Chapter 53 The Fisherman Reaps the Benefit (Three Chapters Combined, Including Bonus Chapter...)
After yet another fruitless search, standing on the last oasis on the border of the Land of Wind where Mikasa might have stayed, and sensing the faint trace of his younger brother's chakra in the air that was almost completely dissipated, Madara Uchiha's face was so gloomy it could be wrung out.
Once could be a coincidence, twice an accident, but these repeated missed opportunities... Ban was certain that his younger brother was deliberately avoiding him.
This feeling made him feel a burning anger in his chest, a mixture of anger at his brother's actions and a sense of loss.
Compared to Madara's almost tangible low pressure, Hashirama Senju's mood was complex and subtle—not as heavy as when he first heard in the Land of Lightning that Mikatsu might be the culprit who started the world war.
As he traveled through the vast and barren land of the Wind Kingdom, he naturally noticed some unusual changes.
Despite the still harsh environment, in some oases and villages, people's spirits are no longer one of utter despair.
He saw newly cultivated fields planted with crops; he heard optimistic discussions about finding new water sources. And the most common title among the common people of the Wind Kingdom was: Wise Man.
Just as he was pondering this, several dark-skinned children playing by the sand dunes ran past, laughing and arguing, "Is the wise man more powerful or the ninja more powerful?"
Hashirama's heart skipped a beat, and he put on his signature gentle smile, which was a little silly, as he walked toward the children.
"Excuse me, kids."
The children immediately stopped playing and looked warily at the tall man dressed in foreign clothes.
“Who are you? We’ve never seen you before.” An older boy stood in front of the other children, his tone harsh.
Hashirama quickly waved his hands, his smile innocent: "Ahaha, don't be nervous, don't be nervous. I'm just a passerby. I heard you mention the wise man earlier, and I'm a little curious. Is he a very powerful person?"
Seeing that he didn't even know the famous sage, the children looked on incredulously, their wariness lessened, and a sense of superiority arose in them, as if to say, "You outsider are really ignorant."
Add to that Hashirama's natural affability and his seemingly dim-witted, bright smile, and he certainly doesn't seem like a threatening villain.
"You don't even know the Wise One?" A little girl finally couldn't help but speak up, her tone full of pride.
“Exactly! The wise man is amazing!” another child chimed in. Perhaps to show off, or perhaps because they couldn’t contain their admiration for the wise man, the children began to explain things to the ignorant old man all at once.
"The wise man can summon rain! Our village's well, which had been dry for so long, only started flowing again after he came!"
"He will also teach everyone how to plant a type of grass that is not afraid of sand. Although it cannot be eaten, the teacher said it can help stabilize the sand!"
"My father said that the Wise One was sent by Heaven to save our Wind Kingdom!"
"Good fortune follows wherever he goes!"
The children's words were innocent and simple, yet they pieced together an image completely different from the "warmonger" they had previously known—a wise man who improved people's lives, brought hope, and was deeply loved.
Hashirama Senju listened attentively, his smile gradually turning into deep thought.
He wasn't 100% sure that the wise man was Uchiha Kokusatsu, but he had a strong sixth sense that it was him.
What a coincidence! Yan Sheng's journey led him to the Land of Wind, and just then, a wise man with extraordinary abilities appeared in the Land of Wind? The timing and trajectory are too perfect.
If...if all of this really was done by Yen Sheng...
As Hashirama Senju looked into the children's eyes and listened to their unwavering trust and affection for the wise man, much of the heaviness and doubt he felt due to the Land of Lightning incident dissipated.
Could someone who can stoop down to find water and improve the land for the poor suffering from drought, someone who can win the pure love of children, really be a demon who is keen on starting wars and creating chaos?
Hashirama preferred to believe that everything Yan Sheng did might have a deeper purpose or predicament that they couldn't yet understand. Improving people's lives and winning hearts and minds was, in any case, a great thing. This gave him a sliver of optimism about the possibilities after finding Yan Sheng.
Perhaps they really misunderstood something?
He turned to look at Ban, whose face was icy cold, and hesitated to speak.
