"Kyosuke, stop!"
Madara Uchiha had never dreamed the situation would turn out like this.
He had thought the two would get along wonderfully. Instead, Kyosuke went straight for the kill the moment they met.
So peace through mutual understanding really was just a foolish dream only the two of us shared.
Madara was caught in the middle, unable to decide what to do, while the other two fought with gusto.
Facing Kyosuke's lightning-fast slash, Hashirama's right arm suddenly blazed with blue light, a visible sign of intensely concentrated chakra.
Damn, did he have to go this overboard?
Only after facing him head-on did Kyosuke understand why Madara Uchiha had spent his entire life being outmatched by this guy.
That terrifying chakra made him practically a tailed beast in human form.
During the Fourth Shinobi World War, when facing Obito Uchiha as the Ten-Tails Jinchuriki, Hashirama had solemnly remarked, "This guy has more chakra than I do."
Just listen to that. What an utterly insane thing to say.
That alone showed how terrifying the God of Shinobi's chakra reserves were.
Without any protective gear, he had simply concentrated his chakra to block Kyosuke's full-force slash.
It has the solidity of earth and the cutting power of wind. What a terrifying guy.
After their first head-on clash, Kyosuke planned to test his skill in ninjutsu.
But Bowl Cut gave him no chance. He raised his leg and kicked straight at him, the savage force making even the air scream.
Aside from his chakra reserves, his innate monster strength was Hashirama Senju's second greatest asset.
In other words, the Yin Seal and Monster Strength that Tsunade had spent her life researching were nothing more than Hashirama's passive abilities.
When facing Madara Uchiha, Kyosuke had already sensed the limitations of his body. Against Hashirama, that gap instantly widened several times over.
Bam!
The kick sent Kyosuke straight into the crown of a tree more than ten meters tall.
"Kyosuke..." Madara Uchiha raised a hand helplessly, as though he wanted to stop them.
The next second, a piercing chirping sound seized his full attention.
"So this is the Lightning Release Ninjutsu everyone's been talking about." Madara momentarily forgot his dilemma. His instincts as a powerful fighter made him eager to see their next clash.
His Sharingan locked firmly onto Hashirama. Initially, Kyosuke had only wanted to see what the God of Shinobi was made of.
Now he had changed his mind. That kappa-like bowl cut irritated him just looking at it. Who the hell had given him that haircut?
For that alone, he was going to make the bastard take a Chidori first.
With his mind made up, the birdsong instantly grew several times louder. Wildly dancing electric currents tore through the tree's branches, making them crumble violently.
"What terrifying Lightning Release Ninjutsu." Hashirama Senju, on the other hand, was mostly awestruck by the technique.
He had heard his friend's shout and knew that the earlier remarks had come from the boy before him.
Besides, despite the ferocity of his opponent's attacks, he had sensed no killing intent at all.
That meant the boy wasn't fighting to kill him.
"I understand now." Hashirama's eyes lit up, convinced that he had figured out Kyosuke's intentions. "He must be testing me. Whatever we intend to do in the future, we must possess the power to change everything."
"As expected of a sage who sees the answers. His every action carries a deeper meaning beyond my grasp."
He abruptly pressed his palms together. The next second, deep purple chakra surged out of his body.
Hashirama began unleashing his full power.
His chakra, far beyond that of a jonin, made the surrounding ground rumble incessantly.
"Come on! Let me show you my resolve!"
"Bowl Cut, get the hell down!"
Stone and sand shattered, and the earth heaved as the two figures rapidly closed the distance.
"Both of you, stop!!!"
Just as they were about to collide, a Gunbai suddenly thrust between them, intercepting the two surges of chakra on the verge of erupting.
Uchiha Reflection!
To avoid injuring them, Madara deliberately reduced the force of the reflection.
"Fuck, that sneaky bastard!" Kyosuke pulled himself out of a crack in the rocks and slumped onto the ground. It took him quite a while to catch his breath.
On the other side, Hashirama quietly climbed out of the river, his expression as foul as could be.
Not long ago, he had personally watched Madara piss into that river. Now he had swallowed a bellyful of its water. It would have been a fucking miracle if he were happy about it.
As for Madara, unable to think of a better solution, he simply decided to beat up both idiots.
He just had to beat them until they listened.
"A sneak attack from behind? You've fallen, Madara."
"Cut the crap. If you've got the guts, both of you come at me."
"Fine. Kyosuke, let's team up and take him down first."
Half an hour later, the future Three Gods of the Shinobi World lay sprawled beside the river, their faces bruised and swollen.
To punish the sneaky bastard, Kyosuke had teamed up with Hashirama and pinned Madara to the ground for a thorough beating.
But as the fight went on, the two allies turned on each other, and it eventually devolved into an indiscriminate three-way brawl.
"Shameless Uchiha."
"Heh, you Senju aren't any better."
With his Sharingan exposed, there was no point in continuing to conceal his identity.
What pleased both sides, however, was that their friendship hadn't changed at all because of their allegiances.
"We're still too weak." Kyosuke rubbed the bruises on his face and spoke in a low voice. "This world is far more dangerous than we imagine."
The Ōtsutsuki, far beyond their world, quietly surfaced in his mind.
Even setting aside Kaguya, who was sealed on the moon, the Shinobi World itself had no shortage of threats.
There was the Evil God Cult, active for years; the Sage of Six Paths, hidden in the Pure Land; Jigen, eating and chanting prayers somewhere unknown; and Black Zetsu, forever plotting against the Uchiha.
Not one of them was easy to deal with. If Kyosuke had to handle them all alone, he would either die of exhaustion or be driven mad by the hassle.
For the sake of the future, he had to protect these two idiots beside him.
Rather than foolishly letting others manipulate them, they ought to spend that energy thinking about how to reach the six paths level.
"Yes, our strength still isn't enough." Hearing him say that made Hashirama even more certain of his interpretation.
Lying on the ground, he began describing the beautiful vision in his heart.
He would have been better off keeping quiet. Once he started talking, Kyosuke picked apart practically every sentence.
"What do you mean, everyone does their own thing? You can't establish a village without a daimyō's financial support."
"Idiot! Without a daimyō vouching for you, would ordinary people trust a bunch of powerful shinobi?!"
"Forced intermarriage? Did you think that up with your ass?"
"Permanent peace doesn't exist. You'll understand that sooner or later."
Listening to their argument, Madara smiled in relief. It seemed his sneaky attack hadn't been for nothing.
The road ahead would be difficult. Even a little thought told him just how much resistance they would face in trying to resolve their hatred.
Turning his head to look at Kyosuke's swollen cheeks, then at Hashirama, whose eye was swollen shut, Madara felt utterly at ease.
More at ease than he had ever felt before!
Before you continue