Chapter 20 The Mysterious Dwarf
The death of Senju Masaharu unsurprisingly ignited the Senju clan's grief and anger. The clan's territory was draped in white mourning, and roars of vengeance echoed day and night.
Despite the immense grief of losing his brother and his overwhelming rage, Senju Butsuma used an iron fist to suppress his clansmen who were on the verge of losing control. However, the bloodshot in his eyes and the murderous aura that seemed to solidify around him indicated that his patience was nearing its limit.
The Uchiha clan was under immense pressure as well. The messages coming back from the intelligence department were becoming increasingly urgent—the signs that the Senju clan was about to make a move were becoming more and more obvious.
The voices of the pro-war faction within the clan were growing louder, believing that Senju Masaharu's death was proof of the other side's provocation and that a strong response was necessary. Although Madara still firmly believed that the matter was suspicious, he could not be a coward when Senju had already "gone down" to him.
As a result, the entire Uchiha clan went on high alert. War seemed imminent.
late at night.
The Naka River flowed gently, yet it couldn't dispel the heavy atmosphere on both banks. Madara Uchiha and Hashirama Senju stood facing each other across the river.
"Hashirama," Madara broke the silence first, his voice low and serious, "about your uncle, Masaharu... I need to know more. What kind of person is he usually? Has he been acting strangely lately?"
Hashirama took a deep breath, his face filled with exhaustion and sorrow: "Uncle Seiji... he wasn't like this before. He used to be very cheerful, but five years ago, my aunt was ambushed by the Uchiha during a mission and never came back... Since then, he has changed, becoming taciturn and irritable. However, he is very good to his daughter. After his wife died, he poured all his heart and soul into his daughter Yumi."
At this point, Hashirama paused, his voice becoming even more strained: "But this spring, Yumi also died in battle, and in the same way... in the conflict with the Uchiha. We were all very worried about him, but unexpectedly, Uncle remained calm, frighteningly calm. So... so when he left a note saying he was going to take revenge, emotionally speaking... it wasn't entirely impossible."
Hashirama closed his eyes in pain.
Ban listened in silence, understanding the pain of losing a loved one and the potential for extremism that might result.
However, Hashirama changed the subject, a hint of confusion in his voice: "But... this isn't entirely like him. Uncle Seiji became irritable after losing his wife, but he was unusually calm when faced with major events. Going into the Uchiha clan's territory alone to seek revenge... this almost suicidal behavior doesn't seem like a choice he would make after careful consideration."
"This is too impulsive and too reckless."
Upon hearing this, a glint flashed in Madara's eyes.
“That’s right, Hashirama.” Madara’s voice became firm and sharp. “Even if a person with a calm nature is overwhelmed by grief, their behavior patterns may still leave traces, but everything at the scene is strange and illogical.”
He stepped forward, his gaze fixed intently on Hashirama: "I suspect there's a mastermind behind this, pulling the strings in the shadows. They took advantage of your uncle's grief over losing his family, or deceived him in some way, luring him to the Uchiha clan's territory, or... it was a carefully orchestrated trap set for your uncle, then made it look like we were the ones who made the move!"
Madara's tone was resolute and unwavering: "Hashirama, I swear in the name of the Uchiha, your uncle did not die at the hands of the Uchiha! This was a conspiracy from beginning to end, a vicious trap designed to make our two clans irreconcilably at odds! If we start a war now, we will be playing right into the hands of the mastermind behind it all!"
Hashirama stared at Madara in shock; the pure determination and anger in his friend's eyes seemed genuine. Moreover, Madara's analysis resonated with his own inner doubts.
"I believe you, Madara." Hashirama finally spoke heavily. "I will do my best to persuade Father and buy us time to investigate the truth. But... Madara, time is really running out. My father's anger and the grief of my clan are almost uncontrollable."
Across the river, both saw the gravity in each other's eyes. The thin thread of trust was reconnected at this moment, but it was incredibly fragile and needed the truth to reinforce it.
They had to race against time to find the enemy hiding in the shadows before the war broke out.
***
Black Zetsu, having stirred up yet another controversy, was in an extremely good mood.
His plan was so perfect... he used every factor to its fullest potential.
