Chapter 7

"...Right! For now, we're rivals at skipping stones, but I've already made it to the other side!" Seeing Madara glare at him in annoyance, the bowl-cut boy, not knowing how to answer, hurriedly changed the subject.

Madara was speechless. The boy's attempt to change the subject was clumsy; even a fool could tell he was just trying to brush off the question. Mingye, meanwhile, watched their standoff with a silent smile, suddenly struck by the realization of how lucky he was to have arrived in this so-called historical scene.

"Hey! I'm asking for your name! Why are you rambling on about that?" Madara looked at the bowl-cut boy with irritation, stepping closer with a fierce expression to press him again.

"Uh! My name is Hashirama. I can't tell you my surname for certain reasons!" The boy realized he couldn't keep dodging the question, so he gave his first name while withholding his family name.

Madara couldn't be bothered with his surname. He placed a stone between them, then said with an arrogant air, "So your name is Hashirama, huh? Watch closely. I'm going to throw it now. I'll show you what a genius looks like when he's serious!"

He turned sharply, shielding his face with one hand, and threw the stone using the Uchiha clan's special shuriken technique. The stone skipped rapidly across the water, but it only bounced five times, reaching two-thirds of the way across before sinking.

Despite using the Uchiha's specialized technique, he still hadn't made it to the other side. An awkward silence fell between the three of them. As a cold breeze blew by, Mingye couldn't hold it in any longer; he knelt on the ground, pounding the earth and laughing hysterically. Madara, furious, gave Mingye a sound beating.

After finishing with Mingye, Madara felt slightly better, but he suddenly spun around and roared at Hashirama, "Damn it! You did that on purpose, didn't you? You stood behind me and distracted me! You bastard, I saw through your scheme! I'm the type of person who gets so sensitive when someone is behind me that I can't even pee! You definitely did it on purpose! You jerk!"

"I'm sorry!"

The moment Madara started yelling, Hashirama sat on the ground, clutching his legs. His eyes turned into shadows, his expression resembling a dejected ghost as he let out a mournful, pathetic apology.

Madara stared in shock at Hashirama, whose mood swings were faster than his own. He didn't know what to do; looking at Hashirama, he felt like he was bullying a child, and a deep sense of guilt washed over him.

"I'm sorry! I didn't think I'd make you angry. I've already prepared myself to be thrown to the other side of the river! I'm ready, come on! Throw me!"

Hashirama sat back down, clutching his legs again, his voice sounding pitiful and desolate. Madara was truly speechless, standing with his hands on his hips, looking down at him.

"You idiot! You're the one who needs to be aware of your own self-awareness! Moron...!"

"That's only if you can actually throw me across the river!"

Before Madara could finish, he heard Hashirama deliver another cutting remark. Madara immediately slapped him on the head and roared again, "Are you annoying or what? Go find somewhere cool to stay and stop getting in my way!"

"Goodbye!"

"Stop right there!"

Hashirama hung his head, answered dejectedly, and turned to leave without another word. Madara was stunned that the guy would just walk away, so he grabbed him by the shoulder. Hashirama turned his head, looking at Madara with a confused, frustrated expression.

"What exactly do you want? Why don't you figure out your own goal first!"

"To hell with goals!" Madara flew into a rage again. The impatience in Hashirama's eyes was obvious to anyone, so he just kept cursing.

"Hey, brother!" Mingye watched the two like he was watching a comedy act, but suddenly, his eyes caught a corpse drifting down the river. His expression turned serious, and he interrupted Madara.

Seeing the body, Hashirama quickly broke free from Madara, stepped onto the water, and reached the middle of the river. He looked at the ninja clan crest on the corpse, his expression grave and disappointed. "I have to go! You should head back too; this place is about to become a battlefield!"

"You're a ninja!" Madara stared at Hashirama, who was standing on the water, in a daze.

"Goodbye!"

"Wait!"

