"Run! Red Tiger is strong!"
Senju Hashirama looked at the giant tiger with obvious fear, but his kind heart wouldn't let him abandon Kei.
Tch, what a kindhearted kid.
Uchiha Kei praised him inwardly, but didn't move an inch.
"Senju Hashirama! Why do you care about him? Run!"
"No! I can't leave. Big brother is still here. I can't abandon him!"
"Damn it!"
Uchiha Madara, who had already run far ahead, cursed and turned around to leave, but his feet refused to move.
"Roar!"
In the end, the giant tiger couldn't overcome its hunger. The lure of a delicious meal eclipsed everything else, and it lunged at the two of them with its jaws wide open, completely undeterred by the intimidation Uchiha Kei had inspired.
"It's over..."
Senju Hashirama's face turned deathly pale, despair welling up in his heart.
"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"
Just as Senju Hashirama was giving in to despair, a small fireball less than a meter in diameter suddenly appeared and struck the giant tiger's gaping jaws.
The tiger recoiled in pain, hurriedly shut its mouth, and staggered back a few steps.
"Pant, pant, pant..."
Uchiha Madara appeared in front of them, his face just as pale, beads of sweat trickling down his cheeks.
"Madara, I knew you wouldn't leave me behind."
The danger wasn't over, but Hashirama, with his oblivious nature, had clearly forgotten that.
He grabbed Madara's hand and bounced up and down, overjoyed.
Uchiha Kei: ...
Uchiha Madara: ...
God of Shinobi?
Was this the Senju Hashirama later known as the "God of Shinobi"? The mighty warrior who had dominated an era?
Wasn't he just a lovable idiot...
"Run!"
Madara fought the urge to slap him, grabbed him, and took off.
"Big brother..."
Uchiha Kei shook his head helplessly and slowly closed his eyes.
As he passed Uchiha Kei, Madara caught sight of the "weirdo" with his eyes shut and curled his lips in scorn.
Was this guy an idiot? What was he putting on an act for at a time like this, with his eyes closed?
Still, that worked out. A tiger this big would take a while to eat him, which should be enough time for the two of them to escape.
"Roar!"
Seeing them flee, the giant tiger panicked and charged with a roar.
But what happened next left Uchiha Madara and Senju Hashirama dumbfounded.
The tiger, leaping through the air, suddenly stopped, its face still twisted into a savage snarl.
The strange part was that it hung frozen in midair, as if time had stopped.
"I'm done playing. I'm a little short on time."
Uchiha Kei waved his hand and calmly turned around.
A faint pop.
Before the disbelieving eyes of Uchiha Madara and Senju Hashirama, the giant tiger vanished into thin air like a bubble.
"Ding! Received shock from Uchiha Madara. Shock Value +99."
"Ding! Received shock from Senju Hashirama. Shock Value +99."
"Ding..."
Uchiha Kei was delighted. He'd thought he wouldn't be able to earn Shock Value during this Space-Time Mission, but apparently, it worked just fine.
Not bad, not bad. The system really delivered.
He took one step and appeared in front of Madara and Hashirama.
"Little guy, sneaking off isn't very nice, you know."
Uchiha Kei shot Madara a playful glance.
Madara stiffened, a chill creeping up his back.
"Big brother, you're amazing!"
Hashirama didn't care about any of that. He gazed at Uchiha Kei with pure admiration.
"I'm amazing, huh? Want to become as strong as me?"
Uchiha Kei rested a hand on Hashirama's watermelon-shaped head and narrowed his eyes, like a fox trying to lure in a little chick.
"Yes!"
Hashirama's eyes lit up, and he nodded eagerly.
"Then..."
Uchiha Kei was about to say more when his brow furrowed slightly.
"As expected of the Warring States Period. A fight could break out at any moment."
Uchiha Kei turned and clicked his tongue in amazement as he looked in one direction.
"Big brother, what are you talking about?"
Hashirama stared in the same direction as Uchiha Kei, but couldn't see a thing.
Madara was initially confused too, but then his brow furrowed as well. His body tensed in an instant, and a kunai appeared in his hand.
This was how he looked when he was ready to fight.
"Now, now, don't get nervous."
Seeing Madara's reaction, Uchiha Kei nodded.
Now that looked like a proper ninja. No wonder he'd become the dreaded "Dance King" of later generations.
Then he glanced at Hashirama...
Never mind...
He couldn't bear to look.
"Rumble, rumble, rumble."
The ground began to shake violently, and all kinds of birds and beasts raced out of the forest.
Even the thickheaded Hashirama realized something was wrong. A kunai appeared in his hand as well.
In an instant, over a hundred figures appeared.
They wore matching black armor and rode iron horses, carrying spears and radiating a chilling aura of slaughter.
"The Hejian Clan!"
Madara and Hashirama were aghast.
Uchiha Kei raised an eyebrow. A clan that hadn't appeared in the anime?
Over a hundred Black Cavalry riders formed neat ranks and slowly closed in on the three of them.
When they were ten paces away, the riders stopped in perfect unison.
"Senju Hashirama, Uchiha Madara... Well, aren't these two big fish?"
One rider emerged from the Black Cavalry, his eyes gleaming greedily beneath his mask.
"Take them alive."
"Wait!"
Uchiha Madara shouted.
"What is it? Got something to say, young master of the Uchiha Clan?"
The Black Cavalry's leader smirked at him.
"You... If you know who we are, how dare you try to capture us? Does the Hejian Clan intend to take on both the Senju and Uchiha Clans?"
Though young, Uchiha Madara was astute. In just one sentence, he laid out the stakes clearly.
But he hadn't considered human nature.
"Hahaha! The Uchiha and Senju are powerful, sure. But who'll know that our Hejian Clan was the one who captured you?"
The leader of the Hejian Clan laughed arrogantly.
Among the surrounding forces, the Senju Clan and Uchiha Clan were indeed dominant. Small clans like the Hejian Clan could only scrape by in the cracks.
But that did nothing to diminish their desire to rise!
If he captured the young clan heads of both clans, he was confident he could turn them against each other.
Then the Senju and Uchiha would inevitably go to war.
And the moment the two clans were weakened, it would be time for small clans like theirs to rise!
At the thought, the Hejian Clan leader looked at Madara and Hashirama with even greater excitement.
"Hmph! You think we'll be that easy to capture?"
Uchiha Madara was panicking inside, but his voice remained defiant.
"You're just two little kids. Even if you are from the Senju and Uchiha Clans, what can you do?"
With that, the Hejian Clan leader raised his left hand high, then brought it down!
"Attack!"
The Black Cavalry sprang into action, charging at the three of them on their iron horses with a fierce rush of wind.
Madara sighed inwardly.
The plan had failed...
But even if he died, he wouldn't let them take him alive!
At that moment, both Madara and Hashirama were ready to die.
"Did you forget something?"
A languid voice drifted over.
Uchiha Kei stepped in front of the two of them and looked displeasedly at the charging Black Cavalry.
Then he waved his hand.
The hundred-plus Black Cavalry riders froze in the middle of their charge, just like the giant tiger before them.
Even the dust they had kicked up hung suspended in the air.
Before you continue