***
Madara and Hashirama followed the false trails left by Mikatsu, which pointed to the border, as their figures gradually disappeared beyond the horizon of the vast desert.
As for the target they were looking for, they had not actually left the Land of Wind.
Inside a high-rise building in the capital of the Wind Kingdom, an inconspicuous building overlooking most of the city, a figure stood quietly by the window, his dark robe blending into the dim light of the room.
Yan Sheng's gaze fell on the horizon where the desert met the sky in the distance, as if he could see those two figures disappearing into the distance.
To be honest, the fact that things had dragged on until now was within his expectations. He never underestimated Madara's keenness, but he had even more faith in his own understanding of Madara and his ability to "deceive everyone."
And, for now, he cannot leave the Land of Wind.
The game in the Land of Wind has only just begun, and the overall situation is far from settled. How could he possibly leave? The undercurrents beneath this barren desert have not yet grown into a colossal wave capable of overturning the northern war.
However, the speed must be increased.
Yan Sheng withdrew his gaze from the distance.
The appearance of the stigmata and the pillars, like a gradually tightening net, reminded him of the urgency of time. He turned and walked to a polished bronze mirror in the room.
The room was dimly lit, and his blurred yet cold profile was reflected in the mirror.
Yan Sheng focused his mind, and a magnificent and complex kaleidoscope pattern appeared in his eyes. He activated his right eye ability, [Netherworld Vision].
...The scene before my eyes suddenly changed.
He still stood upright in the mirror, but in his field of vision, there were two strings of numbers floating above his image.
A string of black numbers that kept jumping and emitting an ominous glow.
This string of numbers didn't exist initially; it only appeared after he instigated the war between the Land of Fire and the Land of Lightning. It started as a three-digit number, but as the war between the Land of Lightning and the Land of Earth broke out in full force and became a fierce stalemate, the number skyrocketed, breaking through five digits, and is now approaching the six-digit mark, and is still growing at a slow but steady pace.
Every bit of growth represents another life lost or a piece of peace destroyed on the distant battlefield.
Yan Sheng stared coldly at the string of numbers, his heart unmoved. He predicted that once he had complete control of the Wind Kingdom and pushed it into the war, this number would surge once more.
But that's okay. Initial investment is necessary. Only by breaking the old balance can a new order be established.
As for the costs incurred in this process, he viewed them as necessary sacrifices to achieve his goals. He firmly believed that once the mainland was unified and a long period of stability and peace was ushered in, a continuous stream of merit would naturally flow back, enough to offset or even far exceed today's debts.
His gaze shifted downwards, landing on the string of numbers emitting a soft golden light below the black numbers.
Compared to the massive black numbers, this string of gold numbers appears exceptionally short, currently only three digits, and its growth is extremely slow, fluctuating by only a few points or a dozen points each day.
This string of golden numbers only began to appear after he set out to improve the lives of the people of the Wind Kingdom, bringing water to those arid lands and teaching methods for stabilizing sand and planting grass.
The first few successful "miracles" brought him hundreds of merit points in one go, but afterwards he entered a period of slow accumulation.
Yan Sheng stared at the slowly increasing golden numbers, his eyes remaining calm.
Improving people's livelihoods and gaining faith are necessary means to consolidate rule. The merits they bring are a pleasant surprise, but not his primary driving force. Compared to the "efficient" yet negative surge in numbers brought about by waging war, this constructive accumulation of merit is too slow.
"It seems that creation is harder than destruction, no matter where you are," he murmured to himself, his tone ambiguous, neither a sigh nor a sneer. The kaleidoscope pattern in his eyes slowly faded, and the strange image in the mirror disappeared as well, leaving only his own reflection.
No longer concerned with the symbolic meaning of these numbers, Yan Sheng turned and walked to the table, on which lay detailed maps of the Land of Wind and the Northern War Zone.
The most urgent task is to complete the groundwork for the Kingdom of Wind as soon as possible, and only then can we carry out the final step of "when the snipe and the clam fight, the fisherman benefits".
Judging by the time, it will be about time by then—the two countries of Lei and Tu will enter a "period of complacency/weakness".
