The Family Madrigal

Early the next morning, sunlight streamed through gaps in the newly replaced curtains, casting bright patches on the tatami mats.

A simple breakfast sat on the table. Izuna held a bowl of Miso Soup and sipped it, his face still drowsy from sleep, his expression relaxed and natural.

Madara sat across from him, his gaze falling on Izuna several times, each time hesitating to speak.

The words from last night's "draft" kept echoing in his mind.

He wanted to ask Izuna how he had come up with those ideas. Had he drawn those conclusions from his world? Could the people in that world have already put them into practice? What had the results been?

Yet when he saw Izuna's innocent "nice weather today" expression, he found himself at a loss for where to begin.

This kid... didn't seem to realize at all how earth-shattering the things he had written were.

"Izuna," Madara finally said, trying to make his tone sound casual, "were you... up late writing in the study yesterday?"

"Hm? Yeah." Izuna swallowed his mouthful of rice and nodded, his gaze open and candid. "I took care of some clan business and sorted out a few ideas while I was at it. Some of the problems in those files actually came down to unclear procedures and responsibilities, so I jotted down a few suggestions for improvement."

Madara: "..."

Jotted down? Suggestions for improvement? You call those suggestions?!

"They're just my personal opinions. If you don't think they'll work, brother, forget it. Just pretend I was scribbling nonsense."

Seeing how unconcerned Izuna was, Madara suddenly felt a deep sense of helplessness.

Forget it. There's no point asking. This kid probably really did just write it on a whim without thinking too deeply.

"Oh." In the end, Madara merely acknowledged him, asked no further questions, and lowered his head to eat.

Izuna really hadn't thought much of it. His proposed improvements were based on game guilds and club management; he really had just been writing for the sake of it.

He didn't think his methods could shake the system the ninja clans had used to govern themselves for so long.

He had only written the preface because he thought it would be cooler that way.

With his abysmal knowledge of history and political science, he had never considered how advanced management methods that modern people took for granted would seem to people in ancient times.

Izuna didn't notice Madara's silence. He quickly finished breakfast and put down his bowl and chopsticks.

"Brother, I'm going out for a bit." He stood and cleared his dishes, his tone cheerful.

Madara looked up. "Where to?"

Izuna stacked the bowls and chopsticks, a broad, slightly excited smile spreading across his face. "I'm going to look around Konoha! I was away on a mission before, so I haven't had a proper look around the village yet! Yesterday I only took a quick walk around the clan compound. I ought to get to know my way around the village as a whole, right?"

His eyes shone as he looked at Madara. Suddenly, something occurred to him, and his voice grew even more eager. "Oh, right, brother! Your injuries are mostly healed, aren't they? Want to come along? Brother Hashirama said you needed at least a week of rest, but a slow walk around the village should be fine, right? Think of it as a rehabilitation walk!"

Seeing how eagerly Izuna wanted to go out and have fun, Madara put all serious topics out of his mind.

"Sure." Madara stood, his expression gentle. "It's been a long time since I've had a proper walk around the village myself."

Izuna immediately cheered. "Yay!"

Walking around Konoha with Lord Madara! I never would've dared imagine this when I was watching the anime! Awesome!

He swiftly cleared the table, and the two changed into their outdoor shoes and left the residence one after the other.

They hadn't gone far when Izuna spotted a familiar figure coming toward them around a corner.

It was Uchiha Hikaku.

Hikaku had clearly spotted them too. When he saw that Madara had come out with Izuna, his steps noticeably faltered, and surprise and hesitation flashed across his face.

Then, quite naturally, as though he were merely passing by, he quickly turned into a side alley and disappeared.

Izuna: "..."

Brother Madara's intimidating reputation really is well deserved.

Madara had seen him too, of course, but he only glanced toward the alley where Hikaku had disappeared and said nothing.

The brothers walked side by side out of the Uchiha Clan Compound and onto Konoha's main streets.

The sight before them, however, quickly cooled Izuna's excitement. He was even a little... disappointed.

He knew Konoha was still in the early stages of construction and certainly wouldn't be as prosperous as it was in later years.

But seeing it with his own eyes, he found just how "early" it was exceeded his expectations.

The streets were hardly wide, and the road was simply packed earth. It would probably turn into a muddy mess when it rained.

