"Cousin, give me back my daughter!"
Upon learning that Shingetsu had run away, Hōkaku sat on the floor and bawled his eyes out. Utterly devastated, his face smeared with tears and snot, he tugged at Madara's sleeve and clung to his leg, wailing all the while.
But a furious Madara seized his collar, hauled him up to his chest, and demanded viciously:
"Uchiha Hōkaku, why weren't you watching her?"
Under the combined scrutiny of the Sharingan and Rinnegan, Hōkaku was overwhelmed by terror. His body trembled uncontrollably, and his tears fell even harder.
Beside them, an enraged Tobirama's eyes were so red that he looked as though he had awakened the Sharingan. He pointed at Madara, his teeth clenched and his expression frighteningly savage.
"How could you hit her in front of all those people?"
After learning the whole story, Tobirama was beside himself.
He had known it. The Uchiha Clan's twisted, obsessive love for their family was bound to cause trouble someday!
The strong all had their pride, especially the Uchiha, whose pride reached the very pinnacle.
Shingetsu was not only a powerful Uchiha, but also a sensitive little girl. Just thinking about it made Tobirama's scalp prickle. He even thought running away was a mild reaction.
If Hashirama had beaten him in public when he was twelve, wouldn't he have fought his big brother to the death right then and there?
"..."
Madara released his grip, dropping Hōkaku onto the floor, then slowly turned a murderous gaze toward Tobirama. An eerie menace seeped from his Rinnegan, freezing Tobirama to the spot.
At the crucial moment, Hashirama stepped forward and shoved both his brother and Hōkaku out the door.
"Hōkaku, go find your daughter!"
"Tobirama, what are you standing there for? Go find Shingetsu!"
After pushing his brother away,