Chapter 50

The Land of Snow was a very small country in the northern reaches of the continent. Its high mountains and vast fields of snow made it easy to defend and difficult to attack, but to the other great nations, it was of little value. Its daimyo was tactful and rarely antagonized other countries, allowing the Land of Snow to remain unscathed through the endless wars.

In Madara's original world, the daimyo of the Land of Snow was named Yukinari Hirohide. Following the Yukinari Clan's customary low-key, conservative approach and habit of going with the wind, he had secretly sent many local specialties from the snowy mountains as a goodwill gesture when the Land of Lightning and the Uchiha were flourishing. When the Land of Lightning had seemed poised to unite the Ninja World's forces and lay claim to the world, he had sent the Fujiwara Clan some of his family's treasured heirlooms. Antique paintings and calligraphy, jade ornaments, and other precious curios were nothing unusual. But mixed in among them was a Star Jade that had gone unnoticed—and had eventually passed into Madara's hands.

The daimyo of the Land of Snow in this world was still the same man. However, with the situation still unclear, Yukinari Hirohide was content to watch from the sidelines and had shown no preference for either side.

"So asking for that route directly is out," Madara mused. "If we reveal the Star Jade's existence, we'll have a lot more trouble on our hands." The ninjas who had risen to prominence in the last hundred years might not know about it, but the daimyo and old families had records of it. After all, the legendary Star Jade had once been used to create something terrifying—something that had destroyed several countries. There was no need to look far for proof; the Fujiwara Clan's family books mentioned it. And the current daimyo of the Land of Lightning wasn't Fujiwara Nobuyuki, that mild-mannered gentleman who always knew how to conduct himself. It was his uncle, Fujiwara Hirotada—a power-hungry schemer who had been ruined by Madara's machinations and died in his original world.

"You're going to steal it!" Hashirama understood at once. It was the most straightforward approach, but it could also bring trouble. If their identities were exposed, Konoha would be the one left to deal with the fallout.

Madara nodded. "It's the fastest way."

"The Land of Snow is very insular, and outsiders are rare. There's no way we can avoid drawing attention," Hashirama pointed out. "We'll probably be watched the moment we set foot in their territory."

"Then we'll make sure they see us—openly, in the name of the Land of Lightning."

"Frame them?" Hashirama thought for a moment. "The Land of Water or the Land of Earth would make better targets. The Land of Lightning... has no motive that would make sense." The Land of Snow had nothing worth coveting for the Land of Lightning. Blaming them would be too much of a stretch.

Madara smiled as if victory were already his. "That's why they'll suspect the Land of Water... I heard the Land of Snow has a ninjutsu scroll that can forcibly turn Water Release into Ice Release. I wonder if that's enough to make the accusation stick."

The First Hokage and Uchiha Madara watched in speechless disbelief as the two schemed together to frame another country. They raised their assessment of both men's danger levels—especially Madara's—to ten stars. In the blink of an eye, he had turned the tide, achieved several things at once, obtained what he wanted, made the Land of Water take all the blame, driven a wedge between the Lands of Lightning and Water, and even nudged the Land of Snow closer to Konoha! The First Hokage knew better than to try to fathom the mind of such a monster. For the sake of world peace and stability—and Konoha's finances—he'd better send them on their way as soon as possible!

Now that things had come to this, and Konoha wouldn't be dragged into it, the First Hokage and Uchiha Madara tacitly approved of their plan.

At the village entrance, a young woman nervously looked around, clutching a square object wrapped in cloth. When she saw the four of them approaching, her eyes lit up. She hurried over in little steps. "Lord Madara!"

Madara and Uchiha Madara both halted. The young woman glanced uncertainly at the imposing Uchiha Madara, then hurriedly edged closer to Madara.

Madara recognized her. "Miss Hayakawa, what is it?"

The young woman lowered her head, revealing her fair neck. Her thick black hair made her look all the more lovely. "I heard Lord Madara was about to leave, so I stayed up all night to paint this. I even asked my grandfather to touch it up... I thought I'd missed my chance, but I'm so glad I managed to see you! This is a token of my feelings. Please accept it—"

Was this... a confession? The First Hokage and Uchiha Madara perked up their ears. Madara glanced at Hashirama without thinking, then accepted the object the young woman held out.

He lifted the cloth. Beneath it was a lifelike painting of him sitting in a flower shop, admiring the flowers. The afternoon sunlight shone alongside the golden blossoms. Madara was pictured bowing his head slightly with a smile as he accepted a bouquet. In his simple, elegant clothes, he looked like a celestial being descended to earth.

