Chapter 50

The Land of Snow is a tiny nation situated on the northern frontier of the continent. With its vast, mountainous snowfields, it is easy to defend and difficult to attack, making it a "chicken rib" territory of little value to the other great powers. Its Daimyo is a man of slick, flexible methods who rarely makes enemies, allowing the country to remain unscathed amidst the endless wars.

In the world Madara originally came from, the Daimyo of the Land of Snow was named Yukinari Hirohide. Adhering to the Yukinari Clan's tradition of keeping a low profile and the habit of shifting with the wind, he immediately sent many local mountain specialties to curry favor when the Land of Lightning and the Uchiha Clan were at their peak. Later, when the Land of Lightning hinted at its ambition to rule the world and began uniting the forces of the Ninja World, he sent the Fujiwara Clan some of his family's long-held treasures. Antique paintings, jade carvings, and curiosities went without saying, and the Star Jade, which sat inconspicuously among them, was passed into his hands just like that.

In this world, the Daimyo of the Land of Snow is still the same man. However, because the situation remains unclear, Yukinari Hirohide is still sitting on the fence, showing no bias toward either side.

"So, asking for it directly won't work," Madara mused. "If I expose the existence of the Star Jade, the trouble will be far greater than just this." Ninjas who rose to prominence in the last hundred years might not know of it, but the Daimyos and noble families have records. After all, the legendary Star Jade was once used to craft a terrifying object that wiped out several nations. To say nothing of the distant past, the heirloom records of the Fujiwara Clan contain entries on it. The current Daimyo of the Land of Lightning is not the gentle, measured gentleman that was Fujiwara Nobuyuki, but his uncle, Fujiwara Hirotada—an ambitious man who, in the original world, was ruined and driven to his death by Madara's secret schemes.

"You're going to steal it!" Hashirama understood instantly. This method was the most direct, yet it was also prone to causing trouble; if their identities were exposed, all the fallout would land on Konoha.

Madara nodded. "It is the fastest way."

"The Land of Snow is extremely isolated, with very few outsiders. It's impossible not to be exposed," Hashirama pointed out, hitting the nail on the head. "I fear we will be targeted the moment we step into their territory."

"Then let us be exposed openly—in the name of the Land of Lightning."

"Framing them?" Hashirama thought for a moment. "The Land of Water or the Land of Earth would be more suitable. The Land of Lightning... there is no logical motive." To the Land of Lightning, the mere Land of Snow has nothing worth coveting. Such a frame-up would be too far-fetched.

Madara raised a smile of certain victory: "That is exactly why they will think of the Land of Water... I have heard that the Land of Snow possesses a scroll of ninjutsu capable of forcibly reversing Water Release into Ice Release. I wonder if that is enough weight."

The First and Uchiha Madara watched in silence as the two colluded in their scheme to frame others, raising the danger rating of the pair—especially Madara—to ten stars. With a flick of their hands, they turned the world upside down, killing many birds with one stone. They would get what they wanted, force the Land of Water to take the full blame, sow discord between the Land of Lightning and the Land of Water, and incidentally push the Land of Snow toward Konoha! The First felt he could not grasp the mind of such a monster. For the sake of world peace and stability, and for the sake of Konoha's treasury... he should just send them away quickly!

As things stood, since it would not implicate Konoha, the First and Uchiha Madara tacitly accepted their actions.

At the village gate, a young girl looked around nervously, clutching a square object wrapped in cloth to her chest. Seeing the four men approaching, her eyes lit up, and she trotted over with small steps. "Lord Madara!"

Madara and Uchiha Madara stopped in their tracks simultaneously. The girl glanced suspiciously at the imposing Uchiha Madara, frightened, and quickly leaned closer to Madara.

Madara recognized the girl: "Miss Hayakawa, is something the matter?"

The girl lowered her head, revealing a fair neck, her dark hair making it look all the more beautiful. "I heard Lord Madara was leaving soon, so I spent the night painting this, and I even asked my grandfather to touch it up... I thought I was too late, but I didn't expect to meet you, Lord Madara. This is wonderful! This is my heart's sentiment, please accept it—"

Was this... a confession? The First and Uchiha Madara pricked up their ears. Madara subconsciously glanced at Hashirama before casually taking the object from the girl.

