"Madara, wait for me—ah, ow!" Tetsuhiro clutched his chest, his expression pained.
Hearing him, Madara slowed his steps.
"Damn it, hasn't he come around yet?" Tetsuhiro muttered. "Stubborn bastard. Looks like I'll have to lay it on thick."
"Aah!" At the scream, Madara immediately turned around.
"Hashirama" lay curled up on the ground, clutching his chest.
"Hey, Hashirama, this isn't funny." Madara slowly approached. "Get up already!"
But when he reached "Hashirama," the man's face was as pale as jade, and his breathing was rapid.
Madara hurriedly helped him up, but before he could speak, his hand was gripped tightly.
"Bro... brother, don't go. Don't leave me..."
"Brother? Hey, Hashirama, wake up!"
The Personal Guard swiftly appeared, ready to take over, but Madara scooped "Hashirama" into his arms and rushed away, using the Body Flicker Technique repeatedly.
What's this? A bridal carry? Oh, hell no! I regret everything. Tetsuhiro inwardly wailed. Had he known, he wouldn't have taken the act this far. What was he supposed to do now?
If Madara finds out I tricked him, will he go berserk? No, I've got to play dead even harder.
Madara was beside himself with worry. "You bastard, you'd better be all right, or I'll..."
Suddenly, he roared, "Damn you, Black Zetsu! I'll never let you off!"
Inside a cave somewhere in the Land of Lightning,
"???" Black Zetsu suddenly felt a chill down his back. "That's it, that feeling again. Nothing good ever happens when it shows up. Who could it be?"
"Hagoromo Otsutsuki? Get out here!"
"He's been dead for a thousand years. That's impossible. I've just been too sensitive lately."
"It's all those two's fault. Revenge! I'll have my revenge!" he muttered to himself. "What do you say? How does that sound?"
"You damned bastard! My big brother won't let you get away with this!" The other half of his face belonged to Izuna. Although he could now speak, he had actually lost all control of his body.
"Heh, I've prepared quite the gift for them this time." Then he continued tinkering on the ground, with a dense mass of terrifying white human figures standing behind him...
Meanwhile, back in the Ten Thousand Worlds Ninja Nation, the Medical Department could find nothing wrong, leaving Madara no choice but to seek out that man.
After examining "Hashirama," Tobirama deliberately exaggerated the severity of his condition, taking the opportunity to give Madara a thorough tongue-lashing.
Seeing him seethe yet remain unable to argue back, Tobirama finally vented his pent-up frustration. What a relief!
Ever since Madara had obtained the Rinnegan, Tobirama had been constantly anxious, his mind filled with ways to counter him and take precautions. But now he understood.
The best way to keep Madara in check was his big brother!
After driving Madara out on the pretext of devoting himself fully to the treatment, Tobirama calmly woke "Hashirama."
Knowing he couldn't fool him, Tetsuhiro could only sit up awkwardly and say, "So you figured it out. Please don't tell Madara."
"Hm, hm~" Tobirama hummed a tune, then asked, "Why would I tell that guy? Give me a heads-up before doing this next time. I'll really put him through the wringer!"
"Uh, next time for sure..." Since he was already here, Tetsuhiro asked about the progress of the research into Hashirama cells and provided some more samples.
"No luck. Your cells have too much vitality. Even diluted, ordinary ninja can't receive them as transplants. Madara is a complete exception."
Tobirama showed Tetsuhiro the experimental data, but he couldn't understand any of it.
He could only make a show of asking a few questions and offering some suggestions.
For instance, they could experiment on animals first, then make adjustments based on the data.
Once the nation was unified, they could recruit fellow specialists from across the country and train large numbers of talented people.
So this is what it feels like to have your family's support and trust? It's pretty nice. Tobirama thought happily, but what he said was:
"Naive! Training people isn't that easy. Research talent is extremely rare. We can discuss that when the time comes."
"Not necessarily. Just wait for my good news."
