Chapter 12: A Moment of Fun Stealing Jutsu, A Lifetime of Fun Stealing Forever
Stelle's rescue had been a narrow escape. She had even cheated by using the Body Flicker Technique—a jutsu that hadn't been fully developed in this era—so she naturally left no clues for her supposed teammates. How else could she explain the impossible timing?
Thus, the rescue party they were waiting for was still the one dispatched by Tobirama. When their arrival took too long, a worried Senju Hashirama sent a dedicated guide to lead them, finally bringing the two wounded shinobi back to the main battlefield's base camp.
"The Hyuga were our allies. To think they would actually defect… were they persuaded by the Hagoromo clan?"
Seeing his younger brother and his cousin so heavily injured, Senju Hashirama's usual goofy demeanor vanished. His expression was grim, his chakra surging violently around him like a storm. The air grew thick with his anger and confusion.
"Why would they suddenly turn on us?"
"What's so hard to understand?" Stelle mumbled, stuffing her face with food to replenish her strength. "Your alliance is built on mutual profit. Take away the benefits, and who would bother? The Hagoromo must have offered them a better deal."
"But to betray an ally so easily… Aren't they afraid of ruining their reputation? No one will dare to ally with them in the future," Senju Hashirama argued. As a man who held his promises sacred, he simply couldn't comprehend such a betrayal.
"Not necessarily. If you could offer the Hagoromo clan benefits that swayed them, they could just as easily betray the Uchiha. Though," Stelle added, putting down her inari sushi, "that might be a bit difficult now. I killed the Hagoromo clan's heir. They want to eat me alive. Unless, of course, you hand me over."
"Don't say such things," Senju Hashirama said, his face uncharacteristically stern. It was clear Stelle's words had struck a nerve.
Stelle immediately shut her mouth. No one wanted to provoke an angry Hashirama—no one except Madara, that is.
After Hashirama finished his questioning and left, Stelle stared at the food on the table. Plum-filled onigiri, inari sushi, and the ever-present preserved pickles and natto. Suddenly, her appetite was gone. The food of the Warring States period was always the same few things. She already despised pickles and natto, and now, even the onigiri and sushi were becoming unbearable.
Senju Tobirama noticed she had stopped eating after a single piece of sushi. "Lost your appetite?"
Stelle hummed in agreement. "Eat this stuff every day, and you'd get tired of even the most divine ambrosia."
Tobirama beckoned a Senju shinobi over and whispered a few words. A short while later, the ninja returned with a freshly roasted bird. She didn't know what kind it was, but the aroma was savory and enticing.
He handed the roasted meat to Stelle. "Try this. This bird is only found in the bamboo forests of this region. The taste is quite good."
Stelle took it and bit into the tender meat; it was indeed delicious. With the bird to accompany it, she managed to finish the rest of her sushi.
After her meal, she packed her things, preparing to scout the vicinity. This was the main battlefield where the Senju and Uchiha clans faced off. Both Uchiha Madara and Uchiha Izuna were here. Her plan was simple: she would have Hashirama assign her to a suitable patrol route. Under the guise of patrol, she could meet up with her dear friends and farm some mood value along the way.
Just as she stepped out of the tent, Senju Tobirama followed her.
When they reached a quiet, secluded corner, he suddenly asked, "How did you know I was in danger that day?"
Stelle had long since prepared an excuse for this very question.
"The retreating Hagoromo clan had too few wounded," she began. "It was almost as if they intentionally leaked information to lure someone away. Plus, when I was finishing off their injured, the way they looked at me was strange—like I wasn't supposed to be there. I felt something was wrong."
She lightly bumped Tobirama's shoulder and leaned in conspiratorially. "Do you believe in intuition? In that moment, I just had this extraordinary sense of unease in my heart. That's why I noticed all those little things."
Senju Tobirama was a man of logic, a materialist who believed in science and his own creations above all else. Still, because it was Stelle who said it, he gave a slow nod. "If it's you, I believe it."
'Research fanatics are really something else,'she thought, amused.'He clearly doesn't believe a word of it and trusts hard evidence far more.'
