The Hatake clan was not large by any stretch of the imagination; they could be described as a mere handful of people.
They lived in a secluded and impoverished mountain valley in the middle of nowhere. Considering that the current shinobi world was one where clans routinely fought until their brains were bashed out, the Hatake clan's state of existence could be considered entirely detached from the world.
Inevitably, such a way of living meant that no great or powerful shinobi clan could ever be born from them. However, the ecological niche they occupied was actually quite excellent. Major shinobi clans wouldn't bother with such small fry, while ordinary small and medium-sized clans... well, it could only be said that standard clans truly couldn't beat them in a fight.
Faced with the sudden, provocative shout, over a dozen shinobi from the Hatake clan quickly assembled, fully prepared to start a brawl. The clan head and top powerhouse of the Hatake at this time was a man named Hatake Yuedeng, who looked like someone you didn't want to mess with. If Hatake Sakumo's build could be described as well-proportioned, then this clan head's build could only be described as burly.
"Who are you? What is your purpose here?"
Although the average strength of the Hatake shinobi was quite formidable, Yuedeng understood the survival methods of small clans inside out. Thus, when facing an uninvited guest, he remained secretly vigilant but did not strike rashly—this style of conduct was already considerably restrained.
Sakumo did not answer the clan head immediately. His gaze swept across the Hatake shinobi who had mobilized en masse, quickly locking onto a young boy holding a long blade, whose nose was bubbling with snot. This child was named Hatake Nandeng. Once Sakumo confirmed the boy's identity, his gaze instantly turned soft, even overflowing with doting affection.
Sensing his gaze, the child immediately became incredibly tense, completely unaware that his running nose had already streamed past his chin.
Sakumo: "..."
Should I bow down to you? Just stop eating your own snot.
Fortunately, he was wearing his signature face mask, or the dignity of the entire scene would have completely collapsed. Sakumo forced himself to shift his gaze back to Yuedeng, allowing the situation to return to its proper course.
"I am Gan Wencui from the Hotaru organization. I have heard that the Hatake clan possesses astonishing taijutsu and lives in harmony with the world, so I hope you will join us in Hotaru."
"Your clan's philosophy of survival is indeed excellent, but this is an era of great conflict. The shinobi world is undergoing a transformation. As the old era ends and the new era begins, the world is about to experience its most turbulent period."
"Under such circumstances, it is impossible to remain completely untainted by the world. For all of you, and for the Hotaru organization, merging is the correct choice. Coming together will benefit both sides—this is by no means an empty statement."
Yuedeng knit his brows. He had heard of the Hotaru organization and understood its style and philosophy. He had even considered leading the Hatake clan to join it, but had merely held lingering doubts that prevented him from taking action. To put it nicely, they were a bit reserved; to put it bluntly, they were somewhat dull-witted.
When faced with the question of whether to join, if the answer was "no," they could naturally continue to wait and see. But if the answer was "yes"... actions spoke louder than words, so what was there to hesitate about?
In truth, Genma had miscalculated slightly by underestimating his own fame. To put it simply, if Genma had come to this place alongside Sakumo, the Hatake clan might have prostrated themselves in immediate allegiance... For the leader of the Hotaru organization to personally come and invite them, it wouldn't even be an exaggeration if someone developed the sentiment of "a scholar willing to die for the one who appreciates him."
Sakumo acting alone actually complicated matters... Only a single youngster came to our door? Yuedeng could not help but feel slighted.
Seeing that the other party did not reply, Sakumo spoke again: "How about this, I have heard that your clan's swordsmanship is highly commendable. If I can best you all in this regard, then you will agree to my terms. If I am no match for any single one of you, I will leave myself at your disposal."
If his solitary arrival made the Hatake clan feel highly awkward, then these words sounded to Yuedeng like pure, unadulterated provocation.
"Hmph, a person who hides his head and covers his tail. You won't even show your face, so how can we trust your identity and origin?" Although Yuedeng did not want to waste words, he had no intention of coddling this person's arrogant attitude.
Show my face? Sakumo's heart skipped a beat. However, the other party wasn't intentionally finding fault; a masked man truly found it difficult to win people's trust. Moreover, when trying to persuade someone, refusing to show one's face could even be perceived as rude. Left with no choice, Sakumo could only reach up and pull down his mask.
Huh? This youngster didn't look like anything special, but why did his face seem more and more pleasing the longer one looked at it? For the face of a middle-aged man to boost someone's goodwill like this, what kind of sorcery was this?
