It was a laughable idea. They would never agree.
"But Father, if we can join the village, then the whole world could know peace, and besides, we—"
Hashirama kept trying, making one last effort to persuade them. Tobirama, however, dragged him straight out.
"All right, he's gone. Let's continue," Butsuma said to the council. "As we were saying: the Uchiha have already gathered large and small clans under their banner, growing much stronger. They're building a village, and civilians are flocking there. If this continues, their power will only increase. What options do we have that we can state clearly?"
"Attack now. While they're mid-build, we might still resolve this."
"Yes, this is the best time for us to strike. If we wait until their village is complete, they'll have proper defenses and we'll be on the back foot. We've fought the Uchiha for countless years—once they grow even stronger, they'll rush to finish us off."
"Agreed. Launch the attack."
"Me too!"
All the elders favored striking. They couldn't stand watching the Uchiha rise. In their own words, seeing the Uchiha grow stronger was more unbearable than dying themselves.
"Hm. It's an idea," Butsuma said. "But if we attack, which of you can handle Kaede?"
"Uh…"
The elders glanced at each other and fell silent.
Butsuma's jaw tightened. These people talked big about "handling the Uchiha," but when he asked for concrete answers, they had none. Useless.
"If none of you can pin down Kaede, then enough talk about fighting the Uchiha. As long as he's there—with that three-tomoe Rinnegan and power near a living god—who can oppose him? Forget it. Pass the order: the Senju will go to ground. No contact with the Uchiha."
"We evacuate quickly and hide our people."
Butsuma's voice carried helplessness. If he could help it, he wouldn't do this. This land was their home. Who wants to leave unless forced? But necessity left no choice.
"Understood," the elders answered, equally helpless.
…
Meanwhile, while the Hyuga and Senju both thought of retreating, the Uchiha were forging ahead with village construction.
In the council hall, the portraits of Uchiha ancestors already lined the wall. Kaede sat at the head. Below him were Tajima, Jingliu, Jingshui, Madara, and Dun—the five strongest in the clan for now, discounting Kaede himself.
"Lord, you called this urgent meeting—what would you have us discuss?" Tajima asked respectfully. At a time like this, none of them dared oppose Kaede in word or deed.
"Time is running short," Kaede said. "I'll be brief. Only the Hyuga and Senju remain. Tomorrow, our target is the Senju. I'll take Madara to negotiate with the Hyuga. If they're willing to join the village, all the better—no need to fight.
"The Uchiha and Hyuga are both dōjutsu clans. We know each other's taboos and can get along better than most. Their joining would strengthen the village. But if they refuse, we erase them.
"As for the Senju—their potential is great, not beneath ours. They're our natural enemies, and they must be addressed."
"Sensei, I might be able to persuade Hashirama," Madara said. "He once shared my vision—to build a peaceful world!"
"You can try," Kaede replied. "But remember your greatest flaw: you value emotion too much. Sometimes the knife in your back comes from the very emotions you cherish."
Kaede would have preferred to end the Senju outright. But changing too much might warp the future; returning to reality, he couldn't predict what upheavals would follow. Some things should still flow near the original course—the larger outline mustn't shift.
"Understood," Madara said quickly.
"That's all." Kaede rose and left.
The others remained to discuss how to maintain order once the village stood.
The next day, Kaede and Madara set out for the Hyuga. Since it was only the two of them, Kaede didn't travel slowly—he moved at extreme speed. What would normally take two days, he cut to a tenth. In three hours, they reached the Hyuga compound.
The sentries spotted them almost at once. In a blink, Kaede and Madara were there—both clad in typical Uchiha style, black hair and dark eyes. Kaede's face, in particular, was one every clan heir had been warned to know at a glance. The guard stared, struck dumb, trembling despite himself.
Kaede hadn't directly slain the Sarutobi with his own hands, true—but the falling meteor and the sight of so many who chose suicide rather than challenge him were seared into memory.
"L-Lord… my lord, forgive our failure to welcome you properly. May I ask why you've come?" the Hyuga guard stammered. In his gut, he feared Kaede would simply declare their annihilation. Thankfully, that did not happen—yet.
"Announce us. I will see your clan head," Kaede said.
"R-right this way!"
The guard answered at once and led Kaede and Madara inside.
(End of Chapter)
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