However, there is always a lingering shadow in this sense of triumph.
—That short figure wearing a mask would always appear in its mind at inopportune times.
Who exactly is that guy?
Black Zetsu felt a pang of fear and dread at the thought of the burning pain and oppressive feeling that would come from the contact of the other party's power, which was mixed with strange vitality, with his own body.
After that day, it used countless dormant spores, but could not find any information about that person. It was as if the other party had appeared out of thin air.
This feeling of being out of control made Black Zetsu feel intensely uneasy.
In particular, the other party is an enemy, not a friend.
If this person doesn't die... his heart will never be at peace!
***
After leaving the Naka River, Hashirama Senju immediately sought out his father, Butsuma. Instead of directly defending the Uchiha clan, he calmly and objectively analyzed the suspicious points surrounding Uncle Seiji's death, point by point:
"Father, Uncle Zhengzhi is always calm. His act of venturing into the Uchiha clan's territory alone to seek death is completely out of character. I dare to speculate that there might be a possibility—that an unknown force manipulated Uncle Zhengzhi and orchestrated all of this, just to incite a bloody war between us and the Uchiha. Just like Hagoromo back then!"
Hashirama knelt before his enraged father and pleaded, “Father, I don’t mean to stop us from avenging Uncle! But the blade of revenge must be used against the true enemy! If we are being used, and the real culprit is hiding in the shadows watching us and the Uchiha fight to the death, that would be the greatest betrayal of Uncle! Please give me some time, we will definitely get to the bottom of this! If it is ultimately proven that the Uchiha were responsible, I, Hashirama Senju, am willing to be the vanguard, fighting to the death!”
Looking at his eldest son, whose gaze was firm and whose analysis was clear and logical, and recalling his younger brother's rather strange suicide note and the unusual details of the scene, a sliver of reason finally squeezed through the overwhelming anger and grief.
He ultimately did not immediately issue the order for a full-scale attack, but instead gave his eldest son an extremely short deadline.
at the same time.
Madara Uchiha was also under immense pressure from within his clan. The pro-war elders were indignant, believing that Masaharu Senju's death was a good opportunity to weaken the enemy and that they should not hesitate.
As for the mastermind behind it all—even if there really is one, so what? It doesn't stop us from taking advantage of Senju's "illness" to kill him now.
Madara took a deep breath, displaying a tough stance. His cold gaze swept over the crowd: "Foolish! If this is a conspiracy, then starting a war now would be suicide! The Uchiha's sword does not slay nameless ghosts, nor is it used as a weapon by others!"
He withstood the pressure, expanded the scope of the search, and ordered the intelligence department to investigate all information about the mysterious forces or unusual individuals at all costs. He even began to secretly review the clan's recent mission records and personnel movements to check for any possibility of internal manipulation or betrayal.
Time passed quietly, and the anticipated brutal scene of a full-scale war between the Senju and Uchiha did not unfold as expected. Black Zetsu couldn't help but feel somewhat surprised.
"They actually held back?" Its crimson eyes shifted slightly, a hint of doubt appearing. "Is it because Indra and the reincarnation of Asura have a good relationship?"
However, this unexpected event did not turn into concern.
Black Zetsu grinned.
He knows exactly how to sow discord between the two "brothers."
What truly unsettled him was the short, masked figure. That eerie power, that attack capable of harming his very essence, and the undeniable hostility towards him...
That variable must be identified and completely resolved!
Black Zetsu's killing intent was almost tangible, permeating the underground cavern. A powerful, instinctive premonition told it that this mysterious figure was likely to become the most troublesome obstacle in its millennia-long plan!
It began to temporarily withdraw more attention and focus from the matter of sowing discord between the two races, and instead devoted itself to the frantic search for the mysterious dwarf.
Countless hidden spores scanned the area around where the mysterious dwarf had appeared at an even higher frequency, trying to capture any suspicious traces of energy or energy.
***
The tense atmosphere permeating the Uchiha clan's territory was like a simmering pot under increasing pressure, which even Yan Sheng, who rarely ventured out, could clearly sense. The reason was most likely related to what happened on his birthday.
