Chapter 45

Uchiha Madara has left.

Senju Hashirama has returned.

Upon hearing this news, the Uchiha clan nearly wept with joy. The Finance Elder, in particular, clutched a ledger filled with red ink and almost sobbed aloud. Clan Head! We finally realize how good you were to us! Although you were arrogant, overbearing, heartless, and radiated a killing intent that made people keep their distance, at the very least, you were a diligent, frugal, and dedicated leader! You provided a quarter of the clan's annual income! He desperately wanted to ask the Uchiha of the other world: How did you survive while serving that great god?

After returning from his dusty journey to submit his mission report at the Hokage Building, Hashirama headed straight for his residence. Pushing open the door, he found the air cool and filled with floating dust; the room remained as clean and tidy as the day he had left. It was empty, suggesting Madara had not yet returned.

A nameless sense of loss welled up in his heart as Hashirama entered his bedroom to change out of his travel-worn clothes. Lacking a storage item like a Jade Ring, it was rare for a ninja on a mission to carry spare clothing. When he emerged, Madara was half-reclined in a chair in the living room, reading a casual book.

He looked up, took in Hashirama's ink-colored yukata, and smiled faintly. "You're back?"

"Mm, I'm back."

It was a conversation devoid of substance, yet it carried a strange warmth that made Hashirama's heart itch for no reason, causing him to break into a relaxed smile involuntarily.

Unfortunately, the next moment, the completely unromantic man nodded and said lazily, "Good, go make dinner!"

Hashirama: "..."

The kitchen, which had been empty and cold just moments ago, was now stocked with vegetables, fresh fish, fruits, and other ingredients. It seemed Madara had been prepared. Hashirama asked in surprise, "Madara, you went grocery shopping?" His young master self actually did something like this? And the quality of the produce he picked was quite good!

"I brought them over from the Uchiha kitchen," Madara said, his tone light and composed.

Hey! The Uchiha Finance Elder is probably crying right now!

Hashirama's face darkened. He opened his mouth to say something, but in the end, not a single word came out. What else could he do but sigh? Hadn't he already guessed that the Uchiha were being put through the wringer? He just hadn't expected Madara's bottom line to be this low... On this point alone, Madara, you have defeated Senju Hashirama in terms of sheer audacity! Truly!

Resigned, he rolled up his sleeves. Having just returned from a grueling half-month mission, Hashirama had barely rested for a quarter of an hour before resuming his life as Madara's personal chef.

Listening to the familiar sounds of washing and chopping coming from the kitchen, the corners of Madara's lips slowly curled into a genuine smile.

With both masters home, the house regained its vitality. The warm air was filled with the aroma of food, punctuated by the occasional clatter of bowls and chopsticks and the sound of conversation. Before long, a table full of dishes was laid out, all of them Madara's favorites.

"Why did you make so much?" Madara asked, poking at a piece of tender, saucy fish with his chopsticks.

Hashirama paused. He had been in such a good mood that he'd cooked more than he realized... Thinking of the coarse food in the Land of Earth, he would have preferred to chew on a Military Ration Pill—though, it must be said, the Military Ration Pills in this world were also terrible. "Consider it a treat for myself..."

Madara nodded. That made sense; after all, the mission location was a poor, backward country like the Land of Earth. However—"I remember you like mushroom rice." Yet the table was covered entirely in his own favorite dishes... It felt strangely indescribable.

Hashirama explained, "That's because I'm usually too busy with affairs and mostly eat fast food. Mushroom rice... is decent enough."

I see, settling for the best of the worst. On second thought, wouldn't that be a waste of his culinary skills? How hard it was to find a chef who suited one's tastes! Half-regretful and half-joking, Madara said, "How about this: when we go back, I'll hire you to cook for me. The annual salary would definitely be better than being the head of the Senju clan."

To his surprise, Hashirama pondered this seriously for a moment. "I could do that."

Now it was Madara's turn to be astonished. He looked at him with a brand-new perspective and teased, "Are you planning to resign from your job as the Senju clan head?"

"The two clans have already formed an alliance. Deepening our exchanges... that wouldn't be a bad thing," Hashirama explained, then smiled slightly. "As for the salary... it's free."

Madara's lips quirked upward. "Oh? Is this a benefit of the alliance provided by the Senju?"

"A benefit for you personally." As the words slipped out, the atmosphere stalled for a heartbeat.

Madara's gaze turned subtle, and Hashirama silently broke into a cold sweat. That was such a normal response, so why did it sound so much like flirting!

Should I explain? No, how would I explain why I even thought of it in that way? It would clearly just make things worse!

And so, Hashirama lowered his head and silently shoveled rice into his mouth.

After a long silence, Madara chuckled softly. "Ah, then I shall look forward to it." The light, gentle laughter was like a feather tickling the heart, leaving it feeling both warm and itchy.

Since Uchiha Madara had secretly embarked on the mission to the Land of Water, the First had become even busier, spending ten out of every twelve hours in the Hokage Building. He not only had to handle village affairs but also keep a constant watch on the situations in the Land of Water and the Land of Lightning; the other Madara in the village was also an unpredictable hidden danger.

Judging from the information leaked by the Senju Hashirama from the other world, that Uchiha Madara was calm, rational, exceptionally cunning, and possessed high-level methods. Even with so many virtues, the mere fact that his "intentions were unfathomable" made him someone one had to guard against.

He could speculate about the other Senju Hashirama as if he were looking at his own past self, but he could not view the other Uchiha Madara through the same lens he used for the Uchiha Madara of the past. It was better to send away such a completely different and intimidating person as soon as possible.

