You're My Own Brother

"Our eldest brother isn't that foolish. Even if he knew your true colors, he'd only keep spoiling you, so I won't tell him any of that. There's no point."

Tobirama Senju looked at Yanbai and said, "But, Yanbai, if I ever come into conflict with that Uchiha, whose side will you take? Mine or his?"

The first part didn't matter. The question that followed was what counted.

The wind stirred their hems. The same silver hair, the same eye color, similar faces.

The blazing sun grew hotter, their shadows gradually shortened, and a fresh, green scent drifted over from the forest.

Yanbai looked at Tobirama Senju, his smile radiant as a flower. "Yours, of course. You're my own Older Brother, while that Uchiha... is nothing to me."

Tobirama Senju smiled faintly. "Then I can rest easy."

Whether those words were true or a lie, Tobirama Senju chose to believe they were true.

This time, Yanbai was the surprised one. He stared at Tobirama Senju with wide eyes. "Older Brother, you don't blame me for hiding it from you? Older Brother, you won't demand that I cut ties with him?"

"Is that the kind of person you think I am?" Tobirama Senju shook his head. "Is that why you shut me out?"

Yanbai remained silent, offering no answer.

Tobirama Senju didn't seem to care about the answer either. He continued, "There's no need to force you to cut ties with him."

"Huh?" Yanbai looked as though he were seeing Tobirama Senju in a new light.

Then Tobirama Senju said quietly, "The Senju Clan would turn against you for the world's sake, but the Uchiha Clan would turn against the world for yours."

Yanbai: "..."

In the Naka River Wilds, a squad of adult Uchiha Clan shinobi in traditional combat attire was searching for something.

Uchiha Tajima stood in their midst, his expression grim.

Yesterday, the Uchiha Clan had left most of its fighting forces to defend the Clan Grounds, while its main combat force headed to the battlefield to carry out an extermination mission against the Hagoromo Clan.

Yet at such a critical time, Uchiha Izuna had taken a guard into the forest along the Naka River, somewhere he should never have ventured.

Uchiha Tajima knew perfectly well that Izuna had lately been trying every possible way to find the silver-haired woman who had unsettled Madara.

In this era, women were regarded as property.

Even noblewomen whose beauty was widely renowned were beyond the reach of shinobi clans and commoners.

As for women from shinobi clans or ordinary families, those without any fighting ability were nothing more than tools for bearing children.

Finding a woman like that, with neither a name nor any clue where to look, was no easy task unless she was a famous courtesan from the Red-Light District.

She was hard enough to find, and they were at war besides.

At such a critical time, Uchiha Izuna's decision to leave the Clan Grounds was no different from courting death.

As luck would have it, Uchiha Izuna had returned to the forest along the Naka River last night, only to be pursued by remnants of the Hagoromo Clan.

The guard who had barely escaped alive said only that Izuna had fled downstream along the Naka River. The clan's sentries also reported that Madara had left the Clan Grounds without permission to rescue Izuna.

Neither brother had returned to the Clan Grounds yet.

The Hagoromo Clan, on the other hand, had been causing an enormous commotion.

Uchiha Tajima could only infer Madara and Izuna's situation from the Hagoromo Clan's reaction.

Beside him, Uchiha Tama's lips curled into a wicked smile. "Our two young heirs truly deserve to be called Uchiha Clan geniuses. Facing the Hagoromo Clan alone, and still achieving so much."

It sounded like mockery, but it was meant as reassurance.

Most members of the Uchiha Clan were like that. They meant only to show concern, yet the words that came out of their mouths always made people want to march up and teach them a lesson.

Uchiha Tajima said nothing.

One piece of information was absolutely clear.

Hagoromo Nobuyuki, the only son of Hagoromo Clan Leader Hagoromo Ryo, had died at Madara Uchiha's hands last night.

Devastated by the loss of his beloved son, Hagoromo Ryo had sworn to make Madara Uchiha pay.

Hagoromo Ryo had set out furiously in search of Madara Uchiha and Uchiha Izuna, racing through villages large and small in the surrounding area. Whenever he saw anyone, he demanded, "Have you seen two boys wearing clothes bearing the Uchiha Clan crest?"

Even innocent passersby who knew nothing and said nothing had to die!

With nowhere to vent the fury in his heart, Hagoromo Ryo raged like a madman, bathing the forest in blood and setting the mountains ablaze in an attempt to force Madara Uchiha out.

Cruel and merciless, Hagoromo Ryo had lost all reason. As he passed through the forest, cries of anguish followed him everywhere, and he turned a fair stretch of land into a slaughterhouse.

Uchiha Tajima said mildly, his face expressionless, "Keep searching. I'll take a look on the other bank."

The other clansmen bowed their heads in acknowledgment, and Uchiha Tajima left the squad with a few leaps.

As he sped through the forest, Uchiha Tajima's target was not the crazed old man Hagoromo Ryo. He wanted to find some way to escort Madara and Izuna home before Hagoromo Ryo found them.

Elsewhere.

Madara Uchiha and Uchiha Izuna had originally intended only to take a detour through the Naka River Wilds and return to the Clan Grounds.

Instead, they found that the Hagoromo Clan refused to let the matter drop and had surrounded them along the forest's perimeter.

The Hagoromo Clan had discovered the forest's peculiarities, so they no longer entered the mountains to engage Madara Uchiha.

But setting the mountains ablaze was simply outrageous.

No matter how mad Hagoromo Ryo was, Madara Uchiha still considered him a coward.

Why didn't he have the guts to make trouble at the Uchiha Clan?

Why didn't he have the guts to challenge the Uchiha Clan?

He was blocking the Naka River and burning the forest solely because Madara Uchiha and Uchiha Izuna were still children he could bully.

With both Madara Uchiha and Izuna missing from the Clan Grounds, the Uchiha Clan would certainly come looking for them. Hopefully, Hagoromo Ryo would be just as fired up when they arrived.

They stood in the shadowy depths of the forest, looking outside.

Uchiha Izuna couldn't help murmuring, "We're in trouble this time..."

Madara Uchiha remained silent.

Then Uchiha Izuna added, "Older Brother, you're badly wounded. You need to get back to the Clan Grounds as soon as possible. I'll lure them away..."

Madara Uchiha looked coldly at his younger brother. "If you die, what am I supposed to do?"

"Brother, I won't die. I've awakened the Two-Tomoe Sharingan. Go back to the Clan Grounds and recover. Wait for me at home," Uchiha Izuna said firmly.

"No need. The Hagoromo Clan doesn't have that many people. They can't cover the entire Naka River," Madara Uchiha said thoughtfully. "Besides, they're the ones who can't afford to waste time. He's searching so desperately because he knows he can't beat the Uchiha Clan's adults, while we're weak children. He just wants revenge before he dies..."

The Two-Tomoe Sharingan certainly sounded impressive, but Izuna was too young.

Even with those unexpected traps last night, Madara Uchiha had struggled to hold them off, let alone under the current circumstances.

Hagoromo Ryo had made his name long ago. Even if his reputation fell short of the Uchiha Clan's, he was no ordinary opponent.

Even charging in blindly required strength.

Before he knew it, Madara Uchiha had retraced his steps with Izuna. When he once again found himself surrounded by animals possessed of unusual intelligence, something suddenly occurred to him.