After training, Rikusei and Naori walked slowly along the forest path toward the clan grounds.
The spring morning sun rose slowly above the horizon, leaped over the treetops, and illuminated the newborn Konoha Hidden Village.
Golden sunlight fell across Naori's shoulders, making her waist-length purple hair, draped down her back like silk, shimmer in its glow.
The familiar sight left Rikusei feeling dizzy. Memories buried deep in his mind began to stir.
Uchiha Naori.
A Mangekyo like a three-leaf clover, waist-length purple hair, and two short swords at her waist.
Wasn't she the very founder of Izanami?
Rikusei's mood instantly soured, and his thoughts ran wild. Could the world's timeline really be converging on me?
Naori brushed back a lock of hair that had grown warm near her ear. Her bright eyes turned toward the boy beside her, and she asked softly, surprised by how pale he looked, "You must have strained a tendon when you disarmed me. Let me take a look."
Without waiting for a reply, Naori took the boy's right hand, lowered her head, and carefully examined it, running her fingers along the meridians.
She supported the back of his hand with her left hand, feeling its warmth. Her right index finger traced his meridians; everything seemed normal, but confusion filled her eyes.
Wasn't this pose a little too intimate?
A blush spread across Naori's cheeks. She quietly withdrew her finger, turned away, and took a deep breath to steady herself before saying, "It's nothing serious. Let's go."
Rikusei came back to himself and followed the girl. As they walked through the clan grounds, people streamed out of their homes and joined them, all heading in the same direction.
Something was wrong.
There was no reason for so many people to gather at this hour.
Rikusei was about to ask the girl beside him.
A hurried shout from up ahead caught his attention. A somewhat reckless boy was making his way against the crowd.
Kagami Uchiha steadied himself and gulped in the fresh air. His chest rose and fell as he panted, "The Clan Academy's canceled today. There's going to be a Full Clan Assembly in a little while."
"Are we meeting at the village entrance?"
Naori, unsure what he meant, looked at him curiously.
Rikusei realized he'd misspoken and corrected himself. "So we just follow the crowd?"
Kagami nodded, motioning for them to follow.
The Full Clan Assembly couldn't be held in the meeting room in the Uchiha Clan Grounds, where they usually held meetings for the ninja. It couldn't accommodate so many people.
They'd chosen a wide, open area for the assembly. A simple wooden platform had been thrown together, and it was easy to spot. This had to be the place.
By the time Rikusei and the others arrived, the place was filled with Uchiha robes emblazoned with the Flame Gunbai.
Rai stood on the left side of the line, smiling as he waved his right hand at them.
Baru exchanged a glance with Rikusei, then awkwardly turned away and whispered something to Naka.
In the crowd, Rikusei immediately spotted Grandmother near the front of the line, her hair silver-white. She was waving her fan and chatting merrily with Second Granduncle.
Fewer and fewer clan members appeared on the street behind them.
Seeing that there were nearly enough people, Uchiha Madara at the front of the line strode onto the wooden platform. He gazed silently at the clan below, radiating a natural authority.
Rikusei could clearly see the genuine admiration in the eyes of Kagami and Rai beside him.
Madara moved.
He slowly took a slip of paper from behind him and held it in his hand. His expression was solemn beneath the hair that fell over his face.
If he'd been asked to deliver a rousing speech to inspire people before a battle, he could have done it with ease. But this was his first time dealing with something like this, so he treated every word on the paper with care.
Everyone held their breath and listened quietly as the current Uchiha Clan Leader declared war on the Senju Clan.
Madara finished reading the speech written by Kaku and Setsuna, then stared expressionlessly at the cheering crowd.
He keenly noticed someone in the crowd whose expression matched his own.
Hmm.
As expected of my disciple. Even with a great battle about to begin, he can keep his composure. He's sure to accomplish great things.
Naori looked just as excited. Her gaze shifted to the boy's unruffled expression. Since he'd proposed the Square Dance that had taken the entire clan by storm, it wasn't surprising that he'd anticipated a scene like this today.
Rikusei, you're incredible, the girl thought, sincerely impressed.
The ceaseless cheers reached Rikusei's ears. He tried his best to look calm, but inside, he was already a mess. Why was someone shouting, "We will restore the Uchiha to glory, no matter the cost!"? That was something he'd once said to Madara as a joke. How had it gotten around?
With a wave of Madara's hand, the noisy crowd fell silent at once.
Then Grandmother came onto the platform, waving her fan. She was just about to hand the slip of paper in her hand to the clan leader when the rowdy shouts from below interrupted her.
The crowd in headbands at the front raised their Gunbai fans and waved them in unison.
"Chiri! Chiri! Chiri!"
Their voices, though no longer young, took on the vigor of youth. Their rhythmic chants brimmed with fervor, transporting everyone back to the days of their prime, to that Warring States era filled with blood and tears.
At the back of the crowd, Rikusei clearly recognized Second Granduncle leading the chant. Was this for real? How had his own grandmother become the most popular person among the middle-aged and elderly?
The grandmother being called by name waved her fan bashfully. She hid her face, but couldn't conceal the smile in her eyes. After handing the list to Madara, she turned and left.
The lively wooden platform fell silent again. Only Madara's voice remained as he read the list. Rikusei knew these names far too well. It was practically a roll call of everyone he knew.
Uchiha Sakae, whose name had been called, looked thrilled, and the clan members exchanged excited glances.
Just as Madara was about to say something else, a ninja appeared with the Body Flicker Technique and whispered in his ear.
Madara's lips curled up. His eyes blazed with fighting spirit as he looked toward the village. He raised his right hand and declared, "The Sarutobi Clan and the Shimura Clan have joined the competition too! But they have no chance. Victory will belong to the Uchiha Clan!"
"That's right!" Great Elder Uchiha Kaku strode onto the platform and called out in response. With a wave of his hands, clan members carrying all sorts of musical instruments came up from the side, playing as they went.
Once the ensemble was in place, Kaku clapped his hands and said, "The assembly is dismissed. Those whose names were called by the clan leader, stay behind."
The excited crowd gradually dispersed.
Rikusei sighed at Rai and the others, who were overjoyed, then headed toward the line.
"Elder Brother, you shouldn't have agreed to this." Tobirama sat on the table, one hand pressed against its surface, and spoke with a serious expression.
"Come on, a dance competition sounds fun too." Hashirama didn't think it was a big deal. Full of enthusiasm, he looked at the rules written on the paper and said, "When it comes to coordination and dancing, who could scare the Senju Clan?"
"That's not what I'm worried about." Tobirama helplessly hopped down from the table, pulled over a chair, and took the paper. "There are far too many loopholes. Ninja are capable of anything."
"But the rules have already been announced," Hashirama said hastily, realizing the problem.
Tobirama waved a hand to show it wasn't a big deal. As the Deputy Lead Dancer, his main responsibility was keeping an eye on his elder brother and making sure he didn't get so excited that he used Wood Release to summon the Great Buddha and wrecked the village they'd just worked so hard to rebuild.
"What about the Sarutobi and Shimura clans?"
"There isn't enough time. If all goes as expected, the final will be between the Uchiha and Senju." Tobirama answered his elder brother's question without changing his expression.
Before you continue