Definitely Going to Get Hit

Yanbai gave chase at a frantic pace and finally caught up with Hashirama Senju near the entrance to the clan grounds.

At the sight of Yanbai appearing out of nowhere, Hashirama Senju opened his mouth wide and nearly cried out in surprise.

Yanbai promptly stuffed his entire hand into Hashirama Senju's mouth, stifling his cry.

"Mmph, mmph, mmph..." Hashirama Senju's eyes rolled wildly at the hand crammed into his mouth.

Yanbai grinned wickedly. "Hehe, big brother, guess what? I just went to the clan's chicken coop, and I touched chicken poop with this hand!"

Hashirama Senju: "..."

Seeing Hashirama Senju's expression turn ugly, Yanbai immediately pulled his hand out.

Then...

"Bleurgh-"

Hashirama Senju crouched off to the side and threw up violently.

Yanbai crouched beside Hashirama Senju and wiped all the saliva off his hand onto him, pretending to pat his back.

Looking worried, Yanbai said, "Big brother, I washed my hands afterward. Surely you don't need to throw up this much?"

Hashirama Senju looked at Yanbai, his face sickly pale. "Could you not joke about that? That's just nasty."

"I wasn't joking." Yanbai was still smiling. "I really did touch it. I did it to drug our second brother, but I washed my hands afterward."

"Don't... say another word. Bleurgh-"

This time, Hashirama Senju fell flat on the ground and vomited.

"Don't worry, big brother. I'll heal you right away." Yanbai stood behind Hashirama Senju and immediately activated his recovery skill.

Hashirama Senju was utterly speechless. After Yanbai "healed" him, the nausea really did disappear. This miraculous healing technique was downright terrifying.

Hashirama Senju looked helplessly at Yanbai. "Give me a break, Yanbai."

Yanbai leaned close to Hashirama Senju's ear and said with a smile, "I found Madara."

Hashirama Senju's expression changed at those words.

But Yanbai quickly continued, "I think he's a good person. I really like him. Next time you go to the river, could you take me along, big brother?"

Hashirama Senju said gloomily, "So you were getting back at me just now for bad-mouthing you to Madara?"

Yanbai blinked. "Huh? You said something bad about me? Tell me what you said..."

Hashirama Senju: "..."

Suddenly...

Tobirama Senju's stern, low voice came from behind them.

"What are you two doing here?"

Hashirama Senju and Yanbai turned around together and looked toward the voice.

They saw Tobirama Senju leaning against a nearby tree trunk, exhaustion written all over his face. He said with difficulty, "Father wants us to come over."

Tobirama Senju badly wanted to give Yanbai a scolding.

But he saw Yanbai clinging to Hashirama Senju's arm, looking nervous.

Despite himself, Tobirama Senju recalled what Yanbai had said before leaving: "I'll come right back once I find our big brother."

Remembering that, Tobirama Senju forcibly swallowed his reprimand.

Under normal circumstances, Tobirama Senju might already have launched into a lecture.

But now, Tobirama Senju seemed too tired to say any more than necessary.

Tobirama Senju walked ahead. Hashirama Senju and Yanbai exchanged a glance, then followed him.

"I'm sorry, Tobirama. I just..." Yanbai gazed at Tobirama Senju's back.

Tobirama Senju looked back without a word, answering Yanbai with only a gentle nod.

The dose Yanbai had given Tobirama Senju earlier had been very mild. He had wanted to keep Tobirama Senju within the clan grounds, not kill him, so Tobirama Senju recovered fairly quickly.

As the sun sank lower, the three brothers' shadows grew longer.

Tobirama Senju crossed the sprawling estate, leading Hashirama Senju and Yanbai toward a vast forest.

This vast forest was part of the Senju Clan's territory.

The cries of the autumn cicadas around them were beautiful, yet they inevitably brought incurable illness to mind.

They followed a narrow, rough trail.

The clan cemetery gradually came into view, surrounded by gentle slopes.

Numerous crows could be seen among the surrounding trees, and a faint, acrid stench drifted over with the scent of grass and leaves.

That acrid stench undoubtedly came from the cemetery.

The number of dead was beyond imagination. Merely standing there, the slightest lapse in composure could make someone retch.

At that moment, a group of clansmen were hard at work digging pits and burying rows of newly made coffins.

Yanbai instinctively sensed that those coffins held the people who had gone out today and died.

The short, small coffins meant they contained the dismembered remains of children.

The sound of shovels digging into earth echoed ominously, filling Yanbai with dread.

With every gust of wind, the surrounding branches and leaves rubbed together, their rustling sounding like a burbling stream.

Yanbai remembered now. In the original plot, this scene had taken place during Senju Kawarama's burial.

Yanbai couldn't help looking toward Senju Kawarama and Itama Senju, who were already standing nearby and watching.

Yanbai also glanced at Hashirama Senju, who would have been hit in the original plot.

An uncanny premonition rose in his heart.

Yanbai tried hard to remember.

Given how the plot worked, whatever was supposed to happen would happen. If it didn't happen to the designated person, someone else was bound to take their place.

In other words, on this visit to watch the clansmen bury the dead...

Either Hashirama Senju would get hit, or Yanbai would.

Because Yanbai hadn't been there when the clansmen returned.

Butsuma Senju would definitely blame Yanbai.

And it was indeed because Yanbai had no love for his fellow clansmen and had given it all to Hashirama that some of the dying clansmen who might have survived had succumbed to their wounds.

So Yanbai thought he was more likely to be the one who got hit.

Of course, if Yanbai played it smart and simply fainted, Butsuma Senju certainly wouldn't hit him.

But then Hashirama Senju would have to bear the brunt of Butsuma Senju's wrath.

Yanbai weighed his options.

Forget it. Isn't it just a slap from Dad?

Would I be afraid of a slap?

Never mind one slap. Even if Butsuma Senju hit me with all Eighteen X-Subduing Palms right now, I wouldn't feel a thing.

Yanbai suddenly pulled Hashirama Senju to a stop.

Hashirama Senju, who had been looking solemn, stared at Yanbai in surprise.

Yanbai's eyes were red, and he hugged him without a word.

Hashirama Senju was baffled. After hugging him, Yanbai went over and hugged an equally bewildered Tobirama Senju.

Then, under the two brothers' watchful eyes, Yanbai walked toward Butsuma Senju's back as though marching bravely to his execution.

Butsuma Senju had been watching the clansmen handling the burials ahead of him. Hearing a sound carried on the wind, he suddenly turned around.

The moment he saw Yanbai's beautiful, childish face, Butsuma Senju raised his hand, just as expected.

All the brothers, including Itama and Kawarama, who had already been standing nearby, looked horrified and pained at that instant.

Yet the sound that filled their ears was not a sharp smack-

Instead, it was a whoosh- cutting through the air.

The upper half of Yanbai's small body tilted backward as though boneless. Silent and light as a feather, he dodged Butsuma Senju's slap.

Yanbai leaped two meters away from Butsuma Senju and landed atop a nearby patch of grass.

Butsuma Senju clearly hadn't expected his slap to miss.

Yanbai looked expressionlessly at this "great" father of his. "Ah~ I guess I really don't want to get hit after all."