Chapter 36

Hashirama was stunned.

This incredibly familiar name echoed in his mind. His heart was filled with shock, followed by a moment of hesitation. "Are you certain his... surname is 'Senju' and his given name is 'Hashirama'?"

The landlady replied with certainty, "Yes, indeed. Oh, look at me, I've been so busy chatting that I've forgotten to go downstairs and prepare some food for you."

Hashirama nodded unconsciously, but by the time he realized he wanted to ask for more information, the landlady had already left. Looking at Madara in his arms, he sighed softly, gently placing the sleeping beauty onto the tatami mat and carefully smoothing out his long, unruly hair.

The room fell into silence. Ever since becoming the clan head, Hashirama had been too busy with missions and inter-clan affairs to enjoy such peaceful quiet. After the fierce battle with the Nine-Tails, the inexplicable loss of consciousness, and the subsequent evasion of pursuers upon waking, his tightly coiled nerves were finally able to relax, if only slightly.

Gazing at the dim light, he fell into deep thought.

Upon hearing the name, his first reaction was that it was a coincidence or an impostor. Such things were not unheard of; in these chaotic times, the world was full of strong individuals, and people revered power and feared those with great martial prowess. Some would name their children after a powerful figure, while others would use someone else's name to swindle others. But he immediately dismissed this guess. The Land of Fire was currently in the midst of war, the Land of Lightning was eyeing it covetously, and the Uchiha clan had been infiltrating the Land of Fire for years, their influence not to be underestimated. At such a juncture, who would dare to meddle in the affairs of the Land of Fire under his name?

His second guess was that someone was acting under his banner, hoping to drag the Senju clan into the war between the Land of Lightning and the Land of Fire. He immediately thought of Madara, but then dismissed that as well. While this tactic was plausible, it was still beneath the strategic level of Uchiha Madara. If Madara were of such caliber, he wouldn't have caused the Senju clan so much trouble. Other clans might do this, but what benefit would they gain? Operating under the Senju banner in territory destined to be "Uchiha" in the future was certainly not a wise move.

The third hypothesis was an illusion. The world as humans perceive it is constructed by information transmitted to the brain through the five senses. An illusion is simply the provision of false information to construct a non-existent scene. What one sees, hears, smells, and touches is all fake... everything is fake. This guess was indeed logical, but not reasonable: an enemy capable of creating an illusion that could completely deceive both him and Madara would have no need to go through such trouble to deal with them.

Of course, there was one more possibility: this "Senju Hashirama" was... real.

Upon arriving in this town, he had immediately noticed that it was more prosperous than in his memories. There were fewer dangerous figures on the streets, more residential houses, and many buildings had been renovated. Generally speaking, war brought chaos and economic decline, even in remote towns. How had this place been spared?

Moreover, pacifying the chaotic world, establishing order in the Ninja World, and allowing people to live good lives—these were his own wishes. This "Senju Hashirama" seemed to have achieved all of it. At this thought, Hashirama's breath hitched, and a guess sprang to mind.

Time travel...

If that were the case, then the "Senju Hashirama" here must be his future self?! Then, what could have caused him and Madara to arrive in the future?

The Nine-Tails? No, the Nine-Tails only possessed space-time abilities.

No, not necessarily; no one could guarantee what secrets those ancient Tailed Beasts might hold.

Besides the Nine-Tails, what other reason could there be?

Hashirama's analytical skills were formidable, and his judgment of situations was in no way inferior to Madara's. Unfortunately, there was too little information, and the matter was too bizarre; after thinking for a long time without finding a lead, he had to give up for the moment. With nothing else to do, he turned to carefully observe that serene, handsome face. The person in deep slumber was completely unaware of Hashirama's inner turmoil and speculation, lying there quietly. Regardless of who that "Senju Hashirama" was, the most important thing right now was this man's safety.

Anything produced by the Uchiha was bound to be exquisite, whether it was an object or a beauty. Madara's face was top-tier even among the hundreds of people in his clan, and combined with his unique, elegant temperament, it made it increasingly difficult for one to look away.

Thinking this, he acted on an impulse... and reached out to touch him.

His fingertips traced the smooth contours of the face, lingering for a moment on the eyelids: the Sharingan... He followed the straight line of the nose down to the soft lips, finally stopping at the tip of the chin.

Beneath the jade-white skin, warm blood was flowing.

That's right, he is Uchiha Madara.

And I am Senju Hashirama.

No matter what the world is like, we are still real.

He withdrew his hand, stared blankly for a while, then lay back and covered his eyes. Truly, he was a bit tired.

A quarter of an hour later, the landlady brought up two bowls of hot porridge and a pot of water. Hashirama used his chakra to cool the porridge until it was lukewarm, half-propped Madara up, and slowly fed him with a spoon. Afterward, he wiped the corners of his mouth clean, placed the tray outside the door, and lay down beside him, fully clothed, to sleep.

The night rain continued.

