Hashirama Senju, Madara Uchiha, and Gamu Uzumaki

Chapter 1: Hashirama Senju, Madara Uchiha, and Gamu Uzumaki

A boy with short red hair carried a fishing rod and held a bamboo basket as he walked along a small path in the woods, yawning lightly as if he had not fully woken up.

After finishing his yawn, he muttered casually, "Fighting and stuff is such a pain. How can that compare to the fun of fishing~?"

This boy was named Gamu Uzumaki, and he was an ordinary boy from the Uzumaki Clan during the Warring States period of the Hokage world... as if!!

He was definitely not ordinary, because... he was a transmigrator!

His original name was Uzumaki Gamu, and he was a college graduate who had been unemployed right upon graduation. Unable to find a proper job, he had no choice but to deliver food, and then... he was hit by Dayun!

Yes, it was a Dayun-brand cargo truck! It was the mandatory experience for any transmigrator!

Flesh and blood certainly could not stand up to Dayun, so Uzumaki Gamu just like that died~

Well, although his luck was terribly bad while alive, he actually turned lucky after death-Yama gave Uzumaki Gamu a chance at reincarnation!

Yama: "You were a good person your whole life, only to get run over like this? What a shame. Let me give you a chance at reincarnation!"-It seemed that Uzumaki Gamu's twenty-plus years of being a good person were not for nothing; there was still a reward after death... Was this really not just a hallucination he had while on the verge of death after being hit by Dayun?

Regardless, Uzumaki Gamu could be reincarnated, and Uzumaki Gamu could even choose which world to go to, and even select the clan he would be born into!

Thus, he was reincarnated and came to this Naruto world, becoming a member of the Uzumaki Clan!-After all, it was the protagonist's clan~~ Just hearing it sounded awesome~

However, Uzumaki Gamu was also unfortunate, because...

The time of my reincarnation is much too early!! Why was I born in the Warring States period?!-This was Uzumaki Gamu's misfortune!

Uzumaki Gamu had picked the world and chosen the clan he wanted to be born into, but he failed to pick the most crucial thing: time. He was directly dropped into the most chaotic era of the Shinobi World-the Warring States period!

In this current era, Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha were total nobodies, meaning there were still several decades before the start of the original story. No matter how long Uzumaki Gamu managed to live, he would never make it to that time-he had managed to transmigrate into the Hokage World, yet he wouldn't even get to see the main characters? What kind of nonsense was this!!

If I can't see them, then fine... but why must it be this era of war?! Just surviving normally is already so hard! Uzumaki Gamu complained inwardly.

The Warring States period in the Hokage World was exceptionally cruel!

The average combat power of people in this world was very high, and the ninja clans that formed were even like special forces units. Various ninja groups hired themselves out to anyone willing to pay a high price, carrying out assassination and annihilation missions-this led to rampant slaughter, with many people dying every day.

To survive, ninjas back then could not even casually reveal their surnames. Combat was so intense that even young children had to go to the battlefield and fight for their lives, causing average life expectancy to plummet and bringing the average lifespan of ninjas and civilians to around thirty years.

In this era, simply staying alive was a struggle!

So I suppose this counts as my misfortune, too? Uzumaki Gamu thought with resignation-though the greatest stroke of luck within his misfortune was that the Uzumaki Clan he chose to reincarnate into was considered a major clan during this era (even though they would later be destroyed as a nation, with their clansmen scattering until only a handful remained), and they also possessed a powerful and equally strong ally: the Senju Clan. The danger level was not as high as that of ninjas from other minor clans.

Still, I have to go to the battlefield... Sigh, I'm only nine years old this year, and I have to go fight on the battlefield! Is this something a human being is supposed to do? Uzumaki Gamu thought with renewed resignation-making young children go out and kill on the battlefield, the people of this world were truly inhumane!

Well, no matter how resentful he felt, this was reality, and it would not change because of Uzumaki Gamu's subjective wishes. Uzumaki Gamu could only be forced to accept this point and strive to survive in this world.

"Hn, I am going to survive, and I'm going to live a brilliant life. So... let's go fishing first!!" This could be considered one of Uzumaki Gamu's few recreational activities in this world. Whenever he had spare time, he would go out fishing to relax his mood-if he didn't do this, he would sooner or later be crushed by this world!

Today, he went to the river to fish as usual.