Most of the buildings on either side were low and plain, built primarily for function. Here and there stood one or two slightly grander ones bearing the clan crests of the major families, but they too looked brand-new, with none of the character that came with age.

Shops were pitifully scarce. The handful that were open had little worth seeing.

There were general stores selling basic necessities, a crude Ninja Tools repair shop, and food stalls serving simple meals.

Even the shop signs were rough and plain, to say nothing of fine decorations or attractive merchandise displays.

There were few pedestrians, most of them hurried ninja wearing their respective clan attire, their faces wary or tired.

Ordinary villagers were rarely seen, and even those few mostly kept their heads down as they went about their work, their eyes showing caution and reserve in the unfamiliar surroundings.

The entire village was filled with the awkwardness and desolation of a new settlement that had yet to find its footing.

There was no familiar sign or aroma of Ichiraku Ramen, no "Ninja Tool Paradise" selling all kinds of ninja tools and Explosive Tags, no "Ninjutsu Research Institute" piled high with scrolls and strange gadgets, much less little shops selling all sorts of cute or cool ninja merchandise!

Izuna felt his collector's soul blaze up and then swiftly sputter out. He felt uncomfortable all over, as though ants were crawling on him.

This is nothing like the Konohagakure I imagined, even at its very beginning! It's practically a giant ninja camp!

"So... so boring..." The excitement gradually faded from Izuna's face, replaced by undisguised distaste and disappointment. He muttered, "This is way too... primitive, isn't it? How come there isn't even a decent shop..."

Walking beside Izuna, Madara saw every change in his younger brother's expression. Hearing him mutter, the stirrings the "draft" had caused in Madara's heart were roused once more.

"What's wrong?" Madara asked, seemingly offhandedly. "You think the village... isn't good?"

"It's not that it's bad..." Izuna pursed his lips and spoke honestly. "It just... feels too deserted. There's no vitality at all. Does nobody have anything to do besides missions and training? If this keeps up, how is the village supposed to grow and prosper? On air?"

Madara's steps faltered almost imperceptibly. Deserted? Vitality? Grow and prosper? It was unusual in itself to hear a "ninja" say those words so naturally.

"Then what do you think... should be done?" Madara asked softly, as though merely responding to his brother's complaint with an idle question.

"Obviously, attract people here!" Izuna answered without thinking. "You need people for there to be spending, and spending before merchants are willing to come do business. Only with commercial activity can the village prosper! But before that, it has to be attractive enough to make outsiders want to come and stay!"

He pointed at the empty streets and the crude buildings. "Look at it now. Apart from the ninja clans who already live here, why would anyone from outside want to settle here or do business?"

A thoughtful look flashed in Madara's eyes. Attract outsiders? Commercial prosperity?

Those concepts were not part of mainstream ninja clan thinking.

A ninja village was a military stronghold and an alliance of clans, not a commercial district like Tanzaku Town.

Besides, to Madara, this was already a rare sight. For the village to have become this peaceful in six months, with people walking about even at night, counted as prosperity to him.

Could Izuna have seen something better?

Just then, the sound of singing and string music drifted from nearby, its drawn-out tune bleak and mournful.

Izuna and Madara looked toward the sound and saw an old man in ragged clothes sitting beneath the eaves of a dilapidated building on the street corner, a Biwa in his arms.

His eyes were closed as he sang in a raspy voice, performing an ancient lament full of sorrowful partings and the uncertainty of life.

The song echoed through the empty, quiet street. Far from adding any life to it, it only made the place feel more desolate and dispirited.

Izuna's brows instantly knotted.

What is this supposed to be?!

The village has just been founded, with everything waiting to be built. This is exactly when we need to raise spirits and attract people!

And you're singing such a dreary song here?! Aren't you deliberately driving customers away?!

An inexplicable surge of anger flared up.

No! I can't stand this!

Before Madara could react, Izuna had already dashed forward!

"Hey! Old man! Let me borrow your Biwa!" Izuna said he wanted to borrow it, but he moved like lightning. Before the dumbfounded Biwa player could react, Izuna had already "taken" the instrument from his arms.

"Y-you, what are you doing?!" The old musician was shocked and furious.

"Getting you some business!" Izuna replied offhandedly. He turned to face the street and took a deep breath.

