Senju Hashirama felt a momentary awkwardness but waved his hand with a sheepish laugh. "Well, if the Third Hokage said he was the strongest, then who am I to argue?"
Uzumaki Naruto, still puzzled, was about to protest when suddenly—
Bang!
Uchiha Sasuke's fist slammed onto the top of Naruto's head with full force.
"Shut up, idiot!" Sasuke snapped, his Sharingan flaring slightly in frustration.
On the other side, Hashirama opened his mouth again, probably to say something equally foolish, but before the words could leave his lips—
Bang!
Madara Uchiha's palm struck the back of Hashirama's head.
"Shut up, you fool!"
Souta Kazuki, watching this unfold, had to suppress his laughter. This was uncanny. The dynamic between Naruto and Sasuke was eerily similar to that of Hashirama and Madara. As if history itself was repeating in the next generation.
He had no doubt now—Sasuke and Naruto were walking the same path as their ancestors.
The younger shinobi present watched in stunned silence, eyes darting between the two generations of rivals. It was a scene so bizarre yet so fitting that none of them knew how to react.
Meanwhile, Sasuke scowled, rubbing his knuckles. He wasn't about to let Naruto spew nonsense. The truth was, the Third Hokage's strength had long been surpassed by the legends standing before them. It was common knowledge among the clans, but Naruto had always been oblivious to such things.
As for Madara, he simply clicked his tongue in irritation. In his eyes, the only shinobi worthy of his acknowledgment was Hashirama. The idea that a man like Sarutobi Hiruzen could even be mentioned in the same breath as him or Hashirama was insulting.
If Hashirama had actually claimed Sarutobi was the strongest Hokage, Madara wouldn't have hesitated to storm the Hokage Building and personally remove Hiruzen's head from his shoulders and use it as a football.
The young shinobi exchanged uncertain glances. For the first time, they were beginning to grasp the sheer scale of the legends before them.
Souta coughed, trying to move things along before Naruto could say something even more ridiculous.
"Ahem... Naruto, if the Third Hokage heard you say that in front of these three, I think he'd be terrified enough to retire on the spot."
"Huh? But why?" Naruto rubbed his head, still confused. "Grandpa Third always told me he was—"
Bang!
Sasuke punched him again.
"Shut up, idiot!"
"Ow—Sasuke! Why do you keep hitting me?!"
Souta sighed, running a hand through his hair. He should've expected this from Naruto. There was no fixing that level of obliviousness.
"Alright, alright, enough. Now, let me properly introduce—"
Before he could finish, Madara stepped forward, arms crossed, his presence alone exuding an overwhelming aura of power.
He spoke, voice low and commanding.
"I am Uchiha Madara."
Even without unleashing any chakra, his mere presence made the younger shinobi feel as though they were suffocating.
Not a single one of them dared to breathe too loudly.
Uchiha Madara.
A name that had been passed down through generations as the embodiment of war and destruction. A man whose name alone could strike fear into any shinobi across the Five Great Nations.
Sasuke's eyes narrowed as he stepped forward, his expression unreadable. There was no mistaking it—this was the ancestor whose portrait adorned the archives of the Uchiha Clan. The man he had read about in history books.
The Uchiha who had once fought the First Hokage for control of Konoha.
The silence was thick, the weight of Madara's presence pressing down on them like a mountain.
And then—
Sasuke did something no one expected.
He stood his ground.
"Uchiha Sasuke."
His voice was firm, his posture unwavering.
For a moment, Madara was taken aback. He had expected the boy to flinch, to lower his gaze like most others. But instead, he stood before him, eyes locked in defiance.
Then—Madara smirked.
"Heh… not bad, kid."
And just like that, the crushing pressure around them vanished.
Sasuke let out a small breath he hadn't realized he was holding. His back was already damp with sweat, but he refused to show any weakness. He wasn't sure why, but something about this man's approval made his blood stir.
Meanwhile, Souta was watching with interest. It wasn't often that someone as prideful as Madara acknowledged anyone outside of Hashirama. Perhaps it was because Sasuke bore a striking resemblance to Madara's younger brother, Izuna.
Still, he had expected Madara to knock Sasuke down a peg. Yet, surprisingly, the older Uchiha had held back.
Finally, Souta turned toward the last remaining figure—Senju Tobirama.
"And this," Souta said, gesturing toward the white-haired Hokage, "is the Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama. The legendary master of forbidden techniques, the man who created the Flying Thunder God and the Edo Tensei, and the one who signed a summoning contract with the ocean itself."
Tobirama's red eyes scanned the young shinobi, his usual cold and calculating demeanor making them shift nervously under his gaze.
"I am Senju Tobirama," he said at last. "And I have agreed to teach you brats the proper way of the shinobi."
A tense silence followed—until suddenly, the entire group erupted in excitement.
They were going to learn from Senju Tobirama?!
The Second Hokage, known for his ruthless efficiency and mastery of countless techniques?!
The intensity in the room shifted completely. Eager eyes locked onto Tobirama, each shinobi practically vibrating with anticipation.
Tobirama, for the first time in a long while, looked slightly uncomfortable.
He had expected some level of gratitude, but this… this was almost unsettling.
Still, a promise was a promise.
"As long as you prove yourselves worthy, I will teach you," Tobirama said firmly. "Do not waste my time."
The younger shinobi immediately nodded in unison.
Souta smirked. This was going to be very, very interesting