Chapter Fourteen

"A benevolent person values goods lightly and cannot be tempted by profit, but can be made to spend; a brave warrior thinks little of danger and cannot be frightened by trouble, but can be made to face peril... Thus, strength is built upon weakness; straightness is built upon crookedness; abundance is built upon scarcity..." (The Guiguzi, "Stratagems")

The clear voices of the younger children studying in the clan school drifted from afar on the warm, gentle breeze. The clan members couldn't help smiling knowingly, feeling a little of what it meant to be happy. For a moment, they felt that the purpose behind all their years of fighting and sacrifice had become perfectly clear.

Everything was for a better future.

Clear water burbled beneath the wooden arched bridge. There was a faint rustling among the peach trees by the bridge, and petals drifted from their blossom-laden branches now and then. Flecks of light flickered between the boughs. As usual, Matatabi was curled up on a branch, eyes closed as she basked in the sun.

"Lazy days of summer are perfect for sleeping. There are twelve hours in a day, and you spend more than ten of them asleep." Uchiha Madara tilted his head and teased the cat pretending to nap. "You've got it easy, Matatabi."

Chirp! Chirp-chirp-chirp! A little ball of fluff darted down from the tree and tumbled into his arms. He scooped it up and took a look. Well, wasn't this the squirrel he'd brought back on a whim last year? Weighing the little ball of fur in his hand, he found it had put on some weight. Its coat was sleek and shiny, so it seemed Matatabi had been taking good care of it.

Chirp! The little squirrel tugged indignantly at his lapel, its shiny black eyes brimming with aggrieved reproach. Madara smiled and tapped its tiny head. "I'll bring you along more often next time." The Boss was quite patient with cute little animals. As for the ones that weren't cute? The different treatment he gave the Two-Tails Matatabi and the Three-Tails Isobu said it all. What could he do? Isobu's looks were an affront to his aesthetic sensibilities.

"Same to you. You've had plenty of free time lately, too, meow~" Matatabi scratched at the trunk to change positions, curling up again. She opened one eye and glanced at him. "Don't play games with me. If you want me to do something, just say so."

"You should call me Master, Matatabi..." Madara leaned against the tree and casually plucked a peach blossom, crushing it in his hand. He blew gently, and the broken petals drifted into the stream and floated away. "It's nothing."

"No wonder you're bored enough to cruelly destroy flowers." Matatabi rolled her eyes. Uchiha Madara's thoughts were unfathomable, but he had never bothered to put on much of an act around her. She knew this human, whose left eye said "I want it" and whose right eye said "ambition," all too well.

"Spending so much time near the clan school has raised your cultural refinement." Madara unhurriedly teased her. "Who would've thought even the haughty Matatabi would spend a day learning human knowledge?"

Matatabi snorted. "I'm just looking for some peace and quiet. Children are simple-minded. They're much better than adults with their filthy hearts."

"Filthy, huh..." Madara caught a peach blossom that had just fallen from a branch and gave a soft, wry laugh. "Do you know that it's precisely the greed, vanity, envy, laziness, and vain pursuits you despise, along with humanity's endless infighting, that have allowed humans to rise above all living things?"

"**, the source of progress. Of course, take it too far, and it might become the source of destruction."

Golden eyes met black ones. Matatabi saw only an endless abyss.

"Hmph, suit yourself." The dark blue cat turned her head away. "How long are you planning to laze around, meow? Don't tell me you're going to loaf around until you die of old age, meow~"

"This is my last chance to relax. I should make the most of it while I can, because life won't be so easy from here on. The course of the world is shaped by circumstances, not by people..."

"Why are you putting on such a literary act? You brought this on yourself!" Matatabi scoffed. "If you need help, just come to me, the great Matatabi. In return for my meals, I'll reluctantly help you a little, meow~" She swished her two tails and leaped away lightly.

Madara rolled the peach blossom in his palm. Tsk, tsk. The kitten was acting all coy~

The little bridge and flowing stream, the green trees and blooming flowers, the tranquil days... No matter how beautiful, they were only a corner of the world. Even if one perfected every detail and watched the colors of every season change, one would eventually see it all. The whole world—that was the true beauty!

