Chapter 4

The Land of Water is mild and rainy, with flat terrain and many marshes. Most of the houses seen along the way are wooden with thatched roofs, prone to mold and collapse. While brick and stone buildings would be better suited to such an environment, years of war have left the commoners struggling to survive, leaving them little energy to spare for such things. In troubled times, simply staying alive is a feat in itself.

A young man in black, holding a flat-topped umbrella with a painted design, walked slowly through the muddy town. Though his attire was simple and unadorned, the fabric was clearly of the finest quality, and the soles of his wooden clogs remained unstained by the mud despite his long walk.

This was the border of the Land of Water. To the left lay a stretch of arable land, attracting a fair number of passing ninjas and commoners.

As the rain began to intensify, the young man stopped beside a shop. He tilted the tip of his umbrella slightly, looked at the signboard, and read aloud: "Taro Dumplings?"

There was a fan emblem in the bottom left corner of the sign. Good, a family business. But this name—

Uchiha Etsu, your sense of humor is truly something else.

"My lord, please come in." The girl at the entrance lifted the curtain and bowed respectfully. She had mistaken the young man for a nobleman.

The elegance of his bearing, the perfection of his etiquette, his exquisite features, his calm aura, and his clear, steady gaze—Uchiha Madara's exterior was indeed highly deceptive, especially since he wasn't even wearing ninja gear.

Madara returned a polite nod, closed his umbrella, and chose a clean booth to sit in. The commoners in the shop lowered their heads in restraint upon seeing him; the class hierarchy was deeply ingrained in them. A few ninjas, however, eyed him with vigilance, but upon realizing he seemed to be nothing more than a pampered young master with mediocre combat strength, they relaxed, though their eyes couldn't help but linger: what a rare, top-tier beauty!

A bunch of idiots... A certain ninja in the corner twitched, shrinking his body and trying his best to minimize his presence.

Carved wooden plates held various dumplings: pink cherry blossom flavor, green tea flavor, yellow egg yolk flavor, white milk-sweet flavor, and various fruit flavors, all piled together in round heaps. Madara sipped his tea and ate the dumplings, his chin resting on his fingers as he listened to the singer's soft, delicate melody.

"My lord, we have new rose-flavored pastries that are very popular! Would you like to try some?" the young girl in a pale pink cherry-blossom kimono asked softly, her face, just beginning to bloom, flushed with a faint pink hue.

Madara tilted his chin slightly, a faint smile playing on his handsome face. "I'll trouble you, miss."

The girl blushed. "You're welcome." Such a gentle, refined lord.

Madara glanced around the room before turning his gaze back to the window. The ninja in the corner feigned composure, though his palms were sweating.

With such beauty before them, the people's voices grew quieter, leaving only the singer's clear, thin voice and the sound of the rain against the curtains.

After finishing the dessert on his plate, Madara saw the rain outside beginning to let up. He dropped a large-denomination banknote and, before leaving, cast a casual, indifferent glance toward a certain corner.

Such vigorous life force... Heh, a Senju.

The person in the corner kept his head down, pretending nothing had happened.

Twirling the handle of his umbrella, Uchiha Madara's playful smile deepened. Right, what was the mission this time? Two-Tails Matatabi?

Since I'm already out, I might as well make it interesting.

Senju Saki took a deep breath, then another, gasping hard. Why! Why did he have to run into Uchiha Madara, who rarely left his home, on his own trip! Damn the Land of Water; he was here for a mission and a vacation, not to die! Could his behavior of traveling on public funds be so egregious that even the heavens couldn't stand it?

—No, wait, why is Uchiha Madara in the Land of Water?!

Regaining his composure, Senju Saki recovered the qualities of a Senju elite and immediately sought a way to send the news back to the clan territory. He himself headed toward the underground black market in a nearby town. The black market in the Land of Water was the largest among all nations, and since Uchiha Madara never knew the meaning of disguise or keeping a low profile, he should be able to buy intelligence on him... right?

