Hibari and Uzumaki Mito hurried after him, and before long, they had left the still-unnamed Valley of the End.
Once they were far away, the spot where Uchiha Madara had been buried trembled several times in the dead of night. Then a hand broke through the soil, and Uchiha Madara crawled out of the ground.
Though he had escaped by faking his death, his injuries were still severe.
After climbing out, he first spat out a piece of flesh he had torn from Senju Hashirama. He examined it, then looked toward Konoha and murmured, "Hashirama, don't celebrate too soon. All of this... is only just beginning."
He touched the Rasengan wound on his abdomen and grinned. Thinking of Hibari, he said softly, "You've really come a long way... Hibari."
With that, he swiftly left the area and vanished without a trace. From then on, the world believed he had died fighting in the Valley of the End.
Early the next morning, Hibari and Sarutobi Hiruzen waited outside the treatment room at the Senju Residence. Hibari spoke first. "Hiruzen, how were things in the village when you came over?"
Sarutobi Hiruzen frowned. "Order's been restored, but everyone's on edge. Lord Hokage still hasn't shown himself, and they're all afraid something happened to him."
Hibari nodded, thinking that was hardly surprising. Uchiha Madara had attacked with the Nine-Tails yesterday, and Lord Hokage had disappeared after going out to fight them. Anyone would have panicked.
Besides, Grandpa Tobirama was too busy treating injuries to leave, so Sarutobi Sasuke was holding things together at the Hokage Building alone. With no one from the Senju Clan showing up, the people there were practically frantic.
Hibari forced a smile. "It should be fine."
He figured all his desperate efforts had to count for something, especially with