Chapter 26: The Child Who Slays the Sun Is an Exceptional Ninja...

The trouble was finally resolved.

This thought crossed the minds of Tobirama Senju and Shirahara Emiya simultaneously, although the nature of the trouble they each resolved was quite different.

By the time Shirahara Emiya spoke up to persuade them, Tobirama had long since ceased his feigned attempt to undo the Impure World Reincarnation. As the de facto ruler of Konoha, he had anticipated Shirahara's temperament; he knew the man could never bear to see the ninja world descend into the chaos of war.

Shirahara Emiya was simply too easy to deceive. Tobirama knew exactly how to exploit the man's kindness.

However... he still needed to be cautious. Tobirama suspected that Shirahara's goodwill might be taken advantage of by others. Since it was inconvenient for him to restrict Shirahara's movements, the man might eventually encounter ninjas from other villages. This was something that required vigilance. After all, Shirahara Emiya was going to stay in this era for a long time.

Tobirama calculated silently, considering whether he might arrange for Shirahara to witness the darker side of the world, so that the man would not be so easily duped in the future. This was a new era, far more cruel than the ancient times. Murder, deception—the ninjas had long grown accustomed to such a life. For instance, that man Madara Uchiha was likely to manipulate Shirahara; why else would he have sneaked into Shirahara's residence in the dead of night after faking his own death?

"Speaking of which..." Tobirama narrowed his eyes, taking the initiative to broach the subject. "That man, Madara, faked his death during his battle with my older brother, yet he secretly infiltrated the place where you reside, Master Shirahara. He must be plotting something..."

"Madara lost one of his eyes," Hashirama Senju, whose thoughts were simpler, offered his own perspective. "That was the price he paid for escaping death. Perhaps he was looking for a way to treat his eye..."

"Is that so?" Shirahara Emiya frowned, expressing his confusion at Madara Uchiha's actions. "Then why did he try to use Genjutsu from his Sharingan to control me? If he needed medical treatment, shouldn't he have just asked a doctor directly?"

"Master Shirahara, your thinking is far too kind!" Tobirama began his "lesson," taking the opportunity to disparage Madara. "That man, Madara, is evil by nature. He has always believed that everyone in the ninja world should submit to his might. He thought he could manipulate you with the power of Genjutsu..."

"However," Tobirama continued, hoping to ensure Shirahara would not be fooled, "you must be careful. Madara's wicked plan failed this time, but he may very well use other means to infiltrate Konoha in the future, using lies to trick you into helping him heal that blind eye..."

"The hearts of men in this era are not simple," Tobirama said, seizing the opportunity to instruct Shirahara. "There are always those in this world who, to achieve their own ends, will use carefully constructed lies to deceive others."

"..." Shirahara Emiya only frowned in silence. At that moment, he still seemed unaccustomed to the ways of the ninjas of this era, and he wondered if Tobirama was hinting at something else.

Come to think of it... where had that fellow Black Zetsu gone? Could it be that it was still busy at a time like this?

In fact, Black Zetsu was indeed very busy. It was worried about Madara Uchiha’s safety. Madara held the hope of awakening a brand-new pair of Rinnegan. Before Shirahara Emiya could actually create a new Rinnegan, it did not want to see a weakened Madara Uchiha captured by the ninjas of Konoha.

***

Outside the village of Konoha, the village itself was still dealing with the trouble of the Nine-Tails.

Outside the walls, a weakened Madara Uchiha was still evading the pursuit of the Konoha Anbu. He cared little for these ninjas, fearing only that the Senju brothers might catch up to him.

"Hmph..." Madara’s gaze scanned the Anbu ninjas blocking his path with vigilance. He knew that Tobirama must have dispatched them before he even left the village. That man... he had anticipated that Madara would escape Konoha once again!

However, Madara knew he could not linger. Even if he could evade the detection of these ninjas, he could not escape the endless stream of trackers Konoha would send after him. Within the village, there was a special clan: the Hyuga, who possessed the Byakugan bloodline limit. Their ability to see through everything made them perfect for hunting enemies; he would be exposed sooner or later.

"Break through!" Madara’s figure suddenly surged forward.

