Chapter 47

This summer was destined to be a turbulent one.

Tensions along the border between the Land of Lightning and the Land of Water had worsened, triggering a chain of ominous consequences and casting a shadow over relations between the two countries. Meanwhile, the Land of Fire and the Land of Wind had gradually begun to mend their ties. Though no official announcement had been made, travel between the two countries had become much easier. With the support of a potential ally, the First's burden had eased a little.

The seemingly solid alliance between the four nations had developed many invisible cracks. Those caught up in its affairs didn't know that, as time went on, those cracks would eventually shatter the entire alliance.

The First had certainly shown great resolve to accomplish so much in such a short time.

No matter how the world outside changed, Konoha remained as peaceful as ever. More merchants from the Land of Wind and the Land of Fire were passing through, and the shops lining the streets were busier than before. That wasn't just because relations between the two countries had improved. The Summer Festival was also drawing near, and the annual celebration was about to begin.

Uchiha Madara had kept using Space-Time Ninjutsu all the way back and finally returned before the festival.

"Madara..." The First greeted him with a smile, but Uchiha Madara ignored him completely, his face dark.

"Where is that bastard? Get out here!" Forgetting all about the dignity expected of a great clan leader, Uchiha Madara cursed right in front of the Hokage Building!

"Madara, what happened?" the First asked in surprise. For Madara, who was usually so levelheaded, to be this resentful, could it be...

"Ah, you're finally back, Uchiha Madara." Madara made his entrance with a smile that everyone present found infuriating. "The moment I heard you were back, I came straight over!"

...It really was him...

The First finally understood how Hashirama had felt back then... With two Madaras about to fight, should he step in or not?

"Want it?" Uchiha Madara shook the tiny pouch in his hand—it held the small amount of tea he'd brought back—and sneered at Madara. "Come take it yourself!"

Uchiha Madara had been thoroughly conned!

The mission had lasted more than a month. On top of Konoha's standard mission allowance, the First had kindly offered him money from his personal funds for emergencies. With his usual spending habits, he could have lived quite comfortably in the Land of Water while taking care of his targets and chopping down bandits along the way. But one remark from that freeloader had ruined everything!

—That damned Jingxi Milk Bud! The tiny amount, barely enough to get a taste, had cost him his entire allowance!

Uchiha Madara always kept his word. He wasn't about to go back on a promise, so he'd gritted his teeth and spent a fortune on a small amount. After that, he'd had to live from one meal to the next. Eat for free? He wasn't as shameless as that guy! Rob people? He'd already cleaned out every bandit hideout in the area! Did he know what it was like to have the nearby villagers thank him profusely while a bunch of village girls fluttered their eyes at him? It gave him a stomachache!

Madara's eyes turned red as he activated his Mangekyo. "A fine tea like that would be wasted on you. Looks like I'd better take it!"

Uchiha Madara drew his Flame Fan, while Madara gripped a Shuriken. Killing intent surged from both sides, and a fight was about to break out.

"The Summer Festival is tomorrow. Everyone's prepared everything already. Can't you two please not ruin it?" The First rubbed his temples and sighed. The lanterns were hung all along the streets, the shops had been newly decorated, and the warehouses were piled high with fireworks. Everything was ready for tomorrow. If these two fought, they'd surely destroy it all!

Was the first Summer Festival since Konoha's founding really going to be ruined?

The First felt gloomy.

"Brother! You two... Uchiha?" Tobirama had just arrived and was stunned by the scene. "You're not going to fight again, are you?"

"Tengzhi will be back tomorrow, too. He rarely gets to visit. If the Summer Festival can't go ahead..." The First sighed to his younger brother.

Uchiha Madara tightened his grip on the Flame Fan. After a brief struggle, he was the first to withdraw his killing intent. He tossed the pouch over. "Hmph. Only because you've done so much for Konoha..." Then he left without looking back.

Tobirama scratched his head, sounding utterly incredulous. "Uchiha didn't even fight? How is that possible? Am I seeing things?"

The First pressed his lips together and said nothing.

Madara pierced the cloth pouch with a Shuriken and pinned it to the wall. He pulled out the Shuriken, took down the pouch, and weighed it in his hand. Then he turned to the First with a smile. "Thanks."

The First's eye twitched.

Had Madara been so brazen because he knew I could stop him?

...I really should hurry up and send this menace away!

Time passed quickly amid everyone's anticipation. It was as if the heavens understood how eagerly people were waiting: night fell on the day of the Summer Festival before long.

Hashirama still wore a dark bathrobe. With a face like his, he really wasn't suited to making a conspicuous appearance among a crowd of festivalgoers. Madara wasn't wearing the luxurious clothes he'd brought from his original world, either. Instead, he'd changed into a dark blue bathrobe, provided by this world's Uchiha Clan as a souvenir commemorating the head of another world's clan visiting Konoha...

When they left their lodgings and stepped onto the street, it felt like they'd entered another world. Nearly everyone had come out of their homes. The residential districts were almost deserted, save for the shinobi on duty, while the streets here blazed with lights and rang with voices.

Happiness was contagious. The smiling faces they passed almost made it seem as though the chaos of war had ended. Festivals were a time to let joy loose and welcome hope!

