Chapter 34

With a light tap of his toes, his robes fluttering like a blue butterfly, Madara vaulted over the jagged rocks and landed squarely before Senju Hashirama.

Madara offered a faint smile. "You have wine, but you didn't save any for me?"

Compared to the year before, Senju Hashirama's temperament had grown increasingly steady and refined. With a large scroll strapped to his back and crimson armor worn over his black ninja attire, he appeared far more austere. He said apologetically, "My apologies, I didn't know you were coming today."

"When did you arrive?"

"The morning of the day before yesterday."

He's been waiting for three days? Madara was inwardly startled. This region was desolate, far from any village or outpost; had he spent two days alone in these deep, wild mountains?

As if reading his thoughts, Hashirama explained, "The Nine-Tails' destructive power is too great, so I arranged for people to evacuate the surrounding area."

Madara shot him a look that was half-smile, half-glance. "It won't leak out, will it?"

Hashirama paused, then shook his head. "There are very few people here to begin with, and they have all been properly relocated."

The information the Senju clan had obtained regarding the Nine-Tails was not through official channels, and the Uchiha clan harbored their own ulterior motives. Given the broader political climate, neither family wished to publicize this operation.

"So, the Nine-Tails is nearby?" Madara scanned his surroundings. As the most powerful of the Tailed Beasts, the Nine-Tails' trail was notoriously difficult to track, often only discovered after it had already wrought massive destruction. The Nine-Tails had been quiet in recent years, with its last known activity near the border of the Land of Earth.

"Intelligence points to this location. I've scouted this area for the past three days; there is a distinct trace of the Nine-Tails' chakra. Unfortunately, it is buried too deep, and we need the Senju clan's special summoning ritual to draw it out." After his survey, he had determined this cliffside was the optimal spot for the summoning.

Madara thought for a moment. "No rush. Let's rest first. We'll move tomorrow." He frowned; the area was nothing but wild mountains and ridges, with neither rooms nor beds. While ninjas were accustomed to sleeping in the open, the Uchiha Group's assets spanned the continent, and Madara rarely endured such conditions. Furthermore, to prepare for the Nine-Tails, he had pushed his five senses to their sharpest peak, making it impossible to sleep while exposed to the wind.

At this thought, Madara turned to Hashirama, his gaze filled with expectation... expectation?

Having never been looked at by Madara with such an expression, Hashirama felt slightly uncomfortable and turned his head, a sense of foreboding rising in his heart.

Sure enough, Madara offered him a radiant smile. "Hashirama, use your Wood Release to build a tent!"

Hashirama formed hand seals, and a ring of vines erupted from the ground, growing and intertwining until, in a matter of moments, the wood had woven itself into a small cabin.

Madara stepped inside to test it. Excellent—no wind, and most of the outside noise was blocked. Wood Release was truly convenient!

The thought of coveting such power crossed his mind, but Madara suppressed it. He turned to Hashirama and said, "For safety, you take the first watch, and I'll take the second." After all, the Nine-Tails was still hiding somewhere in this region.

Hashirama's gaze was burning. "You trust me?"

Though the two clans had allied, their actual relationship had seen little progress. In their few brief encounters, he had learned well of Madara's suspicion and caution. Some things were better stated clearly from the start.

Madara lifted his chin and chuckled. "Ah, of course. Because you are Senju Hashirama." A Senju Hashirama who possessed absolute principles and willpower; even if they were to fall out, he would only fight openly and fairly, never resorting to backstabbing.

The pitch-black night passed without incident—even wild beasts possessed their own instincts and did not come to provoke the two. When Hashirama woke, the horizon was just beginning to show a glimmer of pale light.

Madara, having taken the second watch, stood at the edge of the cliff looking out at the still-murky landscape, his eyes lowered in thought. He had changed into a simple white garment with blue-trimmed embroidery; his black hair hung loose, the long wind catching his robes, and the first rays of light caught his profile.

Hashirama was dazed for a moment, suddenly understanding why Madara rarely wore light-colored clothing.

He looked as if he might vanish with the wind...

"You're awake?" Madara tossed something over his shoulder without looking back. Hashirama caught the paper parcel and opened it to find a few pastries. "Eat up, then we begin, Hashirama."

The sun slowly crested the mountain peaks, its pale, dim light instantly transforming into a brilliant, dazzling gold, gilding the two men on the cliffside.

Hashirama's Wood Release leveled the surrounding trees. Under Madara's watchful gaze, he unrolled the large scroll and bit his finger, pressing it against the parchment. As the blood spread, the previously blank scroll revealed a dense array of formations and seals. A flash of red light seeped into the ground, and both men held their breath.

The world seemed to fall silent for a heartbeat.

Suddenly, a strange weight pressed down on their shoulders, making it difficult to breathe. The earth beneath their feet trembled faintly, and a low, rumbling roar echoed from the distance. The surrounding wind turned violent, cold and sharp as blades, swirling and tearing at the trees in its path. The light faded once more; the sky seemed to collapse, leaving only the fire erupting in the distance.

A massive, oppressive force, laden with violence, heat, and the scent of destruction, swept over them, swallowing the sun and crushing everything in its wake. Looking down from above, the vibrant landscape was being replaced from west to east by an expanding, gray ruin.

The pressure of the Three-Tails was child's play compared to this.