"Could you at least try not to sound so forced?" she teased, laughing at his stiff delivery.
That night, Senju Hashirama personally took patrol duty in a remote and dangerous sector. Stelle sat boldly on the edge of the defensive line, and it wasn't long before Uchiha Madara and Uchiha Izuna arrived.
Seeing that both she and Senju Tobirama were heavily bandaged, they naturally asked what had happened.
When Izuna learned that Stelle had sustained her injuries saving Tobirama, his gaze turned rather intriguing. He shot a gentle, almost saccharine smile in Tobirama's direction. With just that one glance, Stelle was surprised to see her system notifications light up.
[Ding! Mood value from Uchiha Izuna +1000]
[Ding! Mood value from Senju Tobirama +1000]
'Good grief,'she thought.'Their emotions go haywire the second they see each other. If only these two could meet every day, I'd never have to worry about mood value again.'
She mused that once Hashirama became the clan head, he should invite Izuna to live in the Senju main compound—preferably right next to Tobirama. Then, she could just wake up, sit back, and collect mood value every morning.
Unfortunately, such an idea was pure fantasy. Stelle shook her head, a deep sense of regret in her heart.
As Izuna listened to Stelle describe the perilous situation she'd found the white-haired Senju in, he turned to his brother. "Big brother, didn't you just fight a battle against the Hyuga last month? Why would they ally with us?"
Uchiha Madara snorted. "I assigned the Hagoromo the most difficult defensive tasks outside the main battlefield. Their strength was insufficient, so I expected them to slack off. I never imagined that, for the sake of revenge, they would use the resources I gave them to bribe the Hyuga into dealing with Stelle."
So this was the butterfly effect. Stelle had no idea how the young Hagoromo clan head had died in the original timeline, but in this one, she had personally turned him into a pincushion on the battlefield with her Wood Release. He had been the most talented heir of his generation, and now the Hagoromo clan hated her guts. In the end, she had inadvertently set a trap for Tobirama herself. She would have to be more careful.
"Speaking of which, I encountered something peculiar that I think warrants attention," Uchiha Izuna said, a strange expression on his face.
While on a mission in the Land of Earth, he had run into one of the black-robed men from that mysterious organization. Before he could even make a move, he watched the man activate an altar and die within it, a willing blood sacrifice.
"As he died," Izuna recounted, "he even said something strange: 'You have the aura of that annoying, damned fellow on you!'"
Who this "damned fellow" was, Izuna had no idea.
The four of them shared their theories and guesses. Stelle yawned as she listened to their wild speculation. She was already spouting enough nonsense herself; listening to them build even more elaborate nonsense on top of hers was something else. Their imaginations were truly vivid.
Occasionally, she would glance toward the spot where she knew Black Zetsu was hiding. The fact that he wasn't checking on her clone but was here instead meant he was likely trying to understand the situation with the reincarnations of Indra and Ashura. She had to stay alert and not let him ruin her plans. In any case, she wouldn't let Black Zetsu get his hands on her four main targets.
Maybe she should find an opportunity to put on a grand performance for Black Zetsu and stock up on mood value.
But what kind of act should she put on?
Stelle began to search through her reward pool again. With so many rewards, using them would make her invincible, but what was the point of that? What she needed to farm was mood value.
'Why is there even a One-Punch Man Trial Card?'she complained internally.'Am I supposed to use it to blow up the ninja world? If I do that, how am I supposed to collect mood value?'[The system replied cutely: The Host is'invincible on loan.' For someone following the path of cautious survival, this is a life-saving trump card. It has world-specific limitations. For example, if you traveled to the night of the Uchiha Clan Massacre, you could use the trial card to cause some real trouble. If you traveled to the era when Pain was carrying rice, you could use it then, too. If it were the Fourth Great Ninja War, an hour would be just about enough. Unfortunately, the Host traveled to the Warring States period. How about you go blow up the moon?]
Stelle was so incensed she laughed at the stupid system. Blow up the moon to farm Black Zetsu once, and then what? If Black Zetsu didn't try to save his mother, how could she collect mood value from the Fourth Great Ninja War?
