The Gears of Fate

Beneath the calm surface of the Land of Fire, every clan was locked in an arms race. On one hand, they had truly been beaten badly; on the other, they needed to guard against the Uchiha Clan's revenge.

This time, the Senju Clan unsurprisingly became the leader in everyone's eyes. After all, it had taken the lead, so countless eyes were focused on this battle that would decide the state of the Shinobi World in the Land of Fire.

If the Senju Clan won, things would be simple enough. Everyone would return to normal, carrying on as before, and this matter would be settled.

If the Senju Clan lost, they could only prepare to be ruthlessly carved up. When the rabbit died, the fox grieved; when the lips were gone, the teeth grew cold. If the Uchiha Clan demanded too much and let greed consume them, then they could not blame the others for fighting to the death!

The intense preparations left everyone somewhat tense. The heads of the various clans faintly sensed that something capable of changing the Land of Fire, or even the Shinobi World, might happen this time.

In the laboratory, Uchiha Yuan continued injecting himself with genetic serum. The six nutrient tanks around him were crammed full of pale bodies. The smell of disinfectant in the air grew stronger, while colorful reagents filled the tables.

Meanwhile, in the ordinary world beyond the Shinobi World, the samurai-revering nobles had long since picked their sides. The new Daimyo had now firmly secured his rule, and the mood among the common people was slowly beginning to change as well.

In major cities and along the coast, unfamiliar industries sprang up one after another. Cargo ships traveling overseas were constantly busy, and the flags on those buildings and vessels were somewhat distinctive. Upon closer inspection, they resembled the character Yuan.

The Land of Fire was the most suitable region in the Naruto World for survival and development. The combined wealth of Uchiha Yuan's pawns could be called enough to rival a nation.

In the original story, during the Hokage era, there was a maritime smuggler from the Land of Waves named Kado. With the power of just one country, he became the richest man in the world, even ranking no lower than Kakuzu, who had worked tirelessly for nearly a century.

But how large was the Land of Waves? And how large was the Land of Fire? With no relevant policies yet and no taxes to pay, the pawns were making a killing. Yet they never forgot the task Uchiha Yuan had assigned them: secretly gathering members of the various ninja clans who had been cast aside, while also keeping an eye on abandoned children rejected by their own ninja families. In Uchiha Yuan's words:

"Don't put all your eggs in one basket. Cast a wide net to catch big fish."

The pawns said they did not understand, but they did understand the little tricks of nobles—placing bets on two sides, or even several sides at once.

As the seasons changed and the winds of fate shifted, the year-end drew closer. The Uchiha Clan clearly stopped hiding its intentions, manufacturing weapons and armor on a massive scale. Supplies were transported with great fanfare, key strategic positions were occupied in advance, and they looked ready to make a move at any moment.

At the Senju Clan Grounds, the atmosphere within the clan was especially tense. What the clan members did not know was that their clan head was the most relaxed of all.

"It's finally come to this. I'm really looking forward to it... Madara."

Hashirama stood at a high vantage point, looking down at the equally busy clan members below. He appeared completely detached from it all.

However, that state did not last long before it was broken. Tobirama approached from behind with a stern expression, his dead-fish eyes glaring.

"Big brother! What are you doing?! Everyone is busy, and you're the only one acting like you have nothing to do!"

"Hahaha, Tobirama, don't be so serious."

"You think I want to be? You idiot big brother! The Uchiha have already put a blade to our throats!"

"Well, perhaps there might still be a turning point."

"What do you mean, big brother? Do we have reinforcements?"

Ever since Tobirama had raised the anti-Uchiha banner under a baseless pretext last time, only for both sides to suffer heavy losses, no clan was willing to casually ally with the Senju Clan anymore. Perhaps the Uzumaki would be willing, but in the end, it was still a matter of insufficient benefits—they had not been offered enough.

"No!"

Tobirama stared at his brother, who was clearly in the wrong yet still sounded so confident, and the corner of his mouth twitched. He simply stopped expecting Hashirama to help with anything, shook his head, and left.

