Chapter 82: A Two-Pronged Plan
Uchiha Raizen sat perched on a weather-worn boulder, gazing down the winding dirt road that cut through the forest. Madara had insisted on this personal touch. Hashirama was his old friend, not Raizen's. After Madara had provided him with the Senju wedding procession's planned route, Raizen had chosen this secluded spot to intercept them.
Soon, the creak of wooden wheels and the soft clop of hooves reached his ears.
"Finally," he murmured, standing and stretching the stiffness from his limbs. He stepped calmly into the center of the path, a single, still figure blocking the way.
The Senju procession, led by a beaming but vigilant Senju Hashirama, ground to a halt.
"You… Uchiha Raizen?" Hashirama's expression shifted from joy to caution. He immediately reached for a kunai, his body tensing for a fight.
"Hashirama, is this how you greet a guest?" Raizen asked, his tone mild, almost bored. He knew the Senju heir's first instinct was always to seek a peaceful resolution, even with an enemy.
"Tobirama, stand down," Hashirama commanded without looking back.
"Brother, he's—!"
"I said, STAND DOWN!" Hashirama's voice boomed, laced with an authority that brooked no argument.
Tobirama scowled, his red eyes glaring daggers at Raizen, but he reluctantly sheathed his kunai and stepped back into the formation.
"Hashirama," Raizen continued, his voice calm. "I wish to speak with you. Privately. Can your… lovely bride-to-be… spare you for a moment?"
"I…"
"Surely you're curious," Raizen said, and then he let a fraction of his power leak out. The air around him stilled, and the potent, balanced energy of Sage Mode chakra radiated from his body.
Hashirama's eyes widened in recognition. Without another word, he followed Raizen to the bank of a nearby stream, leaving the nervous wedding party behind.
"Raizen… you've also been to the Shikkotsu Forest?" Hashirama asked, his voice a mixture of awe and suspicion.
"I have. In fact, the path that led you there was one I helped clear. But don't thank me yet," Raizen said, cutting off any sentiment. "I am here today as a messenger for Madara. First, he offers his… congratulations on your union. Second, he wished to send a gift."
"H-how is Madara? Since… since Senna…" Hashirama's voice was pained.
"He is as you would expect," Raizen replied flatly, picking up a flat stone and skipping it across the water's surface. "You have a brother. You can imagine the state of a man who has lost his last one."
Hashirama fell silent, watching the ripples spread. The dream he and Madara had shared felt like a lifetime ago. Now, they had the power to change the world, but stood on opposite sides of a chasm of grief and war.
"The gift Madara asked me to deliver is a warning. The Kaguya clan is on the move. Their target is the Uzumaki."
With that, Raizen turned and vanished into the trees, leaving Hashirama alone by the riverbank with the weight of the message.
Hashirama returned to the procession, his face grim. He pulled Tobirama aside, whispering urgently. Tobirama's expression hardened, and with a sharp nod, he disappeared in a Body Flicker, heading back to the Senju compound at top speed.
A day later, the wedding procession arrived home. The festive atmosphere was immediately dampened by the tension in the air.
"Brother, this information from Uchiha Raizen…" Tobirama began, his skepticism evident.
"I believe it," Hashirama stated. "There would be no point in lying about something we can verify so easily. What is the report from our scouts?"
"The Kaguya are mobilizing for war. Their trajectory suggests a target in the Land of Whirlpools. But, Brother…"
"But what? If Uchiha Raizen had not warned us, what would your assessment of their movements be?" Hashirama pressed.
Tobirama was silent for a moment. "…We would assume they were preparing to attack us," he admitted grudgingly. Yet, his innate distrust of the Uchiha festered. "No matter what, I do not trust this. There is a trick here. I can feel it."
Meanwhile, back in the Uchiha compound, the atmosphere was strangely calm. Uchiha Raizen sat across from Uchiha Madara in the patriarch's study, not strategizing, but sharing a quiet drink. The first move of their gambit had been played. Now, they waited for the Senju and the Kaguya to make theirs.