Chapter 2

"If it were Senju Hashirama, he would certainly agree."

The air in the Council Chamber stagnated for a moment; the elders could not fathom why Senju Hashirama had been brought up so abruptly.

Uchiha Tai, however, remarked with profound meaning, "Heh, a genius, and a man of great talent with a limitless future. It is only a pity that he is still a little young."

The elders grumbled inwardly: Young? Senju Hashirama is three years older than the Clan Head himself!

Madara, having reviewed the intelligence provided by the information department, understood his words implicitly. "Correct. Although he has surpassed the average ninja, he is, after all, still a ninja."

The other elders felt black lines crawl down their foreheads, roaring internally: Is this cryptic way of speaking meant to insult our intelligence? Can you be more direct? Dare you!

"Uchiha Etsu." "Present!"

"Withdraw one billion. By any means necessary, secretly win over the nobles of the Land of Fire and isolate the Daimyo. Reduce the supply of goods from other nations to the Land of Fire. Conduct open commercial activities in the Land of Wind under the Uchiha name; the clan treasury will cover any profit or loss for the next five years. My only requirement is that it must benefit the populace and win over the hearts of the people."

"As you command!"

Give him the benefits he desires, provide him with a reasonable excuse to justify his actions, and then hold a sharp blade to his throat—tell me, who would not betray their own? Let alone greedy, cowardly nobles?

Within three years, the Daimyo will be begging the Uchiha faction to establish a presence in the Land of Fire. Senju Hashirama, let me teach you a lesson on what constitutes profit, what constitutes the grand trend, what constitutes a calculated scheme, and what constitutes the human heart... You are the only opponent in this world currently capable of contending with me, a fated existence—do not let me down!

"Brother! This—how can this be?!" Senju Tobirama held the signed warrant, unable to believe his eyes.

"This is the only opportunity we have right now," Senju Hashirama said in a deep voice. "The feud between our two clans has lasted too long; continuing like this only increases the casualties. Our ancestors have already paid a high enough price for this. One side must eventually be the first to concede, and Uchiha Madara..." He pursed his lips, "He has already extended an olive branch, so we should also take a step back."

Tobirama was speechless. Extended an olive branch? Is this the Uchiha clan that upholds the principle of "if someone offends me, I will repay them tenfold"? Fine, even if Uchiha Madara were, as rumors suggest, a gentle, elegant, and peace-loving (?) young nobleman, and even if he had indeed adjusted many missions that conflicted with the Senju since taking office, getting a Senju to believe the Uchiha harbored good intentions was harder than believing a Tailed Beast was dedicated to maintaining world peace!

"His goal is certainly not limited to this," Hashirama smiled, "but it serves as an opportunity for reconciliation."

"Resentment cannot be erased overnight. Aren't you inviting a wolf into the house!"

"It is of no concern." Senju Hashirama had his own considerations. "In the Land of Wind, the Senju's prestige is long-established; it is not something the Uchiha's newly stationed forces can shake. Moreover, they are operating under the Uchiha banner; if they make any rash moves, it will no longer be a matter of commerce. I trust Uchiha Madara will not do something so irrational."

Senju Tobirama hesitated. "I understand. However, to prevent espionage, I can only allow them to operate in the border regions. Otherwise, I cannot convince the clan elders."

Hashirama nodded. "You have full authority over this matter."

Tobirama asked in surprise, "Shouldn't you be the one to handle the negotiations with the Uchiha clan, Brother?"

"It is not a formal partnership; the Uchiha will not send anyone of significant importance. You only need to review the documents they submit and maintain proper precautions."

Tobirama's expression eased slightly. "Ah, I actually wanted to meet that Uchiha Madara."

Hashirama ruffled his younger brother's white hair. "Don't get any ideas. Uchiha Madara is not someone you can handle at your current level."

"Oh? Is he that formidable? He seems to rarely go out on missions."

—Uchiha Madara held himself in high regard and never defined himself as a "combatant" or a "tool." In his view, killing—especially killing with his own hands—was the lowest form of means. Since becoming the Clan Head, he only went on a mission once every three months or so—nothing lower than A-rank, with no upper limit—and that was only to maintain his combat instincts in this god-forsaken ninja world. Thus, he left the impression on outsiders that he was a recluse.

