for sure.
Quickly, he waved his hand with all the fake sincerity he could muster."Well then, Hashirama-sama, let's call it a day. I'll see you around."
With that, his figure slowly faded away, leaving behind a deeply confused Hashirama, still trying to make sense of it all.
In the endless dark space, Hashirama's eyes gleamed with a pure and naive light — the kind of wide-eyed innocence usually reserved for first-year college students.
Meanwhile, back in the real world, Uchiha Grit slowly opened his eyes, flipping through the pages of a book with surprising focus.
Just then, a fellow Uchiha clan member strolled up beside him, casting a sideways glance at the cover.
"Grit, stop wasting time on that boring 'Will of Fire' nonsense," the clansman scoffed."You'd better put your head in the game — the academy's test is tomorrow."