Chapter 13

Thank you for the essence review and the extra points, Little Fan. I was actually startled when I first saw it; I thought someone's JJ was glitching again...

A deep blue pillar of light enveloped them, and in the next second, the two stood upon the deck.

The soles of their feet trembled with increasing intensity as a massive, dragon-shaped chain of fire surged into the sky, the scorching waves evaporating a vast expanse of mist. Deep beneath the water, Isobu felt the pain and violently rolled away, its colossal tail whipping up with a thunderous boom!

"Wood Style: Tree Binding Eternal Burial!"

Countless stems and vines bound the Three-Tails, sharp thorns piercing deep into its flesh. The Three-Tails roared and thrashed repeatedly, the waves it stirred up—a mixture of searing heat and freezing cold—rushing toward them. The water instantly vanished into steam, and Hashirama's vision went white. As the vapor thinned, Uchiha Madara tilted his head, his blood-red Sharingan looking particularly magnificent amidst the white mist and cold blue. "Senju-kun, my ship wasn't cheap."

Hashirama's Tree Binding Eternal Burial had not only bound the Three-Tails but had also scraped the paint right off the hull.

Hashirama offered a wry smile, just about to speak, when—whoosh! A wall of water rose before them. Isobu snapped half the vines, its tail slamming against the sea surface to launch a dense barrage of water arrows. Hashirama's gaze sharpened; massive chakra swirled around him like a spinning wind curtain, and the water arrows were deflected the moment they touched it. Madara leaped onto the railing, stepping onto the vines to gain momentum, and charged almost directly in front of the Three-Tails. Performing a one-handed seal, he unleashed Fire Style: Majestic Destroyer Flame, the twenty-meter-long spear of fire instantly evaporating the entire water wall. The deflected water arrows arrived before the fire could fully dissipate; Madara tilted his body, and with a dull thud, he squinted his eyes against the intense shockwave, feeling his body grow damp.

Mist obscured the Three-Tails and Uchiha Madara. Hashirama's heart tightened, and the tree bindings suddenly thickened. The Three-Tails' agonizing roar sounded like thunder, vibrating against his eardrums. Madara waved his hand to add three more Majestic Destroyer Flames into the center of the shockwave before flipping backward to land on the deck.

The cabin walls were in ruins, and piranhas were flopping about on the deck. Madara pursed his lips and frowned, his entire body soaked in the cold, salty, fishy seawater, his thin cotton outer robe clinging to his skin. His hair tie had slipped off during the battle, and seawater dripped down from his long hair, which now hung loose to his waist.

The Three-Tails dove deep into the seabed. Hashirama's expression was stern, his position shifting constantly to dodge the water attacks while his left hand held the seals to control the Wood Style bindings.

A layer of dead fish floated to the surface, the seawater swirling with streaks of blood-red. Madara opened his perception to track the Three-Tails, only to see a massive school of fish gathering—almost all of them carnivorous, relentlessly gnawing at the tough vines.

"Do you think you're safe just by fleeing into the sea?" Madara stood at a high vantage point and sneered. "You are welcome to test whether I can evaporate this entire sea area!"

ROAR—! A low, muffled growl erupted from the deep sea, and the overflowing chakra, accompanied by multiple giant waves, pressed down with such force that it was hard to breathe. Madara formed hand seals, and a dozen fire dragons spiraled and dove into the sea. Instantly, a majestic cloud of mist surged into the sky, the vast whiteness nearly blotting out the sun. The roaring from the seabed echoed incessantly, drowning out all other sounds as the ship rocked violently.

To the two of them, the Three-Tails was not particularly strong, but its natural advantage at sea made the effects of Fire Style and Wood Style significantly weaker.

"Madara! Don't drag this out!" Hashirama shouted loudly.

"Pull it out of the sea!"

Hashirama's right hand transformed into the toughest thorns, stabbing deep into the seabed—an A-rank ninjutsu, Wood Style: Thorn Kill! Madara immediately performed hand seals, and electrified streams of light condensed into a sphere that sank into the water.

The seabed suddenly fell silent.

Watching from the side, Matatabi covered its face with its paws: Seawater plus Lightning Style! Awoo! Boss! Do you have to be this brutal!

Hashirama and Madara did not let their guard down for a second, keeping their eyes fixed on a spot on the sea. Within twenty seconds, accompanied by a long, piercing shriek, the massive body of the Three-Tails, Isobu, finally appeared above the clear sky and blue sea. It looked miserable, wrapped in vines and charred black all over; one of its three tails had been severed by Hashirama, another scorched by Madara, and only one remained relatively intact.

Matatabi curled up its two large, fluffy tails, still feeling a lingering fear.

Madara's Mangekyō Sharingan rotated slowly. The Three-Tails froze, unable to move, its body trembling involuntarily as if enduring immense pain. Hashirama used the Four Pillar Prison Technique to trap the Three-Tails and took out a scroll to begin the sealing process.

Finally, the Three-Tails turned into light and vanished into the scroll.

The saying that bonds between men are forged through combat is true. After the battle, the atmosphere between the two had eased significantly.

