"You know space-time ninjutsu, don't you?" Uchiha Madara asked after a long silence.
Uchiha Yuan nodded. With White Zetsu having monitored him so closely, there was no way they hadn't noticed his teleportation was a space-time ninjutsu.
"That's the trump card you're relying on to dare come meet me?"
"Something like that."
"Heh." Madara chuckled slightly, then asked in return, "Do you think you can run forever?"
"At the very least, I can outlive you."
"You remind me of someone I really disliked," Madara said, frowning.
Yuan didn't respond—he'd already guessed who Madara was referring to.
"If you didn't have space-time ninjutsu, I would've gone to any length to eliminate you," Madara said frankly.
"And now?"
"Now… because of your strength and potential, I've changed my mind. Uchiha Yuan, are you interested in making a deal?"
"What kind of deal? I don't lack anything, nor do I think I have anything that someone as renowned as Uchiha Madara would want," Yuan replied expressionlessly.
"Oh, but you do lack something—your Sharingan!" Madara's expression turned serious.
"My Sharingan?" Yuan reflexively touched his eye socket.
"That's right. You're only 13, and your Sharingan has already evolved into three tomoe. With your age and talent, awakening the Mangekyō Sharingan is only a matter of time.
The Mangekyō Sharingan grants powerful abilities to members of the Uchiha clan, but great power always comes at a price.
As you continue to use the Mangekyō, your eyesight will deteriorate until you go blind."
Yuan understood clearly now—any power comes with a cost. For the Mangekyō, the price is blindness.
The fact that Madara brought this up obviously meant he had a way to prevent that outcome. In the original timeline, Obito could use Kamui freely, which proved this.
Sure enough, Madara followed up, confirming Yuan's suspicion: "Uchiha Yuan, I have a method that can prevent the blindness caused by Mangekyō Sharingan. But I need you to agree to my terms first."
Yuan guessed the method likely involved the immense life force of the First Hokage's cells.
Still, to be cautious, Yuan asked, "I wonder what this method is, Lord Madara?"
Madara didn't hide anything and directly explained the function of Hashirama's cells, and that transplanting them could suppress the side effects of the Mangekyō.
Yuan looked uninterested at first—but Madara's next statement changed his attitude.
"Uchiha Yuan, it looks like you already know about the First Hokage's cells?" Madara asked with interest.
"I've gotten some information from Orochimaru."
"Orochimaru? Must be his disciple the Hyuga girl, Asana," Tobi chimed in.
Hearing Hyuga Asana's name, Yuan couldn't help but frown.
"Heh. Regardless of how you learned about Hashirama's cells, what I'm offering isn't just a simple transplant—I'm offering perfect fusion with the cells."
Yuan froze at this.
It was true that Hashirama's cells had great power and vitality, but it was precisely that overwhelming life force that made them so hard to control.
In the original story, only Yamato survived Orochimaru's experiments with the cells. Even Danzō, after being gravely injured, couldn't fully suppress the cells.
That Madara claimed to offer a way to perfectly fuse with Hashirama's cells came as a shock.
If Yuan hadn't been tempted before, this changed things. If Madara could truly solve the Mangekyō's drawbacks, then the offer was worth reconsidering.
And going by how Obito turned out in the original story, Madara's claim was most likely true.
"I understand your offer—so what's your condition? There's no such thing as a free lunch," Yuan asked directly.
"I want you to agree to two things:
First, you must not leak anything about me to anyone.
Second, you must protect someone—ensure that for the next ten years, no one, not even yourself, will pose a threat to this person's life."
These conditions weren't hard to accept. Yuan had never intended to tell anyone about Madara anyway.
As for protecting someone, that didn't seem too difficult either. But Yuan still asked cautiously, "Who is this person?"
"He's a boy from the Land of Rain—a survivor of the Uzumaki clan. His name is Nagato."
Yuan wasn't surprised at all.
Nagato possessed Madara's Rinnegan, and would later be key to Madara's resurrection via Rinne Rebirth.
"You're giving me his name directly. Aren't you afraid I might go and kill him?"
"If I'm giving you the name, it means I'm prepared," Madara said calmly.
"A boy named Nagato from the Land of Rain, huh? I'll remember that."
"So then, Uchiha Yuan—do you agree to this deal?"
"One moment. I need to confirm something—if he provokes me first, am I still not allowed to kill him?"
As if expecting this question, Madara replied without hesitation: "Correct. You are not allowed to do anything that threatens his life."
"Then I'm at a disadvantage. If this guy ends up as my enemy someday, I can't even take revenge? If that's the case, I refuse."
"Then let's revise it: As long as he doesn't threaten your life or that of your loved ones, you are not allowed to harm him—and must ensure his safety."
Yuan thought for a moment and nodded. He had already planned to contact Nagato and the others at some point. Now, because of Madara, that plan was no longer optional.
As for Madara's existence—Yuan had never intended to expose it. And he hadn't even awakened the Mangekyō yet. Honestly, it would be better if Madara just died soon.
Only with Madara gone could he safely and freely build up his own strength.
Seeing Yuan agree, Madara had Tobi hand over a scroll and a white arm to him.
(To Be Continued...)