Inside the Uchiha clan leader's mansion...
The first rays of morning sunlight shone upon a muscular figure moving rhythmically in the courtyard, illuminating beads of sweat glistening on his body.
As he exhaled deeply, Madara Uchiha concluded his morning training.
"Why hasn't that brat Izuna gotten up yet?"
Madara slowly opened his eyes and looked around the empty training ground with a slight frown.
He had clearly instructed Izuna yesterday to join him for early morning practice, but now the sun was up, and Izuna was nowhere to be seen.
Just then, Izuna finally arrived, yawning.
"Izuna, you—" Madara started to scold him, but stopped when he noticed the dark circles under Izuna's eyes.
"Big brother, sorry. I had to work late last night," Izuna apologized, explaining, "There was a loud explosion reported near the clan grounds, and I led a team to investigate."
"An explosion? Could it have been an enemy attack?" Madara's expression softened slightly with a hint of concern.
"Actually, no," Izuna said hesitantly. "I ran into Father on the way there. Apparently, he was practicing a new technique and lost control of the power."
"I see. You've had a rough night," Madara replied, now turning to get dressed.
He missed the strange expression on Izuna's face, who was secretly relieved his brother hadn't pressed further.
As they set off, Madara reminded, "Cousin said we're meeting at the Naka River for special training. Don't be late."
Izuna sighed with relief and followed, though the real reason he'd been delayed was the time he'd spent hiding his "magazines."
He hadn't slept all night after being too distracted by a new content he'd gotten.
"What kind of training will cousin have prepared for us this time?" Izuna wondered, looking weary as he followed his brother. He suspected that, despite his cousin's average abilities, he'd likely thought of something tricky.
"You'll see when we get there," Madara replied coolly, his expectations for the session low, seeing it more as a family outing.
As they arrived by the familiar riverbank of the Naka River, Madara's mind drifted back to childhood memories.
It felt like a lifetime ago, a time of innocent days spent training and sharing dreams with Hashirama here.
A faint smile appeared on his usually stoic face as he picked up a stone and tried skipping it across the water.
Just then, a familiar voice jolted him out of his thoughts. Across the river, a stone skipped skillfully over the water, eventually landing at his feet.
"Haha! Looks like I win this time, Madara!"
Madara looked up, and to his shock, Hashirama Senju was standing across from him, a familiar warmth in his voice.
Shocked, Madara put up his guard as he spoke coldly, "Hashirama! How dare you show up here?"
Hashirama, dressed in casual clothes rather than his red armor, smiled like an old friend, waving in an almost boyish manner.
"Because, Madara, there's something I need to tell you."
"I have nothing to say to you." Madara waved off his furious brother Izuna, who was already itching to fight.
Though inwardly, Madara felt an inexplicable warmth at seeing Hashirama again.
"Oh really? That's going to hurt my feelings, you know~," Hashirama replied, feigning a pained look.
Izuna, seeing the exchange, couldn't contain his frustration.
"How dare you mock my brother after all you've done!"
Ignoring Madara's attempts to stop him, Izuna drew his sword and charged at Hashirama.
Hashirama, undeterred, calmly raised a single hand, and a purple-blue chakra flared around him, catching Izuna's blade in his bare hand. With a single motion, he snapped the blade in half.
"Don't you dare hurt my brother!" Madara leapt forward, sword in hand.
"Madara, you know I don't enjoy fighting," Hashirama said with a hint of exasperation, quickly forming a hand sign.
"Not that move again!" Madara's face went pale, bracing himself for the familiar green glow that accompanied Hashirama's Wood Style.
Suddenly, thick wooden branches shot up from the ground, dodging Izuna but closing in on Madara.
Just as Madara was evading, Izuna noticed an attack from another figure.
"Water Style: Water Wall!" said a voice as a figure appeared, redirecting Izuna's attack with a stream of water.
"Big brother, these Uchiha can't be reasoned with," Tobirama Senju, who had appeared beside Hashirama, said in a cold, calculated tone.
