Stepping seamlessly onto the surface of the water, Senju Hashirama sprinted over to the floating corpse and crouched down to inspect it.
Uchiha Madara's eyes narrowed. Watching Hashirama stand effortlessly on the river's current, a thoughtful expression crossed his face.
"Walking on water. He's a shinobi," a low voice murmured. Madara glanced sideways at Xuan but didn't say a word.
Hashirama examined the corpse closely, his expression turning solemn. "This area is going to turn into a battlefield soon. You two should hurry home." Staring at the crest emblazoned on the dead man's clothing, he thought to himself, That's the crest of the Hagoromo clan. "Sorry, but I have to go," Hashirama said aloud. Channeling chakra into his feet, he leaped gracefully to the opposite bank. Turning back, he waved. "Goodbye, Madara. And you too, Xuan. I was really happy to meet you both today."
Xuan waved back enthusiastically. "Hey! Make sure you come back and skip stones with us again!"
Hashirama smiled, waving as he disappeared into the dense forest.
Only after Hashirama's silhouette was completely gone did Xuan turn his attention back to Madara. Seeing the thoughtful, profound look on his friend's face, Xuan smiled. "What's on your mind?"
Madara shook his head, snapping out of his daze. "Nothing. Let's go. We need to head back to the compound."
The two turned around, leaping into the forest canopy and sprinting rapidly toward Uchiha territory.
"Say, why exactly did you come out here?" Madara asked as they traveled.
Xuan shrugged casually. "I really just came out for a walk to clear my head. We barely finished celebrating the New Year, and now I'm hearing rumors that we're about to go to war with the Senju again. Can't we just catch a break? I heard it's over a newly discovered vine forest in Hagoromo territory. The Senju made the first move, and we intervened afterward. Tch. In the end, aren't both sides just eyeing someone else's property? Killing each other day in and day out... it completely ruins the harmony of the world."
Madara fell silent for a long moment before letting out a heavy sigh. "Can these wars... truly never be stopped?"
"What do you think?" Xuan countered.
"I firmly believe that as long as I possess enough strength, it can be done. I will definitely be able to pacify the various clans and bring an end to the entire Warring States Era." As Madara spoke, his face was etched with absolute, unwavering conviction.
Xuan gave him a thumbs-up. "I believe in you. You'll definitely pull it off."
...Right alongside your good buddy, Senju Hashirama, Xuan silently added in his mind.
The moment the two boys arrived back at the compound gates, they ran face-first into an incredibly dark-faced Uchiha Tajima. Seeing them returning together from outside the territory, his expression sank even further. "Where have the two of you been?" he demanded in a low, dangerous voice. "Did you not know a clan meeting was about to convene?"
Both boys remained completely silent. They knew perfectly well that arguing with Uchiha Tajima never ended well.
"Forget it. Follow me to the meeting." Tajima turned on his heel and strode away. The two quickly hurried after him.
The clan meeting was, as expected, entirely focused on the impending war between the Hagoromo and the Senju.
"A massive vine forest has been discovered within Hagoromo territory," Tajima addressed the assembled elders and commanders. "When these specific vines undergo special processing and are infused with chakra, they can be woven into highly resilient vine armor. It provides exceptional physical protection and is an incredibly rare, invaluable military resource. We absolutely cannot allow it to fall into the hands of the Senju clan. Our first reinforcement detachment has already deployed and has engaged the Senju once. Now, we must discuss our overarching strategic approach..."
The upper echelons of the Uchiha immediately erupted into heated, intense debate. Xuan maintained his golden rule of keeping a low profile, silently sitting in the back and completely abstaining from the discussion as he waited for the meeting to conclude.
By the time the war council adjourned, the sun was already setting. Xuan bid Madara farewell and walked alone down the main street of the Uchiha compound. His memory of the original plot was slightly hazy, but he vaguely recalled a war like this. Wait... didn't Hashirama have a younger brother named Senju Itama? I think he dies in this exact conflict... Ah, I can't remember all the details.
