第46章 去支援火影大人?

"This kind of house-playing game..." Madara sneered, his face full of disdain. "I grew tired of it long ago, Hashirama."

"House-playing..." Hashirama murmured, repeating the words as his gaze grew cold, bit by bit.

After Tobirama left, Lvxun had no time to ponder aimlessly. The first person he thought of was little Tsunade, but that girl was still at the Ninja Academy. With Moji and Sarutobi Hiruzen, who was teaching there, she would be fine.

He knew clearly that Konoha's current evacuation system had not been fully streamlined yet, and it was inevitable that everyone would be a bit flustered.

It required ninja coordination and command, far less efficient than when Orochimaru caused trouble later on, when the entire village could operate in an orderly fashion even with the Third Hokage trapped.

But then again, this time it wasn't a massive army at the gates; the only one causing trouble was Uchiha Madara. As long as Lord Hashirama could keep him outside, the village was actually quite safe.

However, thoughts were just thoughts; Lvxun wouldn't actually run around telling everyone, "Don't panic, it's nothing."

Who would believe that empty talk? Given the current situation, the entire village entering a state of martial law to prepare for a potential war or large-scale attack was the only normal reaction.

He rushed back to his room with lightning speed, nimbly changed out of his casual clothes, reached out to take down his set of black layered armor, put it on, fastened his sword, and securely tied that large scroll to his waist behind his back.

Next, he picked up the Konoha Headband Tobirama had given him earlier, examined it for a moment, and tied it tightly around his left arm.

Once everything was packed, Lvxun slung his ninja tool pouch over his shoulder, turned, and pushed the door open.

He had just reached the gate of the Senju Clan estate when he heard someone calling him from behind.

Lvxun had only taken two steps outside the Senju gate when a shout came from behind. He turned his head to see Senju Toka standing there, fully armed.

"Lvxun, where are you running off to?" Senju Toka frowned. "Why aren't you hurrying to the shelter with the rest of the clan?"

Lvxun grinned. He reached up and flicked the headband tied to his left arm; the Konoha symbol was quite conspicuous in the light.

"Aunt Toka, evacuation is for ordinary villagers." His tone was relaxed, but there was no hesitation in his words. "As for me..."

He paused before continuing: "I am a properly headband-wearing Konoha ninja, and even more so, a member of the Senju Clan.

Now that the Grandfather has gone to meet the enemy and the Second Uncle is busy running around the village, would it be right for me to hide just because I'm young?"

Senju Toka stared at the headband on his arm for a few seconds. After hearing him say that, although she still wanted to chase the brat off to a safe place, she couldn't find any words to refute him.

After all, Lvxun was right. He could be as rowdy or stubborn as he liked, but once the headband was on, his status was set.

"Hmph, fine." Senju Toka finally turned her face away and gave a light huff. "Then follow me, to the assembly point first!"

Before the words had even faded, she tapped her feet and her figure vanished with a swish.

Lvxun smiled and didn't delay, immediately following after her.

As the two left one after another, figures were constantly darting across rooftops all over Konoha. Every ninja was rushing in the same direction—the courtyard in front of the Hokage Building.

Tobirama was currently standing in the center of the courtyard, arranging affairs while waiting for the ninjas from various clans to assemble. Although many had already arrived, he couldn't help but frown at the sparse, scattered ranks.

"Too slow." He muttered to himself. "There is no emergency mechanism, the order is chaotic, and the assembly efficiency is low..."

Thinking of this, his gaze darkened. Once this was over, he had to establish a perfect emergency system.

He then scanned the arriving ninjas, and another thought crossed his mind: perhaps... he needed to form a special force directly under the Hokage, otherwise, he wouldn't be able to mobilize anyone at a critical moment.

Just then, a soft landing sound came from beside him. Senju Toka and Lvxun appeared at his side one after the other.

Tobirama glanced at them but said nothing. Seeing that most people had arrived, he raised his voice and began to issue orders.

"Listen up, everyone! Deploy according to your respective units: scout the village perimeter for ambushes, maintain vigilance, guide the civilians to shelters, and simultaneously search for any infiltrators within the village—once discovered, arrest or eliminate them immediately!"

After the order was given, 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 these few remained in the courtyard.

"The situation this time is special." Tobirama said in a low voice. "The attacker is Uchiha Madara."

"Uchiha Madara?" Akimichi Kira was stunned. "Isn't it the Nine-Tails?"

"My Shadow Clone has already confirmed it. Big Brother is currently fighting him outside the village; the Nine-Tails must be controlled by the Sharingan." Tobirama's tone was grave.

These words left everyone present in silence. Who hadn't heard the name Uchiha Madara? He was a legendary figure capable of rivaling the Hokage. It was fortunate that Lord Hashirama was there, otherwise, today would be difficult to survive.

And since the matter involved Uchiha Madara, it meant...

A terrible suspicion rose in everyone's minds: there might be an inside man in the village. And where would this inside man come from?

Uchiha Madara was still the head of the Uchiha Clan.

If there really was a traitor, it couldn't possibly be from the Senju Clan, right? Therefore, the first suspect was, without a doubt, the Uchiha Clan.

Watching the changes in everyone's expressions, Tobirama knew they had caught on.

So he didn't beat around the bush and said directly: "The situation is unclear, so we cannot fall into chaos. I kept you few behind to prevent things from heading in the worst possible direction."

