Brutalized by Madara, village affairs

In a dense forest ten kilometers from [New Ryūchi Cave]...

Two figures were fighting desperately.

More precisely, a thirty-year-old man in red armor was getting brutally beaten.

His armor slammed repeatedly into trees and hard, rocky ground, its surface still stained with patches of blood...

"Hashirama, what's wrong with you? Why are you so weak?"

"Shut up... I haven't used my full strength yet!" Tetsuhiro seized the chance to gulp down air, inwardly lamenting, He really is the [Rose of the Battlefield]. Madara's close-combat skills and experience are on an entirely different level!

Despite relying on his body's instincts and regenerative ability to fight back, he was little more than a decent punching bag.

His only purpose was to keep his opponent entertained.

Madara finally couldn't resist asking, "You've been acting strange lately. Tell me, what's going on?"

Tetsuhiro had just blocked a side kick when another sweeping kick sent him flying.

"Pfft!" He spat out a mist of blood and barely twisted his body around enough to land on his feet, his exhausted vision blurring.

"An equivalent exchange, that's all. I agreed to give the Sage of Six Paths my combat experience when I turned thirty, in exchange for information about history."

"True or not, aren't you afraid that now I know, I'll take the opportunity to kill you and wipe out the Senju Clan?!"

"Heh..." Tetsuhiro coughed up blood and said sincerely, "The Senju Clan has committed too many sins. Its destruction is also its destiny. Besides, you always used to say you'd raze the Senju Clan Compound... Now's your chance."

A flash of red flickered past, and Madara suddenly tightened his grip on the chain at the edge of his Gunbai-he remembered how, in their youth, he and Hashirama had tacitly thrown stones toward each other to warn of an ambush.

His Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed the word "idiot." He murmured, "You... No wonder you've been a little weak lately."

"Do it..." Tetsuhiro said. "I only hope you can put an end to this age of chaos."

"Enough nonsense! Even without the prophecy, I, Madara Uchiha, would only defeat you fair and square! Since you've lost your combat experience, you'll get it back!"

Madara suddenly gave a savage grin. "I'll be sure to help you properly."

An ominous feeling immediately rose in Tetsuhiro's heart. "Um... I think I'll go find Tobirama instead."

"Hashirama... here I come!"

"Ah! Stop!" Tetsuhiro was knocked to the ground again, sending leaves fluttering into the air.

They drifted eastward on the wind...

Toward the Land of Fire.

At that moment, Konoha was bustling with activity. Everyone went happily about their work, filled with hope and anticipation for the future.

In contrast to the village, three former elders were sitting together in the Senju Ancestral Hall at the Senju Ancestral Grounds.

The second elder pressed his aged palm against a document. "Hashirama has been getting more and more out of hand lately!"

The third elder looked around bitterly, clenched his fists, and snapped, "We never should have supported him!"

"There's no point talking about the past." The first elder paced back and forth with his cane. "Things have come to this, so we can only find another way. How are the negotiations with that side going?" As soon as he finished, he began coughing violently.

The other two hurried to support him, and the second elder answered, "We've essentially reached an agreement. It's just that the daimyo wants to appoint the Hokage himself..."

While the three were still plotting, a sudden boom from the direction of Konoha interrupted them.

Konoha...

Behind all this peace lay the efforts of the police force, though their enforcement was somewhat too strict, and their attitudes made them unpopular.

The happiest of all, however, were the clans that had recently joined. Not only had the Senju Clan moved away from the political center, but Hashirama and Tobirama had also jointly established a series of institutions and enforced strict laws, putting everyone at ease.

Then there was the recently implemented tax policy. The common people were all thanking Lord Madara for mercifully reducing their taxes by twenty percent.

They took pride in being citizens of Konoha, and stories of Madara Uchiha's impressive deeds circulated throughout the village.

Everyone marveled, "Konoha really is a progressive, harmonious, perfect place to live!"

The Lord Tobirama they placed their hopes in was sitting on the desk in the Hokage's office, complaining to his "dear older brother Hashirama"...

"Hmph, Madara really got off easy!"

Tetsuhiro's Wood Clone replied calmly, "He's only the Hokage."

"Even that came from our hard work!

"Forget it. Let's not talk about him. Are you sure it's really all right for us to change the national tax policy issued by the daimyo without permission? This is undoubtedly... re... bellion!"

Tobirama Senju was still worried. Long-standing, deeply ingrained beliefs continued to constrain him.

"Broaden your perspective! Those lofty daimyo are only ordinary people. Why should they enjoy everything while powerful people like us let them order us around?

"This is a revolution! I intend to let everyone in the village taste the benefits first and break their ingrained habits! Once the daimyo arrogantly takes those benefits away again, they'll naturally become dissatisfied.

