Chapter 21

Choosing to meet Senju Hashirama before the talks began would shake up the strategy the Senju Clan had already settled on as much as possible, throw them off balance, and give his own clan more leverage. After all, Hashirama, who was striving for peace, couldn't refuse the questions and reasoning Madara had put forward. That way, he would be more likely to acknowledge and accept the treaty Madara brought to him.

After planting a tiny seed in Hashirama's heart, Madara's interest in the negotiations immediately waned. He left everything to the others and became a hands-off boss.

In truth, he had never cared as much about these negotiations, which had caused a sensation throughout the Ninja World, as he appeared to. In his eyes, the clans attending fell into three categories: those connected to the Uchiha, those connected to the Senju, and those aligned with neither side. The clans that had sided with the Uchiha had long since been brought to heel, and in public they firmly stood alongside the Uchiha. The clans that sided with neither weren't the kind that could be handled with a piece of paper. They could be dealt with gradually later; he didn't expect negotiations to solve everything. So, from beginning to end, his only target was the Senju Clan—or rather, Senju Hashirama.

Uchiha Etsu grimly accepted the assignment. When he heard that Senju Hashirama, head of the Senju Clan, had spent half a day cooped up in his room before handing everything over to subordinates like Senju Yūri, Etsu immediately felt comforted!

He sent the minutes of the negotiations with some minor clans directly to the Nara Clan's lodgings for them to handle. Four years earlier, the current head of the Nara Clan, Nara Rokichi, had brought his entire clan into an alliance with the Uchiha. What was the Nara Clan best at? Medical Ninjutsu and brains! Madara liked clever people, so he had offered them generous terms. What Madara didn't know was that, in another timeline in the original story, the Nara Clan had sided with the Senju and joined the Yamanaka and Akimichi to form Ino-Shika-Cho.

Uchiha Kawahito flipped through the minutes the Senju had sent over with a rustle, then turned them back to check the name on the cover. He blinked in disbelief and read them again. "Lord Etsu, why is the content of these new minutes from the Senju so similar to ours?"

Thinking of Madara's visit to the head of the Senju that morning, Uchiha Etsu understood at once. His expression darkened. He must be enjoying making trouble for us, our lord! Through gritted teeth, he said, "Of course that was the work of our 'all-capable' lord!"

Uchiha Madara, who was sitting in a pavilion in the garden, admiring the flowers and drinking tea, suddenly coughed a few times. Uchiha Yan promptly handed him a handkerchief. Madara wiped his mouth and wondered, Who's badmouthing me?

...Too many suspects. Impossible to analyze...

That afternoon, Hyuga Akisetsu and Hyuga Tetsue finally received the news. Their expressions shifted several times, and in the end, they both chose to leave. For the powerful Hyuga, the stability of the clan mattered more than anything else. Madara seemed unconcerned, but only he knew how many thoughts were turning over in his mind.

The negotiations went more smoothly without the Hyuga involved. The treaty Madara had presented to Hashirama beforehand was largely approved. In the end, the two clans and their affiliated families formed an alliance, dividing their cooperation into two stages.

First stage: Each clan would disclose its nonconfidential missions below A-rank to the others, avoiding casualties caused by conflicting missions; intelligence at B-rank and below would be shared for a fee; alliance clans would have priority when purchasing or accessing one another's resources.

Second stage: The clans would merge into a new organization, with their members living together in shared settlements and accepting unified leadership in name. Resources would be shared internally, and the clans would share honor and disgrace externally. Specific arrangements would be discussed after the first and second stages had been implemented.

The so-called first stage served as a buffer period, allowing relations between the members of the two clans and their affiliated families to improve. The ultimate goal was undoubtedly the second stage.

Senju Hashirama had originally intended to propose the idea of a Ninja Village and formally unite the two great clans. After Uchiha Madara's arguments, he felt that his own ideas were not mature enough, and the proposal was put on hold for the time being.

Though it had been shelved, Hashirama's idea had touched on another field. His thinking expanded from how to restrain and regulate ninja behavior to what principles should govern the proper use of power. To use an analogy, he had moved from the use of force to the Way of the Warrior. Thus, during the five-day negotiations, the Uchiha would often find themselves speechless when a man hailed as the pinnacle of the Ninja World appeared at their clan head's residence with a healing smile. The two would shut the door and hang up a sign refusing visitors... Hey, hey! Sure, their clans had formed an alliance, but their relationship hadn't advanced to that point yet, had it?

Most importantly! Lord Clan Head! What exactly were you and this man doing behind closed doors?!

"Given the clan head's age, it's time he got married..." Uchiha Etsu gazed up at the sky, tears streaming down his heart in broad noodles. The Uchiha often married within the clan, but no one could guarantee a one-to-one ratio of men and women in every generation. So two men... might be acceptable. But! But!! Anyone but you, Lord Clan Head! Your powerful bloodline and brilliant mind must be passed down for generations!

