Masahiko had been talking for quite some time, but a glance at his opponent confirmed his suspicion: his words were bouncing off Madara like peas off a brick wall. An expression of impenetrable arrogance was frozen on the Uchiha's face. It seemed he considered himself the protagonist of an epic saga, viewing everyone else as mere annoyances. Even Masahiko's seasoned composure began to crack under that haughty gaze.
"Tobirama, I'll take Madara! You handle the rest! I'm going to show this brat the difference in combat experience!" the old man shouted.
In that moment, he mentally channeled Granny Chiyo, feeling an incredible surge of confidence.
"Second Grandfather, wait..." Tobirama tried to stop him, but it was too late.
Clutching a shuriken in each hand, Masahiko had already surged toward the leader of the enemy clan. Tobirama had no choice but to issue a command to the Senju elite standing behind him: "Hold off the others! I'm going to assist him!"
Masahiko, wanting to draw maximum attention, loudly announced his moves: "Feast your eyes on my shuriken! Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique! Transformation!"
Two simple throwing projectiles transformed in mid-flight into dozens of massive Fūma Shuriken. With a terrifying hum, slicing through the air, they streaked directly toward the seven adversaries.
"What is this sorcery?! Everyone, dodge!" Izuna commanded, instantly assessing the scale of the threat.
The Uchiha scattered like lightning, dispersing across the clearing. Only Madara stood his ground. With barely perceptible movements of his body, he let the majority of the lethal steel fly past him, casually catching the final shuriken in his hand. His face bore a look of undisguised contempt.
"And this is what you call a difference in combat experience?" he asked coldly.
Masahiko merely smirked. "I knew you'd try to show off. Shuriken Replacement Technique!"
In an instant, Masahiko and the shuriken caught by Madara swapped places. The Uchiha, caught completely off guard, took a crushing kick squarely to the chest. The force of the inertia was such that Madara was sent flying back several dozen meters. His body plowed a furrow through the earth, kicking up a thick cloud of dust that obscured the aftermath of the attack.
"Brother! You damned old man..." Izuna screamed in rage and lunged at Masahiko, but his path was immediately blocked by Tobirama.
A fierce battle erupted between them. The remaining members of the Senju clan skillfully encircled the five other Uchiha. Three Elite Jōnin took the brunt of the assault, while the others supported them from the flanks, forcing the enemies to balance on the razor's edge between life and death.
"Damn you!"
The dust settled, revealing Madara's figure. His clothes were stained with dirt, and a thin trickle of blood ran from the corner of his mouth. He hadn't sustained serious injuries, but his pride had suffered far more damage than his body. The Great Madara had been knocked back by some old man in the very first clash! It was an unthinkable humiliation. Flying into a rage, he immediately wove hand seals: "Fire Release: Dragon Flame Release Song Technique!"
Several fire-shaped dragon heads rushed toward the target, scorching everything in their path.
"Earth Release: Hiding Like a Mole Technique!" Masahiko reacted quickly, choosing to dive underground rather than face the flames head-on.
When the roar of the fire subsided, the old man popped back up to the surface in a safe spot.
"See? Real combat experience matters," Masahiko said didactically, shaking his head like a teacher scolding a negligent student. "You should have used the Great Dragon Fire Technique, not the amplified version of the Dragon Flame Song. That technique is designed for multiple enemies, and you wasted all that chakra on just me."
"Shut up!" Madara finally lost his temper.
The three tomoe in his eyes spun wildly, merging into a complex pattern resembling the blades of a windmill. "Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
A stream of flame of terrifying proportions erupted from Madara's mouth. Even standing dozens of meters away, Masahiko felt a heat that seemed capable of igniting the air itself.
Just as I thought, is one of Madara's Mangekyō abilities amplifying the power of Ninjutsu? The fan theories didn't lie, the thought flashed through the old man's mind, but his hands moved automatically. "Wind Release: Vacuum Wave!"
A sharp blade of compressed air sliced the giant fireball in two, creating a safe corridor.
It's a good thing I possess Wind Release. Fire of that intensity would have punched through my Earth Wall instantly... Still, fighting the current Madara is a bit too tough for me, Masahiko mentally admitted.
