Senju VS Uchiha: The First Time (1)

"You aren't in top form today, so I won't kill you. But you won't have such good luck next time. Consider your brother's head a parting gift from me this time!"

"Don't even think about leaving! Wood Style: Wood Dragon Technique!"

Madara turned to leave, but Hashirama's voice followed immediately. The ground shook as a wooden dragon burst from the earth. Hashirama stood atop the dragon, charging straight at Madara. Madara did not dodge; if Hashirama wanted to fight, he had no reason not to oblige. He activated his Susanoo, taking large strides to meet the dragon head-on while swinging his blue chakra blade.

In the gloomy forest, Mingye summoned a small snake with every step he took. Within moments, the entire woods were filled with various venomous snakes of his own making. Tobirama spotted the serpents and let out a disdainful snort, his figure vanishing into the shadows, remaining as motionless as a corpse.

Suddenly losing track of Tobirama, Mingye realized his opponent had begun plotting an assassination. He stopped wandering and pressed one hand to the ground. As if receiving an order, the summoned snakes throughout the forest began to hiss, flicking their tongues as they searched for Tobirama's trail.

Perched in a tree, Tobirama watched the venomous snakes slithering past him with a cool gaze. He knew Mingye was employing a strategy of stillness to counter movement. Hearing the sounds of his brother's battle with Madara not far away, a flicker of concern for his brother stirred in his heart.

"The ninjas of the Senju Clan possess incredibly vast chakra, and your clan's bodies are known as the Sage Body—tough as nails. But I'm very curious to see if Hashirama can withstand the deadly toxins of Ryuchi Cave!"

After waiting several minutes without being attacked, Mingye couldn't help but marvel that even at twenty, Tobirama was a remarkably patient individual. He truly wondered how Tobirama had cultivated such patience. Being blind, Mingye knew Tobirama had the advantage of familiarizing himself with the surroundings faster; unable to afford a stalemate, Mingye resorted to his taunting specialty.

Unfortunately, Mingye's words failed to provoke Tobirama. After all, Tobirama was a seasoned veteran; even with only three years of tempering, he had honed his patience to the peak of perfection. Seeing that Tobirama wouldn't take the bait, Mingye spoke again.

"The poison of one of the three great snakes of Ryuchi Cave is not so easily cured. Tobirama, we are friends who haven't seen each other in three years, after all. Can you really watch so patiently as your brother dies at the hands of mine? Perhaps you are worried about the poison of Ryuchi Cave... Got you!"

To say Tobirama wasn't worried would be a lie. He was terrified that his brother might be killed by Madara. Finally unable to resist the temptation, he sensed his brother's current state. Though he released his chakra for only a split second before retracting it, it was still detected by Mingye, who was equally proficient in sensory techniques. Countless venomous snakes were instantly commanded to swarm the place where Tobirama was hiding.

"Water Style: Water Wall!"

Tobirama realized Mingye had found him and immediately pressed his palms together, manifesting a wall of water to envelop himself. A second later, the countless snakes slammed into the water barrier. Not lingering, Tobirama used the Body Flicker Technique and vanished from the spot.

Mingye moved quickly to follow. The Body Flicker Technique was not a space-time ninjutsu, but rather a taijutsu that accelerated the flow of one's own chakra to achieve high-speed movement. What Tobirama displayed was the peak of this technique; at least for now, Mingye had no way to deal with such mobility.

Although Tobirama didn't seem to have created a truly disgusting space-time movement technique like the Flying Thunder God yet, given that Hashirama had already begun to master Wood Style, Mingye felt it wouldn't be long before Tobirama invented it. Mingye was left speechless by the sheer, beastly nature of the brothers' cultivation talent.

After a brief moment of reflection, Tobirama broke through the snake formation and appeared beside Mingye. Just as his long blade was about to pierce Mingye, Mingye vanished, replaced by a single venomous snake.

Tobirama cut down the snake and spun around, only for Mingye to appear behind him, lashing out with a multi-segmented whip. Tobirama moved with extreme speed, vanishing from the attack range, only to find that Mingye had also disappeared from his sight at the same time.

"Snake Sight Killing!"

This was no Body Flicker Technique; it was a genuine space-time movement technique. Tobirama was no fool. Seeing the snakes covering the ground and the way Mingye vanished, he immediately understood Mingye's greatest trump card for countering his speed: the Reverse Summoning Technique. This inherently dangerous ninjutsu had been forcibly transformed by Mingye into a form of spatial teleportation through a very unique method.

