"Wood Release! Advent of a World of Flowering Trees!!!"
This was the only move Hashirama Senju had that was not meant to kill.
The entire sea of trees was replaced by his Wood Release.
It was as though the God Tree planted on this planet by Kaguya long ago, hidden deep underground, had obeyed Hashirama Senju's command and awakened again, coming back to life.
The earth rumbled. Trees that should not have grown for centuries rose like colossal beasts waking from a thousand-year slumber. With overwhelming pressure, they burst through the ground and looked down upon an entire era.
Lotus buds from Buddhist legend sprouted from the leafless branches.
The buds bloomed.
The yellow pollen had an extremely powerful paralyzing effect, leaving the five members of the Uchiha Clan unable to move.
"Who... are you?"
The Uchiha clansman struggled to ask, his tongue almost numb from paralysis.
At that moment, young Hashirama finally arrived late and stared in shock at the transformation before him.
Although he was afraid of that god-of-war-like man, what mattered most to him right now was that Itama was still alive.
"Itama!!"
He ran over to shield his younger brother. The two Senju beside him wanted to finish off the five Uchiha, but Hashirama Senju stopped them.
Only then did the Senju realize that although the man across from them had helped save Itama Senju, he was not necessarily their ally.
No matter what, they had to thank him first, then ask which clan he belonged to.
Hashirama Senju did not know how to answer.
Just then, Tobirama Senju also came out of Kamui's Dimension to help.
Using the Flying Thunder God Technique, he threw the five Uchiha back near the Uchiha Clan's territory and left behind a single line. "The Stone Monument in the Uchiha clan land is fake. The only way to treat the Kekkei Genkai disease of the Sharingan is to ally and intermarry with the Senju."
Then, while everyone was still stunned, Obito pulled him back into Kamui's Dimension.
After returning, the God of Shinobi still could not calm down for a long while.
He could understand the feeling Tobirama had when he saved Kawarama now, and he could also understand why someone with Madara's unrestrained personality would be willing to play pranks together with Naruto.
The feeling he had the moment he saved Itama was something he could not put into words.
His heart was filled with gratitude, and as people from outside the world, they shifted into a new parallel world.
Minato Namikaze frowned slightly.
Their previous actions did not seem to have affected the mission scroll's time travel.
Outside, it was still one of the main story worlds.
"Long time no see. You're..."
"Hashirama."
"What's wrong? You look miserable the moment you show up today."
"It's nothing."
"Come on, tell me. I'll listen."
"Really, I'm fine."
"Who are you trying to fool? Hurry up and say it!"
"It's really nothing..."
"I can hear you holding it in! Stop being stubborn and tell me already."
Because of the viewing angle inside Kamui's Dimension, everyone could see the mushroom-headed boy sitting by the river, crying so hard that tears and snot ran down his face together.
Before Itama and Kawarama could even be shocked that Hashirama-nii-san was secretly crying by himself, they heard him finally speak.
"Another one of my younger brothers..."
"Died."
Another one.
Tobirama lived to adulthood.
So the second one to die could only have been Itama, the one the God of Shinobi had just saved.
In other words, in this brand-new parallel world, Itama, whom Hashirama Senju had just saved, had still died.
Madara, who had originally been a little jealous that Hashirama had rushed out to save his own younger brother, had nothing to say now.
Minato Namikaze said, "These recent time travels may simply be meant to show us Lord First's past. Or rather, to show everyone the original purpose behind the founding of Konohagakure."
Original purpose!
Those words made Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha look at each other.
Two scenes came to both of their minds at the same time.
The vow they had made on that cliff in their youth.
And in the future, when Hashirama killed Madara, the words he heard from Madara's mouth.
"You have the order backward."
"Itama!"
Young Hashirama let go of Tobirama's thigh and turned to hug his youngest brother, Itama, crying his heart out.
"Itama! Your big brother is useless! I clearly said I would protect all of you!"
"No, Hashirama-nii-san, I'm not dead yet... right?"
Young Tobirama said, "Have some confidence! Drop the 'right'! And Brother, lift your head. What do you think you look like in front of the Uchiha?"
The five Uchiha brothers simply could not bear to watch.
Outside Kamui's Dimension.
"Madara, do you have brothers?"
"My family once had five brothers."
"Once?"
"We're ninjas. We never know when we'll die. If we want to survive in this chaotic world, we can only cut off hatred, drink the oath cup, become brothers, and face each other honestly."
"Madara..."
"But that's impossible. People's hearts are impossible to read. We can't see through them. We may want to reconcile with someone, but beneath their smile, they might be burning with anger and wishing they could kill us."
"Is there really no way?"
"I don't know. But I often think about it here. Someday, I'll definitely find a solution."
Listening to the two children's conversation, the Senju and Uchiha clansmen each had their own thoughts.
Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha also remembered those days.
"But there's one thing I know even without seeing through people's hearts."
"What is it?"
"Hashirama, your hair and your clothes are both hopelessly out of style!"
"Uh..."
Bonk!
Young Madara Uchiha gave the equally dejected young Hashirama beside him an awkward smile. "I originally wanted to spare you some dignity and not tell you. I didn't think you'd still find out what I thought. Sorry, sorry. Your hair really does look too much like a straw mushroom."
A straw... mushroom?
"Sorry, my head looks like a straw mushroom. I'm ready to be picked and eaten."
"No, no, no. No one would eat that, right?"
"But Madara's head looks like a sea urchin. There should be even more people who want to eat that, right?"
"Will you die if you don't say one annoying thing?!!"
"Sorry..."
"You..."
