Outside Konoha, two people were walking back at a seemingly leisurely pace. Suddenly, they stopped. From the ground in front of them, Black Zetsu emerged.
"The battle is over. Konoha secured a complete victory," Black Zetsu reported.
"Pointless drivel. Spare me the details," Madara said, utterly disinterested.
Although Hashirama and his brother were in Edo Tensei state and far weaker than in life, it still depended on who their opponents were. If someone could defeat the Uchiha clan led by him, then fighting the rabble outside wasn't exactly a challenge, was it?
"What shall we do next?"
"Walk," Madara replied.
"You should've pressed the advantage just now," he said, shifting topics and sounding far more interested. "There aren't many jutsu that can deal with Edo Tensei. With your technique, your attitude in battle is an injustice to your power."
After the fight ended, Masashi deactivated his technique, and Madara's legs returned to normal.
Though also a Rinnegan, compared with Madara and Sasuke's original powers, Masashi's technique was clearly a utility-based one, lacking direct offensive capabilities.
Madara's Limbo: Border Jail, Sasuke's Amenotejikara, and even Kaguya's Yomotsu Hirasaka, all of them were functional in nature. Because of this, Masashi had no qualms about revealing his own ability, which he now named Kuusetsu.
Compared to those, Kuusetsu was flashier, it could cut objects within a certain range around Masashi, and even stretch or compress space. But it didn't cause any real damage to the affected targets. Of course, there were drawbacks. Chakra consumption was high, and it required physical contact to activate.
Well, chakra could also be transferred without direct contact.
For someone like him, who was used to pummeling enemies to death with a flurry of blows, this "no-damage" feature was a bit impractical. So even after fully awakening this ocular ability, he rarely used it, only when he had no other jutsu alternatives.
That said, this technique allowed for both an absolute defense and the ability to slice through targets regardless of their defense. Still, from Madara's expressions along the way, his evaluation of the jutsu seemed mostly positive.
"I've never been too interested in fighting to begin with," Masashi said. "Winning and losing doesn't matter as much as just living a good life."
"That's your reason for all your actions these past years?" Madara cast a sideways glance at Masashi. "Are you short on money?"
Honestly, he couldn't quite wrap his head around this. From what he saw in the Uchiha district and what Black Zetsu told him, Masashi clearly had high standards for quality of life. His way of thinking wasn't typical of a ninja. Rather than using his already considerable power, he actually preferred to make money to solve problems.
Madara could not relate to this at all.
After all, during most of his life as a ninja, he was active during the Warring States period. Back then, becoming a ninja was about survival and protecting one's family. The idea of ninjas becoming mature military contractors only came about during the nation-village era.
It was a generational divide.
Not just in purpose, though only a few decades apart, the material living standards of modern ninja in the great nations were completely different from those in the Warring States period.
Even in Suna, due to elite-focused reforms, their jonin lived quite well, some even more luxuriously than Konoha's, due to centralized resource allocation.
After a certain Kazekage turned sand techniques into a money-printing machine, Suna was no longer short on funds. And while money couldn't solve every organizational need, it could certainly buy a comfortable personal life.
While Madara and Masashi subtly probed each other in this conversational way, Black Zetsu remained silent on the side. He knew very well that on this point, Madara and Masashi would never see eye to eye. Though both had grown up in the Warring States period, Madara's time essentially stopped after Izuna died.
Meanwhile, the once-feared Hollow had moved on.
---
In the distance, the border of Konoha came into view. The Iwa and Kumo forces were gone, and where the great wall once stood, only fragments remained. Konoha ninjas were working to clear the debris.
Seeing people approaching from afar, a few Konoha ninjas moved to intercept. Once they recognized who it was, they dropped their guard and respectfully stood before Masashi.
As for Madara, their gazes were full of awe.
By now, everyone knew: the enemy this time must've been on something crazy, summoning four of the founding-era powerhouses using Edo Tensei. What was supposed to be an attack on Konoha had turned into a suicide mission for the attackers.
Compared to Hashirama, Madara's past was far murkier. Most people of the current generation only knew that he disagreed with Hashirama's ideology and left the village. But Madara had never been labeled a missing-nin. To the modern shinobi world, until his disappearance, he was still officially a Konoha ninja.
