Uchiha Madara's Reaction

The two people in their hearts had not failed their expectations.

In a forest outside a small town.

"A bunch of idiots. How arrogant must one be to fight a Wood Release user inside a forest?"

Senju Nawaki stood on the trunk of a giant tree, panting heavily, his clothes torn in several places.

On the ground, over a dozen mangled corpses lay in pools of blood.

Senju Tojian was examining the traces left on the battlefield.

At Senju Nawaki's request, he had refrained from participating in the battle to allow the boy to hone his skills.

The body Senju Nawaki currently inhabited lacked combat experience, and this group of pursuers had provided the perfect opportunity to gain some.

Swish...

Senju Nawaki leaped down from the heights and landed before Senju Tojian.

Senju Tojian glanced at him and reported, "Three Jonin, nine Chunin. They wear the headbands of Iwagakure and bear the village's unique markings, but they are not true Iwa-nin. I found a clandestine curse mark on their tongues. The techniques they used earlier, resembling those of the Explosion Corps, appear to be the Mutually Multiplying Explosive Tags. Their true identities are likely from Konoha."

He removed a headband from a corpse and handed it to Senju Nawaki.

Headbands were symbols of a ninja's identity, yet at times, they served as tools for deception. To gather intelligence and complete missions, one would stop at nothing.

Senju Nawaki took the headband without a close inspection, instead staring intently at the tongue Senju Tojian had pried open, which bore a peculiar curse mark.

"Root?"

A glint of realization flashed in his eyes as he muttered to himself; he had found the truth. This mark was remarkably similar to the one he remembered from his past life regarding Konoha's Root. He simply hadn't expected the organization to have emerged this early.

"What was that?" Senju Tojian asked, surprised that Senju Nawaki recognized the mark and could confirm the identities of these men.

"It is a unit similar to the Konoha Anbu," Senju Nawaki said casually.

Senju Tojian nodded, not pressing for further details. He filled in the blanks himself, assuming this must be another one of Senju Tobirama's underhanded schemes—how could the Senju clan produce something so dark? He wasn't wrong to blame Senju Tobirama. In the later Great Ninja Wars, especially the Fourth, it was Senju Tobirama who provided the technical support, most notably the Impure World Reincarnation. The Ninja Academy and the Anbu were all inextricably linked to Senju Tobirama, and other villages had simply followed suit.

"Even after leaving Konoha, they still refuse to let us go? That brat Sarutobi has truly mastered Tobirama's sinister nature to the twelfth degree!" Senju Tojian cursed angrily. The Anbu answered directly to the Hokage, and one of their primary responsibilities was the elimination of traitors. This group had no time to request orders from Konoha; this was a pre-arranged contingency. Sarutobi Hiruzen had never intended for the Senju clan to continue existing.

"This group is the true power Konoha hides on the battlefield, the black hand supervising our Senju clan to ensure we continue to exhaust our strength, reporting intelligence back to Konoha at any moment. And this is not the extent of it. If we survive this ambush, we can reach the City of Wood safely. But after that, the real danger begins. The Five Great Ninja Villages, including Konoha, will suppress the Senju clan just as they did the Uzumaki clan. As long as we hold no expectations for Konoha and trust in our own clansmen, we will surely have a bright future."

Senju Nawaki looked up, squinting at the rising moon. The bright moonlight in the sky and the scarlet blood on the ground formed a stark contrast. Through this battle, he had glimpsed the future's plight. Who was an enemy? Who was a friend? It was not so easy to distinguish. One only needed to know that ninja villages and nations valued power and profit above all else.

What he needed to do now was reach the City of Wood, establish a firm foothold, and then launch a counterattack against Konoha. He did not want to control a distorted military institution like a ninja village; he wanted a nation where military and politics were one, giving him greater influence in this world. With his own unique nature, he would surely stand at the pinnacle of the ninja world—perhaps even the pinnacle of the universe.

"Nawaki, do as you wish. I will always support you." Senju Tojian stood behind him, his support unwavering.

Senju Nawaki's gaze drifted unconsciously to the tree trunk he had been standing on earlier. He sensed a hidden aura that felt similar to the Wood Release energy they possessed. He did not probe further, having already found his answer. There were countless old schemers in this world; he still needed to hide his true strength and develop slowly.

After the two left, a white head emerged from the tree trunk—it was a White Zetsu, having been observing the intelligence. It then merged back into the wood and vanished.

A cold, gloomy cave.

Uchiha Madara's body was pierced with vines, connecting him to the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, which provided him with energy to mend his wounds.

"...The Senju Clan... just like you back then, they have been forced to leave Konoha..."

A White Zetsu, half of its body merged into the earth, presented the compiled intelligence to Uchiha Madara.

Uchiha Madara kept his eyes closed, his expression shifting constantly—a sight the White Zetsu had never witnessed before.

Upon hearing that the Senju Clan had been forced out of Konoha, a mocking smile appeared on his face, ridiculing the decisions of Senju Hashirama and Senju Tobirama; their naive ideals had ultimately harmed their own kin.

That fool Senju Tobirama's disciples had nearly brought the Senju Clan to extinction; if he ever saw Senju Tobirama again, he would surely mock him mercilessly for believing his "correct" decisions were actually the worst ones possible.

When he heard that Senju Nawaki had left Konoha with countless members of the Senju Clan following him, a flicker of jealousy and envy crossed his face.

When he had left Konoha, not a single member of the Uchiha Clan had followed him.

In an instant, his face returned to a state of calm and indifference.

In his eyes, clansmen were nothing more than burdens.

Konoha was no longer his goal; such a vision was far too narrow. His ideal was the entire shinobi world.

He would prove that he was right and Senju Hashirama was wrong; everything had been the result of that petty man Senju Tobirama's instigation, otherwise, he would have brought a different future to this world.

"There is no need to pay too much attention to the Senju Clan's movements. Without Senju Hashirama, even if they awaken Wood Release, they are nothing more than clowns."

"Focus all your attention on the Land of Rain. Ensure that Nagato does not encounter any mishaps."

Uchiha Madara opened his eyes, the Mangekyo pattern within them spinning as his aura fluctuated unsteadily.

This period of time coincided with the transplantation of his Rinnegan into Nagato.

The wounds on his body were scars left behind from when he had seized the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path from the moon.

"It seems I must find a substitute to carry out my plan."

He closed his eyes once more and fell into silence.