Multiversal Wanderer: Starting in Naruto-Chapter 58: Distribution of Tailed Beasts

In the end, the meeting accomplished its original purpose. Honestly, if it hadn't been for Hashirama Senju's presence, another Warring States period might have kicked off right then and there.

Konoha successfully acquired the Nine-Tails. Raikage's village, leveraging its geographical advantage and deep pockets, directly purchased both the Eight-Tails and the Two-Tails. The Hidden Stone Village wasn't about to fall behind—they dropped serious money to secure the Four-Tails and the Five-Tails. The Mist Village sold everything they had to get the Three-Tails and Six-Tails. That left the Sand Village in the worst position. Flat-out broke, they could only afford to purchase the One-Tail.

"Could we... uh, maybe delay payment for the Seven-Tails until we've raised enough funds?" Reto asked, his tone desperate.

He felt like dying. That one sentence had just announced to all five great nations that the Sand Village was dead broke. But he had no choice—he was the Kazekage. No matter how humiliating it was, he had to fight for his village's interests.

Tobirama didn't even blink. "Sorry, Kazekage. You'll need to raise the money first. Once that's done, we'll send the One-Tails to the Sand Village."

Honestly, Tobirama was just worried the Sand Village would try to weasel out of the payment entirely. Reto had been planning exactly that—trying to snag a tailed beast for free. But Tobirama didn't give him the chance. Reto swallowed his frustration and kept quiet, forced to endure the humiliation.

Throughout the negotiation, Uchiha Izuna and Uzumaki Asaoka stood by, observing. The Five Kage Conference ended with just one issue remaining: the Seven-Tails hadn't yet been delivered. But with the talks done, Konoha had no intention of staying in the Land of Rivers any longer. Hashirama and Tobirama had already spent too much time there.

The journey back went smoothly—until an unexpected visitor intercepted Hashirama.

"You want to buy the Seven-Tails?" Hashirama raised a brow.

"Yes, Lord Hashirama," the ninja said with a polite smile. "I represent Takigakure Village. We'd like to purchase the Seven-Tails, and we've got the funds ready."

Compared to the five great nations, Takigakure was nothing. Even the poorest among them, the Sand Village, could squash them. But everyone in the ninja world knew that Hashirama Senju was a peace-loving man. And Takigakure had caught wind of Sand's financial woes, seeing an opportunity.

"Please understand, Hokage-sama," the Taki representative continued. "We're just a small hidden village in a remote location. We want the Seven-Tails purely for self-defense."

Their sincerity worked. Hashirama, ever trusting, nodded in understanding. Tobirama didn't object either. The Sand Village hadn't paid up, and besides, a weak Sand Village—so close to Konoha—actually benefited them. Not that Hashirama thought that way. He simply felt Takigakure's request was reasonable.

In his mind, there was no real difference between one tailed beast or nine. They were all just targets for his Wood Release to handle if needed.

And so, the Seven-Tails was sold to Takigakure on the journey home.

To their credit, Takigakure had the infrastructure to use and seal a tailed beast, something many smaller villages lacked. There were places that wouldn't even know what to do with a tailed beast if one were handed to them.

Eventually, the group returned safely to Konoha. No one in their right mind dared to challenge Hashirama Senju and his entourage along the way.

The successful Five Kage Summit sparked celebration throughout the newly established Konoha. On top of that, the large sum earned from selling the tailed beasts was immediately put to use by Tobirama—he poured it into building the Ninja Academy and establishing the Anbu.

Before long, Konoha publicly released its Ninja Academy construction and enrollment guidelines. The school would accept civilian children, and it was backed by the Senju, Uchiha, and Uzumaki clans.

When the people of Konoha saw that even their children had a chance to become ninja, they were thrilled. Gratitude toward Hashirama exploded. For a time, the prestige of the Senju clan and Hashirama himself reached an all-time high.

"Is the plan unfolding just as Xiu Yu intended?" asked a deep voice in the Uchiha clan's meeting room.

Seated at the head of the table was none other than Uchiha Madara.

"Don't worry, brother," Izuna replied. "With Asaoka's help and my fully evolved Mangekyō Sharingan, I've already extracted chakra from all nine tailed beasts."

After their return from the Pacific Rim world, Izuna's Sharingan had been constantly nourished by the Chakra Fruit, evolving into the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan.

All of this was thanks to Su Xiu Yu. He had advised Izuna to keep Uchiha Tajima's eyes. Later, with the chakra fruit's power, those eyes awakened anew, evolving on Izuna's body into something far stronger.

From Three Tomoe to Mangekyō, and now to the Eternal Mangekyō. Even Madara's eyes were beginning to emit a faint blue glow—but no one had noticed yet.

"These nine scrolls here contain a portion of each tailed beast's chakra," Izuna said, pointing to the seals on the floor. "Asaoka did the sealing himself. There shouldn't be any problems."

That had been the true purpose behind Izuna and Asaoka joining the Five Kage Summit.

"Now that Xiu Yu's not around, should we still support Konoha's ninja school? And if so... how much?" Izuna asked.

Madara fell silent, deep in thought. With Su Xiu Yu away, he was in charge of the Uchiha clan once again.

In the past, he never would've cared about training civilians. But after witnessing what Xiu Yu had shown him in the Pacific Rim world—combined with everything Xiu Yu had emphasized—Madara had changed.

"The ninja school is Konoha's foundation for future talent," Madara said finally. "Of course, we Uchiha must support it. We should even send some of our best to teach there. Even if most civilians don't have much talent, it still helps Konoha."

He paused, then added, "And if we discover talented civilians, we can bring them into the Uchiha clan—make them one of us."

