Chapter 65: I Have a Special Way to Stop the Valley of the End
Masahiko had tried to convince himself to go with the flow and let nature take its course, but he couldn't help but want to stir up some trouble. Perhaps it was just his personality, or perhaps, subconsciously, he really didn't want the Battle of the Valley of the End to happen.
After getting along with Hashirama all these years, he had become completely accustomed to days spent occasionally pranking him. Even with Uchiha Madara, after fighting him three times, Masahiko didn't really want to see him end up like that. As for Witness Points, Masahiko decided not to worry about them for now...
Ever since the graduation incident, Masahiko had been wandering the streets of Konoha. Whenever he ran into Uchiha clansmen, he would tease or bully them a bit. Uchiha Izuya had sought out Masahiko many times because of this, but unless Madara himself came, Masahiko simply ignored him.
His intention was to make the Uchiha look like a vulnerable group, hoping to eliminate the villagers' wariness and guard against them. However, it backfired completely.
By the fourth year of Konoha, Masahiko noticed a certain sentiment circulating among the villagers: "That's the Uchiha for you; even Elder Masahiko hates them!"
These comments left Masahiko not knowing whether to laugh or cry. He finally realized that he truly was a highly respected elder now; even his unreasonable actions were accepted and justified by others.
"Or perhaps, guarding against the Uchiha is already imprinted in their bones?"
Since one method failed, Masahiko decided to switch to another to continue his meddling. Unexpectedly, Hashirama found him first.
"Great-Uncle, I heard you've had some conflicts with the Uchiha recently..." Hashirama hesitated to speak.
"Er," Masahiko paused, his eyes darting around. "Don't you think Madara has been acting strange since he came back last time? I'm doing this to test his reaction."
Hashirama suddenly realized, "I also feel that something is wrong with Madara... In that case, I won't interfere. As long as you know what you're doing."
At this moment, Hashirama had absolutely no idea just how much Masahiko "knew what he was doing"...
Since he couldn't change the villagers' view of the Uchiha clan immediately, Masahiko thought about changing the villagers' impression of Uchiha Madara first.
He spent a month writing a book. The book was titled The Autobiography of Uchiha Madara. Masahiko impersonated Madara to write about his experiences, hoping to make the villagers understand him better so they wouldn't fear him as much.
The result, however, went off the rails. It turned into The Autobiography of the Brother-Complex Uchiha Madara. Masahiko felt he must have been influenced by the fanfiction he read in his past life... Fortunately, this wasn't an era flooded with erotic novels, and few villagers were literate, so it didn't spread too widely...
Even so, after the book was published, the frequency of Uchiha Madara's appearances on the streets of Konoha decreased significantly. He felt that some villagers, and even some of his own Uchiha clansmen, were looking at him with strange, unfriendly eyes.
Masahiko only realized later that something was wrong. Wanting to correct his mistake, he wrote another book...
This book was titled The Dream of Building a Village. Masahiko started from the days when Hashirama and Madara skipped stones together and wrote all the way to the founding of Konoha. His intention was to let the villagers know that the establishment of Konoha was not just Hashirama's ideal, but also due to Madara's contribution.
However... as he wrote, it changed again. It turned into The Story of the Love-Hate Relationship Between Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara. After this, the way the villagers looked at Hashirama became a bit weird too.
Masahiko wanted to struggle one last time. He prepared to write a book titled The Uchiha Clan Filled with Love, detailing the truth of the Uchiha clan to let the villagers understand them better.
Unexpectedly, before he could start writing, Hashirama called him over.
"Great-Uncle..." Hashirama held the previous two books in his hands, his expression a mix of amusement and helplessness. "What are you... doing?"
Masahiko smiled guiltily. "Great-Uncle just wanted to bring you and Madara closer together..."
Hashirama sighed helplessly. "Great-Uncle, I feel like you aren't suited for writing books..."
Masahiko shook his head, still wanting to struggle. "Wait, I still have the final chapter of the trilogy! Let me try one more time..."
"Brother, Great-Uncle! Stop busywork with that for now. There are other matters we need to handle," Tobirama walked in and said.
"What is it?" Hashirama asked.
"The First Tsuchikage of Iwagakure has retired due to old age, and his guard, Mū, has succeeded him as the Second Tsuchikage. News has come that he will personally visit Konoha to re-sign the treaty... He should arrive in three or four days," Tobirama explained.
Hashirama looked delighted. "Coming personally to sign the treaty? It seems he is a compatriot who also yearns for peace!"
"Great-Uncle, stop writing those books for now," Hashirama said. "Get ready. We need to welcome the Second Tsuchikage."
"Mū's arrival feels a lot later than I expected... Did I change the plot somewhere?" Masahiko thought to himself, nodding to Hashirama to show his agreement.
Although he agreed verbally, Masahiko immediately started writing after returning to his quarters. This book wasn't long; it simply introduced the origin of the Uchiha and the essence of their love, hoping to let everyone understand the clan. Since alienation stems from a lack of understanding, Masahiko hoped this would change the villagers' perception of the Uchiha.
Just as he felt he could finish writing in two more days, the Second Tsuchikage, Mū, arrived in Konoha. Helpless, Masahiko had to go to the Hokage Building for the reception.
Here, he once again met Mū, as well as a familiar face: the future Third Tsuchikage, Onoki-kun.
Meanwhile, at the Uchiha clan.
Madara sat in the main hall, holding the two books Uchiha Izuya had handed him. After flipping through the first one, his face was as black as charcoal.
"Why didn't you give this to me sooner?"
Uchiha Izuya looked ashamed. "Lord Clan Head, I only just heard about it from the clansmen. These two books were published recently. The earlier one was over a month ago, and the later one was a week ago..."
Madara suppressed the anger in his heart. He remembered the strange looks the villagers gave him a month ago. At the time, he thought they were just hostile toward the Uchiha clan... he didn't expect this...
"Have you found out who did it?"
Uchiha Izuya replied sheepishly, "Not yet. However... there aren't many people who know the relationship between you, Izuna-sama, and Hashirama-sama so clearly."
Madara's expression changed, and he clenched his fists. "What relationship between me and Hashirama?" He hurriedly took out the second book and flipped through it briefly.
A moment later, he gritted his teeth. "Old man! No one but you would dare write something like this!"
Regarding the first book, writing him as a brother-complex... Madara could tolerate it. But the second book... absolutely intolerable!
"Old man, you've lived long enough..." Madara said with hatred.
At this moment, Masahiko was seeing the Second Tsuchikage off with Hashirama and the others. They had successfully signed a new alliance treaty.
Masahiko still didn't know that Madara was already rubbing his fists, getting ready to settle the score with him...
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