Hashirama Senju's heart was wracked with anguish. Every ninja who had first charged alongside him had been one of his closest companions.
How could those seventy-seven fallen be called his subordinates?
They were the playmates he had grown up with.
The teachers who had taught him his ninja skills, move by move.
The girl who secretly brought him lunch every day.
And the instructor who had been strictest with him, making sure he read and studied every single day.
"Hashirama, hold your head high. Whatever you lost on the battlefield, you must reclaim on the battlefield."
"If you've lost your warrior's heart, then keep fighting on the battlefield until you find the heart that was always meant to be yours."
Unlike the somber Senju camp, the atmosphere in the Uchiha camp was somewhat relaxed.
"Young clan leader, today's Explosive Tag formation was truly ingenious!"
"Not only did it evade the Senju sensory ninjas' detection, it even accounted for every way Hashirama Senju might react to an unexpected crisis."
"If those Explosive Tags had all detonated at once, they probably wouldn't have inflicted so many casualties."
The Fourth Uchiha Elder's face was filled with admiration.
He already belonged to the clan leader's faction, and after the defeat at Ueno, his admiration for Madara had only deepened.
Now that Madara had won the opening battle, he naturally had no shortage of praise.
"Hmph! Today was merely an appetizer. The Senju's main force hasn't even appeared yet."
"Now that the Explosive Tag formation has been used, we won't be able to use it again tomorrow."
"What battle plan do you have for tomorrow, young clan leader?"
Madara looked calmly at the Second Elder. "Tomorrow's battle will require your full cooperation, Second Elder."
After drawing up the battle plan for the following day, Madara did not remain in the main camp to rest. Instead, he began making patrol rounds.
"It's a shame Jing Xiu and Izuna didn't come with me. With Jing Xiu's help, this battle would probably be much easier."
Madara felt a little regretful, but he understood Jing Xiu's reasoning.
To outsiders, Jing Xiu was still just a five-year-old child. Who would willingly let a five-year-old order them around?
If not for the deep trust between Madara, Jing Xiu, and Izuna, who could have imagined that a mere five-year-old child possessed such a firm grasp of the war in the Land of Fire?
"Madara, as the commander of an army, you don't have to eat and sleep alongside the lowest-ranking Genin, but at the very least, you need to make sure the thousands of ninjas under your command recognize you."
"Also, the Senju may appear honorable and aboveboard, but basking in the sunlight comes at a price."
"You must guard the camp carefully and avoid falling victim to the Senju's underhanded schemes."
Whenever he recalled these words, Madara marveled at Jing Xiu's wisdom.
And events did indeed unfold as Jing Xiu had predicted.
On that moonless night, the Uchiha camp at Greenleaf Cliff blazed with lights.
Even so, darkness still crawled through the camp like an ugly centipede.
Butsuma Senju and his assassination squad of three elite Jōnin had already melted into the night and infiltrated the Uchiha camp.
In Butsuma Senju's view, victory in the opening battle would surely make the proud Uchiha underestimate the Senju and let down their guard.
That made tonight the best opportunity for a successful night raid for some time to come.
Unfortunately, things did not go as he wished.
Anyone else on patrol might have failed to discover Butsuma Senju's group, but Madara, keeping Jing Xiu's warnings firmly in mind, had chosen to patrol personally during the latter half of the night.
Although his Three-Tomoe had only recently evolved, thanks to his talent and the tempering of his recent battles,
Madara's ocular power was already on par with that of an ordinary elite Uchiha.
By chance, Madara caught sight of the rear of Butsuma Senju's group.
What puzzled Madara was that after infiltrating the Uchiha camp, the four men headed straight into the depths of Greenleaf Cliff.
It was as though they merely intended to cross Greenleaf Cliff to carry out some mission.
He did not raise the alarm. Instead, he secretly sent word to all three elite ninjas currently in the camp.
They were the Second Uchiha Elder, the Fourth Elder, and the Hidden Ninja Uchiha Tajima had assigned to protect Madara.
After picking up Madara's trail, the three also chose to approach covertly.
Unfortunately, Madara Uchiha was still too young to maintain his initial advantage.
"Uchiha brat, you're too young!"
"This is the burial ground we four old men chose for you. Do you like it?"
The speaker was Butsuma Senju. By then, the four men had surrounded Madara somewhere in the dense forest.
Butsuma Senju looked at Madara with a complicated expression.
From his perspective, Madara already surpassed his eldest son in every respect.
A ruthless resolve took hold of him. I must kill him tonight. Once he's gone, the Senju will remain the greatest clan in the shinobi world for the next twenty years.
Hashirama will reign supreme over the shinobi world as well. Perhaps the Senju might even be able to unite it!
With that thought, he wasted no more words. He drew the sword at his waist, and the earth beneath his feet seemed entirely at his command. A light step carried him several meters forward.
Had Jing Xiu witnessed this, he would surely have cried out, "Shrinking the earth!"
Unfortunately, Jing Xiu was not there, and Madara had no leisure to appraise his formidable enemy.
He drew his Tachi from the Devouring Pouch bead and met Butsuma Senju's fierce slash.
When the other three Senju saw Butsuma attack, confusion flashed in their eyes.
But their confusion soon gave way to understanding. Only one of the three stayed behind to prevent Madara Uchiha from escaping.
The other two turned back toward the Uchiha camp.
The Second Uchiha Elder and his companions happened to run straight into the two returning Senju.
Seeing the Senju but no sign of Madara, the Hidden Ninja grew frantic.
He abandoned the Second and Fourth Uchiha Elders, skirted the two Senju, and raced in the direction they had come from.
The Second Uchiha Elder felt frustrated. With their three-man advantage, they could have quickly dispatched these two elite Senju Jōnin, then proceeded together.
Outnumber the enemy and overwhelm the weak with superior strength.
That was how a battle ought to be fought.
Those who fought alone against many and became so-called "heroes" merely did so because exceptional circumstances left them no other choice.
The glory of a so-called "hero" was nothing more than praise, an outward expression of reputation.
Reputation was merely the approval of others.
That approval and reputation could become shackles that bound a person.
Whether in the world of extraordinary beings or the shinobi world, those shackles had imprisoned countless great figures throughout history.
Unfortunately, at that very moment, Madara Uchiha had no choice but to be trapped by those shackles.
No matter how astonishingly gifted the future Madara Uchiha would be.
No matter how the Asura of the Ninja World would stand beneath only one man and tower over the entire shinobi world.
And no matter how Six Paths Madara would return to life and single-handedly fight the entire shinobi world in the Fourth Shinobi World War.
At that moment, Madara was simply far too weak in Butsuma Senju's eyes.
By the time the elite Hidden Ninja found Madara, he was already lying in a pool of blood, barely clinging to life.
"Young clan leader!"
The Hidden Ninja cried out in alarm, but Butsuma Senju merely flicked the blood from his blade.
"You're the Hidden Ninja assigned to Madara Uchiha, aren't you? Your failure has destroyed the Uchiha's hope for the future."
"That hope might well have been the brightest light your Uchiha have seen in a century."
"If you'd arrived a little sooner, perhaps you could have fought to the death to cover his escape."
"He truly was exceptional!"