Ghostly Shadow's Broken Wing and the Immortal Wood's First Cry

Three days later, in the dense forest at the border, the morning mist had yet to dissipate.

The air was as stagnant as a solid, and the trembling of every leaf seemed to be infinitely magnified. Uchiha Sou hid like a withered leaf deep within the canopy of a giant cedar tree, his breathing nearly ceased. His Double Tomoe Sharingan locked firmly onto the winding path below through the gaps in the foliage.

His heart beat heavily within his chest. It was not merely due to the tension of the impending battle, but because of an inexplicable, increasingly intense sense of oppression. It was as if the surrounding natural energy was issuing a silent warning, portending some ominous outcome. This was a vague premonition brought about by his constant maintenance of the "resonance" state; he could not interpret it clearly, yet it felt like needles pricking his back.

His position was the second observation point of the plan, a certain distance from the designated main ambush zone, allowing him both a view of the overall situation and relative safety. The main force led by Madara and Izuna was hidden in the treacherous terrain further ahead.

Time passed second by second.

Finally, extremely faint sounds of breaking air and fluctuations in Chakra came from the distance.

They were here!

Uchiha Sou's spirit instantly tightened to the limit.

A squad of Senju elites could be seen escorting several supply carts sealed with runes, moving quickly and vigilantly along the path. In the center of the team, that striking white hair and cold countenance belonged to none other than Tobirama Senju! He walked seemingly at ease, but those sharp eyes scanned the surroundings like a hawk, each step landing in the position least susceptible to an ambush.

The team gradually moved deep into the ambush zone.

Without any warning!

Rumble—!

The massive Fire Style: Majestic Destroyer Flame descended like heavenly fire, instantly swallowing the front half of the team! Immediately following, countless Shuriken and Kunai poured down from the dense forests on both sides like a rainstorm!

"Enemy attack! Uchiha!" The Senju ninjas reacted extremely quickly, immediately forming a defensive formation, but caught off guard, several had already been lost!

Uchiha Madara's figure descended from the sky like a demon god. His Mangekyo Sharingan rotated, precisely locating and avoiding several hidden trap formations within the team, and he lunged straight at Tobirama Senju!

"Uchiha Madara!" Tobirama's eyes sharpened, and he met the charge without fear. He activated the Ghost Shadow Body Flicker Technique, transforming into a series of afterimages, his Kunai thrusting straight at Madara's vitals!

The battle reached its climax the very moment it began!

Madara's Mangekyo insight was astonishing; he could always predict the landing point of Tobirama's Body Flicker Technique. The collision of fire and blades erupted with ear-piercing roars and surging shockwaves. Izuna led the other Uchiha elites, charging madly at the Senju's defensive formation, attempting to cut off Tobirama's retreat.

Uchiha Sou watched from above, his heart pounding. Madara's power was indeed terrifying; the Dojutsu Power of his Mangekyo almost formed an invisible domain, suppressing Tobirama's speed. However, Tobirama's adaptability was also extremely frightening. The trajectory of his Body Flicker Technique became increasingly bizarre, always managing to avoid fatal attacks at the last possible second, and the hidden moves he had secretly laid out began to manifest—several Senju ninjas suddenly performed hand seals, and Barrier Stone Pillars containing sealing Chakra rose from the ground, attempting to restrict Madara's movements!

The battle was scorching and incredibly brutal.

Tsang suppressed the unease in his heart, operating his Sharingan to its full capacity to capture every detail. He noticed that although Tobirama appeared to be at a disadvantage under Madara's fierce assault, his eyes remained calm, as if he were waiting for something.

Just then, an unexpected change occurred!

A Senju ninja who had appeared ordinary, guarding the supply carts, suddenly tore off his disguise, his hands forming seals as fast as lightning!

"Flying Thunder God Guiding Thunder!" (Incomplete Version) he roared, activating the technique on a special Kunai already placed nearby!

Hum!

The space produced an extremely subtle, distorted fluctuation!