"Heh." Tobirama didn't argue, merely smiling as he watched his enthusiastic big brother.
Ding!!! [Congratulations, host, on successfully resolving Tobirama Senju's emotional hang-up. Bond +3. Current progress: 97%]
"Oh, and big brother, stop obsessing over learning the Flying Thunder God Technique. You don't have the talent for it, understand?"
At that, Tetsuhiro beat his chest and stamped his feet in frustration. Damn it, still no luck after all those attempts? Looks like I'll have to rely on the system.
Time passed quickly, and another half month went by...
As the Lands of Lightning and Water became increasingly active, Tetsuhiro finally accepted the Cabinet's advice.
Gather the troops and prepare to march!
Now, Tetsuhiro led everyone out of the city. The headquarters troops had already assembled.
As far as the eye could see,
There were disciplined troops and orderly formations, samurai armed to the teeth and ninja in specially made uniforms, every one of them brimming with fighting spirit!
This was the result of Tetsuhiro's personal training.
"Soldiers, have you been living well?" Tetsuhiro's unconventional approach left everyone momentarily stunned, but the soldiers in formation soon answered:
"Very well! Better than ever before!"
"I regret to inform you that your good days are about to end.
The Lands of Water and Lightning are about to wage war. They want to take away the happiness that belongs to you and force you back into your old lives. Will you accept that?"
Filled with righteous indignation, everyone answered in unison, "No! No!"
Tetsuhiro swept his right hand outward. "Then go defeat them! Conquer them!"
"Defeat them! Defeat them! Conquer them! Conquer them!"
Tetsuhiro turned to Shu Mao, his gaze gentle yet commanding. "I'm leaving Pangaea Castle in your hands. If there's any unrest in Ruofeng Commandery or the Earth District, suppress it immediately. You needn't ask for permission.
Remember, some leaders may be weak themselves, but their strength lies in how they use people and see the bigger picture!"
Shu Mao dropped to one knee, pressing a hand to his chest. "I understand, Father. Also... the Impure World Tracking Tags that Uncle Tobirama improved have been distributed to the Anbu. If Izuna appears again, we'll be able to pinpoint his location immediately."
Tobirama nodded approvingly, but as everyone left, he caught Tetsuhiro and lowered his voice. "Big brother, your body is depleted. Whatever you do, don't force yourself to use Sage Art: Wood Release: True Several Thousand Hands in this battle, or..."
"I know." Tetsuhiro looked toward Madara, who was inspecting the troops, and gave a bitter smile.
"I'm more worried about him than my body. If something really happens to Izuna, I'm afraid he'll reduce the Land of Lightning to rubble."
"Hashirama, we're about ready!" Having finished his inspection, Madara turned to remind him.
"All right, move out!"
Rumble, rumble, rumble! As the army set off, the nine tailed beasts shrank their bodies and followed behind Tetsuhiro.
Countless people saw them off wherever they passed. Most were ordinary civilians, with the most heartfelt smiles on their faces.
This was the welcome an army fighting for justice received, and the inevitable result of Tetsuhiro's good policies.
During a rest stop on the march,
Tobirama spread out a map and drew circles along the Land of Water's coastline and the Land of Lightning's border.
"These are the two places where their forces are concentrated. We'll split into two groups and set up camp five hundred meters away to face them...
"No need to make it so complicated. Fire two Tailed Beast Bombs first, then Hashirama and I will clear the way. You lot just clean up behind us."
Growing impatient, Madara interrupted Tobirama's deployment plans outright.
"You..." Yet, unusually, Tobirama didn't argue.
Tetsuhiro took over. "Madara, lead ten thousand ninja to the Land of Lightning's border.
I'll take ten thousand to the Land of Water's border. Whatever they do, warn them first. Use the tailed beasts to deter them, and only fire Tailed Beast Bombs as a last resort."
"Tch, weak!" Madara frowned, unwilling to hear any more, and cut in first. "If we're fighting separately this time, you'll have to wait until next time to admire my [surprise]."
Before you continue