Yuedeng tried his best to maintain a stern face. He weighed the options in his mind, and ultimately, rationality won out... Although agreeing to the invitation of an unknown person felt a bit degrading, the Hatake clan truly ought to join the Hotaru organization. While he didn't understand what a " shinobi world transformation" meant, he could feel that the wars had been intensifying over the years. For the survival of the clan, the time had come where they had to make a change.
If they were going to change, the Hotaru organization was indeed the best choice.
Thinking this way, he took a step forward and said to Sakumo, "Is this a clumsy imitation of your leader's past actions? I've heard how your leader won the complete admiration of the Akimichi clan... No need to go to such trouble. As long as your swordsmanship can best mine, I will agree to your terms."
This old guy actually knew about the Akimichi clan's situation, which meant he had truly researched the expansion history of the Hotaru organization.
"Fine, then it's a deal."
Now it was Yuedeng's turn to be a bit dazed. This man trusts me just like that? Without considering the possibility of me breaking my word? Sakumo naturally trusted him, because what else could he do? Should he make Yuedeng swear upon eighteen generations of his ancestors?
"Aren't you going to make a move? Or are there any additional conditions?" What else could Yuedeng say? He could only step forward with his blade drawn.
The clan head's swordsmanship was incredibly fierce, his moves wide and sweeping. What about Sakumo? His style seemed merely more balanced, combining flexibility with sharp precision. His short tanto parried, deflected, thrust, and slashed; none of his forms appeared particularly extraordinary.
Faced with the swift and lethal onslaught, Sakumo seemed capable only of passive defense. Yet, after the opponent fiercely attacked for five minutes, Sakumo suddenly found a flaw. In the next second, that short tanto was resting against Yuedeng's neck.
"The match is decided. Is there any issue?"
Yuedeng signaled for his clansmen behind him not to act rashly. He knew his own limits and understood that the man opposite him had already given him plenty of face; otherwise, the battle would have ended even faster.
"You win."
The clan head was no scoundrel; he could still abide by the principle of accepting defeat. It was just that... why did this youngster's swordsmanship feel faintly familiar? It was familiar yet different, as if both sides had once stood at the same starting position, but the opponent had long since advanced miles ahead.
In truth, the wager of victory and defeat was merely going with the flow. What truly played the decisive role was that the clan head had long harbored the intention of joining the Hotaru organization.
"Then our agreement is made."
Sakumo revealed a smile. He sheathed his short tanto and turned his gaze back toward the crowd. This time, he could no longer control himself. He tore off his face mask to use as a handkerchief, strode quickly into the crowd, and under everyone's horrified gazes, stretched out a pair of hands toward a poor child.
He wiped away the boy's snot in one clean sweep.
Brother, this stuff is way too high in nutritional value. Eating too much of it will easily affect the next generation.
"Lord Gan Wencui..."
"Don't, don't. Just call me Ah Gan... All of you can call me Ah Gan or Xiao Gan, otherwise I'll feel awkward."
On the other side.
The Uchiha clan had no idea that the naturally evil, multi-handed brat had already broken through his bottleneck and was currently searching for a suitable opportunity to launch a thunderous strike that would bring catastrophic ruin upon the proud Uchiha.
New leadership brought a new atmosphere; they were still immersed in the consecutive victories brought by their aggressively progressive new clan head, Uchiha Madara. At this moment, the Uchiha clan had shed all of their despondency and were completely unstoppable, with a seemingly radiant future ahead of them.
Who could have foreseen that the line between a "rising star" and a "faded flower" was paper-thin? Even Madara failed to realize that in this shinobi world, there was no such thing as the most agonizing pain, only more agonizing pain to come.
At this moment, he was focused on another matter.
"You are saying that someone rescued our people on the battlefield? But after being rescued and surviving, our people quietly faked their deaths and refused to return to the clan?"
Madara found it somewhat incomprehensible. Someone rescuing Uchiha shinobi was already sci-fi enough, but what was even more sci-fi was that the rescued clansmen actually didn't return. Had they fallen under a genjutsu?
Could it be that someone is dissatisfied with my way of governance?
Madara immediately shook his head. The current Uchiha clan possessed a completely different spirit compared to the era of the previous clan head. The stagnation had been cleared, they were full of drive, galloping across the battlefield, winning victory after victory. Who could possibly be dissatisfied?
"Is there any more specific intelligence?" he asked.
The shinobi who had just spoken signaled for another shinobi to step forward. This shinobi said to Madara, "Lord Madara, last time I suffered a rib injury during combat, I happened to run into this group of people. They helped treat my wounds and then took away two of my near-death teammates..."
