Full of Bromance

[Fire Affinity: I can't stand this kind of thing. I'd love to just burn the letter to ashes; it gives me goosebumps.]

[Water Affinity: What's wrong? Are you jealous?]

It would have been fine if Water Affinity had kept quiet, but the moment it spoke, Fire Affinity bristled, launching into a "friendly" conversation that traced back to Water Affinity's ancestors eighteen generations deep.

As the owner of the body, Uchiha Yang silently ate his melon, listening. The Fire and Water affinities never repeated their insults; truly, one is never too old to learn.

Uchiha Yang set down the letter. "Your big brother is quite naive. As his younger brother, you should pay more attention to his state of mind."

For the sake of his future life, he could not just watch Uchiha Madara get hoodwinked by "Talk-no-Jutsu."

"I don't need you to tell me; I will always remind Big Brother to stay away from Senju Hashirama."

Uchiha Izuna nodded and tucked the letter back away.

"That's all for now, I'm leaving."

After sharing the gossip, Uchiha Izuna had come in a hurry and left in a hurry.

His goal was simple: to have his cousin keep a closer eye on his big brother while he was away from the compound.

After all, in the entire clan, besides himself, his cousin was the only one whose words his big brother would actually take to heart.

After walking out of his cousin's house, Uchiha Izuna left the compound with his men, feeling at ease.

Four days had passed since the Uzumaki compound was attacked, and food shortages were beginning to appear one after another.

Senju Tobirama was still haggling with the Uzumaki clan; after all, gathering a large amount of grain in a short time took effort.

On top of that, the transport routes had to be strictly planned; if the Uchiha clan discovered them, the consequences would be far more severe.

Meanwhile, Uchiha Madara's second letter reached Senju Tobirama's hands.

"How is it? Did he reply to me?"

Upon learning that news had arrived from the Uchiha clan, Senju Hashirama hurried to Senju Tobirama, asking with a face full of anticipation.

"Big Brother, he didn't mention you at all."

Senju Tobirama said bluntly, without a hint of tact.

"I see." Hearing this, Senju Hashirama immediately grew dejected and left the study, his entire demeanor slumped.

Seeing the Uchiha's response—that they would provide grain in three days or else they would kill the hostages—Senju Tobirama smirked inwardly. It seemed the Uchiha clan truly didn't dare to kill them.

With this, Senju Tobirama felt even more confident in the decisions he was making.

In truth, Uchiha Madara knew Senju Tobirama's personality well; the man would never compromise with the Uchiha, but unfortunately, he was not the one in charge of the Senju clan.

Senju Hashirama returned to his room, dejected, only to see a clansman waiting for him with a letter.

Senju Hashirama was the only one who could truly make the final call. As long as he bypassed Senju Tobirama, the plan would proceed smoothly.

Once Senju Hashirama saw this letter, the compensation would be on its way to the Uchiha clan by the very next day.

Just as Uchiha Madara had expected, the moment Senju Hashirama saw the reply, he was so excited he nearly jumped for joy.

After reading the contents, Senju Hashirama didn't hesitate to go find his younger brother, Tobirama.

The result, naturally, was Senju Tobirama storming out of the room, his heart filled with stifled rage.

Uchiha Compound.

Seeing Hashirama's reply, scenes of his childhood with Hashirama involuntarily surfaced in Uchiha Madara's mind.

The smile he had worn gradually faded, and Uchiha Madara sighed, forcing himself to stop thinking about it.

"As expected, it's still within the plan. Senju Hashirama would agree to such a request."

A voice came from behind Uchiha Madara, giving him a start.

"When did you get here? You didn't even make a sound."

Seeing it was his cousin, Uchiha Yang, Uchiha Madara said irritably.

Uchiha Yang sipped a cold drink and looked at him with an innocent expression. "I've been here for a while. You were just too engrossed in your reading; you can't blame me for that."

"Senju Hashirama's dream is too ethereal. It's a world of ideals, not a world of reality."

"So, you understand."

Uchiha Yang winked at Uchiha Madara, then turned and left.

The man was an adult; he didn't need someone else to point fingers at his life. He only needed to pour some cold water on him at critical moments.

After returning home, Uchiha Yang gave an order to Uchiha Kage. "Keep an eye out for orphans with good potential. Cultivate them; let's set the number at one hundred."

"As you command, Master."

Uchiha Kage would not ask why; the Master had his reasons for what he did.

Uchiha Yang did not cultivate too many people. To be realistic, he simply didn't have enough funds.

One hundred was already the limit, and that was just for the initial expenses.

After the crisis at the compound, Uchiha Yang realized that the number of people he could actually use was still too small.

Cultivating more of his own people would make his life easier; he could have others handle tasks instead of doing everything himself.

To improve his quality of life, he had to make money, and money required power to protect it, which meant he had to cultivate his own strength.

The two were complementary and did not in the slightest interfere with the peaceful life Uchiha Yang wanted to lead.

After all, he only needed to say the word; it was Uchiha Kage who actually did the work.

"Xia Lian, how is that woman doing?"

After finishing his dinner, Uchiha Yang finally remembered Uzumaki Mito, who was locked in the basement.

"Master, that Uzumaki Mito is still the same as before."

Xia Lian reported truthfully and respectfully.

"Have someone wear her down."

Uchiha Yang curled his lips into a smile, lounging leisurely on his rocking chair while Xia Lian knelt on both knees, massaging his legs.

Behind him, another beautiful maid was kneading his shoulders.

From time to time, he would open his mouth, and a maid would feed him peeled fruit.

Uchiha Yang cherished every day of this decadent life, so he lived it every single day, using this decadence to temper his own heart.

[Sharingan: I finally understand why Master hides the fact that he is a ninja. Who wouldn't love a life like this?]

[Brain: Sharingan, you've fallen. Just last night you were secretly complaining that Master was too decadent; how did you defect today?]

[Sharingan: Pfft, pfft, pfft. My heart is clearly not strong enough; I almost fell for it just now.]

[Hand: I have to say, this sensation—ahem, Master is actually testing me. I must stay firm. So soft—pfft, no, that's not right. Brothers, I'm logging off.]

[Leg: This maid's massage is so comfortable; it makes it impossible for me to focus on my cultivation. This is too much.]

[Brain: Everyone, stay firm! Look at Master; he hasn't been corrupted in the slightest, which just goes to show that our cultivation is not up to par.]

Uchiha Yang, resting with his eyes closed, smiled triumphantly. You little rascals, you can't even handle this much?

Is that it?

Is that all you've got?

Competing with his own body was sometimes quite interesting.

Because of Senju Hashirama, Senju Tobirama was unable to reach an agreement with the Uzumaki Clan, and the food supplies that had just been mobilized were sent to the Uchiha by Senju Hashirama himself.

Although the Senju elders all disagreed, Senju Hashirama used his personal charisma to convince them one by one.

Having witnessed the power of Senju Hashirama's Wood Release, those stubborn old geezers honestly kept their mouths shut.