Listening to Izuna stumble over his words more and more, Madara Uchiha steeled himself and entered the hall.
He found all the doors and windows tightly shut.
Although it was daytime, a lamp had been lit in the inner room.
Uchiha Tajima and Uchiha Izuna sat cross-legged, facing each other on a floor polished enough to reflect their faces.
Uchiha Tajima had his arms folded and an enigmatic smile on his face. He casually reached up and rubbed his eyebrows.
"Father," Madara Uchiha called softly.
Uchiha Tajima nodded at Madara, then gestured for him to sit down as well.
When Uchiha Izuna noticed his brother had returned, his voice began to tremble, but he continued reading as his father had instructed.
Uchiha Izuna had been quite embarrassed at first. Eventually, he grew numb, his voice devoid of emotion.
"Year ××, month ×, day ×, × hours and × minutes in the evening. The moon was bright and the stars sparse. Uchiha Uya, residing in house ××× in the Uchiha Clan's Clan Grounds, pleasured himself seven times in his room. Unable to sate his lust, he slipped out of the Clan Grounds and went to Flower Street, where he spent a day and a night with a courtesan named Lian. He fucked the courtesan to death..."
"Year ××, month ×, day ×, × hours and × minutes in the evening. The moon was bright and the stars sparse. Uchiha Tan and Uchiha Motoyuki, residing in house ××× in the Uchiha Clan's Clan Grounds, conspired together. Their little group fabricated malicious rumors about Clan Leader Tajima..."
"Year ××, month ×, day ×, × hours and × minutes in the evening. The moon was bright and the stars sparse. Uchiha Tan, residing in house ××× in the Uchiha Clan's Clan Grounds, gathered people to badmouth Clan Leader Tajima. They said that Tajima was young but looked old, and was too eager for quick results..."
"Year ××, month ×, day ×, × hours and × minutes in the daytime. The weather was clear. Uchiha Tama, residing in house ××× in the Uchiha Clan's Clan Grounds, heard people spreading rumors about Clan Leader Tajima and gave them a thorough scolding..."
Uchiha Izuna read for over an hour.
When Uchiha Izuna stopped, the father and his two sons sat in utter silence.
At some point, Uchiha Tajima had begun smiling silently and had not stopped, even when he heard the embarrassing private details about himself and his sons.
Madara Uchiha had been quietly observing his father.
Members of the Uchiha Clan were habitually stern. It was not that Madara Uchiha had never seen his father smile, but he had never seen him smile like this.
It was an indescribable smile, without a trace of negative emotion.
Madara Uchiha felt he was beginning to understand what his father was thinking.
Uchiha Izuna's expression also grew grave.
Upon discovering that an unrelated outsider knew so many of his clan's private affairs, Uchiha Tajima showed no sign of anger. On the contrary, he seemed to be in a good mood.
An unknown amount of time passed.
Still smiling, Uchiha Tajima said something neither brother had expected.
"Madara, so he's such an adorable girl..." Uchiha Tajima looked at his eldest son and smiled. "He must be very fond of you, right?"
Madara Uchiha: "????"
Uchiha Izuna: "..."
Seeing Madara Uchiha's bewildered expression, Uchiha Tajima merely smiled.
At first glance, the contents of the package Yanbai had an eagle drop off for Uchiha Tajima were utterly revolting.
Yanbai had demonstrated to Uchiha Tajima that he not only knew the detailed layout of the Uchiha Clan's Clan Grounds, but also who lived in every house-even every detail of every clan member's daily life, from clothing, food, housing, and travel to eating, drinking, and relieving themselves.
Embarrassment, shame, and helplessness?
No. Uchiha Tajima had been the leader of the Uchiha Clan for many years.
Those who held high positions needed more than strength alone. They could be at daggers drawn one moment and sharing drinks the next.
What Uchiha Tajima saw was his son's good friend sending him a heartwarming gift.
Every private detail of the Uchiha clan members' daily lives had been laid out before Tajima.
Uchiha Tajima did not doubt the authenticity of the information in his hands. After all, this move was practically saying, "So what if you burned the household pests and rats? I still know everything about you..."
