Madara Uchiha lost.
There was no suspense about it—he lost completely.
Even though Chu Yang had long known how this would end, he still couldn't help but feel a sense of regret for him. From the very beginning, Madara had never stood a real chance against an anomaly like Hashirama Senju.
This was also why the later Madara became so obsessed with obtaining Hashirama's cells. It wasn't just for the power of the Rinnegan—it was also for that terrifying regenerative ability.
Judging by Hashirama's healing factor alone, even most tailed beasts couldn't hope to compare.
After his defeat, Hashirama did not kill Madara. Instead, he once again extended an olive branch, asking Madara to ally with him and work together to build a peaceful village.
Lying on the ground, Madara wore a complicated expression. He murmured, "The Uchiha have lost… and so have I."
Even without this duel, the Uchiha would have met the same fate. The trend of history was against them—they had no chance at all.
With his younger brother Izuna still alive, Madara had not yet fallen into obsession. After hesitating for a moment, he finally nodded in agreement.
At the same time, Chu Yang clearly felt the killing intent surging from Tobirama Senju.
It was obvious—he was extremely dissatisfied with his brother's decision.
Why not kill Madara Uchiha?
That man was destined to become a destabilizing factor!
Tobirama saw further than Hashirama. What he saw wasn't just Madara as an individual, but the entire Uchiha clan.
Unless the Senju were willing to relinquish the dominant position, the Uchiha would sooner or later rebel. Their power was simply too great.
No powerful clan would ever willingly submit to being ruled by others.
If not for the freak of nature that was Hashirama Senju, today's loser might well have been the Senju clan.
"Sensei, there's no need to worry too much about the Uchiha," Chu Yang suddenly spoke up, his youthful voice snapping Tobirama out of his anger. "That clan isn't united to begin with. Every clan head earns their position through sheer personal strength. As long as we keep pulling them apart and dividing them, the Uchiha won't be able to grow stronger."
Tobirama looked at Chu Yang thoughtfully. "If it were you, what would you do?"
Chu Yang smiled. "I'd set up a department that looks prestigious but holds no real power, then elevate them high and have them handle missions with extremely low survival rates."
"Let them enjoy praise from the masses and bask in the glory of being heroes, while willingly going off to die… or rather, to 'sacrifice' themselves."
"You could call it a form of advanced moral coercion."
"Moral coercion?" Tobirama repeated the unfamiliar term softly, a faint light flickering in his eyes. He had to admit—Chu Yang's idea was intriguing.
But after thinking it over, Tobirama shook his head. "You're oversimplifying things. Madara Uchiha isn't a fool. He'd see through your little scheme at a glance. It would be better to restrict their power from the very beginning and gradually weaken them until they're incapable of resisting."
Chu Yang explained, "That approach has to start from the emotional side. We need to make the Uchiha feel a sense of belonging toward the village the Clan Head is about to build. They can't be made into outsiders—otherwise, they'll cling together for warmth under external pressure and only grow more united."
"Divide them emotionally… create a sense of belonging… moral coercion… dying beneath the halo of heroism…" Tobirama closed his eyes, Chu Yang's words echoing endlessly in his mind. The ideas were strange—and the more he thought about them, the more unsettling they became.
A soft knife cuts the deepest… especially a rusty one.
"Using positive emotions as bait—this is outright manipulation of the human heart," Tobirama narrowed his eyes. "You're lucky you're a Senju. Otherwise, I'd be the first to kill you."
Chu Yang pouted. "Sensei, that's not very fair. I only gave you advice because you looked troubled—and now you're talking about killing me? That's using the donkey up and then slaughtering it."
"Hmph." Tobirama's lips curved slightly upward. Chu Yang had given him a brand-new way of thinking about the problem, and his mood improved considerably.
The more he thought about it, the more he felt this was even more vicious—and more suitable—than suppressing the Uchiha outright.
And best of all, it wouldn't cause conflict with his brother over the Uchiha issue. Killing two birds with one stone.
At dawn, Tobirama took Chu Yang back to the camp ahead of everyone else, then hurried straight to the dungeon and methodically released the Uchiha prisoners.
The sealing techniques weren't removed—letting them out was merely so the medics could treat them.
Next, they would wait for the Uchiha to come and retrieve their people. With Hashirama and Madara pushing for an alliance between the two clans, reconciliation was already a done deal. Offering small gestures of goodwill in advance would only help win hearts.
Tobirama's authority within the clan was immense. Even though he released enemy prisoners on his own initiative, not a single clansman voiced any objections.
Chu Yang found it astonishing.
"Tobirama Senju, what exactly are you trying to do?" Izuna Uchiha walked up to him, his face full of confusion. He couldn't make sense of this move at all.
Tobirama glanced at him indifferently. "The Senju and Uchiha are preparing for peace talks. Letting you out is simply to ensure those talks go smoothly."
"You're holding such a huge advantage—why would you even consider peace talks…?" Izuna suddenly asked with a flash of hope. "Did my brother defeat Hashirama Senju?"
"Wake up!" Tobirama scoffed. "Even if they fought a hundred more times, Madara Uchiha still wouldn't beat my brother! He lost—but my brother chose to put aside old grudges and work with you. Don't be ungrateful!"
"Impossible!" Izuna's face changed drastically, despair flooding his eyes. He clenched his teeth and said, "The Uchiha will never accept peace talks!"
Chu Yang looked at him curiously and asked, "Then how long do you plan to keep fighting? Until the Uchiha are completely wiped out? Even Madara lost—what do you think you can use to fight us?"
"Pff!"
Izuna was left speechless by Chu Yang's blunt words. His anger surged again, and he spat out a mouthful of hot blood!
That made it the third time already.
Every word stabbed straight into his heart!
He glared resentfully at the young man. Why was it that you never anger anyone else—only me?
That evening, Hashirama Senju arrived at the Senju camp together with Madara Uchiha, followed by the previously captured Senju clansmen.
The well-prepared Tobirama also handed over the Uchiha prisoners to Madara.
Madara looked at him in astonishment.
In his memory, Tobirama Senju was not someone so easy to talk to.
And then—
Tobirama said something that shocked him even more.
"From now on, we're comrades."
(End of Chapter)