This time, he didn't attack Konoha either. In fact, he slaughtered a group of Kiri ninjas, and even wiped out the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist. With that, who would still believe Madara was the enemy of Konoha?
"Madara-sama," a group of Konoha ninjas bowed to him.
"Why are you bowing to me?" Madara said coldly. "I'm not Hashirama. The survival of this village has nothing to do with me. Move."
When facing fellow Uchiha, he no longer considered himself their clan leader. But when it came to a bunch of kids who worshiped him, his mood wasn't exactly foul. As for the other Konoha ninjas, he stopped seeing them as his people the moment he decided to leave the village.
"No need to get upset," Masashi said with a smile. "If it hadn't been for you and the First Hokage joining forces to bring peace to the chaotic times, there would be no Konoha today. Everyone is simply expressing their gratitude and respect, that's only normal."
And that was no lie. The transition from the Warring States period to the age of hidden villages was very short, just over a year, including the time it took for Konoha to formally establish cooperation with the Land of Fire.
The combined strength of the Senju and Uchiha clans back then was overwhelming. Once Hashirama and Madara stood side by side, the rest of the ninja world had no choice but to yield.
As for the other hidden villages being formed later, it wasn't so much that they agreed with the new system, but more that they couldn't withstand the overwhelming pressure. They grouped together hoping at least to fall gracefully if they got defeated.
Madara didn't even bother to reply to Masashi's words. There were only a few people in this village he could bring himself to treat nicely. These weren't among them. Still, the Konoha ninjas weren't clueless. Judging from his expression, they could tell he wasn't fond of them. So they shifted their focus to Black Zetsu standing beside him.
"You must be Black Zetsu, right? Everyone's heard of you. Thank you for helping us."
Black Zetsu was furious.
If it weren't for Masashi and Madara, especially if Madara wasn't here, he would've cursed these Konoha ninjas into the ground with a thousand years' worth of insults, never repeating himself once. He wanted to make them feel the full force of its millennium of accumulated rage.
But since Madara was present, he had to stay in character.
"My name is Zetsu," he said stiffly. "I am the embodiment of Madara-sama's will."
"…"
"No need to mind them. You all carry on with your duties," Masashi said. "The war has already started. Now's not the time for formalities."
"Yes!" they responded in unison.
The Fourth Great Ninja War had begun, and they knew what that meant. Unless a lot of people died, this war wouldn't stop. Even though the enemies attacking the village had been dealt with, the Konoha ninjas had suffered significant casualties.
And that was after their high-level enemies were taken down all at once by Masashi and the four Edo Tensei bodies.
War was war, no matter how powerful someone was, they couldn't protect everyone. After dismissing the Konoha ninjas, Masashi turned to extend an invitation to Madara.
"Shall we return to the Uchiha district?"
"No interest. I'm going to see Hashirama," Madara replied. "It's been a long time since we last fought. This is a good opportunity."
He didn't want to go back. Those bratty kids were way too clingy. It was annoying.
"I imagine the clan members are all eagerly waiting for you, and besides…" Masashi said with a smile, "the First Hokage and the others are probably busy handling village affairs. I doubt he has time for reminiscing with you."
Madara frowned. Knowing Hashirama as he did, he knew that was true. He also knew the nature of the war they were facing, he only died after the Third Great Ninja War, after all. Now that Hashirama had returned via Edo Tensei, there was no doubt he'd be dedicating himself to ending the war and protecting the village. He wouldn't have time to deal with Madara right now.
Let alone deal with Tobirama and Muzo, those two were full of dirty tricks and lacked any real dignity. It looked like he'd have to wait a while.
Fine. After all, this was only what Zetsu claims. I need to see things with my own eyes…
Madara made his decision.
"Very well. Lead the way," he said. "And tell those brats not to follow me around like before."
That was enough.
"Don't worry, I'll make sure you're not bothered," Masashi replied with a grin.
Madara's attitude toward the Uchiha was softer than Masashi had expected. So what was there to hesitate about? Time to make arrangements! There was no better way to test him.
---
After the great battle, back in the Uchiha clan territory, the returning Uchiha were busy with cleanup efforts.
Even as they worked, every Uchiha was grumbling internally.
