The Uzumaki Clan!

After taking out the fish Madara and Hashirama had caught and roasting them over a fire, the brother and sister dug in happily.

As they ate, Mito asked, "You seem pretty happy today, big brother. Did something good happen?"

"Well... I met two interesting friends," Uzumaki Gamu answered vaguely.

"Friends? Are they shinobi?" Mito asked with a frown.

"They are," Uzumaki Gamu replied.

"Do you know who they are?" Mito continued.

"...Nope." Uzumaki Gamu thought for a moment and decided not to tell the truth.

"Casually hanging around shinobi you don't know isn't a good idea!" Mito said earnestly.

"It's fine. I know what I'm doing." Uzumaki Gamu waved a hand. "Anyway, I'm supposed to be the older brother. Why are you bossing me around like you're my big sister?"

"What else can I do? You never follow any rules, and you're always doing whatever you please. If I don't keep an eye on you... I don't want you disappearing like the rest of our family." Partway through, Mito's voice grew subdued.

Their Uzumaki Clan was powerful and long-lived, already one of the Ninja Clans faring best during the Shinobi World's Warring States period. Even so, their average lifespan had yet to exceed forty. There was no helping it—with the world the way it was, the death rate was simply too high!

Young Mito had seen far too many of her clansmen die. She really didn't want her second-oldest brother, who always seemed so carefree and treated her so well, to lose his life carelessly.

Mito's worries weren't unfounded. To outsiders, Uzumaki Gamu had the air of a lazy, freewheeling loafer, like seaweed, seaweed, seaweed, swaying in the breeze. Even those close to him felt that he might drift off somewhere unknown at any moment.

Who knew whether he might die somewhere no one would ever find him?

That was why Mito cared so deeply about this brother of hers.

After hearing Mito out, Uzumaki Gamu scratched his head, then raised his thumb confidently. "Don't worry. Your big brother hasn't really lived yet! Until I've enjoyed my life to the fullest, I absolutely, absolutely, absolutely won't die!" His previous life had been far too short.

Graduation, unemployment, then kicking the bucket-he'd missed out on most of the experiences life had to offer, and Uzumaki Gamu couldn't accept that.

This time, he would live the life he wanted.

And so...

"I'll have to bring peace to the world first!" Uzumaki Gamu said, looking up at the sky.

Mito couldn't help retorting, "World peace isn't that easy! Wait, how did you suddenly jump to world peace?"

"Just speaking from the heart..." Uzumaki Gamu replied casually.

Just then, someone about ten years older than them, who already looked like an adult, appeared with the Body Flicker Technique.

Mito immediately greeted him warmly. "Daigu!" The newcomer was none other than Uzumaki Gamu and Mito's eldest brother, Uzumaki Daigu!

Uzumaki Gamu greeted him too. "Hey, big brother."

"Mm." Daigu nodded in acknowledgment, then said, "Gamu, Father wants to see you."

"Got it!" Uzumaki Gamu nodded, then stood and told Mito, "Do whatever you want with the rest of the fish... Big brother can have a little too, if he wants."

Daigu said speechlessly, "Why do I only get to have a little?"

"We have to put our little sister first." With that, Uzumaki Gamu left using the Body Flicker Technique as well.

After Uzumaki Gamu left, Mito followed his suggestion. "Big brother, would you like some too?"

Daigu rolled his eyes. "What would I want that for? Take your time eating." As he spoke, he ruffled Mito's hair.

Meanwhile, Uzumaki Gamu headed straight to the clan leader's room to find out what his father in this life wanted with him.

"Dad, I'm here! What did you need me for?" Uzumaki Gamu asked as he pushed the door open.

The Uzumaki Clan's leader, and Uzumaki Gamu's father in this life, Uzumaki Ashina, said wearily, "How many times have I told you to knock before entering?"

"Yes, Dad! No problem, Dad!" Uzumaki Gamu replied with a salute.

