Chapter 23

It was common knowledge that cousins Hyuga Tetsue and Hyuga Akisetsu had left the meeting halfway. Few clans in the ninja world dared to slight the Uchiha and Senju families, but at this time, the Hyuga clan possessed the confidence to do so.

After returning, the two did not order an immediate pursuit; instead, they each recalled a portion of their pursuers. Hyuga Akisetsu used this incident to suppress Hyuga Tetsue's faction, significantly weakening the opposition's influence. It seemed the day for the Hyuga clan to determine its true head was drawing near. Meanwhile, the branch family members who had fled managed to reach their destination successfully.

Very few people knew the specific details of the incident, but the Uchiha, who monitored them twelve hours a day, were not among them.

Mentioning this matter requires focusing on two individuals: Hyuga Ryosuke and Hyuga Shin. The former had already committed suicide, so there is no need to elaborate. The latter had undoubtedly become the leader of those branch family members.

Hyuga Shin, male, twenty years old. A once-in-a-century genius of the Hyuga branch family. He had completed 3 S-rank missions, 17 A-rank, 42 B-rank, and 29 C-rank missions. His personality was calm and composed, gentle yet resilient. He possessed a firm will, a sharp mind, and a peaceful, indifferent demeanor.

Uchiha Tai knew that Xingyi held this contemporary of his in high regard, not only for his excellence but also for a temperament that slightly resembled that of the Clan Head.

Therefore, could his own grandson set aside personal likes and dislikes to handle this matter purely from the perspective of family interests?

Someone from the branch family had once suggested to Hyuga Shin that they attach themselves to the Uchiha or the Senju to counter the main family's influence. This consistently composed man had replied with absolute clarity: "Setting aside whether we could offer them more benefits than the main family to maintain such protection, regardless of the circumstances, we are always surnamed Hyuga. The dignity of the Hyuga cannot be violated."

With Hyuga Shin around, the Hyuga branch family would never be used by the Uchiha. Uchiha Tai saw that the hope for the Hyuga's glory lay in him; likewise, the catalyst for their decline also lay there... provided that Hyuga Shin died.

Openly supporting the main family while covertly fostering the branch family, then letting them slaughter each other once the time was ripe—all while taking the opportunity to kill Hyuga Shin in the chaos, driving the two sides to a point of no return, and finally ensuring the main family's victory to continue the system of suppressing the branch family and sowing the seeds of division... The methods were extremely sinister, vicious, and shameless, yet they were a common form of "borrowing a knife to kill" in politics. If Xingyi could truly pull this off, he would have officially completed his apprenticeship.

"This violates the spirit of the samurai!" the samurai roared at the youth kneeling before him. "Are we to degenerate and become as shameless as those ninjas!"

The youth ignored him entirely, looking up with burning eyes at the man behind the bamboo screen. The man remained silent.

"My Lord! You must not listen to this brat! Doing this will only invite unnecessary disaster!"

"Step back!" the man behind the screen suddenly barked.

The samurai was stunned: "My Lord...?"

"I said step back!"

"...Yes." The samurai bowed unwillingly, casting a fierce glare at the youth sitting calmly on the floor before he left.

After a long while, the man's strained voice drifted from behind the screen: "Is doing this... really useful?"

The youth spoke eloquently: "It is not a question of whether it is useful; you have no other way out. The nobles in the country are seizing power and eyeing your position; the Land of Wind has been provoked into a rift with our country, and you have grown distant from the Senju clan. The country is currently isolated and helpless. Even if we have fertile land to be self-sufficient, we are merely a piece of fat in the eyes of others. Once those two families truly cooperate, we will never be able to recover."

"Senju Hashirama... is not that kind of person." The man's voice was laced with hesitation.

"You have held power for many years; do you still believe in something as unassured as 'character'?" the youth countered. "Shouldn't you do everything in your power to nip any sign of trouble in the bud? Regardless, Senju Hashirama has his own family interests; how could he stand entirely with you? We must act while there is still friction between those two families to minimize the involvement of other forces and ensure our own safety."

"Let me think about it..."

"My Lord, Uchiha Madara is no ordinary ninja; his ambition is by no means limited to the ninja world. Look at the Land of Lightning—it is already his domain. The Land of Fire has superior conditions in every aspect; it is inevitably his next target!"