Walking along the familiar trail, Uzumaki Gamu mentally critiqued his own striking appearance: "Aside from being born into the Uzumaki Clan, having this handsome face is also quite a lucky stroke. Except for my hair and eye color, I basically look identical to Satoru Gojo... In the future, I should be able to attract quite a few girls just by relying on this face, right?"-That's right, other than his red hair, Uzumaki Gamu basically matched the appearance of a young Satoru Gojo. He was essentially a red-haired Satoru Gojo!

Yet just as he reached the riverside, he heard the sound of skipping stones... Had someone already taken his spot?

Even though he was grumbling like that inside, Uzumaki Gamu still raised his guard-in this crisis-laden world, he had to be extra careful about everything, or else he would die!

So... wouldn't it be better to just turn around and go home right now?

How boring would that be? Uzumaki Gamu thought to himself.

Well, it seemed this guy was also someone who couldn't sit still; compared to a peaceful daily life, he preferred finding thrills!

Peering slightly out from the small thicket of trees, Uzumaki Gamu spotted two very familiar strangers-a bowl-cut and a hedgehog head!

Oh~ wait, no, it was Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha-as youths!

Around the age of ten, these two formed a bond over skipping stones and subsequently became lifelong adversaries.

Judging by their appearance, these two were about the same age as Uzumaki Gamu; they should be peers.

Well, Uzumaki Gamu had known this for a long time, though not because he had met the two of them previously, but because of Uzumaki Gamu's younger sister: Mito Uzumaki.

As mentioned earlier, Uzumaki Gamu had good luck to be born into the great Uzumaki Clan, and his good luck didn't stop there-he was also the child of the clan head. Among his remaining brothers and sisters, he currently ranked second... That word remaining felt rather subtle.

Well, there was no helping that. Children only a few years old had to go to the battlefield, and a high mortality rate was inevitable. The children of the clan head had to set an example, and the eldest naturally had to hold the line at the front.

The reason Uzumaki Gamu didn't have too many heavy burdens right now was mainly because he still had an older brother holding things down at the top (though they were down to just one older brother left). If even he were to fall... then it would be Uzumaki Gamu's turn to step up.

Aside from all this, Uzumaki Gamu also possessed something that he didn't know whether to classify as good or bad, which had stayed on his body ever since he was born... Well, let's put that aside for now and discuss it later!

All right, returning to the main topic. Seeing the two people skipping stones, Uzumaki Gamu took the initiative to reveal himself and greet them: "Oh ho~ To think someone actually occupied my fishing spot?"

Hearing a voice ring out behind them, the two youths were startled and whipped around defensively, only to find a boy of their own age, which made them relax quite a bit.

Phew~~ That scared me to death, Madara Uchiha thought. Having someone speak up right behind you feels awful... Am I lacking in vigilance? First that bowl-cut snuck up behind me, and now another one pops up?

Compared to the guarded Madara, Hashirama was a bit better off and took the initiative to greet him: "Eh? Did you come here to fish?"

"Yeah... but with the two of you skipping stones here, the fish are all scared away. I can't even fish if I wanted to," Uzumaki Gamu said with a shrug.

"Ha? Are you blaming us? I got here first!!" Madara said irritably.

"Yes, yes, yes, you're entirely right~" Uzumaki Gamu casually chimed in-looking entirely too lazy to argue with the other party.

This left Madara somewhat annoyed, and he grumbled inwardly, If you're going to be so nonchalant, why are you even complaining?

With that, Uzumaki Gamu walked over to the riverbank and sat right down to start fishing.

This action left the two of them utterly baffled, and Hashirama took the initiative to ask, "Um... didn't you just say the fish wouldn't bite? How come you're fishing now?"

"You guys don't get it, do you? Fishing isn't just about catching fish; the important part is enjoying the process. If I just wanted to catch fish, wouldn't it be better to use a fishing net?" Uzumaki Gamu asked in return.

"Well... that's true. From the perspective of efficiency, if you really want to catch fish, using a fishing net is indeed better!" Hashirama agreed with a nod.

Madara also nodded in agreement. "What you're saying actually makes a lot of sense~"

Uzumaki Gamu held his fishing rod and looked at the two of them. "So, how are your stone skipping skills coming along?"

"I can successfully throw it all the way to the opposite bank, you know~" Hashirama smiled rather smugly, and then teased Madara. "He's still a little short, though~"

"Shut up!!! I was just not in the zone a second ago!!" A refusal-to-lose Madara directly picked up a stone from the ground and skipped it across-still failing to reach the far bank.

