A secret meeting

The silence in the tent was a little frightening.

Tobirama Senju set a thick roll of parchment on the table with a smack.

"Brother, all the figures are here." Tobirama's voice was ice-cold. "Over the past eleven months, we've had forty-seven clashes with the Uchiha, large and small. Thirty-nine victories, five draws, and three defeats. Those three defeats were all early probing engagements. We haven't lost once in the last six months."

Hashirama sat at the head of the table without speaking.

"As for our allies." Tobirama tapped the list on the parchment. "The Nara, Yamanaka, and Akimichi clans have fully integrated into our supply and defense systems. Their coordination with us has improved by eighty percent. The Sarutobi Clan contributed heavily during last month's border skirmish. Their Fire Release combined with our Water Release proved exceptionally effective."

He paused, raised his head, and looked Hashirama in the eye.

"And there's Ryuto. His rate of growth is... absurd. According to the data we've gathered, he alone is now worth at least three elite Jonin squads. His recovery is strong, too, and his staying power is terrifying."

"So?" Hashirama asked, his voice somewhat muffled.

"So?" Tobirama frowned. "So we're stronger now than we've ever been! The Senju's own elite forces are intact, our allies are reliable, and we have an unexpected powerhouse in Ryuto. What about the Uchiha? Izuna is no match for Ryuto, not to mention that there's still me. However strong Madara is, he's only one man. Brother, you're fully capable of handling him."

He stepped forward and braced his hands on the table.

"Brother, the opportunity is right in front of us. Launch the decisive battle, concentrate all our strength, and crush the Uchiha's main force in one stroke. Once the Uchiha fall, the Warring States Era will be more than halfway to its end! When the other clans see the result, they'll naturally make their choices."

Hashirama lowered his head and looked at his hands.

These hands could battle Madara until heaven and earth shook.

They could also hold a blueprint for peace.

"Madara..." Hashirama said slowly. "He won't admit defeat that easily."

"Then beat him until he does!" Tobirama's tone was firm. "War has always been kill or be killed. Brother, that blueprint for an alliance of yours is good, but to make it happen, you first need enough power to silence everyone! We have that power now!"

Outside the tent, Ryuto had just finished a Taijutsu routine and was wiping his sweat with a cloth.

The voices inside weren't loud, but his hearing was good. He still vaguely caught phrases like "decisive battle" and "crush the Uchiha."

His hand paused as he wiped his sweat.

A decisive battle?

So soon?

The tent flap suddenly lifted. Tobirama emerged with a grim expression, nodded when he saw Ryuto, and strode away without a word.

Ryuto glanced into the tent.

Hashirama was still sitting there with his head lowered, like a stone statue.

Ryuto thought for a moment, then went inside.

"Getting ready for a big fight?" he asked directly.

Hashirama raised his head. His face showed little expression, but the emotions in his eyes were complicated.

"Tobirama thinks it's time."

"What do you think?"

Hashirama stayed silent for quite a while.

"I don't want to fight."

"Huh?"

"I don't want to fight Madara... to that point." Hashirama stood, walked to the tent entrance, and looked at the young Senju clansmen on the training grounds outside. "A decisive battle means either the Uchiha are destroyed or the Senju perish. Between Madara and me... one of us will have to die at the other's hands."

He turned and looked at Ryuto.

"I want to try one more time."

"Try what?"

"Talking to him," Hashirama said. "Just the two of us, like when we were children. Before we launch the decisive battle, I want to try one last time and see if I can... persuade him."

Ryuto froze.

"You're going alone? To see Madara?"

"Yes."

"No way," Ryuto said immediately. "I'm coming with you. If he attacks..."

"He won't." Hashirama shook his head. "Madara may love fighting, but... he won't launch a sneak attack during a private meeting like this. That's an understanding between us."

"I'm still coming," Ryuto insisted. "At least you'll have someone to back you up. You're the Senju clan leader now. You can't take risks."

Hashirama looked at Ryuto and suddenly smiled.

"You're worried about me?"

"Obviously," Ryuto said. "If something happens to you, who's going to bring that alliance blueprint of yours to life? I'm counting on sticking with you for a peaceful life."

"Don't worry. I'll be fine." Hashirama patted his shoulder. "This meeting will be just Madara and me. One more person would change its nature. Stay here and wait for word from me."

With that, he picked up a tiny scroll from the table, tucked it into his clothes, and turned to leave.

"Wait!" Ryuto called after him. "When? Where?"

"Now. The old spot." Without looking back, Hashirama lifted the flap and left.

Ryuto chased after him, only to see Hashirama vanish into the woods outside camp in a few bounds, moving at an astonishing speed.

"The old spot..." Ryuto muttered. "How am I supposed to know where that is?"

He thought for a moment, then turned to find Tobirama.

An hour later.

Beside a river far from the Senju camp.

The place was fairly secluded. The river wasn't wide, and its water was so clear that the stones on the bottom were visible. Many smooth pebbles lined the bank, just the right size for skipping.

Hashirama emerged from the woods and stood by the river.

He bent down, picked up a stone, and weighed it in his hand. He didn't throw it, setting it down again instead.

"If you're here, come out," Hashirama said toward the woods across the river.

A figure slowly emerged from the trees.

Black hair, red eyes, and dark armor.

Madara Uchiha.

He approached the opposite bank and stood facing Hashirama across a dozen or so meters of water.

"You still remember this place." No emotion could be heard in Madara's voice.

"Of course I do," Hashirama said. "We used to come here all the time as children and compete to see who could skip a stone the most times."

Madara didn't respond to that.

His scarlet Sharingan swept over Hashirama from head to toe.

"You came alone? You've got some nerve."