Uzumaki Gamu already knew a fair amount about this father of his from his previous life.

Uzumaki Ashina was the leader of the Uzumaki Clan. With his formidable strength, he established Uzushiogakure in the Land of Whirlpools and became its village leader. Later, under his leadership, they formed an alliance with Konoha, and he signed a friendship agreement with the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju. He also taught Konoha the Uzumaki Clan's unique sealing formulas, earning him recognition as the founding master of Konoha's Sealing Jutsu.

To symbolize the two nations' friendship across generations, Konoha High Command placed the Uzumaki Clan's emblem on jonin uniforms. The two nations thus maintained a deep friendship and bond.

However, other clans feared the Uzumaki Clan's Sealing Jutsu. Numerous nations and clans invaded the Land of Whirlpools, ultimately destroying it. The surviving clansmen concealed their identities and scattered across the world.

Of course, all of that lay in the future. The Ashina of the present wasn't yet the Sealing Jutsu master whose name shook the Shinobi World. He was still a handsome, red-haired man in his prime.

Ashina both adored his youngest son and found him exasperating-the exasperating part was how utterly carefree the boy was.

That leisurely, unhurried nature made it hard not to worry whether the boy could survive safely in a world filled with danger.

What he loved, though, was that the boy never slacked off in his training!

At just nine years old, he could skillfully use the three basic techniques-the Transformation Technique, Substitution Technique, and Clone Technique-in combat. He could even use the more advanced Body Flicker Technique. He had also picked up the rudiments of the Five Basic Nature Transformations and finished learning the foundations of their clan's Sealing Jutsu. His abilities put him far ahead of others his age!

Well, he shouldn't speak too soon. None of the great Ninja Clans lacked talented youngsters, especially the Senju and Uchiha. He'd heard that two exceptionally gifted boys had emerged in this generation as well!

So he couldn't let himself get carried away just because his own child seemed impressive at the moment.

"Uh... Dad, what are you thinking about?" Uzumaki Gamu waved a hand in front of Ashina's eyes.

Coming back to his senses, Ashina looked at his son helplessly. "How many times have I told you to respect your elders?"

Uzumaki Gamu immediately answered, "Yes, Dad! No problem, Dad!"

"...You say that every time, don't you? You're just humoring me!" Ashina rolled his eyes in irritation.

Worried that he might give his strong, healthy father high blood pressure, Uzumaki Gamu hurriedly asked, "So, Dad, why did you call me over?" Had his sneaking out been discovered? Surely not. If his father knew, his blood pressure would probably already be rising.

Ashina finally got down to business. "Gamu, you should have finished reading that book on the fundamentals of Sealing Jutsu I gave you, right?"

"Yep!" Uzumaki Gamu nodded.

"Good. Then I'll give you this more advanced book next..." Ashina took another book out from behind him.

Just then, Uzumaki Gamu cut in. "Dad, I've already read that one too!"

"Huh? When?" Ashina asked, dumbfounded.

"When you were away on business a couple of days ago. I finished the last book, so I came here looking for the next one. Look, it even has my self-portrait on it." Uzumaki Gamu pointed to the back of the book.

Ashina flipped the book over and found a chibi self-portrait Uzumaki Gamu had drawn in the lower-right corner. He'd even drawn himself making a peace sign.

"..." Ashina didn't know what to say about his youngest son. Should he scold him for disrespectfully barging into the clan leader's room whenever he pleased, or praise him for eagerly studying and taking the initiative to improve his strength?

From the clan's perspective, he certainly deserved a scolding. But from the perspective of the world as a whole, learning more could only be a good thing!

Ashina thought it over. Praise what deserved praise, punish what deserved punishment-each matter should be judged separately!

But just as Ashina was considering how to punish Uzumaki Gamu, he noticed that his son had already opened the door and was preparing to slip away.

Seeing his father staring at him, Uzumaki Gamu waved. "Goodbye! I'm making a run for it!" With that, Uzumaki Gamu bolted!

