Chapter 91: A Clean Getaway
BOOM!
The second Kirin crashed down, its power apocalyptic. Yet, against the divine might of Hashirama's Wood Release, it was diminished. The colossal wooden hands of the Thousand-Armed Kannon absorbed and shattered the bulk of the lightning. What remained was enough to obliterate the already damaged Wooden Prison and finish off the Senju who had been too gravely wounded to escape the first blast, but the village itself was spared total annihilation.
"Oh? You made it back, Hashirama," Uchiha Raizen said, his voice laced with a casual, almost mocking tone, though his body was tensed for a fight.
"Elder Raizen… why?" Hashirama's voice was heavy, filled with a profound sadness. "Why go this far?"
"Because I am Uchiha," Raizen replied, the smile not quite reaching his eyes. "Because Senna is dead. Because Uchiha Yana is dead. Because I want my family to be safe. It's really that simple."
"But this path… it only leads to more bloodshed! It cannot bring true peace! You must understand that only by—"
"Peace?!" Raizen's mockery vanished, replaced by a raw, seething anger. "You speak to me of peace?! The peace where your clan ambushed a wedding procession? The peace where Madara's wife was murdered and his brother slaughtered? The peace where countless Uchiha bled out on a riverbank because of your father's scheme?! That is the 'peace' your Senju clan created with your own hands!"
He had once harbored a naive hope that by accelerating their power, he could avert this tragedy. He saw now how foolish that had been. The currents of hatred ran too deep.
"That… that was my father's decision! I had no say!" Hashirama protested, his own guilt a visible weight. "But it's different now! I am patriarch! If our two clans unite, we can end this era of war! We can create a world where children don't have to die!"
Raizen knew it was true. Together, Hashirama and Madara could indeed forge that peace. But these words were not for him to hear. They were for Madara. And he knew, with chilling certainty, that if Madara were standing here now, listening to that earnest plea, he might very well be swayed. The power of "Talk no Jutsu" was not to be underestimated.
"Save your speeches for Madara!" Raizen snarled, cutting him off. "Fire Release: Sky Annihilation Slash!"
He unleashed a wave of scorching blades, not to hit Hashirama, but to force a reaction.
"Wood Style: Wood Dragon Technique!" Hashirama responded instantly, the familiar, terrifying dragon surging forth.
A cold spike of fear shot through Raizen. That's the one that killed me. He didn't hesitate, instantly creating distance.
"Water Release: Unparalleled Shore! Fire Release: True Fire Dragon's Roar! Hidden Mist Technique: Rainbow Mist! Water Release: Rain Attack!"
He unleashed a barrage of four different A-rank techniques in rapid succession. The water and fire chakra mixed violently with the colorful, chakra-concealing mist, creating a storm of razor-sharp, multi-hued rain needles that shot towards the Senju ranks in a wide, indiscriminate arc.
"All Uchiha, disengage and retreat! The objective is complete!" Raizen yelled. As he gave the order, he left a single shadow clone behind and fled the battlefield, his form blurring into the trees.
He knew Hashirama couldn't pursue. To chase him would be to abandon the surviving Senju to the devastating hybrid ninjutsu. Even the God of Shinobi couldn't be in two places at once. Hashirama was forced to stand his ground, using his immense power to shield his people from the colorful, deadly storm.
By the time the last of the rainbow needles had dissipated, there wasn't a single Uchiha to be seen. They had vanished as completely as the morning mist.
Hashirama stood amidst the wreckage of his village, the scent of ozone, smoke, and blood thick in the air. "Madara… is there truly no going back for us?"
With a heavy heart, he turned to the grim task of tending to his wounded and counting his dead.
Uchiha Raizen moved with swift, untraceable speed, arriving back at the Uchiha compound without incident.
"Where is the Patriarch?" he asked a guard.
"Elder Raizen, he is in his residence."
Nodding, Raizen went directly to Madara's study. He found the Uchiha leader seated, a rare, almost serene expression on his face.
"By the look on your face, you encountered something that pleased you?" Raizen asked, noting Madara's unusually relaxed demeanor.
A genuine, if faint, smile touched Madara's lips as he looked at Raizen.
Seeing that smile, a knot of unease tightened in Raizen's stomach. What in the world happened to him while I was gone?