Every brushstroke held the pure feelings of a young woman experiencing love for the first time, along with a faint wistfulness, as if she knew that what she had found would soon be lost.

"I really like it. Thank you for the gift, Miss Hayakawa."

At his words, the young woman's satisfied smile grew brighter. "It's hardly worthy of being called a gift. My painting still needs work, so please accept it as a token of my feelings. I hope everything goes well for you, Lord Madara, and that you have a peaceful life." With that, she bowed deeply.

He was someone so gentle, yet so far beyond her reach... Her first love had ended before it even began...

Madara's expression softened slightly. "Thank you."

Watching the young woman walk away, Uchiha Madara sneered. "Taking people's food, drink, and hearts. You've got quite a way with people."

Madara ignored him and turned to Hashirama. "What do you think of the painting?"

Hashirama was startled, then slowly smiled. "It's... very beautiful."

The atmosphere seemed to have turned a little strange...

The First Hokage looked at the two of them. His brow twitched, but he set aside the suspicions rising in his mind and changed the subject. "When are you leaving?"

"Right away." As he spoke, Madara lifted a cat curled into a little ball of fluff from his robes. "I'm borrowing this little thing for a while."

It was easy to undo the Altar's seal, but resealing it was difficult and required the core forces of both the Senju and Uzumaki clans. Since they would need the Nine-Tails again soon, the First Hokage hadn't resealed it. Instead, he had used the Nine-Tails' power to temporarily suppress the other Tailed Beasts. To keep the Nine-Tails under the best possible control, Uchiha Madara had made it his summoning beast.

The First Hokage didn't answer right away. After a moment, he said, "...How long until you're back?" The Nine-Tails' suppression could easily become unstable, and Uchiha Madara, as its controller, had to bear a great deal of strain. They couldn't be gone for too long.

Madara and Hashirama exchanged a glance. "Less than a month."

"Fine. Come back as soon as you can," the First Hokage urged.

Once they left the Land of Fire, Madara and Hashirama concealed their shinobi auras and chakra, changed their appearances, and put on outfits typical of the Land of Lightning. Then, with the First Hokage's funds, they hired a carriage to take them to the Land of Snow, spending money with extravagant abandon.

Hashirama said nothing about Madara's deliberate display of wealth. Taking advantage of people's blind spots, a little ostentation could help distract them.

"What are you thinking about?"

Hashirama jumped. He came back to himself and blinked at the face so close to his own. The other man's breath almost brushed his face.

His face turned red.

Madara raised an eyebrow and, pretending not to notice, sat back down. "You've been staring outside for ages. What's so interesting? Tell me."

After seven days and nights of traveling nonstop, they were now in the Land of Bears. From there, they would skirt the Land of Iron and pass through the Land of Head to reach the Land of Snow.

Hashirama looked at the fluttering curtain. "I was thinking about what to do when we get back."

Madara leaned against the carriage wall, a book half concealing his upturned lips. "Oh? Are you thinking of following the great First Hokage's example and building a second Konoha?"

"I used to think about it." Hashirama watched the scenery pass outside the carriage window as the breeze lifted two strands of hair from his forehead. "Now I think one Konoha isn't nearly enough."

Madara asked with interest, "Is that what you concluded after seeing the gap between reality and ideals through the First Hokage's eyes?"

"Yeah, more or less." Hashirama turned to look at Madara. "One Konoha can only change so much. There's no way to predict what it might become in the future. If conflict is unavoidable, then I want us to at least be able to choose how to resolve it."

"And what does that mean for you?"

"I've never wavered in the beliefs I once held." Hashirama looked deeply into his eyes. "They're the foundation of everything I do." He wasn't unaware of the way Madara deliberately steered and persuaded him in every conversation. But when faced with the same problem, finding common ground while respecting their differences was the choice that benefited them both. "There are many ways to reach the same goal, Madara. Which one will you choose?"

Madara's smile faded slightly. "Of course, I'd choose the one that lets me keep control from beginning to end."

Never placing his hopes in others, and that intense need for control... It was exactly the sort of answer Uchiha Madara would give. Hashirama had already suspected as much, and now he had it confirmed.

Hashirama took a deep breath and slowly let it out. "So I think I know what you're after. You don't want the Land of Lightning, the Land of Fire, or even the entire Ninja World. You want... the whole world."

Silence fell over the carriage for a moment. Then Madara chuckled. "That's just like you, Senju Hashirama."

There was nothing more to say...