"Naori, leave him to me."
"Thank you, Clan Head Shikata."
With the Young Lord passed out drunk, the banquet came to an end.
Uchiha Shikata took Uchiha Takeyasu from Uchiha Naori. Looking at the graceful young woman, he couldn't help pausing.
"Naori, that may have been your only chance. Do you regret it?"
"Naori only hopes the Young Lord will say those words to her when he's sober."
Watching Uchiha Naori, so earnest and composed, Uchiha Shikata felt Uchiha Takeyasu's heart beating a little faster where he supported him. He nodded.
"I believe the Young Lord will make a decision that satisfies everyone once he comes to his senses."
"Naori also hopes the Young Lord won't forget a single word he said tonight."
After saying that, Uchiha Naori left ahead of them.
Uchiha Kaku and Uchiha Setsuna, both wise with age, led the other squad leaders back toward the clan grounds along a different route.
"Clan Head, did I do something to offend you?"
Uchiha Takeyasu, who had been pretending to be drunk, suddenly opened his eyes. His expression was helpless as he slapped Uchiha Shikata's hand away, his tone carrying a trace of displeasure.
"Couldn't you just let me get away with it?"
"Young Lord, back in the Warring States period, many boys your age already had children."
As someone who had been through it himself, Uchiha Shikata understood the young man's heart. To give up an exceptional girl worth cherishing for a lifetime just to save face seemed incredibly foolish to him.
"Naori is a child we all watched grow up. She's calm and gentle, wise, kind, upright, and exceptionally talented..."
"She has countless virtues. If Fugaku weren't so young, I'd swallow my pride and ask Naori's family to arrange a betrothal."
"Clan Head, you sure have lofty plans."
Uchiha Takeyasu raised an eyebrow and shot Uchiha Shikata a glare. His thoughts in disarray, he let out a hum to hide his nervousness, then sprang into the air and landed on a rooftop after a few leaps.
Uchiha Shikata called after him from below. "Young Lord, an exceptional girl won't wait for you forever. Don't miss your chance!"
"How annoying. I'm not blind or deaf. How could I not see or hear?"
Uchiha Takeyasu muttered to himself. Beneath the moonlight spilling everywhere, his figure flickered a few times, and he spotted Uchiha Naori strolling along the street.
The moonlight fell softly on the young woman, as though it were also falling into the young man's heart. The more Uchiha Takeyasu looked at her, the more he liked her.
"Tomorrow, then..."
Uchiha Takeyasu's murmur drifted into the night sky.
Land of Lightning, Unraikyo Gorge.
A figure that blended perfectly into the night raced along the sheer cliffs, then leaped to the foot of one. Forming hand seals, the figure opened the Sealing Jutsu and entered a vast underground chamber.
The chamber was filled with precision medical equipment, and researchers in white coats hurried about everywhere. The figure strode to the far end, where he found his master: a proud-looking man dressed in black—Madara Uchiha!
"A, what news do you have?"
Madara Uchiha opened his eyes indifferently. His gaze settled on the tall, dark-skinned Third Raikage A, with pale yellow hair, a mustache, and a "Lightning" tattoo on his right shoulder. A glint of interest appeared in his eyes.
After arriving in the Land of Lightning, his first stop had been South Cloud Village, where he found Kinkaku and Ginkaku. Just as he'd expected, they had on display what they occasionally brought out to boast of as a trophy: Senju Tobirama, cut in half.
Even though the body had been burned black, its features were unrecognizable, and it was battered by wind and rain, Madara Uchiha had recognized him at a glance.
After the death of the enemy he had most wanted to kill, Madara Uchiha had felt joy and satisfaction, followed by calm. He also felt disgust toward the Land of Lightning's barbaric people.
The hideout in South Cloud Village was full of bestial pleasure and the pitiful suffering of the weak.
But none of that had anything to do with Madara Uchiha. As long as he carried out his plan, he could create a truly peaceful, happy world without grief or bloodshed. Everyone would be smiling then.
The only thing Madara Uchiha had done was completely destroy Senju Tobirama's corpse. Then he left that den of bandits and went to North Cloud Village, where he took control of the Third Raikage A.
Next, he gathered biological and medical researchers from all over the Land of Lightning and brought them to this recently excavated underground chamber. Together, they would study how to merge the powers of the Uchiha and Senju.
All outside messages were received and relayed through the Third Raikage A, whom he controlled.
"Lord Madara, the latest news has arrived from Konoha."
The strongest ninja village naturally drew everyone's attention. The Third Raikage A reported everything that had happened that day to Madara Uchiha. The black-haired man's lips curled into a grin, and he burst into hearty laughter.
"Senju Tobirama, no matter how tightly you guard against them, you're no match for the Uchiha's Mangekyo!"
"The Hokage Position? Heh heh heh... Hahahahahaha!"
"What an outstanding successor. I'd love to meet him."
After a long while, Madara Uchiha's laughter subsided. Looking at the Third Raikage A, who was still kneeling on one knee, he spoke evenly. "We need to speed up the research. If there aren't enough people in the Land of Lightning, find them in other countries. I want results, understood?"
"Understood, Lord Madara."
"Then you may leave."
Madara Uchiha returned alone to his quarters in the rear. Seeing the Flame Gunbai hanging on the wall, he felt an urge to meet Uchiha Takeyasu, but quickly abandoned the thought.
Without the Eternal Eyes, his glory would only be temporary.
"Other than the Rinnegan, which brings All Creation together as one, there's nothing left worth caring about."
Madara Uchiha said nothing, his expression impassive.
Meanwhile, after leaving the underground chamber, the Third Raikage A wore a solemn expression, tinged with worry.
Well-educated researchers weren't exactly as common as turnips, but Madara Uchiha's orders had to be carried out.
After mulling it over, he thought of demanding more supplies from the Feudal Lord of the Land of Lightning, then paying enormous sums to hire researchers from every country in the Ninja World. Once they came to the Land of Lightning, whether they got paid would be up to him.
Those researchers, who couldn't fight their way out of a paper bag, probably wouldn't dare defy North Cloud Village's elite ninja.
"Wait, why not take control of the Feudal Lord? Then everything in the Land of Lightning would be mine. I could serve Lord Madara even better."
Having spotted the obvious solution, the Third Raikage A grew more and more convinced it would work. The Feudal Lord of the Land of Lightning couldn't even deal with Kinkaku and Ginkaku. How could he possibly have the means to resist A, who had inherited most of the former Kumogakure's strength?
"I need to kill Kinkaku and Ginkaku as soon as possible, too. Everything in the Land of Lightning is mine—Lord Madara's!"
"I can't let them keep wrecking the place!"
A's thoughts shifted to his own Jinchuriki.
During the earlier civil war, the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki and the Two-Tails Jinchuriki hadn't been able to join the fighting because their Sealing Jutsu was incomplete.
Then, through carelessness, Kinkaku and Ginkaku seized the Two-Tails Jinchuriki, leaving the Third Raikage A with only the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki.
"They're all uncontrollable. They might as well perish together."
Before you continue