The assessment

Behind Uzumaki Shana, Takeuchi and the other two had pulled Madara over to watch. Takeuchi nodded. Just as he had guessed, Uzumaki Shana liked Uzumaki Men.

Madara was speechless. Hadn't they come to him for training? Why were they doing this now? At their age, he hadn't even thought about such things. In fact, he still hardly did. He had always been single.

"Nisen, what do you think we can do?"

"..." Madara had nothing to say. He could explain ninjutsu, taijutsu, and genjutsu and come up with training plans, but this was beyond his expertise. Surely he couldn't tell them that love went hand in hand with hatred.

Seemingly noticing Madara's discomfort, Xiaoyu spoke up. "Isn't the assessment coming up? We can create an opportunity for them."

"How?" Takeuchi asked. He hadn't noticed Madara's reaction.

"Shana, do you like Men?" Imai asked outright, though it sounded a little odd to him. What kind of question was, "Do you like a gate?" That really was a terrible name.

"I do. Is it that obvious?" Uzumaki Shana didn't deny it, though she looked puzzled.

"Of course. You've only had eyes for him all year," Imai replied.

"Huh?" Uzumaki Shana's face turned red before their eyes.

Watching these little brats discuss confessing their feelings left Madara feeling as though he had swallowed shit. Back in the clan, he had been busy training, going out on "dates" with Hashirama, and looking after his clansmen and younger brother. He had never dealt with anything like this. Now, listening to these children discuss it, he was utterly at a loss.

"That's way too blunt!" Takeuchi hurried forward, about to cover Imai's mouth.

"Yes. It's just that whenever I face him, I can't get the words out. And I'll be going back to my village soon," Uzumaki Shana admitted frankly.

"Huh? Shana, you're not from our village?" Xiaoyu was shocked. She had always assumed Shana was already one of their fellow villagers.

"I'm from the Land of Whirlpools, the country founded by the Uzumaki Clan. I want to go back and change my village." Uzumaki Shana clenched her fists. She wanted to make her village better. To that end, after her first month here, she had begun studying at Keiko Uzumaki's side, where she could learn about everything happening in the village, as well as Uchiha Mu's decisions.

"Go for it. Then let's do it during this assessment. Whatever happens, just tell him. Men might be dense, but he's a pretty good guy. He won't think less of you for telling him," Takeuchi reasoned.

Meanwhile, the disguised Madara was utterly speechless. What was he even watching? A bunch of children around ten years old were discussing this. He truly couldn't relate.

"Nisen, can Shana join us?" Only then did Takeuchi turn to Madara, who was leaning against a nearby tree.

"Sure."

"Nisen, sorry for the trouble, but could you put us under a little more pressure this time? There's less than half a month until the assessment." Takeuchi was a little nervous.

"With Nisen helping us, we'll definitely pass," Imai reassured him.

"That's right."

"Nisen?" Uzumaki Shana looked at Madara.

"Come on. First, let me show you what I can do at full strength." The corners of Madara's mouth lifted slightly. He wanted to confirm something he had also experienced in Konoha.

On the Ninja Academy's training grounds, the four children hung upside down from a tree. The next instant, the chakra beneath their feet went haywire, and they all fell to the ground. They hadn't lasted even a second.

"Nisen, that was incredible!" Takeuchi was thrilled. Although he had felt chilled to the bone, something inside him had told him Nisen wouldn't hurt him.

"That pressure was so intense. I thought I was going to die." Xiaoyu was still shaken.

Imai said nothing, but his trembling legs showed how badly he had been frightened. Uzumaki Shana gritted her teeth. She had never encountered such an overwhelming presence before. It was even more terrifying than Chōmei's or Matatabi's.

"Want to try again?" Madara asked after a brief silence. He had confirmed it just now. His killing intent did frighten them, but they weren't afraid of him. His lips curved slightly. If the Eye of the Moon Plan really did have serious problems, perhaps retiring here wouldn't be so bad.

As for the Uchiha Clan, his feelings were complicated. He had once asked them to leave with him. With Tobirama Senju in Konoha, their clan would never survive in the end. Unfortunately, not a single person had followed him.

After that, Madara began training the four-person team. Besides the usual killing-intent training, he also taught them taijutsu. In this era, nintaijutsu and swordsmanship were the mainstays, largely because ninjutsu required too many hand seals.

Unless someone had absurdly fast hands, they were better off focusing on taijutsu and swordsmanship. As for future updates to the meta? That wasn't something the villagers of this era needed to discuss.