Madara: "..."-face completely lost!

Seeing this, Uzumaki Gamu and Hashirama burst into laughter, holding their stomachs.

This drove Madara to rage-fueled embarrassment as he yelled, "It's all your fault!! You guys standing behind me made it impossible for me to concentrate! I'm a sensitive guy, the kind of person who can't pee if someone is standing behind him!!"

Uzumaki Gamu: "A bad craftsman blames his tools. Besides, I'm on your left~"

"Shut up!! Isn't being on the left the same thing?" Madara shouted loudly.

Yet under Madara's tsundere outburst, Hashirama was instantly frightened into hugging his head and sitting on the ground. "Th-That's, I'm sorry!"

Uzumaki Gamu: "You scared him, you know~"

"Is that my fault too?" Madara rolled his eyes, then looked at Hashirama. "This... you didn't need to feel down to this extent, right? Uh... sorry, I shouldn't have been arguing for the sake of it-"-naturally tsundere, Madara still laid down his pride when facing Hashirama.

Hashirama lowered his head and said, "Sorry, I really didn't know that someone as young as you could still split his stream when peeing..."

"Don't make it sound like my body is in bad shape! I really don't get whether you're a good person or just have a bad mouth!!!" Madara started to freak out-he had no idea what was wrong with him today to run into such a pair of rare specimens.

One was a natural black-belly, and the other just loved striking right at people's pain points-what a totally annoying feeling!!

Meanwhile, Hashirama's natural black-belly personality allowed him to snap back to spirit very quickly. He stood up and smiled at Madara, "Anyway, when it comes to skipping stones, I'm better than you~"

"Ha? Wanna bet I won't use you to skip stones?!" Madara was angry again!

"Skipping stones is so boring. How about we have a fishing competition?" Uzumaki Gamu suddenly proposed.

Hearing this, the two looked at Uzumaki Gamu with somewhat dumbfounded expressions-how do you compete at fishing? Go into the water and scoop them up by hand?

Uzumaki Gamu picked up a stone and threw it rapidly toward the water. After the stone broke the surface, it hit a fish dead-on under the water, and after a moment, the fish floated up automatically.

Madara and Hashirama's gazes turned sharp. This guy is a ninja too?-at a single glance, that Shuriken-throwing technique was obviously a ninja's. However, even though they felt a bit tense, both of them were also ninjas, and moreover, standout talents among their peers, so they didn't feel any fear. On the contrary, upon meeting peers of equal strength, everyone had the urge to test themselves. (Although it's common knowledge that the Uzumaki Clan has red hair, the Shinobi World doesn't only have the Uzumaki with red hair, and there are also blond Uzumaki, so they wouldn't directly judge someone as being from the Uzumaki Clan just because their hair was red.)

Being young and vigorous was just how it was; they wouldn't admit defeat easily... well, would you even be a young person if you weren't full of vigor?

Uzumaki Gamu pointed at the fish on the water's surface and told the two of them, "See that? Now that's what you call a challenge. Of course, if you two can't do it, just pretend I never said anything~"

"This kind of thing? It's very challenging!" Hashirama grew excited, then also picked up a stone and threw it, imitating the action.

After a few seconds, another fish floated up from beneath the water.

Hashirama looked proudly at Madara-you're the only one left, you joining or not?

"What's so great about that?" Madara also picked up a stone and threw it toward the underwater area. Similarly, a fish floated up from below, and Madara responded with his head tilted back arrogantly, "Hmph, nothing special!!"

"Your technique is fine, but what about your success rate? What about your consistency? Well... two-minute time limit, let's see who catches more fish, and whoever does is the strongest!" Uzumaki Gamu proposed.

Hearing this, Hashirama and Madara instantly ignited their fighting spirit. Both of them began picking up stones and using them to hit the fish.

Then two minutes passed, and the two began comparing their respective harvests!

Hashirama said happily, "I have six, and you only have five!!"

Madara cursed furiously, "You're despicable! You threw a stone toward the target I was aiming at, ruining the stability of the water and making that fish run away!"-just as Madara was getting ready to hit his final fish, Hashirama had directly and shamelessly picked up a large rock and hurled it toward Madara's targeted spot, scaring the fish away.

Madara didn't have enough time to find another fish either, and ultimately suffered a regretful defeat by a margin of one!

"Well... anyway, I won!" Hashirama said with his hands on his hips.