"I am referring to his intellect." His brother was good at everything, but he was too straightforward; he was well-suited for charging into battle, but far weaker when it came to planning and maneuvering. "Besides, he possesses the Mangekyo Sharingan."

Tobirama gasped. "Mangekyo?!!" That shut-in, whose every outing was analyzed by the Senju clan as major intelligence, was actually a Mangekyo user?!

Hashirama dropped another bombshell: "He awakened it at the age of thirteen."

Tobirama was speechless, as no words could express the shock in his heart.

As everyone knew, awakening the Sharingan required waiting for an opportunity amidst countless trials of blood and fire. Even then, not everyone in the Uchiha clan could reach the Three-Tomoe stage, and the Mangekyo was even more unattainable. Do not be misled by the situation in Itachi's generation—that was a matter of plot requirements and perspective, or perhaps an unexpectedly harmonious genetic match between Father Fugaku and Mother Mikoto? Otherwise, if everyone were a bug-like existence with a Mangekyo, how would other ninjas survive? Would Masashi Kishimoto even be able to earn his royalties?

Uchiha Madara, you are so illogically powerful that other ninjas will cry! They will truly cry!

Tobirama finally muttered, "What a freak..."

"What a freak!" Uchiha Koichi, the grandson of Uchiha Tai, held the intelligence report in disbelief. "Wood Release that creates life? It simply defies logic! Senju Hashirama is not a god; how can he create something from nothing?!"

Within the Uchiha clan, where stubbornness and "chuunibyou" tendencies were already deeply ingrained in their genetic code, Uchiha Tai's branch was considered an oddity, which had finally prevented the transmigrated Uchiha Madara from completely despairing of the clan. As Tai's grandson, Koichi was the all-but-confirmed heir to the Second Elder's seat. Therefore, he was often dragged over by his grandfather to process intelligence and write analyses, under the guise of "getting accustomed to it early."

Assistant No. 1, Uchiha Amano, yawned, his red eyes—habitually kept in the Three-Tomoe state—half-closed as he slumped lazily on the table. "Why compare? The Clan Head will resolve everything."

"You cannot develop a sense of dependency just because the Clan Head is omnipotent!"

"Perhaps it's because there are many dormant seeds buried underground, and they are awakened once they receive chakra filled with life force?" Assistant No. 2, Uchiha Shizuka, stroked her long hair and proposed a more plausible theory.

"He used it in the desert too, ahhh! Would there be tropical plant seeds under the desert? Would there, would there!" Koichi grabbed his hair. "How am I supposed to analyze the strength comparison between the two clans with such illogical situations?"

"That goes without saying." Uchiha Amano threw a disdainful look. "No matter how you look at it, we Uchiha are the strongest. We control the lifeblood and upper-level relationships of over a dozen nations, turning clouds and rain with a flip of our hands. In times of crisis, we even have scapegoats—just thinking about being the mastermind behind the scenes is exciting! The previous death-struggles with the Senju were simply a matter of pride; being used as pawns by others while thinking it was supreme glory, trading our lives for things that even commoners could earn—it was utterly stupid!"

Koichi slapped him. "What nonsense are you spouting! You've gotten used to smooth sailing these past few years, haven't you! Strength is the foundation, you idiot! If you don't have strength, everything you have will be snatched away by others!"

"Who are you calling an idiot?"

"I'm calling you an idiot!"

"Hahaha, you idiot!"

"U, chi, ha, A, ma, no!"

Veins popped on Uchiha Shizuka's forehead. Finally, she could endure no more. Bam! Bam! "Ah—!"

"All of you, shut up!!!"

"Fine, fine, fine, Big Sister, I was wrong!" Koichi smiled bitterly while nursing the steaming bump on his head. Honestly, have gentle and virtuous girls gone extinct these days?

Amano lay slumped on the table, playing dead. Don't even think about snitching; Shizuka's grandmother was his grandfather's first love. If he dared to snitch, he might actually die...

"I am taking the new report to the Clan Head. You two stay here and do your work properly!"