Uchiha Su quickly retreated from the center of the battlefield.
The confrontation between Uchiha Madara and Senju Hashirama was about to begin, and Su understood very clearly that this was not a battle an ordinary ninja could withstand. The clash between these two legendary figures would shake the entire valley.
Even the smallest shockwave produced by their techniques could easily kill a young ninja like him.
For that reason, Su moved away from the main battlefield.
However, he did not go too far.
Instead, he found a secluded location hidden among the rocks and trees of the valley. From there, he could still observe the battlefield without standing directly in its destructive path.
Standing quietly, Su held the hilt of his Kusanagi sword.
He remained silent and patient.
Waiting.
The cold night wind blew gently across the valley. The moonlight illuminated the towering cliffs, casting long shadows over the battlefield.
Suddenly, Su felt something strange.
A gaze.
Someone was watching him.
The sensation was unmistakable.
The gaze was extremely cold, completely devoid of warmth or emotion. It did not feel like the look one would give another living person.
Instead, it felt like being examined as if he were already a corpse.
Su slowly turned his head toward the direction of that gaze.
When he saw who it was, his expression immediately stiffened.
Standing in the distance was the person he least wanted to encounter tonight.
Senju Tobirama.
The Second Hokage of Konoha.
Tobirama stood silently among the shadows, his sharp red eyes observing everything happening within the valley.
For a brief moment, their eyes met.
Su felt a chilling pressure spread through his body.
Yet Tobirama only glanced at him briefly.
His gaze lingered for less than a second before casually moving past him, as though Su were nothing more than a small insect.
An insignificant existence.
This reaction allowed Su to relax slightly.
The tension in his body loosened just a little.
But soon, another emotion replaced that relief.
Anger.
It was not the anger of fear or hatred.
It was the anger of being completely ignored.
To Tobirama, Su was not even worth paying attention to.
The humiliation burned quietly inside his chest.
Meanwhile, at the center of the valley, two legendary figures faced each other.
The towering Wood Release construct created by Senju Hashirama let out a deep rumbling sound as it stood against the massive form of the Nine-Tailed Fox.
Hashirama's voice echoed across the valley.
"Madara… why?"
His tone carried genuine confusion and sadness.
Hashirama could not understand why his closest friend had chosen to oppose him.
Why Madara had decided to abandon the village they had created together.
Madara looked down at him calmly from atop the Nine-Tails.
"Hashirama," he said quietly, "do you truly not know why I wish to leave the village?"
Hashirama fell silent.
The wind blew through the valley as the two men stared at one another.
Hashirama was not foolish.
Though he often appeared carefree, he understood the meaning behind Madara's words.
Madara continued.
"I assume you understand now."
His tone remained calm but carried a sharp edge.
"Konoha was created by the Uchiha and the Senju together."
"It was meant to be our shared dream."
Hashirama immediately shook his head.
"No," he replied.
"Konoha does not belong only to our clans."
"There are many other families here—the Hyuga, the Sarutobi, the Yamanaka, and many more."
Madara suddenly laughed.
A cold, mocking laugh.
"Do you truly believe those clans joined us voluntarily?"
He deliberately emphasized the word voluntarily.
When Konoha had first been founded, the new village had been desperately lacking in ninjutsu knowledge.
Even with the combined resources of the Uchiha and Senju clans, the available techniques were still limited.
So Madara and Hashirama had turned their attention to other small clans scattered across the region.
Hashirama had approached them with kindness and persuasion.
Madara had approached them with overwhelming strength.
Together, they had played the roles of good cop and bad cop.
In the end, those smaller clans had no real choice.
They joined Konoha.
And they "voluntarily" contributed nearly all of their ninjutsu to the village.
Only their clan-specific secret techniques were kept private.
That shared knowledge was the true foundation of Konoha's strength today.
Hashirama sighed quietly.
"Even so," he said gently, "we still achieved part of our dream, didn't we?"
Madara's expression softened slightly.
Hashirama's sincerity was impossible to fake.
For a moment, Madara lowered his gaze.
Their childhood dream…
A village where children from different clans could live together peacefully.
A place where young boys and girls could introduce themselves without wondering if the other person was an enemy.
Where children would not be forced to carry explosive tags into battlefields before they even reached adolescence.
Where they would not be used as expendable tools in endless wars.
