Going to the Battlefield

Time slipped by until it was noon, and the chirping of insects in the woods gradually grew louder.

The sweltering heat of midday became too much for the insects to bear, making their buzzing restless and incessant.

Yet, for Senju Kyogawa and the other two, there was only peace.

When Senju Hashirama curiously asked how the two had met, both Kyogawa and Madara tacitly glossed over the details, claiming they had met during a mission and happened to work together for a time, keeping silent about the strange events they had encountered in that small town.

Seeing that neither of them wanted to elaborate, Senju Hashirama simply joked:

"Ah... so Madara met little Kyogawa first... I'm actually a bit jealous."

Although Senju Kyogawa had felt a bit awkward at first due to the long time since he had last seen Madara, that lingering sense of unease vanished after just a few words.

Senju Kyogawa naturally slipped back into the thick-skinned persona he had used when first getting to know Madara, taking the opportunity to act spoiled and hold Madara's hand to farm Cuddle Points.

Senju Kyogawa was naturally a gregarious person, and besides, he was currently pulling out all the stops to farm those Cuddle Points.

Once Senju Kyogawa's attitude became more natural, Madara lost his initial reserve as well.

After all, Madara had originally treated Senju Kyogawa like a younger brother. Who could blame him when Kyogawa was so straightforward, possessed such delicate features, and had those beautiful black almond-shaped eyes that looked just like his brother Izuna's?

The group's conversation grew more expansive; the more they spoke, the more they realized they shared similar interests and ambitions, making them happier and more animated as they chatted away.

"I never expected Kyogawa and Madara to hit it off so well..."

"If I'd known you two had met before and were already this close, I would have brought Kyogawa along the last few times! Hahaha!" Senju Hashirama laughed heartily.

"But Kyogawa, why were you acting so sneaky today? The way you looked at Madara at first was so strange." It had to be said, Senju Hashirama was truly a creature of instinct at times.

Senju Hashirama had guessed correctly.

At the start, Senju Kyogawa had indeed felt a bit awkward.

The main reason for his discomfort was that he had initially assumed Senju Hashirama was on a date with a girlfriend, so when he discovered the person Hashirama was "dating" was Madara, his feelings became rather complicated.

The moment Senju Hashirama brought up that embarrassing question, Senju Kyogawa couldn't help but glare at him.

Senju Hashirama scratched his head in confusion; he clearly hadn't realized why Senju Kyogawa had suddenly become angry.

Senju Kyogawa pulled a random excuse out of thin air and brushed the matter aside.

The group chatted for a while longer, exchanged insights on training and taijutsu, and then bid each other farewell.

With noon approaching, it was time for them to return to their respective clan lands.

Before leaving, Senju Kyogawa paused and turned his head to look at Madara's retreating back.

He knew Izuna came from the opposite shore.

Senju Kyogawa suspected that Izuna belonged to the Uchiha clan.

Madara also came from the opposite shore and possessed the classic appearance of an Uchiha.

Furthermore, Madara was highly skilled in shurikenjutsu and the use of hidden weapons like Kunai and Senbon.

Senju Kyogawa had once watched Madara use Shuriken; he was incredibly formidable, with precise angles and masterful movements.

The Senju clan, who excelled in taijutsu, had no affinity for shurikenjutsu, whereas the Uchiha clan, with their Sharingan and superior eyesight, were naturally gifted with such hidden weapons.

So...

Should he be calling him—Uchiha Madara?

"Little Kyogawa, what's wrong?" Senju Hashirama noticed Kyogawa had stopped and turned back to ask.

By now, he could no longer see Madara's back as he looked toward the opposite shore.

"Brother Hashirama... although I know that ninjas don't reveal their family names to avoid inviting death upon themselves..." Senju Kyogawa looked at the slightly dazed Senju Hashirama and finally asked:

"Brother Hashirama, have you ever guessed Brother Madara's identity?"

Senju Hashirama was completely stunned this time. He turned his head away, clearly avoiding the question, and simply said:

"Kyogawa, he is Madara. He is my best friend, and he is your Brother Madara."

Senju Kyogawa stopped dwelling on it; he understood.

Time passed quickly, and war broke out between the Senju and the Uchiha once more.

This time, however, it was a war that Senju Kyogawa could not avoid—a battle he was required to join.

Senju Kyogawa had already completed one mission and earned the affirmation of his fellow ninjas. This was a good thing, but it also proved that he now possessed the ability to fight independently.

Moreover, Senju Kyogawa was nearing his fifth birthday; he had reached the age where he was expected to go to the battlefield.

In the world of ninjas, five years old was the threshold that separated a child from a warrior.

In summary, Senju Kyogawa had no choice but to head to the front lines this time.

The war between the Senju and the Uchiha did not come as a surprise; the conflict between the two sides had been simmering for a long time, so Senju Kyogawa had been expecting it.

Before heading to the battlefield, Senju Kyogawa prepared himself mentally. If he truly had to kill someone, it would be a matter of necessity, wouldn't it?

Senju Kyogawa had never killed a person—not a "person" in the true sense; the monsters from before didn't count.