In the blink of an eye, a week has passed quietly in the dry and scorching air of the Land of Wind.
For Yan Sheng, who was lurking behind the scenes, this week was both a crucial period for consolidating his achievements and a sprint phase in the race against time.
He knew perfectly well that Madara Uchiha and Hashirama Senju were no ordinary men, and it was only a matter of time before they realized they had been deliberately led astray. Once they realized this and turned back to the Land of Wind, his room for maneuver would shrink drastically.
So, time is really running out.
He stood by the window, holding an intelligence scroll that had just been delivered through clandestine channels. It contained the latest intelligence on the northern war situation—under immense pressure from the Land of Earth, the Land of Lightning's army was retreating steadily, suffering heavy losses, and was on the verge of collapse.
The situation had clearly reached an "uncontrollable crisis," so the Land of Lightning used the trump card it had given them: the Tailed Beasts.
Upon seeing this message, Yan Sheng showed no surprise whatsoever. This was precisely the intended purpose for which he had left the Five-Tails with the elders of the Kurosawa family.
The Land of Lightning was severely weakened in the previous Fire and Lightning War. To hastily challenge the Land of Earth, which was well-rested and at full strength, meant that its ability to hold out until now was only due to the tactical guidance and geographical advantages provided earlier. Defeat was inevitable; the only question was when.
His instructions to Kurosawa were "not to be used unless absolutely necessary." This was entirely to buy time, prevent the Tailed Beast from being exposed too early and attracting too much attention, and also to use this trump card at the moment when it could turn the tide of the battle, or rather, create the most chaos.
At the same time, it was also to buy him the time he needed to make his plans in the Land of Wind.
During this time, he did not simply wait. Leveraging the prestige of the wise man, he accelerated the integration and mobilization of the available military forces of the Wind Kingdom.
Liedou, at his suggestion, also played an important role, using his influence to coordinate the various parties.
This is a meticulous gamble.
Based on his exceptional military insight and analysis of the two nations' strengths, Yan Sheng calculated the Land of Lightning's maximum potential timeframe. He gambled that the Land of Lightning would resort to its tailed beasts when it was on the verge of collapse, that the tailed beasts' intervention would immediately drag the war into its most brutal and costly stalemate phase, and that the Land of Earth would be forced to invest even more resources and become bogged down in the conflict...
If any link in the chain goes wrong, such as the premature collapse of the Land of Lightning, his entire plan could fall apart.
But luckily, he won his gamble.
The appearance of the Tailed Beasts was like throwing ice into a boiling pot of oil, instantly causing immense chaos and a release of energy. Just as he had predicted, the battle between Lightning and Earth entered the ideal stalemate of mutual destruction.
The snipe and the clam fought until both were exhausted.
The time is ripe.
Yan Sheng no longer hesitated. He tidied up the maps and scrolls on the table, and in a flash, he appeared outside the council hall of the Daemon of the Land of Wind.
Without needing to announce his arrival, he walked straight in. The daimyo, who was pacing anxiously, saw him and, as if seeing his pillar of support, immediately came to greet him.
"Your Excellency, have you received the news from the north? We..." The daimyo's tone was filled with urgency and a hint of unease.
Yan Sheng raised his hand, interrupting him, his voice calm yet carrying an undeniable determination: "The time has come. The elite forces of Lei and Tu have been mobilized and are locked in a stalemate, leaving their national strength depleted. This is the best time for us to send troops."
His gaze swept over the daimyo and landed on Retsuto, who was also waiting for orders to the side.
"Pass down the order: according to the established plan, the entire army shall set off and advance directly toward the granaries on the southeastern border of the Land of Earth."
There was no rousing mobilization, no redundant explanations, only concise and clear orders. But behind these orders lay weeks of meticulous planning and waiting.
The Wind Kingdom's army, which had been secretly assembled and fully prepared outside the capital, began to rumble into action the moment they received the order, like a war machine wound up tight. The dust storms they stirred up were thicker than any sandstorm before.
This sharp sword, honed in the desert for so long, is finally about to deliver a fatal blow to the weary north.