Wait. She could still farm Black Zetsu without blowing up the moon.
Stelle's eyes lit up. 'Black Zetsu, my Top Donor, I've found the perfect way to farm you…'
Because both Stelle and Senju Tobirama were injured, Senju Butsuma personally took to the field. As soon as he did, Uchiha Tajima from the opposing side also joined the battle. The two were the deadliest of rivals in the Warring States period. Though their sons got along, the fathers would never be satisfied until one had killed the other.
With the clan heads on the field, the battlefield grew increasingly intense.
After Stelle recovered from her injuries, Senju Butsuma immediately sent her back into the fray. During a team battle, he had her pin down Uchiha Madara while Senju Hashirama led a raid on the Uchiha home base.
Uchiha Madara and Stelle often sparred, so staging a fake fight was no problem. However, Uchiha Tajima felt that having another Wood Release expert on the enemy side was too great a threat and arranged for a sneak attack.
While "fighting" Madara, Stelle was "heavily injured" by the ambush and had to be carried off the field. The injury was so severe that it even startled Uchiha Izuna's Sharingan into activating its third tomoe.
After being repeatedly and grievously wounded, Stelle was removed from the front lines and sent back to the Senju mansion to recuperate.
It just so happened that the script she had prepared for Black Zetsu was ready. Returning home to recuperate meant she could cause trouble with both her main body and her clone. She claimed she was going into seclusion to research ninjutsu and did not wish to be disturbed. The moment she was sent back, she applied a powerful sealing technique she had acquired from the Uzumaki clan to her room and decisively slipped away.
By the time she sneaked back to the front lines, the battle had reached its most ferocious stage.
Once Senju Butsuma and Uchiha Tajima took the field, Madara and Hashirama lost any chance to cooperate or stage fake fights. This time, it was a full-scale, alliance-level decisive battle. Stelle presumed that in the original work, Uchiha Tajima and Senju Butsuma perished together in this very conflict.
Stelle could already sense that besides the slaughter on the plains, several groups were hidden in the surrounding forest. Some were poised to support the battle, while others lurked behind rocks, carefully gathering intelligence.
Hidden in the dense woods, Uzumaki Ashina saw his moment. With a wave of his hand, the members of the Uzumaki clan charged onto the battlefield, carving a path of death toward the Uchiha.
On the other side, seeing the Uzumaki make their move, the Uchiha's allies, the Hagoromo clan, also charged out with their clansmen. The battle grew increasingly tragic.
Stelle began preparing her props.
First was the One-Punch Man Trial Card, Ninja World Limited Edition. It wouldn't blow up the world, but it would make her invincible within it for one hour. There was only one; once used, it was gone.
Next was the Fun Special Effects Card, which could add unseeable illusions to her during battle.
Finally, a Transformation Card, which provided a true identity that absolutely could not be seen through.
All set.
At that moment, Black Zetsu was pressed against a tree, watching the battle with great interest. The relationship between Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara was a little too good for his liking. But as long as Senju Butsuma and Uchiha Tajima died today, a rift would form between their sons. Then, he would find a way to have one of their younger brothers die at the other's hands. He had no doubt their bond would shatter.
How could the reincarnations of Ashura and Indra have a good relationship? They had to be at each other's throats. Only then could he obtain the Rinnegan and activate the Infinite Tsukuyomi to save his mother.
As he watched intently, he suddenly noticed a man wearing a very familiar black robe standing at the edge of the plain. Black Zetsu's eye twitched.
'Another one of these doomed souls. What is this guy trying to do, hiding here? The people below are fighting to the death, and this freak show of an organization has offended every last clan down there.'
If that man were to appear on the battlefield, everyone below would instantly turn their heads, hack him to death, and then resume their slaughter.
Just as Black Zetsu was wondering what this person was up to…
He suddenly noticed the man was performing the same movements as the others before him. The black-robed figure began forming complex hand seals before slapping his palm on the ground.