"There were clansmen I recognized among that crowd. I questioned them about what on earth was going on, but they claimed they hadn't betrayed the Uchiha. On the contrary, they said they were helping the Uchiha in another way... Oh right, they seemed to call themselves the 'Taka' organization."
Uchiha Madara: "..."
"Taka... Taka?!"
His fists clenched tightly. Sure enough, he shouldn't have let that eccentric fellow go back then... What Taka organization? It was clearly a sub-organization sent out by the Hotaru organization to parasite itself upon the Uchiha clan.
Insidious, truly too insidious. At this very moment, Madara felt he had truly expanded his horizons; for such a "combat style" to exist... unable to gain an advantage on the frontlines, you actually send people to divide us from within.
Genma, you truly deserve to die!
How could such a shinobi exist in the world? Unfit in combat capabilities, relying solely on playing mental schemes—this was pure, unadulterated disgust.
At this moment, with the Uchiha clan thriving more every day, it was even more impossible for Madara to believe Sasuke's talk of the "future" and "time travel." He was certain that Sasuke was Genma's spy.
Although Genma was forced to take the blame and suffered an innocent disaster, even though Madara hadn't guessed the reason correctly, there was nothing wrong with the conclusion... Sasuke was indeed helping the Uchiha, and he was indeed dividing the Uchiha. Sasuke couldn't care less about Madara or Izuna; he would only do things according to his own thoughts.
"It's a genjutsu."
"Lord Madara, what did you say?"
"The clansmen who allegedly joined the Taka organization have been controlled by the enemy's genjutsu. There is a pair of Mangekyo Sharingan within that organization... We must prioritize eliminating them."
Seeing that Madara's exceptionally brilliant brain was about to deploy the god-level strategy of "subduing internal threats before resisting external ones," the shinobi beside him immediately reminded him:
"Lord Madara, currently our battle situation with the Senju clan is heavily intertwined, and we have only just gained the upper hand. If we divert our military strength elsewhere... I worry it will result in all our previous efforts going to waste."
Did Sasuke finally use his brain for once and catch a perfect timing?
You couldn't exactly put it that way either. If the battle between the Uchiha and the Senju hadn't been so intense, causing casualties to mount, Sasuke's Taka organization wouldn't have been able to become active. It could only be said that every cause has its effect.
Madara could only swallow his anger, and after a moment, he said, "Issue orders to the shinobi on the frontlines. Once they encounter the Taka organization, prioritize eliminating their leader. He is a young man, but do not be careless, for he possesses a pair of Mangekyo Sharingan."
Genma had taken the blame for Sasuke, but Sasuke had also blocked a disaster for Genma. It could be described as you take the blame while I go to face death... Madara viewed the Taka organization as a peripheral branch of the Hotaru organization, making Sasuke his priority target for elimination.
A few days later, Sakumo returned to Hotaru Castle alongside the Hatake clan.
Genma stepped forward to warmly receive them, completely fulfilling the act of "humbling oneself before talent" that Yuedeng had anticipated. For a time, both guests and host were thoroughly delighted.
After receiving and settling the Hatake clan, the "night school" that Genma had planned officially commenced its classes. Sakumo served as the "Head Instructor Gan," while several other excellent Hatake shinobi served as assistant instructors.
With the teaching and harsh training from Konohagakure's White Fang, the battlefield capabilities of some shinobi within the organization would undoubtedly receive a corresponding boost... With a top powerhouse personally feeding them moves, even the most foolish trainee would manage to make some progress.
After another half a month passed, Genma suddenly received major new pieces of information from the Senju clan... The person providing the news this time was not the Five Senju Elites.
The letter came from Hashirama Senju.
"Huh? You're getting married too? Wasn't there no mention of this before?"
The content of the letter could be deduced from Genma's reaction: Hashirama was preparing to get married. Given that Genma had only recently returned from the Senju clan, he hadn't heard a single sliver of related information back then.
The marriage partner was still from the Uzumaki clan.
Wait, wasn't Hashirama's marriage with the Uzumaki meant to allow Konohagakure to control the Nine-Tails in the long term?
Hmm? Was that not the case?
One had to know that although Hashirama's strength was black-hole level invincible, he died at an early age. By the time he passed away, he already had a granddaughter, and that granddaughter had even learned his traits to a tee... specifically referring to his gambling habits.
In other words, Hashirama had married early at a young age.
Right, that should be correct, right?
Holding the envelope and invitation, Genma could feel the restlessness of that old Senju fellow.
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