Tossing the thought to the back of his mind, Xuan returned home and happily dug into the dinner his little maid had cooked.
"Master seems to be in a very good mood today," Hotaru noted with a warm smile, thoroughly enjoying her master's relaxed expression.
Xuan lightly tapped her on the head with his chopsticks. "Yep. I feel like I'm about to witness history. Haha."
Hotaru rubbed her head, quietly shifting her seat slightly further away. She didn't quite understand what her master meant. What did 'witnessing history' mean?
Despite having enjoyed a brief ceasefire since last year, the ancient, restless rivalry between the Uchiha and the Senju had violently reignited. This time, the spark was the Hagoromo clan's vine forest.
The Senju had struck first. The Uchiha immediately intervened under the righteous banner of "protecting the weak," loudly proclaiming that the Hagoromo clan had begged for their asylum and voluntarily offered the vine forest in exchange.
The Senju, who constantly preached about "love," initiating a war of aggression against a weaker clan, while the notoriously arrogant and aggressive Uchiha swooped in to play the valiant protectors—it was a deeply profound irony. However, regardless of the outcome, one absolute truth remained: no one actually gave a damn whether the Hagoromo clan lived or died.
That was simply the nature of the Warring States Era. Greed was not a sin; weakness was.
The war had been raging for over a month.
One day, on his way back from practicing Ninjutsu, Xuan was walking past a local tavern when a loud, boastful voice drifting from a window table caught his attention.
"I'm telling you, we scored a massive merit this time! Hahaha! Yesterday, while finishing up a mission in Hagoromo territory, we ran into a Senju squad trying to complete their own mission. Their strength couldn't match ours, so we slaughtered every last one of them! The last one standing was a Senju brat... Senju Itama, I think his name was. Heard he was actually Senju Butsuma's kid! Hahaha! Man, I'd pay good money to see the looks on those Senju bastards' faces right now!"
Xuan snapped his head toward the window. He didn't recognize the Uchiha shinobi who was speaking, but judging by his chakra signature, he was roughly at the Jōnin level. The man had two prominent, crossing scars under his right eye, making him easily memorable.
Xuan's eyes narrowed in thought. Abruptly changing direction, he sprinted straight for the Clan Head's estate in the center of the compound. Arriving outside Madara's room, he slid the door open and called out, "Madara! Are you in here?"
Silence answered him. Closing the door, he was just about to leave when a small figure approached from the corridor. It was Uchiha Izuna.
Truthfully, Xuan hadn't seen Izuna in a long time. He had heard the kid was constantly tagging along with the Clan Head's Shadow Guards for brutal special training and had even participated in a few covert missions.
Seeing him now, the childish softness had largely faded from Izuna's face. His footsteps were noticeably heavier and more grounded. With a single glance, Xuan knew for a fact that this kid had killed people—and definitely no less than ten.
"Are you looking for my older brother?" Izuna asked.
Xuan looked at him and nodded.
"My brother left about half an hour ago. I don't know where he went."
"Is that so," Xuan murmured, his eyes narrowing into thin slits. He turned and walked away. He was almost certain he knew exactly where Madara had gone.
Izuna watched Xuan's retreating back for a moment before silently turning and heading straight toward Uchiha Tajima's study.
In the distance, Xuan cast a brief glance over his shoulder. Seeing Izuna entering Tajima's room, a subtle, knowing smirk touched the corners of his mouth.
Channeling chakra into his legs, Xuan bolted out of the clan compound at top speed. The moment he crossed into the dense forest, he violently hurled a marked kunai forward.
Flash!
A streak of golden light illuminated the woods as he vanished, already chaining his Flying Raijin Jutsu to rapidly cover ground.
The Flying Raijin's travel speed was absolute. Halfway there, he caught sight of Uchiha Madara leaping frantically through the trees. Catching up to him, the two exchanged a brief, silent glance and rushed toward the riverbank together.
When they arrived, just as expected, a lonely, depressed silhouette was sitting on the riverbank.
The two Uchiha stepped out of the tree line and walked toward him.
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