"If you're not at your best today, I won't kill you. But you won't be so lucky next time. I'll take your brother's head as the welcoming gift you brought me!"
"Don't think you're getting away! Wood Release: Wood Dragon Technique!"
Madara turned to leave after speaking, but Hashirama's voice rang out. The ground shook as a wood dragon burst from beneath it. Hashirama stood atop the dragon as it charged straight at Madara. Madara didn't dodge. If Hashirama wanted to fight, he had no reason not to keep going. Susanoo appeared, and he charged toward the wood dragon, swinging a blue chakra blade.
In the shadowy woods, Mingye summoned a small snake with every step he took. Before long, the entire forest was crawling with all kinds of venomous snakes he had called forth. Tobirama spotted them and gave a disdainful snort. He slipped into the shadows and stood perfectly still, like a corpse.
Mingye suddenly lost track of Tobirama. He knew his opponent had begun setting up an assassination attempt, so he stopped moving. He pressed one hand to the ground. All the snakes he had summoned seemed to receive an order and began searching for Tobirama, hissing as they flicked their tongues.
Standing on a tree, Tobirama watched calmly as venomous snakes slithered past him. He knew Mingye was using stillness to counter movement. Hearing the sounds of his brother's battle with Madara nearby, he couldn't help but worry about Hashirama.
"Senju Clan ninjas have immense chakra, and your clan's bodies are famed as Sage Bodies. You can take a lot of punishment. But I wonder if Hashirama can withstand the poison of Ryūchi Cave."
Several minutes passed, but Mingye still hadn't drawn an attack from Tobirama. He couldn't help marveling that, even though Tobirama was barely twenty, he was already so patient. Mingye had no idea how Tobirama had cultivated such patience. After all, he was blind, and Tobirama had the advantage of familiarizing himself with his surroundings more quickly. Unable to afford a drawn-out battle, Mingye used his best taunt.
Unfortunately, his words had no effect on Tobirama. Tobirama was an old hand, after all. Even just three years of honing his skills had been enough to make him a master of patience. Seeing that Tobirama wouldn't take the bait, Mingye spoke again.
"The poison of one of the three great snakes of Ryūchi Cave isn't easy to cure, you know. Tobirama, we've been friends for three years. Are you really patient enough to watch your brother die at my brother's hands? Maybe you don't know much about Ryūchi Cave's poison... Got you!"
It wasn't that Tobirama didn't care. He was deeply afraid that Madara might kill his brother. In the end, he couldn't resist the temptation to sense Hashirama's condition. Though he released his chakra for only an instant before quickly withdrawing it, Mingye was skilled at sensory techniques too, and noticed. Countless snakes immediately surged toward Tobirama's hiding place.
"Water Release: Water Wall!"
Tobirama realized Mingye had found him. He clasped his hands together and raised a wall of water around himself. The next moment, countless snakes slammed into it. Tobirama didn't linger; he vanished with the Body Flicker Technique.
Mingye moved quickly. The Body Flicker Technique wasn't actually a Space-Time Ninjutsu. It was a form of Taijutsu that accelerated the flow of chakra through the body, allowing for movement at tremendous speed. Tobirama was displaying the pinnacle of this kind of technique. At least for now, Mingye had no way to deal with his movements.
Tobirama might not have created a truly infuriating Space-Time Ninjutsu like the Flying Thunder God yet, but given that Hashirama had already begun to master Wood Release, it wouldn't be long before Tobirama invented it. Mingye was at a loss for words over the brothers' monstrous talent for training.
Mingye had barely finished reflecting on it when Tobirama crossed the snake formation and appeared beside him. Just as Tobirama's long blade was about to pierce him, Mingye vanished, leaving a venomous snake in his place.
Tobirama killed the snake and spun around. Mingye appeared behind him and swung a segmented whip. Tobirama moved so quickly that he slipped out of its range, only to realize that Mingye had vanished from his sight at the same time.
"Snake Sight Killing!"
That wasn't the Body Flicker Technique. It was genuine teleportation. Tobirama wasn't stupid. Seeing the venomous snakes all over the ground and the way Mingye had vanished, he immediately understood Mingye's trump card against his speed: the Reverse Summoning Technique. Mingye had taken this normally dangerous technique and, in an unusual way, turned it into a form of instant teleportation.
