What Kind of Adult Would Get Angry at a Child?

At that moment, at the entrance to Konoha.

Twelve-year-old Ōnoki couldn't help feeling a little nervous.

As the second great nation to establish a hidden village after Konoha, the Land of Earth and Iwagakure naturally attracted a great deal of attention.

Half a month earlier, First Tsuchikage Ishikawa had received a letter from Hashirama Senju, the Hokage.

Hashirama had invited him to represent Iwagakure and form an alliance with Konohagakure.

Ishikawa hadn't agreed rashly. The Warring States Period had ended less than a year ago, and the hidden villages of the other three great nations had yet to be established.

Rushing into an alliance wasn't necessarily a good idea. It might even provoke the other three great nations and a number of smaller countries into joining forces against them.

But this was an invitation from Hashirama Senju, the God of Shinobi. Tsuchikage Ishikawa had no choice but to take it seriously.

So...

Iwagakure decided to send envoys to visit Konohagakure first.

They would test how capable the so-called Warring States' Twin Heroes really were and decide whether Iwagakure should risk forming an alliance with them.

As Tsuchikage, Ishikawa had only just established the village. He couldn't afford to take risks himself.

That was why he sent his disciple Mu and his grandson Ōnoki to visit Konoha as envoys.

"Master, is this Konohagakure?"

"Mm. It's my first time here too. It looks like they've already built quite a bit. No wonder they're the foremost Ninja Village!" Mu remarked with a faint sigh.

Compared to Iwagakure, which was still being built at full speed, Konoha had been established for nearly a year and was indeed much more prosperous. At the very least, it already looked like a small town.

"The resources here are amazing! All these forests—building houses must be so easy!"

Ōnoki said enviously.

Unlike the Land of Earth, where most of the territory was rocky wasteland.

To build a village, they had to transport lumber from far away. It cost money and wore people out. It was miserable.

"The Land of Fire is blessed by nature. Its location really is advantageous."

"But there's no need to envy them. A comfortable environment only breeds lazy people. Shinobi without the Stone Will are doomed not to last."

Mu patted Ōnoki on the head to comfort him.

Though he was also envious of the Land of Fire's abundance, as a teacher he couldn't exactly encourage his student to admire the other side.

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

"By the way, Master, what kind of person is Hashirama Senju, the God of Shinobi everyone talks about?"

Mu paused. "He's an extremely powerful shinobi. Perhaps there's no one stronger than him. You'll see for yourself soon."

"What about Madara Uchiha? Isn't he supposed to be the only shinobi who can match Hashirama Senju?"

"I'm not sure. I've never met him. But perhaps we'll get to see him today. Testing the strength of those two is one of the reasons for our visit to Konoha."

Ōnoki felt uneasy, but he still gathered his courage and answered.

"I-I'll do my best!"

Soon...

After verifying their identities, the Konoha shinobi led the two of them into the village.

They went straight to the Hokage Building, where they met the renowned God of Shinobi, Hashirama Senju.

The meeting lasted nearly two hours.

Mu represented Iwagakure, while Tobirama represented Konoha. They exchanged views at length, shared plenty of experience on establishing a One Country, One Village system, and held in-depth discussions about forming an alliance...

Although they didn't reach any concrete agreements or make any formal commitments.

Both sides were generally satisfied.

Konoha had learned about the overall situation in the Land of Earth and Iwagakure, confirmed the advantages of the One Country, One Village system, greatly strengthened the confidence of the various clans in the village, boosted Konoha's unity, and gained the prestige of being the foremost Ninja Village.

Iwagakure had confirmed the viability of the hidden-village system through Konoha and discovered that Konoha's strategic intentions were not aggressive. Konoha genuinely sought peace through an alliance. This would allow Iwagakure to save substantial resources for development instead of keeping troops on alert against Konoha at all times.

That alone made the trip worthwhile.

Afterward...

Ōnoki and Mu were assigned rooms at an inn to rest.

"Master, Lord Hashirama seems different from what I imagined."

"What did you imagine?"