He held the old-fashioned Biwa across his chest and awkwardly adjusted his grip. It was quite different from the guitar he was familiar with, but the basic principles of string instruments were the same.

Then, under the astonished gazes of Madara, the old musician, and a few passersby drawn over by the commotion, Izuna began tapping his right foot rhythmically against the ground, his fingers already resting on the strings.

He didn't play any of the traditional tunes of this world.

Instead, he used modern fingerstyle guitar techniques.

His right thumb handled the bass rhythm while his index, middle, and ring fingers took turns plucking the higher melody, constantly slapping the soundboard and strings.

"Ding! Dong-dong! Ding-ding-dong!"

A spirited, intensely rhythmic melody suddenly burst forth on Konoha's deserted street, played in a way the people of this era had never heard before!

The sound was so abrupt, yet so infectious, that it instantly captured the attention of everyone nearby.

Several shopkeepers who had been dozing in their stores poked their heads out, a few passing ninja stopped in their tracks, and figures in the distance seemed to be approaching at the sound.

Izuna didn't care what anyone thought.

His gaze fell on the system map.

He immediately locked onto the people labeled merchants and outsiders.

All right! Let me give this a try!

His voice rang out with the music, clear and passionate, even exaggeratedly theatrical:

"Friends over there!"

The people from a merchant caravan froze and pointed at themselves.

"And you over here!"

A person nearby, dressed in plain clothes but unable to hide an air of nobility, raised an eyebrow.

"Follow me! Let's go!"

As he played and sang, he led the crowd slowly toward the Hokage Building.

"This is our home, and our home is one enormous family, peaceful and tranquil, where everyone is happy!"

"This is my home, flawless and full of stars, where everyone shines in their own right!"

He cleverly worked some publicity for Konoha's founders into the song:

"Let's get straight to it: Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha founded this village. Their dream brought us here many years ago, and our family grows bigger and stronger every moment. There are enough stories to fill three days and three nights!"

Madara: "..."

He stood at the edge of the crowd, watching his younger brother play and sing in the middle of the street, even putting him and Hashirama into the lyrics. For a moment, his feelings were too complicated to put into words, and his ears grew slightly hot.

Izuna grew more and more excited as he sang, throwing himself into the performance. He even began imitating dialogue between different characters, playing several roles himself:

"My heavens, it's them!"

"What can they do?"

"I can't remember that many."

"I don't even know who's who!"

"It's fine, relax..."

"But I can't relax!"

"Tell us everything, quick!"

"What Ninjutsu can you use?"

"Come on, tell us what Ninjutsu everyone can use!!"

Then Izuna abruptly made an exaggerated gesture, as though snatching something from a naughty child, and sang with a stern face, "This is why alcohol is only for adults!"

The onlookers were startled at first, then burst into good-natured laughter.

The lively, entertaining "skit" brought them closer together at once.

Izuna struck while the iron was hot, improvising introductions as he walked:

"Look over there at Inuzuka Dobin! Her Ninja Dog can smell any scent, and when they work together, not even a giant boulder can stop them!"

The person he had named was a tall, capable-looking kunoichi. She had only been watching out of curiosity, and her eyes widened in surprise at suddenly being singled out for praise. But when the people around her looked over, she managed an awkward but polite smile and nodded.

"Hyuuga Haruhi over there can see a long way with his Byakugan. His palms are no joke, and a round of Gentle Fist can send you straight to the afterlife!"

A Hyuga ninja with a stern face looked even colder. With everyone's eyes on him, he turned his face away awkwardly, though the tips of his ears grew a little red.

Izuna's eyes darted around and spotted Madara standing on the edge of the crowd, arms folded, wearing an expression caught between laughter and exasperation. Izuna immediately went over with a grin, his song turning cheerful and a little boastful:

"Oh, and there's my big brother, Madara Uchiha! He's amazing. Fire Style comes as easily as breathing, his Taijutsu sweeps through everyone, and his Sharingan has a captivating charm. He's strong and handsome! Behold the charm of the battlefield rose!"

"Smack!"

A knuckle landed squarely on Izuna's forehead, neither too hard nor too lightly, as he leaned in.

"Ow! Brother!" Izuna clutched his head and cried out dramatically, hurriedly playing the Biwa as he hopped several steps away, drawing another round of chuckles from the crowd.

