Ancestor Yuhao

"You've really disappointed me. The Uchiha and Senju clan heads are only this strong? Super Kage.

"The previous generation of the Uchiha and Senju were both elite Super Kage. The next generation really is weaker than the last."

Otsutsuki Yuhao said calmly.

An invisible force stopped both attacks.

The third-form Susanoo's greatsword halted a meter away from Otsutsuki Yuhao, and Senju Butsuma's ten-meter-long dragon claw stopped just the same.

"What?!"

Uchiha Tajima cried out in shock.

"Impossible!"

Senju Butsuma stared at Otsutsuki Yuhao, stunned.

At the same time, Otsutsuki Yuhao's words reached their ears.

Shinra Tensei!

An invisible force burst out from Otsutsuki Yuhao in an instant.

It immediately destroyed the Susanoo and the hundred-meter-long water dragon.

Uchiha Tajima and Senju Butsuma, along with the more than three hundred elite jonin they had brought, were all sent flying into the air by Shinra Tensei.

However, Otsutsuki Yuhao hadn't hurt them.

Otherwise, he could have killed them all in an instant.

Uchiha Tajima and Senju Butsuma flew through the sky for a long time before finally landing, tens of kilometers away.

"That was... the S-rank-plus ninjutsu, Shinra Tensei."

"His eyes really are the Sage Eye. How can someone like him exist in this era?

"Wasn't the Sage Eye supposed to be just a legend?"

Those were the thoughts that flashed through Uchiha Tajima and Senju Butsuma's minds.

When they saw that Otsutsuki Yuhao hadn't killed their clansmen, they no longer looked at him with hatred.

"He's... he's so strong. He defeated my father and the Uchiha clan head so easily."

Uchiha Madara and Senju Hashirama both had the same thought. They stared at Otsutsuki Yuhao, dumbfounded.

It had only been a minute since the heads of the Uchiha and Senju clans had arrived, yet no one had managed to withstand even one of his attacks.

Otsutsuki Yuhao looked at the stunned expressions on the two boys' faces.

He smiled. "Want to learn?"

"Yes!"

"More than anything!"

Uchiha Madara and Senju Hashirama answered in unison.

"If you do, then keep training.

"From now on, you have to train here for at least five hours every day.

"I don't think your fathers will object this time, will they?

"And now you can come here openly!"

"Ah!"

Uchiha Madara and Senju Hashirama cried out, their faces paling.

Otsutsuki Yuhao had already been pushing them hard during training: they had to carry weights, couldn't use chakra, and had to dodge his ninjutsu attacks.

Sometimes, it made them wonder if they were even ninjas at all, or just soldiers.

What kind of ninja training was this? If a ninja couldn't use ninjutsu, was he even a ninja?

They grumbled inwardly.

--

The morning passed in a flash.

After training, Uchiha Madara returned to the Uchiha clan compound.

At that moment, Uchiha Tajima was waiting for him with a group of Uchiha elders.

"Madara, when exactly did you meet that elder with the Sage Eye?" Uchiha Tajima asked as soon as he saw his son.

"Th-this..."

"Actually, I'm not sure. As far back as I can remember, Ancestor Yuhao has always been by my side."

Uchiha Madara thought for a moment before answering his father.

"What? Did you just say Ancestor Yuhao?"

"Could he be a member of the Uchiha Clan too?" Uchiha Tajima asked in surprise.

"No, his name is Otsutsuki Yuhao! His surname isn't Uchiha. He must be an ancestor from over a thousand years ago.

"Isn't it written in our clan's history?

"Legend has it that a thousand years ago, we and the Senju Clan shared an ancestor. Later, we split into the Senju and Uchiha clans, along with the Hyuga, Kaguya, and Uzumaki clans. I've heard that we all came from the same ancestor, but I don't know if it's true."

Uchiha Madara spoke earnestly to his father, Uchiha Tajima.

He told Uchiha Tajima everything: how he'd met Otsutsuki Yuhao, and how he'd trained with him for a year.

Of course, he didn't mention Senju Hashirama.

Meanwhile, Uchiha Tajima was focused entirely on Otsutsuki Yuhao and didn't pay any attention to the boy, Senju Hashirama.

Uchiha Tajima pondered for a long while, then looked at Uchiha Madara and finally said, "You should keep training with Otsutsuki Yuhao. Maybe one day you really can end the feud between the Senju and Uchiha."

"Yes, Father!"

Hearing Uchiha Tajima's words, Uchiha Madara immediately perked up.

But Uchiha Madara didn't understand that when Uchiha Tajima spoke of ending the feud between the Senju and Uchiha, he actually meant wiping out the Senju Clan.

Madara was still young and had been well protected by his father. He didn't understand that a thousand years of conflict between the Senju and Uchiha clans couldn't simply be resolved because he said so.

Meanwhile, Senju Hashirama and Senju Butsuma had much the same conversation as Uchiha Madara and Uchiha Tajima. Otsutsuki Yuhao's overwhelming power had left them in awe, and they didn't mention Uchiha Madara. Their attention, too, was focused on Otsutsuki Yuhao.

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

When Black Zetsu sensed the presence of his third older brother, Otsutsuki Yuhao, his face turned pale.

Black Zetsu had finally found a Uchiha reincarnation whose talent was closest to Indra and Asura, and who had the potential to awaken the Rinnegan. Naturally, Otsutsuki Yuhao's return left him deeply unsettled.

But Otsutsuki Yuhao was far too powerful, and Black Zetsu didn't dare get too close to him.

Black Zetsu both feared and revered Otsutsuki Yuhao. Otsutsuki Yuhao could see right through him.

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

Black Zetsu was certain that not a single thing he'd done over the past several thousand years had escaped Otsutsuki Yuhao's notice.

Otsutsuki Yuhao had simply chosen not to bother with him.

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

Everything was under Otsutsuki Yuhao's control.

The next day, after Uchiha Madara and Senju Hashirama had finished Otsutsuki Yuhao's training,

the two raced each other up a mountain hundreds of meters high.

Senju Hashirama gazed at the scenery below.

Dense trees filled his view, standing like one barrier after another and blocking out the sunlight, making the forest feel cool.

A stream wound between the trees, clear to the bottom. It flowed over stones with a gentle babble that put the mind at ease.

Bathed in sunlight, the forest looked like a vivid painting.

The lush green leaves swayed in the breeze, as if dancing with life. Sunlight filtered through the treetops and fell across the ground like stars, shining with a warm glow.

"Madara, once I'm stronger, I want to build a village to protect the children. I'll build a school where they can train, take on missions, and earn ranks, so they can stay away from war."

Senju Hashirama spoke to Uchiha Madara with a serious expression.

Uchiha Madara thought Senju Hashirama made a lot of sense. He also felt that this could better protect his younger brothers.