In the dim depths of Ryūchi Cave, Madara's gaze was as cold as ice.
He stared fixedly at the White Snake Sage seated on her towering throne.
Although he did not know what the little white-scaled snake had been, he did not ask.
Anyone else faced with something like that might have roared hysterically or demanded answers.
But Madara was different. His disgust for the snakes before him merely deepened; beyond that, he had no intention of speaking.
If the snake before him were a friend, she would naturally explain everything, and he would have no need to ask.
The situation was clear now: this "snake" was no friend of Madara Uchiha.
Since she was not a friend, what difference would asking make?
The snake's answers might not be trustworthy. Rather than waste his energy gambling on her goodwill, he would be better off finding a way out and asking Jing Xiu for help.
That was what Madara truly thought.
Seeing that Indra's reincarnation still refused to communicate with her, the White Snake Sage lost interest as well. "Tagitsuhime, see him out!"
"But, my lady, he showed you such disrespect. Why not..."
Before Tagitsuhime could finish, the White Snake Sage interrupted her. "Tagitsuhime!"
Tagitsuhime glared bitterly at Madara, then bowed to the White Snake Sage with great reluctance. "As you command, my lady."
She turned back to Madara Uchiha, whose icy eyes were still fixed on the White Snake Sage. "Boy, consider yourself lucky. Come with me!"
Before turning away, Madara gave the White Snake Sage a long, searching look. Something in his eyes made the sage, who had lived for nearly a thousand years, frown.
"As expected of Indra's reincarnation. I haven't seen eyes like those in nearly a thousand years."
Tagitsuhime looked at the White Snake Sage, then at Madara. "Boy! Don't throw away a good thing."
"Our Ryūchi Cave is one of the Three Great Sage Lands. In the entire Shinobi World, only the Three Great Sage Lands possess methods for training in Senjutsu."
"If you give up this rare opportunity, you may miss your chance to learn Senjutsu altogether."
"Why couldn't your kunai cut through my neck? That was precisely because Senjutsu strengthened my body..."
All along the way, Tagitsuhime went on and on about the benefits of signing a contract with Ryūchi Cave.
But Madara remained expressionless and unmoved.
After leaving Ryūchi Cave, Madara surveyed his surroundings. "So this is White Dragon Ravine? White dragon... white snake..."
Lost in thought, he returned to the camp at Greenleaf Cliff.
At that moment, at the foot of Greenleaf Cliff, Uchiha Tajima and Butsuma Senju were locked in a fierce battle.
The armies on both sides had also clashed.
Blood pooled into rivers, and countless lives were lost on the battlefield below the cliff with every passing second.
Madara charged into the battlefield without hesitation.
Golden light enveloped him, and even his casual punches and kicks carried immense force.
He seized two tachi. Wrapped in golden light, the otherwise ordinary swords became divine weapons of unmatched sharpness and extraordinary durability.
He was like an asura on the battlefield. Wherever he went, corpses littered the ground and blood flowed in torrents.
Yet under the protection of the golden light, ordinary ninja tools and ninjutsu could not harm him at all.
His slaughter was efficient and pure.
Before long, the fighting around Madara drew Butsuma Senju's attention.
"Yunjian Senju, Hashirama Senju, you two stop Madara Uchiha!"
Uchiha Tajima naturally noticed the change on the battlefield as well. When he saw the golden light protecting Madara, he momentarily lost focus.
It was almost identical to the "power of the gods" spoken of in legends passed down through generations of Uchiha.
Butsuma Senju seized precisely that moment of distraction to issue his order against Madara Uchiha.
Hearing Butsuma Senju's command, Uchiha Tajima attacked even more fiercely. "Butsuma, it seems your son isn't as good as mine!"
Butsuma Senju said nothing. The moment he saw the devastation Madara had wrought, he had already accepted the truth.
At twelve years old, Hashirama Senju was certainly no match for Madara Uchiha, but there was still plenty of time.
Who could say that a twenty-two-year-old Hashirama Senju would not be a match for a twenty-two-year-old Madara Uchiha?
When Hashirama Senju faced Madara Uchiha again, his heart was far from calm.
"Madara, let's settle this!"
Madara glanced at Hashirama without engaging him, leaving him with only a matter-of-fact remark. "You haven't earned the right to die by my hand yet."
Golden light flashed. After several uses of the Body Flicker Technique, Madara charged into another part of the battlefield.
Helpless, Hashirama rushed after him again, trying to stop his slaughter.
As Hashirama's uncle, Yunjian also wanted to give him a chance to hone his skills, so he merely stood by to ensure his safety.
"Madara Uchiha, you coward! Don't you dare face me in a fair fight? Put the honor of the Senju and the Uchiha on the line!"
Hashirama Senju shouted his challenge loudly enough for nearly half the battlefield to hear.
Madara stopped his slaughter and turned around. "Hahahaha! Hahahaha!"
He laughed wildly, as though he had heard the funniest joke in the world.
Hashirama Senju stared intently at Madara. Earth-nature chakra slowly stirred within him, while water-nature chakra took shape under his determination to give this fight everything he had.
The next instant, Hashirama's expression turned strange. He could clearly feel the water- and earth-nature chakra within him beginning to merge, forming an entirely new kind of chakra.
This new chakra brimmed with vitality, giving him a feeling of vibrant life.
"This is..."
His eyes filled with delight, but he could not yet fully control this power.
Just as Hashirama Senju was rejoicing, a giant fist of golden light smashed toward his chest.
Hashirama Senju snapped back to his senses. Damn it! There's no time to dodge!
Yunjian Senju hurriedly intervened. "Water Release: Water Blade Technique!"
An enormous blade of water appeared in his hand and slashed straight into the giant golden fist.
Crack!
Under cover of the shattering sound, Hashirama Senju retreated into the distance, far from Madara's battle.
The reason was simple: as the water- and earth-nature chakra combined into a new kind of chakra,
his stamina drained rapidly, and his combat strength plummeted.
In his current state, he could not even run properly, much less fight a powerful shinobi like Madara.
"Damn it! Why did it have to happen now?"
As the Senju's young clan leader, he naturally knew what kind of change was taking place within him.
It was precisely because of this transformation that the Senju Clan was known as the "Senju of the Forest."
Madara Uchiha glanced at Hashirama Senju, who had retreated into the distance.
He neither mocked nor looked down on him. Deep within, he had a vague feeling that one day, he would battle the boy before him-a battle that would decide not only the victor, but who lived and who died.
Butsuma Senju knew his son very well. He was certainly not someone who shied away from battle.
If he was now avoiding the fight, it could only mean he was no longer able to continue.
He broke away and fell back, issuing an order as he did. "Jōnin and elite jōnin, stay behind to cover the retreat! Senju Clan, withdraw!"
Looking at the "human wall of jōnin" standing beneath Greenleaf Cliff, Uchiha Tajima did not order a pursuit.
"Uchiha, return to camp!"
Standing atop Greenleaf Cliff with his arms folded, Madara silently watched the boy with the bowl cut depart, murmuring inwardly, Hashirama Senju, is it? I'll remember you.
A chunin appeared behind Madara with the Body Flicker Technique. "Lord Madara, the clan leader summons you!"