The Cry of Black Zetsu

Seeing that the two had no intention of leaving, Tajima frowned and asked in a deep voice, "Is there anything else to report?"

Kosuke steeled himself and immediately stepped forward. "Clan Head, I wish to keep the Uzumaki Princess."

"Hmm?" Tajima's eyes narrowed instantly. His tone was no longer calm, but filled with authority. "Give me your reason!"

Tajima stared at the 1.5-meter-tall youth before him, his mind involuntarily drifting to the old Clan Head who had personally handed the position of Clan Head to him.

"I want her to teach me Sealing Technique."

Kosuke blurted it out without a second thought.

"Teach you Sealing Technique, huh..."

The imposing aura around Tajima quietly receded.

He did not agree immediately, but after a moment of thought, he turned his questioning gaze toward Madara, who stood to the side.

Noticing his father's questioning look, a rare, mysterious smile appeared on Madara's usually cold expression.

He proceeded to shake his head and nod in quick succession.

This is...

Before long, Tajima seemed to understand what Madara was trying to convey and immediately agreed to Kosuke's request.

At the same time, he demanded that she must not appear in the public eye.

"Thank you, Clan Head."

As Kosuke bowed and exited the tent, Tajima and Madara keenly noticed the slight upward curve of his lips.

"Madara, you should go as well. Hand the two Uzumaki ninjas over to the Intelligence Division, and be careful to conceal their identities on the way."

"Yes, Father."

Watching Ban's departing back, Tajima's mind flashed back to Kosuke's earlier expression, and he couldn't help but wear a gratified smile.

"Old Clan Head, you really used the position of Clan Head to trade for a granddaughter-in-law for your family, and she's even a princess of the Uzumaki clan."

"Tsk tsk tsk tsk, this deal... your family made a massive profit."

Speaking of which, he thought of Madara, who was expressionless all day long.

It seemed he didn't have such thoughts; he wore an arrogant expression in front of everyone.

He then thought of Izuna, who was much better, unlike his brother Madara, who was like a block of iron. It was exhausting.

"Someone come!"

The Personal Guard's figure appeared silently at the spot where Kosuke and Madara had just been standing, dropping to one knee.

"Take this scroll back to the clan and deliver it to Uchiha Aoba."

"Yes, Clan Head."

The Personal Guard rose quickly, taking the scroll Tajima had just finished writing.

"On your way out, notify the elders to come for a meeting."

"Yes."

With a flicker, the Personal Guard vanished from Tajima's sight.

At this moment, Kosuke brought Mito—who was disguised as a man with her hair dyed black—into the tent where he resided.

"Until the war ends, you are to stay inside this tent. I will arrange for someone to bring your meals here. Also, you must maintain your current attire and hair color. Don't say I didn't warn you if anything happens."

Listening to Kosuke's nagging, Mito impatiently reached out to interrupt him. She walked straight to the bedside where Kosuke used to sleep and stood there, staring blankly at him.

"What are you doing?" Kosuke looked at Mito in confusion.

"Since you've demanded that I not leave this tent, then from now on, this bed belongs to me."

"Belongs to you?! You need to get one thing straight: you are a captive, not an honored guest!"

Kosuke roared at Mito, his face full of anger, hoping to make her realize her situation.

"Whether I am a captive or not, I know better than you. But you must also understand that right now, you are the one asking for my help, not the other way around. If you don't agree, you are perfectly free to kill me or hand me over to your Clan Head!"

Mito stared at the indignant Kosuke with an expressionless face and plopped down onto the bed behind her.

"Damn it! Crazy woman, you win!"

After staring at each other for a long time, Kosuke finally yielded to the temptation of the Sealing Technique, the resentment in his heart feeling as though it could pierce through the moon.

Hashirama Senju!

You had better be starting to show off your cheat powers by now, or I will beat you so badly that even your white-haired little brother won't recognize you!

Thinking of this, Kosuke turned and left.

He planned to find Madara and discuss how to beat up his former best friend.

"Remember to bring a new set of bedding when you come back!"

Hearing the voice from behind, Kosuke picked up his pace, his figure leaving behind trails of afterimages in the air.

Several days passed.

On days without missions, Kosuke kept to a routine: crawling out of bed in the morning, finishing breakfast with Mito, and then heading out to train with Madara until noon.

After lunch, he would follow Mito into the tent to study Sealing Techniques.

Then, in the evening, he would go back to training with Madara, while simultaneously discussing how to lure his former friend out to give him a good beating.

As for killing Hashirama?

Kosuke could only offer a smile in response; the air was sweet.

Meanwhile, dark clouds gathered over the Senju and Uzumaki encampment, and a stifling atmosphere hung over every ninja.

The tent where war strategies were usually discussed was now erupting with heated arguments.

"No, under no circumstances can we retreat from this battle!"

"Our Uzumaki Clan princess has gone missing; we must take our team and return to the clan!"

"Whether you retreat or not is a decision for your Senju Clan; it has nothing to do with my Uzumaki Clan!" The Uzumaki Elder glared furiously at the Senju Elder. Seeing that the latter seemed unwilling to let them leave, he slammed his hand on the table and stood up. "If you insist on keeping us Uzumaki here, then let your young clan head Hashirama disappear first, and then come talk to me about how 'this battle cannot be retreated from'!"

Having said that, the Uzumaki Elder let out a cold snort, turned around, and led his clansmen away.

They prepared to return to their clan at top speed in a quarter of an hour.

"Damn it!" The Senju Elder smashed the wooden chair beside him with a single palm. "How dare they violate the alliance!"

Butsuma, who sat in the center, had maintained a calm expression, but his face turned gloomy the moment he heard the Uzumaki Elder's words.

Terrifying Chakra surged from his body, forming waves like the ocean.

"Forget about the Uzumaki Clan for now. We are currently facing a growing Uchiha."

A look of indescribable confusion flickered in Butsuma's eyes.

Why had the combat strength of the Uchiha clansmen soared so rapidly after a period of time?

It wasn't just him; even Black Zetsu, who had been hiding in the ninja world for nearly a thousand years, was left scratching his head.

Having endured countless hardships in the ninja world, he had only recently found the most suitable reincarnations of Hagoromo Otsutsuki's eldest son, Indra, and his second son, Asura.

Black Zetsu had originally planned to take advantage of the war between the Uchiha and the Senju to sneak into the Uchiha Clan's Naka Shrine (now the ancestral hall) and alter the stone tablet without anyone noticing.

Who could have known that just as he used the Mayfly Technique to reach the area beneath the ancestral hall, he would detect a faint, lingering trace of Eternal Mangekyo Dojutsu permeating the entire clan grounds.

It had scared him out of his wits at the time.

Without time to think, he turned and fled.

When he finally returned to his lair, his pitch-black body was miraculously covered in tiny black beads of sweat.

"Why would the power of an Eternal Mangekyo appear in the Uchiha clan grounds?"

"Mother, it has been a thousand years. Just as the plan was about to begin, an Eternal Mangekyo actually appeared in Indra's clan grounds! This child is struggling!"