"After you tell me where a sea urchin's mouth is."
Watching the two of them argue, the younger brothers behind them fell silent.
"You're Tobirama, right?"
"What?"
"Why do I feel like even we, their real younger brothers, can't fit ourselves between them anymore?"
"Sigh. I've already given up. You should give up on treatment too."
"Yeah."
Behind those two, Myoko, Togakushi, Kurohi, Itama, and Kawarama were silent.
It was like watching a wicked sister-in-law and a domineering sister-in-law suddenly reconcile.
Hiss.
They absolutely could not let Izuna-nii-san or Tobirama-nii-san know what they were thinking.
Otherwise, it would be dangerous.
Hashirama Senju stood beside Madara Uchiha.
"Do you remember? When we were kids, because we shared the same ideal, we would train together by that river and around the area whenever we had time."
"Hmph, how could I forget? Nine times out of ten, you cheated."
Hashirama pouted unhappily. "Have you forgotten that after I thought I won, you hit me in the head with a rock?"
"Tsk, why are you so petty? You actually still remember that."
"I can't believe the pettiest person of all, Madara, is calling me petty..." He sank into gloom.
"You haven't improved at all after all these years! When are you going to cure that gloomy habit of yours?! If you get gloomy again, I'll use Susanoo to turn your head back into the straw mushroom cut you had back then!"
"Eh?!!!"
Bonk!
The Second Hokage's sworn enemy said to him, "I'm impressed you can put up with him."
"..." Other than sighing, Tobirama Senju had no solution at all.
Hashirama Senju looked terribly wronged while sunk in gloom.
"You say my gloomy habit can't be cured, but Madara hasn't improved at all either. He's still so sensitive about his back that if someone stands behind him, he suddenly stops peeing..."
Standing behind the two of them were not only Izuna Uchiha and Tobirama Senju.
There were also Butsuma Senju and Tajima Uchiha from two parallel worlds, along with the Warring States Period's Uchiha Clan and Senju Clan.
Listening to the two men's conversation, Izuna and Tobirama were not the only ones going numb.
The Senju ninjas and Uchiha ninjas all felt like they might still be dreaming.
"So this is what they mean by being honest with each other..."
"We honestly can't manage that level of honesty!!!"
"Shh, keep it down. Can't you see the Clan Head's face has turned green?"
The conversation between the Senju and Uchiha ninjas clearly did not reach Hashirama and Madara, who were completely absorbed in their chat.
Instead, the two of them went even further and started talking about the time they fell into the river where Madara had peed.
This time, Butsuma and Tajima truly could not endure any longer.
Take a step back and the sky opens up?
Bullshit!
If they took one more step back, those two brats would go even further!!!
Butsuma and Tajima, who had been revived by the mission scroll, thought about the combat strength of their two eldest sons and, at the same time, started scolding their second sons instead.
"How did you two manage your older brothers?!"
"Didn't you say your sister-in-law was Mito Uzumaki of the Uzumaki Clan?!"
Izuna: "..."
Tobirama: "..."
The Warring States Period's Butsuma and Tajima did not care about any of that. They threw their heads back and roared.
"Madara Uchiha!"
"Hashirama Senju!"
"You two, get over here!!!"
The two bugs, whose power could break through the Ninja World's combat ceiling in any era, looked at each other in confusion and jumped to their respective fathers' sides.
"What is it, Father?"
"What's wrong, Dad?"
The two bugs were completely baffled by being yelled at.
"Stand right here! Do not go chat with the other family's idiot son!"
"Dad, Madara..."
"Father, Hashirama..."
The two of them wanted to explain something.
But in the eyes of the two old fathers, all of it was weak and powerless excuses.
"Enough! Be quiet and watch what that thing called the mission scroll is trying to do!"
"Yes, Father." He lowered his head obediently.
"Oh..." He looked wronged.
Even someone like Madara, whose existence was like an Asura to the Ninja World.
Even someone like Hashirama, known as the God of Shinobi, a monster whose battle power was like a walking human-shaped little God Tree.
Mm...
Your father was still your father.
Naruto, Sasuke, young Obito, and the others were with the brothers from the two Warring States Period clans.
Sakura watched young Madara bickering and fooling around with young Hashirama, and sighed with emotion that the "legendary ninja" who gave off such terrifying pressure had actually been this lively and cheerful as a child.
Rin nodded along. "I think I can understand a little why Madara thought Obito was similar to him."
For once, Obito refuted Rin's words. He pointed at his Mangekyō Sharingan. "We're not the same. I already have the Mangekyō Sharingan."
Young Madara Uchiha refused to accept this and declared that he and Obito had absolutely nothing in common either.
"Don't believe me? Want to fight?"
Obito's mouth got ahead of him. "Forget it. Whether it's us, the Senju, or the Uchiha, is there anyone here who doesn't know your weakness now?"
Naruto said, "By the way, what happens if someone suddenly stands behind you when you're halfway through peeing?"
"That's disgusting! Idiot Naruto, say something like that in front of me and Rin again and I'll hit you!!" Sakura raised her fist in warning.
Sasuke moved as far away from them as possible, doing his best to maintain his cool image.
Young Madara was so angry that he nearly jumped over to tear Naruto's and Obito's mouths apart.
Young Hashirama stopped him, looking utterly confident.
"Don't worry, Madara! If the Senju and Uchiha really form an alliance in the future, I'll definitely protect your back..."
Young Madara Uchiha was just about to feel moved when he heard young Hashirama continue.
"So you can finish peeing smoothly."
Young Hashirama Senju and Sai have two different styles of sharp tongues.
***
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