Madara withdrew his hand and folded his arms again. Some people who had heard of Madara Uchiha's title as the Asura of the Ninja World and feared him suddenly realized that the terrifying Madara Uchiha was also just an older brother who couldn't do anything about his little brother.

Izuna ran back to the middle of the street, his song growing even more impassioned:

"Welcome to Konoha Shinobi Village! This is everyone's Konoha Shinobi Village! I know it sounds a little unbelievable, but I'm part of this big family too!"

Immediately afterward, he began introducing Konoha's other clans:

"The Ino-Shika-Cho Clans once stood apart, but now they're part of Konoha too! The Nara are smart and their shadows are cool. You have to visit the Yamanaka flower shop, and their techniques will catch you off guard. The Akimichi have unbeatable barbecue; whatever you want to eat, you can't go wrong with them. This is our Konoha Shinobi Village! One big, loving family!"

A young Ino-Shika-Cho trio happened to be passing by. Hearing this, all three froze.

The Nara boy at their head was quick-witted and immediately understood Izuna's intention. Though his expression was a little complicated, he pulled his two still-bewildered companions along and gave the people looking their way a friendly smile.

Just then, while everyone's attention was on the Ino-Shika-Cho trio, Izuna quietly created a Shadow Clone.

The Shadow Clone swiftly transformed into Hashirama Senju and "happened" to walk over from the other side of the crowd.

"We once promised to build a peaceful village. As long as we work hard, our efforts will be rewarded. Towns grow and change, and people come and go, but hard work and selfless dedication will keep the flame of miracles burning forever. The next generation of our family will make Konoha safer."

After saying this in a gentle, infectious voice, "Hashirama" smiled and nodded at the surprised and reverent faces around him, then quietly disappeared into the crowd.

"'Hashirama' exits," Izuna muttered under his breath, then prepared to slip seamlessly back into his role as lead singer.

This time, however, before he could lead them on, the caravan's vanguard could no longer contain their curiosity and began asking questions of their own.

"Wait, who's who again?"

"There are too many people here!"

"How did you sort out the relationships between so many clans?"

Izuna was delighted. They've taken the bait! He immediately continued, "All right, all right... Our village has lots of clans, so let's raise our voices. Do you know why? I think it's time to introduce some specific people! Let the young ones make their dazzling entrance!"

He began rapidly naming people, his style growing livelier and more playful:

"Aburame Pin can control bugs! Shimura Mu's Wind Release is amazing! Sarutobi Sasuke is as agile as a monkey!"

The three young ninja passing by reacted differently when named. The Aburame and Shimura were still a little bewildered, but Sarutobi Sasuke reacted fastest. Though he didn't understand what was happening, he performed a perfectly timed acrobatic trick on a rooftop and flashed the crowd a cheerful smile.

The crowd watched the three leave, grinning from ear to ear.

Then Izuna spotted Uchiha Hikaku, who had appeared at the edge of the crowd at some point and was watching him with an indescribable expression.

And Tobirama Senju, who had likewise come after hearing the news and stood a little farther away with his arms folded, his red eyes revealing no emotion.

Hey! Perfect!

"And then there's the Senju Clan and the Uchiha Clan! Uchiha Hikaku and Tobirama Senju! One's elegant and passionate, the other's bold and calm. They're absolutely flawless!"

Hikaku: "???" His cheeks instantly turned bright red, and he didn't know what to do with himself.

Tobirama: "..." His red eyes narrowed slightly, but he played along and put on a cheerful smile.

"Hikaku's handsome and capable. You can entrust him with anything. He's the perfect ninja!"

Hikaku wanted to find a hole to crawl into.

Lord Izuna! I'm not, aaaaah!

"Tobirama has a cheerful smile and is the fastest in the Shinobi World. No one can escape his Flying Thunder God!"

Tobirama maintained his smile and raised an eyebrow. This guy really was straightforward, revealing his signature Ninjutsu like that.

Not that knowing would do anyone much good, though.

"That's everyday life in Konoha Shinobi Village. You should have a rough idea of what Konoha's like now, right? The people here are incredibly magical, with boundless powers. That's Konoha! Bye-bye!"

Izuna sang the last line, then hugged his Biwa and tried to slip away.

