With only his head above the water, Yanbai stared blankly at the three men standing beside his clothes.
Before Yanbai could speak, Shukaku's fierce voice rang out nearby, though he remained out of sight. "Yanbai, are these three men bullying you? Want me to eat them for you?"
Madara Uchiha's eyes transformed in an instant. He glanced toward Shukaku, and Shukaku immediately fell silent.
"Madara, Shukaku didn't mean any harm," Yanbai said softly.
"Are you saying this is my fault?" Madara Uchiha folded his arms and looked down at Yanbai.
Yanbai looked up at him, and the following words surfaced in his mind: Responding to Madara in an inappropriate way will result in the following:
1. Arousing Madara's resistance;
2. Stirring feelings of disgust and fear in Madara;
3. Triggering aggressive behavior in Madara;
4. Causing Madara to exhibit symptoms of depression;
5. Making Madara doubt himself, withdraw, and refuse to communicate in the future...
The response must be gentle yet firm!
Before either of his older brothers could speak, Yanbai hurriedly said, "Madara, you were worried about me, so you weren't wrong either. Shukaku was worried about me too, so he wasn't wrong."
At those words, Madara Uchiha took a deep breath and closed his eyes without speaking.
Standing beside him, Tobirama Senju could only click his tongue inwardly. That actually worked!
Hashirama Senju was the most straightforward of them. He laughed out loud before saying, "Yanbai, you've been gone for so many days that we were getting worried. That's why we came looking for you. You seem to get along pretty well with the One-Tail."
The moment those guileless words left his mouth, Yanbai sensed that Madara was about to lose his temper again.
"I'm sorry I worried you," Yanbai said quietly. "I believe tailed beasts can be