"We should've just wiped them all out. Look at how many buildings they wrecked."
Though the damages were officially recognized and would be compensated later, it was still frustrating. Ironically, when they looked at the district that had been flattened by the Three-Tails, everyone actually felt relieved.
At least they wouldn't need to keep holding endless meetings about what to do with that area, it was now settled.
Those who had taken refuge in the underground shelter also emerged after confirming the battle had ended, and joined the cleanup.
As for the children, they were gathered together.
Fugaku had also returned. In his study, he pulled out the territory's planning map and began considering reconstruction plans. As one of the village's top five leaders, he now had a much clearer understanding of the battle's outcome.
A conservative estimate put the enemy ninjas killed at around 7,000.
Nearly 4,000 of those had fallen on the southern wall front alone, so in terms of war merit, the Police Force had solid standing. Moreover, the Fourth Mizukage, Third Tsuchikage, and Kitsuchi were all slain personally by Masashi, and that had happened in full public view.
Although the war had just begun, he was optimistic about its direction.
The military alliance between Suna and Konoha, even if purely strategic, was undoubtedly beneficial for Konoha. Historically, Konoha had handled threats from Kumo and Kiri fairly easily. Kiri, after all, was separated from them by the Land of Whirlpools. As for Kumo, battle routes were well-established, logistics weren't too difficult, and diplomacy was relatively simple.
But war with Iwa was a huge headache.
First, the distance was considerable.
Second, managing relations with Ame and Kusa was critical, Konoha needed to win them over without becoming a pushover. It was a delicate balancing act.
Since the Second Great Ninja War, Konoha had taken various steps to tie these two villages to its side. But maintaining those relationships demanded long-term investment, and the costs skyrocketed during wartime.
Thus, Konoha's general stance toward Iwa was: avoid war if possible, it was just not worth it, especially not against Iwa.
However, once Suna became Konoha's ally, the cost of war against Iwa would drop drastically, comparable to a war against Kumo.
That was why Konoha had stubbornly dragged out its old treaty with Suna, neither updating nor canceling it. Under the original pact signed by the Third Hokage and the Fourth Kazekage, Suna would essentially fund Konoha's war against Iwa.
Right now, Konoha faced three key tasks:
Assess damage to the village and restore order.
Deploy troops strategically, join forces with Suna, and confront Iwa, Kumo, and Kiri on multiple fronts.
Escort guests who had come for the Chunin Exams back to their homelands.
That third point was crucial, and would require cooperation from all villages involved. It might not sound war-related, but it absolutely was. Among the guests in Konoha were nobles from the Lands of Earth, Lightning, and Water. Though Iwa, Kumo, and Kiri were now Konoha's enemies, their ninja were still sworn protectors of their countries' nobility and civilians.
This was part of a shared understanding among the great ninja villages in the era of nations and villages. How to hand over these people had to be carefully planned. It was also a way to demonstrate each village's power and organization.
The First and Second Great Ninja Wars were fought for national interests. But by the time of the Third Great Ninja War, the conflicts had shifted, now they were mostly about renegotiating the share of missions. After decades of development, it had become common for nobles to place mission orders with ninja villages from other countries.
This time was no exception. At its core, this was still a war over commissions. Konoha's overwhelming ability to attract business was the root cause. Fewer and fewer ninjas cared about global dominance. With the major villages recognized and trusted by the grassroots, and mutual understandings in place, mission share became the main arena of competition.
"So many things to handle... When will it ever end?" Fugaku sighed with some melancholy. Then he chastised himself for taking such a casual attitude toward war. That wasn't good.
Even if it looked like Konoha couldn't possibly lose, he still had to take things seriously. It was all Masashi's fault. Still refusing to take the position of clan leader.
Hurry up and take it! If you don't, how am I supposed to push you into the Hokage Building?
He had a plan: First, make Masashi the clan head. Then, stir up public opinion to push him into at least an advisor role. Have Shisui assist him as deputy clan leader.
Once Masashi rose even further, he'd naturally have to give up the clan leadership. That was when Shisui would take over.
At that point, he could finally retire for real. Even if he didn't go for a third child, he'd have plenty of personal time to enjoy his peaceful retirement. He deserved a break by now, didn't he!?