Hashirama and Madara walked side by side. When they happened to run into one or two members of the Uchiha or Senju Clans, they responded with a smile. The Senju Clan members were a little overwhelmed by the attention, but otherwise took it well. The Uchiha, on the other hand, first stared in terror, then awkwardly greeted them, and finally fled, never daring to return to that street. Madara was clearly enjoying himself.

Hashirama eventually couldn't help laughing and asked, "What exactly did you do to them?"

"Just gave them a little 'training.'"

"...And?"

"The Finance Elder probably cries whenever he sees me!"

Imagining those proud Uchiha acting like pitiful little rabbits in front of Madara, Hashirama couldn't help laughing. The Uchiha could be pretty cute sometimes...

They paused for a while in front of a shop putting on a puppet show. Just then, the First and Tobirama came walking over, accompanied by a teenager.

The First looked at Madara in surprise. "You like puppet shows?" Puppet theater had come from the Land of Wind. The people of the Land of Fire were curious about it, so the crowd around the shop was mostly children. The two men stood out conspicuously.

Madara shook his head. "I'm listening to the shamisen." The shamisen was a three-stringed instrument. "The musician at this shop is very skilled."

Hearing Madara's praise, the blind old musician inside the shop seemed to have found a kindred spirit. His thin fingers plucked the strings even more vigorously.

The First was even more surprised, then smiled. "I never knew you were knowledgeable about music as well as painting and calligraphy."

"I know a little." Madara nodded, then asked, "You're the Hokage. Shouldn't you be presiding over the festival ceremony?"

"It's already over."

The two exchanged a glance, and Hashirama sighed. "We really are too late..."

"It's fine, it's fine!" Tobirama said with a smile. "The festival ceremony is just a bunch of opening remarks. It's no fun at all. Walking around and trying the food is much better!"

"Is this your son?" Madara's gaze turned to the teenager. He looked about fifteen, with short black hair, a Forehead Protector bearing Konoha's symbol, and a handsome face. He met Madara's gaze without fear. "A pleasure to meet you, Uchiha-sama. I'm Senju Fuji."

Hashirama, who'd already guessed as much, looked a little uncomfortable.

As if something had just occurred to him, Madara smiled faintly. "And your mother?"

The boy blinked. The First answered, "Mito isn't feeling well, so she stayed behind at the clan compound to rest."

Hashirama secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Madara glanced at him and curled his lips. "Oh, what a shame."

The First's mouth twitched. He decided not to take offense at Madara's perfunctory attitude. Tobirama gave an awkward laugh and changed the subject. "Doesn't it feel livelier than usual tonight? Not just people from Konoha—visitors from all sorts of other countries have come, too! Konoha is finally going to prosper!"

After weathering the hardest early days, Konoha had finally broken free of the old order and found its own path! The ordinary people were happy to have won this hard-earned peace and stability, while those who'd built the village looked forward to a brighter future. What could be more precious than hope in one's life?

As Hashirama looked at the Tobirama from another world, he couldn't help thinking of his own younger brother: he'd been gone for so long, and Tobirama must be worried sick. He should be able to handle the clan's affairs, but Hashirama wondered what was happening in that world...

"Yes, it has a lot of potential." Madara nodded. Judging by the people's spirited, optimistic outlook, if war didn't break out in the meantime, Konoha should be able to catch up with Muyun City in ten years.

Putting his thoughts of home aside for the moment, Hashirama glanced at Madara, whose expression was calm and relaxed. He didn't understand. Madara was very close to his younger brother, so why had Hashirama never seen him miss him?...

Madara from this world bade farewell to the Senju brothers and the boy. One glance at Hashirama told him exactly what the other man was thinking. He tugged at Hashirama's bathrobe, bringing him back to the present. "When you get the chance to enjoy yourself, enjoy it. Stop thinking about things that don't matter."

"Don't you ever worry?"

"What's there to worry about? Izuna is my younger brother. Besides, if the sky falls over there, you Senju will hold it up."

Hashirama fell silent for a moment. "...What did you do this time?"

"I didn't do anything." Madara smiled. "I just... Before we came to this world, the Senju Clan had already gathered four Tailed Beasts, including the Eight-Tails, the strongest after the Nine-Tails. Right?"

"Yeah..." A detail he'd overlooked surfaced in Hashirama's mind, and a bad feeling rose in his heart.

"Look at what happened to Konoha after it gathered all nine Tailed Beasts. Isn't that explanation enough?" Madara smiled without a trace of guilt.

Because Konoha was the strongest, it became everyone's target!

That was why Uchiha Madara had never gone after the other Tailed Beasts! Some alliance agreement about dividing up the work of capturing them? He'd even used his allies from start to finish!

Once he understood what had happened, Hashirama shook his head with a wry smile. "How many times did you trick me?"

"By then, we were already allies, but you and I both knew what our clans' relationship was really like. It was a good thing we didn't stab each other in the back." Madara spoke frankly. "Unless I bound your clan to the same side as mine, the so-called agreement wouldn't have had any real effect."

"What about now?" Hashirama turned to look into his eyes, dark as the night. "What will you do when we go back?"

Madara held out a hand. "I look forward to working with you, Senju Hashirama!"

If you figured it out, girls, don't say a word! Just smile knowingly, got it~?

P.S. I can't believe I actually wrote ten thousand words today?! Human potential is limitless!

But... getting up at four in the morning to write... waah, I can't take it!