Severance and Continuation

Izuna formed a hand seal, his Two-Tomoe Sharingan spinning slightly as flames ignited along his blade.

Fire Style: Flame Slash

This was a common ninjutsu among Uchiha shinobi, yet unlike the previous Uchiha ninja, the flames on Izuna's blade were noticeably deeper in color, indicating significantly higher lethality.

Decent Chakra control, Hiugo thought, though his demeanor remained relaxed. He neutralized the offensive without haste, dodging with precision every time the blade threatened to strike.

After several exchanges, Izuna increased his Chakra output, causing the flames to surge before swirling toward his opponent like a vortex.

Hiugo praised him from within the fiery vortex:

"As expected of the number two Uchiha in this Warring States era, you certainly have some tricks up your sleeve. However..."

"This won't kill me."

Water Style: Water Formation Pillar

A massive volume of water condensed around Hiugo, forming a pillar that extinguished the flames.

Izuna's Two-Tomoe Sharingan spun rapidly as he thrust his blade toward Hiugo's back.

The strike was caught by a wooden palm coated in water-attribute Chakra. Hiugo pulled back, his left hand drawing a Kunai to slash at Izuna's neck.

The flames on the blade and the water-attribute Chakra clashed continuously until they vanished.

In this moment of crisis, Izuna's mind raced, leading him to choose the safest course of action.

He discarded his blade, dispersed the Chakra at his feet, dropped beneath the water, and threw a Kunai.

Hiugo kicked the incoming Kunai away, dispersed the Chakra in his right hand, and gripped his katana in reverse. He glanced toward the positions of Senju Butsuma and Uchiha Tajima, muttering to himself:

Why do I remember this fight being called off after a short while? Why is it dragging on so long with an extra person here? Are these two losing their touch?

Under normal circumstances, the situation should have ended with both clan heads throwing their weapons toward the other's child after a brief skirmish.

But because Hiugo had accelerated the talent of this generation, Tobirama was stronger than originally intended, and Izuna had awakened his eyes at five. Both sides believed their own youth could finish the opponent, so they fought in close proximity; as long as the other side's youth died, a psychological flaw would inevitably emerge, which was the key to victory.

Senju Butsuma glanced at the battlefield and shouted:

"Hiugo, stop playing around and kill him!"

Uchiha Tajima said coldly: "Madara, how much longer will you hesitate? Do you want to watch your brother get hurt like he did years ago?"

Madara's entire body shuddered. His Two-Tomoe Sharingan emerged, and his voice trembled:

"I'm sorry, Hashirama. Although it was short, I was truly happy during this time. The next time we meet, it will be on the battlefield."

"Madara, you..."

Hashirama looked into Madara's eyes. After those words, the Two-Tomoe Sharingan evolved into Three-Tomoe, signifying that something had been severed.

Madara looked at Hiugo and Izuna with his Three-Tomoe eyes. Gritting his teeth, he threw the stone he had inscribed into the river and shouted:

"Hashirama, in the end, the naive future we envisioned is nothing but a fantasy. Your brother once nearly killed mine; our Senju and Uchiha are destined to be nothing but mortal enemies!"

His voice began to recover, turning cold:

"As my former friend, the final respect I can offer you is to... kill you with my own hands on the battlefield."

"Madara... deep down, you still hold onto that dream, don't you? I won't give up, even if I have to bet my own life."

Hashirama gritted his teeth, his gaze firm.

"Dream... Heh... Hashirama, that is merely a dream, an imaginary world that does not exist."

A flash of light crossed Madara's eyes before he sneered.

Uchiha Tajima retreated to Madara's side with Izuna and said:

"With these eyes, this trip was worth it. How about it, Madara? Are you confident?"

Madara glanced at Hashirama and said: "Hashirama is stronger than me."

"Stronger than Big Brother?"

Izuna gasped. In his eyes, Madara was the strongest shinobi.

On the other side, Tobirama ran over, looking exhausted.

As the foster son of Onmyo Seimei, Onmyo Seihou was not weak, but that assumed he could actually use his techniques.

Over the years, Tobirama had painstakingly practiced the Water Body Flicker. Within the limits of his physical endurance, he had constantly disrupted his opponent, preventing him from reacting, before finishing him off with a single Water Severing Wave to the neck.

Butsuma's eyes showed undisguised admiration for Tobirama. He looked down at Hiugo and said:

"Hiugo, you're too slow. You could have just overwhelmed him with Wood Style like Hashirama."

Hiugo snorted twice: "I'm not feeling well today, my Wood Style control is off. Besides, what about you, Clan Head? Tobirama already finished his fight, why are you still dragging this out?"

"Do you think a clan head is that easy to kill?"

"Izuna is a Jonin, and I am a Jonin—is it really that easy to kill me?"

Hiugo certainly knew that if he fought for real, he could kill Izuna, but after some thought, he felt it was unnecessary.

He previously possessed the hidden ability of a "Sharingan Trigger," and everyone he encountered managed to break through. He wasn't sure if Madara, who possessed Indra's Chakra, would awaken the Mangekyo if Izuna fell.

Well, even if Izuna died, Madara might not awaken the Mangekyo—and there was still Black Zetsu. As an important pawn, Madara was destined to obtain the Eternal Mangekyo. If Izuna died, would he go after Tajima? Given Uchiha Tajima's personality, he would likely gouge out Madara's eyes himself.

In summary, killing them was the same as not killing them, so it was better not to waste the effort.

Senju Butsuma felt dissatisfied and spoke in a disciplinary tone:

"Hiugo, you are letting personal grudges interfere on the battlefield. We have the numerical advantage now; seize the opportunity to kill the enemy, and you will be a hero in the future."

Hiugo curled his lip. He's just feeding me empty promises, he thought. That's not even as practical as getting myself two big bears; at least they could haul cargo, and if I trained them, they might even become good helpers.

The standoff between the two sides did not last long before Uchiha Tajima led his men in a retreat. Senju Butsuma did not rashly pursue, fearing an ambush, and upon returning to the clan, he immediately began lecturing Hashirama.

Hashirama remained silent, merely hiding the stone with Madara's handwriting on it. He would not give up; for his own sake and for Madara's, he had to let him know that the world of their dreams could exist...

Madara returned to the clan grounds and locked himself in his room. Drops of blood fell from his hands, caused by his fingernails digging into his palms, but his heart ached so much more that he did not even notice.

Unlike Hashirama, Madara had displayed exceptional talent for cultivation from a young age. Coupled with his arrogant personality, he looked down on all Uchiha of his age other than his younger brother, which resulted in him having no friends at all.

That was until he met Hashirama, who became his first friend—and perhaps his last.

The two had opposite personalities, yet as reincarnations of the sons of the Sage of Six Paths, they shared an inexplicable sense of kinship that allowed their friendship to "develop" and deepen rapidly in such a short time.

The current rift had torn a hole in Madara's heart. His demeanor was not as indifferent as it appeared on the surface, especially when Hashirama spoke of not giving up on their dream; Madara felt as if he saw another version of himself standing right beside Hashirama...

But he had to pretend he didn't care. Only then could he treat Hashirama as an enemy, and he hoped Hashirama would treat him as an enemy as well. That was the fate of the Uchiha and the Senju.

For some reason, Madara felt his eyes grow moist. Two droplets hit the floor, and he instinctively reached up to touch them. Crying? I'm actually crying? You bastard, Hashirama, you've really made me look pathetic...

Madara tilted his head back slightly and closed his eyes to calm his emotions. After a long while, he reached a final resolution in his heart:

Farewell, Hashirama.

Goodbye, Senju.