An altar appeared—one Black Zetsu had seen before. He remembered that this was the fifth one. He had heard of three of them, but even he hadn't seen the other two.
After the altar appeared, the man drew a blade and stabbed it into his own heart. This time, however, his words were different.
He chanted: "With blood as the guide, the body as a sacrifice, and the soul dispersed, I welcome the Chakra Ancestor, Lord Sōjin…"
Black Zetsu went still. '...Again! Why again! Is their organization never tired of this game?'Their leader was quite the trickster, constantly instigating people to sacrifice themselves, playing this game whenever they had nothing better to do. They might not be tired of it, but Lord Black Zetsu was sick of watching. What a bunch of idiots.'If you have the ability to conjure a living person out of thin air, then bring a Sōjin for me to see, and I'll kneel before you in a heartbeat,' he scoffed internally.
Black Zetsu desperately wanted to ask this guy who had just offed himself where exactly their organization was; he had nearly searched the entire ninja world without finding it. Just what kind of talent was fooling them into performing these fanatical sacrifices every day? His mother had so many zealous followers, yet he hadn't received any news at all?
'Get in touch with me!'he thought.'I would make good use of them and tell them exactly how to save the Chakra Ancestor—how to save my mother. Instead of tricking these weirdos into sacrificing themselves, the most important thing is that everyone will eventually become White Zetsu, and I'll even create the most beautiful and happy dreams for them. Dying slowly in a dream is much happier than this. Look at how kind and honest I am.'
Just as Black Zetsu was lamenting his mother's loss of another fanatical follower, the altar disappeared, and the man's body vanished.
He saw only the void, which looked as if it had been torn apart.
Immediately after, an invisible pressure descended without warning. The air grew thick and stagnant, gripping everyone's hearts in an icy fist. The sounds of fighting and explosions on the plain—everything seemed to freeze at this moment. An unstoppable fear seeped into every soul.
Friend and foe alike, everyone froze, their eyes drawn to the source of that terrifying aura.
They saw only a man enveloped in black flame, floating in mid-air, his gaze fixed in their direction.
In the next second, the man moved. The black flames around him surged, and he threw a punch toward the plain.
He raised his fist, the black fire enveloping it, condensing bit by bit. In an instant, the world seemed to change color. Black clouds churned, and an endless pressure radiated from the man, pressing down layer by layer as if the heavens themselves were about to collapse.
As his fist fell, the void trembled. The earth cracked, and shockwaves swept out like a wild tide. The shinobi on the ground were so stunned by this display that their eyes nearly bulged from their sockets. Some tried to resist with their chakra, but their bodies trembled under the crushing force. Others tried to flee, but their legs seemed locked in place, refusing to move.
Thud!
Some of the weaker individuals were already forced to their knees, their bodies slamming into the ground. A simple punch seemed to carry the power to destroy heaven and earth.
"Retreat, quickly!" those who could still think screamed, flashing backward like lightning.
But they were fast, and the punch was faster. The fist, which seemed capable of shattering the very air, appeared slow but slammed into the crowd in the blink of an eye. Everyone felt as tiny as an ant, about to be crushed into dust. Yet they couldn't move, locked down by that terrifying energy.
'What is this? Divine punishment?''Clan Leader, save me! Save me!'
Fear spread like a plague through their hearts.
Just as everyone within the blast radius was about to be turned into a mist of blood, a silver flash streaked through the void. A figure cloaked in silver-white light shot through the crowd, their palms glowing with a brilliant white energy as they slammed hard against the descending black fist.
When fist and palm met, there was a moment of absolute calm—no brilliant light, no grand explosion. A few seconds later, a crisp pop echoed, and an invisible energy wave rippled out from the two combatants, destroying everything in its path.
In an instant, turf was ripped from the ground, and entire trees were uprooted and tossed aside. The shinobi on the plain were blown about like helpless infants, sent rolling in all directions. Just being grazed by a trace of the leaked energy caused the weaker ones to spit blood and collapse, unable to rise again.
"What's happening? When did such powerful ninja appear in the world? Are they even human?" someone cried in disbelief.