Watching Tobirama's retreating figure, then looking over the busy Clan Land, Hashirama felt a surge of heroic spirit rise in his chest.

"My clansmen who follow me! Peace is almost here. Wait just a little longer."

As the year drew to a close, the Uchiha and Senju Clans went to war as expected. Yet what puzzled everyone was that the Uchiha Clan did not choose a surprise attack. Instead, they deployed their army openly and even gave the Senju Clan ample time to prepare.

Wouldn't a head-on clash result in greater casualties? No one could make sense of the Uchiha Clan's move.

Many people who considered themselves clever believed that the Uchiha Clan was simply arrogant, completely disregarding the Senju Clan. They were nothing more than a bunch of brainless barbarians.

Others believed this was the Uchiha Clan's open scheme. If they defeated the Senju Clan through sheer strength, the other clans would lose both the reason and courage to resist. It was a move that killed both body and spirit.

The battlefield was chosen on a plain, with nothing for thousands of miles around to provide cover. After nearly a year of recuperation, the Uchiha Clan fielded eighty percent of its strength. But because the trauma of having their home attacked had not yet faded, Madara called Uchiha Yuan back to the Clan Land.

"Well, with me here, you can rest easy. Unless Hashirama Senju comes personally, it won't matter how many people they send."

Uchiha Yuan said this while patting his somewhat thin chest. Yet to the Uchiha clansmen, his words carried extraordinary weight. After all, the title of the Uchiha Clan's White-Clad Grim Reaper had already begun spreading throughout the Shinobi World.

"Good! Then the home is in your hands, Yuan!"

Madara then waved his hand, and the army set out. Izuna, however, seemed distracted. He kept looking back every few steps, feeling that something bad was about to happen, though he could not figure out what.

"Third brother! When I come back, I'll definitely find you a good wife!"

"..."

Uchiha Yuan's heart skipped a beat. That idiot Izuna was still making this kind of vow before leaving. Was he afraid he might actually come back alive?

"Second brother! You... take care on the road!"

Hearing the shout behind him, Izuna stumbled. Those words seemed a little inauspicious!

But the army had already gone far away, and he could not be bothered to return and argue with Uchiha Yuan.

On the emerald plain, the armies of the two clans formed ranks opposite each other. From afar, they looked like two black lines stretching to the horizon.

High in the sky, unknown great birds soared overhead. As far as the eye could see, there was not a cloud in sight, and their cries rang especially loud.

Whooo—

The dark mass of people began to stir. Though they were ninja, they charged forward like ancient soldiers.

Madara surged ahead, charging at the very front. His iconic red Warring States armor left afterimages as he ran. With a kama in one hand and a war fan in the other, he plunged into the sea of people.

As the two tides collided, the flames of war quickly spread. Fireballs and streams of water flew everywhere. Shuriken and kunai clashed with crisp metallic rings, while sparks from blades mixed with blood and dyed the sky red.

"Kill!"

Bound by blood feuds and family hatred, enemies meeting each other saw red. Everyone carried a different fate on their backs, and only one thought remained in their minds: kill the person before them.

On the battlefield, they had to remain tense at all times, watching in every direction and listening for every sound. A moment of carelessness could see them struck by a suddenly flying shuriken or senbon.

Barely more than ten minutes into the battle, casualties on both sides had already surpassed half. Madara spotted Hashirama amid the crowd, and they exchanged a glance.

"Susanoo!"

"Wood Human Technique!"

The massive Chakra surge caused the center of the battlefield to fall silent for an instant. Then the second round of slaughter began, even more brutal than before.

After being ganged up on last time, the Uchiha Clan's fighting strength had declined severely. Yet a starving camel was still bigger than a horse. After Uchiha Yuan's training, not only were the individual clansmen stronger than Senju ninja, but their weapons and armor were also far better equipped.

Seeing his clansmen fall one after another from the corner of his eye, Hashirama immediately unleashed a powerful technique to stem the losses.

"World of Trees Advent!!"