"Since he earned the title God of Shinobi, I thought he'd be a really vicious, terrifying guy..."

Ōnoki was rather surprised. He hadn't expected Hashirama Senju to be like that at all.

He had none of a Hokage's dignity. If anything, he seemed a little goofy.

During the whole meeting, Tobirama had done almost all the talking. He seemed more like the real Hokage.

"Ōnoki, don't judge how dangerous someone is by their appearance or demeanor."

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

"He's a monster who could wipe out an entire country by himself!"

Mu could sense how terrifying that man was without even fighting him.

If war broke out, Mu had no chance of winning.

Unless he could hit Hashirama with Dust Release: World of Emptiness Devouring Technique the instant he used it.

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

Dust Release took too long to charge, and there was no way it could escape Hashirama Senju's perception.

Besides, the man called Tobirama Senju was no pushover either. His perception was frightening. The two of them had probably been detected and locked onto by him before they'd even entered Konoha.

With that kind of surveillance, how could they possibly launch a sneak attack?

They'd be lucky not to get ambushed themselves!

"W-what? Is Lord Hashirama really that powerful?"

"Far more powerful than you think!"

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

"Uh... It'd be difficult."

"Could I defeat him someday?"

"You could. It's possible!"

Mu deliberately reassured him, not wanting to undermine his disciple's confidence.

No matter how firm the Stone Will was, it couldn't withstand a power drill.

"Master, what should we do next?"

"Rest."

"And after that?"

"Look for a chance to pay Madara Uchiha another visit."

The Senju Clan's strength had already made the other hidden villages uneasy and wary.

And Konoha had been founded by the Senju and Uchiha working together.

Aside from testing Konoha's strategic intentions, Iwagakure had also come to find out just how strong Madara was—the one said to rival Hashirama.

They also wanted to learn what kind of relationship the two men had.

Was there any chance of driving a wedge between them and exploiting the rift?

Until they figured that out, no one in Iwagakure would be able to sleep soundly!

Of course, they had to do it in secret. They couldn't let anyone know they intended to undermine the relationship between the Uchiha and the Senju.

For that, Mu—with his exceptional Stealth Ability—was the perfect choice...

Night fell.

After dinner...

Mu took Ōnoki out of the inn and headed for the Uchiha Clan's Shrine.

They planned to pay a visit to and test Madara Uchiha, the man as famous as Hashirama.

Madara had been waiting there for some time.

Or rather, he'd just been bored and waiting around.

While he was at it, he'd also taken the opportunity to sort out the Uchiha Clan.

He'd returned to the clan all the supplies he'd prepared in case he left Konoha: secret techniques, money, Sharingan, and the like.

He'd also given the clan the good news that he'd already secured the position of Second Hokage for himself.

The entire Uchiha Clan was overjoyed.

They immediately decorated the place, held a feast, and drank late into the night.

Only Madara slipped away from the banquet after briefly soothing and indulging them.

He went to the Shrine and waited quietly for Iwagakure's envoys.

"Lord Madara, I'm Mu, a guard of First Tsuchikage Ishikawa. I've come to visit Konoha on Iwagakure's behalf. This is my disciple, Ōnoki of Both Scales."

Mu introduced himself and greeted Madara. Ōnoki hurriedly followed with a bow.

"Greetings, Lord Madara!"

Madara gave a cold snort. "Did Iwagakure only send you two? Was that First Tsuchikage Ishikawa afraid to come?"

"The Tsuchikage is busy with official duties and couldn't spare the time."

"A poor excuse. He's just afraid of dying. He sent two brats to scout ahead, didn't he?"

Ōnoki grew flustered. He couldn't stand hearing someone insult his beloved grandfather.

"That's not true! The Tsuchikage is very strong. And I wanted to come see Konoha for myself!"

"Heh! Brat, do you even know what it means to be strong?"

Madara folded his arms and chuckled.

He didn't dislike brats who didn't know their place. Nor did he mind teaching them a lesson.

"Strength isn't just power. It also takes unwavering will! Power without will isn't strength at all."

"What a pointless argument. In the face of absolute power, everything else is an illusion!" Madara said proudly, with disdain.

