Chapter 14

"A benevolent person treats wealth lightly and cannot be tempted by profit, but can be induced to spend; a brave warrior treats hardship lightly and cannot be cowed by adversity, but can be led into danger... Thus, strength is accumulated from weakness; straightness is accumulated from crookedness; abundance is accumulated from deficiency..." (Guiguzi: Strategy)

The crisp voices of children in the lower grades of the clan school drifted over, carried by a warm, moist breeze. The clansmen in the compound couldn't help but smile knowingly, a faint sense of happiness blooming within them. They felt, in a daze, that the meaning of their years of slaughter and sacrifice had become incomparably clear in this moment.

Everything is for a better future.

Clear water gurgled beneath the wooden arched bridge. There was a faint rustling in the peach tree at the bridgehead, and pink petals drifted down from the branches from time to time. Light flickered between the leaves, and Matatabi, as usual, lay curled up on the tree with its tails tucked, eyes closed, basking in the sun.

"The summer days are long and perfect for sleeping; out of twelve hours a day, you spend over ten of them asleep." Uchiha Madara tilted his head, teasing the cat that was feigning slumber. "Matatabi, you certainly are at leisure."

Squeak! Squeak-squeak! A small ball of fluff darted down from the tree and dove into his arms. He reached out to scoop it up—ah, wasn't this the squirrel he'd picked up on a whim last year? He weighed it in his hand and found the little meatball had gained some weight, its fur sleek and glossy; it seemed Matatabi had taken good care of it.

Squeak-squeak! The little squirrel tugged at his collar in dissatisfaction, its black, bean-like eyes filled with aggrieved accusations. Madara smiled and tapped its little head. "I'll bring you along more often next time." This Boss was quite patient with cute little animals. As for the ones that weren't cute? One only had to look at the difference in treatment between the Two-Tails Matatabi and the Three-Tails Isobu to understand; who told the latter to grow in a way that so offended his aesthetic?

"Pot, meet kettle. You've been idle lately too, haven't you? Meow." Matatabi dug its claws into the tree trunk, shifted its position, and curled up again, opening one eye to squint at him. "Don't play these roundabout games with me. If you want me to do something, just say it."

"You should call me Master, Matatabi..." Madara leaned against the tree, idly plucked a peach blossom, crushed it, and gave a light blow. The remnants of the flower drifted into the stream and floated away. "There's nothing to do."

"No wonder you're bored enough to destroy flowers." Matatabi rolled its eyes. Uchiha Madara's thoughts were unfathomable, yet he never put on a facade in front of Matatabi. The cat already had a profound understanding of this human, whose left eye read "desire" and whose right eye read "ambition."

"Sleeping near the clan school, you've picked up quite a bit of cultural refinement over time," Madara teased, unhurried. "I never thought the haughty Matatabi would have a day where it learned human knowledge."

Matatabi snorted coldly: "I just wanted some peace and quiet. Children have simple minds; they are much better than the filthy-hearted adults."

"Filthy, indeed..." Madara reached out to catch a peach blossom that had just fallen from the branch and sighed with a soft laugh. "Do you know? It is precisely because of the greed, vanity, jealousy, laziness, delusional pursuits, and endless mutual slaughter that you despise, that humanity has climbed to the pinnacle of all living things."

"Desire is the source of progress. Of course, if it crosses the line, it might just become the source of destruction."

Golden eyes met black pupils, and Matatabi saw only an endless abyss.

"Hmph, suit yourself." The night-blue cat turned its head away. "How long do you intend to stay idle? Don't tell me you plan to just stay this idle until you die of old age, meow~"

"This is the final leisure. Store up your energy well; the days ahead will be anything but easy. The grand situation of the world is determined by momentum, not by men..."

"Stop acting like some brooding intellectual; isn't this all your own doing!" Matatabi scoffed. "If you need help, just come to me, Lord Matatabi. For the sake of my food allowance, Lord Matatabi will reluctantly help you out a little, meow~" With a flick of its two tails, it leaped away gracefully.

Madara twirled the peach blossom in his palm: Tsk tsk, the little cat is acting coy.