Yan Sheng felt no attachment whatsoever to the survival or decline of the Uchiha clan. If one had to find a ties among them, perhaps... the gentleness of his mother, Kaori, and the care of his two elder brothers could stir even the slightest ripple in his frozen heart.
As for the lives and deaths of others, they were no different to him than dust in the wind, and did not stir the slightest emotion in him.
Yan Sheng's essence is cold. However, this indifference is not entirely innate; it is only after he willingly degenerated into a demon that he personally stripped away and discarded the "humanity" that he regarded as weakness and hindrance.
Emotions were one of them—whether it was love or hate, closeness or distance, he regarded them all as burdens and dust on the path to the highest sword skills.
In his heart, there was only the pursuit of absolute power and the desire for the pinnacle of swordsmanship.
Even though he was reborn as a human again in this life, Yan Sheng's resolve on this point remained unwavering.
So why does he still have some lingering "human feelings" for his mother and two older brothers?
This is not out of tenderness or filial piety, but rather a protective and possessive desire that is rooted in Yan Sheng's soul, has existed since human times, and has been distorted and amplified after he became a demon—an extreme form of male chauvinism that has evolved into something akin to paranoia.
In his mind, his mother Kaori and his brothers Madara and Izuna were not equal relatives, but rather "possessions" belonging to him within the scope of his responsibility. Just as a lord naturally protects his territory and treasures, this was an inviolable and unquestionable declaration of sovereignty.
Their safety and condition were directly linked to the integrity and dignity of his own domain. Therefore, Yen Sheng allowed himself to devote extremely limited "attention" to them in order to ensure the preservation of this "property."
Therefore, this is not love, but a dominant "care" based on an absolute power hierarchy.
That said, in order to figure out exactly where the situation had progressed, Yan Sheng adopted the method that was most in line with his identity and least likely to attract attention.
He spent most of his time near his mother Kaori's tea room or study. While Kaori spoke quietly with her trusted maids or clansmen who came to report, he would sit quietly on a cushion to the side, seemingly dozing off or intently fiddling with simple toys, but in reality, he was secretly recording information.
Then, under the guise of practicing literacy, they requested to browse through recent copies of the clan log (non-confidential) and the "Clan Land Chronicles" from the librarian. Subtle changes in personnel dispatch records and resource requisition lists in the log could indirectly reflect the clan's level of preparedness for war.
Consulting the "Treatise on Local Customs" provides a reasonable explanation for his possible subsequent "going out for a walk".
He would choose certain fixed times of the day (such as during the evening shift change) to slowly walk along the edge of the training field or the corridor leading to the council hall, carrying a book. Walking slowly allowed him to "accidentally" overhear snippets of conversation; carrying a book provided a perfect explanation for his lingering pauses when he stopped to catch his breath.
Finally, when Madara and Izuna came to visit him, he would stay quieter than usual, even more "well-behaved." Although they wouldn't reveal any secrets to him, the seriousness in their expressions and the occasional key words they let slip during their conversations were valuable sources of information.
......
Based on the scattered information gathered over the past few days, Yan Sheng roughly pieced together the outline of the events in his mind: a prominent figure from the Senju clan had died, and within the territory of the Uchiha clan. This incident had greatly angered the Senju, and the relationship between the two great ninja clans had reached its limit; war was like an arrow drawn from a fully drawn bow, ready to erupt at any moment.
His two elder brothers seem to be busy with the matter, trying their best to find some kind of truth and prevent this imminent devastating conflict.
Yan Sheng lowered his eyes, his long, thick eyelashes casting faint shadows on his pale face. His clear black and white eyes were like a bottomless ancient well, calm on the surface but with undercurrents surging within, and no one could see the bottom of them.
A thought popped into his mind: Could that dead Thousand Hands big shot be the same unlucky guy who was possessed by that strange, dark substance that day?
To verify this conjecture, Yan Sheng prepared to go out for a trip.
A note from the author:
----------------------
Brother & Black Zetsu: This child must not be allowed to live.
Mysterious dwarf—Black Zetsu, are you being polite?
The guy who fears most not growing to the height of his past life: Another reason for his ultimate move (Black Zetsu) has emerged.
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