Well Played, Smarty Pants

Looking at Hashirama Senju, who stood before him with a face full of apology and even a hint of bewilderment, Qile fell into deep thought. For a moment, he found it impossible to tell whether this guy was truly a fool or if he was deliberately feigning this appearance to deceive others.

If one were to say he was pretending, then he was truly pretending with seamless perfection!

That expression, that demeanor—it was as if every subtle detail had been performed to the fullest, making one almost believe it was real.

However, if one were to conclude that he was truly this naive, that would be far too absurd.

After all, given his status, position, and the breadth of his experience and insight, how could he not know what a massive uproar would be caused once the words he had just spoken were spread?

Do not mistakenly believe that now that Konoha has been successfully established, all the clans would henceforth be as close and harmonious as one big family.

In fact, at this stage, the Hokage of Konoha held a position more akin to the leader of a martial arts alliance; while he appeared to command all factions, his actual power to constrain the major clans was quite limited.

These clans were like independent sects; even though they had chosen to join the big family of Konoha, they still maintained a high degree of autonomy internally, each governing itself and refusing to yield to others.

Of course, this situation persisted even in the later stages, though it became relatively more harmonious.

Therefore, under such circumstances, absolutely no one from the Uchiha clan would ever go to study under the Senju, especially before Madara had left the clan. It was impossible for any clansman to apprentice under the Senju, even for a figure as powerful as Hashirama...

Unless...

Just then, Yeling, who had been preparing dinner, walked in slowly. With a smile, she said softly to the three people in the room, "Clan Head, dinner is all prepared and ready to be served. What are your wishes?"

Madara nodded slightly to show he understood and replied, "Good, you are not needed here for now. You may go and rest."

Hearing this, Yeling nodded obediently and turned to leave.

Seeing the atmosphere in the room gradually becoming more awkward, Qile felt a sense of impending doom. His eyes darted around, and he quickly seized upon his own hunger to make a fuss, swiftly shifting the focus of the conversation.

With a face full of smiles, he said to Madara, "Clan Head, shouldn't we go eat first? My stomach is growling!"

Of course, the reason Hashirama was able to forge a deep friendship with Madara had no particularly complex cause. Beyond their equal strength, the most important factor was his invincible "thick-skinned" technique.

Facing all sorts of awkward scenes and unfavorable situations, he could always remain calm and composed, as if he didn't care about others' opinions at all, pushing that "shameless" spirit to the extreme.

It was precisely because of this unique trait that he was able to break through the awkwardness time and again while interacting with Madara, ultimately succeeding in winning his friendship.

Just like in the current scene, Hashirama reacted extremely quickly, seizing the opportunity to step down from the awkward situation. Without hesitation, he stood up and strode directly toward the dining room.

While walking, his hands were not idle; he quickly tucked his beloved dice into his robes with great care, as if afraid they might vanish into thin air.

Watching Hashirama act this way, Madara merely shook his head slightly, not saying another word.

There was not the slightest ripple of emotion on his cold, stern face, as if he had long been accustomed to this behavior from Hashirama.

Afterward, Madara raised his head, turned his gaze to Qile, and said slowly in a very serious tone, "Regarding this matter, let it end here. Do you understand my meaning?"

Facing this instruction from Madara, Qile naturally dared not have the slightest objection.

In truth, he did have some small schemes deep in his heart.

On one hand, he longed to obtain some precious ninjutsu scrolls from Hashirama.

On the other hand, he even harbored the thought of having a good chat with Hashirama's white-haired brother to exchange insights.

Thus, Qile hurriedly nodded and replied, "Understood, Clan Head! I understand..."

At that very moment, Hashirama, who had already left a step ahead, suddenly raised his voice and shouted, "Madara! Why haven't you two come over to eat yet? Hurry up!" That booming voice echoed in the air, lingering for a long time.

Hearing Hashirama's urging, Madara put down the teacup in his hand: "Let's go, let's eat first." Having said that, he took the lead and walked toward the dining room.

On the way to the dining room, the irrepressible curiosity in Qile's heart grew like wild grass. Finally, he couldn't hold back and asked Madara, who was in front of him, "Clan Head, did the Hokage come over today because of what I said yesterday?"

Hearing this, Madara didn't even turn his head, answering crisply and clearly: "No, he's just looking for a place to slack off. As for what you said yesterday, he probably doesn't know yet. However..." At this point, Madara suddenly stopped, not continuing further.

Although Madara didn't finish his sentence, how could Qile not understand the underlying meaning?

It was simply that although Hashirama himself didn't know what had been said yesterday, his white-haired brother already knew.

Of course, Hashirama coming to Madara was nothing more than seeking a place where that white-haired man wouldn't drag him back to handle Konoha's official business.

At this moment, Madara seemed to recall something important. He slowed his pace slightly, turned his head, and said softly, "Also, in the future, you should show more respect to me and Hashirama. Don't keep calling us 'Clan Head' and 'Hokage' all the time; such forms of address make it seem like our Uchiha clan lacks proper etiquette."

"Got it, hehe. Oh, that's right, how about I call you Lord Madara from now on? Anyway, if we calculate by blood relation, the two of us..." Qile said with a flourish, gesturing excitedly, clearly wanting to tease the stern Asura of the ninja world in this way.

However, before his clever remark could be fully delivered, he suddenly noticed that Madara, who was walking in front, had stopped without warning.

Madara stood there silently, motionless. He turned around slowly, his cold gaze piercing Qile like two sharp swords, instantly making the previously high-spirited Qile feel as if a basin of cold water had been poured over his head.

Just then, a hearty laugh rang out abruptly: "Hahahahaha, I think this title is quite good, Lord Madara! It sounds very imposing and majestic!"

Accompanying this laughter, Hashirama Senju popped out from nowhere. Before Qile could react, Hashirama lunged forward, picked Qile up like a chick, and looked at Madara with a mischievous grin.

With Hashirama lifting him like that, Qile was suspended in mid-air, his feet kicking wildly as he shouted urgently, "Uh... that... Lord Hokage, could you please put me down first?"

While struggling, he stole a glance at Madara's complexion and found the other man's expression becoming increasingly gloomy and ugly, making him regret his actions even more.

Yet Hashirama acted as if he hadn't heard Qile's request at all, continuing to tease with a laugh: "Madara, you are just too stiff and too serious! I actually think the title 'Lord Madara' is quite good; it sounds much better than that 'Asura' title of yours!" After saying this, he deliberately winked at Madara, his manner as infuriating as could be.

Looking at Madara's face, which was as black as the bottom of a pot, Qile felt like a deflated ball and gave up struggling. He truly wanted to slap his own mouth twice!

This wretched mouth of his... why did he have to go and try to be clever for no reason...