Uchiha Madara was beyond incensed by the cryptic, nonsensical ramblings of Uchiha Sasuke.
After this meeting, the two had come away with a perfectly synchronized description of one another: "A man beyond all reason."
It wasn't that Madara had never contemplated the future of the Uchiha; he had even considered the concept of a multi-clan alliance. However, the harsh reality of the world was currently forcing him further and further away from that path.
An alliance with the Senju...
If he were ten years younger, he might have dreamed of such a future. But now, he was no longer that naive. After generations of blood feuds, could such deep-seated animosity really be dissolved by a mere proposal of "cooperation"?
Unity was impossible unless the balance of power shifted—unless one side completely overwhelmed the other. But therein lay the problem: if such a dominant position were achieved, would it be easier to form an alliance, or simply to exterminate the rival clan?
The mindset of most shinobi was governed by momentum. In this era of warring states, they sought simple, brutal, and efficient solutions to their problems. If a problem could be solved once and for all, why waste energy on a complex alliance? It was merely a matter of shedding a little more blood—and since when were shinobi afraid of blood?
Assuming what that shinobi calling himself "Taka" said was a potential future—that the Uchiha would be suppressed and treated unfairly in a village led by the Senju—then...
In truth, Sasuke had never actually uttered the words "clan extermination" from beginning to end.
Being suppressed seemed like a marginally better fate than their current precarious existence. Yet, out of pure psychological pride, the arrogance etched into Madara's very marrow would not allow him to accept the leadership of another—not even Senju Hashirama. Hashirama's strength might continue to grow, but he could never become Uchiha Tajima.
In all his years, Tajima was the only man Madara felt he could truly never surpass as an enemy, and now Tajima was dead.
Since Madara didn't wear a forehead protector, the empty space on his brow might as well have been tattooed with four words: "Absolute Law unto Himself."
Thus, if there were to be an alliance, it would be the Uchiha aligning with other clans. Madara followed this train of thought and realized the most suitable candidates were the Hagoromo Clan. Yet, due to a series of recent events, he felt a lingering distaste for them.
Furthermore, the Hagoromo were equally arrogant. Would they ever peacefully accept Uchiha leadership?
This highlighted the core issue in Madara's logic: a union between two clans shouldn't be about the Uchiha suppressing the Hagoromo, but rather both clans coexisting as equals while Madara himself ascended to a higher level to unify, suppress, and dominate both.
The supreme governing body of such an alliance would have Madara at its core, surrounded by a leadership circle of elite shinobi handpicked from both clans. It wouldn't be a matter of one clan serving as the master and the other as the subordinate.
If one was above and the other below, even if you used superglue to stick every single one of their shinobi together, they would never truly be "united."
But just as Madara was considering whether to simply annex the Hagoromo so they could accept the "glorious leadership" of the Uchiha, Uchiha Izuna rushed to his side.
"Brother, something has happened... The Hagoromo Clan is under attack."
"The Hagoromo again? Who is the enemy this time?" Madara didn't immediately grasp the gravity of the situation.
"The Senju, Sarutobi, Uzumaki, and Hyuga. Additionally, there are over a dozen small units of unknown origin. The Hagoromo are surrounded and seem to be on the brink of total collapse."
Madara stood up abruptly. He felt a sense of foreboding. Even as arrogant as he was, he knew they couldn't allow the Hagoromo to be wiped out. If they fell, the Uchiha would lose their external strategic support, leaving them isolated and vulnerable.
"When did the fighting start?"
"Last night. It's been raging for a day and a night now."
"What is Hagoromo Shu doing? Why did the news arrive so late? Their defenses were pierced that easily? They held out last time."
Izuna hesitated, his mouth hanging open for a moment before he finally delivered a piece of unbelievable intelligence.
"It was the Nine-Tails."
"What?"
"The Nine-Tails just happened to be passing by the Hagoromo village. It tore their defensive perimeter to shreds, and the Senju took the opportunity to invade."
Madara: "..."
Come here, dear brother. I need you to translate for me exactly what 'just happened to be passing by' means.
"Gather the men. We move immediately!"
The situation was dire. Madara managed to assemble only forty or fifty shinobi before rushing out. But before they had traveled far, a hawk began circling above the column.
Izuna raised his left arm. Once the hawk landed, he retrieved the intel tied to its leg and handed it to Madara.
Madara stared at the brief message for a long time. He looked back at the Uchiha shinobi following him and finally sighed.
"The situation is irreversible. Withdraw."
