Extermination of the Fuma Clan (3)

The reason the Yotsuki Clan piqued one's curiosity was that they lacked any true blood ties; one was simply absorbed into the family upon being acknowledged. Their structure was not based on lineage, but rather on selecting the most exceptional lightning-attribute ninjas to inherit their Lightning Style, after which the accepted individual would become a member of the Yotsuki Clan. Those without the lightning attribute could never become clansmen, and even their descendants were barred from joining. However, the relatives of those who failed to join were still granted the Yotsuki Clan's protection. Over time, nearly fifty percent of the ninjas in the Land of Lightning had become connected to this family. It was no wonder that after the Cloud Ninja were established, they were always causing trouble right under Konoha's nose, yet the Third Hokage was unwilling to engage them in an all-out war.

Just as Mingye's thoughts drifted thousands of miles away once more, Madara spoke again.

"The ninjas of the Wind-Thunder Clan have already received too many favors from our Uchiha Clan. Three years of silence is enough to warrant a repayment. Mingye, you handle this matter!"

"Understood! I will go there personally!"

"Izuna, tell Uncle Shimizu that the situation is urgent, so he will have to shoulder the responsibilities in Okayama for a while longer. Besides, the Fuma Clan is no more!"

Mingye nodded to show he understood. Madara then turned to Izuna and issued his orders, to which Izuna also nodded in acknowledgment. Madara stood up proudly from his desk and walked over to a screen to look at the map of the Land of Fire that Izuna had recently drawn.

"Our advance shall begin from the Land of Fire!"

"Yes! Yes! I have that feeling too, don't you? Hahahaha!"

A young man with long, flowing hair held a wooden beer mug in one hand, sitting by a campfire and laughing heartily while slapping his knee, addressing the diverse group of ninjas gathered around him.

"To think that such a massive wild boar would only eat blood—blood is such a pungent thing. I never expected that once frozen, it would turn into such a delicacy. It's a completely different food from tofu. Truly, it is a master of ingredients; we really hadn't noticed these things before!"

A burly man with a thick beard also laughed loudly, praising the long-haired man, and another bald ninja nearby chimed in.

"Exactly! Compared to the boar meat, the soup made from those blood clots is the most delicious thing of all!"

"Of course! You have to realize that ever since I found out three years ago, I haven't stopped catching boars in this forest. I've almost driven the boars in this forest to extinction! Hahahaha!"

The long-haired man was full of confidence, laughing heroically. Just as everyone was joking and drinking, a white-haired youth walked out from the nearby woods with an expressionless face, his presence in the shadows making him seem eerie and terrifying.

"Big Brother, there are some matters that require your attention."

"My apologies, everyone. It seems my younger brother has some more schemes that require my judgment!"

"Hahahaha...!"

The youth's words caused Senju Hashirama to pause for a moment, and after speaking to the group, he walked into the forest with Senju Tobirama.

"Do you think it's fun to make a fool of me like that?"

Once they entered the woods, Tobirama looked at Hashirama with a stern face and questioned him. Hashirama, however, casually patted Tobirama on the shoulder and said, "I was just telling the truth, wasn't I? Hahahaha! Tell me, what do you want to do?"

"The entire Fuma Clan has been wiped out in their ninja village!"

Tobirama replied to Hashirama with a gloomy expression. Hashirama's movements faltered, and after a few seconds of silence, he asked, "Who did it?"

Tobirama looked at Hashirama in silence, knowing that his brother was in a state of grief, so he gave him a few minutes to catch his breath and think before speaking again.

"It should be the ninjas of the Uchiha Clan, because someone saw the head of Fuma Kotaro in General Sato's treasure vault! I heard they were wiped out overnight on the occasion of Fuma Kotaro's birthday!"

"Who else knows that we were in contact with the Fuma Clan?"

Hashirama looked up at Tobirama. He hadn't wanted to do certain things back then, but that didn't mean that just because he was unwilling, others wouldn't do it. When his father was in power, he had ordered Tobirama to do something Hashirama had strongly resisted: recruiting the Fuma Clan, a powerful group skilled in assassination, to kill General Sato, the ruler of the Uchiha Clan. But two years had passed, General Sato was not dead, yet the Fuma Clan, once so powerful, had been annihilated. It seemed impossible. Hashirama thought back and forth but couldn't fathom what kind of powerful existence could wipe out the entire Fuma Clan without leaving a trace or a sound.

When he looked at Tobirama again, Hashirama didn't know how to treat his brother. Since the event had already occurred, he could only try to remedy the situation. He turned and asked, "I did this myself! No one else knows about it except for me!"

