With Nara Naoyuki acting as captain, accompanied by Yamanaka Reiya of the Yamanaka clan and Akimichi Yoshiteru of the Akimichi clan, the trio departed from the Firefly organization's camp at dawn, heading west like pilgrims on a journey.
Since Hane Genma had to remain behind to guard against any sudden assaults from powerful enemies, the ninja who had previously accompanied him to the Furui clan would have technically been more suitable for this mission. After all, diplomatic exchanges often rely heavily on familiar faces. To put it bluntly, these kinds of foreign affairs place extreme importance on interpersonal relationships and the exchange of favors.
The most suitable person to lead this mission would have been Nara Kenji, but regrettably, Kenji had sacrificed his life during the Hagoromo clan's previous invasion. As his replacement, Genma had no choice but to delegate this task to Nara Naoyuki.
Naoyuki was certainly capable of executing the mission well; after all, the Nara were intelligent people, and Naoyuki was the clan head of these intelligent people—the smartest of the smart.
The journey west from the Land of Kawagen unfolded exactly as Genma had described. With the surrounding hostile forces having been purged, Naoyuki's group encountered no danger and their travel was remarkably smooth.
Before long, they entered the "Great Plains" area mentioned in the previous agreement between the Firefly organization and the Furui clan—a region that would later become part of the Land of Rivers. Soon after, they encountered ninja from the Furui clan operating in the area.
As expected, viewing this plain as their backyard, the Furui clan had strengthened their control and surveillance over the region.
The encounter between the two sides did not lead to any misunderstandings, as both had been strictly instructed not to attack one another arbitrarily. Nara Naoyuki recognized the Furui clan crest, and the Furui ninja recognized the Firefly organization's forehead protectors.
Upon meeting, Naoyuki's trio halted, signaling they had no aggressive intent. Once the Furui ninja approached, they revealed their identity.
Naoyuki displayed a handwritten letter from Genma. It bore not only Genma's signature and the Firefly organization's seal but also the seal of the Daimyo of Kawagen, and even a secret code specific to the Furui clan.
The letter was as formal as a tender document, and the other party instantly trusted Naoyuki's credentials. Consequently, the two Furui ninja ceased their patrol and immediately converted into guides, leading the three Nara ninja toward the Furui settlement.
A short while later, the group arrived at the village. Nara Naoyuki soon met with Furui Reto and handed him Genma's letter.
The content of Genma's letter was simple. Aside from the necessary pleasantries, he briefly and clearly explained the Firefly organization's recent circumstances—essentially admitting they had encountered some setbacks, but the overall outcome remained under control.
He stated that the Firefly organization would continue to execute the sweeping missions that were not yet fully completed and expressed hope that both sides could maintain a friendly relationship of mutual trust. In reality, Genma was tactfully reminding them that Firefly was honoring the previous agreement and would continue to do so, expecting the Furui clan to do the same.
At the end of the letter, Genma mentioned that the Firefly organization would soon formally establish a ninja village where multiple clans coexisted, and he hoped that Clan Head Furui Reto would attend the ceremony.
After reading the letter, Reto placed it by his hand.
According to previous intelligence, the Firefly organization had been invaded by the Hagoromo clan because they discovered a gold mine while clearing out surrounding forces. Surprisingly, Reto didn't care about the gold mine at all.
First, the Furui clan possessed the Magnet Release kekkei genkai, giving them the ability to manipulate metal. Second, the desert was full of gold dust.
What plagued the Furui clan's development was production capacity and transportation capabilities in and out of the desert, not precious metals. One could even say that the Furui clan was naturally not an enemy of the Firefly organization.
"A dispute born of a gold mine... completely an undeserved calamity. If you lack gold, we could support you with a sum," Reto said, shaking his head.
Nara Naoyuki couldn't possibly take those words seriously. He wasn't a child; he knew polite diplomatic speak when he heard it.
"Clan Head Furui's kindness... we cannot accept a reward without merit. However, the previous event was indeed an undeserved calamity. We are well aware of our own capabilities, so we never intended to lay a finger on that gold mine. Fortunately, it is all over now."
"Would you mind explaining the combat situation?"
Reto wanted to assess the Firefly organization's combat performance, their losses, and whether their potential had been exhausted.
"We lost about forty people, which is roughly half our strength. The enemy was forced to retreat after leaving behind more than thirty corpses."
