Hashirama's Choice

Seeing his hesitation, Uchiha Madara could not help but let his imagination run wild.

When Uchiha Yang finally laid out the solution, the room fell into a heavy silence.

"Big Brother, I..." Uchiha Izuna started to speak, but Uchiha Madara cut him off before he could finish.

"Say no more. I will never agree to this. If it truly comes to that, my eyes will become your eyes."

Uchiha Madara stated this with absolute firmness.

"Big Brother, the clan needs you. Besides, it's just a pair of eyes; it's not like I'll die."

Uchiha Izuna smiled, feeling a sense of relief.

"Do not say another word." Uchiha Madara warned Uchiha Izuna with a stern expression. "I will never allow such a thing to happen. Izuna, you know me."

Seeing the two arguing over who should give their eyes to the other, Uchiha Yang didn't have the heart to interrupt their display of selflessness.

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

After watching the drama unfold for nearly half an hour, Uchiha Yang felt he had seen enough, so he feigned a cough to break their argument.

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

"I knew my cousin was smart enough to have a better way."

Uchiha Madara and Uchiha Izuna both turned their heads, staring at him with eager anticipation.

"You two didn't give me a chance to finish before you started bickering. You have to let me speak, you know."

Feeling the pressure of their intense gazes, Uchiha Yang let out a nervous laugh.

"The solution is to cultivate a pair of Mangekyou Sharingan that are compatible with yours. That way, you can both resolve the issue of blindness."

"How is that even possible?"

Uchiha Madara blurted out in disbelief.

Although there were so-called scientists, they had little contact with them; after all, as ninjas, they looked down upon such research.

In their eyes, power was the foundation, and research was nothing more than something beneath them.

"Nothing is impossible. The sooner we prepare for this, the better. We must plan ahead to handle future crises."

Uchiha Yang didn't want to take on the burden of the work himself, so he stretched his arms, feigned a slip of the foot, and bolted for the exit.

"There are plenty of researchers in the Land of Fire. Go grab a few. Don't come looking for me if there's trouble; I'm tired."

Uchiha Yang shouted as he ran, terrified of being dragged back.

"Yang has brought us too many surprises. He is protecting the Uchiha in his own way."

Uchiha Madara didn't chase after him, instead looking in the direction Yang had left with a complex expression.

"Big Brother, leave this matter to me."

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

"Cousin has already pointed us in the right direction; the rest is up to me."

Uchiha Izuna said with a look of determination.

"Very well, it is in your hands."

Uchiha Madara had too many other matters to attend to and could not focus solely on this. Moreover, this task could only be entrusted to someone he trusted implicitly, and Izuna was the most suitable choice.

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

However, Uchiha Madara had long since sent people to monitor the movements of the Uzumaki Clan, and as soon as they sent messengers for help, he dispatched his own men to send a letter to the Senju Clan.

Naturally, he sent a Chunin from an affiliated clan; he wouldn't risk an actual Uchiha clansman on such a dangerous errand.

Upon learning that his fiancée was in the hands of Uchiha Madara, Senju Hashirama was not as furious as one might expect.

In his heart, he still hoped to join forces with Uchiha Madara to end this chaotic era and build a peaceful world based on mutual understanding.

If this opportunity could lead to cooperation with the Uchiha Clan, that would be truly wonderful.

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

Seeing the look on his brother's face, Senju Tobirama knew exactly what he was thinking and spoke up in frustration.

"If the Uzumaki Clan sees you like this, the relationship between our Senju and the Uzumaki will suffer a rift."

"Besides, your fiancée is still in the hands of the Uchiha Clan. We cannot just sit by and do nothing."

After being scolded by his younger brother, Senju Hashirama immediately became dejected. "I apologize, brother. I lost my composure."

Senju Tobirama rubbed his forehead in resignation. Here we go again.

"However, this is a good opportunity for us to talk with Uchiha Madara, and we must cherish it. I will go write the letter."

"Tobirama, leave the Uzumaki Clan to you. Ensure they survive this food crisis."

"And Princess Mito—you must ensure her safety."

Senju Hashirama seemed to think of something, becoming incredibly excited as he hurried off toward his study.

Senju Tobirama sighed helplessly. It seemed he would have to handle this entire affair himself.

Afterward, Senju Tobirama went to the living room to discuss the matter of food supplies with the waiting Uzumaki Elder.

The Senju Clan did not have much food to spare, and the sheer amount required to feed so many people from the Uzumaki Clan was enough to make one's heart ache just thinking about it.

However, Senju Tobirama could not simply ignore them. Of course, this was not going to be a free favor; if the Uzumaki Clan did not cough up something in return, Senju Tobirama would absolutely not budge.

If his elder brother were the one negotiating, Senju Tobirama highly suspected that he would just give it away for free.

Furthermore, the Uchiha Clan actually demanded a security deposit to ensure Uzumaki Mito's safety, explicitly stating that the ransom must be paid in food, or they would kill the hostage. Senju Tobirama had to consider the consequences of such an outcome, as it would inevitably alienate the Uzumaki Clan.

After weighing the pros and cons, Senju Tobirama decided to stabilize the Uchiha first while providing a portion of the food to support the Uzumaki Clan.

He was gambling—gambling that the Uchiha Clan would not dare to kill the hostage easily due to their own interests.

Uchiha Compound.

Uchiha Madara stared at the two letters before him, remaining silent for a long time.

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

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

After finishing it, Uchiha Madara let out a cold sneer and tossed the letter aside.

That Senju Tobirama was truly cunning; to think he would try to stall him—it was nothing but wishful thinking.

Subsequently, Uchiha Madara opened the letter written to him by Senju Hashirama.

It was written so movingly that even someone as strong-willed as Uchiha Madara was stirred, but the moment he thought of the responsibilities he shouldered, he suppressed the fluttering in his heart.

The next day, the letter Senju Hashirama had written to Uchiha Madara was brought before Uchiha Yang by Uchiha Izuna.

"Isn't peeking at other people's letters a bit improper?"

Uchiha Yang righteously condemned Uchiha Izuna's behavior, even as his hand already picked up the envelope and began to read it with great gossip-fueled interest.

This was a letter from Senju Hashirama to Uchiha Madara, after all; the fire of gossip was already burning bright.

Sharingan: My eyes are burning, it's full of bromance. I hope Master never ends up like this.

I suggest you watch your mouth.

Uchiha Yang retorted speechlessly.

Brain: Master, it seems Senju Hashirama is thinking of moving Uchiha Madara to join forces and end this chaotic era together.

Hand: In my opinion, Senju Hashirama is just a man who stops at nothing. He doesn't even care about his own fiancée, disregarding everything for his so-called ideals.

Leg: The one above is right; it's just hypocrisy. His so-called kindness is merely a product of Senju Hashirama's own philosophy.