"Tch, damn it!!" Though heroes aren't judged by success or failure, this was a contest, and a loss was a loss. No matter how unwilling Madara was, he couldn't deny that fact. However, there was still another competitor left, and Madara could at least regain some face through him.

Hashirama was also quite curious about how many fish Uzumaki Gamu had killed, so the two of them looked over toward Uzumaki Gamu together... and found that he was building a campfire. Meanwhile, the fish the two of them had caught had already had their bellies slit and internal organs removed by Uzumaki Gamu, and were even sprinkled with salt (which Uzumaki Gamu carried with him) as he prepared to grill them at any moment.

Apart from the very first fish, this guy hadn't hit a single other one.

Hashirama and Madara weren't fools; the two of them understood what was going on.

"I'll screw your grandfather!! You had us catch fish for you, is that it?!" Madara cursed violently, and then wanted to rush over and fight Uzumaki Gamu to the death-fortunately, Hashirama was holding him back, or a real fight would have broken out.

Uzumaki Gamu spread his hands in response. "That's a very strange way to put it. I participated in the competition too; my skills were just limited and I only caught one, so there's nothing I can do about it~ Besides, these fish have already been caught, and leaving them lying around like this would be such a waste. We might as well grill and eat them."

"These are our spoils of war, what right do you have to deal with them!!" Madara continued demanding.

"Then... let's just eat them together?" Uzumaki Gamu suggested.

"That actually sounds like a good idea!" Hashirama clapped his hands and said.

Madara looked at Hashirama speechlessly. "You actually have some principles!"

Hashirama scratched his head and answered honestly, "It would be a waste not to eat them..."

At that moment, Uzumaki Gamu asked, "Which of you two knows Fire Release? Come over and start a fire~"

Hearing the mention of Fire Release, Madara and Hashirama grew tense once more-the two of them had been hiding their identities as ninjas all along, so were they about to have their covers blown just like that?

"I don't know what you guys have to put on airs for. Wasn't your stone-skipping technique at the very beginning just the method for throwing shuriken? We're all clear on each other's identities now, so let's drop the act!" Uzumaki Gamu proposed.

Madara looked at Uzumaki Gamu speechlessly and said, "You guy... Didn't the adults in your family ever tell you not to casually reveal your identity?"

"The things the adults in your family say are all bullshit! Listen to them and this world will never change!" Uzumaki Gamu refuted.

Hearing this, Madara and Hashirama exchanged a glance-these words resonated with both of them.

Both of them developed a great interest in Uzumaki Gamu and wanted to chat with him.

Thus, Madara personally stepped up and used his most proficient Fire Release to ignite the pile of firewood Uzumaki Gamu had prepared. Then the three of them sat around the campfire roasting fish, while starting their first formal chat together.

Rolling east flows the river, waves wash away the heroes~~--Sorry, my mind wandered to the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, these three shouldn't be performing some Peach Garden Oath... Should they?

The three of them sat down, and Uzumaki Gamu took the lead in introducing himself: "Let's do a self-introduction first! My clan... I guess you guys aren't willing to say what your Ninja Clan is either, so I won't say mine either. Let's just say our names directly... My name is Gamu!" (Gamu!)

Uzumaki Gamu looked at Hashirama, and Hashirama understood, introducing himself: "My name is Hashirama!" (Hashirama!)

Then Hashirama looked at Madara, and Madara said: "Madara!" (Madara!)

Introductions finished, Uzumaki Gamu continued: "Meeting you two today, I feel a sort of kindred spirit vibe... Any interest in becoming friends?"

"Directly inviting me to be friends? You guy really don't have an ounce of guard up, do you~" Madara remarked.

"I feel like you guys are trustworthy people, so I just said it like that!" Uzumaki Gamu said so.

"Trust, huh... I could never be like you, casually trusting a stranger." Madara said, resting his chin in his hand.

Hashirama replied: "I actually really envy this feeling."--If the times didn't forbid it, Hashirama also wanted to travel the world and make all kinds of friends!

Madara: "..."--If the times didn't forbid it, who wouldn't want this?

Just at this moment, the three of them simultaneously noticed a corpse floating down from upstream of the river.

Hashirama jumped over instantly to inspect the corpse: "Dead not long ago... This place is about to become a battlefield."

Madara: "In that case... We can't stay here long."