The exchange ratio was that exaggerated? An organization made up of wild ninja clans actually held their ground against the Hagoromo clan?
Reto then realized that while the average quality of the Firefly ninja couldn't compare to the Hagoromo, they likely possessed a few high-end combatants. In this warring era, the probability of a genius being born in an ordinary ninja organization was far higher than the probability of producing ten experts.
The birth of a genius happens from time to time, but mass-producing experts requires a massive organizational scale.
The Firefly organization's development was unbalanced, but conversely, as long as their top experts didn't die, their combat power wouldn't weaken too much.
However, Nara Naoyuki took a long pause before continuing: "Although we suffered heavy losses, the organization accepted several more ninja clans after the battle concluded. Therefore, we are capable of fulfilling the previously agreed matters."
Reto felt that Nara Naoyuki wasn't transparent enough and his boldness was far inferior to Hane Genma. Splitting one matter into two parts revealed too many petty calculations. Is this to prevent me from properly assessing your strength? I suppose that's why he is the leader and you are just a subordinate.
"I understand. The more you bleed, the more cohesive you become; you will only get stronger through fighting."
Reto suddenly realized that such a ninja organization had a first-mover advantage. Once they made a name for themselves, other ninja clans would bow down and join them.
"We will maintain our friendly relationship with you. When the time comes, if I have time... no, I will attend your village founding ceremony."
"Thank you very much for your support, Clan Head."
"However, I have one condition."
"Please, speak."
"I wish to increase the scale and frequency of trade caravans between the Furui clan and the Land of Kawagen."
"That... is absolutely no problem," Nara Naoyuki agreed immediately.
It seemed the Furui clan was prepared to strengthen ties with the Firefly organization. This was a good thing. Sure enough, being able to fight might cause fear, but it also garnered attention and even respect.
The phrase "getting stronger through fighting" wasn't entirely accurate; the prerequisite was not getting wiped out in one go.
The White Zetsu clones responsible for monitoring Uchiha Madara didn't even dare approach the area, fearing a certain someone's special sensory abilities.
Long before the negotiations between Nara Naoyuki and Furui Reto began, Hane Genma and Uchiha Madara were already facing off not far from the Firefly's new camp.
Genma looked at Uchiha Madara, then at Uchiha Izuna who was restless behind him, and finally turned his gaze back to Madara's face.
"Whether you're killed on the battlefield because your skills are inferior, or schemed to death by allies because your brain doesn't work—isn't that all just getting what you deserve? There's nothing to discuss... Uchiha Madara, I don't know your reason for showing up here. You aren't here to seek justice, are you? You're making me laugh."
Leader to leader—at the very least, he couldn't lose in presence. Besides, Uchiha Madara wasn't exactly eloquent.
He was nearly choked with rage by Genma's words.
"Is this your declaration of war? You are the first to declare war with your last words."
Because of Nanami's choices, Uchiha Madara had found Genma unpleasant from the very beginning. Now, his mood had shifted to sentiments involving words like "fight to the death."
Ever since Genma had instantly killed Uchiha Tajima and utilized that high-energy particle stream-like chakra jet, it seemed as if he had suddenly opened all his meridians. His control over his own chakra could now be described as "moving like his own fingers."
Only after that did he realize how rough and inexperienced his previous use of chakra had been.
In fact, improving this kind of fundamental ability was, in a sense, much harder than comprehending one or two high-difficulty or forbidden jutsu. Basic abilities are largely determined at birth, and it is difficult to break through those shackles through training later in life.
You either can, or you can't. It can't be taught, and it can't be learned.
Even without relying on special ninja tools like arm guards, he could now flexibly control Boil Release to enhance different parts of his body at various intensities.
Therefore, Genma also wanted to test his current strength.
"Do it!"
The person who couldn't wait to shout this was Uchiha Izuna.
But before his voice even faded, two figures had already shot out like arrows from a bow!
Genma and Uchiha Madara closed in rapidly. Just as their figures were about to cross, Uchiha Madara suddenly swung his arm in a horizontal sweep.
Genma didn't dodge or evade; he took the hit head-on. In an instant, he was swept into the air.
But Uchiha Madara felt something was wrong. The feedback from his hand was too light; the strike felt like hitting cotton.
