"Y-yes... I suppose so. I'll head back for today, too." Hashirama waved goodbye as well.
The moment they both turned around, they sprang into action and ran toward the distant forest.
Their movements were immediately noticed by the people hidden among the trees on either side of the river.
"So soon? Are they trying to run away? Come on, Tobirama. Hashirama actually let the secret slip." Senju Butsuma, tipped off by Senju Tobirama, immediately set off to intercept them.
At the same time, two people emerged from the forest on the other side: Uchiha Izuna and his father, Uchiha Tajima.
The moment the four met, they immediately faced off. Hashirama and Madara, who had been fleeing, also stopped and watched the four negotiate.
Uchiha Tajima and Senju Butsuma were evenly matched. They had fought each other countless times and knew that breaking the stalemate wouldn't come down to their own strength, but to the children at their sides.
After all, ninja were trained to keep their composure no matter what happened on the battlefield. Even a moment's panic could leave an opening—and decide who lived or died.
Senju Tobirama and Uchiha Izuna were exactly the kind of targets who could make the other side panic. If either man could find a way to kill his opponent's child, he would surely be able to use that opening to kill his opponent as well.
So the two clan leaders immediately chose the likeliest way to kill the other's child: under the pretense of fighting, they threw short blades and shuriken capable of killing them.
Hashirama and Madara knew their fathers well, of course. They had been watching the fight from the start, and both threw the pebbles in their hands, hoping to intercept the weapons aimed at their younger brothers.
Sensing their emotions—especially Madara's intense mental fluctuations—Bai Sui, who had been watching from the sidelines, decided to intervene.
After all, he couldn't just stand by and watch adults kill children right in front of him.
"Go!"
Bai Sui's sword shot forth at his command, moving faster than the weapons and slicing through both the broken blade and the shuriken almost simultaneously.
Feeling the force of that astonishing strike, Uchiha Tajima and Senju Butsuma immediately stopped fighting and retreated, pulling their sons back to their sides as they did.
Madara and Hashirama, who had just thrown the pebbles, also ran to their fathers. All six looked toward Bai Sui as he emerged from the forest.
Uchiha Tajima and Senju Butsuma couldn't tell whether Bai Sui was an ally of the other side, so they didn't dare act rashly. Instead, they stayed on high alert, ready to flee with their children if anything went wrong.
Bai Sui didn't bother with any tricks. He simply said, "You're both clan leaders of great clans. Why attack children? Wouldn't that be beneath you? Since neither of you can do anything to the other, why not call it a day and leave with your people?"
After hearing this and studying Bai Sui's expression, they realized he wasn't the other side's hidden backup. They relaxed slightly, but remained wary beneath the surface.
"Go!" Uchiha Tajima and Senju Butsuma said almost in unison, leading their children away in opposite directions.
Bai Sui noticed Madara and Hashirama looking back as they left, and returned their gazes with a smile.
In fact, Bai Sui had sensed the pebbles Hashirama and Madara threw earlier. Even if he hadn't intervened, they would have protected their respective younger brothers. But Bai Sui had a reason for stepping in. He hadn't come to this forest for nothing: he was searching for his blood relatives.
And today, Bai Sui felt he was close to finding them. The key lay with the two clans, which was why he had deliberately intervened—to find his family.
Sure enough, before the next day had even arrived, Bai Sui's spiritual sense detected a group of people approaching him.
The man at their head was Senju Butsuma. It looked like he had come to cause trouble for Bai Sui.
That made sense. This place wasn't far from the Senju Clan's base, and Butsuma wouldn't feel safe leaving someone like Bai Sui alone. He might not even be planning to capture Bai Sui; his main concern was likely the safety of his clan's territory.
There were about twenty people in the group, but only half were from the Senju Clan. Bai Sui recognized the other half at once: they bore the crest of the Uzumaki Clan.
Though Senju Butsuma approached with a menacing air, Bai Sui's attention was focused on one young man in the group.
Like the others, he had red hair and wore a black combat uniform beneath layered blue armor. A large clan crest was emblazoned on his back.
He looked about fifteen or sixteen. Since he was allowed to accompany the group, he was clearly capable.
Bai Sui had noticed him because he sensed something different about him. One glance was enough to tell Bai Sui that this was the person he had been waiting for—one of his relatives in this life.
The group clearly had someone skilled in sensing or tracking. They were heading straight toward Bai Sui, and the ability was likely the Uzumaki Clan's Mind's Eye of the Kagura.
Bai Sui even suspected they hadn't sensed him at all, but had sensed the wooden cabin he was in. After all, his spiritual sense didn't just let him see what was happening; it also let him hear what they were saying.
"Lord Butsuma, we're one kilometer from the cabin, and I still can't sense any chakra inside. That person may have already left," a young girl reported.
"Mm, good. Keep watch on our surroundings and make sure none of those Uchiha get close. We'll search the cabin for information. If we find nothing, we'll withdraw," Butsuma instructed those around him.
Ninja moved quickly. In just a minute, they had reached the cabin. But no one acted rashly, because they had already spotted Bai Sui inside.
It was the same girl as before. She checked with Senju Butsuma again. "My lord, I still can't sense the other person's chakra. It's not that I can't sense their presence at all."
Butsuma indicated that he understood, then waved for her to step back. He took a step forward and called to Bai Sui, "Since you know we're here, why not come out and meet us?"
"I do have to come out and meet you. After all, I've finally found the person I've been waiting for." Bai Sui stood up and put the cushion he had been sitting on into his Storage Jade Pendant. The cushion had been expensive; a noble had given it to him as a gift, and it was certainly comfortable to sit on.
Then, before everyone's eyes, the cabin door opened by itself, without anyone touching it. They didn't sense even the slightest trace of chakra.
Butsuma, at the head of the group, immediately signaled for everyone to be on guard. That feat alone showed that Bai Sui was no ordinary person. Combined with the strike he had unleashed over the river, Butsuma had already judged that the man before him was powerful—at least as strong as his old rival, Uchiha Tajima, and possibly stronger.