Before Madara Uchiha could say anything else.
Yanbai suddenly hugged Madara Uchiha from the front. Madara felt as though a pair of human-shaped iron pincers had clamped around him, and he instinctively tried to push Yanbai away.
But Yanbai whispered, so softly only the two of them could hear, "Your little brother is coming. Look a little cold and haughty... yes, just like that. Now look a little more embarrassed..."
Madara Uchiha: "..."
Yanbai's body was as hard as stone, nothing like a girl's!
One hug from him, and Madara felt as though he was going to die.
As it turned out, his instincts were right.
Yanbai continued whispering, "Don't squirm, Madara. Honestly, I could crush all your internal organs in this position, you know. You wouldn't want to die by 'Hug Murder,' would you? That's a pretty stupid way to go."
Madara Uchiha: "..."
Madara's expression filled with shame and anger. With his body rigid and his face utterly bewildered, he looked quite convincing.
In the distance, Uchiha Izuna stood like a statue in the shadows.
He saw his deeply respected eldest brother standing with his back to him, embracing an unfamiliar girl.
Izuna felt as though his brain had been tossed into a pan of boiling oil. He couldn't describe how he felt at that moment.
Recently, his father, Tajima, had ordered him to keep a secret watch on Madara, because Madara had been going out alone far too often.
Izuna had also noticed something was off with Madara, so he followed his father's instructions and tailed him.
His investigation had actually begun several days ago.
But every time, Izuna ran into that unfamiliar silver-haired girl. For one reason or another, she always led him astray, and he lost track of his brother.
Now, though, Izuna knew why.
So his brother had been leaving home so often because of this silver-haired girl!
And this silver-haired girl was the reason he kept losing his way!
"Your little brother looks like he can't accept this. Seems you won't need to explain much." Yanbai listened to the leaves whispering in the wind.
Every living creature around them served as Yanbai's eyes and ears.
Yanbai already knew that Izuna was so furious his hair was standing on end.
Madara frowned and muttered, "When are you going to let go of me? Your whole body is as hard as a tree stump..."
"Madara, calling me a tree stump will make me angry, and I will get back at you," Yanbai said without changing his expression.
Madara rolled his eyes, clearly not taking Yanbai's words seriously.
Still grinning, Yanbai said to Madara, "Madara, didn't you just say that if I simply cut ties with you, or killed you outright, we wouldn't need to go to all this trouble? Well~ I'm starting to think you had a point."
At those words, Madara's eyes widened, and he began to struggle.
At that moment, countless thoughts flashed through Madara's mind, and fear spread through his heart.
Yanbai was strong. Madara had experienced that firsthand recently.
At least to Madara as he was now, Yanbai was so strong it left him in despair.
Without even using ninjutsu, Yanbai could easily beat both Madara and Hashirama to the brink of death.
Add to that his technique that could instantly restore anyone to peak condition as long as they weren't dead, and Yanbai was practically immortal.
To kill Yanbai, Madara would have to finish him in a single blow.
If Yanbai turned against him now, Madara couldn't imagine the suffering he would endure.
Yanbai would kill him first, then kill Izuna, who was watching from the shadows.
Once that thought took root in Madara's heart, it hung over him like a shadow he couldn't shake.
"Say~ Madara, whatever happens now, we look like a loving couple sharing a farewell embrace, don't we? Being 'Hugged-to-Death by His Sister' might be a little stupid, but it's a pretty sweet way to die, isn't it?"
Yanbai's smile was innocent, but the instant it appeared, Madara felt a tearing agony wherever Yanbai's arms held him.
"Yanbai, are you really going to kill me?" Madara's back began to tremble.
As the unimaginable pain drove deeper and deeper, Madara knew that was Yanbai's answer.
Should he fight back bravely, or sit and wait for death?
If he didn't fight back, he would die!
There was only one path he could choose.
Madara sank into tremendous anguish.
Not because of the searing pain in his organs, but because of his dear friend's betrayal.
In an instant, Madara calculated countless possibilities.
Yanbai's arms tightened steadily around Madara.
Madara had no doubt whatsoever about Yanbai's earlier claim that he could crush his internal organs in this position.
He could still move his hands...
Yes, hand seals. He could still form hand seals.
Madara had to use ninjutsu to drive Yanbai back, even briefly. As long as he could do that, he could seize the chance to escape with Izuna!
Yanbai possessed an absurdly powerful healing technique and was practically immortal. There was nothing to gain by fighting him.
Madara raised his trembling hands.
Amid the agony, everything before his eyes began to change.
Time and space seemed to slow, as though someone were controlling them.
Everything in his field of vision seemed to have fallen into a viscous liquid.
Everything, including Madara's own movements, became sluggish and slow in his sight.
However...
Yanbai suddenly released Madara, then seized both his hands just as he was about to form hand seals.
At the sudden release, blood burst from Madara's mouth and splattered across Yanbai's pale cheek.
Yanbai's innocent smile took on a bloody tinge, as exquisite as a bramble rose.
Healing light shone from Yanbai's hands as they held Madara's, instantly healing the injuries his embrace had just inflicted.
"Madara, see? Your Sharingan has awakened." Holding Madara's hands, Yanbai smiled. "Sharingan really are as common as cabbages~"
What?
Feeling the tremendous force gripping his wrists, Madara's emotions lurched wildly.
"Sharingan..." Madara stared blankly at Yanbai for two seconds, then snapped, "You bastard... I'm going to kill you!"
"Tsk, tsk. I'm the benefactor who awakened your eyes, you know." Yanbai abruptly pulled Madara close and whispered softly at close range, "Be more careful the next time you want to meet my big brother. I haven't worked out a suitable way for you to communicate yet. Once I do, I'll find a way to get it to you safely."
"We have to pretend we don't know each other's surnames. Otherwise, if our own clans find out, they'll treat us as traitors. Be careful, Madara. Don't die at your own people's hands before your dream comes true..."
With that, Yanbai smiled and released Madara. Then he took two steps back and waved goodbye with a smile.
"See you next time, Madara."
After saying that, Yanbai calmly turned and left, leaving Madara alone, utterly bewildered in the wind.
Madara pressed a hand to his forehead and took a deep breath. He slowly turned around, expecting to see Izuna, but... there was no one there.
By then, a solemn-faced Izuna was already sprinting toward the clan compound.
He had to tell Father about the silver-haired girl as soon as possible, Izuna thought.
He had to find out who that silver-haired girl was, as soon as possible.
Before you continue