"Monsters…"
"Why is he attacking us?"
High above, a black figure and a white figure traded blows. With a one-hour trial card, Stelle naturally had to show off her martial prowess; otherwise, it would be a waste. Even as a One-Punch Man with suppressed strength, she was still a Superman.
The fight shook the mountains and changed the color of the sky. Entire hills were leveled by their battle. If the energy from their strikes hadn't canceled each other out, everyone below would have been annihilated.
[Ding! Mood value from Uchiha Tajima +1000]
[Ding! Mood value from Senju Butsuma +1000]
[Ding! Mood value from Uchiha Madara +5000]
[Ding! Mood value from Uchiha Izuna +5000]
[Ding! Mood value from Senju Hashirama +5000]
[Ding! Mood value from Senju Tobirama +5000]
[Ding! Mood value from Hyuga Clan Head +1000]
[Ding! Mood value from Uzumaki Ashina +1000]
[Ding! Mood value from Ōtsutsuki Black Zetsu +20000]
[Ding!...]
As everyone continued to retreat, they heard the two supreme experts fighting high in the sky speak.
"Sōjin, as the Chakra Ancestor, you brought chakra to humanity. Why must you seek to destroy them?"
Black Zetsu, who was still stuck to a tree, lost his grip at those words and fell to the ground with a wet thud.
'Holy crap! Holy crap!!!!''How did a guy named Sōjin actually show up? You've got to be kidding me. This is impossible, absolutely impossible!'
He thought it was just some charlatan who knew how to trick people like he did, using his mother's name to fool a bunch of doomed souls into sacrificing themselves. How did a real Sōjin appear?
Black Zetsu suspected he was caught in a genjutsu, but that wasn't right—he was immune to genjutsu. He wasn't even afraid of the Infinite Tsukuyomi. So why would a Sōjin claiming to be the Chakra Ancestor appear, and with such terrifying combat power?
'Then what is my mother? Can there be two Ancestors? One from ten thousand years ago, and one from a thousand years ago? Is my mother the junior one? Bah!'Black Zetsu's head was buzzing. For the first time, he was doubting his very existence, even though he wasn't technically human.'Where did this guy come from? Which corner did he crawl out of? The identity of the Chakra Ancestor belongs to my mother! What does it have to do with this pitch-black guy? Die, just die already! How dare he impersonate my mother!'
Black Zetsu was so angry he wanted to rush up and scream at the two combatants: "My mother is the real Chakra Ancestor!"
[Ding! Mood value from Ōtsutsuki Black Zetsu +20000]
At that moment, a voice boomed from the sky again.
"I said, I want to destroy the world. What's the point of keeping this world full of chaos and slaughter? It's only interesting if it's destroyed."
The white and black energies continued to collide, triggering countless devastating fluctuations. The crowd on the battlefield retreated further and further, fearing that if they were too slow, they would be caught in the crossfire and turned to dust. Everyone was in shock. Where did these two incredibly powerful people come from? Chakra had been passed down for a thousand years, so how did a Chakra Ancestor suddenly pop up? Why had they never heard of this person? And he was still alive after a thousand years? Were they even human? It was too terrifying.
Black Zetsu got even angrier upon hearing this.
'This is the battlefield where Mother creates her soldiers! Everyone here is to be turned into White Zetsu! They are all Mother's property! It has nothing to do with this Sōjin from who-knows-where. They all belong to Mother!'
[Ding! Mood value from Ōtsutsuki Black Zetsu +10000]
[Ding! Mood value from Uchiha Madara +5000]
[Ding! Mood value from Senju Hashirama +5000]
[Ding! Mood value from Uchiha Izuna +1000]
[Ding! Mood value from Senju Tobirama +1000]
[Ding! Mood value from Uchiha Tajima +500]
[Ding! Mood value from Senju Butsuma +500]
[Ding!...]
The battle high in the distance continued.
The crowd, having retreated far from the combat zone, could only see the constant collision of two powerful energies, black and white. Then, a sphere formed from an even more massive black energy appeared, seeming to tear through space as it smashed toward them.
