A few words nearly left Uchiha Madara reeling.
The Dance King was probably deeply shaken right now. If the timing had been better, he would have rushed off to share the news with his buddy.
"I knew I was right about you." Young Madara excitedly clapped him on the shoulder.
Suddenly, he seemed to remember something, tossed out a "Wait here," and returned to his camp.
As the clan head's son and the future leader of the Uchiha, Madara-sama also had a unit of troops at his beck and call.
He and Kyosuke would set out together in a week to resist the increasingly aggressive attacks of the Uzumaki Clan.
"Looks like Tajima's about to notice something's off with his son, too."
"No, to be precise, he's probably already suspicious. It just isn't time to act yet."
As Kyosuke pondered this, a sudden rush of air came from the distance.
He looked up, a glint flashing in his eyes, and raised his arm, easily catching the object hurtling toward him.
It was a long, sheathed sword. When he drew the blade, it gleamed with a cold light in the moonlight.
His Chakra stirred, and a pale blue glow immediately spread across the blade. That was the telltale sign of Chakra taking visible form.
Normally, metal weapons like Kunai could also conduct Chakra.
However, their transmission rate was very low. Of the Chakra put in, less than two-tenths actually took effect.
That was why it was rare to see anyone do this. It simply wasn't worth it.
If one could find a special metal with a high transmission rate, it would greatly enhance the power of Chakra applied to it.
The weapon in his hand, for example, had an astonishing transmission rate of six-tenths.
With even a little practice in nature transformation, it could bring that power to the fore perfectly.
Perhaps it wouldn't raise Kyosuke's upper limit, but it would greatly boost his basic combat strength.
Put simply, he'd have a much easier time against ninjas of the same level.
Those weaker than him would be finished off as easily as chopping vegetables.
His minimum level of strength would rise considerably, helping him conserve energy in battle.
He couldn't go around using Body Flicker Technique and Chidori in alternation against everyone. He'd run out of Chakra no matter how much he had.
"Thanks." He accepted the weapon without hesitation, taking it as Madara's return gift.
Even educating someone came with a fee.
In the distance, Uchiha Madara approached step by step, clad in armor.
Hearing Kyosuke's insincere thanks, he smiled faintly and said, "Don't thank me. My father ordered me to take a weapon from the clan's treasury."
The Uchiha treasury. Kyosuke's expression shifted slightly. It was a treasure trove filled with countless artifacts.
There was no way Madara had gone in there just to fetch him a weapon.
Kyosuke eyed him suspiciously from head to toe. Only when the Dance King had grown stiff did he slowly look away.
Whew. Uchiha Madara let out a long breath, feeling as though Kyosuke had seen right through him.
Of course, he hadn't come back empty-handed from the clan treasury.
In fact, Kyosuke's arrival had already changed many things.
In the original story, Madara-sama had been peerless among his peers. Though he had never slacked off, he'd always lacked a certain drive to grow stronger.
Now, spurred on by Kyosuke, he felt a tension unlike anything he'd ever experienced.
He had to train hard, develop his bloodline abilities, and make sure his weapons didn't fall behind either.
After visiting the treasury, he quickly picked out a gift for Kyosuke, then began rummaging through everything in search of a legendary weapon for himself.
In the end, the Uchiha Gunbai, a legendary ninja tool passed down through generations, had appeared six or seven years ahead of schedule.
Uchiha Madara subconsciously touched the storage scroll at his waist, cleared his throat, and made up an excuse to leave.
Kyosuke was a little puzzled, but gave up trying to figure it out. After a moment's thought, he decided to visit Izuna, whom he hadn't seen in a long time, and catch up.
That night, they say, violent noises rang out again and again from the second young master's training ground.
The clan members sighed. Uchiha Izuna was such a hardworking young man, still training diligently so late at night.
Little did they know, Izuna had become a punching bag and Kyosuke's test subject.
Once Kyosuke left, thoroughly satisfied, the bruised and battered boy could only nurse his wounds alone.
"You bastard. One day, I'll surpass you."
"And my big brother, too. I, Izuna, am the most talented of all."
If Kyosuke had heard those bold words, he would have regretted hitting him so hard.
Had he beaten the boy stupid?
The next day, with nothing to do, Kyosuke decided to have a rematch with Madara.
Izuna was too weak; he couldn't provide a satisfying fight. A battle with the Dance King was much more fun.
But when Kyosuke knocked on the door, the butler told him the Young Clan Head had gone into the mountains to train early that morning.
"Something's fishy." Kyosuke narrowed his eyes and followed the trail.
In the forest, beside a stream.
Young Madara idly skipped stones across the water, his mind filled with Kyosuke's words.
"It really is a good way to resolve our differences. Too bad Father would never agree."
"But it doesn't matter. With Kyosuke and me around, we can definitely make peace a reality someday."
As he pondered this, Madara suddenly felt the urge to pee. He undid his pants and started relieving himself into the river.
Without warning, a figure appeared silently behind him.
"Hey~"
The stream of urine stopped dead. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't get it going again.
"Hashirama!!!"
Ignoring his buddy's angry roar, the stocky young man with a bowl cut studied him with great curiosity. "Madara, looks like you weren't lying. It really does stop completely."
"I told you, I'm the kind of person who can't pee when someone's nearby, you idiot!"
"I had to see it for myself before I could believe it~"
After bickering for a good while, the two finally settled down. Madara took the opportunity to tell him about Kyosuke's idea.
"Use time to ease the hatred?" Hashirama's eyes lit up. He felt as though he'd found someone who understood him.
Until now, he had pursued peace in a daze, without even knowing whether it was possible.
He hadn't expected one of Madara's clanmates to have such insight.
Hashirama nervously rubbed his hands together. He really wanted to meet that person in person, despite knowing it would be risky.
Neither he nor Madara was stupid. There were plenty of things they understood without needing to say them aloud.
If an outsider got involved, Hashirama was afraid it would ruin the friendship they had worked so hard to build.
As the bowl-cut young man fretted to himself, his expression suddenly tightened. He turned to look at the woods behind him and to the side.
Two seconds later, Uchiha Madara sensed something as well, and grew guarded.
Uchiha Kyosuke emerged step by step from the shadows of the trees, dressed in black combat clothes.
Seeing him, Madara relaxed a little. As long as it wasn't someone sent by his father, they could handle it.
But he quickly tensed up again, because Kyosuke kept walking without stopping.
He placed a hand on the hilt at his waist, activated his Sharingan, and fixed his gaze on Senju Hashirama, whose expression had changed dramatically.
In the next instant, the blade was already at Hashirama's throat.
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