Ancestor Yuhao

"I must say, I am quite disappointed. To think the clan heads of the Uchiha and Senju possess only this level of strength [Super Kage]. You should know that the previous generation of Uchiha and Senju held the strength of elite Super Kage; truly, each generation is worse than the last," Otsutsuki Yuhao said indifferently.

The attacks from both men were blocked by an invisible force. The great blade of the third-form Susanoo stopped a mere meter away from Otsutsuki Yuhao, as did the ten-meter-long dragon claw of Senju Butsuma.

"What!" Uchiha Tajima cried out in shock.

"Impossible!" Senju Butsuma also stared at Otsutsuki Yuhao with a face full of astonishment. At the same time, the words Otsutsuki Yuhao had spoken reached their ears.

[Shinra Tensei]

An invisible force erupted instantly, centered on Otsutsuki Yuhao. It shattered the Susanoo and the hundred-meter-long water dragon in an instant. Uchiha Tajima and Senju Butsuma, along with the more than three hundred elite jonin they had brought with them, were all sent flying into the air by the repulsive force of the Shinra Tensei.

However, Otsutsuki Yuhao did not intend to harm them. Otherwise, he could have killed everyone present in a single heartbeat. The figures of Uchiha Tajima and Senju Butsuma flew through the sky for a long time before finally landing, now tens of kilometers away.

"That was... an SSS-rank ninjutsu, [Shinra Tensei]."

"Is his pair of eyes truly the Sage Eye? How could such an existence appear in this era? Wasn't it said that the Sage Eye was merely a legend?" These were the thoughts that flashed through the minds of Uchiha Tajima and Senju Butsuma. Seeing that their clansmen had not been killed by Otsutsuki Yuhao, their gazes toward him were naturally devoid of hatred.

"Too... too powerful. He defeated my father and the Uchiha [Senju] clan head so easily." Uchiha Madara and Senju Hashirama both had the same thought, staring at Otsutsuki Yuhao in stunned silence. From the moment the two clan heads had appeared, not even a minute had passed, yet neither had been able to withstand a single move from him.

Otsutsuki Yuhao looked at the shocked expressions on the faces of the two children, Uchiha Madara and Senju Hashirama. He smiled and asked, "Do you want to learn?"

"Yes!"

"We want to very much!" Uchiha Madara and Senju Hashirama replied in unison.

"Since you want to, then continue your training. Furthermore, from now on, you must come to me for training at least five hours every day. I think your fathers won't refuse this time! Besides, you'll be coming here openly and aboveboard!"

"Ah!" Uchiha Madara and Senju Hashirama cried out, their faces turning pale. The training intensity Otsutsuki Yuhao had already set for them was incredibly high—wearing heavy weights, being forbidden from using chakra, and having to dodge Otsutsuki Yuhao's ninjutsu attacks. It made the two of them wonder at times if they were even ninjas at all, or merely warriors. This isn't ninja training! Can you even call yourself a ninja if you don't use ninjutsu? they complained inwardly.

The morning passed quickly. After training, Uchiha Madara returned to the Uchiha clan grounds. At that moment, Uchiha Tajima was waiting for him alongside a group of Uchiha elders.

"Madara, when exactly did you meet that senior with the Sage Eye?" Uchiha Tajima asked directly as soon as Uchiha Madara returned.

"Th-this?" Uchiha Madara pondered for a moment before answering, "Actually, I'm not entirely sure when. As far back as I can remember, Ancestor Yuhao has always been by my side."

"What? You just said Ancestor Yuhao?"

"Could it be that he is also from our Uchiha Clan?"

Uchiha Tajima exclaimed in shock.

"No, his name is Otsutsuki Yuhao! He doesn't carry the Uchiha surname; he must be an ancestor from over a thousand years ago. Doesn't our clan's history record it? Legend has it that a thousand years ago, we and the Senju Clan shared the same ancestor. Later, we split into the Senju and Uchiha, and it seems the Hyuga Clan, Kaguya, and Uzumaki also supposedly descend from that same ancestor. But I don't know if it's true."

Uchiha Madara said earnestly to his father, Uchiha Tajima.

He told Uchiha Tajima the whole story, from how he met Otsutsuki Yuhao to training under him for a year. Of course, he did not mention Senju Hashirama.

At this moment, Uchiha Tajima's attention was entirely focused on Otsutsuki Yuhao, so he didn't pay any mind to the child named Senju Hashirama.

Uchiha Tajima pondered for a long while, his gaze resting on Uchiha Madara before he finally spoke: "You should continue to train well with that Otsutsuki Yuhao. Perhaps one day, you really will be able to end the hatred between the Senju and the Uchiha."

"Yes, Father!"

Upon hearing Uchiha Tajima's words, Uchiha Madara immediately perked up.

However, Uchiha Madara did not know that when Uchiha Tajima spoke of ending the hatred between the Senju and Uchiha, he actually meant the annihilation of the Senju Clan.

Uchiha Madara was still young and well-protected by his father, so he did not fully grasp that the thousand-year-old conflict between the two clans was not something that could be resolved just by saying so.

On the other side, the conversation between Senju Hashirama and Senju Butsuma was much the same as the one between Uchiha Madara and his father. Both were stunned by the overwhelming power of Otsutsuki Yuhao, and they too omitted any mention of Uchiha Madara, focusing their attention entirely on Otsutsuki Yuhao.

"Damn it, how has Otsutsuki Yuhao appeared again?"

Upon sensing the aura of his third brother, Otsutsuki Yuhao, Black Zetsu's face turned deathly pale.

He had finally waited for the reincarnations with the talent closest to Indra and Asura—the Uchiha who had the potential to awaken the Rinnegan—so this naturally made Black Zetsu feel very displeased.

But helpless against Otsutsuki Yuhao's immense strength, he dared not get too close.

Black Zetsu was actually both wary and awestruck by Otsutsuki Yuhao, who could see through everything about him.

The power of those Rinnegan eyes made Black Zetsu feel both fear and reverence.

Black Zetsu was certain that nothing he had done over these thousands of years could have been hidden from Otsutsuki Yuhao.

It was just that Otsutsuki Yuhao had never bothered with him.

At the same time, this made Black Zetsu wonder if Otsutsuki Yuhao was plotting something, and if he himself was merely a pawn.

Everything seemed to be under Otsutsuki Yuhao's control.

The next day, after Uchiha Madara and Senju Hashirama finished their training with Otsutsuki Yuhao, the two raced to the top of a mountain hundreds of meters high.

Senju Hashirama looked out at the scenery below.

What met his eyes were dense trees, acting like barriers that blocked out the sun and provided a cool respite. A small stream flowed through the forest, clear to the bottom, trickling over stones with a gentle, relaxing murmur.

The forest, bathed in sunlight, was like a vivid painting.

The lush green leaves swayed in the breeze, as if dancing the dance of life. Sunlight filtered through the treetops, scattering onto the ground like stars in nature, shimmering with a warm glow.

"Madara, when I become stronger in the future, I want to build a village to protect the children, establish a school for them to train, complete missions, and set up ranks, so that children can be kept away from war."

Senju Hashirama said to Uchiha Madara with a serious expression.

Uchiha Madara also felt that what Senju Hashirama said made a lot of sense, because he too felt that this would be a better way to protect his own younger brother.