"Are you saying Kumogakure thinks Uchiha Madara's reputation was restored because the Uchiha Clan deceived the Hokage?" Tobirama was so amused that he couldn't help asking.
He had realized that his disciple's reputation was rapidly approaching his big brother's.
At this rate, sooner or later it would reach a level comparable to high-level genjutsu...
"What else could it be?"
"Although I don't think being 'honest' or 'peace-loving' are necessarily compliments for a Kage in the shinobi world, the Third Hokage-sama genuinely is both."
The Fourth A was somewhat baffled by Tobirama and Minato's reactions as well, but he still spoke sharply.
"Don't tell me you're trying to claim that the recognized inheritor of the God of Shinobi's will—the man who released the Kusagakure prisoners and chose cooperation with Amegakure instead of annexing it—would willingly acknowledge the Shura of the Shinobi World?"
"Everyone knows Uchiha Madara was Senju Hashirama's rival!"
Minato and Tobirama exchanged a glance. Both of them were struggling to keep straight faces.
Well...
The Fourth A really did have a point.
Tobirama was an Uchiha, while Minato's much older friend was Uchiha En. Both of them knew that some Uchiha even thought Sarutobi Hiruzen resembled a good-tempered Uchiha Madara...
But apparently, from the perspective of people outside the village, things looked completely different!
"So what you're saying is that your hostility toward Konoha comes from worrying that Hokage-sama won't remain in office much longer, and that sooner or later the Uchiha Clan will produce another Madara. That's why you're on guard against us?"
Tobirama spoke thoughtfully.
The Fourth A paused. That logic was indeed part of it, but he couldn't admit that.
"There's no point talking any further. The strong take everything. We'll settle this with our fists!"
Tobirama and Minato both drew out a long, understanding "Ohhh."
Now they got it...
These people had simply never seen how formidable the current Hokage-sama still was—or, more precisely, just how much he was still in his prime...
Because Madara's reputation and Hiruzen's had somehow gotten tangled together, Kumogakure had arrived at some truly bizarre conclusions!
At that very moment, Madara, who had been seriously watching Seisui's battle, began to flush with embarrassment.
What was this supposed to mean?
For once, Kumogakure's way of thinking genuinely had nothing to do with him!
He hadn't even used the forbidden technique, "Madara's World," on Kumogakure. How had things still ended up like this?
"Those Kumogakure barbarians have gone too far in slandering me and the Uchiha Clan!"
Madara couldn't help cursing.
"What does starting this war have to do with me? They even have to invoke my name for that!"
Madara could secretly manipulate events to provoke a war against Konoha as a test of the Will of Fire.
But if someone else used his name as an excuse to start a war, then they were smearing his reputation!
Those were two completely different things!
"Hi-kun, wouldn't you say I'm a man who loves peace?"
"Does everyone else in the shinobi world see me the same way Kumogakure does?"
For once, even Hi-kun, who served at Madara's side and was normally so quick with words, found himself speechless.
If he kept shamelessly flattering Madara now, it would be a little too obvious, and the words might come back to bite him later.
'No, seriously...'
'Madara-sama, do you really have that little self-awareness?'
Hi-kun had read through many records and had even gone out of his way to look up anecdotes about Madara's youth.
Ever since watching Hiruzen's performance on the Kirigakure battlefield, Madara had constantly been reminiscing about his own youth...
But after reading through those accounts, Hi-kun couldn't help marveling at why Madara's reputation throughout the shinobi world was so... distinctive.
There seemed to be just a few too many people he'd beaten up and mocked!
"Why aren't you saying anything, Hi-kun?"
Madara seemed to sense that something was slightly off as well. He coughed lightly and moved past the subject.
"I saw Izuna's chakra..."
"If he can transfer his ocular power to Seisui, that means Izuna must still be conscious. He's probably possessing Seisui through some kind of technique..."
"That's a good thing!"
"Izuna has spent a long time observing Konoha up close. He's seen the shortcomings of both the current shinobi world and the village, so he'll definitely understand all the painstaking effort I've put into bringing peace to the shinobi world..."
Madara stared at the pattern in Tobirama's eyes, deeply gratified.
If the chakra inside Seisui had merely been a fragment without consciousness, then once Izuna was revived, Madara would still have to go through the trouble of explaining to his little brother why he had chosen to test Konoha and the Uchiha this way...
But now, it seemed that would save him the trouble!
He might even be able to use Izuna to bring Seisui over to his side as well...
Hi-kun grew even less willing to comment. When he saw Madara's gaze shift toward him, all he could do was force out a smile and offer a few empty platitudes.
"Izuna-sama is surely the one who understands Madara-sama best, haha..."
Judging from the picture of Izuna's personality that Hi-kun had pieced together from the records, he wasn't so sure Izuna would react the way Madara imagined...
