On the Road

Rikusei and the others arrived neither early nor late. Quite a few ninjas had already gathered on the broad street beneath the Konoha Gate.

The glow of their lanterns swept across their faces, revealing matching faint, smoky eye makeup. They all looked as though they hadn't slept a wink.

At the front, Tobirama waved his arm, signaling for them to fall in. Rikusei and the others extinguished their lanterns and joined the crowd.

It was Rikusei's first time seeing Tobirama in battle armor. He studied the blue lamellar armor glimmering faintly on Tobirama's body with interest. His scarlet eyes, paired with the metal forehead protector covering his cheeks, gave off a faint air of intimidation.

As the crowd gathered, the noise gradually grew louder, and excited chatter filled the air.

Danzo and Kagami in particular were muttering about something. Rikusei tilted his head to listen and caught the words "Snow Ice Drink."

Was that the new ice drink shop?

He whispered about it to Naori, and the two agreed they had to try it when they got back.

The Hyuga Clan stood quietly together. You couldn't say they were on bad terms, since they stood so close to one another, but you couldn't say they got along, either, with such coldness in their eyes.

The Uchiha Clan, by contrast, was bustling with noise.

Baru and Naka looked ready to come to blows. Rikusei glanced over and figured it had something to do with a girl.

After asking Naori and some of their classmates, he learned who she was.

Good grief. They weren't even in the same class, and they'd still gotten tangled up in this kind of drama. Young love really could ruin lives.

Suddenly, someone tugged at his sleeve. Naori blinked her bright eyes and pointed meaningfully at them, asking if they should go over and tell them to quiet down.

Rikusei shook his head to say there was no need. Teacher Tobirama had already gone over.

A red figure appeared first in the night. It was someone from the Uzumaki Clan.

Uzumaki Kaimi.

Rikusei remembered him. That night, when the Uzumaki Clan's delegation had arrived at the Konoha Gate, Kaimi had been standing behind the clan leader.

The Uzumaki ninjas, each carrying a wooden box on their back, appeared next with the Body Flicker Technique. They surrounded Kaimi, blocking him from view. The white-haired Uzumaki clan leader seemed to be teaching him a lesson with his fists, and his words came through in fits and starts.

"Didn't you know your old father would be here soon? Was there any need to leave your clan behind and rush over so quickly?"

Tobirama cast them a helpless glance as he counted the numbers. The entire Uzumaki Clan contingent had arrived.

After a short wait, the first rays of dawn broke through the night and appeared on the horizon. The sky gradually paled, and all the ninjas had gathered.

Only those two were missing.

The wind.

The sound of the wind howling.

The wind stirred by their swift arrival swept past him, ruffling his silver-white hair.

The two men stood shoulder to shoulder, one holding the Flame Gunbai and the other carrying a huge scroll on his back. Tobirama took a few steps back, his eyes fixed on their backs with a hint of fervor.

He was excited too, and hadn't slept well. But his robust constitution hadn't let it show.

The two strongest men in the Shinobi World were about to join forces against its strongest Tailed Beast.

This was their war: Uchiha Madara and Senju Hashirama.

Hashirama, wearing his Konoha Headband, looked at Madara with a smile in his eyes. Madara stood leaning on the Flame Gunbai, and the moonlight still in the sky glinted off both their forehead protectors.

The crowd fell silent, gazing at them from afar.

Rikusei had already noticed several of his classmates blushing unnaturally, their eyes alight with fervor. Quite a few of the Uzumaki ninjas beside him looked the same.

A familiar gaze settled on him. Rikusei looked over and met the other man's eyes across the crowd. Madara was staring at him with a peculiar interest.

Oh, no.

Rikusei thought, hastily taking a step back. He knew what was coming.

Madara swung the enormous gunbai in his hand, making the chains rattle. The scythe flashed coldly as it came flying straight at him.

Rikusei focused chakra in his feet and leaped with the Body Flicker Technique. Stretching out his arm and spreading his fingers, he caught the scythe in midair, then landed lightly and strapped it to his back.

Once again, Uchiha Rikusei was relegated to being Madara's gunbai-carrying tool, under the countless strange looks of those around him.

Hashirama's mouth twitched as he glanced at Rikusei. He turned to Madara, who looked perfectly at ease, and asked in a lowered voice, "Isn't that a little unfair?"

"Aren't disciples supposed to be used like this?" Madara asked, giving him a puzzled look.

Listening to their conversation from behind, Tobirama felt the muscles in his face going numb. He gave a slight cough to remind them it was time to get down to business.

"Then let's move out!"

Senju Hashirama raised his arm and clenched his fist. He looked at the people watching him, his hearty voice full of resolve.

The reply came in the form of ninjas launching into motion, their armor clanking in perfect unison.

Just as Naori had predicted, they kept their marching pace under control, doing their best to make sure the little ninjas from the Ninja Academy could keep up.

With his excellent sensory abilities, Senju Tobirama kept track of the Anbu scouting ahead. Judging by the signals they'd left behind, everything was normal.

Before leaving the village this time, he, his older brother, and Madara had worked hard to take care of all the village's important affairs.

While they were away, the Administration Department, headed by Nara Shikahira, would temporarily handle the village's affairs, both big and small.

It was also a simple test for the important figures of the various clans. There was no need to worry about anyone cheating; former members of the Senju Clan living in Konoha would report all their movements to him.

The wooden boxes carried by the Uzumaki Clan at the rear were filled with sealing tools that the Artisan Ninjas had worked through the night to make. Each one had been equipped with the Uzumaki Clan's Sealing Jutsu, so the ninjas could simply pick them up and use them.

As they marched, he discreetly assessed the Ninja Academy students' Taijutsu. A long march like this revealed all sorts of details: their chakra control, how they used their bodies to generate force, and whether they could keep their composure.

Fortunately, this group was made up of the best students from Konoha's clans and ordinary ninja families. He was very satisfied with them.

The Nine-Tails was nearby, within the Land of Fire. Its range was vast, and the Land of Fire was covered in dense forests where it could roam freely, as if wandering through its own kingdom.

Ninjas didn't deliberately venture into the forests. If they encountered the Nine-Tails, the outcome was often disastrous.

Long ago, quite a few ninjas had tried to put an end to this scourge once and for all. They'd paid the Uzumaki ninjas a fortune to help, but most of those attempts had failed.

Sealing Jutsu could control a Tailed Beast, but there was no other way to deal with it. The only option was to pay a terrible price to kill it, and all that bought them was a decade or so of peace.

That was because Tailed Beasts came back to life.

After years of observation, people had discovered that they stayed within their own territories and didn't wander out at random.

People in the Shinobi World gradually gave up on trying to deal with the Tailed Beasts, and their territories became forbidden zones by common agreement.

Of course, there were still ninjas and clans who went to challenge the Tailed Beasts to prove their strength.

Tobirama adjusted his forehead protector, his gaze firm. Things were different now. They had developed a new way to control Tailed Beasts: implanting them inside ninjas.

Dawn was breaking in the east. Bright sunlight rose above the horizon and fell across the forest. Round and rolling dewdrops on the tender green leaves reflected the morning light, sparkling in their eyes.

P.S. Since there were no Jinchuriki before the Hidden Village era, I've decided to attribute this invention to Tobirama and Ashina.