Mad Wolf Under the Moon: Hatake (4)

"Establishing authority, are we?"

Fujiwara Muneyoshi assumed Sato was hesitating, so he spoke up to remind him once more.

"Among the three magistrates, Funazai Yuraya never steps a foot outside Okayama these days, and Ishida Seibu has no ambition whatsoever, content to stay in his corner and never interfering in matters outside his jurisdiction. Only Morikukawa is ambitious, constantly courting Akiyama Nobunori and Tokugawa Ieteru from the Five Generals in an attempt to unify the Land of Fire. The General has been making concessions all this time; if he concedes any further, the blade might just end up at the General's own throat!"

Thinking of the ambition to become the ruler of the world, a desire long buried deep within his heart and never before displayed was gradually ignited. It wasn't just a simple dream; Madara's subtle influence made Sato suddenly realize that since he had already become a general, why not go a step further? He immediately decided to formulate a plan. No longer interested in listening to Fujiwara Muneyoshi, he ordered him to leave.

"Hmm! I will consider this matter for a few days. Building an arsenal isn't easy, after all. I'll give you an answer tomorrow!"

"Then this old man shall wait at home for the General's command!"

"Very well! You may withdraw now!"

Seeing that Sato seemed distracted, Fujiwara Muneyoshi sighed deeply and said nothing more. He offered his farewells, and Sato gave a perfunctory reply before he walked out of the pavilion.

Sitting in an inconspicuous attic in a corner of Okayama, Madara and Uchiha Mingye looked down at the bustling crowds in the streets below. Although Mingye could not experience the feeling of being above all living things with his eyes, he could still satisfy that sliver of pride within his heart through his perception. He was truly different now; at the very least, he no longer existed in the same world as the people on those streets.

"What on earth have you done? General Sato just summoned me and asked about the situation with the Senju Clan. He also wants us to organize men to head to the border between the Land of River and the Land of Fire. I heard that Akiyama Nobunori wants to build a bridge there connecting the Land of Grass, the Land of River, and the Land of Fire, and construction has already begun! He wants us to force them to stop work within a short time so they have no ability to continue! What is going on here!"

Just as Mingye was indulging in his own arrogance, Shimizu's voice came from the second-floor entrance not far away. Madara asked him coldly in return.

"What did Sato ask? Don't tell me you didn't tell Sato our demands!"

After Shimizu walked over and sat down, he shook his head and explained to him.

"General Sato must have taken some strange medicine. He asked me specifically about the strength of the Senju Clan, and then asked if we could wipe out the Senju Clan if he provided us with full support. I answered that we could, and only then did he order our clan to head to the border of the Land of River to sabotage Akiyama Nobunori's plan!"

Madara nodded. Although he was somewhat dissatisfied with being ordered around by Sato, now was not the time to lash out. He then looked at Mingye to ask about the next step in the plan.

"It seems the plan is working! Mingye, what should we do next?"

Mingye's brain worked rapidly, filtering through every plan he could think of before he spoke.

"Big Brother, don't be impatient. A 'dream of glory,' if indulged in too often and made too realistic, often leads to instinctive feelings of revulsion. For the past three or four days, Sato has been startled awake by both sweet dreams and nightmares; he surely hasn't slept well. The next step is to slowly solidify the thoughts in his mind. By the way, I heard the Fuma Clan attacked General Sato for no reason, and to this day, no one has found out who ordered the Fuma Clan to assassinate him. Since the Fuma Clan has already vanished into thin air, why don't we pick up a handful of mud and throw it at the Senju Clan?"

After listening to Mingye, Shimizu pondered for a while and felt that adding some fuel to the fire against the Senju Clan at this time was definitely not a bad idea. He simply spoke to the two of them.

"I will handle the matter of the Fuma Clan. In any case, our ninjas are still at the ruins of the Fuma Clan's estate. As long as we forge some evidence, the Senju Clan will never be able to clear their name!"

Mingye shook his head, sighing helplessly at how low Shimizu's intelligence was, and explained again.

"No need. See through it, but don't say it. This matter doesn't need to be done by our Uchiha Clan. If our clan does it, it will look too fake. After all, people aren't fools; the Uchiha Clan and the Senju Clan have always been opposing ninja clans that kill each other on sight. If we do this, others will surely be three parts skeptical. We must have someone else state the 'fact' that the Senju Clan wants to assassinate the General; only then can we ensure a shred of authenticity. Furthermore, our Uchiha Clan must absolutely not participate in this. Only in this way can we accelerate the opposition between the Senju Clan and the General, and only then can we proceed with the next part of the plan!"

"Mingye, what exactly are you trying to do!"

Madara was truly too lazy to think about these problems. If it were fighting, perhaps Madara would be very proficient, but in terms of schemes and plots, Madara still appeared quite clumsy. At least the current Madara did not have the devious strategic capacity he would possess in the future. Moreover, looking at the ending of the manga in the future, Mingye didn't think his brother had any particular intelligence either. On the contrary, that White Zetsu—whom he still hadn't managed to find—was a master of strategy. He had tricked three people in succession: Nagato, Obito, and Madara. Each of those three was a heaven-sent talent, yet they were all played in the palm of Zetsu's hand. It made Mingye admire the Sage of Six Paths' mother; she certainly knew how to give birth to children, and none of them were easy to deal with.

