As expected, what Madara said was correct.
"Father, the Senju clan has no need to get involved with them. They've offended the Uchiha clan and now want us to clean up their mess. There's no reason for us to take the fall for them," Hashirama said bluntly.
"Hashirama, you…" Tobirama hadn't expected his brother to speak like this and instinctively looked over at him—only to see an unusually cold expression on Hashirama's face.
"Father, I feel the same way," Tobirama added.
Although Tobirama deeply disliked the Uchiha clan, he understood that this so-called alliance of families was nothing more than a ploy to have the Senju exhaust the Uchiha, allowing the others to reap the benefits. He had no intention of doing something so foolish.
Some clan members might not yet see the truth, but the sharper ones had already figured it out and politely declined. Tobirama, hearing their words, also courteously refused the alliance.
After all, an alliance always needed a leader, and they didn't want to become the target of everyone's arrows.
"…Fine," the other clans said with disappointment, but they didn't push the matter and soon left one by one.
"Father, I'm tired. I'll rest now," Hashirama said before his father could question him, then went straight to his room.
His father found this strange—had he become so frightening that his eldest son left after just a few words?
…
Madara returned, still spattered with blood. Even his hands were stained, though the excitement in his eyes was impossible to hide. Of course, the blood came from an opponent he had just defeated.
For the past several days, Madara had been leading Uchiha clansmen against other families. At first, many thought he was too young, and as the clan leader's son—especially with Kaede as his teacher—he couldn't be allowed to come to harm. They shielded him in battle.
But later, after being tricked by some scheming enemies and nearly cornered, Madara had taken down the foe himself and saved them. Only then did they realize he had already transformed—both in strength and mentality.
From then on, when Madara led the extermination of small families, no one stopped him; instead, they let him act freely.
Gradually, Madara gained status in the clan. His words carried more weight, as the Uchiha revered strength above all else. Status came not from being the leader's son, but from proving oneself.
"Sensei, I found this in a family's storehouse and thought it suited you," Madara said, handing Kaede a jade pendant shaped like a leaf.
When he first saw it, Madara had immediately thought of his teacher, so he brought it back as a gift—a way to repay his master.
"Not bad. I've been watching your battles these past days—you've done very well. You've earned recognition from many and even gained followers," Kaede said as he accepted the gift.
As expected of Madara—give him a good teacher, and his talent would quickly shine, surpassing any other Uchiha of his generation. Even prodigies like Itachi, Shisui, or other Mangekyō Sharingan users could not match him.
Of course, Obito's Kamui ability was a bug in itself—if Kaede had such an ability, he'd secure both eyes immediately rather than leaving such a glaring weakness in someone else's possession.
After all, some awakened the Sharingan as children yet failed to grow stronger for years, while others who awakened late could jump straight to three tomoe within a few years—and even reach the Mangekyō stage. Early awakening only determined initial strength, not future growth.
"Sensei, I'll work hard. This time, I exterminated every single one who dared defy my clan, even the old, weak, women, and children. I… I know it was the right choice, but I still feel uneasy," Madara admitted.
During those raids, Madara had encountered civilians—family members of enemy ninja who knew no ninjutsu. Once, he had spared such people, bringing them back to the Uchiha compound to give them a chance at life. In this chaotic era, even becoming a slave could mean survival, and the Uchiha didn't treat slaves harshly.
But that very night, those same captives had set multiple fires in the compound. If not for quick-acting ninja, the damage could have been catastrophic.
Kaede remembered clearly—the rescued civilians had looked at Madara as if he were a demon. All of them had been executed.
Since then, when facing even disarmed enemies, Kaede's policy was to leave no survivors, to prevent such events from happening again.
The reasoning was sound, but it was still unpleasant.
"You feel uneasy because you empathized with them. As a strong one, you think you can decide the fate of those you pity. But reverse the situation—if those families had truly united and stormed the Uchiha stronghold…" Kaede began.
(End of Chapter)
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