In the end, Uzumaki Ashina still could not outmaneuver Uchiha Su.
Although he had tried to subtly discourage the group from returning to Uzu Shio Village, Su remained completely unfazed by his hints. The young Uchiha clan head simply acted as if the invitation had already been granted.
Thus, before the sun disappeared beyond the horizon, the group arrived back at Uzu Shio Village.
The evening sky glowed with warm shades of orange and red as the villagers carried out their daily routines. The peaceful scenery stood in stark contrast to the tense events that had taken place earlier that day.
The three Uchiha Jonin accompanying Su could not hide their curiosity.
Ever since Uchiha Hikari had been released from the ancient seal, their attention had constantly drifted toward her.
After all, she was said to be an ancestor of the Uchiha Clan—someone who had lived hundreds of years ago and possessed the Mangekyō Sharingan.
However, the girl standing before them looked incredibly fragile.
She appeared to be no older than eleven or twelve.
Her slender figure and calm expression made it difficult to imagine that she had once been powerful enough to require the combined efforts of three great clans to seal her away.
Still, none of the Jonin dared to question her directly.
They could only suppress their curiosity and silently observe from a distance.
Meanwhile, Uchiha Su walked beside Hikari through the village streets.
"Has it changed much?" he suddenly asked.
Hikari glanced at him with confusion.
"What do you mean?"
Su gestured toward the surroundings.
"I mean the world," he explained. "Compared to the era you came from… has the current era changed a lot?"
Hikari paused briefly.
Her gaze moved slowly across the village.
After several seconds of quiet observation, she nodded.
"It has changed quite a bit."
"The houses are taller… and larger. There are also more people."
Her voice carried a faint tone of curiosity.
Then her attention was drawn to something unfamiliar standing beside the road.
It was a utility pole, with thin black wires stretching from its top across the village.
Hikari frowned slightly and pointed toward it.
"What is that?"
"Is it some kind of medium used for large-scale ninjutsu?"
Su followed her gaze.
"Oh… that."
He scratched his head.
"That's a utility pole. The thin lines on top are electric wires."
Hikari blinked slowly.
"Utility pole?"
"What is it used for?"
Her confusion was completely genuine.
After all, she had been sealed away for centuries. Even before that, the technological development of the ninja world had always progressed in strange and uneven ways.
Many inventions that seemed normal now simply did not exist during her era.
Su rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
Explaining the entire concept of electricity might take quite a while.
Eventually he turned toward Uzumaki Ashina.
"Does your village have books?" Su asked.
"Books that explain basic daily life… things like encyclopedias or general knowledge about the ninja world?"
Ashina looked slightly uncertain.
"There should be," he replied slowly.
After all, Uzu Shio Village maintained its own Ninja Academy, just like Konoha.
Most of their textbooks had originally been imported from Konoha as well.
Su nodded in satisfaction.
"Good."
Then he turned back to Hikari and casually placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Your top priority right now is to attend the Ninja Academy for one year."
Hikari immediately stepped slightly to the side, instinctively avoiding the physical contact.
She clearly was not used to such casual familiarity.
"Attend the Ninja Academy?" she repeated.
Her eyebrows furrowed.
"Do you think I am still a child?"
"When I was fighting on battlefields, you hadn't even been born yet."
Her arms crossed firmly across her chest as a strand of black hair slipped down to cover one of her eyes.
"Why would I go to a school where children play pretend?"
Her tone carried a distinct tsundere edge.
Su looked at her thoughtfully.
For some reason, Hikari reminded him of Uchiha Madara.
Their facial features were not particularly similar.
Yet there was something about their presence—their pride and stubborn confidence—that felt strangely alike.
If one had to describe it, Hikari was almost like a female version of Madara.
"Of course," Su said calmly, "your strength is unquestionable."
"You are definitely among the strongest individuals in the current ninja world."
Hikari raised an eyebrow slightly.
Flattery clearly did not bother her.
"But…" Su continued.
"Even someone as powerful as you will encounter small difficulties after being disconnected from the world for several hundred years."
He gestured around them.
"The ninja world has changed. Technology has advanced. Customs have evolved."
"You need time to adapt."
Su smiled faintly.
"And with your intelligence, I'm sure you would graduate from the Ninja Academy in no time."
Hikari considered his words carefully.
First she nodded slightly.
Then she shook her head.
"You are correct."
"Even a powerful ninja like me can lose touch with the ordinary world."
She paused.
"But I still refuse to attend the Ninja Academy."
Her arms remained folded.
"However… I am willing to read books about the current ninja world."
Su sighed quietly.
That was probably the best compromise he would get.
"Fine," he said.
"That works too."
Later that evening, Uzumaki Ashina arranged accommodations for the group within the village.
Although he remained somewhat displeased about their presence, basic hospitality still had to be maintained.
Once the arrangements were completed, Ashina left to deal with other matters related to the village.
Night gradually descended.
Far away from Uzu Shio Village, another monumental event was unfolding.
A vast forest lay beneath a darkening sky.
Two legendary figures faced each other across a devastated battlefield.
Hashirama Senju stood firmly on the ground, wearing deep red armor.
