Uzumaki Mito's Dissatisfaction

In the end, the three Senju father and sons still departed.

Tajma could not defeat Butsuma, while Hashirama's sudden burst of strength was astonishing.

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

"Hmph. Let's go back."

It was clear that Uchiha Tajma was deeply unwilling to accept this.

It also reflected just what kind of threat the Uchiha Clan was facing now.

Perhaps unwilling to let his son rekindle old feelings with the other side, the clan chief ordered the two of them to depart immediately upon returning to camp.

"Don't force yourselves in anything." Before they left, Tajma patiently instructed them, "Uzumaki Ashina is terrifyingly strong. You are no match for him yet."

"Remember, you must ensure your own safety."

"Yes!"

Kyosuke's Southern Army Corps took the lead, while the main force trained by Uchiha Madara brought up the rear.

The ninja force of nearly five hundred marched grandly toward the western battlefield.

"Madara." Finding the Dance King still absentminded, Kyosuke decided to talk him through it. "What, still not over your disappointment?"

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

He himself had been unwilling to fight his friend, but had Kyosuke not held back as well?

If Kyosuke wanted to needle him with words, he was still far too green.

Beside him, Kyosuke was slightly dumbfounded. They had been talking just fine, so why had he suddenly become tsundere?

Had he triggered some kind of switch?

After several seconds of silence, Madara hesitated before deciding to speak frankly.

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 some village, but an environment where his younger brother and clansmen could live safely.

As long as Izuna was safe and children did not have to go to war at such a young age, his wish would be fulfilled.

It was such a humble wish, one that seemed like it should not belong to Uchiha Madara.

However, the Uchiha Madara of this moment was not yet that hundred-year-old man lingering in a cave.

Still far too young, he was really just an ambitious youth who was poor at expressing his feelings.

Otherwise, he would never have become friends with Hashirama.

Unfortunately, in the Warring States Period, his wish was about as difficult as unifying the five great nations.

War never ceased. Even if the Uchiha and Senju joined forces one day, the other four nations would still pose a threat.

Wars between nations would only be even more brutal.

Even if they found a way in the future to eliminate the conflicts between nations, Black Zetsu would not let the matter rest. It would surely continue stirring up strife between people.

When that time came, the Land of Fire would inevitably be drawn in.

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

Sooner or later, the Otsutsuki Clan from the cosmos would arrive.

There was no need for too many of them. Just ten enemies on Kaguya and Isshiki's level would be enough to destroy the entire world.

Peace?

How could it possibly be that easy?

Kyosuke could not say these things to the Dance King, but he could offer his thoughts on the matter of the village.

"Don't worry. A village will be established sooner or later." Under Madara's delighted gaze, Kyosuke said calmly, "The exact timing depends on when you and Hashirama can seize real power."

"Once you have complete control of the Uchiha Clan and sit firmly in the clan chief's seat, you can even marry Hashirama if you want."

Madara frowned in confusion at those words. "You're talking nonsense again, but you have a point. I just hope that idiot can figure it out too."

"You mean Hashirama?" Kyosuke said meaningfully. "He's much smarter than you think."

"Madara, the real idiot is you."

Land of Fire, western battlefield, Uzumaki Clan's forward base before the battle.

"Father!"

Inside the tent, Uzumaki Ashina, his head covered in red hair, was reading documents.

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

Under normal circumstances, members of the Uzumaki Clan lived far longer than ordinary people. Even when nearing death, they generally did not show obvious signs of graying hair.

Clearly, there was another reason behind Uzumaki Ashina's death, most likely related to several sealing jutsu he had researched.

For example, the Tailed Beast Sealing Method.

Or the sealing jutsu that created seal masters connected to the Death God.

Of course, those were all studies he conducted in secret, and outsiders were almost entirely unaware of them.

For Uzumaki Ashina, the most troublesome issue at the moment was how to send away the furious young woman before him.

Seeing that her father was somewhat distracted, the girl slammed the desk hard, nearly overturning it altogether.

The girl had delicate features. Her long red hair was tied into two buns, and she wore an ornament resembling a crown atop her head.

As her hair swayed, the diamond-shaped mark on her forehead could be seen.

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

"Father!" Mito roared fiercely, producing an intelligence report and nearly shoving it into her father's face.

"The Uchiha reinforcements are about to arrive."

"Oh." Uzumaki Ashina nodded indifferently, looking utterly unconcerned.

He was the powerful figure who had founded the Land of Whirlpools, the greatest sealing jutsu master of the current era—no, of the past thousand years.

What was there to pay special attention to about two brats who had not even been weaned?

Rather than waste time on that, he might as well continue perfecting the sealing jutsu of Adamantine Sealing Chains.

Seeing her father's unconcerned attitude, the fuming Mito quickly turned and left. She felt that her father had become far too arrogant and conceited.

The Uchiha Clan was such a powerful opponent that no amount of caution would be excessive.

Since the Uzumaki Clan had chosen to intervene in the war, it had to give everything it had.

Only by forming the deepest possible alliance with the Senju could the Land of Whirlpools ensure peace and security for generations.

First, the Uchiha Clan had to be completely eliminated. That was the prerequisite for the two sides to form an offensive and defensive alliance.

To Mito, her father's current slackness was a form of betrayal.

After all, Senju Butsuma was no kind-hearted man. Offending him would leave the Land of Whirlpools in a precarious position.

"No, I have to do something."

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

"Come to think of it, the Uchiha Clan really must be out of people if just anyone can become a corps-level commander."

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

Rumors?

They were merely meant to fool idiots. If he did not fabricate a few geniuses, how else could Uchiha Tajma smoothly complete the transfer of power?

In the end, it was just a common method of family succession.

"I, Uzumaki Mito, will expose their true colors."

The young girl tossed her twin buns and set off with her personal guard.