"Kyosuke, stop!"
Uchiha Madara had never dreamed things would reach this point.
He'd thought the two of them would get along just fine. Who knew Kyosuke would attack the moment they met?
So much for peace through mutual understanding. That was just a foolish dream the two of us shared.
Madara was caught in the middle, unable to choose a side, while the two of them fought with gusto.
Facing Kyosuke's lightning-fast slash, Hashirama's right arm suddenly blazed with blue light. It was the telltale sign of Chakra being condensed to an extreme degree.
"Damn, does he have to be this ridiculous?"
Only after actually fighting Hashirama did Kyosuke understand why Uchiha Madara had been suppressed by this guy all his life.
That terrifying Chakra was practically indistinguishable from that of a human-shaped Tailed Beast.
During the Fourth Great Ninja War, when facing Uchiha Obito as the Ten-Tails Jinchuriki, Hashirama had said gravely, "This guy has more Chakra than I do."
Just think about it. What a deranged thing to say.
It showed just how terrifying the God of Shinobi's Chakra really was.
Without any armor, he resolutely used condensed Chakra to withstand Kyosuke's full-force slash.
"It has the weight of earth, yet also contains the cutting force of wind. What a terrifying guy."
After clashing once, Kyosuke decided to test Hashirama's skill with Ninjutsu.
But the bowl-cut bastard didn't give him the chance. He raised a leg and kicked, the brutal force making the air itself wail.
Beyond his Chakra reserves, the monstrous strength he was born with was Senju Hashirama's second great advantage.
Tsunade's lifelong studies of the Yin Seal and monstrous strength were, in short, just Hashirama's passive abilities.
When facing Uchiha Madara, Kyosuke had already sensed the limits imposed by his body. Against Hashirama, the gap widened several times over.
One kick sent Kyosuke straight to the top of a tree more than ten meters tall.
"Kyosuke." Uchiha Madara raised a hand blankly, as if he wanted to intervene.
The next second, a piercing chirp drew all his attention.
"So this is the Lightning Release Ninjutsu that's become famous outside the village." Madara temporarily forgot his dilemma. A powerful fighter's instincts made him eager to see how the two would fare.
The Sharingan fixed Hashirama in its gaze. At first, Kyosuke had only wanted to test the God of Shinobi's mettle.
Now he'd changed his mind. That bowl-cut made him look like a kappa, and it grated on Kyosuke's nerves. He wondered which bastard had given him that haircut.
For that alone, he'd make the jerk eat a Chidori.
Once his resolve was set, the birdsong rose several times in pitch. Wildly dancing currents of electricity made the tree branches begin to collapse.
"What a terrifying Lightning Release Ninjutsu." By contrast, Senju Hashirama was more impressed than anything else by the technique.
He'd heard his friend shout and knew the earlier remark had come from the boy before him.
Besides, though the other boy's moves were fierce, Hashirama couldn't sense any killing intent at all.
That meant the boy wasn't fighting with the intention of killing him.
"I understand." Hashirama's eyes lit up as he became certain he'd figured out Kyosuke's intentions. "He must be testing me. Whatever we do in the future, we need to gain the power to change everything."
"Truly, a wise man who can see the answers. Every move he makes holds a deeper meaning beyond my understanding."
He abruptly pressed his palms together. The next second, deep purple Chakra surged out of him.
Hashirama began to unleash his full power.
His Chakra far surpassed that of an ordinary Jonin, and the ground around them rumbled without pause.
"Come on! I'll show you my resolve!"
"Bowl-cut, get your ass down on the ground!"
Rocks shattered and the earth overturned 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, blocking the two surging masses of Chakra.
Uchiha Reflection!
To avoid hurting anyone, Madara deliberately reduced the force of the reflected attack.
"Damn, what a sneak!" Kyosuke pulled himself out of a crack in the rocks and slumped to the ground. It took him a long while to catch his breath.
On the other side, Hashirama quietly crawled out of the river, his expression indescribably sour.
Not long ago, he'd seen Madara peeing in the river with his own eyes. Now he'd swallowed half the river, and he'd be damned if he was happy about it.
As for Madara, unable to think of a better solution, he simply decided to beat both idiots into submission.
Once they were beaten badly enough, they'd listen.
"Attacking from behind? You've fallen, Madara."
"Cut the crap. You two can come at me together if you've got the guts."
"Great. Kyosuke, let's team up and take him down first."
Half an hour later, the future Three Gods of the Shinobi World were all sprawled by the river, their faces bruised and swollen.
To punish the sneak, Kyosuke teamed up with Hashirama and pinned Madara to the ground, giving him a thorough beating.
But as they fought, the two of them fell out, and it eventually turned into an all-out brawl among the three of them.
"Shameless Uchiha."
"Hmph. You Senju aren't any better."
Now that his Sharingan had been exposed, there was no point in continuing to hide his identity.
Still, both sides were glad to find that their friendship hadn't changed at all because of their opposing allegiances.
"We're still too weak." Kyosuke touched the bruise on his face and spoke in a low voice. "This world is far more dangerous than we imagined."
The Otsutsuki Clan, far beyond the heavens, quietly appeared in his mind.
Kaguya, sealed on the moon, wasn't the only threat. The Shinobi World itself had plenty of dangers.
There was the Jashin Cult, active for years; the Sage of Six Paths, hidden in the Pure Land; Isshiki, who was who knew where, chanting Buddhist prayers; and Black Zetsu, forever scheming against the Uchiha.
Not one of them was easy to deal with. If Kyosuke had to take them all on alone, he'd either work himself to death or be driven out of his mind.
For the sake of the future, he had to protect these two idiots by his side.
They couldn't keep letting others trick them like fools. Instead of wasting their time on that, they should think about how to reach Six Paths Level.
"Yeah, our power still isn't enough." Hearing him say this only made Hashirama more certain of what he'd been thinking.
Lying on the ground, he began to describe the beautiful vision in his heart.
It would've been better if he hadn't said anything. Almost every sentence earned a sarcastic jab from Kyosuke.
"What do you mean, everyone goes their own way? We'll need the Daimyo's financial support to establish a village."
"Idiot. Without the Daimyo's backing, would ordinary people trust a bunch of powerful ninja?!"
"Your idea of forcing people to marry—did you come up with that using your ass?"
"Permanent peace doesn't exist. Sooner or later, you'll understand that."
Listening to their argument, Madara smiled with satisfaction. It seemed that playing the sneak had been worth it.
The road ahead was difficult. Even a moment's thought made him realize just how many obstacles stood in the way of resolving their hatred.
He glanced sideways at Kyosuke's swollen cheek and Hashirama, who couldn't even see out of one eye. Madara felt wonderful.
More wonderful than he'd ever felt before!
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