Chapter 211 (Patreon)

“Shodai-sama, you lived through the Warring States Period, when the fighting was far more brutal than it is today. So let me ask you something else. How do you think the hatred between the shinobi clans began?”

“Competition over missions. Different clans would be hired for opposing objectives, which led to battles and casualties. Those deaths eventually became hatred.”

Hashirama answered without hesitation. It was a question he had already pondered when he was still a boy.

“Then who created that situation?”

“The daimyō, the nobles, and the wealthy merchants.”

“And do you believe it happened by accident? Or were those conflicts deliberately encouraged by the nobles and merchants?”

“Deliberately.” Hashirama’s expression turned serious. “You don’t need to explain any further, Kizaru. I understand what you’re trying to say.”

Why had Hashirama needed to join forces with the Uchiha clan before he could establish the first hidden village?

Because only the combined strength of the Senju and Uchiha—of Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara—possessed enough power to overwhelm every other shinobi clan.

Without that absolute advantage, creating a shinobi village would have been impossible.

There were people—and entire groups—who did not want the shinobi clans to unite.

As long as the clans remained scattered and hostile toward one another, the daimyō and nobles could use their political and economic influence to divide them, keep them in check, and preserve their own authority.

Even powerful clans like the Senju and Uchiha had lacked the strength to challenge the great daimyō before Hashirama and Madara were born.

A large shinobi clan might number several thousand people at most. Once the elderly, the sick, the injured, and the children were excluded, no more than two-thirds of that number could be sent to the battlefield.

If a daimyō truly entered a life-or-death struggle against a shinobi clan, he could simply empty his treasury and hire a dozen—or even several dozen—clans of various sizes to fight on his behalf.

Even if those hired forces were weaker, they could still wear down a single powerful clan through sheer numbers.

After all, the shinobi clan would be sacrificing its own people, while the daimyō would merely be spending money.

How could any clan endure such a war indefinitely?

That was why, during the Warring States Period, the daimyō stood above the shinobi in both name and reality.

That balance did not change until the appearance of the legendary Senju Hashirama.

Hashirama defeated Uchiha Madara, then joined hands with him and united the Senju and Uchiha clans. Smaller clans soon gathered beneath their banner, and with overwhelming strength and prestige, they forced the daimyō and nobles to lower their heads and acknowledge the existence of the hidden villages.

After Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara founded Konohagakure, powerful shinobi in other nations followed their example and established villages of their own.

The Warring States Period finally came to an end, and history entered the era of the hidden villages.

From that point onward, the position of shinobi—especially the shinobi clans—became fundamentally equal to that of the daimyō and nobility.

It was one of the reasons Senju Hashirama was revered throughout the shinobi world as the God of Shinobi.

What he had created had genuinely improved both the lives and the standing of every shinobi who came after him.

“Your ambition goes far beyond anything I imagined back then.” Hashirama regarded the young man before him with complicated emotions. “You truly intend to overturn the entire world.”

Through Kizaru’s words, Hashirama could hear the depth of his ambition.

He could also see the mountain of corpses and sea of blood that might lie along the road ahead.

“I’m merely doing what I believe is right,” Kizaru replied calmly, his usual smile never leaving his face.

“What you believe is right…”

Hashirama repeated those words softly.

For a moment, he seemed to see his younger self reflected in Kizaru. Back then, he too had fought with everything he possessed for what he believed was right.

Nostalgia flickered across his face as broken fragments of the past surfaced in his mind.

“Then do it.”

Hashirama’s expression grew solemn.

“Do what you believe is right. I can sense that the path you’ve chosen is leading in the right direction. It may be long and difficult, but if you refuse to give up, then someday, you’ll reach the dawn waiting at its end.”

“Shodai-sama, thank you for your encouragement.”

Having his ideals understood and acknowledged by someone else brought Kizaru an undeniable sense of satisfaction. He was in an especially good mood now.

“Stop calling me ‘Shodai-sama.’” Hashirama broke into a broad smile. “You’re Tsunade’s partner, aren’t you? Call me Grandpa, just like she does!”

Hashirama had not only recognized Kizaru as a younger Hokage who had inherited his position, but also as the man Tsunade had chosen.

Kizaru saw nothing wrong with addressing the First Hokage that way.

“Ooh… Then I’ll be counting on your support from now on, Grandpa.”

“Hahahahaha!”

Hashirama leaned back, bracing both hands against the floor as he laughed heartily.

“Grandpa, now that you agree with why I made this choice, there’s something I’d like to ask of you.”

After laying the groundwork for so long, Kizaru finally reached the heart of the matter.

“Oh? What is it?”

Hashirama sat upright again and rested his hands on his thighs, looking at him curiously.

“It concerns Uchiha Madara. I’d like you to help me put on a little performance.”

“If you already have a plan, tell me.”

“I intend to unify the entire shinobi world. I want to unite every shinobi, then use that combined strength to eliminate the privileged class represented by the daimyō and nobles. In their place, I’ll create a single nation where everyone stands as an equal.”

Hashirama had already guessed most of Kizaru’s intentions from their earlier conversation.

Even so, hearing the full extent of his goal caused his heart to tighten.

Countless battles and deaths lay concealed behind those words. Hashirama could almost see the land drenched in blood.

He fell silent and released a heavy sigh.

He understood that sacrifices were inevitable on the road toward peace and a new world.

That did not mean he could accept those sacrifices without pain.