It was like a childish tantrum: You look down on me. You want to tear us apart. Well, I'll prove you wrong and make you regret it!
To prove that he truly possessed such an ability, at least the first batch of information sent as a show of force would not be fabricated. Anything that came afterward was another matter.
And this information was extremely useful to Uchiha Tajima.
Through the private details of his clan members' daily lives,
Uchiha Tajima confirmed that Uchiha Tama, the previous clan leader's son, was a staunch supporter of his;
meanwhile, Uchiha Motoyuki, who always greeted him with smiles and flattery, harbored disloyal intentions, and Uchiha Tan was in league with Uchiha Motoyuki.
Beyond these people close to Tajima,
the documents also revealed which members of the Uchiha Clan worked diligently;
which members of the Uchiha Clan's younger generation could be promoted;
which members of the Uchiha Clan had poor character;
which members of the Uchiha Clan deserved trust;
which members of the Uchiha Clan were in poor health;
which members of the Uchiha Clan were prone to losing control;
which members of the Uchiha Clan seemed reliable but were actually enormous liabilities;
Everything was plain to see in this detailed record of their daily lives.
It inevitably gave Uchiha Tajima more to think about.
Uchiha Tajima admitted that his sudden order to exterminate the rats and insects had been somewhat impulsive. Even the mildest person had a temper.
Someone had silently invaded his private space and rummaged through everything, leaving a mess. Surely he, as a father, was allowed to lose his temper a little?
But after issuing that extermination order, Uchiha Tajima had calmed down again.
At the time, Uchiha Tajima had recalled the information he had obtained from Izuna.
The girl close to Madara possessed an extraordinary healing ability.
Whatever clan he came from, that ability alone was enough to make every clan flock to him.
Whatever his surname was, did women not take their husbands' surnames after marriage?
He was not a man, so did his surname matter?
Besides, this girl not only possessed an extraordinary healing ability, but was also the Forest Lord. That made him even more remarkable.
Of course, if he could not be put to use, it would be best to eliminate him early...
Uchiha Tajima remained calm and clearheaded throughout.
That was why Uchiha Tajima had left himself a way to back down.
Exterminating the rats and insects had not been aimed at Madara's friend. It was merely routine cleaning, and he "hadn't known" those rats were that woman's familiars.
He had neither cut down trees nor shot birds, nor had he harmed any plants or animals other than household pests.
Thus, this extermination had been nothing more than a "misunderstanding," with plenty of reasons available to "explain" it away.
Uchiha Tajima simply had not expected the other party's "revenge" to be so adorable.
Although all his clan's private affairs had been exposed to a child like that,
on further reflection, perhaps it would not be so bad if that child became his own.
With that thought, Uchiha Tajima could not help giving his son a teasing look. "Madara, when are you bringing him home?"
Madara Uchiha: "..."
Then, without any change in expression, Uchiha Tajima added, "If you can't bring him home, find a way to kill him..."
If such an extraordinary ability could not be used for his own benefit, he certainly could not let anyone else have it.
At those words, Madara Uchiha's and Uchiha Izuna's expressions stiffened.
Uchiha Tajima noticed their reactions, but smiled again. "Still, he dared to sneak into the Uchiha Clan alone for your sake. He must be very fond of you, surely? Madara, you know what to do, don't you?"
Madara Uchiha silently furrowed his brow.
Yanbai had dared to sneak in alone because he had nothing to fear. It had absolutely nothing to do with affection.
That misunderstanding had only arisen because they had been trying to conceal the matter of Hashirama.
At the time, Yanbai, Madara, and Hashirama had discussed it together. They would first find a way to bluff their way through, then keep their distance and train quietly. Once they were stronger, nothing the adults at home said would matter.
Who could have imagined so many unexpected developments afterward?
Now, a single lie had set off countless chain reactions.
But Madara Uchiha knew perfectly well that there truly was nothing beyond friendship between him and Yanbai.
Yet he could not explain that to his father.
Moreover, Uchiha Tajima had not taken it seriously back then, so he had not hypnotized Madara Uchiha over a woman. Now things were different.
After countless thoughts flashed through his mind, Madara Uchiha lowered his eyes and agreed for the time being. "I understand, Father."
Before you continue