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Having successfully recruited three promising protégés, Uchiha Madara was in an exceptionally good mood. These three children, once they grew stronger, would undoubtedly become his most reliable assistants (or enforcers)!
With that cheerful thought in mind, Madara led the trio back to the Hidden Yu Village with a confident stride.
What? You ask how he plans to retaliate against Konoha? Don't worry—it'll happen soon enough!
Due to the three kids slowing him down, Madara's journey wasn't as swift as usual. Along the way, he took breaks to lecture them on the fundamentals of being a ninja. After about half a day, the group finally arrived at the Hidden Yu Village.
As they approached the village gates, Madara began explaining to the children:
"The Hidden Yu Village was originally the Hidden Rain Village of the Rain Country. After I conquered it, I renamed it and turned it into my personal hidden village. Every single person in this village follows my orders without question!
Of course, there are pros and cons. Since the village is still developing, its strength doesn't yet rival that of the Five Great Hidden Villages.
However, as long as I, Uchiha Madara, remain here, no one dares to challenge us!"
Though Madara's words sounded distant to the three children—newly minted ninjas who had yet to fully grasp the significance of the Five Great Hidden Villages—they were nonetheless awestruck by the sprawling village before them, filled with countless buildings and structures. Their admiration for Madara, who commanded such a vast ninja village, grew even stronger.
Following Madara, the trio reached the gates of the Hidden Yu Village.
However, just as they were about to enter, an awkward situation arose.
Two ANBU guards stationed at the gate hesitated for a moment before finally stepping forward to block Madara's path:
"Halt!"
Madara froze, utterly baffled, while the three children behind him looked equally confused.
After sizing up the two ANBU, Madara spoke:
"Are you two new here? Don't you recognize me? I'm Uchiha Madara!"
One of the ANBU, still somewhat wary, said something that nearly drove Madara up the wall:
"But… we just saw Lord Madara working in the administrative building earlier. How could he suddenly appear at the gate now, bringing three children along? Something about this doesn't add up…"
Madara was momentarily speechless. Pointing furiously at the ANBU's nose, he snapped:
"You idiot! It's a shadow clone! A shadow clone! Don't you know what that is!?"
The ANBU's eyes widened in realization:
"Oh! So you're Lord Madara's shadow clone! I didn't recognize you—I deserve death for my incompetence!"
Slapping his forehead in frustration, Madara felt an unusual sense of helplessness. Too exasperated to explain further, he stood there and directly contacted his wooden clone inside the village.
Moments later, another identical Uchiha Madara leapt swiftly from within the village and landed in front of the original Madara.
"So you're the real body! Finally back, huh? Oh, and you've brought these three kids with you. Good! All the important work that's been piling up in the village over the past few days is now yours to handle. I'm heading out!"
With that, the wooden clone transformed into a log and merged back into Madara's body.
Madara remained silent, processing what his clone had just said.
The clone had mentioned that all the accumulated work in the village was now his responsibility—which meant that during the past few days, the clone hadn't done a single thing!
Madara felt a surge of indignation. But ironically, this humiliation was entirely self-inflicted, leaving him with no one to blame but himself.
Leaving the two ANBU—who were doing their best to stay invisible—behind, Madara stormed into the village with the three children in tow, his steps heavy with irritation.
After Madara left, the ANBU who had stopped him let out a massive sigh of relief, wiping the cold sweat from his brow.
Good grief! They never would've guessed that the Madara in the village had been a clone, and this one was the real body!
What had he just done? He'd turned away Uchiha Madara at the gates! And yet… Madara had let him off scot-free?
Feeling as though he were still dreaming, the ANBU muttered shakily:
"Good heavens, that was terrifying! I almost died! That was too close!"
The other ANBU beside him was also sweating profusely:
"Yeah, who would've thought that Lord Madara went out personally while leaving a shadow clone in the village? Who could've predicted that?"
"Exactly! But what kind of important matter could've made Lord Madara go out in person—and so secretly, too?"
"Hey, buddy… weren't those three kids with Lord Madara just now?"
"Gasp… Are you saying those three kids are Lord Madara's children!?"
"It's highly possible! What else could be more important than going to retrieve the young master?"
Well, the two ANBU had clearly misunderstood the situation. However, being ANBU operatives, their lips were sealed tighter than anyone else's. This misunderstanding would likely never see the light of day.
With the three children in tow, Madara returned directly to his office in the administrative building of the Hidden Yu Village.
Along the way, every ninja they passed greeted Madara with utmost respect. This display of authority left the three children trailing behind him even more dazzled.
Once inside his office, Madara seated himself in the chair reserved for the village leader, gazing at the three children standing before his desk.
Looking up at Madara seated in that position, the children suddenly felt the overwhelming weight of his presence, like a towering mountain pressing down on them. They swallowed nervously in unison, too intimidated to speak.
Meanwhile, Madara was deep in thought, pondering how to cultivate these three children.
He knew that to become strong, a solid foundation in the early stages of training was absolutely essential.
These three children were different from one another, so he needed to carefully consider their individual paths.