Tobirama Senju, who was in the midst of a fierce confrontation with Madara, suddenly blurred. Utilizing this incomplete space-time technique, he instantly broke free from the entanglement with Madara and appeared beside that ninja!

"Now! Go!" Tobirama shouted in a low voice, grabbing the ninja's shoulder while his other hand threw out a large number of smoke bombs and Explosive Tags, attempting to cover their retreat!

Their goal was never to fight to the death, but to use this incomplete technique to shed their skin like a cicada, and perhaps even trip up Madara in the process!

"You think you can escape?!" Uchiha Madara roared. His Mangekyo fiercely locked onto that trace of spatial fluctuation that had not yet fully dissipated, and terrifying Dojutsu Power erupted, attempting to forcibly interfere with the stability of the technique!

"Brother, watch out!" Izuna exclaimed. He saw the look of resolute madness on the face of the Senju ninja who had performed the technique, and the Chakra within his body began to expand with extreme instability—it was a human bomb!

A trap within a trap!

Everyone's attention was drawn by this sudden turn of events!

However, at this critical juncture—

Uchiha Sou, who had been lurking high above, saw his pupils suddenly contract!

His Sharingan clearly saw that at the very moment Madara was fully focused on interfering with space and Izuna was attempting to rush forward to protect his brother, another extremely faint ghost—one that had almost merged with the shadows (a Water Clone or some high-speed afterimage left by Tobirama?)—was using the cover of smoke and explosions. Holding a short blade flickering with dangerous runes, it moved at a speed that transcended the limits of vision, silently bypassing Madara's blind spot and thrusting straight at his heart!

The true killing blow! Tobirama had used the incomplete Flying Thunder God and the human bomb to attract all attention; the real, fatal strike was hidden in this very moment!

Madara's Mangekyo seemed to perceive the crisis, but his body suffered a momentary stiffness due to his full-force interference with space!

It was too late!

Uchiha Sou's mind went blank. All calculations, all fear, and all hesitation were cast to the back of his mind at this moment!

He did not know why he was doing this; perhaps it was for the victory of the Uchiha, perhaps to prevent Madara from falling here and causing the situation to collapse completely, or perhaps... simply because he did not want to see that destined "script" play out?

The Double Tomoe in his eyes rotated madly to the limit, and he even felt a trace of tearing pain! He gambled everything—all his mental energy, his Dojutsu Power, and the weak connection with the world he had accumulated through over a year of constant "resonance"!

The target was not an attack, nor a defense, but—interference!

Interfering with the most subtle "causality" line that maintained that ghost's fatal strike!

"Deflect!" A silent shout that exhausted his entire soul exploded in the depths of his being!

He did not specify how to deflect it, only pouring in the most intense will: make this attack miss its vital target!

Puff—!

It was a light sound, like a balloon being pricked.

Below, the rune-etched short blade in the hand of that fatal ghost, at the very moment before it was about to pierce Madara's heart, seemed to be pulled ever so slightly by an invisible and bizarre force. The trajectory shifted in a way that even the wielder did not immediately notice!

At the same time, Madara finally recovered from that brief stiffness. His Mangekyo insight returned, and sensing the cold murderous intent from behind, he exerted all his strength to dodge to the side!

Rip!

The rune-etched dagger failed to pierce the heart, instead driving deep into the right side of Uchiha Madara's back, puncturing his lung! The dangerous runes on the blade flared instantly, seemingly intent on triggering some vicious effect!

"Urgh!" Uchiha Madara let out a muffled grunt. As the searing pain and the sensation of the foreign object took hold, his combat experience—honed through countless battles—took over. He threw a backhand punch, wreathed in violent Chakra and rage, smashing it fiercely behind him!

BOOM!

The phantom figure was shattered by that enraged strike, dissolving into a puddle of clear water—it was indeed an incredibly realistic Water Clone trap!

