Chapter 43: Madara: I'll do it for you (Two parts combined...)

After confining Yan Sheng to his quarters, Madara Uchiha did not stop.

Knowing that a lot of things must have piled up in the clan and village during his absence, he went straight to see the second-in-command, Izuna.

—Nowadays, Izuna works in the village, not in the clan.

The same applies to the Senju side.

After navigating the streets, which now resembled a well-organized village, Madara arrived at Izuna's office. Pushing open the door, he found Izuna engrossed in a scroll. Hearing footsteps, Izuna looked up, saw Madara, and immediately beamed with joy: "Brother, you're back!"

"Hmm." Madara responded, sitting down opposite Izuna, and got straight to the point, "The tailed beast issue is resolved. All nine were captured."

Izuna nodded, unsurprised. He had always believed in his brother's strength; a mere tailed beast was nothing but a beast.

"All of it? Brother is amazing! Did the process go smoothly?"

"It was a bit troublesome, but the result was correct." Madara briefly described the process, naturally omitting Yan Sheng's physical condition and those thrilling details. "I made contracts with five: Three-Tail, Four-Tail, Six-Tail, Eight-Tail, and Nine-Tail. The other four: One-Tail, Two-Tail, Five-Tail, and Seven-Tail are with Yan Sheng."

Izuna hummed in agreement, having no objection to the allocation.

"How have things been in the clan and village while I was away?" Ban got straight to the point.

Izuna straightened his expression and began his report in a clear and organized manner: "The village's construction is largely complete. The main administrative buildings, the settlements for various ethnic groups, the training grounds, and the basic structure of the hospital have all been completed. Currently, we are reinforcing the outer defensive fortifications and refining some public facilities. Basically, it has the conditions to operate as a complete village."

"Very good." Ban was satisfied; the speed was faster than he had expected.

"Then there's the invitation to the planned ninja clans," Izuna continued. "Besides the Sarutobi and Shimura clans, which were already confirmed, the Nara, Yamanaka, and Akimichi clans, although they had initially agreed to join, had very few members moving over, indicating they were observing the situation. Now, almost all of them have come, so this should be considered their official joining." He chuckled as he said this.

"The Aburame clan and the Inuzuka clan are also included, but they still have doubts, so not all of them have come."

"So far, most of the ninja clans we expected have accepted the invitation." Izuna paused, then added, his tone slightly subtle, "Of course, there were bound to be some minor frictions and arguments during the process, but they were all within a controllable range."

A freckled chin.

Friction is inevitable, as long as it doesn't affect the overall situation. After all, with so many ninja clans gathered here, it would be abnormal if there were no friction.

Izuna continued, his tone becoming slightly more serious: "Furthermore, news of our village's establishment has reached the ears of the Daimyo of the Land of Fire. The Daimyo has shown considerable interest in it, and a few days ago he specially sent an envoy to invite Hashirama Senju to the capital for a meeting."

Madara's brow twitched almost imperceptibly: "Hashirama went? What was the result?"

“They went.” Izuna nodded. “The specific content of the conversation was not fully disclosed, but according to Hashirama Senju after his return, the Daimyo mainly wanted to confirm the stance, strength, and future attitude of our Hidden Leaf Village towards the Land of Fire. Hashirama Senju… demonstrated the power and sincerity of the Hidden Leaf Village to the Daimyo in his own way.”

As Izuna spoke, his expression turned somewhat helpless. Presumably, Hashirama Senju's so-called "method" was some kind of exaggerated performance or an overly sincere guarantee.

"Ultimately, the Daimyo preliminarily recognized Konoha Village's status as a military force within the Land of Fire and indicated that he would provide certain support and entrust it with tasks. Further details will require further consultation." This can be considered a positive diplomatic outcome, laying the foundation for Konoha's legitimacy.

Later, Izuna reported on other matters: the initial integration of personnel from various races, the establishment of the mission delegation system, the drafting of internal rules and regulations, and some minor disputes over resource allocation. The matters were numerous and trivial, but Izuna handled them all in an orderly manner.

