Shimizu was unconvinced. Although Mingye had made some fair points, the Senju Clan did possess unrivaled talent for ninjutsu. But the clan's elites, along with its elderly, women, and children, had all been slaughtered as part of Mingye's plan. They had already wiped out the entire family. If Mingye kept rubbing it in, he really would be making himself look bad.
"You're worrying too much. With Madara's strength improving by the day, do you really think we'll lose to two snot-nosed brats?"
Seeing that even Shimizu, a senior member of the clan, was starting to disregard their old enemy, Mingye felt a sense of crisis rise within him. This was a bad sign. But arguing with Shimizu wouldn't achieve much, so he changed the subject.
"They've been fighting in the Ninja World alongside Senju Butsuma since they were seven. Do you really think they're snot-nosed brats? All right, all right. There's no need to argue about this. Sato wants us to kill Akiyama Nobunori within a month. How are your preparations coming along?"
Shimizu turned serious as Mingye got down to business and replied,
"The most famous shinobi under Akiyama Nobunori is the Sarutobi Clan. They excel at Fire Release and Taijutsu, and they're known for their ferocity in battle. The other small clans aren't worth mentioning. But I've heard that the Sarutobi Clan has quite a few small clans under its wing, all of them skilled in obscure forms of ninjutsu. It seems Akiyama Nobunori's protection is in the hands of those smaller clans."
A few days earlier, Mingye had heard about the Sarutobi Clan. Their defining traits were aggression and a love of battle. They charged fearlessly into combat, no matter how strong the enemy was, which meant they often served as shock troops on the battlefield. Mingye didn't care to think much about a clan like that. After all, the monkey he remembered hadn't even been born yet.
"An outstanding hero of his age. The Sarutobi Clan's leader was called Sarutobi Sasuke, if I remember right?"
"That dead monkey's someone to watch out for. He never fears death in battle, and he's convinced he's invincible. If you have to fight him, you'd better let Madara handle it!"
Shimizu's warning drew nothing more than a nod from Mingye. He wasn't thinking about the strength of the Sarutobi Clan. He was wondering what would happen to the Land of Fire's political landscape if Akiyama Nobunori really died.
"They're not just building a bridge, are they?"
"You know how it is in the Land of Rain. It rains all year round, and there's never a clear day. The country also sits right at the junction of the Land of Earth, the Land of Wind, and the Land of Fire. If anyone wants to sell the Land of Fire's contraband, the Land of Rain is the perfect place. The Land of Fire can't touch them there, and the Land of Earth and the Land of Wind can profit from it too. The Land of Fire is vast and rich in resources, the richest in the world. What we have in abundance is what other countries lack most."
Shimizu's answer made Mingye frown. He'd lived in this world for years, yet money still meant little to him. Maybe it was because he had no shortage of it, or maybe because he'd never been the one handling or managing these affairs. He had no real sense of the bigger picture, so he asked,
"So he's using this to make money. How much can he earn?"
"Don't underestimate what he makes in the Land of Rain. It's definitely no small sum. Otherwise, what do you think he uses to support so many private soldiers? Akiyama Nobunori has more than a hundred shinobi and over a thousand private soldiers under his command. In terms of numbers alone, he has the strongest military force."
Shimizu knew Mingye wasn't familiar with this sort of thing, so he explained it carefully.
"Looks like I hadn't thought it through. Let my big brother and the others handle this. I'll go to the Sarutobi Clan myself and sound them out."
Mingye was curious whether Sarutobi Sasuke's wife was already pregnant. He remembered clearly that Sarutobi Hiruzen had been born in Konoha's ninth year. If he could find out whether Sarutobi Sasuke's wife had given birth, and whether the child was Sarutobi Hiruzen, he could get some idea of the future timeline that hadn't yet come to pass. He could then use that knowledge to make plans and do things he'd wanted to do but hadn't managed yet. More importantly, his memories from his previous life no longer gave him any advantage at all. The only edge he'd had vanished when he wiped out the Senju Clan. If he wanted to keep an advantage in the future, he had to get a handle on how time would unfold. Only by learning where the timeline began could he make informed choices about what he wanted to do next.
"Be careful!"
Shimizu was worried that Mingye had decided to test the waters himself, but he didn't try to talk him out of it. He knew Mingye wouldn't listen, so he simply reminded him to be cautious.
"They won't touch me! They wouldn't dare. Courage doesn't mean stupidity. They'll make the best choice."
Mingye stood up and replied proudly, then turned and left the room to prepare for his trip.
Looking utterly bedraggled, Hashirama Senju and Tobirama Senju parted from their clansmen and traveled alone. Their portraits had been circulated across the country, so, not wanting their people to suffer further because of them, they had Uzumaki Aihara lead the clan members away first. The brothers would draw everyone's attention and buy the others a little time to escape.
