Not Going...

"Did a donkey kick you in the head?" Shin thought, and that was exactly what he said.

Uchiha Madara's temper flared at once. Ever since Shin had tricked him that day, they hadn't managed to have one normal conversation. Every time Madara tried to discuss something with him, Shin would say a couple of things and set him off.

"Your brain's the one that got kicked by a donkey!" Madara gritted out.

"Then you must've had it caught in a door." Shin took a sip of tea, his tone calm.

Madara clenched his fists. After a moment, he sat down cross-legged with an angry huff. "I came here to talk about something serious, not to fight."

I wasn't looking to fight you either. Shin muttered to himself, giving up on provoking Madara further. He'd discovered that getting the future big boss of Naruto riled up in just two sentences was actually pretty entertaining.

"What made you suddenly want to go to the battlefield?"

Shin asked, glancing toward the maid. She obediently shut the door, then brewed a cup of tea for Uchiha Madara. Afterward, she bowed and withdrew to the inner room.

"You're certainly taking being waited on for granted," Madara grumbled, picking up his teacup and taking a sip. "There's no special reason. Don't you think we're making progress too slowly? The battlefield is a great place to hone your skills. I'm sure we can become Jonin there."

"Does the clan head agree to let you go to the battlefield?" Shin asked calmly. Ever since his conversation with Uchiha Tajima that day, he had stopped calling the man "Uncle."

It seemed Shin had hit a sore spot. Madara's head drooped as he sighed. "No. No matter how much I beg Father, he won't let me go. The clan elders are against it too. They've been doing everything they can to stop me."

"If it were up to me, I wouldn't let you go either," Shin thought. Children were sent to the battlefield during the Warring States Period, but only when there was no other choice. As long as a clan still had some strength to spare, nobody would send the next generation to fill the Bottomless Cave that was the battlefield.

Every clan felt the same way. That was why the Uchiha Clan rarely sent children under ten to the battlefield, unless things came to a head and they were locked in a fight to the death with the Senju. All the more so with a genius like Uchiha Madara—they had to protect him until he'd grown up.

Of course, once a war reached its most brutal stage and a clan ran short of shinobi, the next generation would also be sent to help carry out missions.

"I'm not going," Shin answered without hesitation.

"Huh? Why?" Madara asked, scratching his head in confusion. He'd thought Shin would be as excited as he was at the prospect of going to the battlefield.

Do you think everyone's a battle maniac like you? Shin grumbled inwardly, then said, "It's too dangerous."

Just five words, delivered in two short sentences, made Shin's position perfectly clear.

That answer obviously didn't satisfy Madara. He thought Shin was brushing him off. What did he mean, too dangerous? Hadn't it been dangerous when he'd fought the Hyuga Jonin to the death? Hadn't it been dangerous when he'd been surrounded by three Elite Jonin from the Hyuga Clan? What about that Blood Ninja mission he'd taken? And now he was saying the battlefield was too dangerous? What a joke.

"Coward!" Madara tried to provoke him.

"Mm." Shin remained completely unmoved.

"Come to the battlefield with me."

"How do you plan to get there?"

"Obviously, we sneak out and follow the others!"

"Don't be ridiculous."

"I'll beat you up."

"Go ahead."

"If you won't go, I'm never leaving your house."

"Suit yourself. Xiaoying, bring out a set of bedding and make a floor bed for Lord Madara."

Faced with someone so stubborn, Madara felt a faint sadness rise within him. It was like a dog trying to bite a turtle and having no idea where to start.

In the end, Madara tried every trick he could think of to persuade Shin, but Shin wouldn't budge. No matter what Madara said, Shin's answer remained the same: "I'm not going."

And so Madara, who would one day be fearsome and mighty, the legendary Madara who would take on the Five Kage alone, left with his head hanging like a defeated rooster. His first plan to go to the battlefield had come to nothing.

After Madara left, Shin rose and stood by the window. He reached out and caught a falling cherry blossom, rubbing it between his fingers. The end of March was undoubtedly a pleasant time of year, and just as well suited to starting a war.

He had his reasons for refusing to go to the battlefield with Madara. The danger was one factor, but not a major one.

Even with only the first stage of the Flying Thunder God, he could keep himself safe on the battlefield. Even if the enemy had a technique that altered the terrain, he could scatter Kunai anywhere within ten miles and ensure his own survival.

The biggest reason he wasn't going was that he didn't believe going to the battlefield would help him break through to Elite Jonin. Who would do something with no benefit?

He and Madara were both Special Jonin, but there was one difference between them: their ages. Madara was three years older, so he felt he still had room to improve. He wanted more life-and-death battles to hone himself and increase his strength.

But Shin was different. He was only five, yet he already knew the Flying Thunder God, Rasengan, Fire Dragon Flame Bullet, Flame Slash, Fox Decapitation Genjutsu, Crow Clone, and more. Oh, and he was about to exchange for Mangekyo ocular techniques, too.

For a five-year-old, mastering these techniques was already the limit. The Flying Thunder God and Rasengan still had plenty of room for further development, but even so, Shin had reached the peak of his ability at his age. What held him back wasn't anything else; it was his age. Once he grew older, his strength would naturally rise.

That was why Shin had no interest in going to the battlefield. His top priority was to master all the techniques he knew and wait for Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara to meet.

"Ah, now that the Uchiha Clan has gone to war, I guess I don't have much to do. I don't feel like taking any missions for a while, either. What should I do?"

Shin stroked his chin, thinking. The maid walked past him, washing teacups, and suddenly his eyes lit up. He'd been thinking about building his own organization, hadn't he? He could start with the people around him.

Still, there was no need to rush. Chiyo Hotaru had been assigned to him by Uchiha Tajima. Although she seemed loyal to him after the time they'd spent together, he would have to watch her carefully before making a decision.