On the wasteland outside the Hyuga Clan Compound.
The Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan in Madara's eyes spun rapidly.
Blue-violet chakra surged upward from his body, whipping up the wind across the wasteland.
First came a towering torso, then two immensely thick legs grew out and planted themselves heavily on the wasteland.
The Susanoo stood upright, a pair of enormous wings suddenly spreading from its back as a giant chakra blade appeared in its hand.
Anyone standing below had to tilt their head all the way back to see its face. The small mountain that had just been leveled with one slash looked like a dirt mound beside it.
Shinichi stood at the feet of this behemoth, looking up at the Perfect Susanoo without taking a single step back.
Madara said nothing. The Perfect Susanoo raised its enormous blade, aimed at Shinichi beneath its feet, and slashed down.
The gale stirred up by the descending blade swept the loose stones on the wasteland into the air.
Just then, a thunderous roar came from the distance.
"Madara! Stop!"
Another shout immediately followed.
"Wood Release: Deep Forest Emergence!"
The entire wasteland suddenly shook violently.
Hundreds upon thousands of immensely thick trees burst from the earth, growing wildly one after another. In the blink of an eye, they rose between Shinichi and the Perfect Susanoo, forming a forest that blotted out the sky.
The trunks stretched outward as they grew, tightly binding the Perfect Susanoo's legs before climbing up its armor and forcibly pinning the arm holding its blade.
The giant chakra blade stopped in midair, unable to descend any farther.
The next moment, a burly figure broke through the canopy and landed firmly atop the tallest tree.
It was Hashirama Senju, who had arrived.
Standing atop the enormous tree, Hashirama shouted at the giant warrior at the top of his lungs.
"Madara! Stop!"
Inside the Perfect Susanoo, Madara remained expressionless, his gaze as cold as ice.
"Hashirama, stay out of this."
"This is between me and this Hyuga kid."
Hashirama did not smile. He simply stood atop the tree, staring at Madara.
The two stared at each other across the entire forest.
After a long while, Madara gave a cold snort.
The Perfect Susanoo, a warrior taller than a mountain, dissolved into vast swaths of blue-violet chakra that gradually dispersed in midair.
Madara drifted back to the ground.
With the Perfect Susanoo gone, the dozens of enormous trees wrapped around it were suddenly left clutching nothing and swayed a few times in midair.
Hashirama leaped down from the treetop, stirring up a cloud of dust as he landed.
He turned his head and glanced toward the Hyuga Clan Compound.
The row of houses along the edge of the compound had been burned down by Fire Release, and smoke still rose from among the blackened, broken walls.
A group of injured Hyuga clanspeople stood on the rise. Some had their arms in slings, and others were being supported, all watching them coldly.
Hashirama fell silent.
Madara belonged to Konoha, and Hashirama had invited him to build the village together.
Now Madara had come and burned down the Hyuga's houses and injured so many of their people. No matter what, Konoha would have to answer for this.
Hashirama strode up to Shinichi and bowed his head deeply to him right in front of Madara.
"Clan Head Hyuga, Madara acted rashly in this matter."
"On behalf of Konoha, I apologize for the injuries and damage caused to your clan."
Madara turned his head aside without a word.
Shinichi glanced at Madara, then turned to face Hashirama and first acknowledged the Hyuga's fault.
"The Hyuga were also at fault in this matter."
"We did agree to join Konoha at first, then went back on our word."
Then Shinichi changed tack, lifting his eyes to Hashirama.
"Does Konoha really intend to wipe out the Hyuga Clan?"
"Is there truly no room for the Hyuga Clan in Konoha?"
Hashirama grew anxious at that and repeatedly waved his hands.
"Konoha has never been like that!"
"I founded Konoha so children would no longer have to go to war, not to swallow anyone up."
"Madara came here on his own this time. I knew nothing about it beforehand!"
Shinichi nodded.
"All right. Then the Hyuga won't put you in a difficult position either, Lord Hokage."
"The Hyuga Clan will leave the Land of Fire, as Konoha wishes."
"As it happens, the Land of Rice Fields has invited us over. The Hyuga will go there and build our own shinobi village."
"Hyuga Village."
Hashirama froze. His mouth opened, but for a long time, he could not say a word.
When he came to his senses and saw Shinichi's expressionless face, he knew the Hyuga were determined to leave.
There was no hope left of inviting the Hyuga to join Konoha.
His shoulders slumped at once. He silently walked aside and squatted down, his head hanging, his whole body as wilted as a piece of dried bark.
Madara shot him a sidelong glance, finding him embarrassing.
Shinichi walked up to Hashirama and looked down at the First Hokage squatting on the ground.
"Lord Hokage."
"The site of Hyuga Village in the Land of Rice Fields is still nothing but empty mountains."
"When our clan's three thousand-odd people go there, we won't even have a house to shelter in."
Shinichi paused.
"I've heard that you built quite a few of Konoha's houses with Wood Release, Lord Hokage."
"If you truly feel bad about this, Lord Hokage, could we ask you to use your Wood Release to help the Hyuga build our village?"
At that, Hashirama's drooping head shot up.
He sprang straight up from the ground, all the dejection vanishing from his face as he grinned again.
"All right!"
Hashirama slapped his thigh, his voice loud enough to carry across the entire wasteland.
"I'll go to the Land of Rice Fields myself as soon as I return to Konoha and make arrangements for the village's affairs!"
"I'll be sure to build you Hyuga one sturdy, spacious house after another!"
Up on the rise, Shinichi's eldest uncle had been watching them with his Byakugan active. When he heard Hashirama's words clearly, he froze on the spot.
Konoha's Hokage, Hashirama Senju, the man known as the God of Shinobi, was going to the Land of Rice Fields himself to build houses for the Hyuga Clan?
He had lived more than half his life and had never dreamed he would see such a day.
Scarface, who was supporting him, heard it too and grinned for a long while. "The Hokage's building houses for us Hyuga. Who would believe it if we told them!"
Off to the side, Madara coldly watched Hashirama jumping and smiling, his expression dark enough to drip water.
He thought Hashirama was softhearted toward everyone, so softhearted he was like a fool.
Madara snorted coldly, no longer bothering to spare Hashirama another glance, and turned to walk away.
After a few steps, he stopped without looking back.
"Shinichi Hyuga, the next time we meet, Hashirama won't be able to save you!"
With that, Madara's figure vanished from the wasteland.
Hashirama left soon afterward as well, saying he had to hurry back to Konoha and would set off for the Land of Rice Fields as soon as he had made arrangements for the village's affairs.
Shinichi turned and returned to the Hyuga Clan Compound. Standing before his clanspeople, he said only one thing.
"Let's go. To the Land of Rice Fields."
The Hyuga Clan's three thousand-odd people left the compound, some pushing carts and others carrying bundles. The injured limped along with others supporting them, and the entire procession followed the main road north.
A few elders reached the entrance to the compound and looked back at the row of burned-out houses before turning around again and catching up with the procession.
His eldest uncle and Scarface followed behind Shinichi, one on either side, while Shinichi walked at the very front.
The pale moon still hung there in the sky.
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