"We agreed it would just be the two of us," Hashirama said.

Madara snorted.

"Go on. What is it? Surely you didn't come to reminisce about our childhood."

Hashirama took a deep breath.

"Madara, let's end the fighting."

Across the river, Madara's expression didn't change at all, as though he had already guessed Hashirama would say that.

"Why?"

"There's no point in fighting any longer," Hashirama said. "How many years have the Senju and Uchiha been fighting? How many people have died? You and I both know. Now my strength... together with our allies, has already surpassed the Uchiha's."

"So you came to show off?" The corner of Madara's mouth twitched. "Or to demand our surrender?"

"I came to discuss an alliance." Hashirama took the little scroll from inside his clothes. "Not one side absorbing the other, but a true alliance. The Senju, the Uchiha, and any other clans willing to join. We would share resources, designate areas free of fighting, and replace slaughter with rules."

He tossed the scroll over.

It traced an arc through the air and landed on the stony bank at Madara's feet.

Madara didn't even look at it.

"Hashirama, you're still so naive," Madara said. "You think drawing a few circles and setting a few rules will make everyone obediently fall in line?"

"There has to be a beginning..."

"A beginning?" Madara interrupted him. "True peace isn't negotiated. It's won through battle! Only absolute power can silence everyone and bring true order!"

He took two steps forward, and the river reached his calves.

"Even if that alliance of yours is established, so what? You're strong today, so everyone listens to you. Tomorrow, if you weaken, or someone stronger appears, those rules instantly become worthless scraps of paper! The root of the Warring States Era isn't a lack of rules. It's that no one has the power to enforce them!"

Hashirama clenched his fists.

"Then let's become the people who enforce them together! With the Senju and Uchiha united, who in this world could resist us?"

"And then?" Madara stared at him. "Between you and me, who gets the final say?"

The air suddenly froze.

The sound of the flowing river became exceptionally clear.

"See? That's the problem." Madara smiled, his smile a little cold. "Even if we cooperate for a time and subdue everyone, as long as you and I still disagree, as long as someone stronger than you or me exists, the flames of war will never go out."

He bent down and picked up the scroll Hashirama had tossed over.

Without even looking at it, he released chakra from his hand.

Hiss-

The scroll burned to ash, scattering across the river on the wind.

"Your path leads nowhere," Madara said. "My path is simple: become the strongest. So strong that everyone can only look up to me. So strong that a single word can decide life and death. Then peace will come naturally."

Hashirama watched the drifting ashes, and the last trace of hope in his heart died.

"So... there's nothing left to discuss?"

"There never was." Madara turned and walked toward the woods. "Hashirama, the next time we meet will be on the battlefield. When that time comes, I'll show you through strength whose path is right."

"Madara!" Hashirama called.

Madara stopped but didn't turn around.

"Take care," Hashirama said.

Madara's shoulders seemed to shift slightly, but he said nothing. His figure slipped into the woods and disappeared.

Hashirama stood alone by the river for a long time.

Only when the sun began sinking toward the west did he slowly turn and head back.

By the time he returned to camp, it was nearly dark.

Ryuto was waiting at the camp entrance. When he saw Hashirama returning alone with an off expression, he could already guess most of what had happened.

"Talks broke down?" Ryuto asked.

Hashirama nodded without speaking and headed straight for his tent.

Ryuto followed.

Inside the tent, Hashirama sat down, poured a bowl of water, and drained it in one gulp.

"He's still the same," Hashirama said. "He only believes in power."

"That's no surprise," Ryuto said. "With someone like Madara, you're better off fighting him than trying to reason with him."

Hashirama gave a bitter smile.

"It looks like... the decisive battle can't be avoided."

Ryuto sat down opposite him and thought for a moment.

"Actually, we don't necessarily need a decisive battle."

"Hm?"

"Look," Ryuto said, counting on his fingers. "Doesn't Madara only believe in power? He thinks only absolute power can bring peace, right?"

"Right."

"Then it's simple," Ryuto said. "Just fight him yourself."

Hashirama froze.

"I mean a showdown between top fighters," Ryuto explained. "The Senju and Uchiha each send out their strongest few people for a fight. The winners get to speak, and the losers shut up. That way, we can settle who wins without heavy casualties among those below."

He paused.

"And with Madara's personality, he's bound to accept. All he wants in the first place is to settle who's stronger between you two. If you can beat him one-on-one, he'll have to acknowledge it even if he doesn't accept it. That's a much better deal than launching a decisive battle and making thousands upon thousands of people risk their lives, isn't it?"

Hashirama's eyes slowly lit up.

"You mean... use a showdown between Madara and me to determine the course of the war?"

"Exactly," Ryuto said. "It's called... uh, a precision decapitation strike. Shrink a large-scale war into a showdown between the very best fighters. It satisfies Madara's obsession with 'power decides everything' while reducing casualties. A win-win."

Hashirama rubbed his chin and began considering it seriously.

Outside the tent, night had completely enveloped the camp.

No one noticed the shadow of an old tree on the camp's outskirts ripple slightly in the moonlight before becoming still again.

Deep within the shadow, Black Zetsu slowly opened his eyes.

"A showdown between top fighters... single combat to decide the outcome..."

He murmured to himself, his voice hoarse.

"This Ryuto... really is trouble. He's trying to change the rules of the game."

"But... perhaps I can use this."

Black Zetsu's body slowly sank underground.

"What Madara cares about most now, apart from Hashirama, is Ryuto. If Madara were made to believe that Ryuto is also part of the 'power' he must conquer..."

"Then this showdown will become even more... interesting."

A low chuckle came from the darkness.

Then all fell utterly silent.