Ban listened quietly, occasionally asking one or two key questions. After hearing all the reports, he had a comprehensive understanding of what had happened during his absence.

The village is developing in the direction expected, and although there are still many problems, the overall momentum is good.

"You've worked hard, Izuna," Madara said in a deep voice. Handling such a complex matter so well must have taken a lot of effort.

“It’s what I should do.” Izuna smiled, then asked with concern, “Was everything alright when you went out this time, brother? And what about Mikatsu…” Before he could finish speaking, he keenly sensed the slightly gloomy aura of Madara when he mentioned Mikatsu.

I was just about to ask if something had happened.

Madara spoke up: "He needs to rest for a while." His explanation was perfunctory, and the topic was abruptly changed. "You'll have to work hard on the village's affairs going forward. I'll discuss the placement and utilization of the tailed beasts with Hashirama later."

Izuna's heart skipped a beat, but he calmly and solemnly replied, "Yes, brother. Don't worry."

***

Izuna understood Madara. If it were just a normal matter concerning Mikoto, his brother would never have been in a state of suppressed anger.

Unable to rest easy, Izuna decided to personally go and ask Michikatsu about the situation.

He quickly finished his urgent tasks and returned to his clan's territory. Arriving at Yan Sheng's residence, he knocked twice, but there was no response. He raised his voice slightly and called out "Yan Sheng," but still, there was silence.

Izuna frowned and pushed open the unlocked door.

The interior furnishings were as simple and austere as I remembered, much like Yan Sheng himself. A faint, dusty smell permeated the air—clearly, the owner hadn't lingered there long after returning.

"Isn't he here?" Izuna muttered to herself as she left the room.

As he was wondering where Yan Sheng might have gone, he looked up and saw Jiu Si carrying several rolls of medicinal herbs, walking out of the clinic next door.

Izuna immediately stepped forward and stopped Hisaji.

When Hisashi saw Izuna, he immediately bowed respectfully and said, "Lord Izuna."

"Do you know where Yan Sheng went? I went to his room just now, but I couldn't find him," Izuna asked.

Hisashi shook his head: "I don't know."

He wasn't exactly lying; he genuinely didn't know where Yan Sheng was. But he knew Yan Sheng was most likely sulking in some corner.

Sigh, the little ancestor is furious because he was confined by the clan leader and had his knife confiscated. Knowing the little ancestor as he does, he's probably in some secluded corner watching others train, or he's gone to some quiet spot in the back mountains to squat down.

As for why he didn't tell Izuna about this—Madara was clearly furious and wanted to discipline his younger brother more strictly. If he revealed that Master Yansheng might have violated the rules by "going out," wouldn't that just add fuel to the fire?

Izuna observed Hisashi's expression and noticed a slight flicker in his eyes, which deepened his suspicions. However, he did not press Hisashi, but simply nodded: "If you see him, tell him to come find me."

"Yes, Lord Izuna." Hisashi secretly breathed a sigh of relief, quickly agreed, and then left with the medicinal herbs.

Izuna stood there, pondered for a moment, then turned and went to find Uchiha Masaki.

Like Madara, he also knew that Uchiha Masaki was one of Mikoto's men.

In front of a makeshift warehouse piled with supplies, Izuna found Uchiha Masaki busy at work. A thick scroll of lists was spread out in front of him, and various boxes of supplies were stacked around him. He was checking and verifying them with a focused expression.

As the village grew, various supplies needed to be integrated, registered, and redistributed. Madara entrusted this tedious and crucial task to Izuna for overall coordination, while Izuna delegated some of the specific execution to Uchiha Masaki.

As for the other half, it was handled by the person in charge sent by the Senju clan—this was a necessary gesture for cooperation between the two clans.

This also brings a new problem: Uchiha Masaki must work together with the Senju leader, and if either party does not cooperate, the work will come to a standstill.

Fortunately, those selected to handle this task are all intelligent people.

