A small courtyard appeared beneath the God Tree.
The gods gathered around the courtyard, looking at the building they had built with their own hands, and whispered among themselves.
Unlike the Takamagahara Shrine, this courtyard is not very large; only a two-meter-high wall surrounds the houses inside.
The wooden houses with blue tiles are a unique design that is still somewhat unfamiliar to these deities.
They didn't quite understand why Madara Uchiha had them build the houses in this way.
This is completely unworthy of Madara Uchiha's status.
However, no one dared to voice any objections; after all, that was Madara Uchiha.
Apart from Kushinadahime, who could speak with him, all the other gods were like chickens waiting to be slaughtered in his presence.
Toyouke-no-Kami stood at the back of the crowd and nudged Ōtoshi-no-Kami beside him with his elbow.
The Ōtoshi-no-Kami was standing on tiptoe, peering into the courtyard, when he was bumped by this person and almost fell over.
"What are you doing?" Ōtoshi-no-Kami asked in a low voice.
"Come here." Toyouke-no-Kami Court. "I have something to tell you."
The two slipped behind a dead tree.
The withered tree grew from the dried-up old roots on the outer edge of the God Tree; it was black and hard, like a crooked wall.
The Toyouke-no-Kami sat on a rock, looking rather unwell. The Ōtoshi-no-Kami squatted opposite him, still looking back at the courtyard.
"What exactly does Lord Madara mean by having us build this courtyard? He hasn't even given it a second glance. He doesn't care what it looks like at all."
The Ōtoshi-no-Kami nodded in agreement.
"He only cares about the God Tree."
" The God Tree is what he cares about; what are we to him?"
The Toyouke-no-Kami lowered his voice even further.
"Just imagine, when the Chakra Fruit on the God Tree ripens, Lord Madara eats the fruit and becomes something like the Ōtsutsuki."
And then what? Are we still of use?
He can keep a Kushinadahime who farms.
"And us? He doesn't even know our names."
The Ōtoshi-no-Kami did not speak.
He recalled the day Ban killed those gods who wanted to destroy the God Tree; his face showed no expression.
It's like killing ants on the roadside.
He didn't even glance at those kneeling people.
The Ōtoshi-no-Kami shivered.
"So what do you mean?"
"The only person who can talk to Madara right now is Kushinadahime."
Lord Madara listened to whatever she said.
Let her go and ask Ban what his plans are for the rest of us.
If Ban is willing to let us stay, we'll stay put. If he isn't...
"If he doesn't want to, asking him won't change anything."
"Whether we ask or not, we'll all die anyway. Once the God Tree continues to grow and Takamagahara is destroyed, we won't survive. Are you going or not?"
After hesitating for a moment, Ōtoshi-no-Kami finally nodded.
The two emerged from behind the withered tree, bypassed the crowd, and headed towards the rice paddy to the south.
As expected Kushinadahime was there. She was bent over, using a wooden stick to straighten the crooked ears of rice on the paddy field ridge.
Her movements were very gentle, as if she were looking after some precious treasure.
Hearing footsteps, she looked up. Seeing it was the two of them, Kushinadahime straightened up and patted the mud off her hands.
"What's wrong?"
Toyouke-no-Kami took a step forward, carefully considering his words.
" Kushinadahime, we've come to ask for your help."
"Don't call me 'sir,' call me Kushinadahime. Or call me by my real name, Hashirama. What favor do you want me to do?"
"Could you go and ask Lord Madara?" said Toyouke-no-Kami. "What exactly does he intend to do with us? After the harvest, will any of us even survive?"
Kushinadahime looked at him without speaking immediately. She bent down, straightened a stalk of rice that had been blown askew by the wind, and then slowly stood up.
"You want me to ask Ban?"
"Yes," said the Toyouke-no-Kami, "Only you can speak with him."
I'm not going.
Toyouke-no-Kami was stunned for a moment. Ōtoshi-no-Kami behind him was also stunned.
"Why?"
"There's no reason why, you can go by yourselves."
Her voice wasn't loud, but that carefree and cheerful quality suddenly vanished, making her sound somewhat cold and unapproachable.
"Think about how Takamagahara treated mortals. They used humans as sacrifices, extracted their potential, and exchanged their lives for their own immortality."
In my opinion, there's nothing worth missing about Takamagahara.
Of those of you who survived, which one of you has clean hands?
Toyouke-no-Kami's expression changed. "You!"
Am I wrong?
"The immortals of Takamagahara treated mortals like expendable resources, discarding them once they were done. Now it's your turn to be treated like expendable resources, and you're finally scared."
But in my opinion, Madara Uchiha treating gods as consumables is no different.
"You've gone mad!" The Ōtoshi-no-Kami finally couldn't hold back any longer and rushed out from behind the Toyouke-no-Kami. " Takamagahara the foundation of the divine kingdom! If the divine kingdom is gone, what will happen to us gods?"
"Then destroy it."
The Kushinadahime seems to be saying that the rice in the field will grow back after being harvested, and that Takamagahara is destroyed but that's that.
Toyouke-no-Kami's face turned bright red. He pointed at Kushinadahime, his finger trembling.
You! You bastard!
He was so angry he couldn't speak a complete sentence, finally managing to squeeze out a single word through gritted teeth.
" Hashirama!! You're a dark-skinned, ugly woman, and you've given yourself a man's name? Who do you really think you are?"
Only when you stand in front of Lord Madara Lord Madara give you a second glance.
What do you think he saw in you? Was it the mud on your body? Your tanned skin?
The Ōtoshi-no-Kami also chimed in from behind.
"Exactly! You're just a farmer, you don't even know any proper Senjutsu, what gives you the right to boss us around?"
If it weren't for Lord Madara sparing you up, you would have died in the wasteland long ago, just like those gods who were purged in Takamagahara!
Kushinadahime didn't move. She stood there, her back to the newly sprouting rice paddies.
A gust of wind blew, loosening her straw rope, and stray hairs clung to her forehead.
She reached out and tucked her wind-blown hair behind her ear.
"Are you finished talking?"
Enraged by her attitude, Toyouke-no-Kami took a step forward.
"Didn't you hear me? Your name is Hashirama! Do you even deserve it? Hashirama is some wild man from some backwater village, what right does he have to be called that?"
Do you think you've become someone important just because Lord Madara is nice to you?
Kushinadahime raised her head. Her eyes were dark and bright, as if they were lit by something. She looked at Toyouke-no-Kami and spoke, word by word.
"What I call myself is none of your business. How Madara treats me is none of your business either. If you want to live, go find your own way."
After saying that, she turned around and continued to support her ears of grain.
The Toyouke-no-Kami and Ōtoshi-no-Kami stood on the edge of the field, their faces alternating between pale and flushed.
They wanted to continue their insults, but Kushinadahime was no longer looking at them.
The two stood there for a while, then finally Earth Flow angrily.
It was long after they left that Kushinadahime slowly straightened up.
She didn't turn around, but gently placed the wooden stick in her hand on the edge of the field.
The sunlight shone on her face.
That tanned, vibrant young face exuded a unique charm.
It's not as terrible as those two gods described.
Kushinadahime bent down again to loosen the soil around the rice paddies.
A voice sounded behind her.
"Is your name Hashirama?"
Kushinadahime turned around and saw Madara Uchiha, a faint smile in his eyes.