Chapter 12 Hashirama: Madara is different! ...
Unaware that their scheme had been exposed, the two exchanged a glance and came to a conclusion—this sudden conflict was most likely instigated by someone behind the scenes.
"Who do you think it could be?" Ban asked in a low voice, a hint of coldness flashing in his eyes.
Hashirama pondered for a moment, his fingers unconsciously stroking his chin, before listing several ninja clans that were hostile to the Senju clan. Of course, it wasn't just because they were hostile; otherwise, there would have been dozens, not just a few... He also had to consider whether these clans had the capability to do such a thing.
Madara listened thoughtfully and then named several of the Uchiha's enemies.
Despite their best efforts to narrow down the possibilities, there was no way to escape them—as the two strongest clans in the ninja world, the Senju and Uchiha had far too many enemies. Even after eliminating smaller, less powerful clans, the remaining suspects were still countless.
As for "choosing" from enemies who have grudges against both clans, that would increase the probability of success: after all, if exposed, it would cause enmity with another powerful ninja clan, and no rational person would do that.
Unfortunately, all the ninja clans mentioned are their enemies.
In truth, if it weren't for the Senju and Uchiha clans keeping each other in check, the other ninja clans would probably have been devoured by these two giants long ago. That's why any third-party force would love to see these two clans fight to the death.
Madara and Hashirama exchanged a silent glance, their understanding unspoken. Some things didn't need to be said; they both knew perfectly well what was going on.
After finishing our business, the atmosphere became somewhat oppressive and heavy.
Hashirama casually picked up a flat stone, weighed it between his fingertips, and smiled at Madara, "Want to have a contest?"
Ban snapped out of his daze and raised an eyebrow: "Sketch on water?"
"Hmm, the same old rule—whoever loses has to bring their favorite food to treat everyone next time."
"Naive... Ha, get ready to admit defeat."
Ban bent down, picked up a pebble, flicked his wrist, and the pebble bounced lightly on the water's surface, creating a series of ripples. It bounced seven times before sinking into the water.
Not to be outdone, Hashirama concentrated and held his breath, drawing a graceful arc with the stone shard in his hand.
"One, two, three... eight!" He grinned triumphantly. "I won."
Madara snorted softly, "Again!"
Hashirama: "Alright!"
A gentle night breeze swept across the shimmering river, and the moonlight, like shards of silver, danced on the ripples. Two boys stood side by side, their clothes fluttering as a string of clear laughter broke the silence, adding a touch of joyful energy to the night.
However, it was getting late.
"It's time to go back." Ban stood up and brushed the grass clippings off his clothes.
Hashirama nodded, somewhat reluctant. He had too little time to spend with his best friend, and seven out of ten times they ended up fighting as soon as they met... He couldn't tell anyone about this relationship.
well.
He opened his mouth, but in the end he just waved and said, "See you next time."
***
Ban returned to his room without alerting anyone. At least, that was the outward appearance.
But Hashirama wasn't so lucky.
Unlike the Uchiha brothers who slept in separate rooms, the two Senju brothers shared a room. When Hashirama tiptoed open the door—
"Click".
An oil lamp flickered on.
In the dim light, Tobirama sat on the edge of the bed, his crimson eyes sharp in the darkness, staring at him without blinking.
Hashirama froze, then called out awkwardly, "Tobirama? Why aren't you asleep... Oh, I know, you must have gone to the bathroom. Haha, I just came back from the bathroom too, cough, I mean, I went to the bathroom and then stood outside for a while in the wind. I don't know why I can't sleep tonight."
He spoke too much. Sometimes, the more you say, the easier it is to expose yourself. Besides, Tobirama knows his brother too well; even if Hashirama didn't say so much, he could guess that his brother was lying.
—Furthermore, Tobirama personally witnessed what Hashirama did tonight.
Tobirama didn't answer, but slowly stood up, his voice icy cold: "Brother, you'd better have a reasonable explanation."
The flame of the oil lamp flickered slightly, casting two opposing shadows on the wall.
Hashirama's smile vanished, replaced by a cold sweat. He knew his brother's personality; any perfunctory excuse at this moment would only worsen the situation.
"I... went to see a friend." In the end, he chose to reveal part of the truth.
"Friends?" Tobirama sneered, his voice low yet aggressive. "You're from the Uchiha clan, aren't you?"