***
The desert roared, and the battle flags fluttered in the wind.
The power that the Land of Wind had been accumulating for so long, under Yan Sheng's will, finally revealed its stinger like a dormant sand scorpion.
The army split into two groups. One group, led by Retsuto, comprised the elite forces of various ninja clans. Utilizing their familiarity with the desert terrain, they planned a high-speed infiltration and surprise attack to raid the rear of the Land of Earth. The other group consisted of the regular army under the command of the Daimyo of the Land of Wind, heading to the front lines. Although their equipment was not particularly sophisticated, their morale was exceptionally high, fueled by the slogan "To seize the future for the Land of Wind."
The former has a clear objective—the rich granary on the southeastern border of the Land of Earth.
That place is an important logistical base supporting the war in the Land of Earth, but now its defenses are relatively weak because the main force is firmly tied down on the battlefield in the Land of Lightning.
The latter is mainly used to draw fire, disrupt the battle, and divert the attention of the Land of Earth.
In the north, on the battlefield of Leitu.
The appearance of the Five-Tails did indeed turn the tide of the battle for a time.
The massive Tailed Beast Ball bombarded the Land of Earth's position, and the rampant chakra forced the Land of Earth's army to retreat dozens of miles.
However, the Tailed Beasts are a double-edged sword. The elders of the Kurosawa clan were simply unable to perfectly control the Five-Tails, and could only barely guide its attack direction. On the Land of Earth, after the initial shock, the ninjas of Iwagakure began to employ targeted sealing techniques and attrition tactics in an attempt to trap the Five-Tails.
The battle did not collapse as quickly as the Land of Lightning had hoped; instead, it devolved into a deeper tug-of-war.
It wasn't like this when the Land of Fire attacked them!
Elder Kurosawa sighed deeply, ultimately attributing the problem to Yan Sheng's absence.
Both sides were in a frenzy of fighting, and the casualty figures were rising at an alarming rate.
The border of the Land of Wind.
Madara Uchiha and Hashirama Senju stood atop a towering sand dune, gazing at the dust billowing in the distance as the Land of Wind's army marched off.
First, they were scammed. Second, they were a step too late.
“We’ve been tricked,” Ban said calmly.
He had a vague feeling that the tracking was going too smoothly, and that the so-called clues were like carefully placed bait. Now it seemed that Yan Sheng had never left the Kingdom of Wind at all, but instead used this time to accomplish his ulterior motives.
Hashirama sighed, his usual cheerful demeanor replaced by deep worry: "He actually... incited the Land of Wind to join the war. Judging by the direction, it's aimed at the Land of Earth. Madara, this war..."
“It’s no longer just a conflict between two countries,” Ban interrupted him. “Yan Sheng is trying to drag the whole world down with him.”
They could foresee the chain reaction that would follow: the Land of Wind would launch a surprise attack on the Land of Earth's rear, forcing the Land of Earth to withdraw troops from the northern front to defend itself. This would significantly reduce the pressure on the Land of Lightning, and the Land of Lightning might even retaliate. Once both the Land of Lightning and the Land of Earth were weakened, the Land of Wind would be able to reap the benefits.
But behind this "profit" lies rivers of blood and mountains of bones.
“We must stop him,” Madara said, his gaze deep as he looked in the direction the Land of Wind’s army was advancing. “Before he causes an even greater catastrophe.”
The Central Army of the Land of Wind.
Yan Sheng did not personally lead the charge on the front lines. He remained in the central command, remotely controlling the entire battle like a chessboard through his ninja hawks, communication ninjutsu, and Sharingan puppets scattered throughout the area.
On the map before him, arrows representing the army of the Land of Wind were rapidly piercing into the territory of the Land of Earth.
He guessed that the string of black numbers above his head would definitely skyrocket later. But he didn't care.
His gaze swept across the battlefield before him, as if he could already see a future scenario where the Earth Kingdom's resources were seized, the Thunder and Earth Kingdoms were exhausted, and the Wind Kingdom rose to power.
"Send the order to Retsuto: do not linger in battle. Focus on destroying logistical facilities and plundering resources to weaken the Land of Earth's war potential as much as possible."