Making Senju Kyogawa kill monsters only filled him with curiosity, without any real resistance, but if the target were a human... Senju Kyogawa, who had been bathed in the red genes of his clan since childhood, would truly find it difficult to strike.

Senju Tobirama could see the anxiety in Senju Kyogawa before he headed to the battlefield. At the time, he had just finished a mission—and it was no simple escort job.

Senju Kyogawa could smell the sharp, biting scent of blood on Senju Tobirama.

Once Senju Tobirama learned the reason for Kyogawa's anxiety, he naturally reached out to pat Kyogawa's head—the same head covered in short, white hair just like his own.

He said, "Little Kyogawa is such a gentle and sensitive child..."

"But there is no need to be afraid..."

Senju Tobirama stopped mid-sentence.

However, Senju Kyogawa soon felt much less tense.

That was because he realized his older brothers were clearly even more nervous than he was.

Senju Hashirama paced back and forth in the room, then walked over to instruct Kyogawa and Itama on what to watch out for on the battlefield, how to save their lives, and emphasized that their survival was the most important thing of all.

Senju Itama complained that Hashirama was being too nervous, after all, it wasn't Senju Itama's first time on the battlefield.

Meanwhile, Senju Tobirama was incessantly checking the items Senju Kyogawa needed to bring to the battlefield—kunai, scrolls, explosive tags... In fact, he had already checked them three or four times.

As for Senju Itama, he kept holding onto Kyogawa's hand, telling him to stay close when they reached the battlefield and warning him never to fall behind.

It was clear that his brothers were all very worried about him.

There was, in fact, good reason for his brothers to be concerned about Senju Kyogawa's first time on the battlefield.

They had all grown up by Senju Butsuma's side, understanding their futures early on, and had thus built up sufficient psychological preparation.

Furthermore, Senju Kyogawa was the only one who had only studied taijutsu for less than a year; he was completely unable to extract chakra, and he could barely even lift a sword.

The only thing that gave them any peace of mind was that Senju Kyogawa's medical ninjutsu was truly formidable.

Senju Kyogawa was also acutely aware of his own shortcomings, so on the battlefield, he consciously stayed in the middle or rear lines. Unless the situation forced him to the front, he usually remained in the back as a medical ninja.

Upon arriving at the battlefield, Senju Kyogawa finally understood the true cruelty of war.

The battlefield was littered with corpses and severed limbs, drenched in blood.

If this were his past life, and the ninja world happened to be a video game, it would certainly have been sanctioned by the minor protection system.

Stationed toward the rear, Senju Kyogawa saw scenes that were nothing short of a living hell—it was a feat for most Senju ninjas to even make it to the rear alive, and surviving at all was a stroke of immense luck. Consequently... aside from those with critical wounds, the most common sights were missing arms and legs.

It was also on this battlefield that Senju Kyogawa killed his first person; it was a mature Uchiha ninja he and Senju Itama had killed together during combat.

That ninja had nearly plunged his blade into Itama's heart.

And so, Senju Kyogawa, who had rushed over in a panic, used his sword to kill the Uchiha ninja.

Steaming blood gushed out, splashing onto Senju Kyogawa's face and body.

The blood radiated a scorching heat; even in the height of summer, Senju Kyogawa felt the air temperature was nowhere near as searing as that blood.

Before the Uchiha fell, he saw the man's expression of utter astonishment, his black eyes staring fixedly at him, as if trying to carve his image into his soul.

That look of resentment...

Senju Kyogawa frantically covered the man's eyes with his hand, wanting to close them.

However, just as Senju Kyogawa placed his hand over the Uchiha ninja's eyes, a popping sound rang out, and his palm became wet and sticky—the Uchiha ninja's eyeball had burst, just like a balloon.

At this, Senju Kyogawa was completely stunned.

The Uchiha ninja's eye socket was hollow and bloody.

The scene before him was exactly like the horror movies he had watched in his past life.

No, this was even more terrifying than a horror movie, because this was reality.

He knew it was a technique used by Uchiha ninjas to prevent enemies from obtaining the Sharingan—a technique to destroy the eyes.

Even though the Uchiha ninja before him didn't even possess a Sharingan...

The blood and flesh on his palm felt like maggots clinging to his bones, as if stuck to Senju Kyogawa's soul, impossible to wash away.

This is inevitable... This is unavoidable...

If I didn't kill him... he would have killed my brother Itama...

Senju Kyogawa comforted himself this way, trying to build up his psychological defenses.

He was an Uchiha ninja of about eleven or twelve years old, roughly the same age as Senju Hashirama.

I'm sorry...

Senju Kyogawa thought, he really did hate this world... he hated this world that forced children onto the battlefield...

To hell with this goddamn ninja world.

The worst-case scenario had arrived.

Senju Kyogawa was isolated.

He had unfortunately been separated from Senju Itama's group.

And even more unfortunately, he was surrounded by several Uchiha ninjas.

Worst of all, his explosive tags were gone, and his kunai were spent...

What a damnably helpless situation.