Chapter 18

Madara re-tied his long hair, which had been loosely bound with silk, and secured it higher with a delicate jade crescent-moon hairpin. He stepped out dressed in a formal outfit of deep blue brocade layered under a matching mist-gauze robe. Madara was already blessed with superior looks, and the solemnity of the formal wear combined with the ethereal quality of the gauze made his presence truly extraordinary. Even the ninjas he passed, despite knowing the Uchiha's fearsome reputation, couldn't help but lower their hostility.

One must utilize every available resource—after all, beauties always receive more leniency, don't they?

The inn where the Senju were temporarily staying happened to be a property of the Merchant Alliance. The Senju clansmen inside watched with a mix of vigilance and confusion as a certain enemy boss—whose name was pinned to the top of their mission target list in red letters as "Do Not Engage"—calmly knocked on their clan head's door.

Senju Hashirama was slightly surprised, then broke into a smile. "Good morning, Madara-kun."

"Good morning, Senju-kun." Madara tilted his head. "Won't you invite me in?" Beside him, Uchiha Etsu's eye twitched: Clan Head, since when did you get so familiar with the local boss!

A Senju clansman spoke up hesitantly: "Clan Head..."

"What is it?"

"Your breakfast—"

"Have it sent to my room. Madara-kun, please, come in."

The Senju clansman was left in a daze: My lord, I was trying to stop you from inviting the wolf into the house! Uchiha Etsu looked left and right at the inexplicable aura of harmony between the Demon King and the Hero, deciding it wasn't something a cannon-fodder like him could get involved in. He wisely chose to retreat: "Clan Head, I just saw Yori-kun and remembered I have something to attend to..."

Uchiha Madara was well aware of his elder's little thoughts. He cast a smiling, sidelong glance at him and waved him away.

Despite having stayed in the inn for the night, Senju Hashirama's room remained clean and orderly. The bedsheets were without a single wrinkle, as if he hadn't slept at all. The slightly used teacup had been tidied and placed near the door, forcing Madara to admire the man's meticulous nature.

"Madara-kun..."

"Just call me Madara."

Senju Hashirama blinked. "But Madara-kun always calls me Senju-kun; it would be too impolite of me."

Madara was speechless. Recalling their previous conversation about height, he silently added a bolded tag to Senju Hashirama in his mind: [Natural-born black-belly]. "Fine then, Hashirama."

Hearing this, Senju Hashirama smiled. "Is there something you needed, coming so early, Madara?"

"The negotiations can begin."

"Negotiations?" Senju Hashirama was puzzled; it didn't seem to be the right time yet... Suddenly, his expression turned solemn as he watched Uchiha Madara's fingertips condense a glimmer of chakra to slice through space. A black rift in space-time flickered and vanished, and a stack of documents appeared in Madara's hand. —Slicing through space so casually?! Has Uchiha Madara already become this powerful? He knew Uchiha Madara had been hiding his strength, and that the sealing of the Three-Tails was more of a test than a show of force, otherwise, he wouldn't have so easily handed the Three-Tails over to the Senju. But to think...

It seemed he needed to re-evaluate Uchiha Madara—this rival, friend, and collaborator who stood as his equal.

Of course, Uchiha Madara, who had yet to awaken the Eternal Mangekyou, could not open space at will. Being able to pull off this feat was thanks to the Seventh Research Division's top-tier creation, "Space Eater," which took the form of a jade ring. By injecting high-density chakra into it to activate the internal spatial formation, one could open an independent space of twelve cubic meters. However, he didn't mind Senju Hashirama's minor misunderstanding.

"The vast majority of forces in the ninja world look to the Uchiha and the Senju. Rather than wasting time on trivial matters with those small and medium-sized clans, I prefer to have a proper talk with you," Uchiha Madara said softly. "We can just announce the results at the negotiations at noon."

Senju Hashirama shook his head in refusal. "We are in a partnership with those clans. I do not have the authority to make decisions on their behalf."

Madara chuckled; it was exactly the answer he expected from Senju Hashirama. "Are you worried they won't honor the agreement?"

"It's a matter of basic respect." Hashirama sat up straight, his tone grave. "Madara, if only the Uchiha and the Senju make the decisions, how can we convince the entire ninja world? Every clan has its own needs and considerations; acting arbitrarily will only incite resistance from the others."

Ar-bi-trar-y.

Madara smiled imperceptibly. Wise, patient, elegant... that was how everyone who knew him perceived him. Yet, by using slightly circuitous methods and adding a touch of disguise to his words, he had blinded so many "sharp-eyed masses." The world was truly ignorant. And yet, Senju Hashirama, who had spent less than three encounters with him, was able to see through his essence. His estimation of the man rose another notch.

However, Senju Hashirama clearly hadn't fully grasped just how arbitrary Madara could be... He had the ability to lure everyone onto his own wavelength. "They all have their own interests, you're right about that. Every clan is fixated on their own gain, stopping at nothing for their own benefit. They are nothing but a pack of wild dogs fighting over scraps; throw them a bone and they'll tear each other apart. They have no sense of unity or the bigger picture, acting selfishly without regard for the future of the ninja world or the hardships of others. In such a situation, your concessions are merely indulgence. No matter how many treaties you sign, you won't be able to establish order in the ninja world or achieve the results you want."

Senju Hashirama's resolve was firm. After only a moment of hesitation, he said, "That is precisely why we must negotiate—so that each clan can reach the most appropriate compromise, reducing estrangement and friction. Only then can such a treaty achieve the best results."

"The 'best'... results." Madara shook his head. "Are you willing to abandon your original goal for the sake of 'best results'? Of course they will do what benefits their own clans. But—" his slender fingers condensed chakra and moved slowly across the table, "if I'm not mistaken, your goal conflicts with the interests of many large clans and a portion of the medium-sized ones. Otherwise, the Senju wouldn't have agreed to cooperate with the Uchiha, would they?" To integrate and restrain the power of the ninja world in order to achieve peace might benefit small clans and those with auxiliary-leaning powers, but for clans with established reputations that had already developed their own intelligence networks and interest chains, it was no different than carving a piece of flesh from their bodies. Integrating the power of the ninja world meant disrupting the existing balance of power and establishing a new order—a system that required them to sacrifice part of their own interests for the sake of the whole. Senju Hashirama and the Senju clan he led would undoubtedly have to bear immense pressure and resistance—the suppression the Senju clan had faced in recent years hadn't come solely from the Uchiha.

Senju Hashirama looked at the words written in deep blue chakra on the table, stunned for a moment.

"I share a similar wish to yours." Madara looked at him, his gaze sincere and firm. "Not just for the sake of our clans, not just for the sake of ninjas. Too many people have lost themselves in war and slaughter, completely forgetting that there is something beyond that—humanity, and the world itself."

"And—" covering the remaining chakra on the table with his palm, Madara whispered the word, "peace."

The room fell silent.

"So, Hashirama, I need to know your thoughts—what kind of world do you want?"

Senju Hashirama was silent, then suddenly broke into a gentle smile. "Madara... I am truly glad to have met you."