Clearly, Kosuke had not heard what Madara had roared when he woke up.
But his weak eyes were still full of curiosity. What exactly had Izuna done to Madara to make him so furious?
Sensing the curiosity in Kosuke's eyes, Izuna was about to continue speaking.
"Enough. Go stay quietly to the side. Can't you see my little brother just woke up? What are you babbling about?"
Seeing that Izuna still wanted to continue, Mina mercilessly drove him away.
Then she turned to Mito with a comforting smile. "Mizu, it's fine. Older brother Madara isn't that petty."
He isn't petty?!
Even Black Zetsu would go bungee jumping!
The one with the smallest mind among us is him!
And when did Mito change her name??
Seeing Kosuke unable to speak and only weakly glare wildly, Mito's worry instantly turned to dust.
The curve of her lips was like spring sunlight, warm and comforting.
Seeing this, Mina's eyes flickered. She rose and led Izuna, who was still muttering under his breath, toward Madara's tent.
"Mizu, help Kosuke examine him again first. Izuna and I will go explain the situation to older brother Madara, so there won't be any misunderstandings."
Those forced words immediately made Mito understand what Mina meant.
When Mina and Izuna left Kosuke's tent, a faint flush crept up Mito's fair neck.
Kosuke, lying in bed unable to move, did not see it.
He merely found it strange. What did his sister need to explain to Madara?
After a brief but intense bout of thought, Kosuke's mind became utterly exhausted.
As his eyes were about to close, in his haze, he seemed to smell that heart-trembling scent once more.
Damn it!
Did I really have to slow down when drawing my blade?
On the battlefield, the thick smoke stung people's eyes.
Senju Butsuma watched the battlefield with a grim expression.
His clansman knelt awkwardly in a pool of blood, his left arm twisted at an unnatural angle. The Clan Emblem on his chest had been charred black by Uchiha Fire Release, like a hideous scar.
"Father, the right flank... the right flank has been completely wiped out." Tobirama's voice was mixed with blood foam, yet still carried unwillingness. "They used Sharingan genjutsu. Our sensory ninjas... couldn't tell friend from foe at all..."
Butsuma's gaze passed over Tobirama's shoulder and saw that the River of God had already been dyed dark red.
The corpses of Senju ninjas drifted downstream, like withered maple leaves.
On the opposite bank, Uchiha Tajima stood on high ground. His Three-Tomoe Sharingan glinted coldly beneath the sunlight, while the Kunai in his hand still dripped with Senju blood.
"Hahaha! Senju Butsuma, this is the consequence of your son's mistake!" Uchiha Tajima's arrogant voice pierced Senju Butsuma's eardrums amid the battlefield's clamor, causing him unbearable pain.
"Pass down the order. Pull back the line and retreat to the Gorge of God." Butsuma's voice was hoarse, as though scraped by sandpaper.
He reached out and pressed a hand to Tobirama's shoulder, only to discover that his own palm was trembling uncontrollably as well.
When had the Senju Clan, once dominant across the battlefield, become so fragile?
After a moment of daze, Butsuma's gaze became firm once more.
No. It wasn't that we had become weak. It was that the Uchiha were too treacherous!
"Defend? Senju Butsuma, surrender. How long will you keep struggling?" Tajima put away his Kunai, drew out a War Fan with his backhand, and stood it at his side as he glared viciously at Butsuma.
"Surrender?" Butsuma flung out a Kunai. "Look at the state of your Uchiha! You are nothing but madmen, insects toyed with by genjutsu. Do you deserve to say such words to my Forest of Senju Clan?!"
Butsuma swallowed a Soldier Pill, gathered the slowly recovering Chakra within him, and charged at Tajima once more.
"Toyed with by genjutsu?" Tajima chuckled. "Then let me see how long the Forest of Senju Clan can continue to survive in this chaotic age without its Clan Head!"
Tajima's voice carried on, filled with bone-chilling coldness and mockery.
"I heard that the Forest of Senju Clan and the Crimson Vortex Clan have been close for generations and bound through marriage. Oh, right..." He suddenly threw a Kunai with a blue thread tied to it. "This was found at one of your places where prisoners are held. Consider it a meeting gift."
Butsuma stopped and reached out to catch the unusual Kunai.
When he saw the unmistakable Vortex Clan Emblem pattern on the ribbon, Butsuma felt dizzy and nearly collapsed.
Framed!!
The thought abruptly surfaced in his mind.
Without hesitation, he shouted in rebuttal, "What? Your Uchiha secretly attacked the Vortex Princess, and now you want to pin the blame on my Senju Clan?"
At that moment, the conversation between Butsuma and Tajima quickly spread among the clansmen on the battlefield. Their expressions grew complicated as suspicion and speculation spread through the crowd like a plague.
"Framed?" Tajima suddenly let out a hearty laugh. "With the Uchiha's reputation in the Ninja World, why would we need to do such a thing?"
"When you joined forces with the Vortex Clan before, we did not fear you. Why would we need to frame your Senju Clan?"
A contemptuous smile appeared on Tajima's face, and the disdain in his eyes was displayed without restraint.
Just as Butsuma was at a loss, a cry of alarm came from behind him, instantly clearing the confusion from his eyes.
"Father, watch out!"
Hashirama's roar jolted Butsuma awake from his daze.
He instinctively twisted aside. A Kunai grazed past his ear and embedded itself in the tree behind him. A slip of paper tied to its hilt fluttered down: Senju thieves, if you want what you seek, trade Mito's life for it!
Tajima's Sharingan suddenly blazed. Without effort, he instantly read its contents. "It seems I was right. The Vortex Princess was attacked in secret by your Senju."
"No! Impossible!" Butsuma roared with all his strength as Chakra surged wildly within him. "This is slander! It was forged by your Uchiha!"
"Forged?" Tajima's disdainful voice rang out once more from across the river. "Do you think my Uchiha fear the Vortex Clan so much that we would forge news to make your two clans fight, all so the Uchiha could benefit?"
"Ridiculous!" His mocking laughter spread arrogantly across the battlefield. "What does the Vortex Clan have besides Sealing Technique? Would the Uchiha need to go to such lengths? Would we need to profit by forging news?"
"Father!! Be careful not to fall into their trap!!"
Hashirama's voice rang out again. Then Tobirama carried Hashirama, who still had several bandages wrapped around him, to Butsuma's side.
Blue light bloomed from Hashirama's hands as they pressed against his father's back.
As Chakra rich with vitality flowed into him, a fierce light flared in Butsuma's eyes. He snorted coldly. "Whatever you say becomes the truth? Everything must be proven by facts. Just because Uchiha Tajima says so, the Vortex Clan must become enemies with my Senju? You underestimate the clan leaders who have survived this chaotic age."
Before you continue