If Madara had heard these words, he would surely have been impressed. The youth had guessed his intentions quite accurately. Since he had already discussed building a city in the Land of Fire with Hashirama, given his personality of refusing to be subordinate to others, he was already considering whether to conquer the Land of Fire before building the city or to usurp power after it was built.

The man behind the screen was clearly swayed. Anyone who craves power is inevitably sensitive to the actions of those who covet it; he could certainly sense the feeling of being watched by a beast.

"If they retaliate—"

A bold, confident light shone in the youth's eyes. "You have already adopted my strategy, and you will see the results soon. The Uchiha family has already sent people toward the Land of Fire. Such an incident at the negotiation site is undoubtedly a disgrace; they will inevitably carry out an internal purge. Afterward, their influence in the Land of Fire will be greatly diminished. You can take this opportunity to reclaim some initiative, push the infamy onto them, and firmly hold onto your power in the Land of Fire. He is on the road now with very few guards—it is a rare opportunity! If you succeed, the Uchiha will have no time to trouble you for a while, and the Uchiha without Uchiha Madara are no longer a threat. Even if you fail, as long as you remain in the position of Daimyo, no ninja will dare to touch you!"

A thick, bloody stench swept across the mountain pass. A pile of corpses lay on the ground, and the pursuers behind and on the slopes were still rushing toward them in an endless stream. With ambushes in front and pursuers behind, the guards present had their Sharingan fully activated, and the repeatedly released Fire Style illuminated the entire valley.

They had been fine for five days, only to be ambushed just four miles from the Land of Lightning!

Uchiha Zhi wiped away some blood, his face, usually given to feigned ignorance and laughter, now cold and ruthless. He turned back and ordered in a hoarse voice: "Maintain vigilance! No one is to leave the formation to pursue!"

The attackers looked down at the ground, swooping down from the heights to kill anyone they saw, rendering the guards' Sharingan much less effective. Fortunately, the Uchiha's taijutsu and ninjutsu were excellent; despite numbering fewer than twenty, they had successively repelled four waves of over two hundred ninjas.

Over two hundred... Uchiha Zhi looked up sharply at the dark, crowded mountain peaks, his Sharingan, boiling with killing intent, spinning wildly: Not enough! Still not enough! There were at least a thousand enemies left!

Kunai poured down like rain, and those below could barely dodge. Seeing this, Madara, who had remained motionless, finally raised his hand. Ice-blue chakra swirled and shot into the sky to form a barrier, instantly pulverizing the steel kunai.

The Uchiha, having gained a moment of respite, ignored the dense wounds on their bodies and once again met the large group of attackers rushing down.

Madara stepped over corpses at a leisurely pace, casually deflecting attacks from all sides, while simultaneously exerting a slight force under his foot to crush the chest of a ninja who was not yet dead, then continuing on as if nothing had happened.

He backhanded a ninja's neck, dodged a samurai's long sword, and shattered the opponent's spine with a back kick. Uchiha Zhi's Sharingan analyzed the enemy's next move without a moment's pause, seeking gaps to strike. His mind was a blank slate, and the kunai gripped between his fingers unconsciously stabbed along exquisite trajectories. After more than three hours of slaughter, the burning pain of the Sharingan made the scenes in his field of vision appear increasingly clear.

Suddenly, a hand gripped his pulse point, and another cool palm forcefully covered his eyes. Uchiha Zhi's entire body stiffened, yet he could not summon a single thought of resistance.

The next second, a calm, low voice sounded in his ear: "Zhi, practice time is over."

Releasing his hand, Uchiha Zhi's gaze was dazed for a moment; the blood-red color in his pupils faded, then immediately became clear again. "...My Lord?"

Turning back, he met Uchiha Madara's magnificent red eyes head-on.

"You really gave me a surprise, Zhi." Madara smiled. "Open your Mangekyo Sharingan and witness its power."

As Madara's voice fell, the surrounding mountain slopes suddenly ignited with massive, despair-inducing flames.

Uchiha Zhi touched his eyes in a daze, muttering to himself with a mix of surprise and disbelief: "...Amaterasu?!"