The reality left no room for Tobirama to overthink. The opponent's goal had been to lure him into this snake formation. Mingye's rapid movement and the fact that Tobirama knew nothing of the mechanics behind his ninjutsu created a massive disparity. While the Body Flicker Technique was an excellent high-speed movement art, it could not help Tobirama track Mingye, who appeared and disappeared without even a ripple of chakra. Within minutes, several bloody gashes appeared on Tobirama's body from the strikes of the segmented whip. Half-kneeling on the ground and watching the countless snakes circling him, Tobirama couldn't help but remark:

"I never imagined a blind man could reach such a level! It seems I underestimated you, Uchiha Mingye!"

"Heh! Tobirama, do you think I don't know what you're thinking? You've probably guessed the weakness of this technique, but do you think you can walk out of here alive?"

Mingye did not appear before Tobirama, hiding instead in the shadows of the forest, his voice projected through the mouth of a snake. In truth, the weakness of his ninjutsu was easy to spot. Tobirama must have discovered it by now; otherwise, he wouldn't be standing in a spot where no snakes were slithering to talk to him. It was because of this weakness that Mingye had learned to use a multi-segmented whip—a weapon that was difficult to control and dealt little damage. The snakes did not move under his direct control; he could only speak through them or swap places with them. Therefore, he required a weapon with reach. The whip became his only choice; a bow would have worked, but it didn't suit him. After all, he was a blind man who could rely on his senses to track enemies, but using a bow to attack would be nothing short of suicidal.

"How will I know if I don't try? I don't believe I will die here today!" Breathing calmly while staying alert to the snakes closing in, Tobirama stopped trying to pinpoint Mingye. He knew he had to leave first; fighting on Mingye's home turf was far too disadvantageous. He lacked the ability to kill all the snakes in an instant, making it impossible to confront Mingye directly.

"We shall see!"

The realization of life and death calmed Tobirama's entire being, like a block of ice pushing back the surrounding snakes. Even so, he could only keep them at a distance of five meters. Although Mingye wasn't controlling them, the snakes seemed to have decided that Tobirama was their dinner.

This standoff lasted for ten minutes until a wooden dragon unexpectedly burst from the ground, scooped Tobirama into its maw, and crushed countless snakes as it bolted into the forest. Three seconds after the dragon appeared, Madara descended from the sky. The dual blades held by his Susanoo pierced directly into the dragon's body. Yet, even then, the dragon did not stop, breaking off half its own body to continue its escape.

"Big Brother, don't chase him! The commotion here is already loud enough!"

Mingye sighed inwardly. It had been a perfect setup to finish off Tobirama, but Hashirama had ruined it all. No one could stop Hashirama when he was determined to run; the earth beneath his feet was like his own backyard. Madara might be able to fight him head-on, but when it came to speed and escape, Madara could never catch up to Hashirama—he could only eat his dust. Since he couldn't catch him, wasting effort on a chase was not something he should be doing.

"Senju Hashirama!"

Madara's expression was equally sour. Three years ago, he had met and fought Hashirama on the battlefield repeatedly over several months. Back then, he had considered Hashirama his fated rival, but only because he hadn't reached his peak state. Madara never expected that in three years, he would transcend the most powerful shackles of his clan—the Three Tomoe blood-red eyes—and become the first person in a century to approach the level of the Sage of Six Paths, yet his opponent could still stand toe-to-toe with him. Gritting his teeth as he spat out the name, Madara stopped the pursuit and turned to Mingye.

"What was their purpose in coming here?"

Madara's question made Mingye chuckle. He had already been suspicious: why would the Fuma Clan assassinate General Sato for no reason? With three commissioners and five generals, even if it were a one-in-eight chance, it was Sato's bad luck to be chosen. But why did the assassinations only begin after the Uchiha Clan defected to Sato? Furthermore, the relentless attempts on Sato's life over the past three years clearly transcended mere political maneuvering. He also believed the Fuma Clan wasn't so short-sighted. The appearance of Tobirama and Hashirama today gave Mingye endless room for speculation, and now it was time for him to turn those speculations into reality.

"Whatever it was, they have already entered the General's Mansion. Big Brother, perhaps our plan will be even more perfect. We might even be able to settle the matter of the Senju of the Forest once and for all right now!"

"How?"

"Big Brother, the show is about to begin. Just sit on the sidelines and enjoy the shadow play that follows!"

Facing Madara's confusion, Mingye waved his hand, turned around, and headed toward Okayama Castle, a smile curling his lips as he set a series of plans in motion in his mind.

"Big Brother, are you alright?"

In the waterfall beneath the mountain stream, the once-clear river water had turned into foul-smelling sewage. Although the river flowed, the stench continued to emanate from the water, polluting the fresh water falling from the cascade. Moments later, Hashirama emerged from the putrid river, his face pale and his lips blackened. Tobirama stood on the bank, grabbed Hashirama's outstretched arm, and pulled him out, asking with concern.

"The poison can't kill me! Damn it, I didn't expect this poison to be like a bone-eating parasite; I can't purge it all in a short time. Tobirama, you must be careful next time!"

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