—The person in charge of the Thousand Hands was easygoing. Although he and Yashu weren't exactly close, they were at least professional and got along quite harmoniously, which ensured efficiency.

"Yasuki," Izuna called out.

Upon hearing the voice, Uchiha Masaki looked up and saw that it was Izuna. He immediately put down the scroll and pen in his hand and bowed respectfully: "Lord Izuna."

"Have you seen Yan Sheng?" Izuna asked.

Upon hearing this, Uchiha Masaki looked surprised and shook his head: "Young Master Yan Sheng is back? I didn't even know."

That's true. Since being assigned this task by Izuna, he's been so busy he hasn't had a moment to spare, let alone pay attention to anything else. Besides, Madara and Kokusatsu returned discreetly; apart from the guards on duty and a few people they encountered on the way, no one knows they're back yet.

Izuna carefully observed Masaki's expression and judged that he was not lying.

It seems that Yan Sheng hasn't come to see his capable subordinate since he returned.

"If Lord Izuna is in a hurry to find Young Master Yansheng, perhaps you could ask Miss Shi. She might know."

Izuna: "I understand. You can continue with your work. This matter is very important, so please be careful. Thank you for your hard work."

“It is my duty, Lord Izuna,” Uchiha Masaki bowed.

***

If Uchiha Masaki was a "confidant" who quietly attached himself to Mikatsu and was known only to a few people such as Madara and Izuna, then Shi was an open and well-known "one of Mikatsu's people."

It wasn't just because she always followed Yan Sheng like a tail, but also because of her strong, almost obsessive, protective instincts—Shi would never allow anyone to say anything bad about Yan Sheng, including any comments that didn't sound pleasant.

The most serious taboo subject concerns Yen Sheng's body.

Phrases like "sickly" or "won't live much longer," whether unintentional or based on factual sentiment, are seen as vicious curses in poetry.

If an elderly person said such things, Shi could still restrain herself from hitting them. However, she would step forward and use her sweet and lovely face to reason with them.

From "Yan Sheng's strength and wisdom" to "the inappropriateness and hurtfulness of your words," she could recite for a long time with clear logic and organization, until the other person was dizzy, defeated, and begged for mercy repeatedly before she stopped.

However, if a young person or a child of the same age says this, then I'm sorry.

Under Yan Sheng's personal tutelage, and with her own considerable talent, Shi's abilities far surpassed those of her peers. Many children older than her were not necessarily her match.

She doesn't even need to use chakra or ninjutsu to deal with talkative children; she can make them suffer without any chance to fight back simply by using taijutsu.

As for the younger generation who are stronger than her, a direct confrontation would be difficult, but Shi is quick-witted. If open attacks don't work, she'll resort to covert ones.

Traps, pranks, perfectly timed "accidents"... she always manages to create trouble, leaving the other party overwhelmed and ultimately forced to realize: loose lips sink ships.

Over time, the unspoken consensus among the younger generation of the Uchiha clan became that "never mess with Shi, and especially never touch her sore spot - Yan Sheng".

After all, you can't really fight to the death with a seven-year-old child, can you? Besides, Izuna is standing behind this child.

Everyone knew that Izuna cherished his frail younger brother like the apple of his eye. To complain? Someone had tried, accusing Shi of his "misdeeds" to Izuna.

Izuna's attitude toward this was: outwardly perfunctory, but inwardly pleased with the outcome.

For Izuna, Kokushibo was his most beloved younger brother. Due to considerations of his status, position, and image, he often found it inconvenient to personally intervene and deal with gossip.

Now that his loyal and resourceful little guard, Shi, has taken the initiative to protect his brother's reputation, he is overjoyed and would never blame him.

He would even secretly provide Shi with some support and convenience. As a result, Shi's "bad reputation" and the strength of his backing spread together.

......

Izuna searched several places but couldn't find Shi. Finally, he found the girl in the kitchen.

Pushing open the slightly ajar kitchen door, the scene inside came into view: Seven-year-old Shi was standing on a raised stool, wearing an apron that was obviously too big, intently kneading dough in a large wooden basin.