He might be another story, but he couldn't let those who followed him die for nothing.
"Brother, can we take advantage of the enemy's main force being away and strike the Senju village instead?"
Madara shook his head immediately; he had clearly already thought this through.
"There is no mention of Senju Hashirama in the reports. That proves he is likely stationed at the Senju village for defense. A sneak attack wouldn't yield results; it would more likely be walking straight into a trap."
Madara had briefly considered sending his subordinates back while he alone charged onto that battlefield, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. If he appeared on the battlefield alone, he had no way of knowing how Hashirama would react.
Want to dance? Sorry, someone else was currently dancing much better than Madara could.
Uchiha Madara, you wouldn't want the Uchiha village to become someone else's stage, would you?
The situation with the Hagoromo was indeed beyond salvation. Madara could only lead his men back to the Uchiha village.
Although Genma could critically judge Senju Butsuma's strategic arrangements from a comfortable distance, the "sinister old man" wasn't entirely without merit. Keeping the highest combat power as a strategic reserve produced a deterrent effect that spoke for itself.
The Uchiha had no room to maneuver, and their relief efforts were forcibly terminated. Although they simply chose not to "attempt the impossible," on the surface, it looked as though they were sitting idly by while their allies were being slaughtered.
One could call it: Allies in peril, yet remaining as unmoved as a mountain.
Yes, very good. Excellent "strategic patience."
Hane Genma hadn't actually given much thought to the Uchiha's movements. The main reason was that the scale of the units he had deployed on the battlefield was too small; no matter the situation, they were incredibly flexible and could pivot at a moment's notice.
Even if Uchiha reinforcements arrived, that was a headache for Senju Butsuma to deal with.
Thus, even at this moment, Genma remained composed. After all, even Sarutobi Sasuke could become his "dearest friend."
"Lord Sarutobi Sasuke? Truly, your reputation precedes you. Meeting you in person is a great honor."
Facing the legendary shinobi whose name echoed across the world, Genma's emotional display was pitch-perfect—excited yet restrained. How to describe it specifically? Well... as if he had never done a single dishonest thing in his life.
"Lord Genma, I had heard of you and your Firefly organization. In this campaign to eliminate the Hagoromo, your creative approach of bringing medical resources to the edge of the battlefield for centralized rescue was truly innovative."
Sarutobi Sasuke shook Genma's hand. He possessed the steady aura of an elder, with an attitude that was earnest yet warm. See? He, too, understood the art of communication.
Genma had also "creatively" used a Tailed Beast to shatter the Hagoromo defenses. Why didn't Sarutobi Sasuke mention that?
"It was merely a hasty experiment. We are currently training more Medical Ninjas and helping them refine their techniques. That way, they can be of even greater use in the future, saving more of the wounded."
The smile on Genma's face grew even more sincere. One didn't need to be a genius to know that using medical aid to open or maintain friendly relations was a tactic that never failed.
"It is already excellent. Several shinobi from my Sarutobi clan received timely treatment from your people and managed to survive. I have come here specifically to take the wounded back to the Sarutobi clan."
Right, right. What is with these clans? The ones who can fight the best refuse to join the front lines. Narrow-minded, truly narrow-minded... Genma was still internally grumbling about this point.
But his words remained excessively polite.
"No, no, we haven't done enough."
"No, no, you have done brilliantly."
"No, no, no..."
Watching from the sidelines, Senju Tobirama's lip twitched. He had originally wanted to see an awkward expression on Genma's face; after all, Genma hadn't exactly been friendly to the Sarutobi Clan before. He had not only hijacked Sarutobi supplies but had even impersonated Sarutobi Sasuke's younger brother.
But he hadn't expected Genma's skin to be so thick. Facing the victim of his schemes, there wasn't a trace of unease.
It could only be said that Tobirama still didn't understand Genma well enough. Guilty? Why should he feel guilty?
He had split the Sarutobi supplies with Tobirama, and Tobirama took the lion's share. They were birds of a feather; neither was in a position to talk. As for impersonating Sarutobi Yusuke—don't be ridiculous. Now that the Hagoromo Clan was wiped out, such trivialities were nothing but smoke in the wind.
After the two spent a long time exchanging pleasantries, the Sarutobi wounded were "packed and ready." Given the situation, Sasuke couldn't stay much longer. After all, a "field hospital" could only provide emergency first aid; for follow-up care and recovery, returning to a familiar shinobi village was best.