Hashirama didn't answer again, leaping three meters high to the other side of the river. Just then, Madara called out to him, grinning with a cool, carefree air.

"My name is Madara! As for my surname, I can't tell a total stranger! That's the rule among ninjas!"

"I knew it! You're a ninja too!" Hashirama's expression matured, and he looked back at Madara, as if he had expected it all along.

"Of course!"

Madara nodded with a smile. Just then, a stone skipped across the water and rolled to a stop beside Hashirama. Mingye stood up, waved at Hashirama, and introduced himself with a smile.

"Hey! My name is Mingye! Next time, I'll treat you to a big meal! And for the record, I didn't lose!"

"Alright! Thank you!" Hashirama glanced at Mingye, offered a faint smile, and vanished into the forest, disappearing from their sight.

"Quite an interesting guy."

Watching the boy named Hashirama disappear across the river, Madara praised him to Mingye, who was walking toward him. Mingye shrugged, thinking to himself: That's the bond and rival of your entire life. Even when you both see past life and death, that destiny will never be undone. Of course he's an interesting guy.

"He's alright, I suppose. But brother, he's stronger than you!"

"I know!" Mingye wasn't joking. Madara's previously appreciative smile vanished, his face turning expressionless as he nodded heavily.

"Mingye!"

Seeing Mingye about to leave, Madara suddenly called out to him.

"What?"

Mingye turned his head, confused. Madara took a deep breath and warned him, "Don't tell anyone about meeting this person today!"

Mingye paused, then nodded.

"You noticed it too, then!"

Madara walked toward the forest, speaking again as he brushed past Mingye.

"Heh! Don't tell anyone! Not even Izuna!"

"I understand."

When the brothers returned to their clan grounds, they discovered that three white flags had been raised at the training field. The meaning behind them made their hearts heavy. Thinking of the floating corpse of the Hagoromo clan ninja they had found within Uchiha territory, they realized the severity of the situation and rushed toward the study. Madara pushed the door open first, with Mingye following close behind. As they entered, they saw their third uncle, Shimizu, covered in white bandages. Under Tajima's stern gaze, they stood in the corner with Izuna to listen to the conversation between Shimizu and Tajima.

"I never expected us to fall into the hands of the Hagoromo clan again. They really are everywhere, like flies!"

Tajima looked at Shimizu's injuries and remained silent for a moment before picking up a brush and drawing an 'X' over the name of the Takigawa clan. "We must deal with the Takigawa clan tonight! I don't think the Hagoromo clan is as simple as they appear. If they dare to ambush the Senju clan within our territory, they must have calculated us into their plans as well! Who would have thought? The wolf has met the fox. That wolf, Senju Butsuma, must be in quite a bit of pain right now!"

"It's more than just 'not light.' His son was killed, torn to pieces by the ninjas of the Hagoromo clan. That's exactly why you saw Butsuma's final madness—that was when I got this wound." Shimizu gave a bitter smile, recalling the sight of Senju Butsuma in his frenzied state, clutching a scrap of his son's flesh in one hand while attacking both Uchiha and Hagoromo ninjas indiscriminately like a rabid dog. Just thinking about it made his scalp tingle.

"You should be more careful! It's fortunate your injuries aren't severe. You will lead the team tonight, and take these three with you; let them get a taste of blood. I need to go see the General." Tajima nodded, his expression grave as he offered another reminder.

"Tonight!?" Shimizu was stunned, unable to fathom why the General would want to see his brother at such a critical juncture.

"Yes! The General's urgent summons suggests that something major is about to happen in the Land of Fire." Tajima's face was equally solemn. The political climate in the Land of Fire was becoming increasingly unpredictable. Though the nation was prosperous and strong, it couldn't withstand the hundreds of ninja clans within its borders. There were at least five clans capable of going toe-to-toe with the Uchiha and remaining undefeated, not to mention the mid-sized clans that the Uchiha couldn't simply wipe out in one fell swoop.