"Notify the Daming side to proceed steadily, seize strategic points, and establish a defensive line."
His instructions were very clear, and every step was designed to expand the gains and avoid unnecessary losses on his side.
However, just as he was fully focused on the battle before him, an extremely familiar and powerful chakra surge approached from his side and rear at an astonishing speed.
Yan Sheng looked up in that direction, his eyes narrowing slightly beneath his hood.
They've arrived.
It happened even faster than he expected—Madara and Hashirama finally came knocking on his door.
He was not surprised and had been prepared for it.
Yan Sheng slowly stood up and straightened his robe. The escape was over; now it was time to face it.
***
On the sand dunes, three figures stood facing each other.
The scorching wind whipped up sand, which pattered against their robes, making a soft, rustling sound, but it couldn't quell the tense atmosphere.
Madara Uchiha and Hashirama Senju stood before Yan Sheng. Looking at the calm-looking boy before him, Madara's brows furrowed into a deep frown.
"Yan Sheng," Ban paused, then said, "what exactly are you trying to do? You instigated the war between thunder and fire, manipulated the conflict between thunder and earth, and now you're dragging the Land of Wind into the flames of war. Do you know what you're doing?"
Hashirama Senju's expression was equally grim, though his tone was relatively mild: "Yan Sheng, stop. War brings only pain and hatred. Madara and I may not know what you're planning, but we know that what you're doing is definitely wrong."
"No? You're being too naive." Yan Sheng spoke, his deep black eyes sweeping over the two men from beneath the shadow of his hood. "—What is this peace you speak of?"
He didn't actually need their answers and continued on his own: "To build a small village and then naively believe that as long as everyone shakes hands, hatred can be eliminated? To think that signing a few fragile alliances will make greedy neighboring countries lay down their weapons? Or to think that as long as you cower in a corner and turn a blind eye to the conflicts on the mainland, the flames of war will never reach you?"
"Your so-called peace is nothing but a castle built on sand dunes. A single conflict of interest, a chance encounter, can bring it to a crashing crash. Look at us now. Even without me, has the Land of Lightning's covetousness towards the Land of Fire disappeared? Has the Land of Earth's ambition for its surrounding territories been extinguished?"
"True peace is never something that can be begged for, nor can it be maintained through escape and fantasy. True peace can only be built on absolute order and unity. When there is only one voice, one will, when all military might is directed outward, and when there is no longer any fertile ground for internal strife, peace will truly come."
He stared at Madara and Hashirama, and said, word by word:
"All that I have done is to end this Warring States period that has lasted for thousands of years. To achieve this goal, stopping war with war and stopping killing with killing is the most direct and effective method."
When the words "stop killing with killing" were uttered, Madara and Hashirama's pupils contracted simultaneously. This extreme ideology left them feeling troubled and helpless.
That's too extreme.
"Madara, Senju clan leader. I'm not playing house. The games you play in Konoha might temporarily appease a small group of people, but they can never eradicate the world's deep-seated problems. What I'm going to do is to scrape the bone to remove the poison."
"Nonsense." Madara paused for a moment, then said, "What kind of peace is it, built on the blood of countless people?"
"Yan Sheng, your brother is right," Hashirama said in a deep voice. "Trust and understanding are the path to peace, as long as everyone can sit down and have a proper dialogue and cooperation—"
"Dialogue? Cooperation?" Yan Sheng interrupted Hashirama. "Clan leader Senju, your naiveté is astonishing. When you try to reason with a hungry beast, it only thinks about where it's easiest to bite. Let me ask you, if I hadn't used the Tailed Beasts to quickly end the Lightning and Fire War, how many lives would Konoha have lost? If I hadn't now sent the Land of Wind to contain them, wouldn't the Land of Earth's next target after defeating the Land of Lightning be the Land of Fire?"
Yan Sheng was being sophistical, not mentioning at all that he was the one stirring up trouble if a fight broke out.