Madara took the sealing scroll and examined it. "I recall that sealing a Tailed Beast requires a human host."

Hashirama shook his head and laughed. "The kind you're talking about is the Uzumaki clan's Six Paths Sealing Formula. This is my unique ninjutsu; it can only seal them temporarily."

Madara had already memorized the pattern on the seal; there would be plenty of time in the future, so he didn't press for more details. The two looked at each other—one soaked to the bone, the other with tattered clothes—a pair of brothers in misfortune. Seeing someone else as unlucky as himself, Madara's mood improved slightly. (...) "Change your clothes; there are some in the cabin."

Hashirama's smile stiffened. "Madara... no, Uchiha-kun."

"Just call me Madara. You'll be seeing plenty of 'Uchihas' in the future."

Coming from the head of a clan, these words were nothing short of an implication of alliance, and Hashirama felt a surge of joy in his heart. However, what needed to be said had to be said: "I'm 185cm tall; I won't fit into your clothes."

"..." Uchiha Madara, who stood at 175cm, paused.

"Also... this is a fishing ground, right? Is it really okay that all the fish within a dozen miles are dead?"

"It's fine. This is the Uchiha family's fishery." Uchiha Madara finally turned around, that faint, elusive smile looking dangerous no matter how one interpreted it.

"..."

"The local fishermen will be compensated by the Uchiha. You should worry more about the compensation for this ship, Sen, Ju, Hashi, Rama!"

"..."

Land of Lightning, Uchiha Residence.

Uchiha Zhi's expression could no longer be described as mere admiration; he looked at his clan head as if he were worshipping... a god.

"So, my Lord, you ruthlessly extorted a fortune from Senju Hashirama, that man who is the pinnacle of the ninja world?!" The moment he received the compensation sent by the Senju and the handwritten apology letter from Senju Hashirama, Uchiha Zhi thought he had been caught in a genjutsu.

That was Senju Hashirama! The man hailed as the peak of the ninja world, the one closest to the Sage of Six Paths, and the head of the rival Senju clan!

"The pinnacle of the ninja world?" Madara glanced at Uchiha Zhi with a smirk, his tone growing increasingly soft. "Where does that leave your clan head?"

I was wrong, my Lord, you are the strongest... Uchiha Zhi silently retreated and sat upright.

The third through seventh elders sat straight-backed, eyes fixed forward, to show they were distancing themselves from that certain someone.

"Powerful, steadfast, upright, generous, and ambitious—Senju Hashirama is a partner worth cooperating with. Second Elder, proceed with the first plan." Madara finalized his basic stance toward the Senju.

Uchiha Tai bowed. "As you command."

"In the Land of Fire, the situation has largely opened up; continue to apply pressure to the upper echelons. For the development of influence in the Land of Wind, follow the Senju's route for now. Be careful not to trigger a strong backlash; it's fine to take a small loss occasionally." Besides, there wasn't much worth developing there anyway.

The Land of Wind was mostly desert, arid and rainless; aside from sand, there were no specialties worth mentioning. The Senju clan, famous for their Wood Style, resided there, but they did so to gain the greatest political leverage in the country—the entire nation relied on them for food! Unlike the Uchiha, who had to rack their brains to stir up chaos, expand influence, launch coups, and purge dissent just to eventually control a country, the Senju, as a ninja clan, could easily reap both fame and fortune simply because "the people regard food as their heaven."

"The public declaration of the alliance with the Senju will be announced in two months. Second Elder, draft it and send it to me for review."

"If there is internal opposition, First Elder, please handle it. Throw the stubborn ones directly into the clan academy for retraining; no need to worry about them."

"Is there anything else?"

Uchiha Tai coughed and gestured toward Uchiha Masahiko.

Madara took the paper Masahiko handed him. "New research findings?"

"It's a thesis from a senior student at the clan academy. The elders and I have discussed it and believe this child is worth cultivating."

Madara flipped through the pages: On the Influence of Geography on Personality, Values, and Development Models, Using the Uchiha and Senju as Examples. The signature read Uchiha Teng.

Ever since learning of the so-called Eye of the Moon Plan, Uchiha Madara had felt a deep sense of urgency regarding the improvement of standard education and the importance of instilling a correct worldview. The naive idea of "plunging the whole world into an illusion to rule it" had actually convinced generation after generation of Uchiha... You are all adults! Do you have no critical thinking skills at all? The current Uchiha academy model requires students to study literature in the morning and martial arts in the afternoon. Combat strength is important, but they must also pass their policy essays, and every young man and woman must master at least one of the four arts—zither, chess, calligraphy, or painting—or they will grow old and die within the academy walls! A library was also built next to the academy for clansmen to borrow books freely, the contents of which Uchiha Madara had personally reviewed one by one.

As for the ninjutsu scrolls, they were all kept in the clan's secret vault. The Sixth Elder, Min Yue, was responsible for reviewing them, while the Fourth Elder, Uchiha Zhi, was in charge of guarding them and distributing them on a one-on-one basis.

Facts proved that the Uchiha, known for producing geniuses, had not disappointed him.

Madara smiled and mused, "Third Elder, take this child under your wing once he graduates."