He lifted the cloth to reveal a vivid, lifelike painting. It depicted him sitting in a flower shop looking at flowers; the afternoon sun and golden blossoms reflected off one another, and a slightly bowed Madara was smiling as he held a bouquet. Paired with his simple, elegant cyan attire, he looked like an immortal descended from the heavens.

Every stroke contained the pure, budding emotions of a young girl, along with a trace of the melancholy of losing something before it was even gained.

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

Hearing this, a satisfied smile bloomed on the girl's face. "It is no gift. My painting skills are not yet mature; it is merely a token of my heart for Lord Madara. I hope everything goes smoothly for you, and that you have a lifetime of peace." With that, the girl bowed deeply.

This was someone so gentle, yet someone she could only look up to... her first love, which had ended before it had even begun...

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

Watching the girl leave, Uchiha Madara sneered: "Tricking people out of food and drink, and even their hearts. Not bad methods."

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

Hashirama was startled, then slowly revealed a smile: "Mm... it's very beautiful."

The atmosphere seemed to turn a bit strange...

The First looked at the two of them, his brow twitching. Ignoring the speculations rising in his heart, he changed the subject: "When do you plan to leave?"

"Immediately." As he spoke, Madara pulled a cat curled into a ball of fluff from his robes. "I'll borrow this little thing for a while."

Opening the seal on the Altar was easy, but resealing it was difficult, requiring the core power of both the Senju and Uzumaki clans. Considering the Nine-Tails would be needed again soon, the First did not reseal it, instead using the Nine-Tails' power to temporarily suppress the other Tailed Beasts. To best control the Nine-Tails, Uchiha Madara signed a summoning contract with it.

The First did not answer immediately, instead musing: "...How long until you return?" The suppression of the Nine-Tails was extremely prone to instability, and Uchiha Madara, as the controller, had to bear a great burden. The time... could not be too long.

Madara and Hashirama exchanged a look. "Within a month."

"Very well, return as soon as possible," the First urged.

Once they left the Land of Fire, Madara and Hashirama suppressed their ninja aura and strength, adjusted their appearances, and changed into attire characteristic of the Land of Lightning. They lavishly spent the funds sponsored by the First to hire a carriage toward the Land of Snow.

Hashirama tacitly allowed Madara's deliberate display of wealth, utilizing the blind spots in people's thinking—appropriate high-profile behavior was useful for distracting attention.

"What are you thinking about?"

Hashirama was startled. He came back to his senses and blinked at the enlarged face; the other man's breath was almost brushing against his own.

His face flushed red.

Madara raised an eyebrow, feigning ignorance as he sat back in his seat. "I saw you staring blankly outside for a long time. What is so interesting? Tell me about it."

After seven days of traveling day and night, they had reached the territory of the Land of Bears. From there, they would bypass the Land of Iron and pass through the Land of Head to reach the Land of Snow.

Hashirama gazed at the fluttering curtains. "I was thinking about what to do after we return."

Madara leaned against the carriage wall, a book half-concealing his upturned lips. "Oh? Thinking of learning from the great First and building a second Konoha?"

"I thought about it before." Hashirama looked at the scenery passing outside the window, a breeze lifting the two locks of hair on his forehead. "Now I feel that one Konoha is far from enough."

Madara asked with interest, "Is this your realization after seeing the gap between reality and ideals from the First?"

"Ah, something like that." He looked back at Madara. "The changes one Konoha can make are limited; it is impossible to predict what kind of outcome it will develop into in the future. If conflict is unavoidable, I want to at least be able to choose the way it is resolved."

"And so?"

"I have never wavered in my past convictions." Hashirama looked deep into his eyes. "This is the foundation of everything I do." It wasn't that he didn't know Madara was deliberately inducing and persuading him during every conversation, but when facing the same problem, seeking common ground while reserving differences was the choice most beneficial to both sides. "There are many ways to achieve the same goal. Madara, which one is your choice?"

Madara's smile faded slightly, and he said calmly: "Naturally, the one where I can keep the initiative in my own hands from beginning to end."

Not pinning hopes on others, and that intense desire for control... it was indeed the answer of Uchiha Madara. He had already guessed it, and now it was officially confirmed.

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

The atmosphere inside the carriage fell silent for a moment. Madara suddenly chuckled, "As expected of you, Senju Hashirama."

Nothing more to say...

The Lunar New Year is so exhausting...

Goodnight, ladies...

zzz...