Talent was hard to come by.
If one wanted to create a ninja village, money was important—well, very important, extremely important.
Even the God of Shinobi, Hashirama Senju, had to run around pulling sponsorships to fund his village.
But for a ninja village, what mattered most was a group of capable shinobi.
Makoto Uchiha knew this better than anyone.
A ninja village was, after all, a place where ninjas gathered!
But training ninjas from scratch cost too much time and resources; taking existing ones was far more cost-effective.
Although the Uchiha Clan was currently being beaten back by the Senju Clan, top-tier fighter Hashirama Senju was an over-tuned anomaly of this era.
He defied common sense, a problem no one could solve.
In front of the Senju Clan, the Uchiha Clan naturally fell behind.
But setting Hashirama Senju aside, the Uchiha Clan could fight the Senju Clan for another thousand years.
And when facing the rest of the Ninja World’s clans: “Hmph, haven’t you ever seen the Uchiha Clan’s Sharingan?
Kneel and surrender now, or believe me, I’ll make you fly!” Therefore…
compared to money, Makoto Uchiha wanted people!
Even if they were small-fry Genin, or Uchiha clansmen who hadn’t unlocked the Sharingan, Makoto wanted them all!
“Lord Madara, I believe I’m not the only one in the clan who feels this way!” “If any of them wish to leave with me…” Makoto Uchiha began his dangerous probe.
If taken to the extreme, Madara Uchiha could easily brand Makoto’s actions as an attempt to split the Uchiha!
A treasonous crime!
However, considering Madara Uchiha’s usual style and his future sequence of baffling moves…
Whether as a clan leader or an organization boss, Madara operated no differently from an NPC.
Just a few years after joining Konoha, Madara lost control of his clan.
When he defected from Konoha, not a single person was willing to follow him.
Later, when he became the Ninja World’s final boss manipulating everything behind the scenes, his subordinates were all traitors.
Thus, Makoto Uchiha felt he could take this gamble.
Madara Uchiha hardly looked like a proper ruler anyway; he might be arrogant enough to see right through Makoto’s intentions, yet not care in the slightest!
“Hmph, is that really so?” “I don’t think so!” Madara Uchiha glanced at Makoto Uchiha.
In his eyes, Makoto was still just a wet-behind-the-ears kid who was trapped in the millennium-long hatred between the Uchiha Clan and the Senju Clan, unable to break free.
But he—Madara—had already seen the future!
“My eyes see beyond yours!” “I can see a path far further than you can!” As Madara Uchiha spoke, a thick, heavy Chakra poured recklessly from his body, and his Mangekyo Sharingan involuntarily opened!
“Everyone, I am the leader of the Uchiha, the strongest shinobi of the Uchiha Clan!” “My eyes have seen the future!” “Together with Hashirama Senju, I will eliminate the generational hatred between the Uchiha Clan and the Senju Clan!
Together with Hashirama Senju, I will build an unprecedented village!
Together with Hashirama Senju, I will bring peace to the chaos of war…
In the village that Hashirama Senju and I build, no child—whether of the Senju Clan or the Uchiha Clan—will ever have to go to the battlefield again…” Madara’s voice echoed throughout the room.
As the clan leader of the Uchiha, his prestige went without saying.
His passionate speech, painting a glorious picture, filled the present Uchiha clansmen to the brim.
The surviving Uchiha clansmen lacked Makoto’s omniscient perspective.
They could not see the tragic future awaiting the Uchiha Clan—where Madara would be ostracized to the point of defecting, and the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, would set the tone that kept the Uchiha Clan from ever reaching the core of Konoha’s power, stepping down the abyss toward total clan annihilation step by step.
“So, are you willing to walk toward a bright and shining future with me, or leave the clan and wander the Ninja World with Makoto Uchiha?” Madara arrogantly gave Makoto what he wanted…
but with a slight deviation.
*That naturally evil Madara Uchiha!* *Who told you to use your Mangekyo Sharingan while giving a speech to your own clansmen?!* *Don’t you know the Mangekyo Sharingan has a super-effective mental impact on the Uchiha Clan?!* Makoto cursed Madara over and over in his heart.
*Following you leads to a bright and shining future, but following me means wandering the Ninja World?* *Hmph!* *Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west—never look down on a young man just because he’s poor!
One day, Madara Uchiha, you will definitely regret this!* *(The door of his heart slammed shut!)* The present Uchiha clansmen couldn’t help but envision the future Madara described.
The strongest of the Uchiha and the strongest of the Senju joining forces…
The memory of Madara’s hundreds-of-meters-tall Susanoo and Hashirama’s hundreds-of-meters-tall Wooden Golem, with their unstoppable power, was still fresh in their minds.
Was there anything in this Ninja World that those two couldn’t accomplish together?
Nothing!
“Madara Uchiha…
Madara Uchiha…
Madara Uchiha…” Soon, the clansmen present involuntarily began chanting Madara Uchiha’s name.
Madara spread his arms, soaking in the cheers of his people.
Makoto stood there alone, feeling like a total nobody.
*To think that before Madara experiences what it feels like in the future, I end up experiencing it first.* *No one in the Uchiha Clan trusts me, no one is my companion, not a single person is willing to follow me…
What a disastrous start as a bare-bones commander!!* Makoto felt utterly helpless.
Trying to compete with Madara for clan prestige at this point in time was indeed overestimating himself.
“Don’t forget Hashirama Senju too.” “Madara Uchiha and Hashirama Senju…
Madara Uchiha and Hashirama Senju…” Amidst his gloom, Makoto decisively threw “Hashirama Senju” into the wave of echoing slogans.
The Uchiha clansmen paused briefly.
“That’s right!
The bright future will be created by Hashirama and me!” Madara heard this “discordant” voice as well, but he was too busy enjoying his clansmen’s cheers to notice where it came from.
But that didn’t matter!
Well said!
Who said that?
The Clan Leader approves of you!
Madara Uchiha and Hashirama Senju…
How great those two names sounded together!
“Madara Uchiha and Hashirama Senju!!” The Uchiha clansmen exchanged glances, feeling that adding Hashirama Senju’s name at a time like this was a bit off.
However, since Madara himself had validated the chant, the slogan became “Madara Uchiha and Hashirama Senju,” repeating over and over again.