"Madara, why!? Why won't you agree?"
Hashirama Senju shouted in confusion.
At the center of the battlefield, the clash between Wood Release and the Gunbai stirred up fierce winds.
Madara's figure flashed rapidly between roots and rubble, his blade repeatedly clashing head-on with the force of Hashirama's fists, sparks flying everywhere.
The two had exchanged only dozens of moves, yet the valley had already been torn open with a deep fissure.
Madara took a breath, but did not slow his attacks. Instead, he swung his blade while speaking in a low voice. "Hashirama! You always talk about ideals, peace, and 'ending hatred'... but have you ever really thought about how deep this hatred runs?"
"The hatred between our two clans has continued for hundreds of years!!! It's not something that can be solved just by replacing the two clan leaders!", Uchiha Madara shouted.
Hashirama smashed apart the stone in front of him with one punch. Wood Release branches burst from the ground and wrapped toward Madara, but Madara dodged them with a flash.
Madara's voice came clearly through the sound of his blade cutting through the air.
"My father just died. How many people's parents, brothers, and wives in the clan died at the hands of you Senju!"
"Now you want them to swallow their blood feud and sign a peace agreement? The elders won't agree, and the younger generation won't accept it either! Forcing it through will only tear an even bigger rift through my Uchiha!"
As Uchiha Madara spoke, he attacked Hashirama.
A complicated look flashed through Hashirama's eyes, but the force of his Wood Release did not weaken at all.
Madara continued coldly, "Besides, Izuna doesn't agree either."
"He understands better than I do that once we enter your 'village,' the right to speak will no longer belong to us."
"You have Wood Release, and you have ideals, but that fellow Tobirama has a deeper mind than anyone."
"Alliance on the surface, division and weakening in secret... It'll be easy for us to enter, but hard to get out!"
Hashirama's movements suddenly stopped for a moment.
"Impossible! How could Tobirama reject the Uchiha!? Once everyone is in the village, we're all family. There can't possibly be any weakening or rejection!", Hashirama Senju hurriedly said.
"Heh heh, Hashirama, you're too naive."
Uchiha Madara sneered several times, unable to help feeling that Hashirama really was naive.
"Madara, listen to me. As long as we..."
Hashirama Senju had not finished speaking.
The next second, Madara kicked him several steps backward, while Wood Release roots spread wildly beneath his feet to stabilize his body.
Hashirama raised his head and looked at those eyes across from him, the Mangekyo burning within them. His chest felt as if something heavy were pressing down on it.
Hashirama Senju's mood grew heavy. Although he did not want to admit it, what Madara said was indeed right.
The hatred between the two clans had continued for hundreds, almost a thousand years. It was impossible to resolve it simply because the two of them had risen to power and replaced the clan leaders.
Hashirama Senju opened his mouth, but in the end, he only said quietly, "Madara, you're right."
His voice carried a suppressed heaviness.
When Uchiha Madara heard Hashirama actually admit it, a trace of disappointment flashed through his eyes.
He actually did not want Hashirama to be like this.
What Uchiha Madara really wanted was for Hashirama to convince him, so that they could create the village together and change things together.
But even Hashirama admitted it. Was it really impossible?
"Hatred... really can't be erased by a single agreement. I always thought that as long as we were strong enough and sincere enough, we could bring the two clans onto the same path... but I overlooked those who had already lost everything."
Hashirama said with his eyes dimming slightly.
"But even so, Madara... I still don't want to see more people die on this land."
At the edge of the battlefield nearby, Tobirama Senju was locked in combat with several Uchiha elites.
He heard every word clearly.
Tobirama turned his blade and cut apart a Uchiha's attack, but his eyes involuntarily glanced toward the other side of the battlefield, at the black-haired youth rushing toward them.
Izuna.
Originally, in his impression, he was merely Madara's younger brother, sharp-edged yet somewhat immature when it came to planning.
But what Madara had just said himself... especially the words "Izuna doesn't agree either," made Tobirama's heart tremble slightly.
That boy could actually maintain such clear judgment at a time like this?
This Izuna had actually seen through the various drawbacks that would appear after the village was established at a glance?
The next second, a cold killing intent suddenly approached.
Izuna's figure came out from the flank like a ghost. His Sharingan lit up with three tomoe, and his blade flashed straight toward Tobirama's throat!
Tobirama's pupils contracted. He instinctively moved sideways, the blade grazing his armor and sending a string of sparks flying.
"Uchiha Izuna..."
Tobirama murmured, a trace of barely noticeable seriousness flashing through his eyes.
He had never thought much of this Izuna before, but thinking about it now, this Izuna did not seem ordinary either.
It seemed he had inherited Uchiha Tajima's scheming nature.
Izuna said nothing. He changed the direction of his blade and closed in again.
"Senju Tobirama."
Izuna's voice was cold. The Senju Tobirama before him was the culprit who had caused his death in the original story!
After doing it, he even asked, "What's wrong with Izuna?"...
In this life, he absolutely would not die at the hands of Senju Tobirama.
"Today, let me see what you've got."
The two figures instantly became locked in combat.
Blade flashes, Fire Release, and Water Release wildly intertwined at the edge of the valley, completely tearing the surrounding battlefield into a chaotic vortex.
"Water Release: Water Wall!"
Tobirama brought his hands together, and a wall of water rose from the ground.
Izuna, however, was already prepared. Instead of retreating, he advanced. With the tip of his foot touching the ground, he used his Sharingan to see through the flow of water in the wall. His entire body shot through the weakest gap in the water wall like a black bolt of lightning.
The blade had already grazed Tobirama's armor, producing a sharp metallic scraping sound.
Tobirama's pupils narrowed slightly. As he retreated, his left hand rapidly formed seals.
"Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique!"
A huge water dragon roared toward him.
Izuna merely snorted coldly and suddenly slammed his left hand onto the ground.
"Fire Release: Majestic Destroyer Flame!"
A pillar of fire more fierce than usual shot straight into the sky, forcibly evaporating the water dragon into a large mass of white mist.
The moment the mist spread, Izuna's figure had already disappeared into it.
Tobirama's heart tightened, and he instinctively moved sideways.
Clang!
The blade passed almost against his neck. If he had not reacted quickly, his throat would already have been bleeding.
The two passed each other again.
Tobirama's breathing quickened slightly.
'This Izuna... something was wrong.'
In their previous encounters, although Izuna had been sharp-edged, his moves still carried the aggression and slight impulsiveness of a young man.
But today, every step he took seemed to have been calculated in advance, precise enough to send chills down one's spine.
Izuna did not give him a chance to catch his breath.
Senju Tobirama suddenly accelerated, his blade flashes falling like raindrops.
Tobirama was forced to retreat again and again, alternating between Water Release and swordsmanship to defend himself, yet he was constantly being suppressed.
Several times, he tried to create distance and form hand seals, but Izuna interrupted him with perfectly timed pursuit.
"You've gotten stronger."
Tobirama spoke in a low voice, his tone carrying a hint of scrutiny.
The corners of Izuna's mouth lifted slightly, but his eyes remained cold. "Likewise, Tobirama."
On the next move, Tobirama suddenly flipped both hands, attempting to use the prototype of the technique he had been researching repeatedly lately, using a special mark to instantly teleport.
But just as chakra began gathering at his fingertips, Izuna's voice came clearly, carrying a half-joking tone, "That technique that lets you teleport instantly... have you finished researching it?"