"Yeah... Looks like today can only end here!" Uzumaki Gamu quickly gathered the fish that hadn't started roasting back into his bamboo cage, and then began forming Hand Seals: "Fire Release: Minor Fireball Technique!"--Uzumaki Gamu made this mini version of the Great Fireball by himself; after forming seals, he spat out a tiny Small Fireball. He often used this move to roast his fish!

Uzumaki Gamu used this move to instantly roast the three fish that were already on the fire until they were done (because this move was developed specifically for roasting fish, Uzumaki Gamu knew very well in his heart what kind of firepower would get a fish roasted just right).

Handing two of the roasted fish to Madara and Hashirama, Uzumaki Gamu grabbed the last fish, carried his bamboo cage, and fishing rod as he fled. As he fled, he looked back and said: "I'm retreating first, let's meet again by fate in the future!"

"This guy runs pretty fast indeed... Wait, you bastard can use Fire Release!!!" Madara shouted frantically-he knew how to fire release and yet he made me do it, wasn't this just making me work for him for free?

When had he, Madara Uchiha, ever taken this kind of grievance?

Hashirama patted Madara's shoulder and smiled as he said: "A capable person has to work more~ Well then, see you if we're fated~"--Having said that, Hashirama also left!

Madara, who was left behind in the end, glanced at the roasted fish in his hand and took a bite out of spite: "Hmph... Though I don't want to admit it, this guy's roasted fish is actually quite delicious... Forget it, I'll just treat this roasted fish as payment!"--Eating the fish up quickly, Madara also left the scene!

Well, this was the first encounter of the three lords of the Warring States period, and it was also the beginning of Uzumaki Gamu's magnificent life spanning a hundred years!

Of course, what would happen next, Uzumaki Gamu was unclear about. He was still on his way home.

"To be fair... That river has a certain distance from the Clan Homeland of all three of our families~ To be able to meet them there... It feels just like meeting the guidance of fate~ Truly magical~" Uzumaki Gamu complained on the road.

As a ninja, Uzumaki Gamu's ability to run away was still pretty good (Uzumaki Gamu: In order to be able to live longer, I specially intensified training in my fleeing ability~). Therefore, although that river was quite far from the Uzumaki Clan Homeland, Uzumaki Gamu still returned to his own Clan Homeland very quickly! (Author: Actually, when reading the manga before, I really wanted to complain about this part, Hashirama and Madara could bump into each other just by strolling out... The Clan Homelands of the Uchiha and the Senju are quite close after all~ Are your two families' relations really not good?)

And upon returning to the Clan Homeland, Uzumaki Gamu did not go back through the main gate, but sneaked in from the small escape path of his Clan Homeland.

However, as soon as he returned to the Clan Homeland, he was blocked by someone.

Uzumaki Gamu's younger sister-Mito Uzumaki blocked the entrance with her hands on her hips and said: "Second Brother, you snuck out alone again?"

"Uh... What do you mean by sneak out... Didn't I leave a clone at home?" Uzumaki Gamu defended.

"Isn't that still sneaking out?!" Mito said sternly: "Do you know that this kind of behavior of yours is extremely dangerous!"

"It is quite dangerous, but staying cooped up inside the Clan Homeland is also quite boring... Speaking of which, how are you able to discover that I sneaked out every single time?" Uzumaki Gamu asked curiously-Uzumaki Gamu frequently left the Clan Homeland to wander around everywhere. In order to not let other people suspect anything, he would always leave behind a clone to act as a smoke screen every time he sneaked out. Of course, he would also assign study tasks to it.

Shadow Clone Training Method-a must-have cultivation method for Naruto fanfiction!

"Because it is simply impossible for you, Second Brother, to sit quietly in the ancestral hall and read books!" Mito emphasized.

Uzumaki Gamu speechlessly averted his gaze-Uzumaki Gamu's clone had a somewhat different personality from his own, liking to be a quiet and handsome man, and whenever he was made to stay at home, he would find a place to quietly read books. This was indeed a flaw.

Uzumaki Gamu, having been exposed, did not argue much either-arguing was not as good as direct bribery. Thus, Uzumaki Gamu said to Mito: "Um... How about Second Brother treats you to roasted fish?"

"..." Trying to bribe me..." At this moment, Mito's stomach growled. With a blushing face, she said: "...Fine, I'll accept your invitation."--Her second brother excelled above all else in roasting fish. Every time she thought of that flavor, Mito's stomach would growl.

Very good, the bribe was successful, and this crisis was resolved!