Fortunately, this goal was a shared desire for both sides.

"I intended to send someone to invite you, Madara-kun, but I didn't expect you to come on your own," the First said, sitting up straight and looking at the Uchiha Madara before him—a man entirely different from the one he knew.

"How could I trouble the Hokage?" Madara sat opposite the First, his fingers interlaced, supporting his chin, a faint, indifferent smile playing on his lips. "Lord Hokage is busy with a thousand tasks; we shouldn't disturb you further."

The Madara who had activated his "Uchiha Clan Head" mode made the First feel a pressure he had never experienced before. The First said calmly, "Madara-kun, please state your purpose directly."

"I think that once that... Uchiha returns, the situation in Konoha should be stable. When that time comes, we can have a talk, right?"

The First's expression turned serious, his gaze filled with obvious suspicion. "How do you know?" Uchiha Madara's mission to the Land of Water was classified as S-rank, and every effort had been made to ensure it left no traces. Given Uchiha Madara's caliber as a ninja, he would never have uttered a single word to anyone.

"How should I put it? I suppose I guessed it when you sent Hashirama to the Land of Earth," Madara said lightly.

Such outstanding strategic planning and perspective on the big picture... The First finally understood why Madara had suggested he "have a chat" with this Madara before leaving. "Then, what is your opinion on this, Madara-kun?"

"It is good, but not perfect." The approach is correct, but not elegant enough; it cannot be considered a top-tier strategy. Madara pointed out the problem without hesitation. It wasn't his nature to help others devise strategies, but the stability of Konoha was tied to whether the Nine-Tails could be "borrowed" quickly and smoothly. This was a mutually beneficial transaction, and he and the First understood this implicitly.

The First's method was to disrupt the alliance between the various nations, buying time and opportunities for the Land of Fire and Konoha to catch their breath and develop. Once everything was on the right track, external forces would find it difficult to shake them. However, this method did not diminish the hostility and wariness of other nations; the brief peace would eventually end, and conflict would inevitably erupt. This was also where the Uchiha Madara of this world later disagreed with the First: the former wanted to strike first while the village was thriving and on the right track, annexing other nations to eliminate hidden dangers, while the latter insisted on dividing the Tailed Beasts to balance the power of the nations so that none would dare to act rashly. In terms of goals, Madara naturally preferred the former. To evaluate them comprehensively: the former was too brutal, the latter too idealistic!

Were the great nations really so easy to unify? Could one unify the world just by capturing a few Tailed Beasts and killing all the dissenters? The upper echelons, which had existed far longer than ninjas, the unknown and hidden existences in every corner of the world, the complex continental environment, and the fickle hearts of men—which of these wouldn't cause the world to fall into turmoil at the slightest provocation? Without a complete theory, organization, financial resources, sufficient talent, and control, so-called unification was nothing more than a castle in the air. If one were even slightly careless, everything would fall apart, and the continent would plunge into chaos far greater than the present. This was a situation many were unwilling to see.

With the capabilities of Konoha—or even the Land of Fire—true unification was currently impossible, and the First must have known this, which was one of the reasons he made such arrangements.

The balance of the five nations, with their constraints and checks, was indeed a very compromise-oriented and achievable situation. Compared to Uchiha Madara's radicalism, the First's mistake was being overly optimistic about Konoha's future. One had to realize that it wasn't just external forces that could harm Konoha. The wariness and secret suppression by the nobles of the Land of Fire, the conflicts within the village's leadership, the friction between the various major clans... true decline always begins from within.

Up until now, because Konoha faced a crisis, everyone had been working together in the same boat, and the aforementioned conflicts had not yet erupted. It was too early to speak of these things; both of those men were the top powerhouses of their time, their personal wills too firm—they would never know to turn back until they hit a wall.

Therefore, Madara went straight along with the First's layout to discuss the matter.

"Since you have become the strongest, why must the Land of Fire be the target for everyone else?" Madara said softly. "People always hold this attitude toward powerful things: they hate and envy them, fear and admire them, and want to stay away while simultaneously wanting to get close..." He deliberately emphasized the last sentence, and the First understood immediately.

"You mean, an alliance?"

Madara curled his lips. "It reduces pressure and breaks their coalition; why wouldn't I do it?"

Hashirama gave a wry smile. "The Land of Fire has no allies left now."

"Relations between nations have always been intricate; one cannot be deceived by superficial attitudes." Madara tapped his index finger against the edge of the table in a rhythmic pattern. "What you see and hear isn't necessarily the truth; what is done is what's real. The Land of Wind has barren soil and has lost the Senju... how could it dare to stand completely against the Land of Fire? The best method is to unite with one, secretly manipulate half of another, and then suppress the remaining two." On the surface, it would be two against three, but in reality, it would be two against two, and when necessary, it could be flipped into... three against two!

Compared to so-called balancing the power of nations, this structure was far better at keeping the initiative in one's own hands.

"Suppress?" Hashirama frowned. "Deliberately creating conflict is no different from sowing the seeds of war. This kind of tactic—"

"No, no, no, Senju-kun, do not let moral standards dictate national conduct." Madara interrupted him. "So-called peaceful coexistence is always just a fantasy. Competition among humans has always existed; all you need to do is bring what is tacitly understood out into the open. Whether it is a nation or its people, to become strong, one inevitably needs an enemy to remind them that they are constantly facing the anxieties of survival and the perils of fortune."

"Just as... death gives life more meaning, wouldn't you say?"

What "rewarding yourself," Lord Hashirama! You're just used to being ordered around by Madara!

Hashirama, you've been played by Madara!