That Big Guy Outside... Leave Him to Me

"This doesn't really suit me either," Hibari muttered under his breath.

"The Summoning Jutsu doesn't say you can only sign with one," Tobirama said with a smile. "You can make a contract with Katsuyu first. If you find another summon you like better later, you can sign with them too."

Hibari, however, was already weighing the matter. If it were an ordinary summon, signing with several wouldn't be a problem. But Katsuyu was one of the Three Great Summoning Lands. Who knew if these top-tier summoning grounds had some kind of exclusivity rule?

Besides, he'd never seen anyone command two summons of that caliber at the same time. To be safe, he'd better not rush into signing. What if he got a chance to visit Mount Myoboku or Ryūchi Cave someday?

"Never mind, let's put that aside for now." He waved a hand. "I'll talk about it after I've gotten my Water Release solid."

"Mm, that's the right idea." Tobirama raised an eyebrow, perking up. "Water Release is the strongest of the five nature transformations. It—"

"Hold on, hold on!" Hibari quickly cut him off. "Back when Madara was still around, he used to go on about how Fire Release was the strongest. You two could never convince each other."

"Hmph, what do you know?" At the mention of Uchiha Madara, Tobirama's expression darkened. "That Uchiha Madara was full of nonsense! Fire Style? It's the nature transformation most thoroughly countered by Water Release!

"You used to follow him around everywhere. Good thing he disappeared later, or I'd be worried he'd lead you astray. I'm warning you, that man's ideas are extreme. He's no good. If you ever run into him again, keep your distance!"

"Got it, Second Grandpa." Hibari answered with a grin. "I'm just a little curious, that's all. After all, he and Grandpa Hashirama are legendary shinobi."

At that very moment, while the two were discussing Uchiha Madara, the man they were talking about had quietly appeared at the edge of the Hidden Leaf Village.

On a cliff somewhere outside the village.

A figure stood in silence, still wearing the dark red layered armor of the Warring States era. The Gunbai on his back rested quietly in the wind. Uchiha Madara gazed at the increasingly prosperous Hidden Leaf Village in the distance, its outline clear in his sight.

"Konoha..." he murmured, his voice carrying a complicated sigh.

Once, he too had been filled with hope. Together with his closest friend, Senju Hashirama, he had set aside the grudges between their clans and built this village with his own hands. Even the name "Konoha" had been chosen by him.

In the end, that feeling was impossible to erase completely.

But now, he had left it all behind.

Building Konoha had brought him none of the peace he'd hoped for. Instead, he'd become more and more isolated. His clan members didn't understand him, his colleagues pushed him aside, and in the entire village, Senju Hashirama had been the only one who could still talk to him.

As his thoughts drifted, another small figure suddenly surfaced, hazy, in the depths of his memory.

That little brat from the Senju Clan, who was always following him around, calling, "Madara, sir," again and again.

He was Hashirama's grandson. Before Uchiha Madara had seen through the schemes behind the world, he'd sincerely treated the little brat as one of his own.

He had taught him, step by step, how to make all kinds of things with Fire Release chakra. He'd even passed on several of his best Fire Style techniques without holding anything back.

"Hibari..." The corners of Madara's mouth lifted for once as he murmured the name.

But then Senju Hashirama's face appeared out of nowhere. The warmth in Madara's eyes vanished in an instant. When he looked again at the lights dotting Konoha in the distance, his gaze was sharp enough to cut.

"Hashirama, and little Hibari... I'm sorry." His words were cold and utterly inhuman. "For the sake of that dream, you'll have to die for this New World."

Before the words had left his mouth, his hands were already forming Hand Seals at lightning speed. His dark pupils spun suddenly, transforming into the fearsome pattern of the Eternal Mangekyo.

"Summoning Jutsu!"

Madara shouted and slammed a palm against the ground. A massive summoning array burst from beneath his hand, instantly covering the entire cliff. With a muffled thud, a thick cloud of white smoke surged skyward from beneath his feet.

When the smoke cleared, a colossal orange-red creature was crouched at his feet. Its chakra was so terrifyingly immense that it seemed almost tangible, and a chilling aura of evil was mixed in with it.

It was the Nine-Tails Fox, hailed as the strongest Tailed Beast.

But the Nine-Tails bore no trace of a fearsome beast's majesty now. Tomoe were turning in its beastly eyes—the Sharingan. Clearly, Madara had forcibly controlled it with his Mangekyo, reducing it to a summon.

The Nine-Tails' chakra was so immense that the moment its evil aura leaked out, it was like cold water hitting boiling oil. The entire village of Konoha was instantly alerted.

Second Grandpa Tobirama, who'd been chatting with Hibari, felt every hair on his body stand on end. His expression darkened. "That chakra... is it a Tailed Beast?"

Even Hibari could sense it. His heart clenched. The timing, the scale... if he remembered correctly, this was precisely when Uchiha Madara controlled the Nine-Tails to attack Konoha!

Madara was back, and he'd returned with the intention of destroying the village. The Battle of the Valley of the End was probably about to happen early.

At the thought, panic surged through Hibari. Why had he worked so hard to train? Wasn't it so he could grow stronger quickly and change the fate of his grandfather, Senju Hashirama, who would otherwise die of his injuries? But in a situation like this, what could he possibly do?