Four Anbu ninjas responsible for patrolling the area scrambled to draw their blades, shouting as they tried to block his path. "Madara Uchiha is here! Don't let him escape!"

"Hmph..." Madara let out a cold, disdainful scoff. In an instant, he had neutralized the four Anbu. The moment he rushed them, the four could not even mount an effective counterattack before being crushed. It was not just a matter of strength, but a gap in talent and experience that simply could not be compared.

However, that was enough, for another, more troublesome squad had discovered his trail.

As the personal guards most valued by the First and Second Hokage, Sasuke Sarutobi led a team—a combination of the Ino-Shika-Cho—and lunged toward Madara Uchiha.

"Stop him!" Sasuke Sarutobi shouted to his teammates to take action. He quickly formed hand seals and urged them on, "As long as we keep him from leaving, Lord Hokage and Lord Tobirama will be here as soon as they finish with the Nine-Tails!"

"Fire Style: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet!" A long, swirling mass of flame erupted from Sasuke Sarutobi’s mouth toward Madara, flying like a dancing fire dragon.

"Sasuke Sarutobi, is it?" Madara’s eyebrows twitched, and a mocking smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. He squinted and dodged the incoming flames with ease. "Hmph, I thought the ninjas praised by Hashirama would be something special, but to think you are foolish enough to use Fire Style against an Uchiha..."

"Shadow Possession Jutsu!" A man with a ponytail pressed his hands to the ground. His shadow grew like a long thread, linking with Madara’s. He warned his teammates nervously, "You’d better be quick; the gap between us is too large, and I can't hold him with my shadow for long..."

"I'll supplement! Ninja Art: Mind Transfer Jutsu!" A blond man held up his fingers; his spirit suddenly entered Madara’s body, attempting to take control!

"Don't underestimate us, Madara! Multi-Size Jutsu!" A stout, robust figure appeared behind Madara, his body suddenly growing as large as a mountain as he swung a massive fist toward him!

If that punch landed, Madara Uchiha might be reduced to a pulp. Such a coordinated attack was something no ninja could afford to take lightly, especially with a formidable warrior like Sasuke Sarutobi in the mix.

However, Madara resolved the crisis in an instant. Facing the blond ninja attempting to seize control of his body, Madara immediately used Genjutsu to counter-control him! Under Madara’s influence, the blond ninja used the Mind Transfer Jutsu to force his spirit into the man with the ponytail who was controlling the shadows. The blond ninja then forced the ponytail man to use the Shadow Possession Jutsu to manipulate the shadow of the giant man behind Madara.

*Boom!*

The giant man’s body rolled uncontrollably, smashing into the blond ninja and the ponytail man, sending them flying. The seamless Ino-Shika-Cho combination collapsed instantly. It was a defeat so humiliating that even "humiliating" might be too generous a word.

No... Madara hadn't even truly looked at them.

This terrifying man had used the blond ninja’s own spirit intrusion to dismantle the Ino-Shika-Cho combination in a matter of seconds. Within seconds, only Sasuke Sarutobi remained of the pursuit squad.

"My chakra has recovered a bit." Madara’s gaze remained fixed on the sweating Sasuke Sarutobi as he slowly formed hand seals. "It seems a ninja like you won't be easily shaken off. Very well, I shall take this seriously and show you what true Fire Style looks like..."

"..." Sasuke Sarutobi’s eyes tightened in terror.

Half a minute later, the Ino-Shika-Cho team returned to the battlefield. The target they had been tracking, Madara Uchiha, was gone. They looked on in horror to see their captain, Sasuke Sarutobi, covered in severe burns, completely unconscious, his breathing faint.

"We can't track Madara anymore!" The giant man hoisted the dying Sasuke onto his back and hurried back toward Konoha. "We must get the captain to the hospital!"

"The captain’s condition looks grim..." The blond ninja, having recovered from the Genjutsu after being severely injured by the impact, asked his teammates nervously, "Should we tell the captain’s family?"

"We can't possibly keep it a secret..." The man with the ponytail rubbed his temples. "I've met the captain’s son. Hiruzen is a brilliant young ninja; he won't be afraid just because his father has met with misfortune..."

"I only hope..."

"I hope there is someone in the village who can save the captain..."