'Madara-sama is completely wrapped up in his own logic...' Hi-kun thought silently.
If Madara really did revive Izuna one day, Hi-kun had already decided he'd take a field assignment that day and have Black Zetsu cover his shift...
He wanted no blood splattering on him!
"The Flying Thunder God combined with the Mangekyō, hmm..."
Madara watched Tobirama's performance with satisfaction.
"As expected of the child Izuna chose! That bastard's techniques ought to be put to use by the Uchiha Clan!"
Meanwhile, on the battlefield.
Tobirama and Minato continued their fierce battle against Killer B and the Fourth A!
Tobirama patiently waited for Killer B's Version 2 transformation to run out, constantly keeping him at bay with Water Release.
After all, his current body still hadn't fully matured, and some of his techniques didn't yet possess quite enough destructive power.
But Killer B's compatibility with the tailed beast's chakra had clearly not reached perfection either.
While the Eight-Tails forcibly controlled his body in its Version 2 state, Tobirama could clearly see that Killer B's actual body beneath the chakra was continuously taking damage...
He couldn't maintain it for long!
After several more exchanges, the A-B Combo had continued taking all manner of attacks and was already nearing the end of its strength.
But at that moment—
Killer B and the Fourth A suddenly roared. The two exchanged a glance, then locked their eyes firmly onto Tobirama's neck.
An invisible magnetic field abruptly appeared across the battlefield, pulling the Flying Thunder God kunai toward it at tremendous speed while simultaneously forming a temporary barrier!
Kumogakure's Magnet Release jōnin had arrived!
Kumogakure's shinobi had long suffered under Minato and Tobirama's combined Flying Thunder God assaults, so they had devised quite a few countermeasures.
Using Magnet Release to draw in the Flying Thunder God kunai while a barrier interfered with perception was one of the strategies the Kumo shinobi had developed.
The Fourth A simply hadn't expected Minato to be able to steadily suppress him even without relying on Flying Thunder God kunai...
This time, the two of them chose Tobirama, whose Flying Thunder God teleportation was comparatively slower!
The Fourth A unleashed all his chakra, while Killer B and the Eight-Tails also went all out!
Lariat!
Their bent arms became the sharpest of blades.
However, after a brief hesitation, the Fourth A stopped aiming for Tobirama's neck and shifted the point of impact to his abdomen instead...
He had realized that Kumogakure had made far too many misjudgments about Konoha.
If they killed this "young Uchiha Madara" here, then for an Uchiha Clan that had already gained control over the Hokage, it would undoubtedly be an unacceptable loss.
The Uchiha had always been a clan of warriors. If they went completely berserk against Kumogakure without regard for the consequences, the losses inflicted on the village would undoubtedly be enormous...
Especially since the Fourth A had also begun to vaguely suspect that the Third Hokage might be even stronger than he had imagined.
Whenever Minato and Tobirama mentioned the relationship between the Uchiha and the Hokage, there had been something slightly strange about their expressions...
Killer B paused for an instant, then adjusted the direction of his own arm as well.
It had to be said that the speed of their combination attack was pushed to the absolute limit. Without the Flying Thunder God Technique, simply dodging it outright would have been difficult.
But once again—
Tobirama vanished from the spot!
Ankotsu no Mikoto!
Anywhere the killing intent had touched, the user could use ocular power at any time to condense an invisible clone.
Although the clone couldn't attack on its own, any living being that touched it would be briefly immobilized, and the user could consume the clone at any moment to swap positions with it through space.
It could essentially be regarded as a mediumless version of the Flying Thunder God.
The Fourth A and Killer B charged straight through empty air and froze in surprise.
At that very moment, Minato was already rushing straight toward the Kumogakure jōnin maintaining the technique. Taking advantage of the man's lowered defenses while he sustained the formation, Minato killed him cleanly!
Meanwhile, the Fourth A and Killer B crashed headlong into the killing-intent clone Tobirama had left behind. Both immediately felt their chakra circulation become sluggish, and even Killer B's Version 2 form began to destabilize slightly.
Tobirama created another killing-intent clone and silently shifted behind the two of them.
Repeatedly using these clones consumed a tremendous amount of ocular power, but Tobirama didn't care...
After all, it wasn't his ocular power anyway...
If the day would eventually come when he had to part ways with Izuna, then he might as well use that power on a battlefield where it mattered most!
Minato followed Tobirama's repositioning as well. Using the Flying Thunder God markings the two had placed on each other's clothing, he appeared beside the Fourth A.
A ruthless glint flashed through Minato's eyes. He pushed his body's lightning-enhanced activation to its absolute limit and swung a Flying Thunder God kunai viciously toward Killer B's neck!
