Souto frowned and harshly criticized:
"This is a sacred land that our clan has guarded for generations. It is not a place where you ninjas can set foot!"
"You come and go as you please, and you even destroyed such a vast area. Do you really think we are easy to push around?"
Madara frowned and snorted coldly: "You don't accept it?"
"Arrogant ninja, you must stay and cooperate with our clan's investigation today! I'll give you one chance—surrender now!"
Souto became increasingly radical, his attitude extremely harsh, as if he was deliberately provoking Hashirama and Madara.
Because he knew full well that Hashirama might be willing to negotiate, but given Madara's arrogant nature, it was impossible for him to obediently comply.
"Surrender? Are you even worthy?"
As expected, Madara was furious, and his killing intent surged.
"Madara, calm down! We can cooperate."
"What are you doing? Are you going to offer your neck for them to chop off? Hashirama, how do you know he's not colluding with Isshiki? They're all Otsutsuki!"
"Are you going to rely on the kindness of your enemies for the safety of yourself and your village?"
Madara harshly criticized, unable to tolerate Hashirama's overly kind nature.
Not everyone can be trusted!
There is no basis for cooperation or trust between the two sides, especially since Hashirama and Madara had just been beaten by another Otsutsuki.
Without knowing the true intentions and stance of these Moon Otsutsuki, who would dare to surrender and risk their lives in their hands?
Oh! Except maybe Hashirama...
And to some extent, Madara wasn't wrong.
The Moon Otsutsuki branch clan was indeed an enemy, as their ultimate goal was to destroy the existing ninja system on Earth and then create a new life and a new world.
"..."
Hashirama hesitated. What Madara said did make sense.
As for Souto, seeing that Madara and Hashirama were unwilling to surrender, he immediately took the initiative to attack.
"Evil ninjas who have destroyed the peace of the moon, if that's the case, then we have no choice but to take action."
"Let's work together to capture these two criminals!"
Souto ordered the clan warriors behind him to kill Hashirama and Madara.
These warriors were the backbone and assassination squad of the clan. Although they knew they were no match for Hashirama and Madara, they still followed the man's orders and fearlessly charged forward.
"Seeking death!"
Madara immediately stood up, ready to attack. Although his condition wasn't great, it didn't mean just anyone could come and cause trouble for him.
However, he was immediately stopped by Hashirama.
"Leave it to me! You rest for now."
Hashirama had no choice but to take action. Otherwise, if Madara killed all the enemies, it would only intensify the conflict.
At that point, there would be no possibility of reconciliation.
◆━⊰✧⊱━◆
It must be admitted that the Moon lineage, with their high-purity Otsutsuki blood, indeed had a clear advantage. About a dozen warriors from the Moon Otsutsuki branch were all Jonin-level, and two of them had even reached Kage-level.
Each of them possessed strong combat abilities, comparable to elite ninja.
If the Hyuga clan on Earth were allowed to stay, they could all become clan leaders.
Unfortunately, they were facing the pinnacle of all ninja, the God of Shinobi, Senju Hashirama.
Hashirama simply clapped his hands and unleashed a small-scale Wood Release.
Instantly, wooden hands emerged from the ground and grabbed all the warriors from the branch family.
With their strength, once caught by the wooden hands, there was no possibility of escape.
Hashirama's Wood Release was nothing like Yamato's. Even a Bijuu would have to submit.
And Hashirama controlled the strength of his wooden hands precisely, not crushing the branch family members to death, and trying his best to avoid a bloody conflict.
'Wood Release of the Senju clan? Truly astonishing!'
Souto was secretly shocked. As he watched the battle, he assessed Hashirama's strength.
"Clan Leader Souto, can you calm down and talk? We truly mean no offense!"
Hashirama shouted loudly to Souto, trying to calm this unnecessary conflict.
But how could someone who deliberately provoked a confrontation stop?
He immediately ordered other clan members around him to continue attacking Hashirama.
After all, this was their territory. During this period, more warriors from the branch family gathered one after another and continued to surround Hashirama under Souto's command.
Hashirama had no choice but to not seriously attack Souto.
He had no other option but to keep using Wood Release to capture the branch family warriors one by one.
As long as all the enemies were captured, wouldn't that also be a way to stop the fight?
Hashirama was quite pleased with his clever idea.
◆━⊰✧⊱━◆
A moment later.
The other leader of the Moon Otsutsuki clan also rushed over with a group of clan members.
Otsutsuki Hakari.
The patriarch and true leader of the Moon Otsutsuki clan, and also the last patriarch of the main family.
After Otsutsuki Hakari arrived, he also recognized Hashirama and Madara and found that Hashirama was fighting with members of the branch family.
He immediately approached Souto to inquire about the situation.
After all, at this stage, the main family and the branch family had not yet completely split, although Hakari had already sensed resistance from the branch family.
But Souto's true evil ambitions were not yet clear.
Faced with an external threat at this time, he subconsciously trusted this blood-related branch family.
Souto immediately leaned toward Hakari and began to exaggerate the current situation, accusing Hashirama and Madara of their crimes.
In his words: Hashirama and Madara sneaked onto the moon not to hunt enemies, but to target the Gedo Mazo guarded by their clan!
What despicable and hateful thieves!
That's why there was such a huge commotion on the moon!
Hearing that these two had come for the Gedo Mazo, Hakari immediately became anxious.
This concerned the Gedo Mazo, which was the lifeblood of the Moon Otsutsuki clan and the teachings left by their ancestor Hamura.
It was also the key to preventing Kaguya's revival. There must be no mistakes!
At this moment, the clan leader's gaze toward Hashirama and Madara suddenly turned sharp.
No wonder he was foolish.
On one side were evil ninjas from Earth; on the other were their own blood relatives. It was clear who was more trustworthy.
Moreover, the evidence at the scene was too confusing.
If they didn't have ulterior motives, why would Hashirama and Madara sneak across the border?
Why was there such a huge crater on the moon?
And why bring the Kyuubi?
Even a fight broke out with the branch family warriors?
The most plausible explanation was that their target was the Gedo Mazo sealed inside the moon.
"Souto, what do you think? This Senju Hashirama is no ordinary ninja..."
"I beg the clan leader to gather the full strength of the clan to capture these two criminals first! After that, we can make a decision!"
"..."
"Clan leader, if we let these ninjas continue to cause trouble, it might affect the seal at the center of the moon. Then everything will be over!"
Souto continued to tempt Hakari, hitting his weak spot.
For their clan, nothing was more important than guarding the seal. They must capture these two evil-intentioned ninjas as soon as possible!
As the clan leader, Hakari immediately gave the order to gather the full strength of the clan to surround Hashirama and Madara.
He even joined the fray himself, aiming for a quick victory!
Seeing this, Souto also smiled secretly as if his plan had succeeded. This was his true goal.
He actively provoked Hashirama and Madara to start a fight, and then incited and persuaded the main family leader who arrived later, thus triggering a fierce conflict between the main family and Hashirama and Madara, leading to a war between the two sides and further consuming both.
No matter which side won in the end, Souto would reap the benefits.
In fact, to ensure nothing went wrong.
Souto had ordered his subordinates to secretly bring the Tenseigan that the branch family had been secretly gathering for hundreds of years.
This wave was the perfect opportunity to annihilate the main family and the ninjas in one move!
This time, he was sure to win!