"Tobirama, stay out of this," Hashirama replied, glancing over his shoulder at his stern-faced brother.
"Oh, I'd love to see you talk sense into that stubborn guy," Tobirama smirked, stepping back to watch the scene unfold.
Madara growled, dashing to keep up as Hashirama pursued him, the two engaging in their usual game of cat and mouse. Meanwhile, Izuna, attempting to aid his brother, found his path blocked by a kunai.
"Don't even think about it," Tobirama said, his eyes narrowing as he held Izuna at bay.
"Oh really, Tobirama?" Izuna spat, activating his Sharingan.
"Your eyes won't work on me," Tobirama retorted, stepping forward menacingly. "If you don't value your brother's life, go ahead, make a move."
"What do you mean?" Izuna demanded, growing wary.
Tobirama's smirk widened as several unfamiliar figures emerged from the trees, revealing two bound Uchiha captives among them. One of them struggled, locking eyes with Izuna.
"What—how did they get captured?"
A wave of fiery anger surged within him. Uchiha Izuna watched with frustration as his family, Uchiha Gin and Uchiha Haruka were captured.
He warned, "Tobirama Senju, you'd better not harm them. Even if you die, I'll find your grave just to defile it!"
"Are you hoping I'll tear them apart?" Tobirama smirked, clearly provoked. He pulled Haruka close, removed her gag, and said impatiently, "Girl, tell that stubborn little brat across the way to surrender."
Gasping, Uchiha Haruka took in breaths of fresh air, glaring at the white-haired captor with pure disdain.
"Haruka! How did you get captured?" Izuna couldn't hold back his curiosity, voicing his questions first.
Pale and retching from the ordeal, Haruka replied, "I came here for training with Gin-san, but instead of him, I got ambushed by this guy and his lackeys."
Izuna was still confused. With Gin's skill, he should've had a chance to send a distress signal.
"When I was caught, Gin was already tied up; they must have set a trap," Haruka explained as she recovered.
"Don't worry about us. Just run!"
Haruka assessed the situation, bravely staring down Tobirama with an unyielding gaze.
"Ha! I enjoy breaking stubborn little girls. Let's see if that mouth of yours is as tough in a moment."
"Oh, please. Use whatever underhanded tricks you like, Senju. If I so much as wince, I'll change my surname!" Haruka continued her defiance.
"Then let me show you a little of what awaits the uncooperative," Tobirama scoffed, shifting his gaze toward the silent Gin, who had been immobilized by four Senju clansmen.
"You haven't injured him, have you?" Tobirama sneered, looking at the men, who exchanged sinister glances, licking their lips in unsettling delight.
Even Tobirama himself looked momentarily taken aback.
"Ahem, seems the effect is working well. Izuna, do you see? This is what resistance gets you."
Fury erupted in Izuna's eyes, and his Sharingan began to spin furiously, teetering on the edge of evolution.
Tobirama noticed and thought to himself with satisfaction, Oscar-worthy performance!
Meanwhile, on the other battlefield, Madara Uchiha taunted Hashirama, weaving skillfully between twisting branches. "Ha! Hashirama, come catch me if you can!"
"Madara! Once I catch you, I'll make you pay!" Hashirama called back, extending his wood branches in relentless pursuit.
The display even made Tobirama cringe. "This is the peace you envision, Hashirama?"
Showing the nearly broken Gin to Madara, Tobirama mocked, "See? He's been thoroughly broken now."
Madara's playful demeanor shifted.
Eyes turning blood-red with rage, he growled, "Hashirama! Is this the peace you speak of?"
Hashirama, eyes gleaming with sudden realization, said, "Fine, I'll release them—but on one condition."
Madara scoffed, "Spit it out."
"I want... you," Hashirama declared, stunning everyone, even making Izuna and Haruka scream in shock.
Nearby, Uchiha Tajima spat out his tea in disbelief. "What? That wasn't in the script!" he muttered.