At the same time, Tobirama raised Tōenmaru and brought it down on the Fourth A!
Blood sprayed everywhere!
Even though both men did everything they could to evade...
The Fourth A still lost an arm on the spot!
It was the very arm he had just used to point at Tobirama and call him a "young Madara"...
Several extremely deep wounds opened across Killer B's chest, so severe that it almost seemed as though the beating of his heart could be heard through them!
The Fourth A gritted his teeth, refusing to cry out, his eyes wide with fury!
But at that moment, the unconscious Killer B suddenly underwent a complete Tailed Beast Transformation. The Eight-Tails took control of his body, and the enormous octopus threw back its head and roared toward the heavens!
Tobirama and Minato immediately retreated.
Tobirama's thoughts stirred.
'The Eight-Tails really is protecting its jinchūriki... Is it because of Madara?'
The Eight-Tails was practically risking its life to fight for Killer B.
The Nine-Tails would probably only go this far for Konoha—and that was after becoming a Konoha Council Member.
"Let's try to capture it, Minato!"
Tobirama drew a deep breath. Despite being in a place without any water, he unleashed a massive Water Release. Violent torrents gathered into a watery prison, attempting to seal the Eight-Tails inside in one fell swoop!
"Tch, of all things, it had to be the Eight-Tails..."
Tobirama's eyes flashed. The Eight-Tails' octopus traits inevitably reduced the effectiveness of Water Release against it.
"Let's weaken it first!"
Tobirama immediately changed tactics. When Hiruzen had met him in Kirigakure, he had subtly mentioned that they should collect as much tailed-beast chakra as possible.
He had a use for it...
Tobirama hadn't asked what for, but if his beloved disciple wanted it, then he would simply carry out the request.
Under Tobirama's control, the torrents transformed into rapidly spinning Water Release blades that violently sliced through the Eight-Tails' eight tentacles!
One tentacle after another fell away. The Eight-Tails let out an agonized roar and spewed an enormous quantity of ink, dyeing the water prison pitch-black!
Sealing Technique: Octopus Hold!
"A tailed beast that can even use Fūinjutsu? Impressive..."
Although Tobirama praised it inwardly, he didn't let up on his Water Release assault.
Minato stared intently at the water prison. The instant it broke apart, he would rush in and use Fūinjutsu to capture both the Fourth A and Killer B alive...
Boom!
With an explosive crash, the water prison shattered under the force of the ink breaking through it. The fully transformed Eight-Tails seemed to possess combat capabilities far beyond those of the Two-Tails...
But the Eight-Tails collapsed as well, lying weakened on the ground.
Minato flashed forward and firmly slammed a Four Symbols Seal onto the Eight-Tails!
"Where's the Fourth A?"
Tobirama swept his gaze across the area.
"Don't tell me he ran off by himself... That doesn't seem right."
Minato was somewhat surprised as well.
Neither of them knew the specifics of the relationship between the Fourth A and Killer B.
But judging by how perfectly coordinated they were, their bond should have been exactly what their habit of calling each other brothers suggested—they were as close as real siblings...
At that moment, Minato touched the fallen Eight-Tails and suddenly realized something.
He applied one sealing technique after another. The enormous Eight-Tails suddenly collapsed inward, exploding into a thick cloud of white smoke before transforming into several massive tentacles!
"Escaping by sacrificing its tentacles?"
Tobirama suddenly understood and couldn't help but marvel.
"Even my Mangekyō Sharingan couldn't see through it! The Eight-Tails really is a different kind of tailed beast..."
"Still, leaving this much behind is good enough..."
Those tentacles were filled with the Eight-Tails' chakra.
"Should we pursue them, Seisui...?" Minato asked softly.
"No need. The Fourth A is already crippled, and in their current state, neither the Eight-Tails nor its jinchūriki has any ability to continue fighting. Functionally, there's little difference between that and being dead."
Tobirama thought briefly.
"If we killed them, both of them are direct blood relatives of the Third Raikage. That would instead drive Kumogakure to attack us without regard for the consequences."
"If the Third Raikage's son and jinchūriki both died on the battlefield and he did nothing in response, his entire image as a militant would collapse. Even if he didn't want to keep fighting, he'd have no choice but to bite the bullet and continue..."
In fact, the logic was the same as when Killer B and the Fourth A realized something was off about Konoha and deliberately avoided Tobirama's vital points when using their Lariat.
Sometimes, the death of a hidden village's key figures could cause the intensity of a conflict to spiral uncontrollably.
Kumogakure was fundamentally fighting this war for profit.
Meanwhile, the strategic objective of Konoha's Kumogakure front was merely to hold the line. Once Hiruzen completely consolidated Kirigakure, the entire situation would undergo a dramatic transformation.
"Besides, there's something crucial I need to do now..."