At least for now…
That dream had partially come true.
Hashirama stepped forward.
"Madara," he said quietly.
"Let's sit down and talk."
"There is nothing that cannot be resolved through conversation."
His voice carried deep regret.
Hashirama blamed himself.
He believed that he had failed to properly guide his younger brother, Tobirama.
Because of that failure, the relationship between the village and the Uchiha had deteriorated.
But Madara shook his head slightly.
"Perhaps we will talk," he said.
"But before that…"
His lips curved into a faint smile.
"I think we should have a proper fight."
Madara's eyes gleamed.
"Let some ignorant ninjas witness the power of the two strongest warriors of the Warring States Era."
Then Madara raised his hand.
His chakra erupted violently.
"Majestic Attire: Susanoo!"
In an instant, enormous amounts of chakra exploded outward from Madara's body.
The Nine-Tailed Fox beneath him roared as a massive blue chakra skeleton began forming around its body.
The skeletal armor rapidly developed into a gigantic humanoid warrior.
This warrior covered the entire body of the Nine-Tails.
The result was terrifying.
A colossal fusion of tailed beast and Susanoo armor.
The ground trembled beneath its weight.
Madara looked down at Hashirama with excitement.
"Hashirama," he said proudly.
"I created this technique specifically for you."
"What do you think?"
Madara clearly hoped to hear Hashirama's opinion.
But to everyone's surprise…
Hashirama suddenly jumped down from his enormous wooden construct.
Without his chakra maintaining it, the massive wooden figure quickly crumbled and vanished.
Now Hashirama stood alone on the ground.
Compared to the towering Majestic Attire Susanoo, he looked like nothing more than a tiny speck.
Yet Hashirama showed no fear.
He simply smiled.
"Madara," he said gently.
"This technique is impressive."
"I doubt anyone except me could survive it."
Then his expression became serious.
"But you have not harmed the village."
"And because of that…"
"I do not wish to raise my hand against my best friend."
Madara stared at him silently.
His expression became complicated.
Part of him felt anger at Hashirama's reluctance to fight.
But another part of him felt strangely relieved.
Despite everything that had happened…
Hashirama's feelings toward him had never changed.
Just as Madara was about to respond, Hashirama spoke again.
"Madara."
"You should leave."
Madara blinked in surprise.
Hashirama continued quietly.
"If you are unhappy in Konoha…"
"Then you should go somewhere else."
His voice was calm but sincere.
Madara was stunned.
Nearby, Senju Tobirama watched the scene unfold.
His expression darkened.
This was the perfect opportunity.
Madara had openly declared his intention to leave the village.
That alone could justify eliminating him.
If Madara died tonight, the remaining Uchiha clan members would become far easier to control.
Yet his older brother had chosen to let him go.
Tobirama felt both confused and shocked.
Meanwhile, not far away, another confrontation was unfolding.
"You're here."
Uchiha Su smiled faintly.
Standing before him was Tsunade.
Her breathing was heavy.
It was clear she had run all the way from the village without stopping.
"Why?" she demanded angrily.
"Why do you want to leave Konoha?"
Her fists trembled slightly.
"We were already assigned to the same team."
"We completed a mission together."
"Why are you still leaving?"
Su tilted his head thoughtfully.
"Perhaps because…"
He paused.
"Actually, I haven't figured it out completely yet."
He shrugged.
"When I do understand it, I'll tell you the real reason."
Tsunade's eyes widened in disbelief.
"Are you trying to make me angry on purpose, Uchiha Su?"
Su smiled calmly.
"Tsunade."
"You don't actually think you can defeat me, do you?"
Her expression immediately turned cold.
"For the entire year at the Ninja Academy," she replied sharply, "you never once defeated me in combat training."
"So what makes you think I can't beat you now?"
Su laughed softly.
"That's because I was letting you win."
Tsunade's anger finally exploded.
"Then show me what you've really got!"
She dashed forward instantly.
Among ninjas of their age group, Tsunade's speed was exceptional.
Her strength and physical conditioning were also among the best.
But the moment Su activated his Sharingan, everything changed.
The world slowed.
Every movement Tsunade made became perfectly clear to him.
Even the smallest twitch of her muscles revealed her intentions.
From the movement of her shoulders and hips alone, Su could already predict whether her next attack would be a punch…
Or a kick.