Her little face was dusted with flour, her expression serious, and although her movements were still somewhat childish, they were quite skillful. There was also some prepared red bean paste on the stove. It seemed she was planning to make a dessert.

Izuna gently knocked on the door frame to alert the girl to his arrival.

Shi heard the voice and turned around. When she saw it was Izuna, her eyes lit up. She put down the dough in her hand, jumped off the small stool, and obediently called out, "Izuna-nii."

The sound was crisp and clear, with a soft, childlike quality.

Looking at her mature demeanor and then at the bowl of dough, Izuna softened his voice: "Making desserts?"

"Hmm." Shi nodded, wiping her forehead with the back of her hand, only to get more flour on it. "Yan Sheng just got back. He doesn't seem to be feeling well. Eating something sweet might help." Her words were full of concern for Yan Sheng, and an urgent desire to do something for him.

Izuna's heart stirred slightly.

Shi knew Yan Sheng had returned and that he wasn't feeling well, so they must have met. He raised his hand to wipe the flour off Shi's forehead and asked gently, "Do you know where Yan Sheng is? I need to talk to him."

Shi looked up at Izuna, blinked, and instead of answering immediately, asked, "Izuna-nii, is there something important you need to discuss with Michikatsu-nii?"

Looking at the undisguised protectiveness in the girl's eyes, Izuna felt both amused and impressed.

He crouched down to be at eye level with Shi, his tone even gentler: "I'm just a little worried about him. I heard he had a tough time on this trip, and I wanted to see how he was doing. You know, like his brother, he always keeps everything to himself."

Hearing that Izuna's actions stemmed from concern, Shi relaxed her guard slightly. She hesitated for a moment, then whispered, "Lord Yan Sheng... was in a bad mood after returning. Lord Madara... took Lord Yan Sheng's sword away and wouldn't let him leave the house." Her words were filled with sympathy and indignation for Yan Sheng.

"Really? I see." Izuna thought to herself that something must have happened. "Don't worry, I'm not like Madara. Tell me where he is, okay? I promise I won't go and say anything about him."

Shi stared at Izuna for a few seconds, seemingly trying to determine the truthfulness of his words. Ultimately, her trust in Izuna and her worry for Michikatsu prevailed. She raised her flour-covered hand and pointed in a certain direction outside the kitchen's back window.

"Brother Yan Sheng is at the biggest crooked tree on the back hill."

Following the direction indicated in the poem, Izuna searched all the way to the back mountain.

A gentle breeze rustled the leaves covering the mountainside, like the whispers of nature.

He soon spotted the conspicuous, crooked old tree. On one of the thickest, longest branches, a familiar figure sat quietly, leaning against the trunk, eyes closed, thick eyelashes casting faint shadows on his pale cheeks, as if asleep.

But Izuna knew that Michikatsu wasn't asleep. His straight back and the subtle tension throughout his body couldn't fool those who knew him well.

Izuna nimbly leaped onto a nearby tree branch. Looking at his younger brother's refusal to communicate, he sighed helplessly and said, "What? You came back but didn't even come to see me. Now that I've come to find you in person, you still won't open your eyes to look at me?"

The only response he received was the sound of the wind passing through the woods.

Yan Shenglian's eyelashes didn't even tremble; he completely ignored Izuna.

Izuna wasn't discouraged and continued, "Don't worry, I'm not here to scold you. I heard Madara grounded you and took your sword away." He paused, his tone filled with genuine curiosity and worry, "What did you do to anger Madara to this extent?"

Ban rarely used such harsh methods against Yan Sheng.

The person on the tree trunk remained silent, as if transformed into a cold stone sculpture.

Izuna's eyes flickered slightly, his tone becoming meaningful: "You don't want to tell me... Fine, I'll just have to ask Madara myself." He pretended to turn around, adding lightly, "If you tell me now, I can still help you think of a way and stand on your side. But once I get the reason from Madara..."

He deliberately drew out his words: "Then I'm afraid I'll have no choice but to stand with Brother Ban and suppress you together."

