Collecting Tailed Beast Energy

"Third brother, this is rare. You actually came to see me on your own today."

Madara wasn't training. Instead, he was staring blankly at Izuna, who was standing beneath the waterfall and letting the water pound over him. He found it strange when Uchiha Gen approached.

"What is it?"

"Big brother, when will it end?"

The moment Madara heard that, he understood what Uchiha Gen was asking about. However, he did not answer immediately. Instead, he turned to look at the waterfall's rushing waters and asked,

"Gen, do you believe what that person said?"

"Of course not."

"Then... will you stop it?"

"Why would I stop it?" Uchiha Gen looked at Madara strangely. "If it succeeds, it will surely create a new era and bring about a brief period of peace."

Uchiha Gen pointed at himself again. "And I'm an egoist. Take the Uchiha Clan now—because you and second brother are here, I'm willing to put in the effort to make them stronger and stronger."

"But if one day, both you and second brother are gone, then I'll leave this place as well and no longer bear the Uchiha name."

Madara frowned upon hearing that. Those words were truly rebellious. Why did it sound like he was planning to betray the clan?

"You sound resentful. Have any clansmen been causing trouble?"

"No. My policies can now be carried out without obstruction because I've given the clansmen benefits they can see. But big brother, you know that a clan cannot remain in a period of growth forever. When it enters a decline, will the clansmen still trust me as they do today?"

"Why wouldn't they? Once prestige is established, it's hard for it to fall again."

"What if there is no prestige left?"

"How could there not be?"

"Senju!"

"..."

Uchiha Madara's voice caught in his throat.

"What did you come here for? You don't train either. Don't tell me you came all this way just to annoy me?"

"Almost forgot." Uchiha Gen slapped his forehead and pulled out a letter from his clothes. "I just received this, and that person specifically said it was for you."

Uchiha Madara accepted the letter. The wax seal was indeed unopened. He was equally curious about who would write to him.

"An invitation?"

The instant Uchiha Gen heard the word invitation, he immediately leaned over and craned his neck to look. But Madara was now nearly five feet nine, a full head taller than him. With his head tilted back like a child's, he could not see a thing.

"You read it yourself. I'm not interested. You decide whether to go."

"Oh? What is it?"

Uchiha Gen unfolded the letter and slowly read it. There were not many words, and he finished quickly.

It turned out that the head of the Sarutobi Clan had had a younger son and was inviting the Uchiha Clan head to a banquet.

Now that the Uchiha Clan was growing increasingly powerful, the surrounding ninja clans had begun seeking friendly relations in every possible way. It was perfectly normal for them to invite the Uchiha to a banquet, but...

"The Sarutobi Clan head's son? Hiruzen Sarutobi? Holy shit!"

Uchiha Gen was startled. Hiruzen Sarutobi had actually been born!

Without even saying goodbye, he immediately used the Body Flicker Technique to leave. His thoughts were in turmoil. He had not expected time to have reached this point already!

Madara watched Uchiha Gen rush off in a fluster and found it strange. It was just a banquet. Was there any need to be in such a hurry?

What Madara did not know was that Uchiha Gen was panicking because he clearly remembered that five years after Hiruzen Sarutobi's birth was when Konoha would be founded.

Other than making the Uchiha stronger than in the original story, this butterfly effect has basically changed nothing. In other words, history will still develop as it did in the original, so I may have less than five years left to develop.

The reason he said he had only five years left was because Uchiha Gen knew that the Shinobi World would soon begin fighting national wars. Clans would be constrained by villages and would no longer be able to do whatever they pleased. Moreover, as the acting head of the Uchiha Clan, he would definitely receive even more attention.

By then, Uchiha Gen's identity would be placed in the spotlight. Many people would watch his every move, and he would no longer be able to quietly develop.

Most importantly, second brother dies in Konoha's first year. I need to find a reason to get the body into my hands.

At that moment, Uchiha Izuna, who was training his physique beneath the waterfall, suddenly shivered for no reason. He felt a chill run down his spine.

After Uchiha Gen returned to the Clan Land, he found Kuro in Haru's room and had her send a message to the tool man, telling him to notify Uchiha Gen the instant the laboratory was completed.

He then got up and hurried out of the Clan Land without stopping, as though every second counted.

However, this time, there was an oversized scroll on his back. It was a Sealing Scroll specially made after he had finished studying the Uzumaki Sealing Arts. He planned to store Izuna's body inside it in the future.

It had been a long time since Uchiha Gen had fought someone of comparable strength. The last time he had trained with Madara and Izuna was last year. After roughly estimating his current strength, he figured he was probably, perhaps, at Kage Level.

I'm only collecting some Tailed Beast Chakra. There shouldn't be a problem.

Uchiha Gen did not have a clear understanding of his own strength. Among the Tailed Beasts, the Nine-Tails was the one that had left the deepest impression on him, so he assumed the others were more or less equally powerful. After all, it was a Tailed Beast capable of killing the Fourth Hokage.

More importantly, in the fanfics he had read, the battle at the Valley of the End had been described. To fight Hashirama, Madara had specifically captured the Nine-Tails, and Madara had already possessed the Eternal Eye at the time. Therefore, the Nine-Tails' strength could not be underestimated.

The waters of the Shinobi World run too deep. I still need to be careful.

He ran at full speed the entire way, hunting wild animals or catching fish in the forest whenever he got hungry. After three consecutive days, he crossed the Land of Fire's border and entered the desert-filled Land of Wind.

"The Tailed Beasts have enormous amounts of Chakra. They shouldn't be hard to find."

This time, Uchiha Gen intended to collect a little Tailed Beast Chakra from every one of them. While no one cared about these Tailed Beasts yet, he would gather it all for future use.

The Land of Wind was located in a desert region, and every oasis was tightly guarded. The ninja clans living here fought fiercely over limited resources, no less intensely than those in the Land of Fire.

However, Uchiha Gen had no intention of dealing with the ninja here this time. He specifically searched areas of the desert suffering from severe drought.

Fortunately, the Tailed Beasts lived far too freely. In the current Shinobi World, no person or beast dared provoke them.

Uchiha Gen was lucky enough to spot this huge tanuki on a stretch of Gobi Desert. The tanuki was sleeping at the time, and its snoring could be heard from over a mile away.

Standing in the distance, Uchiha Gen sighed.

"So this is Shukaku? It's huge!"

Shukaku lay sprawled across the sand, its massive body resembling a small mountain. There were black markings on its skin, though its overall color was similar to the sand. Its enormous tail looked fluffy and seemed very pettable.

Uchiha Gen quietly approached. However, the Tailed Beasts possessed exceptionally powerful senses and immediately discovered the intruder.

"Little insect! Are you lost? How dare you come to my territory and disturb my sleep!"