Comrades, Old and Young

"Were the enemies that weak? How did you get back so quickly?"

Madara Uchiha had killed the enemies far too quickly. Less than five minutes had passed between his departure and return, and most of that had been spent traveling. Seeing him return so soon, Shinhiko Kōzuki felt a flicker of surprise.

What Shinhiko Kōzuki did not know was that the four people Madara Uchiha had killed on this outing could have wiped out the eight Dual-Blade Samurai he took the most pride in if they had resorted to assassination. Madara Uchiha had finished the fight so quickly only because he was terrifyingly strong.

"If I hadn't come back this quickly, you'd have had to face the next enemies alone."

Having just returned to Shinhiko Kōzuki's side, Madara Uchiha flicked three Shuriken from his hand. As they spun through the air, they knocked several Kunai and Shuriken aimed at Shinhiko Kōzuki to the ground.

"Is that so? I was hoping to finish them off before you got back."

Long sword in hand, Shinhiko Kōzuki rose to his feet. He stood nearly two meters tall, and beside his towering frame, Madara Uchiha's eight-year-old body looked even smaller.

One tall, one short; one old, one young. Shinhiko Kōzuki and Madara Uchiha stood back to back as the third wave of enemies appeared before them.

"Those people from Sunagakure really are slow. We were hoping to let you fight them first, then swoop in and reap the rewards. Oh well. Since they're taking so long, we'll play with you first. If they happen to arrive at the right time, we might as well kill them too."

A sultry female voice came from in front of Shinhiko Kōzuki. A moment later, a female ninja with a voluptuous figure, a high ponytail, and a Fox