The End

Hyuga Hoshishaku, utterly drained, barely managed to steer the Flying Bird toward Konoha.

His victory, won through a sneak attack, did not make him smug.

Uchiha Madara had explicitly told him to get lost.

The reason he had still attacked Madara, in the end, was simply that he wanted to make up for his mistake.

He didn't know whether Senju Tobirama had watched the battle in the original story.

But Madara had most likely failed to notice him, and hadn't left a Shadow Clone behind to ambush Teacher Tobirama.

But what about reality?

Because he had brought Yuto to watch the battle,

he had indirectly caused Teacher Tobirama to come looking for them.

Although the teacher had most likely been worried about his nephew, Yuto, and whatever concern he had for Hoshishaku probably wasn't even a tenth of that.

But when all was said and done, this wouldn't have happened without him.

He didn't know what the future would bring.

He couldn't predict whether he would eventually become as cold-hearted as most people in the Ninja World.

But right now, he was still himself, with the personality he'd had in another world.

He was the one who believed the world was black and white, and resisted the idea that it was gray.

If Senju Tobirama really had been killed in a sneak attack, then setting aside all the massive changes that would follow, he wouldn't be able to get past the guilt weighing on his conscience.

That was why he had wanted to risk taking out Madara's Shadow Clone.

Of course, he had a trump card, too.

Just moments ago, he had successfully cleared the final hurdle in mastering the Flying Thunder God Technique and inscribed the Flying Thunder God Formula on the Flying Bird Yuto was riding.

If anything went wrong, he would teleport away immediately and then find a way to inform Teacher Tobirama.

Fortunately, Madara hadn't taken him, a seven-year-old child, seriously.

Seaside Battlefield.

Madara, who had been attacking his opponent with Taijutsu, suddenly furrowed his brow.

The memories of his Shadow Clone had just returned to him.

His movements faltered for an instant, then he burst into laughter.

"Hahahahaha! A seven-year-old kid actually managed to sneak up on me! Hahahaha, this is just too entertaining!"

Hashirama suddenly stopped. The age of seven was far too sensitive; he couldn't help suspecting something.

"Madara, what are you talking about?"

Madara openly told his good friend what had just happened:

"I left a Shadow Clone behind to assassinate Senju Tobirama, who was sneaking around and hiding nearby."

"But some Byakugan brat sensed my Shadow Clone. My clone was going to let the kid go, but when he heard that the person I wanted to kill was Senju Tobirama, he actually sealed my foolish Shadow Clone!"

"That kid even called Senju Tobirama his teacher. So, is he Tobirama's student? Just as I thought, he's a disciple of that evil man. They're both evil. Once I defeat you, I'll kill every last one of them!"

Hashirama's expression changed when he heard that.

The last glimmer of hope in his eyes vanished completely.

Meanwhile, Madara's eyes shone even brighter.

He knew his good friend was going to fight with everything he had!

The thought excited him immensely!

The two silently faced each other until Hashirama spoke, his expression blank:

"If you intend to harm the village, I'll kill you, no matter who you are. Even if you're family."

The next moment, he pushed off with one foot, leaving a huge crater behind, and charged at Madara with all his might.

His attack was even three times more fierce than before!

This time, their battle was filled with the threat of death!

The moment Hoshishaku's Shadow Clone rode the Flying Bird back to the village with Yuto, a group of shinobi surrounded them.

Before they could come forward to confirm the pair's identities, Uzumaki Mito suddenly pushed through the crowd and appeared before the two children.

Hoshishaku's Shadow Clone spoke wearily. "Lady Mito, Yuto's fine. It's just his old condition acting up."

Uzumaki Mito pulled both children into her arms.

After hearing Hoshishaku, she hurriedly asked, "What about you? Why did a Shadow Clone come back?"

Hoshishaku's Shadow Clone replied, "Me? I should be fine, right? After all, if I'd really died, the Shadow Clone would have vanished too."

At his words, the air around Uzumaki Mito grew heavy.

Just as she was about to order people to go find Hoshishaku's real body, the barrier rippled again, and his real body stumbled through.

Seeing this, the Shadow Clone looked up at Mito as she hurried toward his real body. "The real me is back, and I've delivered the person safely. My job's done, so there's no need for me to stick around."

As he spoke, the Shadow Clone turned into a puff of smoke, making room for the unconscious original.

Uzumaki Mito felt that the Shadow Clone had sounded a little strange.

But a Shadow Clone was the truest reflection of a person. Even though she found it a little odd, she didn't think much of it.

The most important thing now was to check on the two children.

Heaven knew how panicked she had been when her brother-in-law said the children were still out there and he was going to look for them himself, while she needed to hold down the fort at the Hokage Building.

A quick examination showed that Hoshishaku had exhausted his chakra, which was why he had fallen unconscious.

They couldn't find anything wrong with Yuto, either.

Just then, members of the Hyuga Clan arrived.

When Uzumaki Mito saw the Hyuga clan head and Hoshishaku's three attendants, she felt relieved and handed the children over to them.

"He's run out of chakra and needs proper rest. Make sure you don't try to wake him by force."

She gave them this stern instruction.

After watching the Hyuga leave, Uzumaki Mito carried her son back to the Hokage Building.

Seaside Battlefield.

Hoshishaku's Shadow Clone sat on the Flying Bird, staring down at Madara, who had been pierced through the heart by a sword. His eyes widened in disbelief.

It was still a long time until dawn. How had Madara lost so quickly?

In the original story, Madara hadn't lost until after daybreak.

Had the plot changed again because of him?

Just then, Tobirama disappeared from his side and reappeared beside Hashirama and Madara.

As a Shadow Clone, Hoshishaku followed without a second thought.

It didn't matter if he died, anyway.

When he drew closer, he heard the two men talking.

Hashirama said, "Our dream has only just come true. I want to protect it. I can't let you destroy it..."

Madara, his heart pierced through, murmured to himself, "That was a Wood Release clone? I actually got stabbed in the back..."

Hashirama continued, his expression fierce. "I have to protect our... No, I have to protect my village."

"No matter what happens, I still believe that protecting the village means protecting people, shinobi, and children."

"Whether it's my friends, my brothers, or even my children, I won't spare anyone who dares to oppose the village."

As he spoke, he pulled out the sword.

Madara dropped to his knees on the water.

No one could make out his expression. He only said in a muffled voice, "You've changed, Hashirama... You've got things backward. One day, this will become the village's darkness."

After that, Madara lost his life and collapsed into the water.

Hashirama, standing beside him, was breathing hard, but showed no sign of exhaustion.

Tobirama looked at Hashirama with concern. "Big brother, you..."

Hashirama turned around. When he saw Hoshishaku, he managed to curl his lips slightly. He wanted to smile, but couldn't quite manage it.

"I'm fine... Take Hoshishaku back with you. I want to be alone here for a while."

Hoshishaku sighed and left him with a few words: "Uncle Hashirama, my condolences."

Then he canceled the Shadow Clone Technique, and he and the Ink Wash Flying Bird vanished at the same time.