That had an effect.

Yan Sheng opened his eyes and silently looked at Quan Nai. His eyes held no trace of the drowsiness of someone just waking up, only a chilling coldness. Although he still didn't speak, his gaze was clear: Are you threatening me?

Izuna met his gaze and said quietly, "Yes, I am threatening you." There was an innocent yet sly smile on her face, as if to say, "What can you do to me?"

Yan Sheng's lips pressed into a cold, hard line.

Just as the two brothers were locked in a silent standoff with their eyes, the atmosphere remained tense.

A soft rustling sound suddenly came from Yan Sheng's sleeve pocket. Immediately afterwards, a small head popped out; it was Xiao Yiwei, who had been woken up.

It rubbed its eyes with its little paws, tucked its two tiny hands into the edge of the pocket, yawned widely, and muttered in dissatisfaction:

"It's so noisy, can't a person get any sleep?" It turned its little head from side to side, meeting Izuna's squinting, probing gaze, and feeling Yan Sheng's cold gaze above its head. It subconsciously shrank its neck, but the resentment of being woken up made it unable to resist talking:

"Indra...cough!" It almost mispronounced the name again, quickly stopping itself and awkwardly correcting itself, "Uchiha Madara is angry because this kid doesn't take good care of his body. His constitution was already as rotten as a sieve, and he keeps using things that deplete his life force—"

"Smack!"

Before it could finish speaking, Yan Sheng raised his hand expressionlessly and slapped it back into the depths of his pocket.

The world returned to silence.

All that remained was a muffled "woof woof" protest coming from the pocket, and...

Izuna's playful smile froze, slowly turning into shock and rising anger.

"Damage to life force?"

At this moment, he had no mind to investigate whether the talking little thing that Yan Sheng had slapped back was a tailed beast. His entire mind was now ignited by the earth-shattering words "depletion of life force," which made his vision go black.

I see.

No wonder Ban Ge was so angry, no wonder Yan Sheng was willing to endure his "threats" and let him learn the truth from Ban Ge rather than tell it himself.

—Because Yan Sheng knew perfectly well that once he knew about this matter, there was absolutely no possibility that anyone would stand on his side.

"Yan Sheng!" Izuna shouted through gritted teeth.

He hadn't been this angry in a long time, not even when facing the cunning Tobirama Senju.

"You actually...!" Izuna was so angry that she could barely utter a complete sentence.

His voice echoed through the woods, startling several birds. Those eyes, which always held a gentle smile, were now burning with raging anger as he stared intently at Yan Sheng, trying to find even the slightest trace of regret or wavering in those icy eyes.

However, no.

Yan Sheng simply stared back at him in silence, his eyes as still as a pool of water.

This silent resistance fueled Izuna's anger even more.

at the same time.

Madara Uchiha arrived at the newly built office building located in the center of the village.

He ignored the respectful bows of the ninjas along the way and went straight to the door of one of the offices.

"Knock knock knock—"

Hearing the knock on the door, Hashirama Senju, who was slumped over his desk, sighing at the mountain of documents, suddenly looked up, rubbed his face, and tried to put on a reliable and composed expression before calling out, "Come in!"

The door was pulled open from the outside.

Upon recognizing the visitor, Hashirama Senju's weariness vanished instantly. He stood up with delight, walked around the desk to greet him, and exclaimed, "Madara! You're back!" His smile was bright and genuine, radiating undisguised joy.

Madara Uchiha had no interest in small talk: "Yes. The tailed beast issue is resolved; all nine have been captured."

Without pausing, and naturally not giving Hashirama time to express surprise or admiration, he continued in a heavy tone, "My brother has a very serious health problem and needs your help."

Upon hearing this, Hashirama Senju's smile vanished, replaced by a serious expression: "Is it serious? Where is he? Let's go, we'll be there right now!"

Seeing Hashirama's unwavering and genuine concern, Madara felt a surge of warmth in his heart. Conversely, his anger towards Mikatsu's reckless and arrogant behavior resurfaced.

