"Phew!"
The two boys, locked in close combat, exhaled simultaneously. Seeing the stalemate, they tacitly pulled back.
Retreating to their sides, young Madara's face hardened, glaring at the opponents and warning, "I won't forgive anyone who tries to harm my brother!"
"Same here!" Senju Hashirama, the bowl-cut boy at the forefront, echoed with a serious nod.
Madara's eyes flickered with resolve, his voice slow and cold as he addressed Hashirama. "Hashirama…"
"What?" Hashirama's heart sank at Madara's icy tone.
"Those silly dreams of a bright future we talked about…" Madara's words trailed off, sounding ominous.
Gin, watching from the sidelines, barely resisted pulling up a chair to witness the boys' tangled emotions.
"They might never come true," Madara finished, his voice drained, head lowered, eyes shifting from conflicted to cold.
"Madara, you…" Hashirama, shocked by the unfamiliar chill, stared at his once-close friend, words failing him.
Determined to sever their bond, Madara lifted his hollow gaze, saying icily, "It was brief, but I was truly happy, Hashirama."
"?!"
Weren't the Senju known for stamina and endurance?
As the boys shared their heartfelt farewell, the adults schemed.
Senju Butsuma's thoughts: Four against three—we're at a disadvantage.
Uchiha Tajima spoke up, asking, "Can you handle it, Madara?"
If he pinned Butsuma, Izuna stalled the white-haired kid, and Madara beat Hashirama, distracting Butsuma, they'd win.
"No, Hashirama's stronger than me," Madara admitted, still tethered to their bond. "Head-on, we'll lose!"
Wait, aren't they forgetting me? It's three against four—advantage us! Gin caught Madara's hesitation. Sure, Madara might not beat Hashirama, but with Gin, it'd be fine.
Without revealing Amaterasu, Gin could crush the four kids present with ease.
"A kid stronger than big brother?" Izuna, the ultimate brother fan, gasped. To him, Madara was the strongest of their age.
"Really? That skilled?" Tajima, sensing Madara's lack of fight, said helplessly.
"Don't give up, Uncle! Together, we might take this old guy down," Gin whispered to Tajima, eager to make his mark after laying low.
Tajima shot him a withering look. "Gin, you don't know a clan head's power. Butsuma and I are evenly matched—he could kill you effortlessly."
Tajima wasn't ignoring Gin's strength; he knew Gin's frail condition too well to let him act recklessly.
"I've awakened Sharingan!" Gin muttered, feeling underestimated.
"That's why you're staying back. Your body can't handle it," Tajima said curtly.
Can't handle it? He was sturdy as an ox now! Gin pouted but relented. The host's weak body made shining too brightly suspicious. Fine, he'd coast.
"Retreat!" Tajima ordered, unsure if the Senju had reinforcements while they had none.
"Hashirama…" Madara glanced at him, turning to leave.
"Madara! You haven't given up, right?" Hashirama stepped forward, pleading to salvage their bond. "You finally shared my vision…"
"You're Senju!" Madara said, back turned. "If only our dreams differed… Our clans are eternal enemies. My kin died by Senju hands, your siblings by Uchiha."
"There's no need for honesty between us. From now on, we meet on the battlefield, Senju Hashirama!"
Madara's cold words sliced through their deep bond like a blade.
"I am… Uchiha… Madara!" Adding his clan name drove a chasm between them, forever splitting the childhood friends.
Pain stabbed Madara's heart. A chilling energy surged in his eyes, and when he looked up, his dark pupils glowed crimson.
"Look, Father, big brother's eyes!" Izuna, the first to notice, shouted excitedly to Tajima.
"Hmph, we didn't get Senju intel, but we gained something else," Tajima said, nodding approvingly as Madara approached. Though they retreated empty-handed, Madara's Sharingan awakening was a triumph.
"Sharingan? Just awakened?" Butsuma, watching for an opening, felt unease. Such talent had to be crushed early. Though outnumbered, a swift strike during their retreat could take Madara out.
Exchanging a glance with Tobirama, the cunning father-son duo synced up, hands stealthily reaching for weapons.
"Gin, let's go. This place isn't safe," Tajima said, patting the dazed Gin with a faint smile.
Something's off. Why's my Heart of Steel Chest still active? Didn't they stop fighting? Gin frowned, eyeing the system's battle music in his mind.
"Alright," Gin said, scratching his head, hurrying after Tajima.
A sudden chill of danger hit. Facing away from the Senju, Gin somehow saw Butsuma and Tobirama, feigning retreat, draw weapons and charge the trailing brothers at blinding speed.
"Trouble!" No time to question his rearview vision, Gin stomped with Monster Strength, launching like a cannonball toward his cousins.
"Duck!" he yelled.
Madara, weakened from awakening, leaned on Izuna, both oblivious to the threat behind.
Hearing Gin's urgent shout, the brothers instinctively dropped low.
Whoosh!
Several sharp kunai grazed their scalps, leaving the boys sweating in fear.
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