He turned his gaze to Sarutobi Sasuke, his tone deepening: "Sasuke, when you lead your team to maintain vigilance... keep a sharp eye out. Do you understand what I mean?"

Although he didn't mention the word "Uchiha," how could his old partner not hear the subtext?

Sarutobi Sasuke nodded immediately, patting his chest in assurance: "Don't worry, Tobirama. If any blind fool dares to stir up trouble at a time like this, I won't go easy on them."

Tobirama gave a grunt of acknowledgment. The others understood as well and followed Sarutobi Sasuke as they hurried out of the courtyard to carry out their tasks.

Once everyone was gone, Tobirama turned to Lvxun, who had been standing quietly to the side.

"Lvxun, although you are registered, you haven't been formally assigned to a unit yet." He paused, his tone softening slightly. "Patrol the village this time, stay sharp, and report any issues immediately. Also... stay safe."

"Understood, Second Uncle." Lvxun nodded earnestly.

After giving these instructions, Tobirama turned his face to look at Senju Toka beside him.

Before he could speak, Toka said first: "The Hokage was right to order you to stay behind. In this situation, the village needs a backbone to hold the fort; you can't both run outside, can you?"

"It is precisely because of that that I feel frustrated." Tobirama's voice dropped, his brows knitted tightly. "Once this is over, we must come up with a plan. We can't keep letting the Hokage... let my brother take the lead alone every single time."

Senju Toka hesitated for a moment before tentatively asking: "Should we organize a team of experts to support the Hokage?"

Tobirama's eyes flickered, but he ultimately shook his head.

The situation was too complex now. The Uchiha Clan was full of experts; if they really got involved and the village's elite left, who would keep them in check?

Besides, in a battle of the level between Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara, ordinary ninjas would just be throwing their lives away. Even those at his and Sarutobi Sasuke's level would likely only be able to assist from the sidelines.

"Trust the Hokage." Tobirama sighed. "Right now, the village is the top priority."

After saying this, he nodded slightly at Lvxun and turned to enter the Hokage Building. Senju Toka followed closely behind.

Lvxun stood in place, pondering for a moment. Just as he was about to leave, a flurry of hurried footsteps came from the courtyard entrance.

Looking up, he saw Sarutobi Hiruzen rushing over, panting. Seeing that only Lvxun was left in the courtyard, he hurriedly asked: "What's the situation? What were Master Tobirama's orders?"

Lvxun rolled his eyes and beckoned him over: "I'll tell you while we walk."

Sarutobi Hiruzen had just finished settling the children at the Ninja Academy, which was why he was late. Hearing Lvxun say that, he followed without a second thought.

"What about Tsunade? She wasn't scared, was she?" Lvxun asked as they walked.

"Don't worry, your Senju Clan people took her back, and your Shadow Clone followed along too." Sarutobi Hiruzen smiled, then retracted his smile and turned serious. "Something happened halfway through my class, and I'm still completely in the dark.

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

"Yeah, the Nine-Tails attacked." Lvxun nodded. "But this time it's not simple. The Second Uncle confirmed that Uchiha Madara is using the Sharingan to control the Nine-Tails. Grandfather Hashirama has already gone outside the village to intercept him, and everyone else is doing their duty, maintaining order and guarding against external enemies."

"Uchiha Madara?!" Sarutobi Hiruzen's steps came to an abrupt halt. His expression changed as he lowered his voice to ask, "Then this matter... does the Uchiha side have any..."

Lvxun glanced at him and clicked his tongue: "Nothing is confirmed yet. But your father and the others have already gone to keep an eye on them. In my opinion, it shouldn't be them."

Hearing this, Sarutobi Hiruzen's expression eased slightly, then he asked: "Then where are you taking me? What is your mission?"

"Me? I'm free to roam." Lvxun grinned. "You came late, so all the missions were assigned, right? Perfect, let's pair up and look around."

Sarutobi Hiruzen stared at his grinning face for two seconds, his eyes full of suspicion: "Cut the act. I know exactly what you're up to the moment you twitch. Tell me, what exactly do you want to do?"

With his intentions exposed, Lvxun didn't feel awkward; instead, he stopped smiling and his expression turned serious.

"Lord Madara... Uchiha Madara's arrival this time is suspicious." He lowered his voice, a flash of sharpness in his eyes. "I keep feeling like there might be some interesting clues hidden in the village."

Lvxun clicked his tongue and scratched his head: "You've dealt with Uchiha Madara before; you know he never does things without a reason. This time, it's clear he came fully prepared.

But Grandfather Hashirama, he always treats him like a brother, and his nature is soft, his methods gentle—he's not the same type of person as Uchiha Madara at all. Plus, with the Nine-Tails stirring things up... I'm worried Grandfather Hashirama might suffer a loss."

After listening, Sarutobi Hiruzen's expression paused before he spoke: "You mean... you think the Hokage will lose?"

"Who can guarantee anything? But if that really happens..." Lvxun stopped halfway through his sentence.

But Sarutobi Hiruzen already understood. If Uchiha Madara lost, given Senju Hashirama's temperament, he might spare his life; but if it were the other way around, that guy Uchiha Madara was absolutely capable of wiping everyone out.

"Then what do you plan to do?" Sarutobi Hiruzen frowned.

Lvxun was straightforward: "Don't we both have experience dealing with Tailed Beasts? If we find the right opportunity and can lend Grandfather Hashirama a hand, maybe the outcome of the battle will be different?"