Seeing Madara's impatient questioning, Mingye thought of this and stopped speaking in riddles, laying out the rest of his plan in full.

"Naturally, it is to reclaim the many large and small clans that exist within the Land of Fire. However, we must have a pretext. If we act without a pretext, we will surely be attacked by everyone in unison, which is not what I want. But if the General is willing to help us obtain a decree from the Daimyo, recognizing our Uchiha Clan as the official clan of the Land of Fire, then don't you think we should act on behalf of the state to properly tidy up the chaos in the ninja world within the Land of Fire?"

Mingye's plan was extremely upright and legitimate. With the mandate of the Daimyo, their actions would be equivalent to the official will of the state, and those small clans would surely not dare—nor be able—to refuse the summons of their group. Otherwise, the wrath of the state to wipe out their clans would be as easy as a single breath. "Not bad! At that point, anyone who is unwilling to submit to us will be a traitor to the state. At that time, they will have no choice but to bow their heads!"

Madara pondered for a few moments, slowly nodding and praising Mingye's plan. Shimizu, however, frowned deeply. Mingye's idea was good, but for thousands of years, no one had ever been able to achieve such a thing. He reminded him with concern.

"This matter won't be so easy to handle. Mingye, many ninjas are extremely eager to obtain that so-called glory, but look at these past few hundred years—how many have truly obtained it? Not a single one!"

Mingye chuckled. His current plan was indeed imperfect in many places, but he had a trump card: his brother, Uchiha Madara. The battle between the Senju Clan and the Uchiha Clan had to be tragic enough to force the Uchiha to surrender. At the very least, the battle between Madara and Hashirama had lasted over five years. In Mingye's mind, the countdown to that period was likely approaching. He had to accelerate his progress; if he couldn't wipe out the Senju Clan, he had to drive them out of the Land of Fire. Mingye knew deeply that the terror of the Senju of the Forest was far greater than what the Uchiha Clan currently possessed.

Night fell over Okayama once more. Mingye stood on the roof of a tall building, waiting for his brother to return from his mission. Suddenly, his sensitive ears caught the sound of some movement. He turned his head and flicked his arm, sending a venomous snake flying toward the source of the noise.

Swish.

A momentary fluctuation of chakra was detected by Mingye, but the opponent's concealment technique was clearly very refined and practiced; even Mingye could not detect the opponent's presence at the first instant. A cold wind brushed against Mingye's cheek. His brows twitched, and he quickly crouched down as two kunai flew out from beneath the house's trees without warning, aiming straight for his face.

"Chaos Wind Spike!"

A burst of wind blades sliced the large tree into several pieces. A figure flickered in and out of existence, appearing behind Mingye the next second. The long sword in their hand was held horizontally, intending to pierce through Mingye's spine. Mingye crouched and rotated on one foot, sweeping the other at his opponent. The opponent seemed determined to kill Mingye in one blow, disappearing from the spot again and reappearing in front of him, the long sword closing in once more.

"Sage Art: Dragon Prohibition Martial!"

Mingye did not panic in the slightest. He used a Body Replacement Technique to quickly distance himself from the opponent and formed seals with his hands in front of his chest. A beam of white light shot out. The enemy stepped on the roof tiles and performed a series of backflips to dodge the attack, only to find their own chakra somewhat chaotic and difficult to control. They then decisively abandoned the assassination and turned to flee.

"Thinking of leaving!"

A war fan appeared in front of the man. Madara looked at the opponent proudly and spat a fireball directly from his mouth. The man quickly used the Body Flicker Technique and vanished. Madara's eyes opened to reveal the Mangekyo Sharingan; that perspective, like the eyes of God, left the man's movements with nowhere to hide. Although Madara could not catch up to the opponent, the opponent could not shake off Madara either. Thus, the two moved one after the other toward the outskirts of Okayama.

"It's Tobirama. This chakra—there's no mistake! Since you've come, don't blame me for playing out this act to the end!"

Mingye was not without a reaction. He had originally been thinking about how to truly frame the Senju Clan, and now he finally had a method. He took out a kunai he had just had crafted that afternoon, engraved with the Senju Clan's emblem, snapped it in half, and dropped it in the courtyard. He then stomped on the roof to make a sound before quickly disappearing from the building, chasing in the direction where Tobirama and Madara had vanished.

Although Madara was not skilled in space-time ninjutsu, that was only relative to ninjas of his level. Perhaps because Madara's Mangekyo Sharingan had evolved earlier than in the manga, Tobirama had underestimated Madara's strength. Although he had used his full strength to perform the Body Flicker Technique and the space-time ninjutsu he had initially explored, he still could not completely shake off Madara's pursuit. With no other choice, Tobirama had to make a change. After moving away from Okayama and entering the forest, he took a signal flare from his robes and fired it into the sky, then turned back, his long sword slashing directly at Uchiha Madara.