Can I Bring Someone Along?

Uzumaki Gamu walked over to Madara's table and sat down. "When someone comes over to talk to you, don't just glare at them. You'll scare them off~"

Madara held his wine cup. "Hmph. If they can't even withstand my gaze, they aren't worthy of speaking to me!"

"You should really fix that habit. How else are you going to become village chief?" Uzumaki Gamu teased.

"Village chief?" Madara asked, puzzled.

"Once our ninja village is established, I'll nominate you and Hashirama to lead it together!" Uzumaki Gamu revealed his idea.

"Hashirama is one thing... but nobody besides you lot would accept me!" Madara did have some self-awareness.

"True, if you stay like this... Honestly, if you change a little, speak openly with people, and stop being so aloof, I think everyone will come to accept you!" Uzumaki Gamu advised.

"...It's in our Uchiha nature. It's hard to change!" Madara sighed. What was the Uchiha's nature? Pursuing power, craving it above all else! They naturally looked down on the powerless, dismissing them as beneath their notice. That was probably why the Uchiha were so unpopular in the future!

Well, that was also why Hashirama and Madara's village-building plans had progressed so slowly. Although the hatred had eased, the Uchiha's pride still made compromise difficult. Things had gone so smoothly in the original story only because Hashirama's power had beaten them into submission. Otherwise, given their stubbornness, they would hardly have agreed to build a village together... And even after the village was built, they had maintained their own enclave instead of fully integrating into Konoha!

Uzumaki Gamu shook his head. "That's just an excuse. I don't believe you can't change. If you want everyone's trust, you have to put in honest, practical work. That's how you earn their recognition. You can also set an example for the others... If you do it, at least the youngsters who admire you will follow your lead. That's how we can change the Uchiha little by little!"

"...You have a point. I'll remember that!" Madara nodded.

"Anyway, enough about that... Tobirama asked me to thank the Uchiha on his behalf. What did you do?" Uzumaki Gamu asked curiously.

"Nothing much. I just had Izuna take our clansmen to defend the coastline," Madara answered simply.

"Oh~~ Against the Kaguya Clan?" Uzumaki Gamu nodded in understanding. If anyone was likely to seize this opportunity to cause trouble, it had to be the Kaguya Clan.

The Kaguya Clan was currently in the Land of Water, and the Land of Whirlpools, where Uzumaki Gamu and the others were now, was very close by. If they launched a surprise attack, they might actually make it all the way to Uzushiogakure. If they caused a disturbance and killed a few people, the wedding would become a blood wedding!

Now, however, the Uchiha formed the first defensive line along the coast, the Senju patrols formed the second, and the Uzumaki's own defensive forces formed the third. It was practically foolproof!

Madara said, "There's been no movement from the Land of Water so far. Looks like nothing will happen!"

"No movement is the scariest part!" Uzumaki Gamu sighed. "Considering how much Kaguya Jun hates me, if he isn't taking advantage of our big celebration to cause trouble, that means he's preparing some evil scheme!" Of course, the same goes for Black Zetsu! A quiet child was a child up to mischief!

Black Zetsu had plotted against Uzumaki Gamu several times before. Now that he had suddenly gone quiet, he had to be planning something big. And Uzumaki Gamu was about to leave on a mission that would keep him away for years... He needed to warn everyone before leaving!

So Uzumaki Gamu told Madara, "After Hashirama and Mito get married today, I'll be leaving for another trial!"

"Another one? How many years this time?" Madara asked.

"Four years... Sorry for the trouble, but please help look after our Hidden Whirlpool Village while I'm gone," Uzumaki Gamu answered.

Madara nodded. "Yes, I will!"

"And one more thing... Watch out for Black Zetsu!" Uzumaki Gamu warned.

Madara raised an eyebrow. "Did you run into that thing while you were away this time?"

"No, but I suspect he was involved..." Uzumaki Gamu told Madara about the two tailed beasts that had attacked him, especially the second one, Kokuō.

Madara challenged that idea. "An Uchiha controlled a tailed beast? Impossible! Right now, Izuna and I are the only members of the Uchiha Clan with enough ocular power to suppress a tailed beast, and neither of us has left the Land of Fire lately!"

"That's why I suspect Black Zetsu. He can forcibly control people. When you return, investigate whether any of your clansmen have gone missing!" Uzumaki Gamu said.

"Missing... Actually, yes. A teenager disappeared recently. Tch!" Madara swore in annoyance. Someone had essentially been stolen right from under his nose, so of course he was upset!

At the same time, Madara realized how terrifying Black Zetsu's ability to conceal himself was. Someone had been taken away, and he had noticed nothing at all. If Black Zetsu lurked nearby, wouldn't he be just as oblivious? If he were ambushed...

Well, if things followed the original timeline, Black Zetsu really would ambush him.