"Over here! Hurry inside. It's going to rain soon!"
In a village, the two were recognized and forced into hiding once again. They hadn't killed the warriors trying to capture them. There was no end to killing; better to avoid making more bloodshed when they could. Besides, those men posed no real threat to them. Just then, the wooden door of a house at the corner opened, and a man's voice called out, urging the two to come inside.
Hashirama and Tobirama didn't hesitate. Confident in their abilities, they darted through the doorway and shut the door behind them. A candle suddenly lit up the pitch-black room, revealing a man with his hair tied in a ponytail and an elegant long sword at his waist. He set the candle on the table, smiled at the two, and said,
"My name is Zhanye. You don't need to be nervous. I have no interest in the bounty on either of you."
"If you don't want the money, then you must want something even more. If you don't want the bounty put up by the Uchiha Clan, what are you after?"
Tobirama looked at the man's friendly, utterly unthreatening expression and questioned him with a cold laugh. Zhanye nodded, agreeing with what Tobirama had said. "Heh! That's true. If you don't even want money, then rescuing someone would be pointless—especially rescuing shinobi. You must have another motive. What if I told you I wanted you to keep fighting the Uchiha Clan? What would you think?"
Hashirama didn't waste time with pleasantries. He asked him directly,
"Who are you?"
Zhanye shook his head and didn't answer Hashirama's question. Instead, he continued to explain his purpose.
"Who I am doesn't matter. My name now is Zhanye. Don't ask any more. There's no one left in this world who could know my surname, and I don't want to mention it again. All you need to know is that I want to help you fight the Uchiha Clan!"
Tobirama looked at Zhanye with disdain. The man's original plan had surely been to recruit the Senju survivors, whom the Uchiha Clan had beaten to a pulp. And that definitely wasn't all he wanted. So, before his older brother could speak, Tobirama rejected him outright.
"The Uchiha Clan has plenty of enemies. We don't care who you are, but understand this: we won't be anyone's weapon!"
Tobirama's rude refusal didn't leave Zhanye at a loss for words. Instead, Zhanye turned to Hashirama and continued,
"A shinobi is an assassin, skilled in killing, reconnaissance, and substitution. Those are all things a weapon is meant to do. The Senju Clan refused to act that way, and that's why everyone kicked you when you were down. Which of those powerful people would care whether you lived or died? A shinobi who's no longer useful is less practical than a dog. At least a dog can bark for its master, can't it?"
"Hmph!"
Tobirama gave a cold snort. Zhanye had insulted them in a roundabout way, and he had to admit it was a clever jab. It wasn't that he had nothing to say; he simply couldn't be bothered to keep arguing. After all, the man had helped them escape some trouble. Hashirama, however, remained silent for a long while. At last, he looked up at Zhanye with a grave expression and asked,
"Your name is Zhanye, right? I'm Hashirama Senju, and this is my younger brother, Tobirama Senju. Since you want to help me, can you tell me how you plan to do it?"
Seeing that Hashirama was interested, Zhanye continued,
"The Uchiha Clan serves under one of the Five Generals, Sato. It's one of the strongest forces in the Land of Fire. If you want to stand against them, you'll have to attach yourselves to an equally powerful force. That's the only way you'll have a chance."
By now, anyone who still didn't understand would have to be an idiot. Hashirama followed up,
"Whose forces do you serve?"
Zhanye bowed to the brothers, then answered with a solemn expression,
"I'm unworthy, but General Shimura Sasuke is my lord!"
"So you're that barking dog!"
"At least I'm not a stray dog. What do you think, head of the Senju Clan?"
"Take me to meet him!"
Zhanye raised an eyebrow and silently returned Tobirama's taunt, but Hashirama cut off their argument and answered Zhanye in a deep voice.
Standing atop the enormous rocky mountain and looking down at the vast forest below, Madara sighed and spoke to Mingye and Izuna behind him.
"Well? This is the spot I picked."
Though Mingye couldn't see the scenery, he could still sense the forest stretching out before them. The ground beneath his feet might well have been the future site of Kage Rock. After hearing Madara's words, he replied,
"Though it's in the heart of the Land of Fire, it's deep in the forest, and the rocky, barren hills offer no resources to develop. There are plenty of wild animals, so few people come here. Building a village here would have many drawbacks, but the terrain is open. Though it's in a valley, the surroundings look defenseless, yet they give us a clear view of any enemy's direction of attack, making it easy to respond. If an enemy really does make it here, then our Uchiha Clan may as well commit seppuku!"
Before you continue