"Izuna, are you sure about this?"
The moment Madara heard Izuna volunteer to lead the counterattack, his heart clenched with worry. This mission was practically a death sentence.
"Relax, brother. Don't forget the new power we've obtained."
Izuna cast him a meaningful glance.
The other Uchiha around them exchanged puzzled looks, but they didn't take Izuna's words about this so-called "new power" too seriously. What they were more worried about now was the relentless pursuit of the Senju.
"Since Young Clan Leader Izuna has volunteered, then we must assign him an elite unit for support," one of the Uchiha jonin proposed.
It was only logical. If even Izuna himself was stepping onto the battlefield, then he couldn't be sent out with the old, the weak, and the wounded. He had to be given the clan's strongest warriors. Otherwise, never mind Izuna's objections—Madara himself would cut down anyone who dared suggest it.
After a heated discussion, the final decision was made: Izuna would command two units, a total of around one hundred and forty men, composed mainly of jonin with a smaller number of chunin, to act as the rearguard. Madara, along with the other senior leaders, would focus on evacuating the wounded and retreating forces back to the Uchiha stronghold.
BOOOOM!
The meeting had barely concluded when a deafening explosion shook the air outside. Izuna and his group rushed out of the command tent, and Madara frowned, barking:
"What happened?"
An Uchiha scout appeared before him in a blur of movement, dropping to one knee.
"Report! Senju Xiongjian is leading nearly five hundred men to assault the entrance of Yunshan Valley!"
Senju Xiongjian—an elite of the Senju clan, rivaling Senju Butsuma himself in strength. He was the uncle of Senju Hashirama and Senju Tobirama, and served as the Senju deputy clan leader, much like Uchiha Yakuya served under Uchiha Tajima.
With Butsuma dead, Xiongjian now stood as the Senju's most powerful warrior. At least for now—since Hashirama and Tobirama had yet to reach their legendary peak. In this era, his presence was even more intimidating than Hashirama's.
And five hundred men at his back? This wasn't a pursuit. It was annihilation.
"Izuna, your men may not be enough. Let me go instead—" Madara's hidden older-brother instincts surged. He was not yet the fearsome Uchiha Madara who would one day dominate the shinobi world, and the thought of facing such a formidable opponent still gave him pause.
"Senju Xiongjian himself?" Izuna frowned deeply. That wasn't what he expected at all.
He had assumed the attack would be led by Senju Tobirama—after all, surprise assaults were Tobirama's specialty.
Then suddenly, Izuna's expression sharpened. He turned to Madara.
"Brother, what's the situation at the Taihang Mountain Pass?"
That narrow road was the only viable route back to Uchiha territory.
"It's being guarded by Uchiha Tatakai and the rearguard forces," Madara replied.
Izuna fell silent for a moment, thinking quickly. Then he said, "Brother, change of plans. I'll head for the Taihang Pass immediately. You take your men and hold Senju Xiongjian for as long as you can."
"Izuna, what's going on?" Madara wasn't the only one confused—every Uchiha present wore the same bewildered look.
This didn't make sense. Wasn't the plan to retreat? Why did Izuna suddenly want to attack instead?
"There's no time to explain. Just remember this: the goal is to stall them, not to win. And one more thing—under no circumstances should you use those eyes unless absolutely necessary. Never forget that."
Without waiting for a reply, Izuna vanished in a blur of speed, racing toward the rear mountain road, disappearing from sight in an instant.
"Clan Leader Madara, what should we do?" a middle-aged jonin asked nervously.
Madara's answer was cold and firm: "Do as Izuna said. Anyone still standing—follow me to stop Senju Xiongjian!"
"This…"
Some still hesitated. Izuna's sudden change of plans felt strange, even suspicious. What exactly was he aiming for?
Madara's eyes narrowed, the Mangekyō Sharingan spinning ominously. His glare froze the doubters in place.
"Do as I command!"
Ordinarily, traveling from the front lines to the Taihang Mountains would take even an elite jonin more than two days of nonstop running.
But Izuna's body had undergone strengthening through the system just the night before. His stamina and endurance had leapt to an entirely new level. By pushing himself to the limit, he reached the pass that very same night.
As he approached, the sounds of fierce battle reached his ears.
Izuna narrowed his eyes. Just as I suspected.
At the Uchiha encampment at Taihang Pass, only thirty or so Uchiha were stationed. The location was considered secure—too close to the Uchiha homeland for anyone to dare an attack. For over a century, no enemy had ever struck at this doorstep.
Not even the Senju.
And likewise, the Uchiha had never managed to strike so deep into Senju territory either.
Now, in the middle of the camp, Uchiha Tatakai—an old veteran well past fifty, but still a jonin at the peak of his power—stood locked in a deadly standoff with a man clad in deep-blue armor.
Around them lay the bodies of Uchiha shinobi. Some groaned in pain from grievous wounds, others had already fallen silent forever.
And the man facing Tatakai was none other than Senju Tobirama—the future Second Hokage of Konohagakure.
Tatakai's breath came in ragged gasps, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.
"Hah… hah… I was careless. To think you could slip past so many of our sensory-nin and make it all the way here…"
Tobirama's voice was cold as ice.
"Arrogance will be the downfall of the Uchiha. With the technique I've newly perfected, I'll sever your clan's last escape route."
The moment the words left his lips, Tobirama vanished. He reappeared instantly at a kunai embedded in the ground behind Tatakai, its blade engraved with strange symbols. Gripping the weapon, he lunged for Tatakai's back.
Flying Thunder God: Killing Slash!
"Fire Release: Dragon Flame Song Jutsu!"
At the last instant, four blazing dragon heads roared down from above, streaking toward Tobirama.
Caught off guard, Tobirama twisted sharply, evading just in time. The ground where he had stood moments ago was incinerated into a blackened wasteland.