"I trained my actors well," someone nearby reassured.
"Big Brother, they're just trying to use you to get leverage over Father!" Izuna shouted, not fooled by the ruse.
Madara raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean by that?"
"Well... my wedding is approaching," Hashirama admitted shyly.
Madara paused, staring. "And that has to do with me... how?"
"Oh, the Uzumaki Clan canceled it," Hashirama shrugged, trying to mask his disappointment.
Madara burst out laughing, barely containing his joy.
"I knew it! No one would take a fool like you seriously!"
Unbothered, Hashirama continued, "I need a spouse, Madara."
"And so you come to me?" Madara's face turned to disgust
"No way."
Hashirama pointed to Gin. "If you won't, I'll take him back with me."
Izuna broke in, "But he's in his thirties!"
"No problem," Hashirama shrugged. "He has... charm."
"Huff huff huff~~~"
In the midst of the intense discussion, in a corner forgotten by everyone, Uchiha Haruka with her purple hair overheard Hashirama Senju's shocking words, and her eyes turned blood-red.
Two tomoe in his Sharingan spun rapidly, transforming into three in no time. However, the spinning did not slow down; instead, it grew even more intense.
"Big Brother! Enough with the jokes!"
Watching from the sidelines, Tobirama Senju felt a pang in his gut.
How could a disguise technique even mimic personality traits?
Could it be due to Hashirama's chakra's influence?
Unable to bear it any longer, he interrupted their playfulness.
"Oops~ My bad, I got a bit carried away seeing Madara."
Hearing Tobirama's reminder, Hashirama laughed, patting his head. But his expression shifted suddenly, and a fierce aura emanated from his body.
He looked at the two Uchiha brothers before him and, with a tone unfamiliar to them, said,
"Then I'll take your cousin."
With that, he extended his hand towards the stunned Uchiha Gin.
"Not a chance!"
With a loud shout, Madara Uchiha lunged forward, sidestepping to face Hashirama, brandishing his long blade toward his arm.
In the end, Madara still softened, unlike a certain 'someone' who stabs in the back without hesitation.
"Heh, finally showing a flaw."
A sly smile of victory flashed in Hashirama's eyes as several nimble wooden branches burst from the ground, quickly ensnaring Madara in midair.
"Oh no!"
Seeing this, Izuna Uchiha panicked and jumped forward, disregarding the difference in power, hoping to free his older brother.
"Well, well, well, a classic rescue."
Hashirama didn't hold back, amplifying the wood release's power. The branches split and extended, capturing the vulnerable Izuna too.
"Mmph mmph~ Let us go!"
In desperation, the two brothers, caught by Hashirama's branches, were firmly bound. With their chakra being absorbed, even their Sharingan faltered, and their bodies weakened, hands dropping powerlessly.
"Hah~ Hashirama, I know you're after me. Let them go, and I'll go with you."
Panting heavily, Madara glared at the man before him with piercing dark eyes, his tone icy.
"Especially that curly-haired one—he's old and weak; bringing him to the Senju clan would just waste of food."
Though it warmed his heart, the words still stung a bit.
"Why should we? We get to choose whoever we want. Who are you to decide?"
Tobirama walked over, patting Madara's face to assert that he could choose as he pleased.
"Damn it!"
Powerless, Izuna Uchiha dangled from the tree, helplessly biting his lip until it nearly bled.
"Big Brother, I've had enough of this snarling brat. He's useless anyway; let's send him to the afterlife."
Sensing the tension reaching its peak, Tobirama stepped forward, reminding Hashirama that it was about time to end things.
"Fine."
Adding to the drama, Hashirama first looked at the about-to-explode Madara with a conflicted gaze, then turned his head with difficulty.
He extended one hand toward the enraged Izuna, transforming it into a sharp wooden branch raised high, his eyes filled with killing intent.
In the corner, Uchiha Gin, who had been silent for a long time, caught a glimmer of something in his eyes as he observed.
_
New entry: This Danzo Is Weird
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