Tobirama had no time to think. Mingye's whole plan had been to lure him into the snake formation. Mingye's swift movements, combined with Tobirama's complete ignorance of how his ninjutsu worked, gave Mingye a huge advantage. The Body Flicker Technique was excellent for moving at high speed, but it couldn't help Tobirama track Mingye, who appeared and disappeared without leaving even a trace of chakra. Within minutes, several bloody welts had appeared on Tobirama's body, inflicted by Mingye's segmented whip. Kneeling on one knee, he looked at the countless venomous snakes surrounding him and couldn't help saying, "I can't believe even a blind man like you could get this far! I underestimated you, Uchiha Mingye!"
"Heh. Tobirama, do you think I don't know what you're thinking? You've probably already figured out the weakness of my technique. But do you think you can escape?"
Mingye didn't appear in front of Tobirama. Hidden in the forest's shadows, he spoke through the mouth of one of the snakes. The weakness of his technique wasn't difficult to discover. Tobirama had probably figured it out by now. Otherwise, he wouldn't be standing in a place where no snakes were slithering and talking to him. Because of this weakness, Mingye had learned to use the segmented whip, a weapon that was difficult to control and didn't inflict much damage. He couldn't control the snakes' movements. He could only speak through them or switch places with them, so he needed a weapon with some range. The whip was his only real option. A bow might work too, but it didn't suit him. He was blind, after all. Sensing his enemies was enough to track them, but attacking with a bow would be tantamount to suicide.
"I won't know unless I try! I don't believe I'm going to die here today!" Tobirama breathed steadily, alert to the snakes approaching from all around him rather than focusing on finding Mingye. He knew he could only escape for now. Fighting in Mingye's territory put him at a severe disadvantage. He couldn't kill all the venomous snakes in an instant, which made fighting Mingye impossible.
"We'll see."
The insight Tobirama had gained from being on the brink of death brought calm to his whole body. Like a block of ice, he drove the snakes away from him. Even so, he only kept them five meters away. Mingye couldn't control the snakes, but they seemed to have already marked Tobirama as their next meal.
The standoff lasted ten minutes. A wood dragon suddenly burst from underground without warning, swallowed Tobirama, crushed countless snakes, and darted into the forest. Just three seconds after it appeared, Madara descended from the sky. The twin swords in Susanoo's hands pierced the wood dragon's body. Even so, the dragon didn't stop. It broke free with half its body torn away and continued fleeing.
"Big brother, don't chase him. We've made enough of a commotion here!"
Mingye sighed. This had been the perfect chance to finish Tobirama, but Hashirama had ruined it. Once Hashirama set his mind on escaping, no one could stop him. The ground beneath his feet was like his own backyard. Madara might be able to face him head-on, but when it came to running, there was no way he could catch up. He'd only be left choking on Hashirama's dust. Since he couldn't catch him, there was no point in wasting effort on the chase.
"Senju Hashirama!"
Madara's expression was grim. For several months three years ago, he and Hashirama had repeatedly encountered and fought each other on the battlefield. Back then, he had thought Hashirama would become his archrival, but only because Madara himself hadn't reached his strongest state. He had never imagined that, after surpassing his clan's greatest limit—the Three Tomoe Sharingan—he would become the first person in a century to come closest to Ninshu, and Hashirama would still be able to match him. Gritting his teeth, Madara called Hashirama's name. He didn't pursue him, but turned to Mingye and asked, "Why did they come here?"
Madara's question drew a chuckle from Mingye. He had already been wondering why the Fuma Clan would suddenly try to assassinate General Sato. There were three magistrates and five generals, so even if Sato had drawn one chance in eight, that would simply have been bad luck. Why had the assassinations only begun after the Uchiha Clan joined Sato? And why had they continued relentlessly for three years? This was clearly more than a political maneuver. Mingye had also thought the Fuma Clan couldn't be so short-sighted. Tobirama and Hashirama's appearance today had given him plenty to think about. Now it was time to turn those suspicions into reality.
"Whatever their purpose, they've been inside the General's Mansion. Big brother, our plan might work out even better than expected. We may even be able to deal with the Senju of the Forest first!"
"How?"
"Big brother, the show's about to begin. Just sit back and enjoy the shadow play."
In response to Madara's question, Mingye waved a hand, turned, and headed straight for Okayama Castle. A smile curled at his lips as he set a series of plans in motion.
"Big brother, are you all right?"
In the waterfall below the mountain ravine, the once-clear river had turned foul and filthy. Though the water kept flowing, the stench continued to rise from it, contaminating the fresh water pouring down from the falls. Before long, Hashirama emerged from the foul river, his face pale and lips black. Tobirama stood on the riverbank, grabbed Hashirama's outstretched arm, and pulled him out of the water. He asked with concern, "The poison won't kill me! Damn, I didn't expect it to cling like a parasite. I can't purge it all in a short time. Tobirama, you'll have to be more careful next time!"
Before you continue