"Xiu Yu always told me that Uchiha must not remain stagnant. I believe in his vision. If that's the case, then we must open up. We are part of Konoha... but Konoha can also become part of the Uchiha."

"We'll welcome those who embrace true equality, shared values, and emotional bonds. If they're willing to truly join the Uchiha clan, why shouldn't we accept them?"

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"What Xiu Yu said makes sense. The Uchiha clan can't keep sticking to old traditions and being complacent. We need fresh blood."

"I'm just worried the elders will push back," Izuna muttered. "You know how stubborn and conservative they are."

"I'm Uchiha. You and Xiu Yu lead the clan now. Since when did those old fossils get to run their mouths? If anyone's got a problem, tell them to come find me. Hell, I'll drag their sorry asses up to the next family meeting and let a teenage Asaoka beat some sense into them. They're just getting worse with age. Hmph!"

"I agree with you, brother. I'll pass on the message."

Madara added, "Also, tell the others in the village—Uchiha or not—to quit giving me the side-eye. Be polite. We're all from the same damn village. Don't go flaunting Uchiha pride in front of civilians. If they wanna act tough, tell them to try that attitude with me—the clan leader. At least then I'd respect their guts."

"Things are peaceful now... maybe too peaceful. It's getting boring. I wonder where the hell Xiu Yu went. Damn guy just disappeared with his girl and didn't even say a word! Tch... rude."

With nothing better to do, Madara wandered through the bustling streets of Konoha. The village was thriving—something he never imagined would be possible. Among the sea of people, he felt small, like a grain of sand swallowed by the tide.

Maybe this is what Xiu Yu meant—the feeling of being insignificant in the vastness of it all...

Feeling a rare sense of sentimentality, Madara stopped in front of a small, modest ramen shop. The sign simply read "Ramen" in big characters. Inside, a middle-aged man was busy preparing noodles alongside his young son.

"Boss, one bowl of tonkotsu ramen," Madara said. This was his first time eating along the commercial street, and for some reason, he picked this shop.

"Sure thing, sir. Teuchi, pour our guest a cup of tea," the man called out.

The boy, maybe around ten years old, quickly brought over a cup of steaming tea and placed it in front of Madara.

"Boss," Madara asked casually, "why doesn't your ramen shop have a name?"

"Haven't really thought of one yet," the man replied. "You're not the first to ask, either. I just never got around to naming it."

"That your kid?"

"You mean Teuchi? Yeah, he's my son. Poor thing lost his mother during the war—just the two of us now. But thanks to Lord Hashirama and Lord Madara, we're finally living in peace. Shame his mother never got to see this."

"Oh?" Madara raised a brow. "I thought Konoha was founded by Lord Hashirama. Why do you say both Hashirama and Madara brought peace?"

"I'm not sure about all the politics. That's just what the Hokage told me when he stopped by for ramen one time. Maybe others forget, but we shouldn't overlook the ones who truly helped build this village."

We shouldn't overlook them... Madara sighed inwardly. Hashirama really is generous like that. Not like his damn paranoid brother, always throwing shade at the Uchiha.

"You're right."

Just then, the shopkeeper's eyes lit up. "Lord Hokage! Long time no see! Shouda, quick, pour another cup of tea!"

Madara turned to see Hashirama entering the shop, looking slightly worn out but relaxed.

"Long time no see, Madara," Hashirama greeted, sliding into the seat beside him. "Didn't expect to run into you here."

"Same here, Hashirama," Madara replied calmly.

The shopkeeper, stunned, stammered, "L-Lord Madara, I didn't recognize you. Please forgive me."

"No need for that."

"Teuchi, hurry! Bring out our best ramen! We've got Konoha's two heroes under our roof!"

As the ramen cooked, Hashirama leaned on the table and asked, "So, how've you been? The village looks good, doesn't it?"

"It's doing well. Looks like your childhood dream's finally come true," Madara said.

"It was our dream," Hashirama corrected him gently.

"Here's your ramen!" the shopkeeper interrupted cheerfully, setting two hot bowls in front of them.

Madara took a bite. It was surprisingly good.

"Boss, this is great. How about I help you name the shop? Since you survived the war and finally found peace, how about... Ichiraku Ramen? I hope your son lives a long and happy life."

"Thank you. That means a lot."

And just like that, Ichiraku Ramen was born—long before the one we'd all come to know.

Hashirama turned back to Madara. "The Five Kage Summit went smoothly. The nine tailed beasts have been distributed, and peace has returned to the ninja world. Our dream's become a reality."

"I heard," Madara replied, his tone flat.

Hashirama frowned. The Madara sitting before him didn't seem like the same man from before—he looked like a warrior who had lost his purpose.

"Madara... do you still want the Uchiha to become Hokage?"

"What for? It doesn't matter anymore. The Uchiha don't care about that position. And you're doing just fine as Hokage. Why ask me now?"

Hashirama hesitated. He still believed Madara harbored resentment over not becoming Hokage.

What he didn't know was that Madara no longer cared. As Xiu Yu once said, "How can a sparrow understand the ambition of a swan?"

"I mentioned this before—Tobirama wants the Uchiha to handle Konoha's security. What do you think?"

"I refuse," Madara said bluntly. "Didn't we already discuss this at the last meeting? The Uchiha aren't interested in playing watchdog. That job doesn't suit us."

"What about the ninja academy?"

"That's fine. The Uchiha can send a few top clan members to be instructors or squad leaders after graduation. We won't discriminate against civilian ninjas—we'll welcome anyone with talent."

"Because no matter what age we live in, excellence will always be essential."

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