Amidst the heavy snowfall, Kyosuke, carrying a jug of sake, crawled into the tent.
The curtain was lifted, letting gusts of wind rush into the tent, and under the flickering oil lamp, Ban's slightly tired expression was revealed.
"Oh, on New Year's Eve, our beloved Clan Leader is still working."
Hearing his teasing, Ban gave a helpless wry smile and stretched wearily.
In the blink of an eye, he has been the new Clan Leader for more than three months.
Thanks to the joint efforts of all parties, Madara Uchiha's succession process went relatively smoothly.
Even Koji Uchiha declared that he was on his side, so naturally no one else would object.
The only variable is Rei Uchiha from the Southern Army.
Fortunately, Kyosuke personally wrote a letter, which managed to persuade the lovely old man.
As for the contents of the letter, only Kyosuke himself probably knows.
As for Madara himself, although he was somewhat curious, he had no intention of investigating further due to his trust in his friend.
Now, the top priority is to defeat the invaders.
After three months, the Uchiha finally stopped their decline.
Even though the enemy's Human Puppet army was still surging forward, it couldn't cause much trouble in front of the three pairs of Mangekyō.
Taking the sake bottle from Kyosuke, Madara tilted his head back and drank deeply, his weary expression finally showing some relief.
Judging from his age, he took over as Clan Leader about six or seven years earlier than expected.
There is definitely pressure, but fortunately Kyosuke can help him share some of it.
"Help me," Madara Uchiha suddenly said with a light laugh, "How about I offer you an elder position, the youngest elder in Uchiha history?"
"Sure," Kyosuke nodded indifferently, but before Madara could even feel happy, he immediately poured cold water on his enthusiasm. "But don't even think about handling any affairs; I won't help you."
"... So what do you do all day?"
"Cultivation, my dear."
What a perfectly valid reason! Ban couldn't utter a single word of rebuttal.
We can't just let them interrupt their cultivation, can we? After all, this is the job of the clan leader.
"Ban." Kyosuke thought for a moment and decided to give him a brief reminder: "I'm sure you've read about the drawbacks of the Mangekyō."
"The Shinobi World is vast, with countless hidden powerhouses. Our current strength is insufficient to allow us to act with impunity."
"I understand," Spot nodded, but how much of it he actually took in was anyone's guess.
He has just taken over Clan Leader, and doesn't have many capable people around him.
Once everything is on track, I believe things won't be as busy as they are now.
"Come on, let's relax tonight. I'll go call Izuna and Hashirama, and we'll all get together."
"... All right."
Now that Ban has become the Clan Leader, he doesn't need to care too much about other people's opinions.
Faced with Hashirama's eloquent tongue, his longing to build a peaceful village was rekindled.
Kyosuke remained noncommittal in response, repeating his previous statement. "Wait until you become the Senju Clan Leader before you talk about peace talks."
Every time this question is brought up, all that's heard is Hashirama smile.
Butsuma Senju was furious at his two sons' behavior.
If it weren't for Tajima's death, which unexpectedly eased his mood, Hashirama might have been expelled from the Senju Clan.
Kyosuke could only offer his condolences for his friend's tragic fate, figuring he could always find a way to get rid of his troublesome father when he had the time.
Once Hashirama becomes the Hashirama Clan Leader, there will be no more obstacles between him and Madara. At that time, the two of them can do whatever they want.
"I'm such an understanding friend."
Knock knock knock!
Fire Release blossomed in the sky; this was something Kyosuke had specifically instructed his subordinates to do.
How can we celebrate the Chinese New Year without fireworks and firecrackers?
Perhaps because it was nearing the end of the year, the enemy's offensive pace slowed down considerably.
After a year of hard work, we finally got a short break.
Once the battle resumes, who knows how many people will fall on the icy battlefield?
"Twelve years old already." Kyosuke's thoughts drifted, and in a daze, he seemed to see a prosperous future for Konoha.
To be honest, he was really tired.
All they do is kill, kill, kill. Let alone the Uchiha's aggressive nature, anyone would have their personality changed in some way if they were in such an environment for a long time.
Fortunately, this war is finally coming to an end.
Other Family gradually realized that something was wrong and began to secretly offer assistance to the Uchiha.
For example, if the supply of enemy corpses is cut off, without replenishment, the Moon Clan will not be an invincible opponent.
Moreover, Black Zetsu probably doesn't want the Uchiha Clan Massacre.
Without that old silver coin's help, how could that idiot Uchiha possibly fight against the Ōtsutsuki Sugito, who had such extensive war experience?
"End this war within six months." Madara Uchiha raised his glass.
To his right, Kyosuke smiled at everyone and raised his glass as well.
On the left, Uchiha Izuna followed suit, focusing his gaze more on Tobirama, seemingly secretly competing with him.
"That's right, let's end this damned war." Hashirama laughed and raised his glass, clearly in a very good mood.
The five people present can be said to represent the pinnacle of combat power in the future Shinobi World.
Regardless of what the future holds, at least for now, we are all striving towards a common goal.
"Haha, cheers!"
All five of them got drunk that night, and perhaps they themselves weren't sure if they would ever have the chance to drink together again in the future.
"No matter what the future holds..."
"I... I will definitely remember tonight..."
"I had a lot of fun with a group of friends."
Hashirama, clutching the sake bottle, drifted off to sleep.
"Yes," Kyosuke smiled, closed his eyes, and murmured softly, "It really is very enjoyable."
As the year drew to a close, the Moon Clan quickly launched another attack.
Unfortunately, after losing their source of manpower, they gradually felt a sense of inadequacy.
Let alone breaking through the Uchiha's blockade, just avoiding a counterattack would be a pretty good thing.
After a month of effort, the Uchiha finally regained the upper hand and began to attempt a full-scale offensive against the enemy.
Just then, something unexpected happened.
The Fūma, who had defected, suddenly turned their guns on the Moon Clan.
"These bastards!" Ōtsutsuki Sugito roared in fury; what he hated most was being betrayed by others.
Of course, he never intended to keep his promise.
Once the Uchiha and Senju are destroyed, the Fūma will have no chance of escaping.
Without corpses to build up their army, and with no supplies to replenish their ranks, the Moon Clan was gradually reaching its Dead End.
Seeing this, Ōtsutsuki Sugito finally stopped hesitating and prepared to go to the battlefield himself, using his own strength to carve out a path to survival for his people.
His eyes shone with a brilliant sky-blue light; his Tenseigan was about to end its embryonic stage, meaning he would be able to use more power.
However, it seems that it may be too late to use it on the battlefield.
"It's alright. With the power I possess now, no one in the Shinobi World can stop me."
"I am now invincible!"