The sky over the Land of Wind was refreshingly blue, without a single cloud. The long winds blowing through were blocked by the forests of the clan territory, gradually weakening into a breeze. A snow-white pigeon landed on a yellow roof, cooing from time to time. Senju Tobirama looked up: another urgent report?

"Brother?" Tobirama pushed open the door.

Hashirama was looking down at a report, his ink-black hair brushing against the paper. The atmosphere in the room was unusually stagnant.

"What happened?" Tobirama rarely saw his older brother look so grave.

Hashirama pursed his lips, his brows furrowed beautifully. "Uchiha Madara is collecting the Tailed Beasts."

"What!"

Southwest of the Land of Water.

The altar that originally sealed the Tailed Beast had been destroyed. Because of the beast's lingering malice, it was difficult for animals to survive in the vicinity. Only a few stubborn clumps of weeds had managed to live. Because of the lack of large-scale vegetation to protect the soil, the area had become a desolate, muddy wasteland.

Uchiha Madara spent a full three hours examining the altar's formation and seals, unable to hide his astonishment.

Who built this shoddy project?! No automatic, long-term replenishment of external energy, no suppression targeting the soul, not even the most basic chakra seal is perfect. How could a formation of this level possibly restrain Matatabi?

Thinking of the Tailed Beasts' endless lifespans, Uchiha Madara silently smoothed the corner of his mouth: Tailed Beasts and the like... they really are quite boring, aren't they?

However, the lingering scent of chakra pointed the way. Uchiha Madara stood in the center of the altar, closed his eyes, and focused on sorting out the scent of the surrounding chakra before heading west without hesitation.

Since coming to this world, Madara had never had direct contact with a Tailed Beast. He had only gathered some information from the clan's secret archives: bodies made of pure energy, endless chakra, cruel and violent, a scourge to humanity... that was about it. Oh, and the glorious achievements of various heroes in history who had sealed them.

After doing missions for over a decade, aside from that Senju Hashirama he had yet to meet, Madara felt that humans could no longer satisfy him... (Madara-boss, your integrity!) Thank goodness the world has Tailed Beasts!

Nine Tailed Beasts, from weak to strong, constantly being sealed, escaping, and being sealed again... They really are just boss monsters designed to be cleared, aren't they! Sage of Six Paths, are you sure you aren't a bastard game designer!

One-Tail Shukaku was in the Land of Wind; the place was far, the environment was poor, and it was on Senju territory. Madara didn't want to enter and challenge the entire Senju family just yet—PASS. Two-Tails Matatabi, stronger than Shukaku, skilled in genjutsu and mental attacks, known as the Messenger of the Underworld—an excellent choice.

The Uchiha's signature skills were also genjutsu and mental attacks; the Sharingan was the natural nemesis of Tailed Beasts, and combined with his own unparalleled mental strength that could sweep across the continent, Matatabi was definitely no match for him.

"Then—should we..."

Hashirama sighed. "He is in the Land of Water, targeting the Two-Tails, and there is no one around who can hold him back. We won't make it in time."

Tobirama said with concern, "What does the Uchiha want with the Tailed Beasts...?" The two brothers fell silent, their minds simultaneously flashing with guesses like "destroy the world," "dominate the ninja world," and "attack major nations to start a war." Hashirama knew more, such as the "Eye of the Moon" plan... a naive and beautiful plan that Madara had actually long ago rejected and shelved. The current Madara understood the human heart far too well; how could he be as chuunibyou as the original version and believe in such an absurd thing? Hashirama's intelligence was somewhat outdated, but that didn't stop him from judging the personalities of most of the Uchiha clan.

"Tobirama," Hashirama decided, "we will also begin collecting the Tailed Beasts."

"No matter what the Uchiha clan intends to do, there must be a force in this world capable of keeping them in check."

"Let's start with... the One-Tail Shukaku."