What adult gets angry at a child?

At the entrance to Konohagakure.

Ōnoki, only 12 years old, couldn't help but feel a little nervous.

The Land of Earth's Iwagakure, as the second great hidden village established after Konoha, naturally received much attention.

As early as half a month ago, the First Tsuchikage, Ishikawa, had received a letter from the Hokage, Hashirama Senju.

Inviting him to represent Iwagakure and Konohagakure in an alliance.

Ishikawa didn't agree rashly. The Warring States Period had ended less than a year ago, and the hidden villages of the other three great nations had not yet been established.

Being too hasty in forming an alliance wouldn't be a good thing; it might even provoke a joint opposition from the other three great nations and a host of smaller countries.

But this was an invitation from the God of Shinobi, Hashirama Senju. Tsuchikage Ishikawa had to take it seriously.

Therefore.

Iwagakure decided to send envoys to visit Konohagakure first.

To test what kind of capabilities these so-called "Twin Heroes of the Warring States" actually possessed, and whether they were worth Iwagakure risking an alliance with.

As the Tsuchikage, Ishikawa, having just established his village, naturally couldn't take such risks.

He then dispatched his disciple, Mu, and his grandson, Ōnoki, as envoys to visit Konoha.

"Master, is this Konohagakure?"

"Mm. It's my first time here too. It looks like it's already well-established. As expected of the first hidden village!" Mu sighed slightly.

Compared to Iwagakure, which was still under intense construction, Konoha, having been established for nearly a year, indeed appeared much more prosperous. It already had the semblance of a small town.

"The resources here are amazing! All these forests, how convenient would it be to build houses!"

Ōnoki said enviously.

Unlike the Land of Earth, where most of the region was rocky desert.

To build a village, they had to transport lumber from very far away, which was exhausting and expensive. It was too difficult.

"The Land of Fire is blessed with natural advantages, its geographical location is indeed superior."

"But there's no need to be envious. A comfortable environment only breeds laziness. Ninjas lacking the Stone Will are destined not to last long."

Mu patted Ōnoki's head to comfort him.

Although he also envied the Land of Fire's abundance, as a teacher, he couldn't boost the morale of others at this moment.

"Mm, I will work hard to inherit the Stone Will!"

"Also, Master, what kind of person is the legendary God of Shinobi, Hashirama Senju?"

Mu paused. "He is a very strong ninja. Perhaps there is no ninja stronger than him? You'll know when we meet him later."

"What about Madara Uchiha? Aren't they saying he's the only ninja who can rival Hashirama Senju?"

"I'm not sure about that, I haven't met him either. However, we might get to witness it today. Testing the strength of these two is also one of the goals of our visit to Konoha."

Ōnoki's heart was pounding, but he still mustered the courage to respond.

"I, I will do my best!"

Soon.

After verifying their identities, Konoha ninjas led the two into the village.

And headed straight for the Hokage Building, where they met the renowned God of Shinobi, Hashirama Senju.

The meeting lasted for nearly two hours.

Mu, representing Iwagakure, and Tobirama, representing Konoha, exchanged opinions fully, sharing much experience regarding the construction of the One Country, One Village ninja system, and engaged in in-depth discussions on the matter of their alliance...

Although no concrete agreements or commitments were reached.

Both sides were generally quite satisfied.

On Konoha's side: they learned about the general situation of the Land of Earth and Iwagakure, confirmed the superiority of the One Country, One Village system, greatly consolidated the confidence of the various clans within their own village, strengthened Konoha's cohesion, and gained the prestige of being the first hidden village.

On Iwagakure's side: they confirmed the feasibility of the ninja system from Konoha, gauged Konoha's strategic inclinations, and determined they had no intention of aggression, genuinely seeking an alliance for peace. This was enough for Iwagakure to save significant resources for development, rather than constantly maintaining troops on alert and guarding against Konoha.

This alone made the trip worthwhile.

Afterward.

Mu and Ōnoki were arranged to rest at an inn.

"Master, that Lord Hashirama seems different from what I imagined?"

"What did you imagine?"

"To earn the title of God of Shinobi, I thought he would be a very ferocious and terrifying fellow..."

Ōnoki was somewhat surprised. He really hadn't expected Hashirama Senju to be like that.

Not only did he lack the dignity of a Hokage, but he was even a bit goofy.

Throughout the entire meeting, it was almost entirely Tobirama who took the lead. It felt like he was the real Hokage.

