The Ancestor of the Family

Several-meter-thick giant tree roots rolled endlessly out of the ground. Seeing this, the ninjas of the two clans who had been fighting had no choice but to forcibly separate and evade in different directions.

The forest created by Hashirama Senju seemed to have come alive. Its extending branches could not only distinguish friend from foe, but also absorb Chakra. The Uchiha Clan ninjas endured the discomfort and retreated from the sea of trees, while the Senju ninjas also recognized the strength of individual Uchiha fighters and stopped within the forest, not daring to venture out rashly.

For a time, the ninjas of the two clans faced each other in a standoff, both sides feeling an indescribable strangeness, as though this was not the first time something like this had happened.

Yet a few clan members still did not fear the forest sea. As if their bloodlust had been awakened, they continued slaughtering one another within it, but before long, they collapsed to the ground.

A few Senju ninjas also rushed out of the forest, only to be swiftly slaughtered by the Uchiha clansmen who rushed over.

The battlefield fell silent in the blink of an eye, apart from the two giant figures who were still fighting.

"Madara, what do you say?"

"Of course, we settle this with real blades and real steel!"

"Good!"

Seeing his friend so determined, Hashirama Senju gradually immersed himself in the joy of battle. The blood in his veins stirred, and one large-scale ninjutsu after another erupted forth.

Madara relied on the might of Susanoo, yet he could not break through Wood Release's defenses no matter what. He frantically poured Chakra into his Mangekyō Sharingan.

"Hiss..."

Explosive pain flared in both pairs of eyes, and scorching blood mixed with tears streamed down their faces.

"Madara! Are you alright?!"

"Cough! I... I'm fine! Come again!"

"You!"

Seeing the two trails of bloody tears on Madara's face, Hashirama could not bear to look any longer. Yet Madara grew irritated at the sight of him like this and controlled Susanoo to launch an even fiercer assault.

Unlike the earth-shaking battle here, another unnoticed battle was taking place on the far side of the battlefield.

Izuna had begun searching for Tobirama's whereabouts the moment the battle started. This had long since become a habit. Once he found Tobirama, he immediately rushed toward him, his objective crystal clear.

After Hashirama unleashed his large-scale technique to clear the field, only the two of them remained fighting within the sea of trees.

"Damn Tobirama! Die!!"

Izuna's Mangekyō Sharingan spun, and scorching white light engulfed everything around them. Faced with this strange ocular technique, Tobirama did not dare underestimate it. He had long prepared a countermeasure and immediately used a ninjutsu he had specifically developed.

"Bringer-of-Darkness Technique!"

The black and white realms collided, deadlocked, and ultimately ended in another draw.

"Damn Tobirama, all you know is how to plagiarize my brother's ninjutsu! You despicable bastard!"

"..."

Tobirama was furious, but he could find no reason to refute him. Back when he had seen those new techniques used by the Uchiha Clan, they had always seemed strangely familiar. After attempting to deduce and practice them himself, he quickly mastered them. It was as if those techniques had naturally been meant to be his from the start.

"You inherently evil Uchiha, I refuse to believe that little brother of yours could come up with so many genius ideas. He's nothing but a coward who doesn't even dare step onto the battlefield!"

"Tch! Still better than a plagiarist like you!"

"And when have you Uchiha not plagiarized others?!"

"Enough talk. Take this! Uchiha Flame Slash!"

"Lightning God Slash!"

Both the Blazing Fire Sword and Thunder God Sword were forged from rare Chakra-conducting metals, mixed with various precious minerals from across the Shinobi World. Whether in sharpness, hardness, or durability, they ranked among the finest weapons in the Shinobi World.

Their battle quickly caught the attention of Madara and Hashirama, who were standing high above. However, neither paid much attention to it. After all, it was far from the first time these two younger brothers had fought.

The older brothers were practically scratching each other with half-hearted blows, while the younger brothers fought like rabid dogs. It seemed this battle would once again end in a draw.

"Water Release! Water Dragon Bite Explosion!"

Tobirama fixed his eyes on Izuna, seized an opening, and unleashed several Water Dragon Bullets at him.