Seeing an opportunity...

Mu immediately asked, "Lord Madara, could you let us witness the Uchiha's power?"

"With strength like yours, you think you deserve to witness the Uchiha's power? You're not even qualified to be our allies!"

"Why not?"

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

Ōnoki grew flustered again. He was too young and inexperienced to understand Madara's way of thinking.

He couldn't guess Madara's real intentions either.

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

"Susanoo!"

Madara's Three Tomoe Sharingan instantly transformed into the Mangekyō Sharingan, and he manifested Susanoo's first form.

It was a half-bodied skeleton, without the layer of flesh enveloping it.

That form of Susanoo wasn't especially powerful—but it depended on who was using it. Even if Madara was just playing around, his first-form Susanoo was enough to crush most Kage Level shinobi.

And Mu and Ōnoki were far too young. One had only just reached Kage Level, while the other was barely twelve and hadn't even become a Chunin.

How could they possibly stand against Madara?

The very next moment...

Susanoo let out a roar and swung its arm.

A massive explosion erupted, blasting Mu and Ōnoki away and slamming them to the ground dozens of meters away.

Of course, Madara was only teaching them a lesson. He had no intention of killing Ōnoki.

Not killing children was one of Madara's few lines he wouldn't cross.

But Ōnoki staggered to his feet, recalling the First Tsuchikage's teachings. The steadfast Stone Will gleamed in his eyes.

"So, you still want to dance?"

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

Madara glared at Ōnoki and activated his Sharingan Genjutsu.

Ōnoki immediately lost consciousness and collapsed.

Without sufficient strength, so-called will was worthless against Sharingan Genjutsu.

Just then...

Ōnoki, who had been lying on the ground, suddenly disappeared, as if someone had rescued him.

It was clearly Mu. He had used Dustless Concealment to hide himself and his Chakra, then hurriedly moved Ōnoki.

"The legendary Susanoo? Lord Madara's power really is incredible!"

Mu's voice came from the darkness. His Stealth Ability, among the best in the Ninja World, was the reason he dared to visit Konoha.

"Not bad stealth."

"But don't tell me you think a little trick like that can hide from me?"

Madara gave him a rare word of praise as he looked into the darkness ahead, having already pinpointed Mu's location.

To an elite like him, Mu's Stealth Ability was only good for show.

It might help him escape. But if he came even a little closer, he couldn't avoid Madara's perception.

Forced out of hiding, Mu faced Madara.

But he still didn't dare look into Madara's Mangekyō Sharingan, afraid of being ensnared by Genjutsu.

"We've gained a deep understanding of Lord Madara's power. For the sake of friendship between Iwagakure and Konoha, please let this matter rest."

If he couldn't win, he couldn't win. Having tested Madara's strength, Mu immediately backed down and tried to make peace.

"Oh? And why should I?"

"Lord Madara isn't a warmonger, is he? The fact that you spared Ōnoki proves it. We're very grateful for your mercy."

Mu knew he'd made the right bet.

Since Iwagakure had dared to test Madara, they had certainly gathered extensive intelligence on him.

They had confirmed Madara's usual conduct and his limits when it came to killing. Most likely, he wouldn't harm children.

That was why they had sent such an inexperienced Ōnoki to visit. It was a little heartless to risk bringing a student along, but for Iwagakure, a village still in its infancy, some risks had to be taken!

Fortunately, it looked like they'd made the right bet.

This proud Uchiha Madara truly didn't consider a child worth taking seriously.

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

Madara furrowed his brow, looking displeased. "You think you know me so well?"

"No, no! I just don't want this conflict to escalate any further," Mu hurriedly explained.

In the original story, after such a test, Madara would most likely have chosen to let Ōnoki and Mu go.

Unfortunately, the story had long since changed, and Madara had no intention of letting Iwagakure off so easily.

"You fools, I won't kill you."

"At least, not right now..."

"Get out of here."

"Tell Ishikawa I'll personally visit Iwagakure in three days."

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

"Then Iwagakure can be wiped out completely!"