Hashirama's pupils contracted slightly. Before he could explain, or rather, try to justify himself, Tobirama spoke first: "Big brother, do you think I didn't notice?" Tobirama took a step closer. "I don't know when you two met, but I'm certain that in the past year, whenever you encountered a boy around your age from the Uchiha clan, you—"
"Tobirama!" Hashirama suddenly called out, but immediately realized he had lost his composure and hurriedly turned to look behind him, his nerves on edge, afraid of waking the others.
The room fell into dead silence. After a while, once he was sure no one had woken up, Hashirama breathed a sigh of relief. He wiped his face and said with a wry smile, "It's not what you think."
Tobirama stood with his arms crossed, moonlight filtering through the window and falling on his tightly pursed lips: "What is it?"
“Madara is different.” Hashirama’s eyes suddenly became very serious. “He and I share the same thoughts. We both yearn to build a peaceful world where children no longer have to go to the battlefield and can grow up safely.”
As he spoke, his gaze gradually drifted into the distance, his thoughts drifting back to that summer three years ago that changed everything.
Yes, he knew Madara much earlier than Tobirama had imagined.
It was a sweltering afternoon. Feeling melancholy, he went to the Nanga River to clear his head, only to find a black-haired boy who had arrived earlier and was staring blankly at the river. The boy turned around abruptly when he heard his footsteps, revealing a pair of eyes as black as ink.
...Through subtle clues in their conversation, he deduced that the boy who called himself "Madara" was from the Uchiha clan. However, this realization did not arouse the hostility that one would expect from a Senju clan member.
At that time, they tacitly avoided talking about their surnames and addressed each other only by their first names, as if this would allow them to temporarily escape the shackles of their family's destiny.
Until the day when weapons meet on the battlefield.
Hashirama wasn't surprised to see Madara standing opposite him, but Madara's reaction was completely different. The black-haired boy's wide eyes were filled with shock, which then turned into anger at being deceived, and a blood-red pattern bloomed in his eyes—decades later, the world would only know him as the infamous "Shura of the Shinobi World," while Hashirama Senju would be known as a benevolent figure.
Little did they know that in the beginning, Madara Uchiha's thoughts were far simpler than Hashirama Senju's.
(Well, actually, he wasn't as cunning as Hashirama Senju later on. The only time he was cunning was to realize the Eye of the Moon Plan, but unfortunately, that was also a deception.)
"Big brother?"
Hashirama Senju pulled himself out of his reverie, scratched his head, and said, "Why don't you meet him? You'll know once you meet him."
He and Tobirama are brothers. He likes Madara so much, so Tobirama definitely will too!
Hashirama, with his inexplicable confidence, clenched his fist.
Senju, veins bulging on his forehead, Tobirama takes a deep breath, then another.
Idiot bro! Do you even know that the Senju and Uchiha are mortal enemies?!
Meanwhile, in the Uchiha clan's territory.
Izuna knelt quietly in front of the wall separating him from his brother.
Hearing her brother's deliberately soft footsteps from the next room, her usually gentle black eyes now darkened like ink.
—That damned Thousand-Handed Watermelon Head, how dare you kidnap my brother!
***
Ultimately, both younger brothers chose to remain silent (for the time being) about their elder brother's secret meeting with his mortal enemy.
On Tobirama Senju's side, Hashirama stopped him. The warm and strong hand on his shoulder silenced all his unspoken questions.
Izuna's considerations were more complex. He tossed and turned all night, his mind filled with the image of his father's furious expression.
If this were to be exposed, Madara would surely be severely punished—all for that bastard from the Senju clan? Izuna gripped the bedding tightly, his nails almost piercing the fabric. Absolutely not worth it.
As dawn broke, Izuna finally made his decision: he would use his own strength to bring his brother back to the right path. However, he had not yet figured out exactly how to begin.
The next day, feeling troubled, Izuna found himself wandering into his younger brother's room. Pushing open the door, he saw five-month-old Yan Sheng lying quietly in his cradle, his large, dark eyes looking at him with "curiosity" (through a filter).
Izuna's gaze immediately softened.
He didn't seek advice from Yan Sheng, who couldn't even speak. It was just that in this vast Uchiha clan territory, only this young life, who was still naive about the world, could be considered one of their own, and would never let anything slip.
“Yan Sheng, Ban-ge…” Izuna squatted by the cradle, his voice as soft as a sigh.
A note from the author:
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[Sprinkling flowers]
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