In the end, the three Senju—father and sons—still left.
Tajima couldn't defeat Butsuma, and Hashirama's burst of strength was astonishing.
Even the Clan Head couldn't find fault with either of them, though he knew full well that Kyosuke and Madara definitely hadn't fought with all their strength.
"Hmph. Let's go back."
It was clear that Uchiha Tajima was extremely unwilling to give up.
It also reflected, from another angle, the kind of threat the entire Uchiha Clan was facing now.
Perhaps he didn't want his son rekindling his old friendship with the other boy. As soon as they returned to camp, the Clan Head ordered the two of them to set out immediately.
"Don't push yourselves too hard." Before they left, Tajima patiently reminded them, "Uzumaki Ashina is frighteningly strong. You're still no match for him."
"Remember, you must make sure you stay safe."
"Yes!"
The Southern Border Legion led by Kyosuke went in front, while the main force trained by Uchiha Madara brought up the rear.
A ninja force of nearly five hundred set off for the western battlefield in a mighty procession.
"Madara." Finding the Dance King still distracted, Kyosuke decided to talk some sense into him. "What, still not over your disappointment?"
"Hmph. Don't think I didn't know you could have taken that Senju brat hostage if you'd wanted to," Madara shot back, unconvinced.
Madara hadn't wanted to fight his friend, but Kyosuke had held back too.
If Madara wanted to needle him, he still had a lot to learn.
Beside him, Kyosuke was a little dumbfounded. They'd been having a perfectly good conversation, so why had Madara suddenly started acting all tsundere?
Had he triggered some kind of switch?
After a few seconds of silence, Madara hesitated, then decided to speak honestly.
Perhaps Kyosuke was the only person he could confide in.
"Do you think there's still a chance that dream of ours will come true?" The Dance King looked utterly lost.
What he wanted wasn't a village, but a place where his younger brother and clansmen could live in safety.
As long as Izuna was safe and the children didn't have to go to the battlefield at such a young age, his wish would be fulfilled.
It was a humble desire, one that seemed out of place for Uchiha Madara.
But the Uchiha Madara of this moment wasn't the hundred-year-old man eking out a wretched existence in a cave.
He was still so young, and in truth, just an ambitious young man who didn't know how to express his feelings.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have become friends with Hashirama.
Unfortunately, in the Warring States Period, where people preyed on one another, achieving his wish was about as difficult as uniting the Five Great Nations.
The wars would never end. Even if the Uchiha and Senju joined forces someday, the other four nations would still pose a threat.
Wars between nations would only be even more brutal.
Even if they found a way to eliminate the conflicts between nations in the future, Black Zetsu wouldn't give up. It would inevitably keep stirring up strife between people.
At that point, the Land of Fire would be drawn into it as well.
Fine—even if the group joined forces and completely defeated Otsutsuki Kaguya, other threats would still lurk in the shadows.
Sooner or later, the Otsutsuki from across the universe would arrive.
They wouldn't even need to send many. Ten enemies on the level of Kaguya and Isshiki would be enough to destroy the entire planet.
Peace?
It was never that simple.
Kyosuke couldn't tell the Dance King any of this, but he could share his thoughts about the village.
"Don't worry. The village will be built eventually." Seeing Madara's eyes light up with delight, Kyosuke said calmly, "When exactly depends on when you and Hashirama can take control."
"Once you've completely taken charge of the Uchiha and secured the Clan Head's seat, you can even marry Hashirama if you want."
Madara furrowed his brow in confusion. "You're spouting nonsense again. But you have a point. I hope that idiot can figure it out too."
"You mean Hashirama?" Kyosuke said pointedly. "He's much smarter than you think."
"Madara, you're the real idiot."
Western battlefield, Land of Fire, the Uzumaki Clan's forward base.
"Father!"
Inside the tent, Uzumaki Ashina, his hair a mass of red, was reading documents.
He was in the prime of his life, not yet the white-haired old man he would become in the future.
Normally, the Uzumaki Clan lived far longer than ordinary people. Even when they were near death, they generally didn't develop obvious gray hair.
Clearly, there must have been another reason for Uzumaki Ashina's death, most likely connected to the several Sealing Jutsu he had been researching.
For example, the Tailed Beast sealing method.
Or the sealing techniques that forged a connection to the Shinigami.
Of course, those were all studies he pursued in private, and outsiders had hardly noticed anything.
As far as Uzumaki Ashina was concerned, the most troublesome matter at the moment was figuring out how to send away the furious girl in front of him.
Seeing her father lost in thought, the girl slapped the table hard, nearly flipping it over.
She had delicate features and long red hair tied into two buns, with an ornament resembling a crown atop her head.
As her hair swayed, a diamond-shaped mark could be seen on her forehead.
She was the princess of the Land of Whirlpools, Uzumaki Mito.
"Father!" Mito barked, pulling out an intelligence report and nearly shoving it in his face.
"The Uchiha reinforcements are on their way."
"Oh." Uzumaki Ashina nodded indifferently, looking not at all worried.
He was the powerful man who had founded the Land of Whirlpools, and not merely a great master of Sealing Jutsu in his own time—he was perhaps the greatest in a thousand years.
What was there to worry about when it came to two brats who hadn't even been weaned?
He'd be better off spending that time refining the sealing technique for Adamantine Sealing Chains.
Seeing how unconcerned her father was, the fuming Mito soon turned and left. She felt her father was being far too arrogant.
The Uchiha were an extremely formidable opponent. They deserved every bit of caution.
Having chosen to enter the war, the Uzumaki Clan had to give it everything they had.
Only by forging the deepest possible alliance with the Senju could they ensure the Land of Whirlpools' lasting peace.
First, they had to completely eliminate the Uchiha. That was the precondition for the two clans to form a defensive alliance.
To Mito, her father's current complacency amounted to betraying their agreement.
After all, Senju Butsuma was no saint. If they offended him, the Land of Whirlpools would be in a dire 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 really must be out of people if anyone can become a legion commander."
Clearly, the young girl didn't believe those two could have any real ability.
Rumors?
They were just meant to fool idiots. Unless they fabricated a few geniuses, how could Uchiha Tajima smoothly hand over power?
At the end of the day, it was just a common trick used to pass down power within a clan.
"Let me, Uzumaki Mito, expose them for who they really are."
The young girl tossed her hair buns and set off with her personal guards.
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