"Ōnoki, don't judge someone's threat level based solely on their appearance or demeanor."

"Hashirama Senju is far more terrifying than you can imagine!"

"He's a monster capable of single-handedly destroying an entire country!"

Without even needing to fight, Mu could sense the man's terror.

Once the battle began, he knew he stood no chance of winning.

Unless he could instantly unleash the Earth Release: Frontier Pruning Technique and hit Hashirama.

But that was impossible, or at least extremely unlikely...

After all, the Earth Release required a long charge-up time, and it was impossible to dodge Hashirama Senju's senses.

And that guy, Tobirama Senju, was no simple matter either, with terrifying sensory abilities. They would likely be easily sensed and locked onto by him before they even set foot in Konohagakure.

With that in mind, what was the point of a sneak attack?

It would be a miracle if they weren't the ones being ambushed!

"Huh? Is Lord Hashirama really, really that powerful?"

"Much more powerful than you think!"

"Grandpa... can the Tsuchikage defeat him?"

"Uh... it's difficult."

"Then, will I have a chance to defeat him in the future?"

"Yes, there's a possibility!"

Mu said, deliberately comforting him, not wanting to crush his disciple's confidence.

No matter how hard the Stone Will was, it couldn't withstand being poked by an electric drill!

"Master, what do we do next?"

"Rest."

"And then?"

"We'll find an opportunity to visit Madara Uchiha again."

The power of the Senju Clan had already made the various hidden villages uneasy and secretly wary.

Let alone Konoha, which was established by the alliance of the Senju and the Uchiha.

Iwagakure's visit, besides wanting to probe Konoha's strategic leanings, also aimed to understand just how strong Madara, who could rival Hashirama, truly was.

Even to understand what their relationship was like.

Was there any possibility of driving a wedge between them and exploiting it?

Without clarifying this, Iwagakure couldn't sleep soundly!

Of course, this had to be done in secret, without anyone knowing their intention to disrupt the relationship between the Uchiha and the Senju.

For this reason, Mu, with his exceptional stealth abilities, was the best choice...

Night fell.

After dinner.

Mu, with Ōnoki, left the inn and headed towards the Uchiha Clan's shrine.

In response to the overwhelming requests from readers, we are now introducing a VIP ad-free feature.

Click to view.

They were preparing to visit and probe Madara Uchiha, who was famed alongside Hashirama.

Madara, however, had been waiting there for a long time.

"Waiting" was perhaps an exaggeration; he was merely bored and waiting.

He also took the opportunity to reorganize the Uchiha Clan.

He returned the secret techniques, wealth, Sharingan, and other supplies he had prepared for leaving Konoha back to the clan.

He also shared the good news that he had secured the position of Second Hokage in advance.

Instantly, the entire Uchiha Clan rejoiced.

They immediately hung lanterns and streamers, feasted, and drank, creating a lively atmosphere.

Only Madara, after a brief period of appeasement and engagement, quietly left the banquet.

He came to the shrine, quietly awaiting the envoys from Iwagakure.

"Lord Madara, I am Mu, the bodyguard of the First Tsuchikage, here to visit Konoha on behalf of Iwagakure. This is my disciple, Ōnoki of Both Scales."

Mu introduced himself and greeted Madara, and Ōnoki quickly bowed.

"Greetings, Lord Madara!"

Madara snorted, "Are you two the only ones Iwagakure sent? Is the First Tsuchikage, Ishikawa, afraid to come?"

"The Tsuchikage is busy with state affairs and truly cannot spare the time."

"A flimsy excuse, you're just afraid of dying. That's why you sent the two of you kids to scout ahead, right?"

Ōnoki was anxious, unwilling to see his respected grandfather slandered.

"No, that's not it! The Tsuchikage is very strong. I also wanted to come and see Konoha for myself!"

"Heh! Kid, do you even know what strength is?"

Madara chuckled, arms crossed.

He didn't dislike brats who didn't know their place, and he didn't mind teaching them a lesson.

"Strength isn't just about power; it requires an unyielding will! Power without will isn't strength at all."

"Meaningless sophistry. In the face of absolute power, all else is an illusion!" Madara scoffed disdainfully, his voice filled with arrogance.

Seeing that the time was right, Mu immediately pleaded, "Lord Madara, could you allow us to witness the power of the Uchiha?"