In Uchiha Mu's office, Keiko Uzumaki said, "Mu, the man you brought back is teaching the children at the Ninja Academy."

"Oh. Huh?" Uchiha Mu initially thought nothing of it, then did a double take. Madara was teaching children? Was he starting them off with genjutsu, the way he had with Obito?

"Is he dangerous?" Keiko Uzumaki's expression instantly grew serious.

"No, I'm just surprised." Uchiha Mu shook his head. It seemed that, aside from his beloved younger brother, Madara was also fond of children.

"I see." Keiko Uzumaki relaxed, then asked, "They've been away for a year now. Their village sent word asking them to return."

"All right. I'll take them back after the assessment," Uchiha Mu said.

"Speaking of which, what's going on with that disciple of yours?"

"Which one?" Uchiha Mu had taken quite a few disciples. He had even accepted the Daimyo's son in order to buy land.

"Uzumaki Men."

"Oh, him. He's pretty dense. Rather than expecting him to notice, she should just tell him. I think he's quite fond of her, too." Uchiha Mu rested his hands behind his head while his clone diligently worked.

"Doesn't that worry you? Shana told me she wants to go back and change her clan," Keiko Uzumaki asked.

"What's wrong with that? Didn't I lure you back here? Why can't someone else lure one of our people away? Don't be so domineering." Uchiha Mu laughed.

"You always have something to say." Keiko Uzumaki rolled her eyes.

The day of the assessment soon arrived. Uchiha Mu's original body made a special trip to the Ninja Academy. He had to attend this annual major assessment. This, too, was part of the brainwashing.

The children had all gathered on the training grounds. There were a little over two hundred of them, far more than in Konoha. Between the orphans he had brought back and all the civilian children he had invited to take the assessment, even if only a small proportion could become shinobi, that large pool still yielded a decent number.

The miniature Two-Tails, Matatabi, watched the children and felt pleased. They were all good children. She hadn't lived here long, but after spending some time with Chōmei, she had come to like it here as well. This place was nothing like anywhere else. The humans weren't afraid of them.

It was Uchiha Mu's turn to give a speech. Watching him stand on the platform, Madara was curious to hear what he would say. This Uchiha he had never paid attention to had accomplished something remarkable and had even invited him here. He wanted to see what made him so compelling.

"This assessment will test whether you can maintain control of yourselves under the killing intent released by a powerful opponent. When you encounter an unexpected enemy, you mustn't be left unable to resist. Shinobi are, essentially, people with high offensive power and low defenses..."

After listening to Uchiha Mu finish, Madara was a little disappointed. That was all he had to say? Uchiha Mu walked over to him. "Madara..."

"Nisen."

"Lord Nisen, speeches don't have to be motivational sermons every time. This is just an assessment. Besides, if you feed them too much inspirational fluff, they'll get sick of it," Uchiha Mu explained.

"By inspirational fluff, you mean saying nice things?"

"More or less. Don't worry. Look how happy the children are. I kept it short and quick without wasting their time." Uchiha Mu took his position, then brought his hands together, causing many more trees to appear on the training grounds.

Nearly fifty children climbed the trees together and hung upside down from them. The first-year assessment tested their proficiency in tree climbing. Under normal circumstances, they would have had no trouble.

But these weren't normal circumstances. The miniature Two-Tails unleashed her presence directly, a little stronger than usual. That alone sent half of them falling to the ground. Killing intent projected through chakra wasn't something they could shrug off so easily.

In the original story, the main cast had all experienced something similar when they encountered Orochimaru. In the end, anger, bonds, and other emotions had driven them to act.

"Mu, what do you think future wars will look like?" Madara asked. He knew the Shinobi World would inevitably go to war if things continued this way, but he couldn't predict the scale. After all, the Warring States Period he had lived through had ultimately consisted of conflicts between clans. Even the largest clans numbered no more than a thousand, and that included those who couldn't fight.

"They'll engulf the entire Shinobi World," Uchiha Mu replied.

Time passed little by little. In the end, only thirteen of the fifty children in the first batch remained. That was a fairly good number, and Uchiha Mu was pleased. These children could be put straight to work after graduation.

The second batch included Uzumaki Men, Yufeng, and Yucheng, the three children Uchiha Mu had given special attention to. It was still a team of two boys and one girl. Among them, Uzumaki Men had mastered medical ninjutsu. The technique suited him perfectly.

All three passed easily. They regularly fought Uchiha Mu. Even if he barely exerted himself, he freely unleashed his presence. How could they possibly fail to withstand this?