So Madara had to admit, "It seems he really is troublesome... Are you worried he's preparing more schemes?"

"Yes. It's already been over half a month since the incident in the Land of Earth, and nothing has happened since. I suspect that after his previous two evil schemes failed, he started planning something bigger to get me. But with me gone, he might turn his attention to you and Hashirama!" Uzumaki Gamu warned.

"He wants to revive Kaguya, so he needs my power and Hashirama's? Hmph, how naive. Who would cooperate with him?" Madara said disdainfully.

Uzumaki Gamu reminded him, "What if Izuna died?"

Madara's eyes widened instantly.

Uzumaki Gamu continued, "Izuna is your greatest weakness. If he died... could you guarantee you'd stay as calm as you are now?"

"...I couldn't!" After thinking it over, Madara gave that answer.

Uzumaki Gamu said, "Exactly. If I were Black Zetsu, I'd definitely start with Izuna... Drive you mad first, then turn you against Hashirama and make you fight to the death... Whatever happens, muddy the waters first!"

"Hmph, what an underhanded bastard... Just like a sewer rat!" Madara remarked scathingly.

"But you're admitting that it would work!" Uzumaki Gamu said. "Back to the point. Black Zetsu himself has no combat ability, so we don't need to worry about him ambushing Izuna directly. But he'll use other people... Right now, Kaguya Jun is his most likely pawn!"

"Exploit Kaguya Jun's hatred for us? That would certainly work... So we need to watch the Land of Water next?" Madara asked.

"Yes, exactly... Until I return, it's up to you and Hashirama! Whether we can change this world depends on you two!" Once again, Uzumaki Gamu entrusted them with the responsibility of changing the world!

"Do we really need to say things like that to each other?" Madara stood. "It's about time. I should leave!"

"Huh? Aren't you coming to the Senju Clan Compound for Hashirama's wedding feast?" Uzumaki Gamu asked.

"As the Uchiha Clan Head, I can't exactly go to the Senju Clan Homeland for a wedding feast!" Even now, Madara and Hashirama could only meet privately. If he openly visited the Senju Clan Homeland... the members of both clans would struggle to accept it!

Madara then told Uzumaki Gamu, "Besides, a killjoy like me doesn't belong at such a happy occasion... I'll have to leave the congratulations to you. Drink my share of the wedding wine, too." With that, Madara left using the Body Flicker Technique~

"Tch, you just can't swallow your pride! Life's better when you grow a thicker skin!" Uzumaki Gamu complained.

Not long after Madara left, Hikari appeared with the Body Flicker Technique and asked, "Was that the current Uchiha Clan Head?"

"Yes... Any thoughts?" Uzumaki Gamu asked.

"...A little better than the previous ones, but... that's about it!" Hikari said sourly.

"Well, he's actually much better than the previous generation. His father was the one with real problems..." Though without me, Madara would probably be sprinting straight toward insanity too, wouldn't he? Ah~ I really am pretty great~ After privately praising himself, Uzumaki Gamu asked, "We're leaving soon to escort the bride. Want to come?"

"No... I don't want to go to Senju territory either!" Whether it was the Senju or the Uchiha, Hikari wanted nothing more to do with them!

So Hikari returned to Uzumaki Gamu's new home to rest. Well, with a new village built, naturally Uzumaki Gamu had a new home too. This time, it was a grand villa with eight bedrooms and two living rooms, quite lavish indeed. Honestly, such a big house felt too empty for Uzumaki Gamu alone, so Lala and Hikari were both living there now! Hikari was merely going back to her own room to rest!

Next came escorting the bride. As the representative of the bridal escort party, Uzumaki Gamu naturally had to lead them!

"Walking all the way back is such a hassle! We'll fly!!" In a lavish display, Uzumaki Gamu used Magnet Release to raise a golden flying ship as transport for the bridal escort party... Incidentally, this was the dowry he had prepared!

A flying ship made of one hundred percent pure gold-the Golden Merry!!!

Crafted from pure gold, it was a full-scale replica of Luffy's first beloved ship from One Piece, the Going Merry! (Don't expect it to float at sea. It was just for show~)

What made a good dowry gift? Uzumaki Gamu had thought about that for a while before finally deciding on gold!

It might be a little tacky, but hard currency was always the most respectable gift!

Still, handing over money directly was too tacky and lacked grandeur! So Uzumaki Gamu decisively made a ship out of gold!

Escorting the bride aboard a golden flying ship-now that had style!

So Uzumaki Gamu had taken Hikari out to search for gold ore and gold dust using Magnet Release. Then, with Hikari's Fire Release, they had melted everything down and poured it into molds made with Earth Release. After casting and assembling the pieces, they had finally produced this Golden Merry!

Tobirama walked up beside Uzumaki Gamu. "You're giving us this thing as a dowry? Isn't it a little too valuable?" Who knew how many years of commissions the Senju Clan would need to earn that much gold?