"With your meager strength, you think you're worthy of witnessing the Uchiha's power? You don't even qualify to be allies!"

"Why?"

"It shouldn't be like this. Lord Hashirama already agreed to an alliance..."

Ōnoki grew anxious again. Being so young and naive, he couldn't comprehend Madara's mindset at all.

Nor could he guess Madara's true intentions.

"There is no alliance. Submit to Konoha's power!"

"Susanoo!"

Madara's Three Tomoe Sharingan instantly transformed into a Mangekyo, and he unleashed the first form of Susanoo.

This form was a half-skeletal body, lacking the flesh exterior of the full Susanoo.

This form of Susanoo wasn't overwhelmingly strong, but it depended on who wielded it. The first form of Susanoo unleashed by Madara, even if just for show, was enough to crush most Kage-level shinobi.

Moreover, Mu and Ōnoki were still too young. One had just reached Kage-level, and the other was a mere 12 years old, not even promoted to Chunin yet.

How could they possibly contend with Madara?

The next moment.

Susanoo merely let out a roar and a wave of its hand.

It unleashed a massive explosion, sending Mu and Ōnoki flying simultaneously, crashing heavily dozens of meters away.

Of course, this was merely a lesson from Madara; he didn't intend to kill Ōnoki.

Not laying a deadly hand on children was one of Madara's few bottom lines.

However, Ōnoki staggered to his feet, recalling the teachings of the First Tsuchikage, his eyes flashing with the firm resolve of the Stone Will.

"Looks like you still want to dance?"

"But you're still too green..."

Madara glared at Ōnoki, activating his Sharingan genjutsu.

Ōnoki instantly lost consciousness and collapsed to the ground.

Without sufficient strength, one's so-called will was utterly worthless against the Sharingan's genjutsu.

Just then.

The fallen Ōnoki suddenly disappeared, as if rescued by someone.

It was clearly Mu, who had activated the ninjutsu Dustless Concealment, concealing his presence and chakra, and hastily moved Ōnoki away.

"The legendary Susanoo? Lord Madara's power is indeed astonishing!"

Mu's voice echoed from the darkness. His stealth abilities, nearly unparalleled in the Ninja World, were the very reason Mu dared to visit Konoha.

"Not bad stealth."

"But you don't think these little tricks will allow you to escape me, do you?"

Madara offered rare praise, his gaze fixed on the depths of the dark night ahead, having already locked onto Mu's location.

For a top-tier powerhouse like him, Mu's stealth abilities were merely child's play.

Escape might have some effect, but getting any closer would make it impossible to hide from Madara's senses.

Mu was forced out of stealth, facing Madara directly.

However, he still dared not meet Madara's Mangekyo Sharingan gaze, fearing he would be trapped by genjutsu.

"We have deeply understood Lord Madara's power. For the sake of friendship between Iwagakure and Konoha, we implore Lord Madara to stop here."

He couldn't win, so he couldn't win. After testing Madara's strength, Mu immediately conceded, offering an olive branch.

"Oh? And why should I?"

"Lord Madara is not a bloodthirsty person, is he? The fact that you were willing to spare Ōnoki proves it. We are very grateful for your mercy."

Mu knew he had gambled correctly.

Since they dared to test Madara, Iwagakure must have thoroughly gathered intelligence on him.

They had determined Madara's modus operandi and his killing threshold, making it highly probable he wouldn't target children.

That's why they brought such a young Ōnoki on this diplomatic mission. While bringing a disciple on an adventure was a bit unscrupulous, for the sake of the fledgling Iwagakure, some risks had to be taken!

Fortunately, it seemed their gamble had paid off.

This arrogant Uchiha Madara truly disdained getting serious with a child.

Otherwise, Ōnoki would have died dozens of times over by now!

Madara frowned, displeased. "You think you understand me very well?"

"No, no, no, I just don't want the conflict to escalate further," Mu quickly retorted.

If things had gone according to the original plot, after such a probing, Madara would most likely have let Ōnoki and the other one go.

Unfortunately, the plot had long since been rewritten, and Madara had no intention of letting Iwagakure off the hook easily.

"Foolish fellow, I won't kill you."

"At least not right now..."

"Get lost."

"Tell Ishikawa that I will personally visit Iwagakure in three days."

"If you don't even have the strength to contend with me, then there's no point in an alliance."

"Iwagakure will then be utterly annihilated!"