He took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing his turbulent emotions, telling himself that now was not the time to be angry, and explained in as calm a tone as possible:

"The situation is complicated. He... cultivates a special technique that puts an enormous strain on the body, essentially squeezing out his lifespan." As he said the last four words, Ban's teeth almost ground to powder.

“But he kept it from me all along, and I only found out recently.” Madara was still furious when he said this. He took a breath to calm himself down before continuing, “If you hadn’t treated him when he was seriously injured last time, leaving a large amount of life-giving chakra (yang energy) in his body, he probably would have collapsed long ago.”

"His condition is extremely bad; multiple organs are showing signs of failure. I had no choice but to contact you..."

With each sentence Madara spoke, Hashirama Senju's expression grew more serious. When he heard "reduced lifespan" and "organ failure," he gasped, his face filled with shock and worry.

"How could this happen?" Hashirama murmured, then his eyes hardened. "Fine, whatever happens—let's go! Madara, take me there quickly! I will do everything in my power to save your brother!"

***

In Yan Sheng's room.

The warm, vibrant green chakra light on Hashirama Senju's palm slowly dissipated. He carefully sensed Yan Sheng's condition and, confirming that it was "repaired," breathed a sigh of relief.

"Alright, that's fine for now." Hashirama withdrew his hand. "I've tried my best to replenish what was consumed, and I've barely repaired the broken and damaged meridians. I even left some extra yang energy to nourish him. But, little Yan Sheng..." He looked at the pale-faced boy on the bed, who was stubbornly turning his head towards the window, and said earnestly:

“You really can’t go on like this. Your brother cares about you very, very much. What you’re doing is not only hurting yourself, but also him.”

As Hashirama spoke, he patted the shoulder of Madara Uchiha, whose face was as black as the bottom of a pot. Madara gave him a cold look, and Hashirama withdrew his hand sheepishly. "Besides, look, with someone as capable as your brother here, and with me, even if the sky falls, the two of us will hold it up. You really don't need to work so hard."

Hashirama Senju's words were meant to comfort Madara, but they inadvertently reminded him of something.

—Ban recalled that Yan Sheng pursued power so recklessly because there was an extremely urgent reason that made him feel he could not rely on him.

Ban suddenly spoke up: "Yan Sheng, tell me, what exactly are you in such a hurry for?"

His response was still silence.

Ban suppressed the surging agitation in his heart and continued, his tone more patient than ever before: "Tell me, and I can help you. Whatever you want, whoever the enemy is."

Still, silence.

Ban took a deep breath, knowing he had to say something he would never normally say.

He rarely expressed such direct emotions, but at this moment, he had to make Yan Sheng understand: "I am your older brother, and you are my younger brother. We share the same blood, from the same mother and the same father. You are my most important family member. Yan Sheng, I cannot lose you."

"So tell me, what is it that you are so eager to do, even at the cost of burning yourself out?"

These candid words moved even Hashirama Senju, who was standing nearby. He even awkwardly raised his hand to wipe the tip of his nose, thinking to himself: "Well, although I don't agree with Tobirama's constant talk about how the Uchiha clan is obsessive, twisted, and difficult to communicate with, I have to admit... their way of expressing concern and care is indeed quite... awkward and heavy."

After saying that, Ban did not speak again.

A long silence fell over the room, as if time had stretched out, each second filled with unspoken resistance and struggle.

Just as Madara thought he would get no response again and his heart sank lower and lower—

Yan Sheng's lips twitched slightly.

Then, a low, hoarse voice, almost like a breath, escaped with difficulty from Yan Sheng's pale lips:

"...I want to save someone."

Ban instinctively asked, "Who is it? Who is he? Where is he?"

Yan Sheng fell into an agonizing silence once again. It was as if those five words had exhausted all his energy.

Seeing this, Ban took a deep breath and forced himself to be patient. He didn't urge him, but waited for his younger brother to figure things out on his own.

Another century passed.

Yan Sheng finally spoke again, his voice carrying an indescribable heaviness and pain.

