Smash!
The teacup slipped from Uchiha Madara's hand and shattered on the floor. Thick green tea spread across the ground, but he paid it no mind and asked instinctively, "How could this happen?"
Looking at Madara's slightly bewildered expression, Shin watched him without revealing his thoughts. No matter how great his achievements would be in the future, he was only eight years old now. Faced with such a sudden turn of events, it was inevitable that he would feel at a loss.
Shin, on the other hand, had already regained his composure. After all, he was a transmigrator; his mind was beyond what a child who wasn't even ten could match.
After considering the possibilities, Shin said, "We shouldn't confront them head-on. I suggest we gather everyone from our generation and hide in the mountains for now, preserving our strength. At the same time, we should send two groups: one to find the Third Elder and ask him to return and help, and another to the battlefield to inform Uncle. What do you think?"
Shin laid out his plan. Only a few ninja remained to guard the clan compound. Aside from the children of their generation, almost everyone else was a woman or a newborn. So if Madara and Shin, the two strongest of the next generation, agreed, there was a good chance they could settle the matter.
Uchiha Madara clenched his hands and lowered his head. His long hair covered his face, hiding his expression, but from the slight trembling of his body, Shin could still tell how conflicted he was.
Shin didn't press him. If Madara could overcome himself and find the strength to stand firm now, he would undergo a transformation, and his future achievements would surely reach even greater heights.
Madara hesitated for a full ten minutes. At last, he seemed to reach a decision. He let out a long breath and raised his head. This time, there was no confusion on his face; his eyes were filled with determination.
"I disagree with your plan." Those were Madara's first words after looking up.
Shin raised an eyebrow. "Why?" He couldn't imagine why Madara would refuse. His proposal should have been the best way to minimize their losses.
Uchiha Madara stood up. "We can't leave. If our generation hides in the mountains, we might survive this attack, but what about the women in the clan? And their newborn children? They're the foundation of our clan's next generation. Even if they weren't here, we have all kinds of supplies and food in the compound. If we lose those, the damage would be impossible to estimate."
Shin listened quietly without arguing. Instead, he asked, "What's your plan? Judging by the difference in strength, they have at least one Jonin, two Special Jonin, and ten Chunin. How many guards does the clan have left? Even if we stay, we won't be of any use. We'll just be throwing our lives away."
Uchiha Madara shook his head with complete seriousness. "No, we have a chance. We still have one Special Jonin and three Chunin in the clan. I'll hold off their Jonin, and our Special Jonin can take on one of their Special Jonin. All you need to do is defeat their other Special Jonin in a head-on fight. Then you can join me, and together we can drive back their Jonin and gain the upper hand. Most of our generation, including Izuna, are still Genin, but I believe they can hold off the enemy's Chunin for a while. After all, they outnumber them."
Listening to Uchiha Madara's dead-serious nonsense, Shin's eyelid twitched. Bro, your plan to fight them head-on looks fine on the surface, but it has some serious problems.
First of all, what makes you so sure I can defeat a Special Jonin head-on? Fine, say I can. What makes you so sure you can hold off a Jonin? That's a Jonin—we're talking about a completely different level from a Special Jonin. If you die, the entire Uchiha Clan Compound is finished.
And you're asking the rest of our generation to hold off Chunin. They might manage for a short while, but if it drags on, we'll suffer heavy casualties.
Shin asked all these questions outright. Unless Uchiha Madara came up with an answer that convinced him, he wasn't going to agree to join him in throwing their lives away.
Madara replied with absolute confidence, "In the end, you don't believe I can hold off their Jonin. Then... how about this?"
As Madara spoke, his eyes turned bloodred, and the One-Tomoe was clearly visible.
Shin's gaze sharpened, but he wasn't surprised. According to the story he knew, Madara should have met Senju Hashirama and then awakened the Sharingan after the two turned against each other because of their clans.
But things were a little different here. Perhaps because Shin had transmigrated, Madara felt pressure from someone of his own generation and had progressed faster than in the original story. He had awakened the Sharingan during a solo outing at the age of five.
The clan had been thrilled at the time, calling Madara a once-in-a-millennium genius and the hope of the Uchiha Clan's rise. Almost every Uchiha knew about it.
"That won't work. You've seen how strong the clan's Jonin are. We can't match them right now. Even with your Sharingan, you still won't be able to hold one off."
Uchiha Madara smiled at him. "You only said that I can't hold off their Jonin. You didn't say whether you could defeat their Special Jonin. Just as I thought—you've been hiding your strength when we spar. Your real strength has already surpassed that of an ordinary Special Jonin, hasn't it?"
Shin raised an eyebrow and wondered to himself, Why did Uchiha Madara suddenly get so smart? Still, he nodded. There was no harm in admitting he'd been holding back. Madara had no idea how much of his strength he'd concealed.
Seeing this, Madara grew even happier. "That settles it. To be honest, I was holding back a little when we sparred too. I'm probably a bit stronger than I let on. I won't be completely helpless against a Jonin. By my estimate, I can hold one off for about ten minutes. So you have to defeat that Special Jonin within ten minutes. Otherwise, not just me—all the clanspeople in the compound could die. I'm entrusting all our lives to you."
"Ten minutes? You really trust me, don't you?" Shin looked at Madara and replied helplessly. In the end, he still nodded. With his newly fused genjutsu, he had a good chance of defeating a Special Jonin within ten minutes.
Uchiha Madara burst into laughter. "Good! A few ninja from the Hyuga Clan dare come here to die? Let's use their corpses to show the world how foolish it is to target the Uchiha Clan!"
He stood up and flung open the door. In the glow of the setting sun, golden light poured across the room. Shin stood shoulder to shoulder with him and suddenly felt that this guy beside him already had some of the Haki of someone who would one day stand at the peak of the Ninja World.
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