Just when they thought death was upon them again, a gentle white light completely enveloped the black sphere. That light was too dazzling, making it impossible to see what was happening.
They only heard a female voice say: "In that case, I will seal you on the moon."
Black Zetsu went numb. 'What on earth is going on? Argh!'He was really about to have a breakdown.'Sealing him on the moon? If you're so capable, open the moon and let my mother out! You can live on the moon for as long as you want; my mother doesn't like that place anyway. Live there however you want. Also, remember one thing: the Chakra Ancestor is my mother, and it has nothing to do with you!'
When the light vanished, the bodies of the two figures in the void began to crumble, turning into specks of white light that disappeared bit by bit into the air, becoming dust.
Everything returned to peace, as if nothing had happened.
If it weren't for the fact that the plain had been turned into a deep abyss and the surrounding forest had vanished… everyone would have thought they were hallucinating.
Some people touched their necks. Someone quietly slapped themselves.
'Great, still alive. It's good to be alive.'Only Black Zetsu lay paralyzed on the ground, his body twisting like a pool of black liquid. In his breakdown, he reached out a hand in a desperate gesture toward the direction where Sōjin had vanished.'Hey, hey, hey, why is this guy so weak? Didn't he just beat that other one until she was spitting blood? How did he completely vanish in the blink of an eye? What Chakra Ancestor? My mother was only sealed, but this guy just vanished. If you're so capable, blow up the moon and let it be yours. I had originally wanted to make use of him. Trash Chakra Ancestor, bah. No, it's this trash called Sōjin who's garbage; my mother is the strongest.'
[Ding! Mood value from Ōtsutsuki Black Zetsu +20000]
On the clearing, the two warring sides remained quiet for a long time, as if a pause button had been pressed. Then, in a silent, tacit understanding, they retreated. They supported their wounded, collected their fallen, and headed back the way they came.
As for the battle… they had almost been beaten into dust. After facing the threat of annihilation twice in one day, why even bother fighting anymore? They just wanted to go home.
[Ding! Mood value from Ōtsutsuki Black Zetsu +20,000]
[Ding! Mood value from Uchiha Madara +5,000]
[Ding! Mood value from Senju Hashirama +5,000]
[Ding! Mood value from Uchiha Izuna +5,000]
[Ding! Mood value from Senju Tobirama +5,000]
[Ding! Mood value from various extras +468...]
The original slaughter between the clans, a battle intended to decide the victor of this season, ended halfway because of this sudden, inexplicable clash between supreme powerhouses.
Senju Butsuma and Uchiha Tajima were severely injured, on the verge of death after being caught in the crossfire. After being rescued and examined by medical-nin, it was found that their chakra networks had been corroded by the black flame and could not be restored. They could no longer fight. And so, these two lifelong rivals of the Warring States period exited the stage of history at the same time.
Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara inherited the positions of clan heads, stepping onto the path that would lead to peace and the founding of the village.
Stelle began to tally the mood values she had earned from farming Black Zetsu and wiping the floor with the various clans of the era in one fell swoop. After looking through the numbers, she was quite happy. This wave had actually earned her 286,521 points. She finally had some reserves, which eased her anxiety and would allow her to live peacefully for a few days.
Then she looked at her loan status, and her smile became less radiant.
[Mood Value Status: 286,521 / 111,111,111,000]
There was no helping it. Aside from those with names, the system was too lazy to label most of the extras, replacing them with 'Background Prop No. 1'and'No. 2,' which only gave a pitiful 1 to 50 mood points each.
This Warring States period was truly too difficult. If possible, she really wanted to close her eyes and wake up in the era of the Crown Prince…
After Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara completely took over their fathers' positions, the disputes between the Senju and Uchiha clans gradually began to decrease, with the cooperation of their two younger brothers. This would have been a difficult task, but the recent large-scale battle had been a catalyst. The Hagoromo clan had betrayed their alliance with the Uchiha and tried to annex both clans, forcing the Senju and Uchiha into a tacit understanding. Even if friction occurred, they would absolutely not engage in large-scale battles, lest another clan take advantage of the chaos.