Uzumaki Gamu smiled. "Since you know how valuable it is, please treat your sister-in-law well from now on. If anyone bullies her..."

"I'll cut them down myself!!" Tobirama declared without hesitation. As the saying went, money made you everyone's daddy! With this much gold involved, Tobirama practically wanted to call Uzumaki Gamu Dad!

In any case, the bridal escort party boarded the Golden Merry and flew toward the Senju Clan Compound!

Inside her sedan chair, Mito complained, "Second Brother... Are you that eager to send me away? You're actually flying us there?" (It wasn't appropriate for the bride to appear in public, so she remained inside an enclosed sedan chair placed on the Golden Merry's deck.)

"Well, it's safer this way~" Uzumaki Gamu answered. He was still worried someone might cause trouble on this joyous day, so he had chosen the safest way to travel-flying swiftly through the sky!

If they flew fast enough, nobody could intercept them-unless they could fly too!

Still, lifting the Golden Merry with Magnet Release alone is pretty taxing. It feels like we'll fly slowly this way, so... I'll lighten it with the Light-Weight Rock Technique first! After reducing the Golden Merry's weight with the Light-Weight Rock Technique, Uzumaki Gamu lifted the Merry into the sky with Magnet Release. Then, onward to the Senju Clan Homeland!!

An hour later, the flying ship arrived at the Senju Clan Compound!

Tobirama couldn't help commenting, "Flying really is fast... If we had this kind of mobility in war..."

"We'd win every battle and conquer anything!" Uzumaki Gamu finished. Speed was essential in warfare, after all, and always one of its most important factors!

Tobirama nodded in agreement. "Exactly... Speed is crucial. But compared to flying, there's an even faster way to catch the enemy off guard!"

"...Oh~ Have you started researching Space-Time Ninjutsu?" Uzumaki Gamu asked curiously.

"As expected of you. You've already thought of that? That's right. I've recently started developing Space-Time Ninjutsu that a person can use alone... Once it's finished, I'll teach it to you as repayment for showing me how to simplify Ninjutsu!" Tobirama had always remembered his promise from several years ago, but until now, he hadn't had any Ninjutsu worthy of giving Uzumaki Gamu in return, so he had never brought it up!

However, the technique he was developing this time would be revolutionary. Even Uzumaki Gamu would marvel at its brilliance. Tobirama was very confident of that!

Uzumaki Gamu said, "I'm looking forward to it!" Great. Looks like I'll have Flying Thunder God to play with when I return from this mission! But... it's ahead of schedule~ Tobirama should have developed Flying Thunder God shortly before Konoha's founding. Now, before even turning twenty-one, he was already confident he could create it!

It seemed Uzumaki Gamu's butterfly effect was much stronger than expected!

Back to the matter at hand, Uzumaki Gamu brought the Golden Merry down to the ground!

As the Senju clansmen watched such an incredible, dazzling, glittering, extravagantly wealthy ship descend from the sky, they looked like country bumpkins visiting a palace, utterly dumbfounded!

One Senju clansman, A, said, "Wow... It can actually fly! That's amazing... Say, is this ship solid gold or gold-plated?"

Beside him, Senju clansman B replied, "No idea, but even if it's gold-plated, it must be worth loads and loads of money... If I had that much, I could marry my second uncle's daughter~"

"In your dreams. How would you ever get that much money?" Senju clansman A said. "Still, the Uzumaki Clan really is rich. No wonder they could found their own country and village... Unlike us. We need other ninja clans to build a village together!"

"Yeah... But if we can build a village with other ninja clans, at least we won't have to be enemies anymore... I don't want to keep fighting them! Especially the Uchiha. Every fight with them is full of close calls. If we could fight alongside them like we did before... that would be pretty good too!" Senju clansman B sighed.

Judging by opinions among the rank and file, the Senju weren't particularly opposed to cooperating with the Uchiha anymore. What still held the two clans back was the Uchiha's inability to swallow their pride!

Of course, that was something Uzumaki Gamu was concerned about too. Once the flying ship landed, it was time for the wedding ceremony to begin.

There was no need to dwell on the wedding proceedings. The author couldn't make them interesting anyway, so let's skip straight to the bridal chamber... Apparently, that needed to be skipped too, since it couldn't be described in detail~

So, after the wedding ended, Uzumaki Gamu prepared to go home.

Tobirama asked, "Aren't you staying the night? We've already prepared a room for you!"

Uzumaki Gamu waved a hand. "No thanks. I can fly home in no time, and anyway, nothing beats sleeping in your own bed!"

Seeing that Uzumaki Gamu was leaving, Hashirama came over too. "Won't you stay for another couple of drinks?"

