Go Support Lord Hokage?

"This childish game..." Madara scoffed, his face full of disdain. "I got sick of it a long time ago, Hashirama."

"Childish game..." Hashirama murmured, repeating the words as his gaze slowly turned cold.

After Tobirama left, Hibari didn't have time to sit around and speculate. The first person he thought of was little Tsunade, but she was still at the Ninja Academy, with Moji and her teacher, Sarutobi Hiruzen, there. Nothing could go wrong.

He knew that Konoha's current evacuation system hadn't been fully worked out yet, so it was only natural for everyone to be a little flustered,

and that they needed the ninjas to coordinate and direct them. It was nowhere near as orderly as it would be later, when Orochimaru caused trouble. Even with the Third trapped, the whole village would still run like clockwork.

But then again, this wasn't an army bearing down on them. There was only one person causing trouble: Uchiha Madara. As long as Lord Hashirama could hold him off outside the village, everyone within it was perfectly safe.

Still, Hibari wasn't about to go around telling everyone, "Don't panic. It's all fine."

Who'd believe that without a shred of proof? Given the circumstances, it was only natural for the whole village to go under lockdown, preparing for a possible war or large-scale attack.

He hurried back to his room, swiftly changed out of his usual clothes, and put on his black layered armor. He fastened his sword at his waist, then secured the large scroll to his back.

Next, he picked up the Konoha Headband Tobirama had given him and examined it briefly before tying it tightly around his left arm.

Once he was ready, Hibari slung his ninja tool pouch over his shoulder, turned, and strode out the door.

He had just reached the gate of the Senju Clan estate when someone called after him.

Hibari had only taken a couple of steps beyond the Senju Clan gate when he heard a shout behind him. He turned to see Senju Toka standing there, fully armed.

"Hibari, where are you off to?" Senju Toka frowned. "Shouldn't you be going with the clan to the shelter?"

Hibari grinned and flicked the Forehead Protector tied around his left arm. The Konoha symbol stood out in the light.

"Aunt Toka, evacuating is for ordinary villagers." His tone was relaxed, but there wasn't a trace of hesitation in his words. "As for me..."

He paused, then continued, "I'm a proper Konoha Ninja with a headband, and I'm part of the Senju Clan.

Great-Uncle is out there facing the enemy, and Second Uncle is busy running around the village. Would it really be right for me to hide just because I'm young?"

Senju Toka stared at the Forehead Protector on his arm for several seconds. Hearing him put it that way, she still wanted to send the boy somewhere safe, but for the moment, she couldn't think of anything to say in reply.

Hibari had a point. He could be as troublesome and cheeky as he liked in ordinary times, but once he put on that headband, his role was clear.

"Hmph. Fine." Senju Toka finally turned away with a quiet snort. "Then come with me. We'll head to the assembly point first!"

Before she had even finished speaking, she pushed off the ground and vanished in a flash.

Hibari smiled and immediately followed, without wasting any time.

As the two set off, one after the other, figures were racing across rooftops all over Konoha. Every ninja was heading in the same direction: the courtyard in front of the Hokage Building.

Tobirama stood in the middle of the courtyard, arranging matters while waiting for the various clans' ninjas to gather. Quite a few had already arrived, but the sparse lines still made him frown.

"Too slow," he muttered. "There's no emergency system at all. Everything's chaotic, and the assembly is inefficient..."

His gaze darkened. Once this was over, they would have to establish a proper emergency system.

Then he looked up at the ninjas continuing to arrive, and another thought came to him. Perhaps... they also needed to form a special unit directly under the Hokage. Otherwise, he wouldn't be able to mobilize anyone when it mattered most.

Just then, he heard a soft thud beside him. Senju Toka and Hibari appeared at his side, one after the other.

Tobirama glanced at them but said nothing. When it looked like enough people had arrived, he raised his voice and began issuing orders.

"Listen up! Carry out your duties according to your assigned units: scout the village perimeter for ambushers, maintain the alert, guide civilians to safety, and search the village for infiltrators as quickly as possible. If you find any, arrest or kill them immediately!"

After giving the order, he signaled to Sarutobi Sasuke, Yamanaka Kiyono, Nara Lvxun, and Akimichi Kira. Once most of the ninjas had dispersed to carry out their tasks, only those few remained in the courtyard.

"This situation is unusual," Tobirama said gravely. "The attacker is Uchiha Madara."

"Uchiha Madara?" Akimichi Kira froze. "Wasn't it the Nine-Tails?"

"My Shadow Clone confirmed it. Big Brother is fighting him outside the village. The Nine-Tails must have been controlled by the Sharingan," Tobirama said heavily.

Everyone fell silent. Who hadn't heard of Uchiha Madara? He was a legendary figure who could stand against Lord Hokage. It was fortunate that Lord Hashirama was there; otherwise, they might not get through the day.

And if Uchiha Madara was involved, that meant...

The same dreadful suspicion surfaced in all their minds: there might be an accomplice inside the village. And where might that accomplice come from?

Uchiha Madara was still the head of the Uchiha Clan.

If there really was a traitor, surely it couldn't be someone from the Senju Clan. That meant the Uchiha Clan would be the first suspects, without a doubt.

Seeing the change in everyone's expressions, Tobirama knew they had all caught on.

So he didn't beat around the bush. "We don't know enough yet, so we can't let ourselves fall into disarray. I kept the few of you here because we need to be ready in case things take a turn for the worse."