He'd got the crowd going well enough. It was time to give the caravan some room to ask around in private. Any more singing would be too much.

But he had just turned around when someone stopped him.

It was Inuzuka Dobin, the first person he had called out earlier.

The capable kunoichi folded her arms, her bold eyebrows raised high and a teasing smile on her face. "Hey, Uchiha kid, nice singing. But..."

She looked Izuna up and down and asked a question many of the people around them were curious about too. "What's your Ninjutsu? You introduced so many people, so how come you didn't introduce yourself?"

Izuna stopped in his tracks, and cold sweat instantly poured down his face.

Right! I was so busy promoting Konoha and everyone else that I forgot about myself! But how am "I" supposed to introduce myself?!

"Ha! All right, I've got to go. That's everyday life in our village. You should have a good idea now, right?"

Izuna tried to gloss over it, backing away with a dry laugh. "I don't want to make this an autobiography. Come on, let's go over Konoha's members again!"

He tried to steer the conversation back, singing the chorus again.

But the crowd around him, especially the young ninja and caravan members who had been drawn in by his performance and were still in high spirits, weren't about to let him off.

They began chanting in rhythm:

"But what kind of person is Uchiha Izuna?"

Izuna braced himself and pretended not to hear, changing the subject as he backed away. "First there's Hashirama, then there's Tobirama Senju. He can make waterfalls out of thin air."

"But what kind of person is Uchiha Izuna?" The chanting grew louder.

"My brother Madara is powerful and beautiful. Everyone, please support my brother!"

Izuna tried to jump onto a roof and leave, but Sarutobi Sasuke, who had just turned in a mission and come over to see what the commotion was about, forced him to the edge.

"But what kind of person is Uchiha Izuna?"

"Hashirama Senju, uh, things go wrong for him a lot, but he's a good guy." Izuna was already starting to ramble.

He tried to escape down an alley, but Hyuuga Haruhi wasn't about to let him go.

"But what kind of person is Uchiha Izuna?"

"Hey, you said you wanted to know what everyone can do. Our village is full of talented people..." Sweat beaded on Izuna's forehead as he watched Ino-Shika-Cho blocking his path in the distance.

"Izuna!" Someone called out first, though no one knew who.

"The Hyuga can see through anything!"

More people joined in, imitating the way Izuna had called people out earlier and turning it back on him.

"Izuna!"

"The Inuzuka Clan can smell anything!"

"Izuna!"

"Look! That's Mito Uzumaki! Her Sealing Jutsu is unmatched!" Izuna spotted Mito Uzumaki looking stunned outside the crowd and pointed at her as if he had found a lifeline.

Mito: "???"

But no one fell for it! Not a single person looked away.

"Izuna!"

Izuna hurried over to the still-bewildered Mito, hoping to break through on her side.

"Just between us, Hashirama's a little unreliable, but as long as you like him, that's fine. Oh, I've said too much. I really have to go!"

But Mito caught on, found it amusing, and blocked Izuna too.

"Izuna!"

Izuna didn't want to force his way out, so he could only retreat.

"My home is incredibly magical!"

"Izuna!"

"I'm a member of Konoha too, so..."

Just as everyone was gradually forcing Izuna into the middle of the main road, and he was wondering whether to set off a smoke bomb and leave, a low, clear voice rose above all the chanting and reached everyone's ears:

"Why don't you introduce yourself?"

At some point, Madara had walked up in front of Izuna, blocking his way.

His face was calm, and his voice was even, but his deep black eyes were fixed on Izuna, with no trace of a smile in them.

The chanting around them instantly grew quieter, and everyone watched the Uchiha brothers with curiosity.

Clutching his Biwa, Izuna froze in place, the smile on his face painfully awkward. The cold sweat on his back had already soaked through his undershirt.

Because I'm not Izuna!

How could I possibly know what kind of person Uchiha Izuna really is?! What's his Ninjutsu style? What are his fighting habits? What are his personality traits?

Izuna's fingers trembled.

Aside from the basic information the system gave me and those few scraps from the original story, I don't know a thing!

I don't even know what his Sharingan can do! How am I supposed to introduce him?!

Izuna opened his mouth, but his throat was dry, and he couldn't get a single word out. He hoped Madara would give him a break, like he had before.

But Madara simply watched him in silence, stubbornly waiting for his answer.