His hands pressed together in a familiar hand seal as he stared solemnly at the enormous creature before him.
The Nine-Tailed Fox.
Its colossal body was enveloped in deep blue chakra.
Layered armor formed over its fur as the Susanoo wrapped around it like a second body.
Even more terrifying, a pair of massive arms had formed on the beast's back, each gripping a giant sword.
Standing proudly atop the Nine-Tails' head was Uchiha Madara.
His gaze toward Hashirama was filled with complicated emotions before slowly turning cold.
"Come, Hashirama."
"You and I—"
But Hashirama suddenly interrupted him.
"I don't want to kill you."
Madara's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Are you saying you could kill me whenever you wish?"
His voice carried a faint trace of anger.
Madara understood that Hashirama often had the upper hand in their battles.
But the idea that he could be killed at any moment was an insult he could not accept.
Hashirama did not answer.
Instead, the markings of Sage Mode appeared across his face.
"Sage Art: Wood Release—True Several Thousand Hands!"
A colossal wooden Buddha statue rose from the ground behind him.
Its sheer size was overwhelming.
Countless arms extended from its sides, spreading outward like the feathers of an enormous peacock.
Madara's pupils shrank slightly.
Compared to this gigantic statue, even the armored Nine-Tails looked almost like a toy.
The difference in scale was staggering—perhaps ten times larger or more.
"I'm coming, Madara!"
Hashirama shouted.
Madara smiled fiercely.
"Come, Hashirama!"
For the first time in a long while, Madara felt his blood boiling with excitement.
Only one person in the world could make him feel this way.
His fated rival.
Both colossal entities began moving toward each other.
Each step shook the earth.
The surrounding landscape suffered irreversible destruction as the two giants clashed.
"Veritable Thousand-Armed Kannon!"
Hashirama brought his hands together.
Instantly, the countless arms of the wooden Buddha began raining down like an unstoppable storm of fists.
Madara frowned.
He had no perfect solution against such overwhelming force.
Moments later, the Susanoo armor covering the Nine-Tails shattered completely.
"So the Susanoo has been destroyed…"
Madara murmured quietly.
Yet this outcome was still within his expectations.
"Hokage Art: Sixty-Year-Old Technique — Kakuan Entering Society with Bliss-Bringing Hands!"
A massive Wood Golem suddenly appeared.
In the blink of an eye, it reached the Nine-Tails and pressed its palm onto the beast's forehead.
The character "Sit" glowed brightly within the palm.
This technique had been created specifically to suppress a controlled Nine-Tails.
Madara quickly leapt away using the Body Flicker Technique, landing on an open stretch of ground.
Hashirama followed him immediately.
Now the two former friends stood face to face.
Both understood the truth.
The battle had reached its final stage.
They were the two strongest shinobi in the world.
Their mastery of ninjutsu, battle instincts, and strategic thinking had reached absolute perfection.
The battle continued through the night.
Hours passed.
Rain began falling from the dark sky, forming ripples in a nearby stream.
At last, the two warriors stood on opposite sides of the water.
The stream seemed symbolic.
Once, they had shared the same dream.
Now they stood on different paths.
Both men were exhausted.
Their breathing was heavy.
Yet they both understood something clearly.
One final move would decide everything.
Madara smiled faintly.
"This time… you won't be able to throw it across."
Only the two of them understood the meaning behind those words.
"Hashirama!"
"Madara!"
Both rushed forward simultaneously.
If it meant meeting you…
I would run without hesitation.
"Clang!"
Steel collided with steel.
A sharp metallic sound echoed through the night.
When the clash ended, Madara stood on the opposite bank.
Hashirama had fallen into the stream.
"The one still standing… is me."
"Just like the opposite of that time."
Hashirama slowly stood up.
Madara tilted his head slightly.
"You look depressed, Hashirama."
"Just like before."
Memories of their past flashed through his mind.
Then—
"Puchi!"
A blade pierced through flesh.
Hashirama's hidden Wood Clone struck from behind.
The ninja blade pierced directly through Madara's heart.
Time seemed to freeze.
"A Wood Clone…"
Madara whispered softly.
"So… I was stabbed in the back."
Hashirama's voice became heavy.
"I want to protect our village."
"No… I want to protect my village."
"Even now, I believe that protecting the village means protecting the people living inside it."
His gaze hardened.
"Friends… brothers… even my own children."
"If they threaten the village…"
"I will never forgive them."
Madara's pupils trembled.
He had never imagined Hashirama would say such words.
"You've changed, Hashirama."
"Even a friend as close as a brother can be killed."
He slowly closed his eyes.
"Is this your dream?"
"Is this still the dream we once shared?"
Madara's final words carried a quiet warning.
"One day… this ideology will become a darkness that devours the entire village."
Hashirama did not respond.
He simply stared silently at the dark sky above.
Rain continued falling.
For a moment, doubt flickered in his heart.
Had he made a mistake?
But soon his expression hardened again.
No.
He had done nothing wrong.
Everything he had done… was for the village.
Advance Chapters avilable on patreon (Obito_uchiha)