Two days later,
The group arrives at the border of the Land of Earth and the Land of Flower. During these past two days, the group didn't encounter any trouble, making their journey extremely smooth.
Madara and the group glance at a large field of flowers in a valley at the foothill of the mountain from a distance.
"We are finally here, the Land of Flowers."
Madara and the rest walk through the rugged terrain of the last mountain of the Ishiyama mountain range, Iwanohashi Mountain. The Iwanohashi mountain is also commonly known as the 'Edge of the Stone' among the natives.
The fertile land of the Land of the Flower is a stark contrast to the rocky and barren land of the Land of Earth. The Land of Flowers is a small country bordering the Land of Earth, the Land of Fruit, and the Land of Trees. This country's soil has special qualities that make it incredibly fertile, and perfect for growing crops and other plants. But flowers are the country's major export item, hence its name. The neighboring Land of Earth, whose terrain does not allow much agriculture, relies on the Land of Flowers in order to feed its people, trading most of its rich mineral reserve for the Land of Flowers's crops.
The Land of Flowers doesn't possess any powerful military might and relies on its alliance with the Land of Fruit, and the Land of the Tree to repel enemies.
So, when a branch of the powerful Uchiha clan proposed to take shelter in the Land of Flowers, the Daimyo of the Land of Flowers readily agreed to accommodate them.
The Uchiha group arrives in the first valley, the Valley of Sunflowers. Land of Flowers' terrain is divided into several valleys. Among them, the Valley of Sunflowers, the Valley of Sakura Blossom, the Valley of Water lilies, the Valley of Roses, and the Valley of Orchids are the major ones.
The current residence of the Uchiha branch family is located in the Valley of Sunflowers.
While traveling, Madara glances at the several farmers, tending to the various Sunflower. The scene of peace and harmony reminds Madara of his childhood dream.
'A place with no chaos and conflict!' The image of Konohagakure appears in his mind.
The group walks through the large sunflower fields and arrives outside the small village.
"Himawari Village?!" Madara glances at the name on the arc-shaped entrance of the village.
"A fitting name indeed!"
"Halt!"
A group of villages with spears blocks their path at the entrance.
"Identify yourself!" The village guards point a spear at them.
The Uchiha group stops. Madara takes out a scroll from his storage and hands it to the guard.
Unlike the villages in other nations with Shinobis, the Land of Flowers doesn't have any military force of its own. It's part of the reason, the Land of Flower has such strict policies to avoid invasion.
The guards unfurl the scroll and glance at its content. He passes the scroll to his deputy, who also confirms the authenticity.
After inspection, the guard returns the scroll to Madara and signals to his team. The guards open the path, allowing Madara and his team to pass.
Madara and the group enter the village and notice the harmonious atmosphere of the village, an entirely unfamiliar sight from the previous warn-torn Land of Fire.
"Let's hurry up!"
After appreciating the lively atmosphere for a minute, Madara reminds his people of their goal.
"Yes, Madara-sama!"
The group nods and quickly follows Madara. Makato, another of Madara's close aides asks directions from the passerby and walks towards their destination.
According to the letter, after arriving in the Himawari village, an escort team will lead them to the secret settlement of the Uchiha clan in the Land of Flower.
Ten minutes later,
The group arrives in front of a shrine in the Himawari village.
"This shrine?!"
The group glances at each other.
"This shrine looks similar to the Nakano Shrine of our clan."
The group enters the shrine and inspects it. There is not a single soul in the shrine, not even the person who will lead them to the Uchiha settlement.
However, Madara and the rest aren't discouraged. They explore the shrine for a few minutes. After around five minutes, the group regroups in the main hall.
"The layout is the same as the Nakano Shrine of the Uchiha clan!" Ekizo mutters.
"In that case…"
The group looks around. After confirming the absence of any outside, they walk towards the seventh tatami mat from the far right of the entrance.
Swish… Swish… Swish…
Madara makes a series of rapid hand signs and taps his palm on the floor.
"Release!"
Shua…
A bright light lit up on the floor, revealing a secret Fuinjutsu seal.
Snap…
Madara bites his thumb and drops a drop of blood into the center of the seal. The seal glows brightly after receiving the blood.
Rumble… Rumble…
The ground trembles and the seal fluctuates rapidly. It slowly disappears and the stone slab slides away to reveal a passage.
"As expected!"
The group enters the secret passage, and the entrance closes on its own, sealing the passage.
Shoom… shoom… shoom…
Suddenly, several light torches lit up in the passage, dispelling the darkness within.
The group follows the path, and after a minute of walking; they arrive at the bright light at the end of the exit.
"We are here!"
The group raises their guard and exits the passage. A ray of bright sunlight envelops their vision. However, the group's expression turns sharp as they sense a few presences around them.
They swiftly wield their weapon and call.
"Come out! We know you are hiding there!"
Madara glances towards a bush.
Shiing…
He and the rest of the group activate their Sharingan to intercept the hiding figures.
"It's us!"
Just as Madara and the rest prepare to take action, another group of people with Sharingan walks from the surrounding meadows.
"The branch family?"
Makoto mutters as he recognizes the people as the Uchiha clansman.
"Madara-sama!"
The group walks in front of Madara and greets him with a proper salute.
The Konoha group's expression relaxes as they recognize their compatriots.
"How's the situation with the clan?" Madara ignores their greeting and jumps straight to the point.
The group's expression also turns serious.
"Madara-sama, please follow us. We will explain the situation while on our way to the clan base."
"Alright!" Madara nods and signals the group to move.
The group moves forward with the Land of Flower group in the lead. The Konoha group curiously stares at their surroundings and praises the beautiful scenery of the Land of Flowers from time to time.
"It's really beautiful!" Makoto glances at a distant field of colorful flowers and praises.
"Of course! This place is like a paradise on earth." The branch family member nods proudly.
"The Daimyo of the Land of Flower took good care of us and provided us with one of the best locations to settle down." He adds.
"So, the branch family has ties with the Feudal lord of the Land of Flower?" Ekizo asks in surprise.
Just like other clans, the Uchiha clan's previous status was that of a mercenary clan. They worked quite many times with several Feudal lords but never had any close ties with them. It was more of a client and server relationship.
Now, from this group's words, it seems like the branch family is being sponsored directly by a Feudal lord.
"It seems like the branch family is doing a great job after leaving the main family. Then why would you people beg for our help?" Sekiro, another member of the Konoha group with a strong radical personality, mocks the branch family members.
"Well…"
Slight hesitation appears on the branch family member's faces.
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