"Hashirama, let's go!"
Madara raced off with Tsunade slung over his shoulder. Little Tsunade might have been as solid as a piglet, but carrying her took no effort at all.
Tobirama, who had always prided himself on his speed, couldn't catch up. Whenever he used Flying Thunder God to get close, Madara sent him flying with a punch to the face. He never found a chance to reclaim Tsunade and instead ended up with another pair of black eyes. He was nearly mad with rage!
Madara's lips curled upward in delight. Ever since receiving Shingetsu's cells, he had felt as though his body held an inexhaustible supply of strength. Even his usually gloomy mood had become wonderfully light.
Seeing Tobirama suffer made him happier still. An irrepressible joy surged through him, bursting out in peals of wild, unrestrained laughter.
"Hahahaha!"
His wild laughter echoed over Konoha. Everyone passing by turned to stare, shooting him strange looks, but Madara didn't care in the slightest.
Once he finished laughing, he turned his gaze back to Hashirama and urged him again:
"Hashirama, why are you just standing there? Come on!"
Hashirama stood frozen on the rooftop, his mouth hanging wide open, at a complete loss. Hearing Madara call out to him, he hastily leaped down and started running after him.
"Big Brother, stop him!"
Caught between his brother and Madara, Hashirama stared wide-eyed as cold sweat poured down his body, soon soaking his back.
He glanced over his shoulder at his brother, then looked toward Madara running ahead and asked in a tiny voice:
"Th-this isn't a good idea, is it, Madara?"
"Are you coming with me, or going back to face that brother of yours?"
Hashirama thought for less than a second before resolutely choosing to race after Madara. Tobirama's furious roar