"He... gave me my life."

Madara and Hashirama were both taken aback.

Yan Sheng's eyelashes trembled violently, as if the words to come were of immense weight, requiring all his strength to utter:

"He's in a very bad state now... because of... giving me this life."

Yan Sheng's heavy and vague words, like a stone thrown into a deep pool, stirred up huge waves in Ban's heart.

He gave me my life. Because of that life, he's in a very bad state now.

The first thing that flashed into Madara's mind, like an instinct, was the image of his mother, Kaori.

But then I thought again, wait a minute, Yan Sheng used "he", not "she".

Hashirama Senju stood to the side, somewhat confused. He didn't know the specifics of the Uchiha clan's situation, so when he heard "saved a life" and "now things are very bad," his first thought was that someone who had saved Michikatsu's life was in serious trouble.

He was about to ask for details, such as who the person was, where they were, and what difficulties they were facing, so that he and Ban could help immediately, when the door to the room was gently pushed open.

Izuna, who had gone to find Hisashi to brew the medicine, carried in a steaming bowl of herbal soup that emitted a rich medicinal aroma. As soon as he entered, he keenly sensed that the energy in the room was abnormal.

Ban Ge looked at Yan Sheng on the bed with a heavy expression and complicated eyes.

Hashirama stood to the side, looking like he wanted to ask but didn't know where to begin. As for Yan Sheng, he lowered his head, his entire being enveloped in an aura that was colder and more somber than ever before.

Izuna's heart sank. Could it be that his younger brother's condition was worse than he had imagined? Even Hashirama Senju was helpless?

His face instantly turned pale, and his voice involuntarily became somber as he asked, "What's wrong? Is Yan Sheng not doing well?" He quickly walked to the bedside and looked anxiously at Hashirama and Madara.

Seeing Izuna's expression, Hashirama Senju knew he had misunderstood. He quickly waved his hand and simultaneously gave Izuna a meaningful look, silently mouthing: 'No—it—is—the—body—'

He mouthed the words while gesturing to Yan Sheng on the bed with his eyes, then pointed to his heart, trying to convey that it was "something else, related to psychology."

Izuna was an exceptionally intelligent man. Although he didn't fully grasp the meaning of Hashirama's gestures at first, he understood that it wasn't a medical emergency for Michikatsu. His tense nerves relaxed slightly, but his doubts deepened.

If it's not a physical problem, then what's causing this heavy, almost frozen atmosphere?

He suppressed his many questions and refrained from pressing further. He gently placed the medicine bowl on the low table by the bedside and whispered, "The medicine is ready." Then he stood silently beside Ban, looking at his brother with questioning eyes.

Madara received Izuna's gaze, but simply shook his head, signaling him to calm down. Then, his gaze returned to Mikatsu.

“Yan Sheng,” he called out, “it’s alright if you don’t want to tell me who that person is.”

Upon hearing this, not only did Hashirama look at Madara with surprise, but even Kokushiro, who had been immersed in his own world, stirred slightly.

Ban continued, "You only need to tell me what you need to do to save him." He leaned forward slightly, trying to catch the emotion in Yan Sheng's eyes, his voice deep and powerful, each word resounding:

Tell me, and I'll help you do it.

“No matter how difficult or dangerous that task is, I will complete it for you. You will no longer need to exchange your body and lifespan for it.”

This was the greatest concession and promise Ban could make. He didn't insist on prying into his brother's secrets; he only sought a direction, a goal, so that he could clear all obstacles for his brother and bear all the risks for him.

After all, he's the older brother.

-----------------------

Author's Note: Note: The pronunciation of "ta" and "she" is different in Japanese.

Yan Sheng later attacked the daimyo

Madara: Hmm... Shall we fight then?

Yan Sheng took in refugees.

Madara: Hmm... Shall we accept it then?

The village was too small for Yan Sheng to live in, so he expanded the village's area.

Ban: Hmm... Shall we expand it then?

Yan Sheng unified the country and established a nation.

Madara: Hmm... wait, what happened?