"You keep talking about peace, yet you even have to disperse and control the power of the tailed beasts, and be wary of each other. Is this your trust? If you really want peace, why don't you concentrate all your power and build an absolute barrier that no one dares to cross? You can't do it because you are still caught up in your own families and your own interests."
Yan Sheng's words were incisive, starkly revealing the contradictions and vulnerabilities in Madara and Hashirama's ideologies.
Ban's face was gloomy. He could not deny some of the real threats that Yan Sheng pointed out, but he also did not agree with this approach of trampling on everything.
Hashirama fell silent, his brows furrowed, clearly speechless at Yan Sheng's words.
Seeing the two speechless for a moment, Yan Sheng knew he had temporarily convinced them. To prevent them from realizing what was happening later, he said no more, leaving them with the words:
"Those who walk different paths cannot make plans together. You may continue to guard your own corner of the dream of peace. But I will bring true order to this world in my own way. If you don't believe me, just wait and see. Give me a chance, and I will bring true peace to you."
He then left and returned to the central command tent.
—Yan Sheng sensed that Madara and Hashirama were coming to find him, so he voluntarily left the army and found a secluded place.
This is the sand dune where they are talking now.
The scorching wind, carrying grains of sand, stung my face.
Madara and Hashirama stared in the direction Mikatsu had left, speechless for a long time. The air was filled not only with dust, but also with the heavy weight left by the fierce clash of ideologies.
Hashirama scratched his head, let out a long sigh, and broke the silence with an indescribable complex expression on his face: "Madara... I really didn't expect your brother to have this kind of personality."
He recalled his previous slight fondness for the "wise man," but now he found that impression laughably thin. He was not a compassionate and benevolent person, but a ruthless player who could calmly treat all living beings as pawns for some ultimate goal.
Ban remained silent, her jawline taut.
Hashirama didn't see it? Not to mention Hashirama, even his older brother who had been with him day and night for many years had never truly seen through the extreme, obsessive, and even crazy side hidden deep in Yan Sheng's heart.
And Yan Sheng's words, "All of this is for peace," were like a key that unexpectedly unlocked a neglected corner of his memory.
That was a few years ago, the only and last time Yan Sheng revealed his true feelings:
"I want to save someone."
"I need...the peace you seek to come sooner."
......
At the time, he and Hashirama both believed that Mikatsu didn't want to trouble them, so he used the grand and vague goal of "the peace you seek can come sooner" to replace the specific request to "save someone".
They even felt it was a sign of consideration and trust, placing their hopes for saving lives in the peaceful environment they created.
Looking back now, it seems they completely misunderstood.
When Yen Sheng said, "The peace you seek will come sooner," it was not a euphemism or encouragement, but a literal precondition.
The peace he desires is not the small, temporary tranquility around Konoha Village, but the kind of "absolute," "unified," and completely eradicated peace that he now speaks of.
—Only under such extreme peace can the person he wants to save be truly saved?
This speculation was incomprehensible to Ban.
Whom should be saved that requires global unity and the submission of all people?
What exactly happened to that person? Is he trapped in some kind of desperate situation that can only be resolved by peace and order in the world? Or something else...?
A jumble of thoughts churned in Ban's mind.
He glanced at the dust kicked up by the advancing army of the Land of Wind in the distance, and thought of how Yan Sheng had perfectly controlled the war between the three kingdoms of Wind, Lightning, and Earth, without ever affecting Konoha.
Anyway, the war won't reach Konoha for the time being.
A thought began to grow in Ban's mind.
Since the younger brother is so persistent and willing to go to such lengths... why not give him a chance, as the older brother, to see how far he can go and what his so-called "saving a person" and "true peace" really are?
only......
Madara glanced at Hashirama Senju beside him out of the corner of his eye without making a sound.
He could choose to wait and see for the time being, but Hashirama might not.
Hashirama's philosophy of peace stemmed from his profound respect for life. He might understand Yan Sheng's motives, but he could hardly condone such a process of trampling on countless lives.
Hashirama lowered his head, looking at his calloused hands. These hands had built Konoha, but also buried countless lives.
He wasn't so naive as to be unable to bear death; he simply firmly believed there was a better way.