By then, however, they had already crossed paths, and Uchiha Madara had charged into the enemy crowd.
"I've got this!"
Akimichi Shin'u stood at the very front of the formation. His arms suddenly expanded significantly, his elbows tucked tight against his ribs, hands spread vertically open. The Chō Harite (Super Open Hand Slap) was ready.
If this move connected solidly, no one could withstand it...
The prerequisite being: if it connected solidly.
If such an attack couldn't hit the previous Genma, it certainly wouldn't work against Uchiha Madara.
Madara deftly slipped between Shin'u's arms, closing the distance instantly. His right hand formed a square fist, his entire arm spiraling with power as his knuckles, like a sharp plummet, slammed into Shin'u's chest cavity.
Boom!
Akimichi Shin'u's Super Open Hand Slap swept away several large trees in front of him.
Bang!
Uchiha Madara's fist was deeply embedded in Shin'u's chest.
Why were people like Madara or Hashirama so strong? It was because their seemingly ordinary attacks carried a super-lethal power that average ninja couldn't achieve even with their full might.
Akimichi Shin'u's face turned pale, then instantly flushed the color of pig liver.
Madara's strike had connected solidly, yet he frowned. He felt as if his fist had struck beef tendon or a rubber ball.
Through Shin'u's torn clothes, Madara saw white threads coiled together, layer upon layer.
What is this muscle armor?
Madara felt his arm sinking deeper; the threads were tightening, seemingly trying to trap his arm.
Reacting instantly, he lifted his left leg, bent his right knee, and drove power through the ball of his foot. His left leg whipped out, tearing through the air with a massive sonic boom as it slammed viciously into Shin'u's waist.
Then, Shin'u was kicked away like a ball, flying backward and crashing through obstacles, forced out of the battlefield.
The Akimichi clan was naturally physically robust, and Akimichi Shin'u had even used the Jiongu (Earth Grudge Fear) secret technique. Yet, even so, he couldn't withstand a single round against Uchiha Madara... Well, one couldn't say the secret technique was useless; at least Shin'u avoided the terrible fate of having his heart ripped out instantly.
But while repelling Shin'u, Uchiha Madara also stepped into Nara Hideyuki's control range.
As Madara attempted to move, he realized he was bound by the Shadow Bind Technique.
"Cheap tricks."
Chakra erupted violently from Madara's body. He used no technique at all, simply breaking free from the binding through sheer brute force.
Nara Hideyuki was drenched in cold sweat. He wasn't fighting alone; he currently possessed seven hearts, six of which came from elite Hagoromo ninja. Yet even with that, he couldn't suppress Uchiha Madara on a chakra level.
"What kind of monster is this?"
Meanwhile, Madara was dodging left and right by instinct, causing Yamanaka Keiya's mind-control secret arts to miss.
At the same time, he was evading Lan's attacks... However, when facing Lan, he only dodged and did not counterattack.
"Insects."
Yamanaka Keiya and Aburame Atsushi were standard long-range ninja. They didn't charge the front lines, only harassing from the flanks.
But when the Aburame insect swarm closed in, blinding lightning erupted from Madara's body. Like an electric flyswatter, he annihilated most of the swarm in an instant.
Almost in the blink of an eye, Madara had pierced through the Firefly formation. By this time, he had arrived in front of Uchiha Sasuke.
Sasuke: "..."
Could he say he was just here to watch the show?
But for some reason, the moment he laid eyes on Uchiha Madara, he was absolutely certain that this person was one hundred percent Madara... There was no logic to it, just some intuition from the great beyond.
Given his personality, however, he didn't care if it was Madara or not. Since the opponent was coming for him, he would give it his all.
So what if it's Madara? Madara...
Madara sidestepped almost like he was teleporting. While dodging the Chidori Sharp Spear, he seemed completely unconcerned by the Chidori Current covering Sasuke's body.
He reached out with one hand, and in the electric flash of a second where the opponent couldn't make any effective reaction, he grabbed Sasuke by the neck.
Then, Madara lifted his arm, hoisting Sasuke up like he was pulling a radish.
"What is with you? You feel like a ninja of Uchiha origin."
Madara sensed a déjà vu from Sasuke. That's right; this ninja's aura was a bit like Izuna's.
