Into the Lion's Den
The Uchiha compound gates loomed—massive timber walls that felt less like a sanctuary and more like the walls of a cage. Madara and Izuna dragged the unconscious Senju scout between them, their small bodies strained by the weight.
Izuna, exhausted but energized by survival, spoke in strained gasps. "Father will be proud, Madara. A prisoner and a map—this is the most valuable intelligence we've brought back all season!"
"He will be cautious, Izuna," Madara corrected, his gaze fixed on the compound's shadowed interior. "Pride is a luxury our father, Tajima Uchiha, cannot afford. He will search for the cost."
The only cost Madara truly feared was the one burning in his own mind: 49% Emotional Stability. The cold, rational side of his adult mind was already fighting the instinctive rage and paranoia of his younger self, driven by the System's corruption. He needed to be impeccable in his logic, or the Clan Elders would sense the shift.
He handed the Senju's crude map to the gate guards. News of the captured scout and the intelligence immediately flew through the compound, reaching the Clan Council before the boys had even washed the mud from their faces.
Within the hour, Madara and Izuna were summoned.
The Uchiha Clan Council met in a low-lit hall, dominated by the massive, carved symbol of the clan fan. Five grim-faced Elders sat at the main table, their obsidian eyes radiating skepticism. Tajima Uchiha, Madara's father and the clan head, sat at the center, his expression a mask of hardened exhaustion.
"The scout is secured. The map confirms a Senju supply route we did not know existed," Tajima stated, his voice a low rumble. He looked directly at Madara, ignoring Izuna entirely. "Explain. You and Izuna were unconscious moments ago. How did you subdue and capture a fully mobile Senju youth?"
Madara stepped forward, his ten-year-old body projecting the cold, strategic calculation of a veteran.
"The Senju was injured, Father. Izuna's earlier strike had pierced his arm. He retreated in a panic, moving fast but sloppy. I tracked the signs—the depth of his footprints, the way he displaced the pine needles—which indicated panic over caution."
Madara deliberately withheld the part about being 'unconscious' and the Timeline Jump. He framed the whole event as superior instinct.
"He was focused on reaching the river, his emergency rendezvous point. I waited for him to cease movement to treat his wound. I used the element of surprise. He was neutralized before he knew we were there."
A senior Elder, an old man named Hisashi, scoffed. "A child of your age does not read footprints with such accuracy. You sound like a veteran tracker. Are you claiming to be smarter than your training, Madara?"
The System's Political Guidance
Madara recognized this maneuver instantly. The Elders weren't doubting his ability; they were testing his arrogance. They were looking for any sign of uncontrollable ego—the Uchiha's fatal flaw.
49% Stability. He had to be careful.
He deliberately humbled his answer while maximizing the value of the intelligence.
"I am not smarter than my training, Elder Hisashi," Madara replied, bowing slightly. "But I realized, upon seeing the Senju's desperation, that fear is its own jutsu. I focused on his panic, not his skill. This map—it is the true prize."
He pointed to the diagram on the table. "This route is vulnerable. If we intercept this convoy, we gain valuable weapons and force a diplomatic shift. We expose a massive flaw in their defense structure."
Tajima narrowed his eyes, analyzing his son. He saw competence, ruthlessness, and an unexpected clarity.
[MISSION 002 COMPLETE: ACQUIRED POLITICAL CAPITAL.]
[HOST EMOTION STABILITY: 50% (DANGEROUS). Small correction detected.]
Madara felt the return of 1% Stability. The System rewarded political success just as it rewarded combat. It wanted him to succeed in its missions, no matter the cost to his morality.
"You have done well, Madara," Tajima conceded. "This information is valuable enough to merit a full war party tomorrow morning. You and Izuna will remain in the compound."
This was the opening Madara needed. The Main Mission 003 was still burning on his mental screen: Arrange a legitimate, non-violent summit between the Uchiha Clan Council and the Senju Clan Council within 7 days.
He could not let a war party go out now. It would ruin his seven-day window.
The Calculated Suicide Mission
"Father, a war party is the wrong response," Madara said, his voice cutting through the hall's silence.
The Elders gasped, murmuring in outrage. Tajima's eyes hardened into granite.
"Explain yourself, boy," Tajima ordered, his tone laced with menace.
Madara took a breath. He had to spin the System's impossible mandate into a sound Uchiha strategy.
"The Senju have been winning by attrition. We kill two, they kill three. This map is not a weakness—it is a lure. They want us to send a large force down this path, knowing they have a massive ambush waiting."
Madara projected confidence, citing the strategic pitfalls of the very era he had once lived through.
"Instead, we use this map to force a negotiation. We send them a message: 'We know your secrets. But we offer a way to prevent the cost of exposure.' We use the threat of attack to gain an audience."
Elder Hisashi spat on the floor. "Negotiate with the dogs? We are Uchiha! We meet them on the battlefield, not in a tea room!"
"But, Elder," Madara countered, stepping closer, his eyes glittering with the Mangekyou memories of his past failures. "If we fight them, we lose more men. If we meet them, we gain access to their secrets, their leadership, and their weaknesses. A meeting is not a peace treaty; it is an intelligence gathering mission, framed as diplomacy. We risk nothing but words, but we gain everything."
Madara looked at his father. "Send them a message, Father. Not of peace, but of strategic stalemate. A neutral zone summit. If they refuse, we wipe out the supply route."
Tajima stared at Madara for a long minute, a faint flicker of terrifying pride in his eyes. Madara wasn't advocating for peace, he was advocating for cold, bloodless manipulation. That was Uchiha logic.
The Trap is Sprung
Tajima slammed his hand on the table.
"Madara speaks with a ruthless logic I have not seen since my own youth," Tajima declared, silencing the Elders. "It is a fool's mission, but the reward—true intelligence on their leadership—is worth the risk. Madara, you will draft the terms of the meeting. We will send a hawk at dawn."
[MAIN MISSION 003: THE IMPOSSIBLE ALLIANCE]
[STATUS: IN PROGRESS (7 days remaining).]
Madara felt a sudden, powerful surge of relief—relief that instantly registered as a fatal risk on the obsidian screen.
[HOST EMOTION STABILITY: 50% → 47% (DANGEROUS). Sudden euphoria detected. System prioritizing stability over mission success.]
[STABILITY WARNING: IF HOST STABILITY DROPS BELOW 40%, SYSTEM CORRUPTION WILL TAKE FULL CONTROL.]
Madara froze. The System wasn't just penalizing anger; it was penalizing relief and happiness. It did not want him to feel anything pure. Every step toward success was a step toward madness.
"One condition, Madara," Tajima added, smiling a cold, viperous smile. "Since this is your mission of 'intelligence,' you will lead the Uchiha delegation. You will meet the Senju Clan Head, face-to-face, in the neutral zone, to personally deliver the terms. If you secure the meeting, your rank will be raised. If you fail, or if it is a trap, you will bear the responsibility of the divergence."
Madara knew exactly what this meant. Tajima was setting his son up for a possible failure that would be politically expedient for the Clan.
Madara accepted without hesitation. "I accept, Father. I will lead the delegation."
Madara was marching toward a guaranteed death trap, forced by the System to seek peace with the man he was fated to both love and destroy—Hashirama Senju.
The screen flashed a single, terrifying update:
[ALERT: HOST WILL INTERACT WITH PRIMARY CANON TRIGGER (HASHIRAMA SENJU) IN NEXT 48 HOURS. PREPARE FOR SEVERE TIMELINE FLUCTUATIONS.]
[CHAPTER END]