"Stop war with war, stop killing with killing." Yan Sheng's words echoed in his mind. He instinctively rejected this cold-blooded calculation that treated life as a number.
But......
His thoughts drifted back to the years before Konoha was built.
The corpses of Senju and Uchiha children, the father's tired and sorrowful eyes, the young but lifeless faces of his younger brothers, Kawarama and Itama... The chain of hatred in the Warring States period, like an endless meat grinder, devoured generation after generation.
He founded Konoha and allied with Madara in order to break this cycle.
"Your so-called peace is nothing but a castle built on sand dunes."
Yan Sheng's questioning struck at the deepest worry in his heart.
Can he truly guarantee with absolute certainty that the major powers can coexist peacefully forever without the deterrent power of absolute strength? The Land of Lightning's previous provocations are the best counter-evidence. If Yan Sheng hadn't swiftly ended the war with the tailed beasts, how much blood would Konoha have shed? If the Land of Earth's strength increases significantly after defeating the Land of Lightning, who will be its next target?
Hashirama raised his head and looked in the direction where the army of the Land of Wind had gone. His gaze seemed to pierce through space and see the bleeding land in the north.
He envisioned an even more brutal scenario: what would happen if he forcibly stopped Yan Sheng now? The Land of Wind's operation would be halted, allowing the Land of Earth to focus all its efforts on crushing the already weakened Land of Lightning. Then, riding the wave of their great victory, the world's balance would be completely shattered, and a larger-scale all-out war could very well erupt. At that time, not only the three kingdoms would be involved, but Konoha would also have no chance of remaining unscathed.
The casualties will be ten or a hundred times greater than they are now.
In contrast, while Yan Sheng's plan was brutal, it could quickly weaken the two most threatening powers, foster a controllable force, and ultimately achieve a forced peace.
This process will result in deaths and bloodshed, but perhaps... it can truly end the war once and for all?
He recalled the gleam in the eyes of the children from the Land of Wind when they spoke of the wise man...
After a long silence, Hashirama Senju seemed to exhale all the pent-up emotions in his chest, letting out a deep sigh. Then he turned to Madara, his face revealing a decision made after much deliberation.
“Ban,” he said, “I still don’t agree with Yan Sheng’s methods; they’re too cruel.”
Then he changed the subject, his decisiveness as a "ninja god" overpowering his idealist compassion.
"However, the risks he points out are real. The peace we have built is indeed fragile. And... forcibly stopping him now could lead to even more uncontrollable and catastrophic consequences."
He paused.
"Perhaps... we should try a different approach. Since we can't persuade him, let's first ensure that the storm can be contained within a certain area and the casualties are minimized."
His gaze was fixed on Ban, and his tone was serious: "We can give him a chance to prove that his path is viable, but that doesn't mean we can let him run wild. We must keep a close eye on him to make sure he doesn't lose control, and see for ourselves whether the final outcome will truly lead to peace, not greater chaos, as he claims."
This statement implies that Hashirama has tacitly agreed not to directly intervene militarily in the matter for the time being.
Madara looked at the determination that had settled after the struggle in Hashirama's eyes, silently breathed a sigh of relief, nodded on the surface, and said in a deep voice, "Ah, that's fine then."
***
Thunder and Earth Battlefield.
The enormous crater, the molten rock, the broken weapons, and the still-wet bloodstains together paint a brutal picture of war. And at the heart of this inferno, the most terrifying source of destruction is the raging behemoth—the Five-Tailed Beast.
Its massive body shook the earth with every swing, and jets of scorching steam melted everything it touched. With a sweep of its enormous tail, both the solid rock fortifications of the Land of Earth and the remaining defensive works of the Land of Lightning crumbled like paper.
The soldiers of both the Thunder and Earth Kingdoms fled in terror from this monster that could not distinguish friend from foe. The battle lines on both sides were brought to a standstill by the presence of the Five-Tails, and everyone could only watch in despair as this giant beast unleashed its power at will.
"Damn it! We can't control it at all!" Inside the command tent at the rear of the Land of Lightning, the elder of the Kurosawa family looked grim.