However, only ten passed in the second batch, three fewer than in the first. Perhaps this assessment was too difficult. Uchiha Mu didn't want to undermine the children's confidence, so he planned to move this test to a later stage. After all, this was his first time running a Ninja Academy. There were many problems he would have to identify and correct.

Uzumaki Shana and her fellow clansmen took their turn in the third batch. Reality wouldn't go any easier on them just because they possessed a kekkei genkai. Fifteen passed this time, the most so far, and eight of them were Uzumaki.

After enduring the pressure of Madara's presence, Uzumaki Shana was already immune to this. Experience and similar factors were all that separated her from powerful shinobi now. The Uzumaki Clan certainly didn't lack chakra.

Takeuchi and his friends were in the fourth batch. Naturally, all three passed. Eleven children passed this time, a respectable result. Madara nodded. These children might not be exceptionally talented, but they were already doing quite well.

"Why not take them on as actual disciples?" Uchiha Mu began pitching the students to Madara.

"No." Madara shook his head. He still held out hope for the Eye of the Moon Plan. Forming bonds that ran too deep would go against that goal.

"I see." Uchiha Mu didn't press him further. He was already surprised that those three students had managed to find Madara and persuade him to teach them.

Finally, the assessment ended. Nearly sixty children had passed in total, already a considerable number. But the other students were dejected. They had failed under Lord Uchiha Mu's gaze, which added another layer of pressure. Those who had passed, meanwhile, stood tall.

Uchiha Mu knew he needed to say something. Otherwise, the blow might leave those who had failed dispirited.

Standing on the platform, Uchiha Mu looked at the children, some with their heads lowered and others held high, and shouted, "Heads up, everyone!"

The grounds fell silent. Slowly, every child raised their head. Uchiha Mu wasted no words. "Are you hanging your heads because you failed the assessment?"

No one answered.

"Failure isn't frightening, but you've shown me something false. Tell me, is this who you are?"

"No!" All the children who had lowered their heads answered in unison. They wanted to live up to Uchiha Mu's expectations, but that wasn't what he expected of them at all.

"I once told you that shinobi aren't tools. Today, I'll tell you this: when people face difficulties, failure isn't frightening. What's frightening is losing the courage to fight. You've all heard something about Madara Uchiha, haven't you?"

Madara looked at Uchiha Mu. He was curious to hear what nonsense the man would come up with.

"We have! He's a legendary shinobi!" the children hurriedly answered. This wasn't some distant future in which Madara had faded into legend. Only recently, he had taken the Nine-Tails to attack Konoha, and word had spread throughout the Shinobi World.

"That's right. Madara Uchiha is a legendary shinobi. But as a member of the Uchiha Clan, I can tell you that when Madara was your age, he wasn't particularly talented. Yet, to protect his younger brother and his clan, he didn't complain. Instead, he kept working hard, and that was how he became a legend."

Uchiha Mu knew he was spouting nonsense. Without the Uchiha bloodline and being the reincarnation of Indra's chakra, reaching that level through hard work alone was practically impossible. But when serving up inspiration in this era, why would he mix in the bad parts?

"There's no shame in failure! The shame lies in giving up the will to fight, in instinctively running away when you face difficulties!" Uchiha Mu shouted.

"Yes, Teacher Mu!" The children on the training grounds answered one after another. Now they were thoroughly fired up. Teacher Mu wasn't disappointed in them. He was only disappointed in those who wanted to give up after failing.

"That's our teacher!" Uzumaki Men clenched his fists, deeply excited. He would pass on Uchiha Mu's ideals.

"I can't help feeling something's off... Never mind." As soon as Yufeng spoke, he realized it sounded wrong and hurriedly took it back.

The Uzumaki clansmen felt the same way. They would soon be returning home. Many of them didn't want to leave, but some genuinely wanted to go back. Uzumaki Shana, for example, wanted to return. If nothing had changed in her village, she would change it herself and let her clansmen live as people did in the Hundred-Clan Shinobi Nation.

At that moment, she resolved to tell Uzumaki Men her feelings openly and honestly, then devote everything she had to her village.

The other Uzumaki clansmen felt much the same. Did they truly not want to go back? They simply didn't want to return to a life of hardship. Now that a more comfortable option lay before them, they preferred to take the easier path. There was nothing wrong with that.

But now, they didn't want to let Uchiha Mu down either. They would go back. If their village was still the same, they would change all of it and lead their clansmen toward a better life.