As expected, "love" made people blind

After a long while, Qile finally slowly got up from the ground. He took several deep breaths, then stretched his arms and legs, feeling a little strength gradually return to his body.

His mouth was parched. Without bothering to ask whose tea was in the cup on the table, he grabbed it and drained it in one go. Afterward, he didn't think anything of it and plopped himself down beside the two men.

Once Qile had settled in, Hashirama hurried over and asked, "When are you planning to visit the Senju Clan again? Mito's been talking about you nonstop these past few days!"

Madara had just taken a clean cup from the side and filled it with hot tea. He was about to raise it for a sip.

But when he heard Hashirama, his hand froze. He gently set the cup on the table, then asked suspiciously, "Mito was the one who treated his injuries last time? Didn't I tell you to treat him?"

Hashirama was taken aback for a moment, then laughed awkwardly as he explained, "Oh, you know how busy I've been lately. Mito happened to see the kid injured, so I figured I'd let her lend a hand. But don't worry, Mito really likes him!" He finished with an ingratiating smile at Madara.

"Hmph!" Madara merely glanced at Hashirama and let out a cold snort. He didn't bother responding.

Hashirama knew Madara's temperament well, and he understood that Madara had no prejudice against Mito. The real reason was that Madara didn't want too many people to know how important Qile was to him. In the end, he was simply worried about Qile's safety.

After all, Konoha wasn't as peaceful as it appeared. The Uchiha harbored some hostility toward the Senju, and the Senju, in turn, were wary of the Uchiha. So Madara still worried that some ill-intentioned Senju clansmen might take the opportunity to harm Qile...

Just then, Qile seized his chance and said, "Lord Hokage! Do you currently have a personal guard unit of your own?"

Hashirama was momentarily taken aback by Qile's question. Clearly, he hadn't quite figured out what Qile meant.

After a while, he finally caught on. Scratching his head, he asked in bewilderment, "A guard unit? What would I need that for? Is it supposed to protect me?"

After saying this, Hashirama couldn't help laughing. He waved his hand and continued, "Hahaha, you've got to be kidding! I'm the Hokage. Why would I need anyone to protect me? Besides, if I really got into a fight, it's anyone's guess who'd end up protecting whom!"

Madara, however, grasped the point of Qile's question almost instantly. Frowning slightly, he said bluntly, "Are you asking whether the Hokage has a private force of his own?"

Qile nodded enthusiastically. "Exactly! A group that can secretly handle things the Hokage can't make public, things that can't be openly discussed, but that are still greatly beneficial to Konoha! You get it~"

But as soon as Qile finished speaking and nodded in confirmation, the atmosphere suddenly turned strange.

Madara cast a sidelong glance at Hashirama, his eyes revealing an indescribable emotion. Hashirama, meanwhile, looked deeply embarrassed. He lowered his gaze to the ground, seeming afraid to meet Madara's eyes.

Seeing this, Qile's heart jolted, and a sudden suspicion arose.

Could it be...

Could the aloof Madara really have been willing to help Hashirama with such shady work, even after losing the Hokage election?

Qile felt as though he'd accidentally stumbled upon a shocking secret.

Just as he was reeling from the revelation, Hashirama finally broke the silence. He turned to Madara, whose expression was growing darker by the moment, and hastily explained, "Madara, it's only a temporary arrangement. Once I find a suitable commander, you won't have to keep handling these kinds of missions. Hehe..."

Hearing Hashirama say this, Qile was astounded. Until now, he'd only suspected as much, but Hashirama had just confirmed it himself—Madara really was willing to put aside his pride and help Hashirama with such dedication!

As expected, "love" made people blind. Even the famous Madara was no exception...

Perhaps Madara noticed the look on Qile's face, as if he'd just uncovered a shocking secret. He suddenly turned toward Qile, fixed him with a cold stare, and said, "Starting tomorrow, you'll do three hundred and fifty sword swings every day!"

As soon as he finished, Hashirama chimed in from beside him. "That's right, we're raising it to three hundred and fifty. Make sure you do them properly! If Madara doesn't punish you, I will!"

Watching the two of them sing from the same hymn sheet, Qile was stunned. "Huh? I... I didn't do anything... What's that got to do with me..."

Then Hashirama, who had been backing Madara just a moment earlier, somehow turned bashful. He rubbed his hands together gently and stammered, "Hehe... Um, Madara, I wanted to ask what Iwagakure's attitude is right now. And also..." He trailed off, simply rubbing his hands together like a fly.

Seeing this, Qile didn't even tease him. His curiosity had been thoroughly piqued.

But Madara didn't say much in response to Hashirama's question. He slowly stood up, expressionless, pulled a scroll from inside his clothes, and tossed it casually to Hashirama. "Iwagakure's attitude has never mattered." After that, he turned and walked into the house without looking back, clearly unwilling to say anything more to Hashirama.

Hashirama reacted quickly and caught the sealing scroll Madara had thrown at him. His movements were fluid, without the slightest hesitation.

Then, an eager look appeared on Hashirama's face. Without the slightest delay, he gathered the chakra within him and poured it into the sealing scroll. As the chakra continued to flow in, he began probing what was inside.

Meanwhile, Qile watched Hashirama's every move. When he saw an increasingly "perverted" smile spread across Hashirama's face, his heart tightened.

So he instinctively shifted his bottom, carefully rising from the stone stool he'd been sitting on. Then he quietly took two slow steps backward, putting some distance between himself and Hashirama.