Izuna gripped his sword as his Mangekyō Sharingan spun. In less than a second, he formed over a dozen hand seals.

"Fire Release! Dragon Flame Song!"

Sizzle—

Water and fire collided, and steam filled the battlefield. Within the mist, Izuna smiled disdainfully.

"Before these eyes of mine, everything you do is futile!"

Speaking naturally exposed his position. It was not that Izuna looked down on Tobirama, but rather that he believed Susanoo protected him, leaving Tobirama unable to harm him at all.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Over a dozen kunai shot toward him from afar. Izuna tilted his head slightly, catching sight of the markings on the kunai from the corner of his eye, and immediately understood.

"Substitution Clone Technique? Just as expected of you! You plagiarize everything!"

However, as the kunai flew past, a piercing pain suddenly shot through him.

"Flying Thunder God Slash!"

"Pfft! How did you even...!"

"Hmph! Arrogant and foolish Uchiha!"

The difficulty of Flying Thunder God and its harsh requirements were widely acknowledged among the Uchiha Clan. Other than Uchiha Gen, not a single other Uchiha had mastered it.

Yet Tobirama had developed it himself without knowing its principles. This truly exceeded Izuna's expectations.

"Izuna!"

"Tobirama, stop!"

Tobirama, who was about to deliver a finishing blow, was stopped by Hashirama, who had been keeping watch over this side. Yet after pausing for only a second, he turned back and swung his blade again. How could he let such an opportunity slip away?

"Get lost!"

A massive Susanoo hand formed from condensed Chakra suddenly appeared and slapped Tobirama away. Madara had arrived without anyone noticing.

After his earlier battle with Izuna, Tobirama was already running low on stamina. Even so, he gritted his teeth and stood back up.

"Enough!"

Hashirama rushed over as well and quickly grabbed the hand holding Tobirama's sword before turning to Madara.

"Madara, this..."

"Say no more. We end this here."

Madara only saw the wound on Izuna's chest, but this was not the place to inspect his injuries. He picked Izuna up and left without looking back.

Watching the somewhat disheveled Madara leave with his younger brother, Hashirama felt deeply disappointed. He had originally planned to announce the alliance between the two clans and create a new era together once today's battle ended. Now, he could only hope Madara's younger brother would be alright. Otherwise, old grudges added to new ones...

"Big Brother! Why did you stop me?!"

"Tobirama! Enough people have already died!"

"What do you mean by that?! The Uchiha are inherently evil! If we don't wipe them out completely, are we supposed to leave them alive to slaughter us?!"

"Tobirama... Madara already agreed to it."

"Wha... How is that possible... He..."

It was not that Tobirama did not believe him. How could he not know what his foolish older brother was like? And yet Madara had actually been persuaded by such an absurd plan!

Once the battle ended, the two clans tacitly left behind some members to collect their respective corpses. As usual, neither clan stepped forward to declare itself the victor. It seemed to have become an unspoken understanding between them.

The ninja clans of the Land of Fire who had been watching could only wait anxiously, keeping a close eye on the Uchiha Clan's next move.

Within the Uchiha Clan Grounds, Uchiha Gen was boredly sitting in the courtyard, watching the Uchiha children train. Surprisingly, it put him in an excellent mood.

"They're so adorable~"

"Aren't all young creatures the same, meow?"

"Not really. Paramecia, for example, are disgusting."

"What are those, meow?"

"A kind of disgusting creature, kind of like... slugs?"

"...That really is disgusting, meow."

The man and cat began commenting on the Uchiha children playing in the courtyard, judging who had more potential.

Uchiha Gen favored Kagami Uchiha, while Little Kuro favored Uchiha Seventh Generation. When Uchiha Gen heard Little Kuro mention that name, he frowned. Shouldn't it be Eighth Generation? Where did Seventh Generation come from? He turned to look at Kagami Uchiha again, suddenly uncertain. Could it be that his son was the traitor instead?

Just as Uchiha Gen pondered the family tree, a clansman suddenly rushed into the courtyard in a panic.

"Acting Clan Head! The Young Clan Head has been injured!"