"Then, with a few conflicts and incidents of bloodshed, the situation will escalate. That will be our cue to step in, and everything will fall into place."

Tobirama nodded thoughtfully, deeply agreeing. Admiration shone in his eyes as he remarked, "That's my big brother for you. Looks like I still have plenty to learn."

"We have plenty of time. As long as the three of us don't fight among ourselves or let Black Zetsu turn us against one another, we can overcome any difficulty!"

"Black Zetsu? Even thinking about him now sends a chill down my spine. If you hadn't told me, I never would have believed someone like that existed. That history... The people of our two clans were truly pitiful.

"Itama... Kawarama, I'll avenge you!" A vicious gleam filled Tobirama's eyes, and his fingernails dug deep into his palms-at this moment, he hated Black Zetsu intensely, even more than he hated Madara!

"You will!"

Tetsuhiro's Wood Clone suddenly remembered something. "Right, how are things with the clan? Are those old men behaving themselves?"

"The three of them often gather in private. Recently, they even tried to incite the clansmen to oppose the reforms."

"Heh." Tobirama curled his lip. "Letting them retire was already merciful enough. Thanks to my arrangements, their lackeys have been removed. I'm only keeping them around to see what other hidden problems remain in the clan.

"They won't manage anything. But have you explained everything to Shu Mao and my sister-in-law?"

"It's all settled. Haha! Here's some good news: before long, I'm going to be a grandfather!"

Tobirama looked pleasantly surprised. "Oh? That kid Shu Mao really came through! Hopefully it'll be a boy!"

"It should be a girl, but either is fine." Tetsuhiro's Wood Clone answered somewhat hesitantly, thinking of Tsunade's "fat pig" nickname. I have to make sure she doesn't become a compulsive gambler, willful, and reckless.

He suddenly thought of a problem.

"Look at me and Shu Mao, then look at yourself! Tobirama, you're already twenty-nine. You have to get married and have children this year!"

"I'm not doing it. There's still plenty of work waiting for me. I don't have time for that." Tobirama refused decisively, while his mind involuntarily recalled the cold, pitiful bodies of his brothers, whose eyes had remained open in death, which he had seen firsthand as a child.

"No! Having children in this era is cruel to them! Rather than being born into such an unfortunate age, they'd be better off never being born at all."

Tetsuhiro's clone took on a stern expression. "An eldest brother is like a father! I won't let you have your way on this! And not just you—I'll persuade Madara too. Hmm... Why don't you hold your weddings together?"

"What? Don't even think about it! There's no way I'm holding mine with him!"

"Then find yourself a partner first! I think the Hyuga Clan would be a good choice.

"The Hyuga? They do have some merit. Combined with my Flying Thunder God Technique, I wonder whether I could develop a move that lets me instantly reach anywhere within my sight."

"Huh? I haven't agreed yet!"

"True. The Kurama Clan would be a good choice too. Their kekkei genkai can counter Uchiha genjutsu, though painting takes time, and their constitutions are weak."

Tobirama's attention was drawn in again. "I've heard of them, but the Uchiha aren't just strong in genjutsu. There's Fire Release, Taijutsu, ninja tools, Susanoo... Forget it."

"Anyway, figure it out yourself. Stop doing those Impure World Reincarnation experiments for now and get moving."

"But that's really not what I want. You don't understand! As long as I can complete it, I'll be able to see our family again!"

Tetsuhiro's clone said, "Ninjas have such short lives. If you end up leaving no descendants because of this, how am I supposed to explain it to Father and the others on the road to the underworld?"

"It's precisely because life is short that I invented [Impure World Reincarnation]! That way, the dead can help the living, and the living can avoid so many unnecessary sacrifices!"

"..." Tetsuhiro's clone fell silent at those words. He sighed. "I'm not blaming you for disturbing the dead. It's just that once death is no longer the end, this world will produce even more madmen."

"That's a problem for the future."

"All right." Tetsuhiro could only agree helplessly. "You can continue the experiments, but you still need to have children as soon as possible. Disciples are good, but only your descendants will regard you as family and come to pay their respects. Even Madara doesn't consider me family, and he isn't as close to me as you are. That's a fundamental difference. Understand?"

Tobirama was astonished. "I never thought you'd actually say Madara was less important than me just to persuade me. You used to do nothing but reject and refute everything I said..."

Sincerity shone in Tetsuhiro's eyes as he said solemnly, "People change. It's precisely because you're my family that I'm opening my heart to you like this."

Tobirama couldn't help turning his head aside, unwilling to let his brother see his expression.

Just as he was about to say something...

A sudden series of booms erupted outside the office, and the entire building shook. Was it an earthquake?

The view outside the window abruptly darkened as well.

Clang, clang, clang! The alarm rang out.

"Lord Hashirama, Lord Tobirama, it's terrible! The village... The village is surrounded by monsters!"