"No thanks. Spend tonight with Mito... And let me make this clear: if you don't treat her well, you and I will settle it at the Valley of the End!" Uzumaki Gamu warned. If anyone dared mistreat his little sister, even if he couldn't beat them, he would fight them to the death at the Valley of the End! Hashirama was no exception!

Besides... it wasn't certain he would lose now!

"...I'd never mistreat Mito." Hashirama scratched his head sheepishly. "Well, go say goodbye to her before you leave! She'll be unhappy if you leave so abruptly~"

"Sure~" Uzumaki Gamu nodded and went to find Mito.

He arrived outside Hashirama and Mito's room and spoke to her through the door. (Uzumaki Gamu: The bride's waiting inside for her groom. What business do I have going in...? I'll just talk from outside!)

Uzumaki Gamu said, "Little Sister, your second brother's heading home!"

"...You're certainly in a hurry. Well, that's normal. You don't really like formal social occasions," Mito said understandingly. Although Uzumaki Gamu enjoyed lively gatherings, formal socializing like this held little appeal for him!

"Exactly... A bunch of Senju clansmen I don't even know kept dragging me into drinking with them. Honestly, if they want to drink so badly, they should drink with their clan head~" Uzumaki Gamu complained. It wasn't really surprising that the Senju clansmen sought him out for drinks. Ever since they learned that the solid-gold flying ship was the dowry he had provided, his prestige within the Senju Clan had reached its peak!

Their clan head's sworn brother was the richest man around. How could they not hurry to build connections? So the practical Senju clansmen had taken turns coming over to make themselves familiar to him! That had left Uzumaki Gamu rather exasperated!

Uzumaki Gamu shook his head. "Well, enough of those irritating things... Starting today, your life enters a new chapter. Your second brother wishes you... a lifetime of happiness!"

"Thank you!" Mito replied with a smile. "And I hope you find your own happiness soon, Second Brother!"

"Well... I will! I will! All right, I should go~" Uzumaki Gamu prepared to leave!

"Wait!" Mito stopped him. "Second Brother, are you going to start that trial right now?"

Uzumaki Gamu thought for a moment. "Well... I still need to sort a few things out at home. I'll come see you all again tomorrow before starting that trial mission."

Mito sighed in relief. "That's good. Then... see you tomorrow!"

"Yes, see you tomorrow!" With that, Uzumaki Gamu left.

Then Uzumaki Gamu took flight using the Light-Weight Rock Technique and headed toward Uzushiogakure.

As he flew, Uzumaki Gamu thought, We really made it through today without incident... This silence really makes things difficult! His sense of danger was strong enough that he wouldn't assume the enemy had refrained from causing trouble just because everyone was celebrating!

If there hadn't even been any harassment, they were very likely plotting something major. Uzumaki Gamu himself wasn't afraid of their schemes, but he was about to leave on a mission... Should he postpone it?

Well, I still believe Hashirama and Madara can handle everything! Uzumaki Gamu thought trustingly.

Together, Hashirama and Madara were unrivaled under heaven. As long as Madara didn't go mad, everything would be fine. He had already warned Madara specifically, and tomorrow he would visit the Senju Clan Compound to brief Hashirama and Tobirama too. There shouldn't be any major problems!

Besides, I'm really looking forward to the reward for this mission!! The Six Eyes had brought Uzumaki Gamu so many benefits that he was eagerly anticipating what came next. Following the usual pattern, shouldn't I get the matching Limitless next? While it isn't particularly outstanding compared to Naruto's special abilities, it's still useful for crushing weaker opponents who don't know how it works. Making people unable to hit me while I casually toy with them would feel pretty good~ Well, it might not be that technique, so I'll wait until the reward comes out!

Thinking along those lines, Uzumaki Gamu returned to Uzushiogakure. First, he found Ashina and Daigu to report that the bridal escort had been completed. Then he told them about the trial he would undertake next!

Although the two were surprised that Uzumaki Gamu would once again be away from home for four years, they didn't stop him. Last time he left, he returned with a pair of eyes. When he came back this time... might he have something else incredible?

After saying goodbye to them, Uzumaki Gamu returned home and told Hikari and Lala that he would soon be leaving, and that he would be gone for four years!

"...I want to go with you!" Hikari said frankly.

"Huh?" That was an answer Uzumaki Gamu hadn't expected. He froze for a moment, then asked, "Why?"

Hikari answered, "The only people I know in this era are you, Mito, and Lala. Mito has married, and if you're gone too, there's not much point in me staying here."

Uzumaki Gamu nodded in understanding. "True, but... you should know that only a few months might pass in the trial grounds, while four years will have passed by the time we return!"

Hikari replied, "...I'm not from this era anyway. Whether I skip some time makes no difference to me!"

When she put it that way, there seemed to be even less of a problem...

Uzumaki Gamu thought it over. "All right, then I'll go ask!" With that, Uzumaki Gamu entered his Instance Space!