Tobirama noticed Hibari's pale face and assumed he was frightened. He patted Hibari on the shoulder and reassured him, "What are you panicking for? With me here, how could I let some beast run wild over our village? Wait here. Don't go—"

He hadn't even finished saying "anywhere" when Tobirama's expression changed abruptly. A more terrifying force was rapidly gathering on a distant mountaintop.

"It's a Tailed Beast Bomb!" His voice was so dark it seemed to drip with menace.

Hibari looked up and saw a blinding crimson beam tear through the clouds, trailing a wake of destruction as it shot straight toward Konoha! If it hit, half the village would be wiped off the map.

Tobirama didn't have time to say another word. His figure blurred, and he vanished from where he stood.

Almost at the same instant, his figure appeared like a phantom directly in the path of the Tailed Beast Bomb. His chakra surged violently, and countless intricate markings of jutsu spread through the air.

Facing the energy sphere capable of destroying everything, Tobirama's expression remained calm as he pressed his hands together and shouted, "Flying Thunder God Guiding Thunder!"

The space in front of the Tailed Beast Bomb twisted abruptly. It was as if an invisible hand had dragged the terrifying sphere into another opening. In the blink of an eye, it vanished from the area near Konoha.

In a desolate wilderness not far from Konoha, the air high above suddenly trembled, and crimson light exploded out of nowhere!

BOOM—!!!

The deafening blast and violent shock wave carried all the way to every corner of Konoha, clear as day despite the distance. A gigantic mushroom cloud slowly rose over the wasteland.

Only then did Tobirama descend from the sky, lifting a hand to wipe the cold sweat that had gathered on his forehead.

The air rippled beside him, and a figure appeared without a sound. The newcomer had taken off his Hokage robe and changed into the dark red armor of the Warring States era. A massive scroll was strapped to his back.

It was the First, Senju Hashirama.

"Tobirama, that chakra just now was..." Hashirama asked directly, his brows knitted tight.

"The Nine-Tails Fox," Tobirama replied without hesitation.

At the same time, far away atop the Nine-Tails, Uchiha Madara had seen the Tailed Beast Bomb vanish into thin air. He snorted, his tone full of scorn.

"Senju Tobirama!"

If there was anyone Uchiha Madara hated most, Senju Tobirama was the first to come to mind. Their feud ran deep. His younger brother, Izuna, had fallen at Tobirama's hands, and Madara had never forgotten that blood debt for a single moment.

At the thought, the Tomoe in his eyes turned. The Nine-Tails beneath him immediately raised its head and let out a roar that shook the heavens, its savage aura surging once more.

"Go. Crush that pathetic village..." Madara ordered quietly, then leaped lightly down from the Nine-Tails' head.

The colossal beast strode forward, charging toward Konoha with the earth shaking beneath its feet. It looked as though it truly intended to uproot the village and tear it apart.

Senju Hashirama stared into the distance, his brows drawn together. "Something's wrong... I can sense Madara."

But there was no time to examine it closely. He knew that even if he could deal with the Nine-Tails, the damage would be beyond reckoning if the beast took even one step into the village.

"Tobirama!" Hashirama made his decision at once, speaking so quickly his words tumbled out. "Stay in the village. Organize the evacuation, maintain order, and keep everyone calm! That big guy outside... leave him to me."

"Brother, let me—" Tobirama had barely started when Hashirama planted a firm hand on his shoulder.

"This is the Hokage's order." Hashirama's voice had turned stern, and his gaze was unshakable.

Seeing his brother's expression, Tobirama fell silent for a moment. In the end, he lowered his head and replied, "...Yes, Lord Hokage."

Only after hearing his answer did the corners of Hashirama's mouth lift slightly. The next instant, his figure blurred and vanished from where he stood.

When Tobirama looked up again, he saw the charging Nine-Tails stumble. Countless thick tree trunks erupted from the ground and, in the blink of an eye, wrapped around its limbs.

There was no doubt about it. Big Brother had made his move.

But at that very moment, a blazing burst of fire erupted behind the Nine-Tails, instantly burning the tightly wrapped wood vines to ash.

Recognizing the chakra he knew better than any other and seeing the astonishing power of the Fire Release, Tobirama's expression darkened until it looked ready to drip. He forced out two words through clenched teeth: "Uchiha. Madara!"

As expected, there wasn't a single Uchiha who knew how to stay out of trouble! And Madara was the most extreme and troublesome of them all. When he'd left Konoha without a word, Tobirama had known the bastard would cause trouble again sooner or later.

The idea that he'd find somewhere to settle down quietly for the rest of his life? What a joke!

Elsewhere, Senju Hashirama looked at the Nine-Tails, which had broken free but paused for the moment. His gaze fixed on the figure behind it, and a pained expression gradually appeared on his face. At last, he couldn't hold back a roar. "Madara!! What kind of joke is this?!"

"Hashirama, you're still so naive..." Uchiha Madara emerged calmly from the flames that hadn't yet died out. Looking at his old friend, he spoke in a light, casual tone. "Does this look like I'm joking?"

"Why are you doing this?!" Hashirama's voice trembled with anger. "Do you have any idea how close that was? This is the village we... built together!"