Indeed, 'Love' Makes One Blind

After a long while, Qile finally crawled up from the ground. He took a few deep breaths and stretched his limbs, feeling his strength gradually returning to his body.

His mouth was parched, and without caring whose tea it was, he grabbed a cup from the table and downed it in one gulp. Feeling nothing amiss after drinking, he plopped himself down right beside the two men.

Seeing Qile settled, Hashirama leaned in and asked, "When do you plan on wandering over to the Senju compound again? Mito hasn't stopped nagging me about you these past few days!"

Madara had just picked up a clean cup to pour himself some hot tea and was about to take a sip.

However, when he heard Hashirama's words, his hand froze. He set the cup back on the table, his expression turning suspicious as he asked, "Mito was the one who treated his injuries last time? Didn't I tell you to handle the healing yourself?"

At this, Hashirama was momentarily stunned before he began to laugh it off. "Oh, you know how busy I've been lately. It just so happened that Mito saw the state the kid was in, so I figured I'd let her lend a hand. But don't you worry, the kid is quite a favorite of hers!" He finished with a fawning smile directed at Madara.

"Hmph!" Madara merely cast a cold glance at Hashirama and let out a scoff through his nose, ignoring him thereafter.

Hashirama knew Madara's temperament well; he was certain that Madara held no prejudice against Mito. The real reason was that Madara didn't want too many people to know how important Qile was to him. Ultimately, it was nothing more than concern for Qile's safety.

One had to realize that the current Konoha was not as peaceful as it appeared on the surface. Not only did the Uchiha harbor a certain degree of hostility toward the Senju, but the Senju also held grudges against the Uchiha. Madara was worried that some ill-intentioned Senju clansmen might seize the opportunity to harm Qile.

Just then, Qile seized the chance and asked, "Hokage-sama! Do you currently have a private guard unit of your own?"

Hearing this, Hashirama was taken aback, his mind clearly struggling to keep up.

After a long pause, he scratched his head and asked in confusion, "A guard unit? What would I need that for? To protect my safety?"

After saying this, Hashirama couldn't help but laugh out loud. He waved his hand and continued, "Haha, what a joke! As the Hokage, why would I need anyone to protect me? Besides, if a real fight broke out, who knows who would be protecting whom!"

Madara, however, grasped the deeper meaning behind Qile's words almost instantly. He frowned slightly and said bluntly, "Are you asking if the Hokage has his own private force?"

Qile nodded like a chicken pecking at rice. "Yes, yes, that's exactly what I mean! A team that can handle things for the Hokage that aren't fit for the public eye, but are actually beneficial to Konoha! You get it, right?"

However, as Qile finished speaking and nodded, the atmosphere suddenly turned strange.

Madara glanced sideways at Hashirama, his eyes revealing an indescribable emotion. As for Hashirama, he looked incredibly awkward, his gaze fixed firmly on the ground as if he dared not meet Madara's eyes.

Witnessing this, Qile felt a jolt in his heart, and a premonition arose.

Could it be...

That this cold and arrogant Madara would actually help Hashirama with such shady business even after losing the election for Hokage?

At this thought, Qile felt as if he had inadvertently uncovered a world-shattering secret.

Just as Qile was inwardly shocked, Hashirama finally broke the silence. He turned to look at the darkening expression on Madara's face and hurriedly explained, "Madara, this is just a temporary measure. Once I find a suitable commander, you won't need to carry out these tasks anymore. Hehe..."

Hearing Hashirama say this, Qile was secretly amazed. Before, this had only been a guess, but now it was confirmed by Hashirama himself—Madara was truly willing to set aside his pride to help Hashirama so devotedly!

"Love" really does make people blind, even the legendary Madara is no exception...

Perhaps sensing the look on Qile's face—as if he had discovered a massive secret—Madara suddenly turned his head, stared straight at Qile, and said coldly, "Starting tomorrow, you will complete three hundred and fifty sword swings every day!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than Hashirama chimed in, "That's right, increase it to three hundred and fifty! You must finish it! Otherwise, even if Madara doesn't punish you, I will!"

Watching the two of them singing in harmony, Qile was stunned. "Ah? I... I didn't do anything... what does this have to do with me..."

Then, Hashirama, who had been echoing Madara a second ago, suddenly looked somewhat bashful. He rubbed his hands together and stammered, "Hehe... um, Madara, I wanted to ask, what is the current stance of Iwagakure? And also..." He trailed off, continuing to rub his hands like a fly.

Seeing this, Qile stopped complaining; his curiosity had been ignited to the peak.

However, faced with Hashirama's inquiry, Madara didn't say much. He slowly stood up, pulled a scroll from his robes with an expressionless face, tossed it casually toward Hashirama, and dropped a single sentence: "Iwagakure's stance has never been important." With that, he turned and walked into the house without looking back, clearly unwilling to say more to Hashirama.

Hashirama was quick-witted and caught the sealing scroll Madara threw with a firm grip. His movement was fluid, without a hint of hesitation.

Immediately after, a look of urgency appeared on Hashirama's face. He didn't hesitate to channel his chakra into the sealing scroll. As the chakra flowed in, Hashirama began to examine the contents.

Qile, standing to the side, watched Hashirama's every move. When he saw a increasingly "perverted" smile gradually emerge on Hashirama's face, his heart tightened.

Subconsciously, he shifted his weight, carefully stood up from the stone stool he had been sitting on, and silently took two steps back to maintain a safe distance from Hashirama.