Xuan and Madara

Xuan looked at Madara with surprise. For a six-year-old to already be thinking like this—no doubt, this was truly Uchiha Madara.

After Uchiha Tajima finished his speech, the clan members immediately marched to the battlefield. As he had declared, blood debts must be repaid in blood.

The Senju and Hyuga clans were caught off guard by the swift, ferocious retaliation from the Uchiha, and were driven back in a sweeping defeat.

In his small room, Xuan sat cross-legged alone at his desk, still unaccustomed to kneeling on his legs in this world, despite how long he had been here.

In front of him lay a large map. A red arrow, representing the Uchiha clan, had pierced deep into Senju territory, tearing a huge gash through it.

Xuan's fingers tapped rhythmically on the table as he pondered the shifting battlefield.

If it were up to him, he would make it appear as if they were preparing for a decisive battle with the Senju, leaving a force of Chunin and Genin to keep them at bay, while sending an elite team of Jonin to launch a surprise attack on the Hyuga clan, aiming to cripple them within three days. This would serve to weaken the Senju's support and serve as a warning to other clans, showing that any who sided with the Senju would suffer.

Once the Senju lost their ally, their strength would be on par with the Uchiha, and the initiative on the battlefield would fall to the Uchiha. Whether to continue the war or make peace would then be in the Uchiha's hands.

Rolling up the map, Xuan shook his head and left his room; this was just wishful thinking, as these decisions were not his to make. Improving his own strength was his real goal. As long as he could reach the future heights of Madara and Hashirama, the so-called clans would be mere jokes.

The war did not progress as Xuan had imagined. It seemed that people of this era had only one approach: head-on confrontation. Especially Uchiha Tajima—a formidable warrior, perhaps, but not a strategic leader.

He chose to face the Senju head-on, only defending against the Hyuga, intending to defeat the strongest foe before turning on the others.

The outcome was predictable. The Senju were not easily beaten and mobilized all their warriors, repelling wave after wave of Uchiha attacks. Meanwhile, the Hyuga attacked the Uchiha defenses fiercely, attempting to join the Senju and encircle the Uchiha.

The three clans clashed in chaotic battle, and no one was willing to back down. They ended up locked in a grueling stalemate for two years.

---

Time flew by, and two years passed in the blink of an eye.

In that time, Xuan focused solely on improving his strength. Studying many Uchiha jutsu, his abilities advanced rapidly. In his generation, nearly everyone had been defeated by him at least once. Even Izuna, who once rivaled his strength, could now only withstand five moves before losing.

Everyone, that is… except Uchiha Madara.

Xuan didn't know what to make of Madara. He had thought that, even without the system, his talent, having awakened the Sharingan at a young age, would make him the most gifted in Uchiha history.

Yet, no matter how fast he progressed, he could only achieve a draw against Madara in their sparring, even when not using the Sharingan. In some ways, he was slightly weaker.

For this, Xuan could only marvel at the legendary Indra's reincarnation, who was indeed a true prodigy.

---

"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"

"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"

In the Uchiha clan's training grounds, two massive fireballs collided, sending up plumes of smoke.

Two young figures swiftly moved within the smoke, exchanging blows with kunai. Their moves were fast and their taijutsu so refined that it was hard to believe they were children.

A crowd of young Uchiha, mostly around five or six years old, watched the sparring excitedly, cheering for both sides.

Thud! Thud!—the smoke began to clear, revealing Xuan and Madara, kunai in hand, locked in combat.

"You've really improved, Xuan. To be able to keep up with me like this!" Madara praised, sending a volley of shuriken in a dense arc.

Xuan deftly evaded the shuriken, smirking to himself, "If I had my Sharingan activated, I'd end this match in a flash."

Yet his movements revealed nothing of his inner thoughts. He formed a single-handed seal in a second, "Watch this—Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu."

Nine flaming shuriken launched in multiple directions toward Madara.

"Single-handed seals—that's the signature technique of Lord Xuan! So cool!" squealed a group of young Uchiha girls in admiration.

Enraged, Izuna shouted, "You all have no taste! My brother is the strongest! Xuan is just… handsome, that's all!"

The flames encircled Madara, but he stayed calm, spinning like a top to evade seven of the fiery projectiles. As the final two closed in, he struck them down with his kunai.

"Heh!" Xuan smirked, catching Madara off guard. Suddenly, a fiery explosion erupted behind him, engulfing him in Phoenix Fire.

"Big Brother!" Izuna cried out, worried.

"Phoenix Flower Jutsu," Xuan explained with pride, "allows you to control the trajectory of the flames if your chakra control is good enough." After all, he had just caught Uchiha Madara—the future god of the shinobi world.

But his satisfaction didn't last long. As the flames cleared, Madara's figure disappeared with a puff, replaced by a block of wood.

"A substitution? When did he do that?"

"Nicely done, Big Brother!" Izuna cheered, throwing a taunting glance at the admiring girls.

"Overconfidence is your downfall, Xuan. You've lost!"

Madara's voice came from behind, and a kunai was already pressed against Xuan's neck.

"Lord Xuan!" cried the group of young girls anxiously.

"Are you ready to give up?" Madara asked curiously, surprised that Xuan hadn't surrendered.

"Give up? Are you joking?"

Xuan's voice came from behind Madara, and the Xuan in front of him vanished in a puff of smoke.

"A clone? When did he create that?"

Thinking quickly, Madara swung chakra threads behind him, weaving seals in an instant. "Fire Style: Dragon Flame Jutsu!" Flames ignited the threads, blocking all paths of escape as Madara leaped forward, creating distance.

"Using the Dragon Flame to ignite chakra threads and seal off escape routes—Madara truly deserves his reputation," Xuan remarked in admiration.

Madara, panting slightly, smiled back, "Not bad yourself. When did you set up that clone?"

"Right from the start."

The intensity of their clash left the watching Uchiha children speechless. Even Izuna and the young admirers could only watch in silence, amazed at the skill displayed by these two warriors of their own generation.

"Let's call it a day," Madara said, stretching.

"Fine," Xuan agreed, seeing no point in pushing further.

Just then, the gates of the Uchiha compound swung open, and a bloodied Uchiha clansman stumbled inside, rushing past them straight toward the meeting hall, where the current family head and the three elders convened.

"Let's go see what's happening!" Madara signaled, and Xuan nodded, following him closely.

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