Hashirama waved his hand to retract the scroll, his wood-attribute chakra swirling around his body to shield him from the external storm, his long hair dancing without wind within the energy field. His ink-black eyes shone with an unusual luster, and he stared at the rapidly approaching fire with a fierce, combative spirit.

Infected by the violent aura, the warlike factors inherited from Madara's Uchiha blood began to surge, and he felt an uncontrollable excitement and tremor in his heart. In a state beyond reason, human power could reach heights otherwise unattainable! He simply let go of his rational restraints, surrendering his body to the instinct for slaughter.

He looked up and met Hashirama's eyes, his crimson Mangekyo unconsciously revealing a hint of malevolence.

Wood Release...

Sharingan...

The Nine-Tails, it's here!

"What kind of joke is this!" Tobirama stood up abruptly, slamming his hands on the table. "My brother cannot be missing!"

Despite his words of denial, Tobirama's heart was filled with uncontrollable anxiety. If the opponent were anyone else, even Uchiha Madara, he could have retorted with righteous indignation. But... the Nine-Tails...

That was the Nine-Tails, the beast with infinite chakra, known as the strongest of all Tailed Beasts!

"Lord Tobirama..."

Steadying himself, Tobirama slumped back into his chair and took a deep breath. "...Report everything you know!"

The area had been cleared; outsiders didn't know what had happened, and members of the two clans couldn't approach for fear of being caught in the crossfire. When the Senju and Uchiha search parties finally entered the region, they found the area almost entirely destroyed, with both their clan heads and the Nine-Tails nowhere to be found.

The Nine-Tails vanishing was one thing, but their own leaders?! Madara and Hashirama were not the type to wander off without a word.

Neither hide nor hair could be found, and the intelligence division could only conclude that they were missing.

On the Uchiha side, the elders were pale-faced. When Izuna heard the news, his body swayed uncontrollably, and a line of blood seeped from the corner of his lips.

Missing—that was the report, but for the two greatest experts in the world, what else could have stayed their steps? The truth... everyone knew it.

"Lord Izuna!" Uchiha Minyue said, her voice laced with worry.

Izuna shook his head, spat out a mouthful of blood, and rasped, "What else?"

"Senju Hashirama has also gone missing."

"What of the Nine-Tails?" His voice was heavy with suppressed killing intent.

"...We do not know."

"Lord Izuna." Uchiha Tai regained his composure and said in a heavy tone, "Please take care of your health. Nothing is certain yet; you must believe that the Clan Head will be fine."

Once these words were spoken, although the elders still felt uneasy, their expressions improved slightly. Anyone who had worked with Uchiha Madara shared the same psychological shadow: unless they saw the corpse, obtained a DNA test report, and personally burned it to ashes after verification, they would never believe such a monster could die!

"Regardless, do not forget the Clan Head's instructions," Uchiha Tai added finally.

"Please remain rational!" the elders bowed in unison.

Izuna stood stunned and silent. A desire for destruction clamored in his heart; he wanted to rush to the Land of Wind and perish together with the Senju Clan! If he had any strength left, he would kill the Nine-Tails as well!

"Please remain rational!" the elders bowed again, their voices echoing through the Council Chamber.

His fists slowly tightened, the pain of his fingernails piercing his palms etched into his bones. For the first time, Uchiha Izuna hated his own clarity of mind.

"...During the Clan Head's absence, I shall temporarily act as the head of the clan."

"However, my brother will return soon! Remember that!" Lifting his chin, his blood-red Mangekyo swept across the elders present; Izuna's cold tone carried a hint of Uchiha Madara's essence.

Returning to the Clan Head Residence, Izuna collapsed onto the tatami, staring at his blood-stained hands as tears slid silently down his face.

Brother...

The two great clans simultaneously sealed off the news, yet for some reason, reports of the two clan heads' deaths spread across every nation. A new round of conspiracies and storms brewed across the continent, though the two men at the center of the storm knew nothing of it.

Hashirama had just groggily woken up. So tired... my body feels like it's falling apart! The Nine-Tails is truly something else!

It seemed to be early morning; light filtered through the tree canopy onto his face, birds chirped in the branches, and he could still feel the damp, slight chill in the air. He moved his body, only to suddenly discover that Madara was pinned beneath him, eyes tightly shut, his breathing faint. The simple white-and-blue-trimmed garment he wore was stained heavily with blood.

Hashirama hurriedly rolled over to sit up, grabbing his hand to channel gentle Wood-style medical chakra, but the chakra he poured in was like a stone sinking into the ocean, having no effect at all.

How can this be... Panic welled up in his heart. He struggled to steady his mind and pulled open Madara's clothes to check for wounds. Aside from a minor burn on his lower abdomen and a few scratches on the back of his hand, there were no other injuries. Madara, having activated his Mangekyo to enter full slaughter mode, had joined forces with the pinnacle of the ninja world, the Wood Release user Senju Hashirama, to nearly beat the Nine-Tails into submission. Then... what happened after that?

Hashirama frowned in thought.

The Nine-Tails had come with terrifying momentum, yet it was no match for their combined strength. Madara's genjutsu had diverted the Nine-Tails' attacks, and he had occasionally landed hidden strikes that left it covered in wounds. Finally, Hashirama had used the Wood Dragon to suppress the Nine-Tails and unfurled a scroll to begin the sealing process; everything had been going smoothly... when suddenly, a massive black hole appeared and sucked them both in! The Nine-Tails had seized the chance to slip away!

Right, what was that hole!

And where are we now?!