The Uchiha clansmen who arrived at the sound of the disturbance looked in horror at the dark silhouette standing amidst the ruins of the main residence, not daring to approach. An elder arrived shortly after and spoke to the shadow: "Lord Madara! What happened?"

The person in the darkness turned, completely ignoring the rain falling upon him. His blue yukata turned pitch-black in the night, his long, loose hair obscured half his face, and his blood-red Sharingan was filled with undisguised killing intent.

Hearing the elder's words, he seemed to chuckle softly; the indifferent laugh formed a stark contrast with the killing intent permeating his entire body, causing an inexplicable fear.

It was different from the awe one felt when facing a strong person; it was a chill that surged uncontrollably from the depths of one's heart...

All the Uchiha present couldn't help but take half a step back.

Ignoring the elder, he tilted his head slightly and said coldly to one of the Uchiha clansmen: "Before dawn, clean this place up."

Finally, he looked at the elder not far away, his half-squinted eyes exuding an indescribable sense of intimidation. "Who gave you permission to address me by my name!"

The elder felt a chill on his scalp as a kunai whistled through the air, grazing the top of his head. Cold sweat instantly covered his entire body.

Madara adjusted his long hair slightly and, under the gaze of all the Uchiha, slowly walked toward the east. The house was ruined, so he would have to change rooms tonight; the lack of spare room designs other than the guest house was truly troublesome...

The Uchiha relaxed, exchanging glances with one another. In the night, the voice of the man who had just left drifted back, as clear as if he were right beside them: "Next time, remember to address me as 'Lord Clan Head'!"

After a night of rain, the morning air was fresh and moist. Hashirama woke up the moment the landlady started cooking downstairs. The hearing of a top-tier ninja allowed him to clearly hear the sound of pots and ladles clashing.

Madara still hadn't woken up.

Having almost anticipated this result, Hashirama went downstairs to get a bowl of porridge, brought it up, and fed it to him. He then placed a sturdy defensive warning barrier in the room, greeted the landlady, and went out alone. There were some things he had to clarify.

The shops on both sides of the street had opened their doors, and the entire town was bustling. The aroma of breakfast drifted through the air, and shopkeepers enthusiastically greeted passersby. It was a very ordinary scene of life, yet it brought a smile to Hashirama's face.

Though in a good mood, he didn't forget his objective. Hashirama chatted with the local residents along the way, unobtrusively fishing for the information he wanted. He was handsome, imposing, with clear eyes and a gentle tone, which led many women to steal glances at him.

Before long, he had obtained enough information—enough to overturn all his previous hypotheses.

Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara had worked together to stabilize the situation that had been in chaos for decades across the continent...

The Senju clan and the Uchiha clan had jointly established Konoha Village in the Land of Fire...

Konoha Village took in various ninjas and orphans, uniting and protecting bloodline clans...

Konoha Village was now the continent's premier military organization, causing the Land of Fire to leap to become the most powerful of the Five Great Nations...

The leader of Konoha Village was called the Hokage, and the first Hokage was Senju Hashirama...

Konoha Village...

The village...

This place could never have been built by him and Uchiha Madara. One had to know that before he arrived here, the Land of Lightning had already seized half of the Land of Fire!

Moreover, how could a Konoha Village that relied on ninja missions, local taxes, and subsidies from the Land of Fire's Daimyo possibly afford to support Uchiha Madara? To use the exact words Uchiha Etsu had once said to Senju Yūri: the monthly expenses of the Clan Head alone were enough to exhaust the ninjas of a mid-sized clan!

But if this wasn't the future, then who was this Senju Hashirama?

What kind of world had he actually arrived in?!!

"Fire... Lord Hashirama?"

Hashirama turned around to see a silver-haired stranger dressed in a black ninja uniform, wearing a headband with a strange symbol, looking at him in surprise.

Who was he? Why did he recognize him? Hashirama grew vigilant, his mind rapidly analyzing the situation, yet his expression remained composed. "What is it?"

The ninja seemed to realize something, his face dawning with understanding: "Are you personally investigating that person, my lord?"

Hashirama immediately deduced three points from this sentence: the Hokage looked just like him; Konoha was hunting someone; and anyone capable of making the Hokage investigate personally was either a high-risk individual or someone with a special connection to the "Senju" here.

He decided to start with the ninja before him; after all, one could only gather general information in the marketplace. "Yes. Do you have any leads?"

The silver-haired ninja shook his head: "The target is too strong; they erased their tracks along the way. The ninja hounds followed the bloodstains to this area, but the trail went cold."

Hashirama immediately realized the man was tracking him. It seemed the wounds on Madara had led them here. After a few quick thoughts, he gave up on trying to pry more information from this ninja, simply nodding as he said: "You continue the search. I have other matters to attend to and need to return to Konoha Village first."

The other replied respectfully: "Please go ahead, Lord Hashirama. Leave this matter to us."

Hashirama nodded, turned, and quickly returned to the inn to scoop up Madara and leave.

He had a premonition that the key to resolving all of this... lay in Konoha!