"Fugaku-sama!" someone suddenly shouted outside.
His train of thought broken, Fugaku frowned.
"What's with the yelling?" he said as he opened the study door, only to see Tetsuka running over in a rush.
"Fugaku-sama!" Before Tetsuka could get the words out, Fugaku already heard louder shouting from outside.
"The Great Clan Leader is back!"
Tetsuka felt a gust of wind rush past him. He looked ahead, and Fugaku was already gone.
When he turned around, all he saw was Fugaku's back disappearing into the distance.
No wonder he's the clan leader—he runs fast!
Then he realized what just happened and hurriedly chased after him.
Fugaku-sama tricked me! He ran off first!
At the entrance to the Uchiha compound, people were rushing over from all directions. Everyone had dropped what they were doing.
Some were ninjas, some weren't. Some even brought their whole families along. Mischievous kids were dragged by adults, confused but curious. Though they didn't know who this "Great Clan Leader" was, the word "Great" had to mean someone incredible.
With that simple thought, the children watched intently as a man walked in through the main gate.
Madara arrived to find this exact scene. There were even more people than the last time he came.
This annoyed him greatly.
"This isn't what you told me!" he crossed his arms and frowned. "I told you, I hate crowds!"
"Great Clan Leader!" a loud, vigorous voice suddenly burst from the crowd, filled with uncontrollable excitement.
He looked toward the voice, clearly displeased. It came from an old man.
"Great Clan Leader!" Setsuna shouted, his face flushed with emotion. He was about the same age as Hiruzen, but looked even older.
"Who is this?" Madara did not recognize him.
After he left Konoha, he gradually stopped paying attention to the Uchiha clan. In his eyes, the clan was destined to be crushed under the heel of Tobirama and his successors.
To him, the Uchiha were already as good as dead.
Before Masashi could explain, the emotional Setsuna had already dashed forward at full speed.
With a thud, he dropped to his knees.
"Great Clan Leader, I'm Setsuna! You've finally come back!"
"Setsuna?" Madara was stunned, the displeasure on his face disappearing. "You're Setsuna...?"
Even after all these years, he still remembered the names of his followers. Technically, Setsuna didn't even count as a real follower, when Madara left Konoha, Setsuna had only been a chunin.
But Madara had a distinct impression of him from his younger days.
To be honest, Setsuna wasn't particularly talented compared to the many geniuses of the Uchiha. But Madara remembered him because back when he had called on his clan to leave with him, Setsuna was one of the few who didn't hesitate to follow.
Although he ultimately chose to leave alone, he never forgot that young man who was willing to abandon the newly formed village and wander the world with him, how could he forget?
Looking at the old man kneeling before him, Madara's rigid expression softened a little. He stepped forward and helped Setsuna up.
"Setsuna, you've grown old..."
"Great Clan Leader..." Setsuna burst into tears on the spot. "You still remember me!"
"Yes, I remember..." Madara nodded.
That young man had now aged into this frail state. He had thought all those who once followed him had long since passed away.
"Aside from you, is anyone else still alive?"
"No, I'm the only one left." At the mention of his old comrades, Setsuna's expression darkened.
After Madara left, people like Setsuna were viewed by Tobirama as unstable elements carrying Madara's ideology, he quietly but consistently suppressed them. By the time of the Third Hokage's era, the suppression from the Hokage's office became blatant.
By the time of the Third Great Ninja War, only Setsuna remained.
"I see..." Madara, with his hard-edged personality, was usually sharp-tongued and cold toward outsiders. But looking at Setsuna, who clearly didn't have many years left, he found himself momentarily speechless.
He felt a twinge of regret.
Maybe he should have taken that small group of loyal clansmen with him back then?
No, if he had, the bond between him and the Uchiha would never have been severed. And if they had followed him, they might've died even sooner.
Other villages' ninja didn't dare touch him, but that didn't mean they wouldn't target other Uchiha.
"It's enough that you're alive. Don't think too much about the rest." Madara let go of his arm and looked behind Setsuna.
There, he saw many children. For a moment, he felt as if he had returned to the Warring States era. Back then, every time he came home to the clan, the children would stand at the village gate just like this, waiting for him and the other warriors.