Under the behind-the-scenes manipulation of the two new clan heads, the disputes between the Uchiha and Senju decreased visibly. When encountering missions with potential conflicts, they would coordinate beforehand. Small missions were either ignored or passed on to other clans. If a major mission couldn't be refused, both sides would take the lead in throwing the match. They brought along clan members with milder temperaments and less bloodlust to perform missions together, which avoided many problems.
The two older brothers were very happy, but one person remained perpetually unhappy: Senju Tobirama.
"Dammit, Uchiha Izuna! If you want to learn ninjutsu, research it yourself! That's my technique!"
As a ninjutsu inventor, Tobirama had tinkered with many practical jutsu, just as he had in the original story. It was fine at first, but once Izuna and the others awakened their three-tomoe Sharingan, things became less than pleasant. Every time they fought, as soon as Tobirama used a proud new creation, it would be copied by his opponent's Sharingan the next second. He was truly about to spit blood from anger.
"Just go ahead and curse the misfortune of not having a Sharingan," Izuna would taunt.
"Izuna!"
"Tobirama!"
Senju Tobirama swore that he would one day create a ninjutsu that the Sharingan could not copy.
"Tobirama and Izuna have such a good relationship. They're so full of energy every time they meet," Stelle commented, sitting on a tree trunk and watching the two with a smile.
"Indeed, it's great this way. Madara, don't you agree?" Senju Hashirama also looked on with relief.
"I don't feel that way at all," Uchiha Madara snorted softly.
"Alright, time for serious business." Stelle clapped her hands, calling them over. Today, they were going to deal with the more radical factions within their clans.
As the atmosphere between the two great clans eased, the ones who disliked it most were the hardliners. They wanted to stir up trouble every day, and if they weren't suppressed, something was bound to go wrong.
Stelle took out a scroll and placed it on the ground. It was a sealing scroll. Tobirama had used his friendly relations with the Uzumaki clan to obtain a batch of them and had even exchanged benefits for some of their sealing techniques. He hadn't figured out anything too fancy, only making slight improvements, but they had given him great ideas for Space-Time Ninjutsu.
Based on Tobirama's improved scrolls, Stelle had applied her own ideas. In the end, she had turned the scroll into a healing tool, sealing a large amount of healing chakra inside to create a Mass Healing Technique Scroll.
She explained the scroll's effects to the four of them.
"It can actually perform mass healing? How incredible!"
This was something that could practically change the tide of a battle.
"This thing is very hard to make," Stelle said. "From the time I started researching it until now, it takes a month to make just one. I don't have many in stock."
She continued, "When the time comes, each of you take some and lead those radicals on missions. When both sides are heavily injured and exhausted, open a scroll and trigger a mass recovery. After they recover, they will continue to fight. When they are heavily injured again, you open another scroll and let them continue. Keep fighting… until they don't want to fight anymore. After this happens a few times, they won't be so radical anymore."
In continuous battle, although their injuries would be constantly healed, their energy was still drained, and the blood they shed was real. The weakness was real. Some severe injuries couldn't be fully recovered from, yet they would be forced to keep fighting through constant recovery.
Thinking about it carefully, the idea was suddenly terrifying. The radicals were just hot-headed; they weren't emotionless combat puppets.
"Do you think this method is good?" she asked.
"...Good!" they all replied, subconsciously swallowing. Looking at Stelle's smile, which was still as warm as a spring breeze, they suddenly felt that this smile was a bit scary.
[System: Impressive!]
With Stelle assisting and supervising from the side, the strength of Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara increased daily. They soon reached the peak strength seen in the original story and could begin working on establishing the village.
Senju Hashirama looked at the Village Building Guide provided by Stelle, his expression alight with excitement. "Madara, that person gave her life to stop the Chakra Ancestor from destroying the world. The rest is up to us."
Uchiha Madara looked back at his best friend. "That's right, Leader. Just as we agreed."
