Uchiha Zhi glanced out the window and happened to see the young lord fleeing in disarray. His eye twitched. He turned away, making sure his "Lord Clan Head, you're bullying a child" signal didn't reach his clan head.
Uchiha Tai blinked, pretending nothing had happened, while Uchiha Zaitian silently made himself as inconspicuous as possible.
You're really going to bully a child like that?!
Poor kid... The three elders silently thought the same thing. But though they pitied him, they quickly put their scant sympathy aside. Fujiwara Uye might be young, but he was still a young lord and the heir to the Land of Lightning. Madara's attitude toward him had surely been carefully considered, so they wouldn't meddle.
They had actually been waiting behind the screen for a while and had heard the conversation between Madara and the two others. Recalling what had just happened, Uchiha Zhi couldn't help frowning. "Why does a young lord of a country have such little dignity? Even showing respect doesn't require going that far."
Uchiha Tai coughed twice. "Maybe he still thinks he's a hostage... Are you going to explain things to him, Lord Clan Head?"
Madara only smiled.
...All right, we get it!
"Etsu is still in the Land of Fire. When do you plan to have him return, my lord?" Uchiha Zhi was the one who spoke. Uchiha Yan had returned before the new year, leaving only Uchiha Etsu and six ordinary guards behind. The Land of Fire was in too much turmoil now; even the Three-Tomoe couldn't solve every problem.
"He seems to be doing just fine." Madara wasn't worried in the slightest. During this time, Uchiha Etsu had gotten to indulge his inner shinobi in the Land of Fire, making up for all the frustration he'd endured as a civil servant. He'd been gleefully brutal in his interrogations and killings, and his fearsome reputation had even spread back to the Land of Lightning. He'd even joined the fighting himself, relishing the clash with his enemies. Once he was caught up in the bloodshed, he'd taken the initiative and raided several of their bases.
"...My lord, Etsu is the Third Elder." Uchiha Zhi forced himself to speak. Madara watched him silently for a while, then lifted his chin. "You're certainly worried about him."
At that, Uchiha Zaitian gave Uchiha Zhi a brief, peculiar look. His eyes flickered; whatever he was muttering to himself, he soon looked away. Uchiha Zhi started sweating... He explained stiffly, "Etsu bears a heavy responsibility. He shouldn't venture into danger so casually."
Madara chuckled, sparing his elder some embarrassment. "That's right. He should come back. If he stays away any longer, I'll start missing him. Yan, tell the Third Elder to return to the clan compound immediately. And seal off all our businesses in the Land of Fire."
Uchiha Tai asked, "Shouldn't we leave a couple behind to throw them off?"
"Once we've brought the Land of Fire under our control, what will a little loss like that matter?" Madara declared proudly. "I've read the latest report. The Fifth Elder has done well. Continue with the first plan."
The war between the two countries had raged for over a month, but the Uchiha hadn't committed their full strength. Given Madara's cautious, step-by-step nature, and the fact that he still had his eye on the Senju and the Hyuga, he would never act without keeping something in reserve. He preferred to sow discord, use others to do his dirty work, and watch from the sidelines rather than fight on the front lines.
Besides hiring shinobi, daimyo also kept private armies. These forces were a mixed lot, made up of samurai, shinobi, and sometimes other powerful warriors. Hired fighters were judged by their reputation; private armies, by their loyalty. The Uchiha had swallowed up a good portion of the Fujiwara Clan's private army, and half of them were now on the battlefield. Akabane Hatome had only sent hired shinobi; his private army had yet to appear. Madara wasn't in a hurry. Even if the monk escaped, his temple couldn't. Once the country fell, what was coming would come.
"Go back?" Uchiha Etsu pointed at himself, unsure whether to be pleased or annoyed. His expression was conflicted. "I just stirred up a whole lot of enemies, and I'm waiting for them to come looking for trouble! What am I supposed to go back for?"
Uchiha Etsu's hair was now cropped short and stuck up in unruly spikes. Killing intent radiated from him. His fully activated Three-Tomoe Sharingan looked as though it were filled with clotted blood, making him seem like a completely different person from the usually refined, slightly devious man.
Hey, Third Elder! Are you sure you haven't lost yourself in all that killing?! The shinobi who'd delivered the message was speechless. He looked to Uchiha Miae for help.
Miae spread her hands helplessly. "My grandfather has urged him to come back so many times, but Lord Etsu just won't listen."
"It's definitely Uchiha Zhi again. That kid loves sticking his nose where it doesn't belong!" Uchiha Etsu waved a hand grandly. "Ignore him. Let's keep going! If we don't take out that shinobi squad tonight, we don't deserve to call ourselves Uchiha!"