He waved his sleeve and left without taking so much as a wisp of cloud.

Watching his son leave just like that, Ashina sighed helplessly. "Forget it. Let the boy do as he pleases." He really did dote on his youngest son!

After leaving, Uzumaki Gamu went straight back to his room and flopped onto the tatami. "Ah... My clone just dispelled. I'm suddenly so tired. The Shadow Clone Training Method works well, but the fatigue is very real... Naruto really was amazing for training this way."

The Shadow Clone Technique was a B-rank ninjutsu invented by the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju. (That's what the research said. I remembered Tobirama inventing the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique, but let's assume my memory was wrong. This book will follow that setting.)

The technique used chakra to create tangible clones. Chakra was divided evenly between the original and the clones, which possessed consciousness independent of the caster and a certain ability to withstand attacks. Once dispelled, their memories and experiences returned to the original.

The ability to transfer memories and experiences back to the original was equivalent to having two versions of oneself training simultaneously, improving training efficiency. However, memories and experiences weren't the only things transferred back-fatigue came along too. Combined with the technique's substantial chakra cost, which essentially divided one's reserves in half, using it could cause the caster to pass out on the spot. That made this a training method to use with caution.

Still, as a member of the Uzumaki Clan, Uzumaki Gamu naturally had more chakra than most people. He also lived comfortably and had plenty of energy, so even training with a shadow clone all day wouldn't make him collapse. At most, he'd feel a little tired.

Incidentally, shadow clones were normally supposed to be Tobirama Senju's improvement on the Clone Technique. However, Tobirama was still a little kid at this point-his older brother was only around ten, after all-so the technique probably hadn't been created yet.

Since Uzumaki Gamu knew both the principles behind the technique and its hand seals, he created it without much trouble. In other words, the copyright now belonged to Uzumaki Gamu. (Uzumaki Gamu: Watch yourself, little Tobirama. This technique is mine now, so stop calling it yours in the future. I wouldn't want the shadow clones getting the wrong idea! Tobirama: The tears still flow when I recall those days!)

Returning to the story, Uzumaki Gamu lay on the tatami and raised his left hand. Looking at the spiral mark on it, which resembled Ubisoft's logo, he complained, "I've been relying entirely on my own strength to train all this time. Uncle Yama, when exactly is this system you gave me going to activate?"

This was what had been set aside earlier: the system Yama had included when reincarnating Uzumaki Gamu. Since it looked like Ubisoft's logo, he would call it the Ubisoft System for now.

Ever since he'd reincarnated and grown old enough to have a clear sense of self and understand his situation, Uzumaki Gamu had been looking forward to the system activating.

Yet after all these years, the thing showed no sign of starting up. It simply sat there like an ordinary tattoo. Uzumaki Gamu suspected that the system was connected to Ubisoft's potato servers, and that the potatoes had sprouted, leaving it permanently unresponsive.

"Anyway, whatever the case, I can't count on something that never activates. If I want to achieve my great dream-living freely and comfortably for the rest of my life-I'll have to rely on my own efforts!" Uzumaki Gamu said. "I'm nine this year, and I've already started fighting on the battlefield! In a few more years, I might become one of the main fighters. If I keep pinning my hopes on that useless system, someone might kick me to death like a stray dog by the roadside. I don't want to die that casually!"

That was exactly why Uzumaki Gamu never took improving his strength lightly. Besides, he'd met Hashirama and Madara today. Meeting those two was a big deal!

As the saying went, the world wasn't all about fighting and killing-it was about relationships! Building a good relationship with the strongest duo in the Shinobi World before Naruto and Sasuke grew up was unquestionably a tremendous opportunity... At the very least, he might end up in Naruto and Sasuke's textbooks someday!

With that thought, Uzumaki Gamu got ready to wash up and go to bed. Rest well, improve every day, and keep working hard tomorrow!

And then... a few days passed just like that.