"Letting the Fourth A and the jinchūriki escape is one thing. The Eight-Tails earned that."
"But the other Kumogakure shinobi won't be so lucky..."
Tobirama smiled coldly. Even Minato, normally as warm as the sun, felt an inexplicable chill at the sight of that smile.
Impure World Reincarnation!
Meanwhile, on the other side.
Because Kumogakure had committed forces to encircle Yugito, the Two-Tails jinchūriki, in hopes of drawing in her rescuers, and because of their absolute confidence in the A-B Combo, Kumo's elite and vanguard forces had all moved toward Danzō and Duy's front.
Dodai was producing one Lava Release membrane after another, relying on their physical properties to withstand the ferocious force of Duy's punches, only for Danzō to swiftly puncture them every time.
But with their numerical advantage, the combination of C's tactical intelligence and sensory abilities, and competent command, the Konoha shinobi gradually found themselves being suppressed.
Aburame Tatsuma expressionlessly directed his kikaichū, having them devour one Kumo shinobi after another.
As far as he was concerned, Danzō had gone a little too far this time.
They had drawn in far too many Kumo shinobi. If this kept up, they were liable to become overwhelmed.
But Tatsuma said nothing.
Because even if he died in this battle, as long as his death created enough strategic value for the other fronts, he was willing to pay that price.
Or rather, the overwhelming majority of Konoha shinobi possessed that same resolve.
Because this was war.
And at that very moment—
From beneath the ground, more than a dozen shinobi dressed as Kumo ninja burst through the earth. Wielding long blades and kunai, they swiftly launched an attack on Duy!
The assault was so sudden and vicious that one of the blades even cut across Duy's shoulder!
Dodai and C's eyes lit up!
C accurately sensed the chakra of every Kumo shinobi who had suddenly appeared, and every one of them matched.
It was worth noting that "C" was a title, typically held by Kumogakure's finest sensor ninja.
"Rai, you're still alive!"
The Kumogakure jōnin named Rai stood with his back to them and shouted, "Why would we be dead? We just got tangled up with the Aburame Clan's insects and were temporarily separated!"
"Move! The enemy has an ambush waiting!"
With that, the dozen or so Kumo shinobi who had been presumed dead swiftly rejoined their ranks and spread out among them.
Danzō, however, abruptly retreated and immediately gave an order.
"All Konoha shinobi, withdraw immediately! Withdraw immediately!"
Upon hearing there was an ambush, C and Dodai suspected nothing. After all, their chakra had already proven their identities.
The Konoha and Kumogakure forces rapidly withdrew in opposite directions.
A short while later.
"What's going on, Danzō-sama...?" Tatsuma looked utterly baffled. He remembered one of those Kumo shinobi clearly. His kikaichū had crippled and killed the man...
So how had his arm grown back?
Could Kumogakure also possess biotechnology comparable to Konoha's Research Department?
"Listen..."
Danzō raised a finger, signaling Tatsuma to remain silent.
"That sound... It's the Mutually Multiplying Explosive Tags..."
Tatsuma stared in astonishment and turned toward the direction Kumogakure had retreated...
Not far away, an extraordinarily violent explosion erupted!
A towering cloud of smoke and dust surged into the sky. The earth trembled slightly as dirt and shattered stones rained down. The scorching blast of air traveled across the considerable distance between them, even sweeping over Tatsuma's feet...
Madara silently watched the scene and sighed.
That move was simply far too underhanded...
"Sigh, why didn't Izuna try to talk him out of it?!"
"Learning the Flying Thunder God Technique is one thing, but why is Seisui learning all this other nonsense too?!"
Madara couldn't help shaking his head.
"A technique that toys with the dead is absolutely vile! That's definitely a Kinjutsu that should be sealed away!"
Hi-kun struggled to keep a straight face.
'Haven't you taken Impure World Reincarnation to an art form yourself?'
At that moment, Ashina next door was laughing uproariously.
"Someone has inherited my Ten Thousand Seals Body Integration Seal! And it's even a Hokage! More and more people will learn this supreme technique in the future! Hashirama, Mito... and Senju Tobirama next door, did you hear that?!"
"I was right! I want to see Sarutobi Hiruzen! I want to see him!"
Hi-kun picked at his ear. The old man was getting louder and louder.
Madara couldn't quite describe how he felt. Seeing Seisui use that bastard's filthiest technique had left him somewhat irritated.
So he blocked out Ashina's voice and shifted his attention to the Iwagakure battlefield.
And the instant he changed channels, Madara could no longer keep a straight face.
At that moment, Uchiha Obito was shaking his spiky head around, loudly and shamelessly boasting about how powerful he was.
And not far in front of him sat a row of explosive tags, quietly waiting for some destined soul to step on them...
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