Crash! Hyuga Akisetsu swept the teacup to the floor. "The Uchiha have gone too far!"

The alliance announcement had shocked the world. Some were delighted, some terrified, others furious... The Hyuga Clan had suffered a crushing setback. What was there left to misunderstand? Both the Uchiha and the Senju had used them! The clan had split into two factions amid internal strife. To win more support, Hyuga Akisetsu's cousin, Hyuga Tetsue, had contacted the Senju Clan. To counter him, Akisetsu had hastily allied with the Uchiha, who could stand against the Senju. But just as the situation began to favor his side, the Senju and Uchiha had joined forces! In the eyes of outsiders, the Hyuga had been the "bridge" that brought about the alliance; only the three clans knew what had really happened. In the end, the Hyuga had gained nothing and had even incurred the resentment stirred up by the alliance! The clan had fallen into turmoil once again. Worse still, he had recently used an enhanced version of the Caged Bird to control some of his clansmen, provoking their fierce resentment. Now all he could do was watch helplessly as Hyuga Tetsue slowly clawed his way back into a stronger position!

Damn it!

He angrily flipped through the cooperation agreement he had signed with the Uchiha Clan and found that every detail concerning specific people or matters had been left vague. Hyuga Akisetsu's hand trembled with rage. "Uchiha Madara!!!"

No matter how much commotion there was outside, the two clans put on the air of "let him make a fuss; I'll remain unmoved as a mountain," and exchanged smiles of standard diplomatic courtesy—smiles that reached nowhere near their eyes—as they began their peaceful and friendly discussions. If one ignored the daggers flying from their eyes and the barbs that made people furious enough to suffer internal injuries, the talks really were quite peaceful and friendly!

Uchiha Etsu had been in a genuinely good mood lately. After the summer solstice, the senior students at the clan school had graduated, and his prospective disciple, Uchiha Teng, had officially come to help him out. At last, he had some free time to check his six-year-old son's homework, spar with him using kunai, and enjoy the pleasures of fatherhood. As for the finance department, he had unexpectedly hit it off with Senju Yūri, the Senju family elder in charge of finances. The two of them had a great time privately complaining about their respective spendthrift clan heads.

"Lord Hashirama is a bit too much of a people-pleaser!"

"Lord Madara has a bit of a mean streak!"

"Lord Hashirama is wonderful in every way, except he goes through too many outfits! In his worst month, he ruined 164 training uniforms—164! All the women in the clan who make our clothes came running to me in tears! You can't win when you've got someone using Wood Release, you know!"

"Lord Madara is wonderful in every way, except he has an over-the-top nobleman's taste! No, it's beyond that—even the daimyo doesn't live that lavishly! His first order after taking over was to renovate the residence, nearly emptying the clan treasury! His clothes have to be made from snow cotton, ice silk, or mist gauze, and if they don't have embroidered patterns, he won't wear them—though he wants the embroidery to be subtle! His daily pastries can't repeat for two months, and he's picky and particular about everything. Can you believe it?"

"Lord Hashirama's Wood Release creates forests that are not only as complicated as mazes, but full of thorns—thorns, I tell you! We have to be careful not to fall even when we go in to catch a chicken, or we might get impaled!"

"Lord Madara is a grown man, but he loves those delicate pink peach blossoms to a ridiculous degree. Anywhere that doesn't meet his aesthetic standards gets planted over with peach trees! Keep this up for a few more years, and the Land of Lightning will have to be renamed the Land of Peach Blossoms! I feel sorry for all those people with pollen allergies!"

"Lord Hashirama usually spends nothing, but when he does spend, it takes a fortune. I have to keep a huge amount of liquid assets on hand at all times, just in case! Think of all the opportunities to make money I've lost. Sob!"

"Lord Madara spends money like water, and he says things like, 'A thousand pieces of gold spent will come back again~' Enough already! You're the one spending all that gold; we're the ones working hard to earn it!"

Brothers!

Comrades!

They both had a boss who was impossible to keep in line, and a deep sense of kinship welled up between them.