Fierce Battle

Masahiko talked for quite a while, only to find that Madara across from him still wore that same Aotian expression. Even with his weathered old face, he was starting to feel embarrassed.

"Tobirama, Uchiha Madara is mine. You handle the rest! I'll let this brat see the gap in real combat experience! (Doing an impression of that old hag Chiyo—I feel pretty cool...)"

"Second Grandfather, you..." Tobirama was about to stop him when he saw Masahiko charge at Madara, a shuriken in each hand. Left with no choice, he told the Senju Clan elites behind him, "Hold off the others. I'll provide support!"

"Take my shuriken! Take my Shuriken Clone Technique! Take my Shuriken Transformation Technique!" Masahiko shouted three times. The two shuriken turned into dozens of enormous Fuma Shuriken, screaming toward the faces of the seven people opposite them.

"What kind of damned ninjutsu is this? Everyone, get out of the way! Body Flicker Technique!" Izuna shouted.

The others quickly dodged. Only Madara merely shifted slightly where he stood, avoiding most of the shuriken while catching one in his hand. His expression was disdainful. "This is the gap in combat experience you were talking about?"

Masahiko smiled instead. "Knew you'd try to act all cocky. Shuriken Substitution Technique!"

In an instant, Masahiko switched places with the shuriken in Madara's hand. He launched a kick that struck Madara squarely in the chest, sending him flying dozens of meters away like a falling body. Dust billowed up, making it impossible to see his condition for the moment.

"Big Brother! You damned old man..." Izuna shouted as he charged at Masahiko, only to be stopped by Tobirama. The two immediately fell into battle. The other Senju Clan members surrounded the remaining five Uchiha. Three Peak Jonin led the assault while the others assisted, forcing their opponents into increasingly dangerous straits.

"Damn it!" As the dust cleared, Uchiha Madara emerged. Other than being covered in dirt and having a trace of blood at the corner of his mouth, he had not suffered many injuries. But Aotian Madara's reputation has been utterly ruined. I was sent flying by some old man in a single exchange. Humiliated and enraged, he directly used the Uchiha Clan's unique Fire Release secret technique. "Fire Release: Dragon Flame Release Song Technique!"

"Earth Release: Earth Escape: Earth Traveler Technique—Rock Concealment Technique." Facing Madara's Fire Release, Masahiko chose to burrow underground. Once the flames had passed, he emerged again.

"See? There really is a gap in combat experience, isn't there? You should have used the Great Dragon Fire Technique just now, not the enhanced Dragon Flame Release Song Technique. That technique is for multiple enemies. Look how much Chakra you wasted." As Masahiko spoke, he lightly shook his head, as though pitying Madara's lack of combat experience.

"Shut up!" Madara was completely provoked. The Three-Tomoe Sharingan in his eyes spun, slowly transforming into a windmill pattern. "Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!" Madara spat out an absurdly enormous fireball. Even from dozens of meters away, Masahiko could feel the heat that seemed capable of roasting the air dry.

So one of Madara's Mangekyo abilities is amplifying the power of ninjutsu? The Hokage fans did not deceive me. Masahiko's hands did not slow. "Wind Release: Vacuum Wave!" It sliced open a sufficiently wide passage right through the middle of Madara's Great Fireball.

Good thing I also know Wind Release. A Fire Release of this level could probably pierce through my earth wall in an instant... Facing Madara now is still too much of a stretch, Masahiko thought to himself.

He did not form another hand seal. Instead, he unleashed his Talk no Jutsu. "Madara, are you still going to keep fighting? The people you brought are about to fall apart."

Madara looked around. Sure enough, Izuna was firmly tied down by Tobirama, and neither could gain the upper hand for the moment. The other five were in dire straits, all injured and on the verge of collapse. This old man could not be dealt with quickly either, and there was also an Uzumaki Clan princess of unknown strength inside the palanquin. He had heard she was a genius too...

"Izuna, take them and retreat! I'll cover your escape!" Madara shouted.

Izuna hesitated for a moment before forming hand seals with both hands. "Fire Release: Majestic Destroyer Flame!" He created distance between himself and Tobirama while also giving the five surrounded men an opportunity to break out. Once they regrouped, they immediately fled deeper into the forest.

Tobirama was about to pursue them when Madara used the Body Flicker Technique to block his way.

"You're too arrogant, Madara. You think you can stop all of us by yourself? Not even my big brother could do that! Today, we'll leave you here!" Tobirama shouted.

"Leave me here? This move was originally a surprise I prepared for Hashirama. I'll let you see it first. Susanoo!" As Madara spoke, two streams of bloody tears ran from his eyes, and a pale blue skeletal frame enveloped him.

Ten minutes later, Masahiko half-supported Tobirama as they watched Madara rapidly disappear into the distance with helpless expressions. Masahiko, who was only particularly skilled at the Three Body Jutsu and shuriken, had no way to deal with this kind of ninjutsu that offered absolute defense. Among their group, only Tobirama and the three Peak Jonin could inflict even minor damage on Madara. But the three men were now lying on the ground, and Tobirama looked completely drained. Everyone else was injured as well. Although they knew Madara was already at the end of his strength, they had no way to pursue him.

Tobirama caught his breath, shook off Masahiko's support, and went to check on the three men lying down. To his relief, they had merely been knocked unconscious by the impact and were not seriously harmed.

"I never expected Madara to have grown so much stronger after only two months apart. Fortunately, he had Izuna and the others retreat earlier. Otherwise, we might have lost several people here," Tobirama sighed.

"Yes, we were indeed fortunate. If Uchiha Izuna had stayed, then Mito, our bride, would have had to take action herself. I'd have been too ashamed to go back and face my grandnephew." Masahiko replied, though what he was actually thinking, as someone familiar with the original story, was, Maybe Madara really came with his people to congratulate Hashirama on his wedding. But why did we end up fighting after that?

If Masahiko had known that Madara had decided to attack their group because of his Talk no Jutsu, it was hard to say whether that old face of his would have turned red.

At that moment, Mito stepped out of the palanquin and said, "My deepest apologies. It was inconvenient for me to act just now. Let the three unconscious seniors lie in the palanquin. We should continue on our journey as quickly as possible. If we are attacked again, it may be difficult for everyone to cope in their current condition."

"This..." Tobirama considered it, but ultimately did not refuse. "Everyone, recover for a moment. We'll set off as soon as possible!"

And so, the bride Mito ran alongside the group, while three grown men lay inside the palanquin. Thinking about it, Masahiko actually laughed out loud. If Hashirama saw that the bride he was about to marry had turned into three middle-aged men, that picture would be too beautiful...

Tobirama looked at Masahiko and finally could not resist asking, "Second Grandfather, the Shuriken Substitution Technique you used earlier is very similar in concept to a ninjutsu I'm developing. Could you teach it to me so I can use it for reference?"

Flying Thunder God? Masahiko thought. "No problem, but you have to agree to one thing first."

"No problem. What is it?"

"At your big brother's wedding, you should do this..."

"This..."

As they spoke, the Senju Clan Compound had already come into view in the distance.