As Second Tsuchikage

Under the cover of night, Mū slipped into Konohagakure, his body cloaked and his chakra expertly suppressed.

The early days of the village had brought power and stability, but in their confidence, Konoha's founders had yet to establish any serious barrier defense systems. That oversight made infiltration effortless. Mū crossed into the village without resistance, gliding like a shadow through quiet streets.

He had only one goal: to meet Tobirama Senju and persuade him to join forces in assassinating Uchiha Madara.

Facing Madara alone was reckless, even for him. The man was simply too dangerous to confront without backup. According to his knowledge, Tobirama had made multiple attempts to eliminate Madara in the past. Though he had failed, whether because of his own limitations or interference from Hashirama, his hatred had never vanished.

Inside the Hokage Building, the candlelight flickered steadily in a quiet office.

Tobirama sat hunched over his desk, diligently drafting outlines for the future shinobi academy and ANBU program. The hour was late, but his focus never wavered, his hand gliding steadily across scrolls and documents.

"Good evening, Tobirama-dono..." a cold, unfamiliar voice drifted into the room.

Tobirama's pen paused. His eyes narrowed, instantly alert. He turned sharply toward the source of the voice, already preparing for a fight. From the shadows, Mū emerged calmly, his presence quiet but unmistakably imposing.

"It's you, Mū-dono!" Tobirama said warily, setting his brush down and studying the unexpected visitor. "What business brings you here at this hour?"

He didn't need an explanation to know this wasn't a social call. For someone like Mū to show up in Konoha, alone and uninvited, it had to be serious. The two men were equals in the world of shinobi, both logical and dangerous. Tobirama knew better than to underestimate him.

Mū walked across the room and sat across from Tobirama without a word. The candlelight cast long shadows across the walls, half-illuminating Mū's face. One side glowed in warm light; the other was swallowed in cold darkness.

"I heard one of Konoha's founding leaders, Madara Uchiha, has recently defected," Mū said evenly.

Tobirama, not even lifting his head fully, responded just as calmly. "That's an internal matter of Konoha. As a shinobi of Iwagakure, you have no right to interfere."

It was a subtle warning, don't overstep. But Mū ignored it.

"I've heard you created numerous forbidden jutsu. Even back during the Warring States era, your Flying Thunder God technique made you famous across the Land of Fire. It's also how you killed Madara's younger brother."

Tobirama raised an eyebrow slightly, then gave a small nod. "That's correct."

He didn't bother denying it. The technique and its bloody legacy were no secret. What he didn't understand was why Mū was bringing it up now.

"I came here to ask if you would teach me the Flying Thunder God."

Mū's request was direct and clear. No dancing around it, no manipulation, just the raw ask.

Tobirama stared at him for a moment, blinked, and then frowned. Did this man seriously believe he would hand over his most classified and dangerous jutsu just like that?

"Heh. You want to attend my Flying Thunder God 'spear-jump' class?" he said sarcastically, eyes narrowing. "You're not—"

"What if I said I'm going to use the Flying Thunder God to assassinate Madara Uchiha?"

Mū cut him off mid-sentence, dropping his true purpose like a hammer.

Tobirama stopped cold. His head jerked up, and his eyes locked onto Mū's face. For a moment, he just stared, stunned by the sheer audacity of what he'd heard.

"Are you insane? Mū-dono, are you in your right mind?"

"Yes. Perfectly," Mū replied without hesitation. "I intend to kill Madara Uchiha. If I combine your Flying Thunder God technique with my own Dust Style and Sage Arts, I'm confident I can defeat him."

Tobirama remained silent for several seconds, studying the man across from him. There was no hint of sarcasm or delusion in Mū's voice. He wasn't bluffing or posturing. He was serious. Dead serious. And more importantly, he was confident.

When Tobirama finally confirmed that Mū truly intended to assassinate Madara Uchiha, he was quiet for a moment, then let out the smallest breath of a laugh. This guy was insane. But it was a respectable kind of insane.

Even Hashirama never outright said he wanted Madara dead. And here was Mū, the Tsuchikage himself, planning to do it without hesitation. Bold didn't even begin to cover it.