On the other side, Tobirama Senju, who had used the incomplete Flying Thunder God to teleport away, had no time to breathe a sigh of relief. He felt the feedback of his Water Clone being destroyed and his plan failing, his face turning deathly pale. A flash of disbelief and intense heartache crossed his eyes—the subordinate he had used as bait and to anchor the incomplete Flying Thunder God was a research assistant he valued immensely!

"Retreat!" He did not hesitate. Taking advantage of Uchiha Madara's injury and the ensuing chaos, he led his remaining confidants and vanished into the depths of the dense forest at top speed.

"Brother!" Izuna rushed to Uchiha Madara's side, his face turning ash-white when he saw the rune-etched dagger buried deep into his brother's lung.

"Don't touch it!" Uchiha Madara gritted his teeth, his Mangekyou locked onto the runes on the blade. With veins bulging on his forehead, he used his immense Dojutsu Power to forcibly suppress the vicious energy about to erupt from the weapon.

Uchiha ninjas attempted to pursue, but Uchiha Madara raised a hand to stop them. "Do not pursue a desperate foe... be careful... there are still traps..." Every word he spoke was stained with blood.

The ambush ended in a brutal stalemate. Tobirama Senju had severely wounded Uchiha Madara, paying the price of his confidant's life and the exposure of his incomplete technique, yet he had successfully escaped and preserved most of their supplies. Uchiha Madara was gravely wounded; while he had avoided a fatal blow, his injuries were critical, and that strange dagger, in particular, would be extremely difficult to treat.

High above, Uchiha Sou, having exhausted all his mental strength to intervene, felt the world go black and tumbled from the tree. Fortunately, nearby clansmen discovered him and caught him just in time. His face was as pale as paper, blood leaked from his eyes, and he fell into a deep coma, as if his very soul had been hollowed out.

Before he lost consciousness entirely, his last, blurred thought was: That warning-like repulsion... it was stronger than ever before...

Senju Clan grounds.

Tobirama Senju returned with his battered remnants, his expression terrifyingly grim. The mission had been a heavy loss; his incomplete Flying Thunder God technique was exposed, and most importantly, he had lost his most vital research assistant!

He locked himself in his laboratory, staring at the complex blueprints, his eyes bloodshot and filled with paranoia.

"Uchiha Madara... Mangekyou... and that strange power that interfered with my killing blow..." He clenched his fists. "I must be faster! A more perfect Flying Thunder God! More powerful forbidden techniques! I must... destroy you all completely!"

Deep in the forest, Hashirama Senju, who was communing with natural energy, seemed to sense something and snapped awake from his meditation.

A sense of intense unease and heart-palpitations gripped him.

"Tobirama..." He looked toward the border, his brows furrowed tight.

The next moment, a Senju ninja ran over in a panic: "Lord Hashirama! It's bad! Lord Tobirama... the mission failed, he returned severely wounded, and... and Lianglu... he was killed in action!"

Hashirama Senju felt as if he had been struck by lightning! Lianglu was Tobirama's most important assistant and one of his few close friends!

Extreme worry, grief, and an endless loathing for war... these emotions erupted within his chest like a volcano!

He subconsciously pressed his hands to the ground and let out a pained, sky-piercing howl!

BOOM—!

Trees, larger and more vibrant than ever before, burst from the soil. They did not attack; instead, as if sensing his agony, they grew and intertwined frantically, forming a lush, verdant forest domain radiating a soft halo! More natural energy, drawn by his intense emotions, poured into the area!

The red eyeshadow beneath his eyelids became a fraction clearer.

His insight into Sage Art had deepened unexpectedly, watered by his grief.

The world's "favoritism" had once again pushed its "Child of Destiny" forward, at the cost of Uchiha blood and pain.

The comatose Uchiha Sou, the gravely wounded Uchiha Madara, the paranoid Tobirama Senju, and the growing power of the grieving Hashirama Senju...

The spiral of hatred tightened its coil once more.

And those eyes, watching indifferently from behind the scenes, seemed... quite satisfied.