Peace is Forged Through Battle

After Uzumaki Aken was slain by the combined efforts of Uchiha Madara and the others, the remaining enemies within the Uchiha compound were wiped out entirely.

However, the attack on the compound had been far too sudden, and many clansmen had perished in the assault.

As cries and wails echoed through the clamorous compound, Uchiha Yang lay tucked in his bed, his resentment toward the Uzumaki Clan deepening.

Damn the Uzumaki Clan. No wonder you'll be wiped out in the future; you deserve it.

He wasn't being petty; this was simply a matter of settling scores.

With that, Uchiha Yang handed control of his body over to his body itself.

As for himself, he was, of course, going to sleep.

As for the revenge plan against the Uzumaki Clan, he naturally left that for his brain to contemplate.

[Brain: Master has actually entrusted such an important task to me; I certainly won't let him down.]

[Sharingan: I'm jealous. You actually got the revenge plan? Why didn't he give it to me?]

[Hand: Give it to you? For a brainless, reckless plan?]

[Sharingan: What did you say? Say that again if you dare.]

The brain ignored their bickering and had already begun to conceive the revenge plan.

The next day, when Uchiha Yang woke up, he saw the revenge plan lying on the windowsill.

Uchiha Yang flipped it open to take a closer look. Oh, wow. It was indeed the right choice to leave it to his brain.

Aside from the five large characters on the cover, the inside was completely blank. It was just like him—cautious in all things.

Still, there were three days left, so there was no need to rush.

Good things are worth the wait.

Stepping outside, Uchiha Yang saw white mourning cloth hung outside many homes.

The sounds of weeping drifted from those houses, leaving him with an indescribable feeling in his chest.

"Yang."

Uchiha Yang looked over to see Uchiha Izuna waving at him from not far away.

"What are the casualties in the clan?"

Uchiha Yang walked over and asked casually.

"Over thirty clansmen died, many of whom were still children."

Uchiha Izuna clenched his fists, his eyes bloodshot with hatred for the Uzumaki and the Senju.

Uchiha Yang fell silent, patting his shoulder in comfort. "We will make the enemy pay the price sooner or later."

Perhaps it was this very attack that caused the Uchiha's overall strength to fall behind the Senju Clan in the future.

Of course, the most important factor was that Uchiha Madara had failed to defeat Senju Hashirama.

That was one of the primary reasons.

Uchiha Yang always suspected there was something fishy about it; after all, for a thousand years, the reincarnations of Asura and Indra had always been evenly matched.

How was it that in the generation of Uchiha Madara and Senju Hashirama, a winner had suddenly emerged?

It was highly likely that Black Zetsu had been involved, secretly pulling strings to give Senju Hashirama an unfair advantage.

After all, both sides should have been equal in strength; even the weight of a single blade of grass could tip the scales of victory.

"How is the situation on the battlefield?"

Uchiha Yang asked curiously.

With such an incident occurring, there was no telling what variables might arise on the front lines.

After all, the well-being of the Uchiha Clan was directly tied to his own quality of life.

Uchiha Izuna, who hadn't slept all night, replied with bloodshot eyes, "The intelligence from last night has already been delivered to Father."

"I believe this three-year-long war will end soon."

"I hope so."

Uchiha Yang nodded.

Bidding farewell to Uchiha Izuna, Uchiha Yang headed to the lake behind the clan compound.

"Go, get me a roasted rabbit."

Uchiha Yang said to himself.

Uchiha Kage, who was protecting him from the shadows, waved a hand, signaling someone to go find a wild rabbit.

"A deep blue sky, accompanied by a gentle breeze by the lake—how carefree!"

Uchiha Yang lay back on the grass, while beside him, a wild rabbit sizzled on the grill, dripping with oil.

Anyone who stands in the way of my peaceful life must die.

Without him realizing it, the three-tomoe Sharingan manifested in Uchiha Yang's eyes. The tomoe spun frantically until they merged into one, forming a strange, eerie pattern.

[Sharingan: Holy crap! Mangekyou Sharingan? Turns out the real loser was me all along.]

The Sharingan, which had been grinding through cultivation night after night, never expected that its master could so easily evolve a three-tomoe into a Mangekyou.

[Brain: Holy crap! I never realized Master was this strong.]

[Hand: Good thing Master doesn't actually train, or else there'd be nothing left for me to do.]

[Leg: Got it, got it. So Master has been giving us a chance to show off all this time.]

Uchiha Yang hadn't expected that a mere moment of insight would grant him the Mangekyou Sharingan.

Furthermore, the two powers of this pair of Mangekyou Sharingan could be described as heaven-defying.

The next second, Uchiha Yang hid his Mangekyou Sharingan away.

With great power comes great responsibility; if he wanted to keep lying flat, he couldn't let it be exposed.

[You lot, behave yourselves. Don't go looking for trouble, especially while I'm asleep.]

Only after hearing their repeated assurances did Uchiha Yang smile with satisfaction.

"Master, please enjoy."

A Shadow Guard presented a sizzling, oil-dripping rabbit leg to Uchiha Yang.

Uchiha Yang picked up the scorching rabbit leg, tore off a hearty bite, and downed a cup of prepared wine in one go.

"Ah!"

It was a bit hot, forcing Uchiha Yang to open his mouth to let the heat escape.

"So you really are here."

Uchiha Madara appeared behind him at some point, walked over to the roasted rabbit, unceremoniously tore off the other leg, and sat down beside him to eat with gusto.

"Why are you here? The clan still needs you to look after things."

Uchiha Yang wasn't surprised by his arrival; the two had often met here in the past.

"Tell me, when will peace finally be realized? When will there be no more war?"

Only in front of Uchiha Yang could Uchiha Madara reveal a hint of confusion; he never showed such an expression, not even in front of Izuna.

Although Uchiha Yang felt the question was rather naive, he answered patiently, given that the person asking was Uchiha Madara.

"Humans are complex creatures. Wherever there are people, there is conflict, because people have desires, and desire is a bottomless pit."

"So, the peace you speak of will exist, but war will still remain."

"What do you mean? I don't understand."

Uchiha Madara was still an ambitious youth, so he didn't hesitate to ask for clarification.

"Look over there."

After tossing the bone aside, Uchiha Yang washed his hands in the lake, turned to face Uchiha Madara, and pointed toward the Uchiha clan grounds.

"The clan grounds?" Uchiha Madara frowned in thought.

"The tranquility of the clan grounds is peace to me. Peace has always existed, while war is kept outside by our uncles and the others."

"That is reality. If you want to obtain peace, someone must stand up, shoulder everything alone, and leave that peace to those behind them."

Uchiha Yang's words weren't profound; they could be understood with just a little bit of thought.

"So this is peace."

Uchiha Madara felt a stir in his heart, murmuring to himself.

"What else could it be?" Uchiha Yang asked with a chuckle.

"Peace is fought for; it doesn't come from any sort of fantasy."

"The business between you and Senju Hashirama years ago is a taboo in the clan, and no one mentions it, but I know about it."

"I don't want to talk about him."

At the mere mention of Senju Hashirama, Uchiha Madara reacted strongly.

"Tch!" Uchiha Yang teased with a smile, "Looks like you still can't forget him."