...Hey! Uchiha Etsu, are you sure you're not holding a grudge because Madara pulled a little prank on you and trying to get back at him now?

Uchiha Zhi rolled his eyes at him. "You're overthinking it! Lord Yan has been standing guard outside the whole time."

Uchiha Kawahito nodded. The clan head had always had refined tastes, so he probably wouldn't be interested in... Wait, that wasn't entirely impossible. After all, Senju Hashirama wasn't exactly hard on the eyes—huh, that adjective sounded a little strange.

Uchiha Etsu clutched his chest, his expression pained. "I'm just planning ahead. You know what the clan head is like. Once he makes up his mind, he never changes it, so we have to set him straight before that happens! Right, Lord Yan?"

Uchiha Yan happened to be passing by. At those words, he turned around expressionlessly. "I support every decision the clan head makes." His Three-Tomoe Sharingan turned slowly. "Also, there's nothing improper going on between the clan head and the Senju clan head. Third Elder, please put those thoughts away." With that, he drifted off.

A withered leaf spun past Uchiha Etsu. How desolate.

"Ooh~ Got warned, huh~" Uchiha Zhi crowed gleefully.

"I'm not like certain people who had their defenses breached by an old man who couldn't use a single jutsu!" Uchiha Etsu jabbed him right in the heart without mercy.

"At least I'm not flirting with whoever that is from the Senju Clan!" Uchiha Zhi blurted out. Uchiha Kawahito's mouth twitched, while the Uchiha watching silently perked up their ears. The naturally blunt could be devastating. Uchiha Etsu nearly choked, trembling as he pointed at him. "Y-you—you bastard! That never happened!"

"Haven't you two been making eyes at each other for months?"

"Bastard, we're just having normal conversations! Normal conversations!" He might be prone to overthinking, but he absolutely didn't like being the subject of someone else's wild imagination!

"I'm the one having normal conversations with the Senju Clan's head of security, unlike you~"

"Go to hell!" When words failed, they started fighting, alternating between Taijutsu and genjutsu—they couldn't use any powerful moves that might damage the buildings, or they'd have to pay for the repairs themselves. Uchiha Kawahito had wisely left the battlefield long ago. The surrounding Uchiha were used to this: those training kept training, and those on patrol kept patrolling, all perfectly calm. As for what they were imagining, that was no business of outsiders~

"What was that noise?" Senju Hashirama blinked in the room. "Did it sound like a fight?" His first thought was that they were under attack, but then he decided the Uchiha's defenses couldn't possibly be that weak.

"Oh, you get used to it." Madara was entirely unruffled. "Let's continue discussing Ninja City."

That's right, Ninja City.

Hashirama's concept of a "Ninja Village" focused on the basic strategic need for supplies: food. But in Uchiha Madara's vision, a village didn't have enough economic strength or defensive power. He wanted a city encompassing numerous farming villages and cities that supported commerce and administration. Unlike the daimyō's cities, which were simply mounds of earth surrounded by walls, his idea was to have many small cities, medium-sized cities, and villages scattered around the central city to protect it. Defenses would grow progressively stronger from the outside in, and special regulations would govern order within the city.

"Defense can be divided into ranks, like missions, from D-rank to SSS-rank, with seven levels from the outside in. The subordinate towns and villages would establish patrols made up of ordinary people to maintain order. Spies and invaders would be dealt with by the ninjas directly under the central city. This would reduce conflict between ninjas and civilians..."

Listening to Uchiha Madara was a pleasure. His voice was neither low nor overly clear. He spoke at an unhurried pace, composed and measured, with a gentle rhythm that rose and fell like a spring breeze, soothing and pleasant to listen to. His words carried an archaic elegance; even when discussing the dullest topics, he never sounded obscure or stilted.

Senju Hashirama's eyes grew brighter and brighter as he excitedly offered his own idea. "In that case, the best location would be in the Land of Fire. It's the only place with vast plains and mountains that are easy to defend." He moved his hand to the right on the map. "Look here."

"The roads connecting the five great nations converge here. It's a good location."

Hashirama sighed at that. "Unfortunately, there's already a large town here. Building a city here would mean dealing with more than just the daimyō."

"I don't think so." Madara considered it. "The central city of Ninja City would hold many secrets and have the highest defense level, so it wouldn't be suitable to build it at a major transportation hub. Better to use this place as a reference point and choose a location a little farther north, somewhere with rugged terrain that's easy to defend and plenty of farmland." Madara placed a finger on a spot on the map. It was none other than the site of the future Valley of the End!

The two men who would one day make history there were entirely unaware of it as they leaned their heads together and pointed at the map, discussing it.

"Here?"

"Mm."

"The scenery's quite nice."

"Have you been there?"

"I passed through once. There's a spectacular waterfall over a cliff. The terrain around it is a little dangerous, so few people go there."

"Then it's settled." Madara made his decision. "Hashirama, when you get back, send someone to survey the terrain. Send a copy of the information to the Land of Lightning. I'll take care of the daimyō."