Small bridges and flowing water, green trees and blooming flowers, the play of light and shadow... No matter how beautiful, it is but a corner of the human world. Even if one exhausts all ingenuity and changes the colors of the four seasons, there will eventually come a time when one has seen it all. The world itself—that is the true scenery!

Crash! Hyuga Akisetsu swept his teacup off the table. "The Uchiha have gone too far!"

Once the alliance announcement was out, the world was shocked. There were those who rejoiced, those who were terrified, and those who were furious... The Hyuga clan had suffered a silent, bitter loss: by now, who couldn't understand? Their own clan had been used by both the Uchiha and the Senju! The clan had split into two factions due to internal strife; in order to gain more support, Hyuga Akisetsu's cousin, Hyuga Tetsue, had contacted the Senju clan, while he himself had hurriedly allied with the Uchiha to counter them. But just as the situation turned in his favor, the Senju and Uchiha had actually formed an alliance! In the eyes of outsiders, the Hyuga were the "bridge" that brokered this alliance, but only the three clans knew the truth. As a result, the Hyuga clan not only gained no benefits but also bore the resentment brought on by the alliance! The clan was in chaos once again because of this. Even worse, to control a portion of the clansmen some time ago, he had used the enhanced "Caged Bird" seal, sparking intense dissatisfaction. Now, he could only watch helplessly as Hyuga Tetsue slowly turned the tide!

Damn it!

He angrily flipped open the cooperation agreement signed with the Uchiha clan, only to find that all details involving specific people or matters were vaguely handled. Hyuga Akisetsu's hands trembled with rage: "Uchiha Madara!!!"

No matter how noisy things were outside, the two clans maintained a stance of "let them clamor, I remain as immovable as a mountain," wearing standard diplomatic smiles—smiling without mirth—to conduct preliminary, peaceful, and friendly exchanges. Ignoring the daggers being shot back and forth and the sarcasm that could cause internal injuries, it was indeed very peaceful and friendly!

Uchiha Etsu had been in a genuinely good mood lately. Once the summer solstice passed, the senior students of the clan school graduated, and his designated apprentice, Uchiha Teng, officially came over to help him with his work. He finally had some leisure time to check his six-year-old son's homework, spar with kunai, and enjoy the pleasures of being a father. On the economic side, he found his interactions with Senju Yūri, the elder in charge of the Senju clan's finances, unexpectedly harmonious. In private, the two of them happily complained about their respective spendthrift clan heads.

"Lord Hashirama is a bit of a pushover!"

"Lord Madara has a bit of a twisted sense of humor!"

—"Lord Hashirama is great in every way, except he ruins too many clothes! In his worst month, he tore through 164 training outfits! 164! All the women in the clan responsible for sewing ran to me in tears! You can't mess with someone who uses Wood Release, you know!"

—"Lord Madara is great in every way, except his aristocratic affectations are severe! No, that's not even the word for it—not even the Daimyo lives as luxuriously as he does! His first order upon taking office was to renovate the residence, which nearly emptied the clan treasury! The fabric must be snow-cotton, ice-silk, or mist-gauze, and once made into clothes, if there's no embroidery, he won't wear it; if there is, it has to be hidden patterns! His daily snacks can't repeat for two months—he's so demanding and picky, you know!"

—"The forests Lord Hashirama creates with Wood Release aren't just complex like a maze; they're full of thorns, thorns everywhere! We have to be careful not to trip even when catching a chicken inside, lest we accidentally get pierced through the heart!"

—"Lord Madara is a grown man who likes those pink, tender peach blossoms to an outrageous degree; any place that doesn't fit his aesthetic gets planted with peach trees! If this goes on for a few more years, the Land of Lightning can rename itself the Peach Blossom Country! I really pity those with pollen allergies!"

—"Lord Hashirama doesn't spend money usually, but when he does, it's a massive sum, forcing me to keep a huge amount of liquid capital on hand at all times! How many money-making opportunities have been lost because of that, sob!"

—"Lord Madara spends money like water and even says things like 'wealth scattered will return again'~ Enough is enough! You're the one scattering the wealth, but we're the ones working hard to earn it, okay!"

Brother!

Comrade!

Both burdened with troublesome superiors, the two felt a sudden sense of mutual sympathy.