Konoha: The thirty-year-old Uchiha lacks motivation.

"What you said does make some sense."

Tobirama Senju nodded thoughtfully, while Uchiha Kagami, not far away, suddenly felt a chill run down his spine, and the hairs on his body stood on end.

"You're scaring yourself."

After looking around for a long time, he found nothing unusual, and then he finally felt relieved.

"But this is against the rules, and the dual-leadership model cannot be abolished."

Soon, Tobirama Senju shook his head again. He also had high hopes for Kagami taking over Konoha, believing that the village would definitely prosper under the leadership of the curly-haired type.

Unfortunately, rules are rules. Since a dual-leadership system has already been established, it should not be broken easily.

"What do you think of Hiruzen? He should be able to work very well with Kagami."

Pointing to Hiruzen Sarutobi, who was making friends with Kagami Uchiha, Tobirama Senju suggested...

"Hiruzen Sarutobi, huh?"

Madara Uchiha didn't have a particularly deep impression of Hiruzen Sarutobi, but he often heard the name from his older cousin.

They said it's best to discipline this child early, otherwise it will be harder to do it later.

Since Uchiha Gin keeps mentioning him, it means he is also a very outstanding junior.

Looking at Hiruzen Sarutobi, whose expression was calm and who already showed signs of leadership, Madara Uchiha took a big sip of his milk tea, savoring the chewy tapioca pearls.

Madara Uchiha's gaze shifted to Tobirama Senju, who was deep in thought, and realizing the latter wasn't joking, he frowned slightly.

"Isn't it a bit too early for you to be thinking about these things? I've only been Hokage for a short time, and you're already thinking of ousting me?"

"Prevention is better than cure; who knows if you might suddenly die?"

"Hmph! I'll definitely outlive you."

"The future belongs to the young. The fate of us old-time ninjas is to be nailed into coffins."

For some reason, Tobirama Senju's words were filled with pessimism, showing no trace of his former ambition, which greatly puzzled Madara Uchiha, who knew him well.

"I've noticed you've been acting strangely lately, like..."

Madara Uchiha put down his finished milk tea and stared intently at Tobirama Senju, whose face was filled with melancholy.

It's unclear when exactly, but this hot-tempered and easily angered white-haired man suddenly became taciturn and stopped arguing with the two brothers in the office, which was quite puzzling.

"Oh? Like what?"

Seeing Madara Uchiha hesitate to speak, Tobirama Senju curiously pressed for an answer.

"Like a castrated rooster."

(－＂－#)

"You look like a songstress to me!"

Tobirama Senju clenched his fists tightly, veins bulging on his pale forehead. He cursed angrily and stood up abruptly.

If he didn't have more important things to do, he would definitely teach Madara Uchiha a lesson.

"No, why are you swearing at me out of the blue?"

Madara Uchiha scratched his head, looking completely bewildered. He had only used an analogy, so why was Tobirama Senju in such a hurry?

the next day,

After a night's rest, the group, full of energy, embarked on their journey to the Land of Iron.

On the way, Tobirama Senju finally began to tell the unsuspecting F6 the true details of this mission.

"You guys better stay alert. Don't embarrass Konoha when you go to the Land of Iron."

The possible scenarios that might occur at the meeting had already been explained to the F6 members beforehand. The thought of representing the entire Hidden Leaf Village instantly ignited their passion, causing them to become flushed with excitement.

"Don't worry, teacher, we definitely won't embarrass ourselves!"

Seeing his disciples acting as if they were on steroids, Tobirama Senju nodded in satisfaction, then he brought up another matter.

"Also, if we encounter an attack on our way to or from the meeting, when I tell you to evacuate, don't look back."

"what?"

Upon hearing this strange order, the F6 members exchanged bewildered glances. Each of them was very confident in their abilities, and even if their opponents were the Shadows of other villages, they would never desert their posts.

"Teacher, we are not cowards!"

Seeing that his companions dared not speak, Danzo's eyes darted around, and he quickly raised his hand.

The teacher must be testing us. This time I raised my hand first, so I won't get criticized again, right?

"Danzo, a ninja's first duty is to obey orders."

However, the reality was completely different from what he had imagined. Upon hearing his impassioned words, Tobirama Senju frowned, and his face instantly turned extremely sour.

This Danzo actually dared to disregard the words of his teacher.

"Well"

Feeling the teacher's cold gaze, Danzo sheepishly lowered his hand. He thought he had raised it correctly this time, but it turned out he was wrong again.

He won't raise his hand again next time!

