"The Senju... I must never trust anyone from the Senju Clan. Even their dogs can't be trusted. They're good at deceiving their opponents with warmth and kindness, retreating in order to advance."
Madara Uchiha answered nervously, as though walking on thin ice. He feared his eldest brother more than his father.
His eldest brother really would beat him, torture him with genjutsu, then heal him so he could do it all again tomorrow.
"What else?" Indra was clearly dissatisfied with that answer. There was still Black Zetsu of the Otsutsuki!
"What else?" Confusion flashed through Madara Uchiha's eyes, but the sight of his eldest brother's scarlet eyes with their three tomoe sent a chill down his spine, and he started thinking again.
"I mustn't trust anyone. Things our ancestors left behind could very well be fake..."
"The despicable Senju altered them. The Senju are good at strengthening themselves through marriage alliances, so they'll definitely send people to seduce the Uchiha. As Heir, I'm a prime target..."
"The despicable Senju are schemers. They'll first win my trust by acting like idiots, then make me bare my heart, kill my little brothers on the battlefield, and retreat in order to advance so I'll forgive them, all under the noble pretext of dreams and peace..."
"Mm. What if they propose reconciliation?" Indra nodded and continued questioning him.
"If they propose reconciliation... I will never reconcile with them, unless their entire Senju Clan eats shit from a hundred households!"
Madara Uchiha was already babbling nonsense, waiting for his eldest brother to cast a genjutsu. This happened every day anyway. He might as well treat it as training to resist genjutsu.
Resting his chin on his hand, Indra began filling in the gaps for him. "Also, don't trust anything that doesn't look human. Don't even trust the punctuation in what the Senju say. Use your brain before acting and anticipate the outcome."
"Oh, so do you always anticipate the outcome before you act, big brother?" Madara Uchiha felt that his eldest brother hadn't considered the consequences when he cursed out their father or beat up the elders.
The tent fell silent at those words.
Indra lifted his tea bowl and took a sip. He hadn't considered them. Why would he need to consider the consequences of anything he did? He hadn't even thought about them when he turned against his father. He wouldn't lose anyway.
Thinking about it, he felt that Madara's way of doing things was actually quite similar to his own.
"I don't want to lose you."
A killing blow!
Madara Uchiha froze for a moment, then immediately nodded in agreement. Nothing mattered more than keeping his brothers alive.
He didn't want to lose his little brothers either. His eldest brother must feel the same way.
When I get back, I'll arrange big brother's ideological education classes for all three of my little brothers.
"Mm, I'll do everything you say, big brother. Even if I want to create a peaceful world, I'll make sure to wipe out the Senju first."
"I'll help you perfect your dream, unconditionally."
Indra ruffled his hair. As expected, the little brother he had raised himself was the most obedient. He certainly wouldn't betray him.
If he betrayed him, he would kill him.
Indra could never have imagined that ten years later, not only would Madara never betray him, but he would also come straight to Nii-san for praise after cutting people down outside. It would annoy him to death.
"Big brother, do you have more intelligence on the Senju? Why has Father never told us any of this back at the clan?"
Madara Uchiha was puzzled. Back at the clan, his father only said that the Senju and Uchiha were enemies, but never analyzed things so thoroughly for him. His understanding of their hatred amounted to the Senju killing Uchiha clansmen and hurting his little brothers. That was all.
But his eldest brother would explain the Senju Clan's character, their motives, and what consequences his own actions might bring.
"I was born in Asagiri Town. It's the most chaotic place in the Land of Fire, and also the easiest place to gather intelligence. Once we finish the mission, I'll take you there and teach you how to gather intelligence as efficiently as possible."
Indra came up with an excuse. As for the Senju, he didn't understand them at all, but he did understand Asura.
Elsewhere.
Won over by Uchiha Fuliu's professional sales pitch, Aomatsu, the head of the Chinoike Clan, took several ninja from his clan to meet with the Ino-Shika-Cho Clans.
Perhaps clans with bloodline abilities all had certain defects, for after the four clan heads met...
Aomatsu Blood Pond sat brazenly on the tatami, one leg raised and propped up, leaning on his arm. With an utterly arrogant expression, he swept his gaze over the three Ino-Shika-Cho clan heads.
"Straightforward men don't talk in riddles, and ugly bastards should keep their mouths shut. I, Aomatsu Blood Pond, am hiring you today to drive the Senju Clan's ninja out of the Land of Lightning."
With that, he slapped the table with a bang, and the ninja behind him immediately tossed three bags of gold lumps in front of the three men.
Gleaming, irregular spheres rolled out of the bags, leaving the three clan heads dumbfounded. He had certainly managed to show off.
Or so he thought. The three clan heads exchanged glances, feeling that the head of the Chinoike Clan, whose Dōjutsu rivaled the Uchiha's, had something seriously wrong with his brain.
"What? You want to turn me down? Tsk, tsk, tsk. Playing hard to get!"
Aomatsu Blood Pond leaned back, stroking his chin as he scrutinized the three with a bizarre, shifty look, his expression practically saying, You little rascals are putting on a show for me.
"Ahem, Clan Head Aomatsu, your commission is to drive the Senju out of the Land of Lightning, correct?"
As the brains of the group, the Nara Clan Head felt his scalp itch and his whole body crawl, as though he were infested with maggots.
"Not enough? Right, I get it!" Aomatsu Blood Pond tapped his fingers against the table, then raised his chin to indicate the lumps of gold and declared arrogantly, "The deposit."
The Akimichi Clan Head and the Yamanaka Clan Head looked everywhere but at him, leaving the negotiations to the Nara Clan Head.
Their guiding principle was: I'm ugly, so I'll keep quiet. I'm not smart, so I won't pick a fight.
They were terrified that one extra word would earn them another bizarre, shifty once-over from the lunatic in front of them.
It felt as awkward as facing one another stark naked in a bathhouse.
Seeing his two allies look at the sky and the ground but never at him, the Nara Clan Head braced himself and raised a hand in a stopping gesture. "Clan Head Aomatsu, we accept. Three days. Not a single member of the Senju Clan will remain within the Land of Lightning."
Upon hearing this, Aomatsu Blood Pond felt that the Uchiha had been absolutely right. Although none of these three clans stood out individually, together they were comparable to a major clan.
He made a finger gun and flicked it toward the Nara Clan Head. "That's the spirit! As long as there are no Senju ninja left in the Land of Lightning, the remaining payment will be delivered immediately."
"Yes, yes, yes. We need to go back and make arrangements. Please make yourself at home, Clan Head Aomatsu." The Nara Clan Head grabbed his two friends and fled. This was so fucking revolting.
Once the three Ino-Shika-Cho clan heads were outside, they took a deep breath of fresh air.
"Rokken, we're just agreeing to this? We don't need the commission money, and we've never encountered ninja hiring other ninja before. Could it be a trap?"
The Yamanaka Clan Head voiced his concerns. After all, they were dealing with the Senju, not some other clan.
Nara Rokken took a deep breath, made sure they were some distance from the teahouse where the meeting had taken place, and explained, "Akiba, that worries me too. But they only asked us to drive the Senju Clan out. Presumably, they took those concerns into account as well."
"Oh, so you two didn't agree just because Aomatsu Blood Pond grossed you out." The Akimichi Clan Head gave them a dead-eyed glance. He, for one, really had been grossed out.
Before you continue