The Five-Tails wouldn't listen to him at all; he couldn't make it stop for even a second. If this continued, even without the Land of Earth attacking, the Land of Lightning's army would be destroyed by their own trump card.
On the Land of Earth, after the initial panic, the commanders' faces actually lit up with joy.
"Alright! Let that monster keep causing trouble! When it runs out of energy, or when it crushes the scum of the Land of Lightning, that's when we'll strike back!"
However, just as this destructive frenzy reached its climax, a sudden change occurred.
Without any warning, the colossal, world-destroying creature on the battlefield suddenly froze, all its movements coming to an abrupt halt.
In its violent pupils, a trace of bewilderment appeared, and then, under the gaze of countless horrified eyes, its mountain-like body shrank rapidly like a burst bubble, or like ice and snow under the sun.
In the blink of an eye, that suffocating presence and the immense chakra fluctuations receded like the tide, disappearing without a trace.
On the battlefield, only the ravaged land and the deathly silence remained.
......
The silence lasted for several seconds.
Subsequently, a huge uproar broke out in both camps.
"Gone...disappeared?!"
"Where's the Tailed Beast? Where did that monster go?"
"What happened? Did the Land of Lightning take it back?"
"Wait a minute! Look, the Lei Kingdom's side is in complete chaos too!"
The Land of Lightning's army was indeed plunged into greater panic. Having lost the Tailed Beasts, a trump card that was unstable but still useful, they instantly felt a sense of annihilation as they faced the menacing Land of Earth's army.
The elder of the Kurosawa family was completely dumbfounded; he had no idea what had happened.
In stark contrast to the panic in the Land of Lightning, there was ecstatic jubilation erupting within the Land of Earth's camp.
"Thank God! The Tailed Beast has disappeared!"
"The Lei Kingdom is finished! Soldiers, follow me! Let's annihilate them in one fell swoop!"
The commanders of the Land of Earth were overjoyed, seeing this as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and immediately ordered a full-scale attack to completely crush the remnants of the Land of Lightning's army, which had lost its protection.
The soldiers of the Land of Earth roared and launched a general offensive against the panicked and disorganized positions of the Land of Lightning.
The soldiers of the Land of Lightning looked ashen-faced, barely managing to organize a fragile defensive line, which was about to be completely swallowed up by the torrent.
At this critical moment.
"Waaah!"
A deep, drawn-out horn sounded from the direction of the mountains on the flank of the battlefield. This horn sound was not a signal from either the Lei or Tu kingdoms, but carried the desolation and vastness unique to the desert.
Immediately afterward, amidst the billowing dust, banners bearing the emblem of the Land of Wind appeared. Like a ghostly army emerging from the sea of sand, the vast and well-equipped army of the Land of Wind appeared at the edge of the battlefield with a long-awaited and sharp posture, positioned precisely between the charging army of the Land of Earth and the desperate remnants of the Land of Lightning.
The momentum of the Land of Earth's charge came to an abrupt halt, and the soldiers looked at this sudden influx of fresh troops with surprise and uncertainty.
The remnants of the Land of Lightning were completely bewildered, unsure whether this army was friend or foe.
Before the army of the Land of Wind, Uchiha Kokusatsu, dressed in a black robe, stood quietly, his gaze coldly sweeping across the chaotic battlefield from beneath his hood.
The Five-Tails' disappearance just now was due to him remotely using his Sharingan and sealing techniques to retrieve it.
—Because there was already a contract, he was just lending the Five-Tails to Kurosawa, and the ultimate control of the Five-Tails was still in his hands.
The snipe and the clam fought until both were exhausted.
Now is the time for the fisherman to haul in his net.
He slowly raised his hand and waved it forward.
The army of the Land of Wind, like a precision machine receiving orders, began to advance, its target the army of the Land of Earth, whose formation had just begun to break down after launching their charge.
The battlefield situation reversed in an instant.
-----------------------
Author's Note: If you talk to Hashirama properly, he will think and change. It's a pity Madara doesn't have a mouth.
But our brother has a mouth—the infamous "talk-no-jutsu" (just kidding)!
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