"You see? Even Tobirama can't beat me~"
Sensing things weren't going well, Hashirama quickly lifted the stunned Tobirama into the air and smiled brightly at the Senju clan members who had appeared.
"Hah~ That's right, I was just sparring in taijutsu with my dear brother."
While dangling in midair, Tobirama kept his expression blank, imitating the calm demeanor he was supposed to have.
"What are you doing here?" he asked flatly.
"We heard loud explosions nearby and came to investigate," the tall, cold-faced woman reported respectfully.
"Haha! No problem at all. Tobirama and I were just wrestling. Got a little carried away is all. No need to search further."
Hashirama waved his hand nonchalantly at the group.
"Ah… if that's the case, then we'll take our leave."
The woman's eyes glinted with suspicion. She subtly used sensory perception as she turned away—and when the results came back normal, her face relaxed. She waved for her team to depart.
"Captain Momoka, didn't the clan head and second-in-command seem… off?"
One of the Senju women leaned closer and whispered.
"Silence. Don't speculate about the leaders."
Though she scolded them, the icy captain Momoka couldn't help but feel a trace of doubt herself.
The chakra signatures were legit. So it wasn't an impersonation. But…
"Still, why were the two of them red-faced and half-naked, tangled up in the woods?"
While Momoka pondered, another clan member whispered excitedly.
"Yeah, yeah! Lord Tobirama's shirt was totally gone. The 'battle' must've been intense~"
Another girl, eyes sparkling pink with imagination, crossed her arms and said in an odd tone:
"No wonder the clan head agreed to let the Uzumaki girl break off the engagement. So that's how it is…"
"Hehehe…"
A wave of strange giggles spread through the team.
"Sigh… You lot…"
Momoka shook her head in exhaustion. That scene just now must stay secret. If it gets out, it'll cause a huge scandal in the clan.
"Listen carefully. No matter who asks, we saw nothing. Met no one. Understood?"
She addressed her chattering subordinates sternly.
"Yes, captain!"
"Got it, got it!"
They all cheerfully agreed, swearing to their ancestors they wouldn't breathe a word.
Just as Momoka breathed a sigh of relief and turned to leap away, two familiar figures emerged from the forest ahead.
"Uh… Clan head?! Second-in-command?!"
Momoka's heart skipped a beat. Were they here to silence us?
"Ah! Isn't that Momoka? Long time no see!"
Hashirama, now in red armor, spotted the squad lingering and waved happily.
"Huh?"
Momoka and her team were dumbfounded. Didn't we just see them?
And how did they change clothes so fast?
"Did something happen out here?"
Ever-sharp Tobirama noticed the tension in the group and narrowed his crimson eyes. His tone grew cold, carrying the weight of interrogation.
Momoka's heart froze. Crap—he's testing us! Trying to see if we'll spill! If we mention what we saw earlier, we might not live to see the next sunrise!
"No, no, no. We were patrolling the area up ahead. Found nothing unusual."
She quickly denied it, signaling her squad behind her.
"Yeah, yeah! Nothing to report!"
"This place is a dump. We didn't even see a rabbit!"
"Then carry on."
Tobirama still found their stares odd, but they were clanmates, so he let it slide.
"Yes!"
Relieved, Momoka led her squad away at full speed, not daring to look back.
"How strange. Momoka's never been that jumpy before…"
Hashirama tilted his head, puzzled.
"Big brother, forget the small stuff. Our top priority now is dealing with the Uchiha."
Tobirama cut in seriously, then suddenly scowled.
"That Uzumaki Mito dares to break off the engagement? Can't Uzumaki Ashina control his precious daughter?"
"Uh… I don't want to get married~"
"No! You must! Otherwise your weird thoughts will never stop!"
Tobirama growled.
"Huh? What weird thoughts?"
Hashirama looked confused as Tobirama muttered darkly.
"Fine! Since the Uzumaki canceled, we'll just pick someone suitable from the clan!"
Tobirama ignored him, recalling Momoka's appearance from earlier. His eyes lit up, and he clapped his hands in excitement.
"…HUH???"
Meanwhile…
"What do we do? What do we do?!"
Having barely talked their way past Momoka, the two clones were now panicking like ants on a hot griddle. Tobirama no longer had the bold spirit he'd shown earlier and now just wanted to slap himself for jinxing it all.
"Hah~ No choice then. Only one way left…"
Hashirama raised his head, his eyes solemn.
"What is it? Got a solution?"
Tobirama paused, seeing his brother's confident look.
"Hehe… Let the main body deal with this mess~"
Hashirama grinned mischievously and canceled his transformation, vanishing in a puff of smoke.
"Tch!"
Tobirama clicked his tongue at the vanishing smoke.
So even this thick-browed guy betrayed the revolution…
Still, it gave him clarity. Let the real me clean up this mess. I'm just a clone. Why worry?
With that thought, Tobirama also dispelled himself, leaving only smoke behind.
Meanwhile, back at the Uchiha medical ward…
"Please save big cousin!"
Izuna clung desperately to Uchiha Mio, who hadn't appeared in the story for a while, crying his heart out.
"Young master, let go. I can't examine him like this."
The thin, cold-eyed Mio subtly pulled away from the tear-soaked Izuna.
Ugh… Please don't get snot on my new robes.
"Izuna, let go," Madara urged. In the whole clan, no one had higher medical skill than Mio. They couldn't afford to waste time.
"Uchiha Gin, huh… Been a long time."
Standing beside Gin's bed, the fully equipped Mio's eyes flickered. Over the years, the hatred he'd felt for Gin had mostly faded.
"Technically, you should still call me 'second grand-uncle'…"
Getting old made people chatty.
Usually quiet, Mio began rambling as he checked instruments—confusing the pretending-to-be-unconscious Gin.
Wait… wasn't everyone from that event twelve years ago implanted with subconscious hatred toward me? Did Uncle's Kotoamatsukami expire?
As an outsider, Gin held no grudges over the past. If anything, he was grateful for it. It made his grind easier—he'd secretly been enjoying the benefits.
"Huh… Why is there such a high concentration of life force?"
Mio murmured as he studied the readings. His withered face wrinkled like old bark.
He then scanned Gin's organs and found them exceptionally robust. Then came the cellular analysis.
"What?! Such high cellular activity?!"
His eyes nearly bulged. He'd dissected thousands—tens of thousands, even—but he'd never seen such active cells.
Still bewildered, he left the room and found Tajima and the others.
Without waiting, he asked:
"Clan head, what happened to Gin before he passed out?"
"…"
Silence.
"Did he eat something strange? Or use a special technique?"
Mio pressed on. The only explanations were some miraculous substance or a forbidden jutsu.
Tajima glanced at Madara and Izuna. After all, Gin was already playing dead when he'd arrived.
"Let's talk privately."
Noticing his father's gaze, Madara stepped up and led Mio away.
"Before cousin passed out, he… wasn't unconscious."
Mio frowned.
"I see. So did he eat—"
"He actually died for a short while," Madara interrupted bluntly.
"…What?"
Mio's Sharingan nearly popped out.
He'd assumed it was some herb or jutsu, but resurrection?
"Young master, please don't insult my profession with that kind of nonsense!"
Mio was deeply offended.
Izanagi: Am I a joke to you?
"I, Uchiha Mio, am a man of science. I only believe in science!"
(End of Chapter)
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