Mito Uzumaki's displeasure

In the end, the Senju father and his two sons still left.

Tajima could not defeat Butsuma, and the strength Hashirama unleashed was astonishing.

Even the clan leader could find no fault with the two of them, though he knew perfectly well that Kyosuke and Madara had not fought with all their strength.

"Hmph. Let's head back."

It was clear that Tajima Uchiha was deeply dissatisfied.

That also reflected the threat the entire Uchiha Clan now faced.

Perhaps he did not want his son rekindling his friendship with the other boy. The moment they returned to camp, the clan leader ordered the two of them to depart immediately.

"Don't push yourselves unnecessarily." Before they left, Tajima patiently reminded them, "Uzumaki Ashina is terrifyingly powerful. As you are now, you're no match for him."

"Remember, you must keep yourselves safe."

"Yes!"

The Southern Border Army led by Kyosuke took the lead, while the main force Madara Uchiha had trained brought up the rear.

The force of nearly five hundred shinobi marched toward the Western Front in a grand procession.

"Madara." Finding the perpetually distracted Dance King, Kyosuke decided to talk him through it. "What, still haven't gotten over your disappointment?"

"Hmph. Don't think I don't know you were perfectly capable of taking that Senju brat hostage," Madara shot back indignantly.

He had been unwilling to fight his friend, but hadn't Kyosuke held back too?

If Kyosuke wanted to needle him with words, he still had a long way to go.

Beside him, Kyosuke looked a little dumbfounded. They had been talking just fine. Why had Madara suddenly gotten so prickly?

Did I flip some kind of switch?

After several seconds of silence, Madara hesitated, then decided to speak honestly.

Perhaps Kyosuke was the only person he could pour his heart out to.

"Do you think that dream still has a chance of coming true?" The Dance King looked utterly lost.

What he wanted was not a village, but a place where his brother and his clansmen could live safely.

As long as Izuna was safe and children no longer had to go to war at such a young age, his wish would be fulfilled.

It was such a humble wish that it hardly seemed to belong to Madara Uchiha.

But the Madara Uchiha of this moment was not yet the hundred-year-old man clinging to life in an underground cavern.

Still so very young, he was really just an ambitious young man who struggled to express his feelings.

Otherwise, he would never have become friends with Hashirama.

Unfortunately, in the dog-eat-dog Warring States Period, his wish was about as difficult to achieve as the unification of the Five Great Nations.

War never ceased. Even if the Uchiha and Senju united one day, the threat of the other four nations would remain.

Wars between nations would only be more brutal.

Even if they found a way to eliminate the conflicts between nations in the future, Black Zetsu would not let matters rest. He would inevitably keep stirring up strife between people.

When that happened, the Land of Fire would inevitably be dragged into it.

Fine, even if they joined forces then and utterly defeated Ōtsutsuki Kaguya, other threats would still lurk in the shadows.

Sooner or later, the Ōtsutsuki from across the universe would arrive.

It would not take many. Just ten enemies on the level of Kaguya and Isshiki would be enough to destroy the entire planet.

Peace?

How could it be that easy?

Kyosuke could not explain any of this to the Dance King, but he could offer his opinion on the village.

"Don't worry. The village will be established sooner or later." Under Madara's delighted gaze, Kyosuke said calmly, "Exactly when depends on when you and Hashirama take power."

"Once you have complete control over the Uchiha and your position as clan leader is secure, you can even marry Hashirama if you want."

Madara frowned in confusion at that. "You're talking nonsense again. But you have a point. I hope that idiot can figure this out too."

"You mean Hashirama?" Kyosuke spoke pointedly. "He's much smarter than you think."

"Madara, you're the real idiot."

The Land of Fire, the Western Front, the Uzumaki Clan's forward base.

"Father!"

Inside the tent, the red-haired Uzumaki Ashina was reading documents.

He was in his prime now, not yet the white-haired old man he would later become.

Normally, members of the Uzumaki Clan lived far longer than ordinary people. Even near death, their hair generally would not turn noticeably white.

Clearly, there must have been more to Uzumaki Ashina's death. It was very likely related to some of the Sealing Jutsu he was researching.

For example... a method for sealing Tailed Beasts.

Or... creating sealing practitioners connected to the Shinigami.

Of course, all of that was research he conducted in private, almost entirely unknown to outsiders.

For Uzumaki Ashina, his biggest headache at present was how to send away the furious girl standing before him.

Seeing her father's attention wander, the girl slapped the desk hard, nearly overturning it.

The girl had delicate features, with her long red hair tied into a pair of buns and a crown-like ornament on her head.

As her hair swayed, the Diamond Mark on her forehead was visible.

She was the Princess of the Land of Whirlpools, Mito Uzumaki.

"Father!" Mito barked fiercely, taking out an intelligence report and almost shoving it into his face.

"The reinforcements sent by the Uchiha are about to arrive."

"Oh." Uzumaki Ashina nodded indifferently, looking entirely untroubled.

He was the powerful man who had founded the Land of Whirlpools, the greatest master of Sealing Jutsu of this era... no, of the past thousand years.

What was there to worry about over two brats who had barely been weaned?

If he had time for that, he would be better off continuing to refine his Adamantine Sealing Jutsu.

Seeing her father's complete lack of concern, the fuming Mito soon turned and left. She felt that her father had become far too arrogant.

The Uchiha were such formidable opponents that no amount of caution was excessive.

Having chosen to enter the war, the Uzumaki Clan had to give it everything they had.

Only by forging the closest possible alliance with the Senju could they ensure the Land of Whirlpools remained safe and prosperous for generations.

First, they had to eliminate the Uchiha completely. That was the prerequisite for the two sides to form a defensive alliance.

To Mito, her father's current laxness was a betrayal of their word.

Butsuma Senju was no saint. If they offended him, the Land of Whirlpools would be in a precarious position.

No, I have to do something.

Accustomed to taking the initiative, Mito decided to go to the front herself and meet the two commanders who were about her age.

"Really, the Uchiha must be running out of people. Just anyone can become an army commander now."

Clearly, the young girl did not believe those two had any genuine ability.

Rumors?

They were just meant to fool idiots. Without inventing a few geniuses, how could Tajima Uchiha smoothly hand over power?

In the end, it was all just the usual tricks clans used to pass power down.

"I, Mito Uzumaki, will expose them for what they really are."

The young girl tossed her hair buns and set off with her Personal Guard.