Tobirama shook his head, which satisfied Hashirama. At least there was no crisis on that front; no one would know that the Fuma Clan had ever been associated with the Senju Clan, nor would General Sato associate the assassination attempt with anything else.

Thinking of this, Hashirama stopped dwelling on it. Avenging the Fuma Clan was not something he was considering; after all, he didn't even know who the enemy was, and more importantly, he didn't want to avenge them. With the total annihilation of the Fuma Clan, some things were in the past and should no longer be mentioned. Implicating others was not his style. He stopped his wild thoughts, cast all his troubles aside, and asked Tobirama with great curiosity, "Why exactly does Father want to move the entire clan? I still don't understand this. You and Father are clearly hiding something from me!"

Tobirama curled his lip. That was the only flaw in his big brother: he could remember good deeds for a lifetime, but he forgot bad ones in the blink of an eye. He held no grudges and had no desire for revenge. He sighed heavily, abandoned all his plans for dealing with the Uchiha Clan, and mocked him with disdain. "Although you are a terrible heir to the family head, I have to admit that your status as the eldest brother makes you superior to me. Father wants to see something joyous before he passes away!"

"I knew you would say that about me. Sigh, I'm sorry! But what kind of joyous thing is Father planning to do?"

"Stop talking nonsense. You'll know when you get there!" Hashirama hung his head in frustration, looking like a resentful spirit. Tobirama was already immune to this; he impatiently brushed Hashirama's hand off his shoulder and turned to leave. To maintain his so-called dignity as an older brother, Hashirama waved at Tobirama's back, only for Tobirama to disappear before his eyes using the Body Flicker Technique.

"I am your big brother, after all! You can't keep treating me like this every time!"

"Why! Why is this happening! Why!"

At the edge of the ruins of the Fuma ninja village, two ninjas knelt helplessly on the ground, their eyes bloodshot as they roared incessantly. Just then, a figure suddenly darted out from the ruins and, with lightning speed, thrust a long sword through the chest of one of them.

The other ninja reacted, grabbing the sword he had just dropped on the ground to strike at the attacker, but he didn't expect the attacker to turn his head, his three-tomoe eyes spinning rapidly. The ninja's body froze, and by the time he recovered, a long sword had already sliced across his throat.

"That makes seventeen!"

After quickly killing the two, the attacking ninja stood up again. A grey hemp cloth in the ruins was lifted, and another ninja appeared, the fan pattern on his back dazzling and eye-catching, as if telling all heaven and earth how powerful the executioner of the Fuma Clan was.

"According to reports, there weren't many Fuma ninjas left outside. I think it's time for us to head back."

"After ten days or so, I'm truly sick of staying in this godforsaken place. Lord Shimizu explicitly told us to stay here for a month, so since we received the order, we should finish it."

"Who cares? Lord Shimizu doesn't have time to manage us right now anyway. Going out for a stroll is better than staying in this ghost town!"

"True! And those who needed to die are all dead. Even if there are geniuses among the survivors, they wouldn't be a match for Lord Mingye, let alone Lord Madara. Let's go; I don't want to stay here anymore either!"

The two Uchiha ninjas finished speaking and vanished. Minutes after they left, Senju Hashirama and Senju Tobirama revealed themselves on a nearby tree.

"Wiping them out to the last man—the old fox of the Uchiha Clan is true to his reputation. I heard Shimizu has been helping Sato with some shady business. I must find an opportunity to kill him!"

Hashirama shook his head to stop Tobirama's words. He walked over to the two brutally murdered ninjas, sighed, and hoisted one of them onto his shoulder, then, as if remembering something, turned his head and asked Tobirama.

"Stop spouting nonsense. Didn't you hear them mention an unfamiliar name just now?"

"Mingye!?"

Tobirama hoisted a corpse onto his shoulder and replied. Hashirama nodded, his expression seemingly lost in the bittersweet memories of a beautiful childhood they once shared.

"In the three years since we last parted, we have fought the Uchiha clan countless times, yet I have never once heard or seen any sign of Mingye!"

"He is blind, so naturally, he wouldn't appear on the battlefield. What is so strange about that? However, judging by their tone, they really did seem to be praising Mingye. Could it be that Mingye also possesses great power?"

Tobirama chuckled softly, then carefully recalled the words spoken by the Uchiha ninja. It truly seemed as though Mingye had become a powerful ninja.

Hashirama shook his head with a bitter smile, banishing those fleeting moments of happiness from his mind. He led Tobirama to a grassy clearing in the woods, set the body down, and spoke.

"The situation is dire. The Hagoromo clan has been slaughtered to the last by the Uchiha, and the Fuma Clan has met the same fate. I truly have no idea what the Uchiha clan intends to do next!"