Even just for the sake of one's mental state, home was always more comforting than a battlefield.
However, just before leaving, Sarutobi Sasuke seemed to remember something and handed an invitation to Genma.
"By the way, Lord Genma, I happen to be holding my wedding in a few days. I hope you will grace us with your presence."
This time, Genma was genuinely stunned. Where did this conversation go? Was this still the shinobi world?
"If I have the time, I will certainly be there."
Oh, right. Marriage. Shinobi had to get married too. In fact, due to the incredibly high casualty rates, every clan was currently encouraging procreation.
Facing this sudden wave of "realism," Genma was a bit dazed. But if he were a true "Narutologist," he could have used the information in Sarutobi Sasuke's words to pinpoint exactly which era he was in.
If Sarutobi Sasuke got married this year and worked diligently, a human cub would be born next year. That cub, without a doubt, would be Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Thus, next year would be Year -5 in the history of the Hidden Leaf.
Genma had arrived in this world exactly in Year -10. He had become "White Zetsu Man" in Year -9, and now it was Year -6.
Unfortunately, Genma was no "Narutologist." He didn't even temporarily connect Sarutobi Sasuke's marriage to the birth of Hiruzen Sarutobi.
The reason Sasuke invited Genma was to foster relations. On one hand, Firefly Village was booming, and their organizational structure was worth studying—building ties with a rising power was a necessity. On the other hand, some of Genma's actions were so erratic that it was definitely better to have him as a friend than an enemy.
And so, after a brief meeting, Sarutobi Sasuke left the medical camp with the wounded and began the trek back to the Sarutobi Clan.
Other shinobi had not yet withdrawn; they were busy scavenging the battlefield.
When a shinobi village with such a long heritage fell, there were always spoils to be found if one looked hard enough.
Sarutobi Sasuke escorted the wounded back. Since they were in no condition to fight, their route bypassed the territories of the major clans along the way.
However, after they had put a considerable distance between themselves and the medical camp, something unexpected happened.
A sensory ninja named Nobuhiko at Sasuke's side suddenly spoke up.
"Sasuke, someone is heading straight for us... I think it's an Uchiha."
He couldn't be certain of the identity, but his intuition screamed Uchiha.
"Heading for us... No, this direction leads toward the Hagoromo. He should be on his way to reinforce them." Sarutobi Sasuke thought for a moment before reaching a conclusion.
"But... according to our intel, didn't the Uchiha abandon their support for the Hagoromo? Their movements were a full step behind; giving up was the wise choice. Under these circumstances, why would an Uchiha be heading there alone?" Nobuhiko was confused.
"Indeed, such an action is equivalent to suicide..."
Quickly, Sarutobi Sasuke began to fill in the blanks. A loyal and righteous Uchiha ninja, upon learning the clan had abandoned their allies, had an argument with the Clan Head. In a fit of rage, he acted alone, willing to die just to prove the bond between the two clans...
Well, Sarutobi Sasuke looked steady, but his imagination was sometimes a bit off the rails. In the scenario he just imagined, other than correctly guessing "an argument with the Clan Head," not a single word matched reality.
How could such a display of classical romanticism not inspire respect?
Sarutobi Sasuke's eyes grew slightly moist. He took a deep breath and said:
"Say no more. That is a man of honor—a righteous hero of the Uchiha."
"Uh, so? Sasuke, what do we do?" Nobuhiko was used to this and simply asked for the next step.
"You guys bypass him and continue forward. I will stop him. A righteous man must not be lightly insulted, nor can we allow the camp to be attacked. Therefore... I, Sarutobi Sasuke, shall fulfill his sense of honor."
Sarutobi Nobuhiko glanced sideways at Sasuke. So what you're doing is exactly what you always do when we run into an enemy. Why all the extra talk?
As the saying goes, only Stand users attract other...
Wait, only a Sasuke can attract another Sasuke.
Uchiha Sasuke had no intention of going to the Hagoromo Clan. After hitting a wall, he simply didn't know what to do next, so he was wandering through the shinobi world, thinking as he went.
And then, things just happened to collide.
"Stop right there, you—"
When Sarutobi Sasuke appeared, he had intended to exchange a few words with this "Righteous Uchiha."
However, Uchiha Sasuke believed he already understood the way of the shinobi in this era. You meet someone outside? No need for words. It's a "kill or be killed" drama immediately.
Lightning flashed, and the chirping of a thousand birds rang out.
Sasuke, trailing a streak of lightning, charged toward Sasuke.
Chidori!
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