Hashirama's Choice

Uchiha Madara saw him hesitating, and couldn't help imagining all sorts of things.

After Uchiha Yang explained the solution, silence fell.

"Big brother, I..." Uchiha Izuna was the first to speak, but Uchiha Madara cut him off before he could finish.

"Don't say another word. I absolutely won't agree. If it really comes to that, my eyes are yours."

Uchiha Madara spoke with firm resolve.

"Big brother, the clan needs you. Besides, it's only a pair of eyes. It won't kill me."

Uchiha Izuna smiled, finally at peace with the idea.

"Don't say another word." Uchiha Madara warned Uchiha Izuna sternly. "I absolutely won't let that happen, Izuna. You know what I'm like."

Seeing the two of them arguing over giving the other their eyes, Uchiha Yang couldn't bring himself to interrupt their show of selflessness.

"Don't you want to hear the second solution?"

After watching the show for nearly half an hour, Uchiha Yang decided he'd had enough. He cleared his throat, pretending to cough, and broke into their argument.

"What? There's another solution? Why didn't you say so earlier?"

"I knew my cousin was smart enough to come up with a better solution."

Uchiha Madara and Uchiha Izuna both turned to him, staring expectantly.

"You didn't give me a chance to continue. You just kept arguing. You have to let me get a word in, too."

Under their expectant gazes, Uchiha Yang felt immense pressure and quickly let out an awkward laugh.

"The solution is to cultivate a pair of Mangekyō Sharingan eyes that can match yours. That way, you can both solve the problem of going blind."

"How is that possible?"

Uchiha Madara blurted out in disbelief.

Although people they called scientists did exist, they hadn't had much contact with them. After all, as ninja, they had no regard for such research.

In their eyes, strength was what mattered. Research was nothing but an undignified pursuit.

"Nothing is impossible. The sooner we prepare, the better. Only by planning ahead can we deal with future crises."

Uchiha Yang didn't want to take responsibility for this himself, so he pretended to stretch, slipped on his way out, and made a quick escape.

"There are plenty of researchers in the Land of Fire. Capture a few more. Don't come to me with problems—I'm tired."

Uchiha Yang shouted as he ran, afraid they'd catch him and drag him back.

"Yang has brought us so many surprises. He's protecting the Uchiha in his own way."

Uchiha Madara didn't chase after him. Instead, he gazed in the direction Yang had gone, his expression complicated.

"Big brother, leave this to me."

If Uchiha Izuna wanted his big brother to fight without any worries, he had to take responsibility for solving this problem.

"My cousin has shown us the way. Now leave it to me."

Uchiha Izuna spoke excitedly.

"All right. I'll leave it to you."

Uchiha Madara had many other matters to attend to and couldn't focus on this all the time. Besides, it had to be entrusted to someone he trusted most, and Izuna was the best choice.

After the Uzumaki Clan was attacked, they immediately sought help from the Senju Clan.

But Uchiha Madara had already ordered people to keep an eye on the Uzumaki Clan's movements. As soon as the Uzumaki Clan sent someone to ask for help, he also dispatched a messenger to the Senju Clan.

Of course, the messenger was a Chunin from an affiliated clan. Uchiha Madara wouldn't send one of his own clan members to take on such a dangerous task.

When Senju Hashirama learned that his fiancée was in Uchiha Madara's hands, he wasn't nearly as angry as one might have expected.

Deep down, Senju Hashirama still hoped he could join forces with Uchiha Madara to end this era of chaos and build a peaceful world where people understood one another.

If this gave them an opportunity to cooperate with the Uchiha Clan, that would be wonderful.

"Big brother, you're still thinking about Uchiha Madara."

Senju Tobirama knew what his big brother was thinking from the look on his face and spoke angrily.

"If the Uzumaki Clan sees you like this, it'll drive a wedge between the Senju and the Uzumaki Clan."

"And your fiancée is still in the Uchiha Clan's hands. We can't just leave her there."

After being scolded by his younger brother, Senju Hashirama immediately grew dejected. "I'm sorry, little brother. I lost my composure."

Senju Tobirama rubbed his forehead helplessly. Here he went again.

"But this is a good opportunity to talk with Uchiha Madara. We have to make the most of it. I'll write him a letter."

"Tobirama, I'll leave the Uzumaki Clan to you. Make sure they get through this food crisis."

"And Princess Mito—make sure she's safe."

As if he'd just thought of something, Senju Hashirama grew extremely excited and hurried off to his study.

Senju Tobirama sighed helplessly. It seemed he'd have to handle this matter himself.

Then Senju Tobirama went to discuss food aid with the Uzumaki Elder, who was waiting in the reception room.

The Senju Clan didn't have much food either. The Uzumaki Clan had lost their supplies, and just thinking about how much food that many people would need made him wince.

But Senju Tobirama couldn't ignore them. Still, he wouldn't help them for free. If the Uzumaki Clan didn't give something in return, he absolutely wouldn't agree.

If his big brother handled the negotiations, Senju Tobirama was certain he'd simply give the food away.

What was more, the Uchiha Clan demanded a deposit to guarantee Uzumaki Mito's safety. They'd made it clear they wanted food for the ransom and would kill her if they didn't get it. Senju Tobirama had to consider the consequences of that happening—it would surely alienate the Uzumaki Clan.

After weighing the pros and cons, Senju Tobirama decided to keep the Uchiha Clan placated while sending some food to aid the Uzumaki Clan.

He was taking a gamble, betting that the Uchiha Clan wouldn't dare kill their hostage so easily when there was a profit to be made.

The Uchiha Compound.

Uchiha Madara stared at the two letters before him for a long time without saying a word.

One was a personal letter from his old friend, Hashirama. The other had been sent in the name of the Senju Clan.

In the end, Uchiha Madara read the letter from the Senju Clan first.

After reading it, Uchiha Madara let out a cold laugh and tossed the letter aside.

Senju Tobirama really was cunning. He wanted to placate him first? What a fool.

Then Uchiha Madara opened the letter Senju Hashirama had written to him.

Even someone as resolute as Uchiha Madara was moved by its words. But when he thought of the responsibility on his shoulders, he suppressed the stirring in his heart.

The next day, Uchiha Izuna brought Senju Hashirama's letter to Uchiha Yang.

"It's not very nice to snoop through someone else's letters."

Uchiha Yang reproached Uchiha Izuna with righteous indignation, even as he picked up the envelope and read it with great curiosity.

This was a letter Senju Hashirama had written to Uchiha Madara. His curiosity was already burning.

[Sharingan: My eyes! This is overflowing with bromance. I hope our master never ends up like this.]

[You'd better watch what you say.]

Uchiha Yang retorted, feeling exasperated.

[Brain: Master, it seems Senju Hashirama is hoping to move Uchiha Madara and join forces with him to end this era of chaos.]

[Hand: As I see it, Senju Hashirama is a ruthless person. He doesn't even care about his own fiancée. He'll do anything for his so-called ideals.]

[Leg: The person above is right. He's a hypocrite. His so-called kindness is nothing but a product of Senju Hashirama's ideals.]