"Mirror, do you know something?"

On the other side, Hiruzen Sarutobi, who had witnessed everything, noticed that Kagami Uchiha beside him had an extremely solemn expression. A thought struck him, and he asked in a low voice,

"I'm sorry, Hiruzen, this is confidential. I cannot reveal it without your permission."

Knowing about the clone attack, Uchiha Kagami shook his head. This matter was classified as top secret, and he had no authority to reveal it to anyone.

"confidential?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi's pupils contracted slightly. This trip was indeed more than just a meeting; there was more to it than met the eye.

"That's right, all I can tell you is that you must listen to your teacher."

"Thank you, Mirror."

Having received a kind reminder from Uchiha Kagami, Hiruzen Sarutobi, who was still brainstorming, managed a weak smile, but boundless worry arose in his heart.

"arrive."

Just then, Madara Uchiha, who was walking at the front of the group, suddenly stopped. Everyone followed his gaze and looked into the distance. Among the snow-covered mountains, there were countless buildings made of steel.

The Land of Iron, we have arrived.

Inside the VIP reception area of ​​the Land of Iron, three groups of men, each with a distinct build, sat around a table, their gazes never meeting, clearly each harboring their own thoughts.

They arrived in the Land of Iron one after the other this morning and were guided here by the reception staff to meet up.

"Is there still no news from Konoha?"

The short man on the far left, as he spoke, slowly floated up until he was level with the others at the table, then nodded in satisfaction.

"Onoki, stop with your silly tricks. If you really can't reach the food, just ask the waiter to bring you a kids' meal."

Watching Onoki fly using the Light-Heavy Rock Technique, Kinkaku curled his lip in disdain, his chopsticks slamming down on the succulent steak. His rude eating style made Katsura frown.

"Waiter, do you have buckwheat noodles?"

His half-closed eyes swept over the greasy food on the table, making him feel somewhat nauseous. He then turned to ask the Iron Country's receptionist who was waiting nearby.

"Yes, yes, please wait a moment."

The waiter nodded hastily, and just as he was about to turn around, he seemed to remember something, his face turning cautious.

"That... kids' meal?"

"One, please."

"ha?"

Kinkaku and Katsura looked at Onoki, who had spoken up, with surprise. Kinkaku, in particular, had only teased the short guy, but Onoki had actually taken it seriously.

"What are you looking at? This is what I ordered for him."

Onoki's face tightened. He pointed to the red-haired brat behind him, who was drooling, and explained in a cold voice.

"Xiao Zi, can you come out and stop embarrassing yourself?"

I should have known better than to bring this brat out to see the world.

"Understood, Lord Tsuchikage."

The red-haired brat wiped his nose, giving a nonchalant, dismissive look.

"Hahaha, your Iwagakure has no successors, actually sending such a greenhorn to participate in the meeting."

The latest novel is first published here!

Jinjiao chewed on the succulent steak with gusto, a smug grin spreading across his face, which resembled that of a melon vendor.

"Hey, you big, dark-skinned guy from Kumogakure, say that again?"

"What, if you're not happy, then try hitting my knee with an uppercut!"

"Lord Raikage, the three of us are now on a united front."

Seeing Onoki and Kinkaku arguing, Katsura quickly stepped in to mediate. The three families had already formed a temporary alliance, and there was no need to let such a small matter cause them to drift apart.

"Our main objective this time is to demand an explanation from Konoha."

Upon hearing Katsura's words, Kinkaku lowered his single arm, which was shimmering with lightning, while Onoki also dissipated the white light from his palm.

At the same time, a young man dressed in traditional samurai attire pushed open the door and entered. His sharp gaze swept over the three people at the table, his eyes carrying a hint of challenge.

"Gentlemen, is the food satisfactory?"

As the host, the young samurai stepped forward.

"Who are you?"

Onoki's gloomy eyes fell on the young samurai who had appeared. After a moment, he was surprised to find that the young man's aura was not weak, at least at the level of a Jonin, which was very rare in the Land of Iron.

"My name is Mifune. I have been entrusted by the Admiral to receive you all."

The young warrior cupped his hands in a respectful but not servile manner.

"Please thank the General for his hospitality on our behalf."

Looking at the buckwheat noodles that had just been served, Gui nodded in satisfaction.

"Have the people from Konoha not arrived yet?"

As Kinkaku picked at his mouthful of sharp teeth, the terrifying aura emanating from him caused Mifune, who was experiencing such pressure for the first time, to involuntarily take a half-step back.

"I have come here to tell you all that the people of Konoha have arrived."

