Uchiha: Becoming the Strongest Hokage from Scratch

On the border of the Land of Fire, in a dense forest.

Madara Uchiha walked at the very front of the group, his posture as upright as a pine tree, his eyes filled with disdain.

Suddenly, he stopped and looked up at the sky. A ninja eagle was flying in from the northwest.

Ban's black eyes immediately turned into scarlet eternal eyes, narrowed slightly, and the patterns in his eyes began to spin silently.

The ninja eagle, hundreds of meters in the air, suddenly had a strange red light in its eyes, and the same Eternal Eye pattern was reflected in its pupils.

Its body stiffened, then it changed its flight path, swooped down, and landed steadily on Madara Uchiha's outstretched left arm.

"This is..." Hashirama Senju stepped forward, somewhat puzzled.

Tobirama Senju followed, his brow furrowed slightly. "A ninja hawk relaying messages from the Land of Fire?"

Madara Uchiha did not answer, but simply took a scroll from the letter tube on the Ninja Hawk's leg and unfolded it without expression.

With just one glance, his pupils suddenly contracted.

"What's wrong, Madara?" Hashirama Senju noticed his unusual expression and came over to check on him.

Tobirama Senju also peered over.

The scroll bears the national seal of the Land of Fire, with neat lines of text coming into view.

The Fire Country Daimyo decrees: Effective immediately, the only official ninja village in the Fire Country shall be established on the southeastern plain of the capital. The village leader shall be Uchiha Tsuki. All ninja clans that wish to join shall enjoy preferential treatment under the national government.

The edict was short, but it was enough to leave the three speechless with shock.

The next second, Tobirama Senju's face darkened at a visible speed.

His gaze shifted from the scroll to Madara Uchiha.

"Sandalus!" His voice was icy. "What else do you have to say this time?!"

Madara Uchiha frowned, his voice stiff, "It's just an imperial edict."

"A decree? That's all?" Tobirama Senju practically gritted his teeth as he spoke. "Last night I suggested we travel through the night, but you stopped me!"

"We set off this morning, and just as we reached the border of the Land of Fire, Uchiha Tsuki already received the Daimyo's official decree!"

He took a step forward, his aura imposing, "Did you already conspire with Uchiha Tsuki?"

The Uchiha clan is not only hedging their bets, but are they also trying to use the alliance between the two clans to do their own thing?

Madara Uchiha's expression darkened completely. "You mean, I'm plotting against the Senju?"

"I'm just stating the facts!" Tobirama Senju retorted, "The fact is, Uchiha Tsukuyomi is faster than us in every step!"

"And last night, you stopped us from taking action overnight. You guys are definitely up to something!"

The atmosphere instantly became tense and hostile.

The ninjas from both clans sensed something was wrong and stopped in their tracks, looking warily in their direction.

Madara Uchiha's followers gripped their ninja tools with grim expressions, while the Senju clan members, their faces also contorted with menace, quietly dispersed into battle formation.

"Madara, Tobirama, calm down." Hashirama Senju stepped between the two at the right moment.

He first looked at his younger brother, "Tobirama, now that Madara has agreed to the alliance, you should trust him."

Then he turned to Madara Uchiha and said, "Madara, I believe you. There must be some misunderstanding here."

"Misunderstanding?" Madara Uchiha stared at Tobirama Senju, a dangerous glint in his eyes. "Since Tobirama doesn't trust me, there's no need to continue the alliance."

As soon as he finished speaking, Tobirama Senju's pupils contracted.

"Madara..." Hashirama Senju frowned.

"Then let's dissolve the alliance," Madara Uchiha repeated curtly.

Arrogant as he is, he never explains himself, much less bows his head.

Doubtful? Then let's end it here!

Tobirama Senju's anger flared up. The people he hated and loathed most in his life were the Uchiha, without exception!

"Ha, I knew it was another Uchiha clan conspiracy!" he said curtly. "Since you want to break the alliance, then so be it!"

Madara Uchiha gave Tobirama Senju a long look, then turned and waved, "Let's go."

"Madara!" Hashirama Senju reached out and grabbed Madara's shoulder, glaring at his younger brother beside him. "Shut up. I believe this isn't Madara's fault. I've never doubted him!"

Madara Uchiha stopped in his tracks, a warmth spreading through his heart. Hashirama still understood and trusted him as always.

But his younger brother... really wanted to kill him!

Hashirama Senju paused for a moment, then said, "Tobirama, apologize to Madara."

"Big brother!" Tobirama Senju cried out in resentment.

"Apologize." Hashirama Senju's tone was unusually serious.

Tobirama Senju gritted his teeth, remained silent for several seconds, and finally squeezed out three words through gritted teeth: "Madara... I'm sorry, I shouldn't have doubted you."

Madara Uchiha did not respond, but simply turned his face away, which could be considered as a reluctant acceptance.

The tension between the two clans was once again quelled by Hashirama Senju.

He was no longer serious and reverted to his usual cheerful demeanor.

"Actually, none of that matters. We're all doing this for the peace of the ninja world, aren't we?"

He picked up the scroll of the imperial edict and examined it carefully. "The fact that Uchiha Tsukumo was able to gain the support of the daimyo shows that he is indeed capable, which is a good thing."

"Since he's one step ahead of us, let's go find him," Hashirama said with a smile. "Wouldn't it be better to form an alliance with him and work together for peace?"

"Brother!" Tobirama Senju immediately objected, "Going to him to form an alliance, what's the difference between that and surrendering to him?!"

His face darkened. "We were the ones who first proposed the alliance, and now we're begging to join the ninja village founded by Uchiha Tsuki? What then is the Senju clan? What is this alliance?"

Madara Uchiha's expression was also very unnatural, clearly feeling that he had also lost face.

As the head of the Uchiha clan and a recognized top ninja in the ninja world, why would he take the initiative to approach a junior member of the branch family to discuss an alliance?

What a joke! Even if he died right now, he would never bow down!

Hashirama Senju looked at the two of them and, unusually, stuck to his own ideas.

"Tobirama, Madara, listen to me." His expression turned serious. "Don't forget the purpose of our alliance: to end this chaotic world and for world peace."

"Now that Uchiha Yue has the support of the Land of Fire, this is a good start. What we need to do is not to confront or start a war, as that goes against our original intention of pursuing peace."

Hashirama took a deep breath. "Therefore, we must go see him, not to surrender, but to cooperate."

"As long as it brings peace to the world, nothing else matters. What do you think?"

He spoke sincerely, his eyes clear and firm.

Tobirama Senju and Madara Uchiha exchanged a glance, both seeing resentment and frustration in each other's eyes.

But they couldn't refute Hashirama's words.

Because he's right.

If they choose to fight for the sake of face, then what difference is there between them and those ninja clans who start wars for personal gain? How can they live up to their ideals?

There was a long silence.

Tobirama Senju, his face dark, finally turned his head away. "...Whatever."

Madara Uchiha neither agreed nor disagreed, which can be considered as tacit approval.

"Alright!" Hashirama Senju smiled. "Then let's continue our journey to the capital of the Land of Fire and meet Uchiha Tsuki!"

He turned and strode forward.

Behind them, Tobirama Senju and Madara Uchiha, unwilling and helpless, could only grit their teeth and follow.