Just as Hashirama and Madara were chatting, they suddenly felt a strange chakra aura approaching and immediately became alert.
"Someone is coming this way!"
"Where did a ninja come from on the moon?"
"I think they might be descendants of the Otsutsuki Hamura lineage that Sir mentioned earlier, who stayed on the moon?"
"Another Otsutsuki?"
Madara narrowed his eyes. Upon hearing the word "Otsutsuki," he couldn't contain his excitement. He had an irresistible urge to act.
"Don't get too excited, Madara! If they've really been living here all this time and haven't attacked the ninja world, then they might not necessarily be enemies."
"We should be able to negotiate. Even if something goes wrong, I'll protect you, don't worry!"
Hashirama knew that Madara's injuries hadn't healed, his chakra was almost depleted, and his combat strength was limited.
That's why he tried to comfort him.
"Hmph! Who needs your protection? I, Madara, don't need anyone's protection!"
Madara turned his head and snorted proudly.
At that moment, a group of people rushed over.
There were more than ten of them, led by a middle-aged man with brown hair and a beard, wearing a turban.
This was the head of the branch family of the Otsutsuki Hamura lineage on the moon: Otsutsuki Souto.
He was also the father of the future Otsutsuki Toneri.
However, Souto was still relatively young, and it would be a long time before he fathered Toneri.
In the future, Souto, the current head of the branch family, would lead the entire branch family to annihilate all members of the main family on the moon and merge the Giant Byakugan.
Now, after sensing the inexplicable and tremendous chakra explosion on the moon, Souto rushed here with his subordinates to investigate the situation as soon as possible.
He arrived even faster than the members of the main family.
His cautious yet radical character, coupled with his willingness to handle things personally, was enough to demonstrate the attitude and capabilities of this branch family leader.
Stronger execution, a more united clan, and a more ruthless approach to doing things.
Moreover, without the restraint of the Caged Bird Seal, it was no wonder that the main family of the Otsutsuki Hamura lineage on the moon would eventually lose to the branch family.
Just like Hyuga Neji, if there were no Caged Bird Seal and he were given the opportunity, he would have overthrown the entire clan!
"It's you! Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara?!"
"And the Kyuubi!"
When Souto saw Hashirama and Madara, he immediately recognized their identities.
This surprised Hashirama and Madara a little.
Were they really that famous? Even the Moon Otsutsuki outside the ninja world knew about them?
However, it wasn't surprising that Souto and the others recognized Hashirama.
The descendants of Otsutsuki Hamura on the moon had been observing and recording the history of the ninja world on Earth for thousands of years.
In addition to maintaining the seal, observing and recording the history of the ninja world on Earth was one of their clan's missions.
Therefore, they knew and recorded most of the history and important figures on Earth. As two heroes of the Warring States Period who ended the era and created a new ninja village system, Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara naturally received special attention.
It was no wonder that Souto could recognize Hashirama and Madara at a glance.
"You know us?"
Hashirama was stunned and immediately asked in return.
"Of course, I don't just know you, but I know you very well."
"Senju Hashirama, the First Hokage of Konoha Village, and Uchiha Madara, the current head of the Uchiha clan."
Everyone had to admit that Hashirama and Madara were among the most famous figures in the history of the entire ninja world.
Very few people could reach the pinnacle of ninja power, let alone the Senju and Uchiha clans, who had the lineage of the Sage of Six Paths.
Without using the Tenseigan, even Souto wouldn't be able to defeat Hashirama and Madara.
The entire Moon Otsutsuki clan had marked them as "the most dangerous observation targets."
Souto's gaze passed over Hashirama and Madara and landed on the enormous crater behind them. His pupils couldn't help but shrink slightly.
'Such a massive explosion crater, was this the cause of the moonquake earlier?'
'To possess such power, I'm afraid I'd have to use my full strength to activate the Tenseigan? How could these two have such terrifying power?!'
After witnessing the remnants of the battlefield between Hashirama and Isshiki, Souto couldn't help but feel a sense of fear and was forced to change his strategy, not daring to push them too far.
"Were you responsible for that tremendous explosion earlier?"
"Yes. We apologize. We—"
"Why are you two, and the Kyuubi, on the moon?"
"This... We were pursuing a powerful enemy and accidentally ended up on the moon. It wasn't an intentional invasion..."
Hashirama's weak explanation sounded full of holes.
Souto frowned: "What kind of enemy?"
Was there anyone in the world who could stop these two geniuses from uniting? What kind of monstrous enemy? Did they really think he was that easy to fool?
"…"
Hashirama hesitated, unsure whether to reveal Isshiki's identity.
Madara noticed Hashirama's hesitation and didn't want to bother with nonsense, so he interrupted directly:
"Are you the boss here?"
"Yes. I am Otsutsuki Souto, the successor of my ancestors, and I am responsible for overseeing what you ninjas do!"
"As expected, it's the cursed Otsutsuki, a group of inhumane people. But they seem very weak..."
Madara couldn't help but speak in a dismissive tone, as he truly had no good feelings toward the Otsutsuki.
"What did you say? How dare you insult the honor of our clan!"
Souto was furious and dissatisfied with Madara's arrogance and hostility.
Seeing both sides getting angry, Hashirama quickly tried to calm them down:
"Don't get excited! Madara, stop talking! We didn't mean to offend. We were pursuing an enemy and got lost here by mistake."
"I hope Chairman Souto will give us some leeway. We'll leave this place immediately and return to the ninja world."
Hashirama's gentle attitude made Souto feel much better, and he temporarily suppressed his dissatisfaction. But the incident had caused a huge commotion and destroyed a large part of the moon.
As the guardians of the moon, how could they easily let Hashirama and Madara go?
At this time, the main family and the branch family hadn't yet severed ties. If they let people go indiscriminately, they would surely be attacked by the main family using this as an excuse.
Why not take advantage of this opportunity?
Souto fell silent for a moment, a bold plan forming in his mind, and he immediately acted on it decisively.