Uzumaki Gamu, who went fishing at the river every day, encountered the pair again. They seemed to be discussing something upsetting.

With his fishing rod over his shoulder, Uzumaki Gamu approached and asked, "Uh... What's wrong with Hashirama?"

Madara answered helplessly, "...His little brother died."

"Oh... That's certainly a sad thing. Well, my condolences..." Uzumaki Gamu glanced at Madara. According to his memories, most of Hashirama's younger brothers had been killed by Uchiha. In other words, the person beside him was actually Hashirama's enemy. Of course, quite a few of Madara's brothers had been killed by Senju as well, so the two were enemies of each other.

And now they were comforting each other here... Wasn't that a little awkward?

Hashirama, who had been staring at the river, suddenly spoke. "I like coming here because... whenever I watch the river, it feels like the darkness in my heart is being washed away... But it still hurts so much..."

Seeing how dejected Hashirama was, Madara picked up a stone. "There were five brothers in my family... Because of the war, I only have one younger brother left now."

Yeah, and why is there only one left? What do you think, Hashirama? Uzumaki Gamu kept that to himself. Saying it aloud would get him beaten up.

Hashirama abruptly turned toward Madara. "You too?"

Uzumaki Gamu chimed in, "In my family, there's only my older brother, me, and a little sister left too."

Did anyone ask you? Madara gave Uzumaki Gamu a look that conveyed exactly that, then continued speaking to Hashirama. "As shinobi, we have to be prepared to die at any moment. If we want to avoid war, our only option is to be honest with our enemies and become sworn brothers! But that's completely impossible..."

This guy... thinks the same way I do?!

"Not necessarily," Uzumaki Gamu suddenly said.

Madara looked at him irritably. "Are you saying I'm wrong?"

"Well, partly... Avoiding war doesn't necessarily require such a simple approach as being honest with each other and becoming sworn brothers!" Uzumaki Gamu offered his opinion.

"Oh? Then what brilliant ideas do you have? If you're just arguing for the sake of it and can't back it up, don't blame me for going hard on you!" Madara said indignantly. If Uzumaki Gamu couldn't give him a proper explanation, he was going to lose his temper!

Hashirama also looked curious, hoping Uzumaki Gamu might say something that would clear up his doubts.

Uzumaki Gamu sat down on the ground and addressed them both. "First, let me ask you a question... Why do you think wars happen?"

"Wars?" they murmured together. They hadn't expected Uzumaki Gamu to open with such a complicated question, and both fell into thought.

A few seconds later, Madara answered first. "To seize resources!"

"Exactly. The most fundamental purpose of war is plunder. What gets taken-political advantage, economic wealth, territory-depends on the circumstances! But ultimately, wars are fought for gain. So the simplest way to prevent war is to ensure that whoever starts it can't get what they want. Then they won't be able to start the war!"

Hearing that, Hashirama and Madara fell into thought again.

After a while, Hashirama asked, "That sounds a little complicated... Is there a simpler way to put it?" It wasn't that he didn't want to think. He simply felt that since Uzumaki Gamu was explaining it to them, there must be an easier way to understand it.

Uzumaki Gamu said, "Put simply... very few people are willing to start a war they're guaranteed to lose!"

After hearing that, Madara sat down on the ground too. "You have a point. But honestly, it's hard to find a war that's guaranteed to be lost!"

"It's unrealistic to expect wars to stop happening on their own in this era! I've seriously considered how to make the world peaceful. Would you two like to hear it?" Uzumaki Gamu interlaced his hands beneath his chin and gave them an intent look. "Fair warning: once you hear me out, you'll be in too deep... I'm certain that what I say will affect you both. You might not be able to keep thinking the way you do now!"

"Enough with the theatrics. I'd like to see how you think you can influence me!" Madara remained as arrogant as ever.

Hashirama remarked from beside him, "You clearly want to hear it too. Why act so dismissive?"