"You want to kill Madara? Did he attack Iwagakure after defecting?" Tobirama asked, his voice regaining its cool sharpness. "If he declared war on your village, that doesn't mean he's acting on behalf of Konoha."

He was already drawing a line. If Iwagakure planned retaliation, he wanted no part of it landing on Konoha's doorstep.

"Yes, but he didn't attack Iwagakure directly," Mū said calmly. "He came after my ANBU squad. That's why I made my decision. Since he's no longer one of yours, you won't object if I deal with him personally, right?"

"No objections. If you want him dead, kill him. But that still doesn't explain why you came to me."

Tobirama studied him, eyes narrowing slightly.

Mū's brow furrowed beneath the bandages. Now he's pretending not to understand?

"I'm not arrogant enough to think I can kill Madara alone," Mū replied, his tone darkening. "I came here for two reasons. First, I want to learn the Flying Thunder God technique. Second, I came to ask for your help in assassinating him."

He leaned forward, lowering his voice. "I know you've never seen eye-to-eye with Madara. And now that he's gone rogue, there's no reason to hold back. So why not team up and finally end him?"

Tobirama's gaze grew even more serious. Mū wasn't being dramatic. He was planning this down to every detail.

Sensing his hesitation, Mū pressed on. "Madara's not just a missing-nin. He's a disaster waiting to happen. He's already captured the Nine-Tails. It won't be long before he either attacks Konoha or challenges Hashirama again.

If we just sit around, we're inviting destruction. Whether it's for the sake of Iwagakure, Konoha, or the entire shinobi world, we need to stop him before he gets stronger. We strike now, while we still can."

Tobirama leaned back slightly, folding his arms, eyes lowered in thought. The longer Mū talked, the more the idea started to make sense. When they were all under one banner, even with his personal hatred, he'd had no excuse to move against Madara. But now Madara was a traitor. A threat. And traitors didn't get second chances.

He had to admit, letting Madara run free was just plain stupidity.

"You make a strong case," Tobirama finally said. "But why should I believe you? Why trust that you can actually take him down? Even my brother isn't confident he could kill Madara."

Mū met his eyes without flinching. "Tobirama-dono, you've seen my technique before. If it hits, he will die. There's no surviving it."

Tobirama remembered it vividly. That strange white cube of chakra, the Dust Style technique that disintegrated everything it touched. Even Madara's Susanoo had been shattered by it. Had that jutsu landed cleanly, Madara would've been reduced to particles on the spot.

But the technique had a glaring flaw. It required time to charge. And against someone like Madara, that delay might as well be a death sentence.

Unless...

Unless Flying Thunder God could eliminate that weakness. If Mū could teleport directly behind Madara and fire the jutsu instantly, it might actually work.

It wasn't just a suicide mission anymore. It was a viable strategy. A real assassination plan.

The more Tobirama thought it over, the more the pieces fell into place. A joint strike to eliminate Madara carried enormous risk, but the reward, if it succeeded, would reshape the shinobi world. Hashirama would never approve of it, not openly. He still clung to the dream of peace, of bonds, of saving Madara from himself. But Tobirama wasn't Hashirama. He was a realist.

Back when they had shared a village, Tobirama's hands had been tied. Now, with Madara declared a missing-nin, the equation had changed. Killing him wouldn't just remove a threat, it would be justice in the eyes of the people. And even if Hashirama found out later, he'd be forced to overlook it for the sake of Konoha's peace and stability.

"I won't teach you the Flying Thunder God technique," Tobirama said, his voice low and deliberate. "But I'll join your plan. I'll help you kill Madara in secret. My brother can't know."

His voice dropped to a whisper with the final words.

From behind the bandages, Mū smiled faintly. He'd expected this. Tobirama was always sharp, always pragmatic. He knew the value of eliminating a threat like Madara before it spiraled beyond control.

But Tobirama wasn't finished. "Even with the two of us, it still might not be enough..." he muttered, brows drawing together in thought.

Mū nodded slightly. "I know."

Both men were killers, tacticians, and survivors. Neither was reckless enough to throw themselves at Uchiha Madara without backup plans. And this time, they would need more than raw strength, since they would need precision, perfect timing, and perhaps… another ally.