During this period, Stelle's clones were also stirring up trouble in front of Uzumaki Ashina and the Hyuga clan head, but unfortunately, the results were minimal. It wasn't as effective as talking peace with Hashirama and Madara. After the blow he received last time, Black Zetsu was nowhere to be found. He was likely sinking deep underground to question his life choices.
Since her clones couldn't find him, and she couldn't stop causing trouble, she simply sent them to "assassinate" the group of five, including Hashirama. Calling it assassination was strange; it was more like seeking death. The people from the "Destruction Organization" targeted the five of them relentlessly; they were pursued as soon as they stepped out the door. Although they were counter-killed every time, the mood values were farmed, so it was still quite worth it.
When another clone was killed by the combined efforts of Senju Tobirama and Uchiha Izuna, the two high-IQ powerhouses huddled together to analyze the situation.
"Why exactly do they insist on pursuing us in all these ways? This is the fifth wave, isn't it? Does their organization have an endless supply of people?"
"I always feel like their attempts to kill us aren't random; it's as if they have some purpose," Uchiha Izuna said with a grave expression. "Logically, since that Sōjin is already dead, they should have settled down. Instead of hiding, they're stirring up trouble everywhere, almost as if they've written 'Destruction Organization' on their foreheads."
"It's fine. They are strong, but we aren't weak either—as long as it's not someone at Sōjin's level." Senju Tobirama used a cloth to wipe the blood from his sword, then suddenly remembered something. He turned to Stelle. "Don't go out alone lately. If you have something to do, tell me, and I'll go with you."
Stelle scratched her head. She didn't necessarily have to go out, and besides, she was very strong—publicly recognized as one of the three great experts of the Senju clan. But since Tobirama had said so, she might as well agree. Her current persona wasn't the willful, trouble-seeking type.
Stelle gave a light smile. "Then I'll have to trouble Tobirama to protect this weak woman."
Hearing these words, even Senju Tobirama's usually expressionless face showed a hint of a smile.
On the side, Senju Hashirama looked puzzled. "Stelle is very strong. How could she be a weak woman? If it really came to a fight, I think you'd need to master that Flying Thunder God Technique you just developed, Tobirama, before you could beat her." He turned to Uchiha Madara. "Am I right?"
Uchiha Madara glanced at his brother beside him and agreed. "Right, Stelle is no weak woman. Why don't you come to the Uchiha clan as a guest? Weren't you always curious about Uchiha Nintaijutsu? I can show you the scrolls."
Stelle was stunned and pointed at herself. "Me? I'm from the Senju clan. You want to teach me Uchiha Nintaijutsu? Madara, are you sure you're not mistaken?"
Uchiha Madara, thinking of a certain possibility, nodded. "If it's you learning it, it's actually not impossible."
Stelle's head was full of question marks. "Visiting is fine, but forget about the nintaijutsu; that's a bit strange. Our Senju clan's Monstrous Strength is also quite useful."
"You've agreed then," Uchiha Izuna's smile was very bright. "Then it's settled. I'll arrange a carriage to pick you up tomorrow."
Senju Tobirama walked over from the side and said expressionlessly, "I am also very curious about the Uchiha clan. Count me in."
The smile on Uchiha Izuna's face nearly collapsed. "Tobirama, are you that free? You're the one handling all of Big Brother Hashirama's clan affairs. Are you sure you can get away?"
Hearing this, Senju Hashirama also realized. "Tobirama, you should still handle the clan affairs. Madara and I are going to visit the major ninja clans these next few days to persuade them to join the village."
At that moment, the expression with which Senju Tobirama looked at his own brother was strange for several long seconds. If Hashirama and Madara were gone, then the only one left in the Uchiha clan lands would be that black-haired menace opposite him.
He said in a deep voice, "Elder Takushin can take over the clan affairs for a few days. It's settled; I'll go to the Uchiha clan as a guest with Stelle."
Stelle watched the exchange, thinking, 'Senju Tobirama really dares to go to the Uchiha clan. Is he sure he won't be taken out once he gets there? Oh, right, he has the Flying Thunder God now; he can flash away if things look bad. Then it'll be fine.'
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