Rescued

Just as Qile had anticipated, this ambush was not a test deliberately orchestrated by Senju Tobirama, though Senju Tobirama had indeed sensed the presence of this group several days prior.

Over the past few days, these individuals had been lurking and spying on their every move. Consequently, Senju Tobirama had calmly played along, using F5 and Qile as bait to successfully lure these hidden enemies out into the open.

From the moment the battle began, Senju Tobirama had been closely monitoring the situation from within the dense forest.

Meanwhile, Hashirama, who had been strolling leisurely through the village, was drawn by the noisy sounds of combat echoing from the Hokage Rock. Initially thinking it was merely someone training and intending only to watch the spectacle, he had never expected to witness an actual battle.

Even more coincidentally, Madara, who had just returned to the village from a trip, witnessed the entire fight from the shadows, much like Senju Tobirama.

In a split second, Qile suddenly felt himself tightly enveloped by a blue energy construct.

Before he could even react, a silver flash streaked past. Accompanied by the flicker of this silver light, the attacker's right hand was severed instantly.

Almost at the same moment, the trees surrounding Qile seemed to be nourished, beginning to grow wildly at an astonishing speed. Thick branches crisscrossed, rapidly weaving into an airtight net that firmly trapped the assailant within.

Seeing this, the taut string in Qile's heart finally relaxed slightly.

He turned to look at Hashirama, Senju Tobirama, and Madara standing beside him, letting out a long sigh of relief as a look of survival appeared on his face.

"Saved..." he muttered to himself, his voice revealing a hint of exhaustion.

At this moment, seeing the three people who had suddenly appeared, an indescribable sense of security surged into his heart.

However, the very next instant, he felt the entire world begin to spin violently, as if the heavens and earth were turning upside down.

Having just performed several *Great Fireball Technique*s in succession, combined with the continuous use of the Body Flicker Technique, his internal chakra had been completely depleted.

Now, he could barely even stand steady without Madara's help...

On the other side, with Senju Tobirama taking action personally, Uchiha Hikari had slaughtered all the enemies surrounding him in an instant.

Afterward, he lunged in front of Madara, knelt on one knee without hesitation, and bowed his head respectfully, shouting: "Clan Leader!"

Madara slowly dissipated the Susanoo that had been shrouding his body. He scanned Uchiha Hikari, who was kneeling on the ground, with an expressionless face. Having watched the entire process, he was quite satisfied with Uchiha Hikari's performance, but due to his personality, he found it difficult to offer any words of encouragement.

After a brief moment of contemplation, he said in a tone that was not exactly cold: "Go to the village's medical department to have your hand treated; the clan will cover the expenses."

On the other side, as Madara retracted his Susanoo, Qile, whose nerves had been stretched to the limit, could no longer hold on. His entire body collapsed like a deflated ball, and he fell heavily onto the ground.

Seeing this, Hashirama, who had returned to his usual, seemingly unreliable smile, strode forward to check on Qile's condition with concern.

As for Senju Tobirama, he merely glanced at Qile indifferently. He then turned around and barked at F5 behind him: "Follow me!" Before the words had even faded, he took the lead and headed down the mountain without looking back...

F5 stood in place, feeling very conflicted; they wanted to step forward to check on Qile.

However, when they saw Madara's stern and cold expression, that thought vanished without a trace.

Helpless, F5 exchanged a look with Qile from afar, then bowed to Madara and Hashirama, saying: "Lord Hokage, Lord Madara, we shall take our leave."

To their words, Madara gave a cold nod, while Hashirama waved at them with a smile: "You little ones were all excellent! But remember to go to the medical department for a check-up!"

After everyone else had departed, Madara slowly stepped forward and walked directly to the attacker, who was tightly bound by the incredibly tough tree vines created by Hashirama.

He remained expressionless, his cold gaze landing on the man like a frigid star. Without any superfluous words, his eyes suddenly widened, and the crimson Sharingan abruptly emerged...

"Your name! Who sent you!" Madara's icy voice seemed to come from the depths of the underworld, spitting out with a chilling frost.

"...Inoue Yuma..."

Yet, strangely, although this attacker named Inoue Yuma was controlled by the genjutsu, he said nothing else besides his own name. His face kept changing, at times twisted and hideous, at others appearing extremely painful.

However, no matter how he struggled, he never uttered a single word about the mastermind behind the scenes.

At this moment, Hashirama, who had been observing from the side, suddenly spoke: "Oh? It seems to be a sealing technique; this truly surprises me..."

As the man who had married the princess of the Uzumaki clan, Hashirama could not claim to be an expert in all sealing techniques, but he had dabbled in many.

As far as he knew, the only ones capable of a sealing technique to this extent were...

He pondered for a moment before speaking with a tone of negotiation: "I will take him back to the clan and let Mito take a look. Also, Qile should come along; the injury on his leg still needs to be treated."

Madara did not voice any objection to Hashirama's suggestion.

However, just then, Madara frowned, his gaze scanning the surroundings rapidly, as if searching for something...

Witnessing this, Qile's heart skipped a beat. He immediately spoke up loudly without hesitation: "Clan Leader, this morning I had Yeling attend the clan lecture in my place. This has nothing to do with Yeling! She didn't know this kind of trouble would happen."

Hearing this, Madara's already stern face became even gloomier, sending a chill down one's spine.

He stared straight at Qile and said coldly: "So, Yeling was not with you today?"

Facing Madara's gaze, which felt capable of freezing a person, Qile felt immense pressure, but he forced himself to remain calm and hurriedly responded: "Uh... this matter is indeed a bit complicated. When I return to the clan, I will explain the reasons to you in detail. But this really has nothing to do with Yeling! She was only following my orders."

Having Yeling take his place at the clan lecture was a violation of the rules.

But who could have guessed that he would be ambushed at such a time? Even worse, Yeling, who should have been by his side at all times, was not there.

Most critically, Madara had actually found out about it.

If Qile didn't step up to speak for Yeling now, it was hard to imagine what kind of severe punishment she would face.

Hashirama, standing to the side, shrugged, seemingly not wanting to listen any further. He picked up Qile and said: "Then I'll take them away first. I'll come find you later."

Qile's body was already lifted off the ground by Hashirama, but he still shouted eagerly: "Clan Leader! Please! When you return to the clan grounds, remember to have Yeling come to the Senju clan grounds to find me first! Please don't punish her! I will give you a satisfactory explanation."