Chapter 19

Across the vast expanse of sand, a group of people supported one another as they slowly made their way northwest. The dry wind whipped up sand and heat, stinging their faces.

There had originally been fifty-three of them. Four had fallen in fights along the way, one group had split off to mislead the Main Family, and Lord Ryosuke had left to hold the Main Family back for them. Now, fewer than thirty remained.

The woman at the back was injured and staggering. Her foot twisted, and she nearly fell. The man beside her hurriedly caught her. "Lord Shin, Junko can't hold on much longer!"

Hyuga Shin, walking at the front, signaled for the water flask to be passed back. Junko pushed it away and weakly shook her head. "No, I can still keep going."

The man half-carried her with one arm and pulled out the stopper with the other. "Don't be stubborn! Your lips are so dry they're bleeding!"

Junko stubbornly shook her head. "Everyone else still needs it..."

Hyuga Shin spoke evenly. "Don't push yourself. We have enough water. Save your strength. We're going to survive this together."

At his words, Hyuga Junko managed a small sip, then refused to drink another. The man had no choice but to stopper the flask carefully and pass it back. "Lord Shin, how much longer until we reach the next outpost?"

"Just hold on a little longer. The nearest town is less than twenty li away." Hyuga Shin looked tired, too. To avoid the Main Family's pursuit, they had chosen the most remote routes. They could only snatch a little rest each day, and everyone was injured and exhausted. The wound on his cheek had scabbed over, but because he hadn't been able to treat it properly along the way, old injuries had been aggravated and new ones added. It would be hard for his fair, handsome face to ever look the same again.

The Hyuga Branch Family had spent a long time preparing for this departure. After considering the various powers involved, they had finally chosen a destination outside the northwest of the Land of Wind, and had discreetly set up supply points along the way. But plans couldn't keep up with changes. Since their route was uncertain, they couldn't use nearly half of the supply points, and the journey had been extremely difficult.

Fortunately, things had improved a little once they were deep in the Land of Wind. The Main Family had slowed down, giving them a chance to catch their breath.

Someone was helping them in secret... Hyuga Shin had keenly sensed it, but hadn't told his companions, lest he add to their worries. No one offered help without a reason, but as "defectors" from the Branch Family, they had nothing but their lives.

What did people who had nothing left to lose have to fear? Whatever the other party's motives, as long as they survived, they could still hope for a future.

Ninja Village...

Uchiha Madara gazed into Hashirama's bright, dark eyes, trying to keep his expression serious. After all, Hashirama had been so sincere in discussing his ideals with him.

Senju Hashirama really was someone who kept shattering Madara's expectations! Madara had assumed that a man whose ideal was world peace, and who sought to challenge the chaotic order of the existing Ninja World by himself, would at least aim to unite half the Ninja World, bring the various powers under his command, and establish new rules. He hadn't expected Hashirama's ideal to be nothing more than moving from clan head to village head?!

No, perhaps he should interpret the words "Ninja Village" differently. After all, this was the ideal of a man named Senju Hashirama... Madara understood.

"You mean to recruit shinobi and various powers under the name of an organization, weaken the current closed clan system, take in wandering shinobi with no one to rely on, protect the ordinary people within its territory, place the group's interests above those of individual shinobi and clans, and have them follow a new set of rules for the Ninja World and a code of conduct for shinobi. That way, the abuse of shinobi power won't lead to infighting and endless slaughter. In the end, the balance of power between countries will keep them from starting wars lightly, and civilians will come to accept shinobi more. Is that right?"

Hashirama carefully considered this definition, which was steeped in academic language. His dark eyes shone with enthusiasm. "That's right, Madara. Shinobi have all sorts of conflicts with one another, and many of them carry blood feuds. Revenge only creates more hatred. The Ninja World needs a fresh start—for everyone's sake, I'm willing to turn the first page myself, no matter the cost!"

So I'm the only one with overly grand ambitions? Madara counted off the clans: Hyuga, Kamizuru, Nara, and others had either weakened or submitted. Now that Senju Hashirama had made his position clear, it seemed Madara had one less rival on the road to supremacy. He sighed silently, unsure whether he felt pleased or melancholy.

This was Senju Hashirama, the man who stood at the pinnacle of the Ninja World!

Madara's expression grew truly solemn. No matter how many flaws there were in Hashirama's ideas, Madara wouldn't mock him. He respected the virtuous more than the strong. The strong could survive, but only the virtuous could live a meaningful life. There were countless strong people in this world, but how many were virtuous?

"Madara, what do you think?" Hashirama asked. He greatly admired Uchiha Madara's meticulous thinking and unfailing methods, and hoped to hear his opinion. If he could form an alliance with Madara, he would surely succeed!

Madara lowered his eyes in thought, absently rubbing his thumb against his index finger. After a while, he said, "I think you're giving the ruling classes of the various countries too much credit." The ruling classes were the people who lived off the taxes paid by the masses. They were the only ones who could afford to hire large numbers of shinobi.

After experiencing the fragile friendship of the Land of Fire's daimyo, Senju Hashirama had gained a deep impression of the self-interest of nobles and the wealthy. He nodded, then shook his head. "The outcome of taking the first step can't be worse than things are now."

"Then which country are you planning to establish the Ninja Village in? How will you handle its relationship with that country's daimyo? Will it remain neutral, or become an armed force dependent on the country? How will it maintain its independence under the country's rule? Will the civilians taken in by the village have a separate tax system? If so, will that limit the village's growth? How will you distribute political power and benefits among the major clans, small clans, and shinobi from humble backgrounds? How will you make organizations founded by other countries obey the rules you want?"

The barrage of questions didn't bother Hashirama. Instead, he smiled. It meant Madara was taking his idea seriously. "That's why I need you, Madara."

"..." Facing Senju Hashirama, Madara was speechless for the second time. So Hashirama had started putting his plan into action with nothing more than a rough idea?!

"Every road is made one step at a time. No one has any experience with this. We can't think through every problem just by sitting here. We have to try."

"While the wise are still thinking, the brave have already changed the world?" Madara raised an eyebrow, teasing him.

Hashirama smiled in agreement. "I like that saying!"

"Don't get excited yet." Madara pressed his lips together, his smile turning cold. "There's one major problem with your idea."

Uchiha Madara could see that Senju Hashirama had no intention of uniting the Ninja World. In his mind, shinobi were still tools. Once the so-called Ninja Village was built according to his ideals, other countries would inevitably follow suit for their own security and turn their villages into tools of war. After the shinobi forces were consolidated and placed under internal constraints, fewer civilians would be caught in wars between countries, and the ruling classes would have their tax revenues secured. The nobles at the top would then fight even more recklessly, with shinobi bearing at least seventy percent of the resulting casualties.

The original story showed that this was indeed what happened: the founding of Konoha brought only temporary peace. On the contrary, large-scale wars involving the entire Ninja World broke out one after another. For a time, shinobi casualties even exceeded those from before the villages were founded. And without any effort to change people's thinking, civilians became even more afraid of shinobi through close contact, driving many people into becoming antisocial and inhuman extremists like those in the "Akatsuki"...

He was here to bring the Senju clan onto his own side, not to tie himself down to Senju Hashirama's chariot.

"—Are civilians' lives precious, while shinobi's lives are worthless?"