He turned to Sarutobi Sasuke, his voice growing sharper. "Sarutobi, while you're leading the team to maintain the alert... keep your eyes open. Do you understand?"

He hadn't said the word "Uchiha" once, but how could his longtime comrade miss the implication?

Sarutobi Sasuke nodded at once and thumped his chest. "Don't worry, Tobirama. If some fool dares to stir up trouble at a time like this, I won't go easy on him."

Tobirama gave a quiet hum in reply. The others understood as well, and hurried out of the courtyard with Sarutobi Sasuke to carry out their respective duties.

Once they had all left, Tobirama turned to Hibari, who had been standing quietly off to the side.

"Hibari, you're on the register, but you haven't been assigned to a squad yet." He paused, his tone softening. "For now, patrol the village. Keep your wits about you, and report anything suspicious immediately. Also... stay safe."

"Understood, Second Uncle," Hibari said with a serious nod.

After giving those instructions, Tobirama turned to Senju Toka beside him.

Before he could speak, Toka spoke first. "It's right that Lord Hokage ordered you to stay behind. The village needs someone to hold things together. You can't both run off outside, can you?"

"That's exactly why I find this so frustrating." Tobirama's voice dropped, his brows knitted tight. "Once this is over, we need to come up with a proper plan. We can't keep making the Hokage... making my big brother face everything alone."

Senju Toka hesitated, then asked cautiously, "Should we gather a team of skilled fighters to support Lord Hokage?"

Tobirama's eyes shifted, but in the end, he shook his head.

The situation was too complicated. The Uchiha Clan had countless powerful fighters. If they got involved and the village's elite left, who would keep the Uchiha in check?

Besides, ordinary ninjas would be no match for a battle between Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara. Even someone of his and Sarutobi Sasuke's caliber would probably only be able to help out at the margins.

"Trust Lord Hokage," Tobirama sighed. "Right now, the village comes first."

After saying this, he gave Hibari a slight nod, turned, and went into the Hokage Building. Senju Toka followed right behind him.

Hibari stood there, thinking for a moment. He was just about to leave when hurried footsteps sounded at the courtyard gate.

He looked up to see Sarutobi Hiruzen hurrying over, panting. Seeing that Hibari was the only one left in the courtyard, he quickly asked, "What's going on? What did Teacher Tobirama assign you?"

Hibari's eyes shifted. He beckoned to him. "Let's talk while we walk."

Sarutobi Hiruzen had just finished settling the children at the Ninja Academy, which was why he was late. At Hibari's suggestion, he followed without a second thought.

"What about Tsunade? Was she scared?" Hibari asked as they walked.

"Don't worry. Someone from your Senju Clan took her back, and your Shadow Clone went with them too." Sarutobi Hiruzen smiled, then let the smile fade and grew serious. "I was halfway through class when this happened. I'm still completely in the dark.

Was that a Tailed Beast Bomb just now? Did Teacher Tobirama block it?"

"Yeah. The Nine-Tails attacked," Hibari said with a nod. "But this time, it's not simple. Second Uncle confirmed that Uchiha Madara controlled the Nine-Tails with his Sharingan. Great-Uncle Hashirama has gone to stop him outside the village. Everyone else is doing their part, maintaining order and guarding against outside threats."

"Uchiha Madara?!" Sarutobi Hiruzen came to an abrupt stop. His expression changed, and he lowered his voice. "Then what about the Uchiha? Have they..."

Hibari glanced at him and clicked his tongue. "Nothing's been confirmed yet. But your dad and the others have already gone to keep an eye on them. If you ask me, it probably won't come to that."

Sarutobi Hiruzen's expression eased at that, and he asked, "So where are you taking me? What's your assignment?"

"Me? I'm free to do what I want," Hibari said with a grin. "You showed up late, so all the tasks were already handed out, right? Perfect. We can team up and look around."

Sarutobi Hiruzen stared at his grin for a couple of seconds, his eyes full of suspicion. "Cut the act. I know exactly what you're up to. Just tell me—what do you really want?"

With his intentions exposed, Hibari didn't feel awkward. Instead, his smile faded and his expression turned serious.

"Madara... Uchiha Madara showing up this time is suspicious." He lowered his voice, a glint in his eyes. "I can't shake the feeling that there might be some interesting clues hidden in the village."

Hibari clicked his tongue and scratched his head. "You've dealt with Uchiha Madara before, so you know he doesn't care about anyone's feelings. He clearly came prepared this time.

But Great-Uncle Hashirama has always treated him like a brother. He's soft-hearted and too gentle, nothing like Uchiha Madara. And with the Nine-Tails causing trouble too... I'm worried Great-Uncle Hashirama might be at a disadvantage."

Sarutobi Hiruzen's expression shifted slightly before he replied, "You mean... you think Lord Hokage might lose?"

"Who can say for sure? But if it really happens..." Hibari trailed off.

Sarutobi Hiruzen understood what he meant. If Uchiha Madara lost, Senju Hashirama might spare his life, given his nature. But if the tables were turned, Uchiha Madara would absolutely kill them all.

"Then what are you planning to do?" Sarutobi Hiruzen frowned.

Hibari was blunt. "We've both got experience fighting Tailed Beasts, don't we? If we find the right opportunity, we could give Great-Uncle Hashirama a hand. Maybe that would turn the tide."