Uzumaki Gamu chimed in, "We usually call that kind of person a tsundere."

"Shut up! You're the tsunderes! Your whole families are tsunderes!" Madara snapped. Then something occurred to him, and he asked in confusion, "...What does tsundere mean?"

Uzumaki Gamu explained, "It's a term for someone who acts tough and arrogant to hide their shyness, saying and doing things that don't match their true feelings. It's often used for people who usually speak sharply and act proud and forceful, but become shy and clingy under certain circumstances."

Hashirama nodded. "That makes sense. Madara does speak sharply and act tough and arrogant... All that's missing is the clinginess!"

Madara blushed. "Who would be clingy?!"

Uzumaki Gamu waved a hand. "Back to the subject. Since you both want to hear it, I'll explain..."

Uzumaki Gamu paused, then began laying out his thoughts. "Explaining the reasoning is too much trouble, so I'll just tell you my idea. The main reason the Shinobi World is constantly at war is that the major Ninja Clans are too evenly matched. So... I plan to create a powerful organization that stands above the entire world, using military deterrence to forcibly prevent wars from happening!"

After understanding what Uzumaki Gamu meant, Hashirama said, "So... if someone wants to start a war, you'll take your organization and threaten them until they don't dare do it?"

"Nicely put. That's exactly it!" Uzumaki Gamu nodded. "After all, might makes right. If they won't listen, I'll just beat them up and see whether they still dare start a war!"

Madara said flatly, "The logic makes sense, but isn't that a bit too simple? Besides, wouldn't that make you a tyrant and a dictator? At that point, why not just unify the world?"

Hashirama also said helplessly, "There's no need for threats, is there? Reasonable discussion should solve most problems..."

That revealed the difference in their core beliefs: Hashirama was willing to communicate as equals, while Madara was ready to make his word absolute!

"It depends on the situation. If we can talk it out, we will. If we can't, we can't afford to back down either. As for unifying the world... I'm not interested in power. I only want world peace," Uzumaki Gamu replied.

"Oh? You're quite detached..." Madara folded his arms. "Your idea does have its merits, but there's one problem... Can you actually build an organization with that kind of overwhelming strength?"

"Well... that depends on you two." Uzumaki Gamu looked at them. "We've only met once before, but I can tell neither of you is ordinary. Interested in joining my organization, which currently consists of just me?"

"Um... We're still just kids. Isn't it a little early to be talking about this?" Hashirama asked, scratching his head. Their abilities weren't even particularly outstanding within their clans. Thinking about the whole Shinobi World now was far too premature!

"Our brothers and sisters have already died in battle. It's not early anymore!" Uzumaki Gamu replied. "Besides, lacking strength now doesn't matter. I see limitless potential in you both. I believe that, given time, you'll become great heroes whose names resound throughout the Shinobi World! Then, with the three of us joining forces as brothers, we'll surely be able to protect the people and give them stable lives! We'll bring peace to the world!"

At that, Hashirama's eyes began to shine. That was exactly the world he wanted!

Madara, however, stayed calm. He said to Uzumaki Gamu and Hashirama, "It's a good idea, but there's a problem... What happens to our Shinobi World if this organization becomes corrupt? Would it be doomed beyond salvation?"

"I can't guarantee that won't happen. But that's precisely why I need you two to join. The three of us can keep each other in check, ensuring there's at least some restraint. Of course, if all three of us fall... then we're screwed, and that's that!" If all three failed, it would prove that the idea didn't work... and Uzumaki Gamu wouldn't really care anymore.

After all, his desire to achieve peace was purely about making his own life better. Yes, at the end of the day, Uzumaki Gamu was doing this for himself. If he changed his mind, that would mean he wasn't happy living in that world. In that case, he could simply change it!

Faced with Uzumaki Gamu's defeatist statement, Madara and Hashirama exchanged a glance. He'd just laid out all those grand ambitions, only to start giving up a few sentences later... Was this guy really up to it?