“Almost forty years have passed since you established the hidden-village system,” Kizaru continued. “During that time, the shinobi of every village have developed an increasingly powerful sense of loyalty toward their villages and nations.

“Under those circumstances, convincing them to join Konoha without resistance would be extremely difficult… perhaps even impossible.

“The reason I haven’t acted yet is because I don’t want to spill more blood than necessary while pursuing this goal.

“I’ve spent a long time considering how to unite the different nations and hidden villages while keeping casualties to a minimum. I want to bring every shinobi together so that we can finally eliminate our true enemies.”

Hashirama nodded in understanding.

He knew Kizaru’s hesitation better than most. He had struggled with the same dilemma in his own era.

“Then, just as I was troubling myself over the answer, Uchiha Madara’s return gave me an idea… and offered a ray of hope for reducing the bloodshed this revolution will bring.”

Kizaru’s smile deepened ever so slightly.

“If I want the shinobi of different nations and villages to abandon those divisions and stand together, then they’ll need a common enemy—someone so powerful that merely hearing his name makes the entire shinobi world tremble.

“Uchiha Madara is precisely that kind of enemy.

“I intend to make him the villain of this world. Under the pressure he creates, every shinobi village will be forced to unite beneath Konoha’s leadership.

“That’s why Madara’s plan cannot be allowed to fail—at least, not during its early and middle stages. He must continue to succeed, and his actions must place the entire world under greater and greater pressure.”

Hashirama nodded thoughtfully.

He had roughly grasped what Kizaru intended, but rather than immediately offering his opinion, he considered the plan carefully.

If everything proceeded as Kizaru envisioned, it truly might unite all shinobi.

At the same time, the daimyō and nobles would not dare to interfere.

Even when Madara still possessed ties to the Uchiha clan, he had never placed much value on the daimyō or nobility. Now that he stood alone, there would be nothing restraining him.

If Madara decided to kill them, he would have no reason to hesitate.

“What will you do after all the hidden villages have united?” Hashirama asked.

“For the past three years, I’ve been reforming Konoha. Scientific research, the economy, medicine, education… Every reform I’ve introduced has brought real benefits to the villagers.

“But those reforms are merely one small part of my plan.

“In the future, I intend to carry out far broader reforms involving politics, economics, technology, culture, and every other part of society. I’ll turn Konoha into the wealthiest, most advanced, and most prosperous place in the world.

“Shinobi are human too. Why do they train so hard? In the end, most of them simply want to provide better lives for themselves, their families, and their friends.

“Once the hidden villages have been united and every shinobi stands beneath Konoha’s leadership, I’ll show them what our reforms have accomplished.

“Through cultural exchange and the spread of Konoha’s ideals, I’ll gradually change how the shinobi of the other villages see the world.

“When they come to accept our ideals and our culture—when they begin to yearn for the lives Konoha can offer them—how much reason will they have left to resist us?

“When Konoha’s shinobi begin unifying the world beneath more advanced ideals, how many people will truly choose to fight to the death against them? Aside from those who benefit from the current system and hold power at the top of the other villages, very few will have any reason to oppose us.”

Hashirama stared at Kizaru in amazement.

“What an incredible idea…”

His admiration for the young Hokage before him continued to grow with every word they exchanged.

“If Tobirama were still here, I’m sure the two of you would have plenty to discuss!”

Kizaru’s strength, vision, ambition, and carefully considered plans had all exceeded Hashirama’s expectations.

This young man might truly be capable of changing a world filled with endless war and bloodshed.

Perhaps, under Kizaru’s leadership, the peace Hashirama had once dreamed of really would arrive one day.

“If the opportunity ever presents itself, I’d also like to speak with Tobirama-sama,” Kizaru said with a smile.

“I agree with your plan,” Hashirama declared. “Whatever you need me to do from this point onward, just tell me.”

Having been thoroughly convinced by Kizaru, Hashirama naturally slipped back into the same role he had once shared with his younger brother.

Tobirama made the plans.

Hashirama carried them out.

“I will personally bring the current war to an end, then convene a Five Kage Summit in Konoha. During that meeting, I’ll reveal Uchiha Madara’s existence and conspiracy to the other villages, then propose the formation of a shinobi alliance.

“When the time comes, I’d like you to support me during the summit.”

“No problem!” Hashirama replied without hesitation.

“There’s something else. I’ll have Black Zetsu, Madara’s subordinate, return the Rinnegan to him. Black Zetsu will then encourage Madara to attack Konoha and seize the Tailed Beasts during the Five Kage Summit.

“When Madara launches his attack, I want you to confront him.”

“No problem! Leave it to me!”

Hashirama answered before Kizaru had even finished speaking.

When it came to fighting Uchiha Madara, there was no one in the world with more experience than him.

“You cannot win against Madara, and I cannot defeat him either,” Kizaru clarified after being interrupted. “We’ll have to make the battle appear perfectly even.”

“Perfectly even?”

Hashirama tilted his head, failing to understand.

“A draw,” Kizaru explained.

“Hahahahaha! I understand! What an interesting way to put it!”

Hashirama laughed, greatly amused by the idea.

“Then I’ll leave everything to you, Grandpa.”

“Just leave it to me!” Hashirama slapped his thigh confidently. “First, I’ll lose to Madara. Then I’ll join forces with you, and together we’ll fight him to a draw!”

The idea of deliberately losing to Madara was a novel experience for Hashirama.

Strangely enough, he was already looking forward to seeing the expression on his old friend’s face.