He didn't weave signs again, deciding to resort to negotiation tactics: "Madara, do you really want to continue? Your people won't last long."
The Uchiha froze for a moment and looked around. The situation was not in their favor. Tobirama had locked Izuna in a stalemate, giving him no chance to seize the initiative. The five other clansmen, wounded and cornered, were on the brink of defeat. And this old man was too slippery and experienced to be dealt with quickly. Furthermore, the princess of the Uzumaki clan sat in that sedan chair. If the rumors of her power were true, her intervention would spell doom for the Uchiha squad.
"Izuna, get them out of here! I'll cover you!" Madara commanded loudly.
Izuna hesitated for a second, unwilling to leave his brother, but quickly assessed the situation and wove seals: "Fire Release: Great Fire Annihilation!"
Creating a massive wall of fire, he broke the distance with Tobirama and gave the surrounded clansmen a chance to break out of the encirclement. Regrouping, the Uchiha immediately vanished into the thick of the forest.
Tobirama wanted to give chase, but Madara, using the Body Flicker Technique, appeared in his path.
"You are too arrogant, Madara. Do you think you can stop us alone? Even my brother couldn't do that! Today, we end you!" Tobirama shouted, preparing to attack.
"End me? I prepared this technique as a surprise for Hashirama, but so be it—I will show it to you. Susanoo!"
The air around him thickened, and a spectral, pale-blue skeleton enveloped the warrior, radiating overwhelming power.
Ten minutes later, Masahiko, supporting an exhausted Tobirama, watched with frustration as Madara retreated into the distance. The old man, a master of only basic elements and shurikenjutsu, had been powerless against the absolute defense of Susanoo. Of the entire group, only Tobirama and three Elite Jōnin had managed to inflict any damage on the Uchiha, but the price was high: the Jōnin lay unconscious, and Tobirama looked as if every ounce of vitality had been drained from him. The other fighters had also sustained injuries. Even realizing that Madara was exhausted, there was no one left to pursue him.
Tobirama, breathing heavily, pulled away from Masahiko's support and went to check on the three fallen fighters. To his relief, they were alive—simply knocked out by heavy blows.
"I didn't expect Madara to become so much stronger in just two months. It is fortunate he ordered Izuna to retreat early, otherwise, we might have lost people," the future Hokage said with a sigh.
"Yes, we were definitely lucky. If Izuna had stayed, our bride Mito would have had to intervene personally. Then I would have been too ashamed to look my nephew in the eye," Masahiko replied.
However, knowing the original plot, he thought differently: It seems Madara really did just want to congratulate Hashirama on the wedding, albeit in his own way. Why did we have to start this fight?
If Masahiko knew for a fact that Madara had decided to attack specifically because of his loose tongue and provocations, would his old face have turned red with shame? Unlikely.
At that moment, Mito stepped out of the sedan chair. "I apologize. I could not intervene in the battle, lest I put the procession at risk," she said calmly. "Place the unconscious men in the sedan chair; we need to hurry. If we are attacked again, it will be difficult to defend ourselves in this state."
"That..." Tobirama paused, weighing the suggestion, but eventually nodded. "Reasonable. Everyone, patch yourselves up; we move out immediately!"
The situation was comical: the bride, Mito, was running alongside a squad of shinobi, while three burly, sweaty men lounged in the luxurious wedding sedan. Imagining the scene, Masahiko couldn't hold back and laughed out loud. The thought of Hashirama joyfully opening the curtain only to see battered Jōnin instead of his beautiful bride was just too good.
Tobirama glanced sideways at Masahiko, but curiosity overpowered his annoyance: "Second Grandfather, the replacement technique you used with the shuriken... Its principle is very similar to a jutsu I am currently developing. Could you teach it to me for reference?"
Flying Thunder God? So that's how the legend began, Masahiko realized. "No problem. But you must promise me one thing."
"What is it? Speak."
"At your brother's wedding, you have to do something for me..."
***
"Um... that... are you serious?"
As they talked, the lands of the Senju clan appeared in the distance.