A chill ran through Mifune, who swallowed hard before replying.

"Haha, it's finally here!"

Golden Horn stood up with a snarling smile, raising his enormous fist high, his eyes filled with a chilling killing intent.

Ginkaku, who was attacked by Hashirama Senju, has not yet recovered. He may have lost his own arm, but if his younger brother were to die, he would seek justice from Konoha, even at the risk of offending Ginkaku.

How many people were in their group?

Compared to the enraged Kinkaku, Onoki was much calmer. He gently rubbed his aching lower back and gritted his teeth as he asked Mifune,

"The group of eight from Konoha includes the Hokage, the village head, and six other young people."

"They must be disciples of Tobirama Senju. Hmph, they've got some nerve. Aren't they afraid we'll capture them all?"

"Onoki, don't be careless. Those disciples of Tobirama Senju are not to be trifled with either."

Gui, who was slurping noodles, raised his head with a solemn expression. He had heard of the Konoha F6 before.

"Those brats, humph!"

Onoki gave a cold snort. How could he not know? He had even met the young F6 once, and he still remembered the time when that big-butt brat named Hiruzen Sarutobi insulted him in the street.

Meanwhile, the Konoha group, having arrived in the Land of Iron without incident, encountered no obstacles upon entering the Land of Iron.

The samurai, who had been waiting at the entrance, ushered them into the city.

"They are samurai, how come they are different from those ronin outside?"

Secretly observing the group of samurai leading the way, Koharu Utatane curiously asked Danzo,

"There is indeed some trick to it."

Danzo frowned, his gaze falling on the samurai clad in layers of silver armor. As a ninja skilled in swordsmanship, he could sense the faint sword intent emanating from these samurai.

"Welcome, Hokage and Secretary. I am Mifune, and I have been sent by the Admiral to receive you all."

In the distance, Mifune arrived with a group of men and respectfully bowed to Uchiha Madara and his entourage.

As he spoke, he secretly observed the cold-faced Madara Uchiha, but the moment their eyes met, Mifune was instantly terrified and broke out in a cold sweat.

Facing Madara Uchiha, he felt like a lone boat adrift on turbulent waves, with only despair in his mind.

"Enough with the nonsense, let's get to the meeting."

"I don't have time to waste on these irrelevant people," Madara Uchiha urged coldly.

"Alright, the people in the other villages are ready."

Upon hearing this, Mifune trembled, realizing his inappropriate behavior, and hurriedly nodded repeatedly.

The general of the Land of Iron gave them face by arranging the meeting in their highest-level conference hall. Although it was far less luxurious than Konoha's, it was still a magnificent structure.

creak-

Mifune, who was in charge of guiding the process, bowed respectfully and helped Uchiha Madara open the conference room door. Several pairs of eyes that had been waiting inside instantly focused on him.

The next moment, three distinct auras, each brimming with terrifying power, enveloped the group from Konoha.

"This is."

The targeted aura pressed down, and even though the F6 were mentally prepared, they were still caught off guard. Except for Mirror Face, who had equipment, whose expression changed slightly, the faces of the others all turned ashen.

"snort!"

But this invisible pressure didn't last long. Uchiha Madara, who was standing at the front, snorted coldly, and the three auras came to an abrupt halt. As if they had encountered their nemesis, they slunk back into their den and buried their heads in their crotches.

"Trying to intimidate me? You should take a good look at yourselves."

Madara Uchiha's eyes flashed with a crimson light. The three who had been so imposing just moments before instantly changed their expressions and quickly turned their heads to the side, fearing that the tailed beasts inside them would go out of control.

Especially Onoki, whose glare successfully triggered painful childhood memories, causing an unhealthy crimson color to immediately appear on his pockmarked face.

"Alright, alright, we're here for a meeting, not to fight."

Seeing that the show of force had been successfully delivered, Tobirama Senju, who was standing behind Madara Uchiha, stepped forward and began to smooth things over in a serious manner.

When Jinjiao saw the white-haired creature jump out, his brows furrowed tightly, but he quickly relaxed them, his eyes full of consideration.

He had already learned of Tobirama Senju's resurrection. Although he regretted not destroying the evidence, since the other party was standing in front of him again, he might as well settle both the old and new scores.

Madara Uchiha glanced around and, finding no one daring to look directly into his crimson eyes, nodded in satisfaction.

"Since this is a meeting, let's sit down and talk things out. I, Uchiha Madara, have always governed by virtue and would never bully others by abusing my power." (End of Chapter)