"It wasn't the Fourth Elder. It was the clan head."
Uchiha Etsu's grand gesture froze in midair. He wondered if he'd misheard. "Who did you say?"
"The clan head, my lord. It was the clan head's order for you to return."
Uchiha Etsu turned around, tears streaming down his heart. "The clan head... What were his exact words?"
"'Uchiha Etsu is to secure, relocate, and destroy all our businesses in the Land of Fire, then return to the clan compound immediately!'"
"...Could I wait one more day?"
The shinobi shook his head. "The clan head said 'immediately.'" In other words, not even half a day.
Uchiha Etsu wilted. He turned to Miae. "Tell our allies in the Land of Fire—especially the Nara Clan—to deal with that shinobi squad that dared call themselves the 'Slayer.' Let's get ready to head back..."
"Also, why did the clan head suddenly call me back?" He'd already handed his responsibilities over to Zongxiu and Teng. Had something gone wrong?
The shinobi who'd delivered the message thought for a moment, then threw Uchiha Zhi under the bus. "It seems the Fourth Elder was worried about you..."
Does he think I'm not strong enough? Is he looking down on me just because he awakened the Mangekyo?! You won't get away from me! Uchiha Etsu ground his teeth furiously.
Uchiha Zhi! Just you wait!
Land of Wind.
Things were eerily calm on the Senju side. Most countries were taking a wait-and-see approach to the war between the two nations, which had the Uchiha's fingerprints all over it. The Land of Lightning was prosperous and powerful, but the Land of Fire wasn't exactly weak! When immortals fought, ordinary people were better off staying out of it... They could just watch the two sides wear each other down!
Quite a few daimyo thought darkly.
To avoid being dragged into the war and unknowingly used as a pawn, Senju Tobirama personally reviewed the Senju Clan's missions, reducing their number by forty percent.
Their ample resources wouldn't leave them in want, but plenty of people were bored stiff. They weren't used to having no missions after working so hard on them. The eager eyes fixed on Senju Tobirama were nearly driving him to a nervous breakdown.
Senju Yūri clutched the account book, his eyes blazing with resentment. "Our businesses in the Land of Fire are being affected, sales in the Land of Wind are sluggish, mission expenses are over budget, and profits have plummeted... We're in the red! We're all in the red! Aaaah! I want to profit from the war, Lord Tobirama!"
Even without risking their lives, they could sell the Senju Clan's scrolls, Explosive Tags, and sealing formulas! Why let all that money slip away? As the elder in charge of finances, how could he not be heartbroken and furious at such a waste?
"Yūri?" Tobirama couldn't help taking a step back at the sight of those dark, resentful eyes. "If you have any suggestions, you can discuss them with my brother."
Senju Yūri silently turned away. "If the clan head had agreed, I wouldn't have come to you, Lord Tobirama..." Just how deeply was he attached to money?!
"Don't lose heart, Yūri." Tobirama gave an awkward laugh. "My brother went out to seal a Tailed Beast. Why not wait until he gets back and talk to him then?"
"Right, sealing a Tailed Beast... So the clan head is the one who's overdrawn the mission budget the most... So why block my path to profit... Making money is hard, you know..." Senju Yūri hugged the account book and muttered to himself. Etsu, you're so lucky. I wish I could trade clan heads with you... No matter how much money Uchiha Madara spent, he'd never stop anyone from making money, right?!
Not only would he not stop you, he'd come up with all kinds of shameless, outrageous schemes to help you rake it in! The ones who got richer the more they fought were all the most shameless arms dealers. You know that, right?!
"The clan head is back!"
"My brother's back?!" Tobirama rushed out of the dark, gloomy room in relief and hurried to meet him.
Senju Hashirama returned, travel-worn. Several parts of his dark-colored shinobi uniform were torn, but he looked to be in good spirits. He held a scroll in his hand. Tobirama asked, "Is it the Eight-Tails?"
"Yeah. The seal will hold for ten days. Send someone to escort it to the Uzumaki Clan right away."
"Understood. Get some rest first, brother." Tobirama smiled, then hesitated before adding, "Elder Yūri seems to have something to discuss with you..."
Hashirama stopped in his tracks. Remembering the elder, who always wore a dark expression whenever he came asking for funds, he hesitated for once. "...I'll go see him."
Senju Yūri stared at Senju Hashirama as he approached against the light. His boundless resentment gave him boundless courage, and at last he couldn't hold back a shout: "My lord! Just give in to the Uchiha!"
"Huh?"
Before you continue