Thinking of this, he looked back, just in time to see Hane Genma in mid-air, shaped like a falcon. Genma turned gracefully at the high point, then suddenly accelerated, diving straight for Uchiha Izuna.
Stupid, aren't you? I can fly.
Genma trusted that his subordinates wouldn't be instantly killed, so he ignored Madara entirely, treating Izuna as his primary target... Wait, wasn't the plan to test his own strength?
Well, I can test it on the younger brother first.
"A technique of the Ishikawa clan?"
Seeing Genma's movement, Madara couldn't care less about Sasuke. He flung Sasuke aside like he was flicking snot, then doubled back, trying to return to Izuna's side quickly.
Boom!
Genma crashed down in front of Izuna. His fingers straightened into a knife, stabbing forward instantly, aiming right for Izuna's neck.
In terms of personality, Uchiha Izuna was an even more standard Uchiha ninja than his brother. Facing an attack from a nobody, his arrogant soul would not allow him to take a step back.
So, he slashed sideways with the long blade in his left hand and hooked a kunai with his right, executing a counterattack almost identical to Genma's.
"Come!"
Genma shouted, ignoring the slashing blade and maintaining his stabbing motion.
Their arms crossed, bodies turning sideways and heads tilting away. Genma dodged the kunai, and Izuna dodged the hand blade.
However, the direction Genma dodged into was directly meeting Izuna's blade edge. Yet, a contemptuous smile appeared on his face... Izuna thought Genma's shout was a provocation, but Genma never did anything so boring.
The Sharingan could see Genma's attack movements and trajectory. But mortals? Mortals had no room to counterattack before the Sharingan.
"Hate me. Hate is not..."
Clang!
Someone holding a giant sword upside down blocked Izuna's attack for Genma.
A face guard covering half his face, white hair, a cold expression. He had traversed the battlefield with exquisite Body Flicker Technique to arrive exactly where he was needed most... Senju Tobirama had arrived.
Genma's palm landed between Izuna's shoulder and neck. He pressed his arm down, and on the other side, Tobirama followed up with a sweeping leg kick. Caught in a pincer attack, Izuna was taken off guard, his body spinning as he was slammed horizontally onto the ground.
Genma stepped forward, stomping on Izuna's arm, causing the opponent's arm bones to play a rhythmic crack-crack melody.
Simultaneously, Tobirama launched a fierce kick into Izuna's abdomen, as if echoing the beat of a drum.
High Mountain Flowing Water finding a soulmate—do you see? This is the Insidious Duo...
This is the bond between dear friends and kin!
"Tobirama, you're too slow!"
"No, I was fast enough. The slow part is coming!"
One could only say that Tobirama's coordinated attack just now wasn't as valuable as that sentence. Genma instantly understood: the big move was still to come.
Two against one. Uchiha Izuna was at an absolute disadvantage, not to mention that the combined schemes of these two were more numerous than holes in a sieve.
But they lost the chance to finish him off.
Uchiha Madara attacked from behind.
But talk about Genma and Tobirama having synergy—while the two of them were kicking someone with four legs, their hands hadn't been idle either.
At this very moment, they turned around simultaneously, opened their mouths, and twisted their necks:
"Water Release: Water Severing Wave!" ($Suiton: Suidanha$)
High-pressure, high-speed water blades attacked from both sides. Uchiha Madara stopped abruptly, even forced to perform a backward bend, dodging the attack by a hair's breadth.
Boom!
Without seeing Genma make any move, the ground beneath his feet instantly caved in. Unknown when it happened, his right leg, wreathed in steam, was already raised high.
Immediately after, a mountain-splitting strike smashed into Madara's waist.
At that moment, Genma's left hand pressed onto Senju Tobirama's shoulder. Tobirama immediately had a bad premonition... One could only say his premonition was accurate. In the next second, his chakra began to drain rapidly.
"You..."
Before he could finish his sentence, his gaze was captivated by the jutsu in Genma's right hand.
As mentioned before, Genma's chakra control was now leagues ahead of what it used to be.
A massive chakra sphere, two stories high, was held aloft in his palm just like that.
"Ninja Art: Ultra-Big Ball Rasengan!" ($Ninpō: Chō-Ōdama Rasengan$)
This move was too wasteful of chakra; normally, Genma wouldn't use it at all.
Fortunately, there was a power bank right next to him.
Dear... dear friends and kin?
What happened to being soulmates?
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