Uchiha orphan, so what if I'm ruthless?

Senju Tobirama didn't say a word. He quickly tucked the small jar into his clothes. Then, he looked up, staring coldly at Uchiha Taiga, his red eyes completely devoid of emotion.

Senju Hashirama seemed entirely unsurprised by this. His gaze remained fixed on Uchiha Taiga in the distance. With a serious expression, he spoke to Senju Tobirama without turning his head, "Give this to Madara later."

At this moment, Uchiha Taiga wasn't angered by the loss of the small jar. Instead, he looked at Senju Tobirama with a faint, knowing smile.

Senju Tobirama's expression remained unchanged, but his eyelid twitched slightly upon hearing Senju Hashirama's words.

"No."

Senju Tobirama finally spoke. His voice was much colder than Senju Hashirama's, striking like a stone against an iron plate.

"The Uchiha cannot be trusted."

He paused, his gaze shifting from Uchiha Taiga back to Senju Hashirama, and then back again.

"Especially Uchiha Madara."

Senju Hashirama's lips moved slightly, as if letting out a sigh.

"Tobirama, you're too extreme."

Senju Tobirama's mouth twitched slightly, his voice growing even colder.

"It's you who is too naive, brother."

Two brothers, two sentences, neither looking at the other.

Senju Hashirama kept his eyes on Uchiha Taiga in the distance, and Senju Tobirama did the same.

Uchiha Taiga watched the exchange between the brothers, the smile never leaving his face. Honestly, he found it quite amusing.

He just stood there, his hands still clasped together, choosing not to attack immediately.

However, his curiosity had been piqued. He really wanted to know how Senju Tobirama had agreed to this plan, as it was obvious they had communicated with Uchiha Madara beforehand.

Thinking of this, he asked.

"So, Senju Tobirama, did you take that thing because Uchiha Madara asked you to?"

Senju Tobirama's expression didn't change, and his voice remained flat.

"No comment."

Two words, cold as ice.

Uchiha Taiga raised an eyebrow.

"Why would you cooperate with Uchiha Madara?"

He tilted his head, his gaze shifting back and forth between Senju Tobirama and Senju Hashirama.

"You just said yourself that the Uchiha can't be trusted."

He spoke with genuine sincerity, driven by pure curiosity. He truly wanted to know the answer.

After all, it was common knowledge that the Senju and the Uchiha were at odds, and Senju Tobirama and the Uchiha were sworn enemies.

Senju Tobirama narrowed his eyes slightly, the corners of his mouth turning down.

"You are also an Uchiha, and you are far more dangerous."

A brief statement with no further explanation, but the meaning was crystal clear.

Hearing this, Uchiha Taiga paused for a moment before laughing.

"Fair enough. I brought that upon myself."

His tone was light, as if he were discussing something that had nothing to do with him.

With that, he shifted his gaze away from Senju Tobirama and looked down at his own body.

He lowered his head, staring at his right calf, his eyes landing on a specific spot on the outer side.

There was a mark there.

It wasn't dirt or a pattern on his clothes, but a distinct symbol—a seal.

The symbol wasn't large, about the length of half a finger, imprinted on his pant leg. The color was faint, like ink seeping into the fabric—it was the crest of the Senju clan.

Uchiha Taiga stared at the mark, his eyes narrowing slightly.

The mark of the Flying Thunder God Technique.

Obviously, this thing had been left behind by one of the Wood Clones during the battle just now, and it went without saying who that Wood Clone really was.

The entire process had been as fast as lightning. From leaving the mark to taking the jar, it took less than a split second.

He had to admit, the title of the fastest in the ninja world wasn't just for show. With that kind of speed, even though Uchiha Taiga prided himself on developing a special Kekkei Genkai like Light Style, there was still a slight gap when compared to this teleportation-like swiftness.

Of course, it wasn't as if they couldn't be compared at all.

It was just that Light Style excelled in long-distance movement, unmatched by anyone.

Meanwhile, the Flying Thunder God Technique was pure, instantaneous teleportation.

Uchiha Taiga withdrew his gaze and looked back up at Senju Tobirama. The light in his eyes had changed. There was no anger or hostility to be seen, but rather a pure sense of admiration.

After all, this was Senju Tobirama.

To be honest, he was far more curious about—or rather, more interested in—Senju Tobirama than he was in Senju Hashirama or Uchiha Madara.

Both Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara were simply ninjas with overwhelming power. He belonged to that same category, so he wasn't particularly surprised by them.

Overwhelming power was just that—overwhelming power. You throw a punch, I throw a punch, and whoever hits harder wins. It was simple.

But Senju Tobirama was different.

Senju Tobirama couldn't do what Senju Hashirama did; he didn't possess that innate, overwhelming strength.

So, what he could do was forge a different path, using his intellect to make himself stronger.

He had developed numerous jutsu—the Flying Thunder God Technique, the Shadow Clone Technique, the Reanimation Jutsu. Each one had altered the landscape of the ninja world, and each one provided endless benefits to future generations of ninjas. He could truly be called the great inventor of the ninja world.

Even the original progression of history was inextricably linked to the jutsu Senju Tobirama had created.

For this point alone, Senju Tobirama's evaluation in Uchiha Taiga's eyes surpassed that of Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara.

Uchiha Taiga looked at him, the smile on his lips deepening.

"So, are you interested in exploring the mysteries of ninjutsu and chakra with me?"

Uchiha Taiga's expression was completely serious as he said this. He wasn't joking; it was a genuine invitation.

After all, his only interests now were ninjutsu and chakra. He had no desire or intention to conquer the ninja world. The only things he wanted to know were the principles behind ninjutsu, the true nature of chakra, and where the limits of these two things lay.

If he had Senju Tobirama's cooperation, having the mind of the ninja world's great inventor would undoubtedly be a massive help in developing jutsu and deciphering chakra.

Two people researching together would certainly be much faster than him fumbling around blindly on his own.

But obviously, his invitation was unlikely to yield any results at a time like this.

Senju Tobirama looked at him, his red eyes devoid of any fluctuation, and simply let out a cold snort.

"Keep dreaming."

His voice was freezing cold. "You inherently evil Uchiha brat, your very existence threatens the safety of the entire ninja world."

Hearing this, Uchiha Taiga clicked his tongue. The smile remained on his face, but it was now tinged with a hint of regret.

"What a pity."

He said, his tone carrying genuine lament.

"You've missed an opportunity to understand the truth."

He looked at Senju Tobirama, his smile fading as his gaze turned calm.

Senju Tobirama didn't respond, but those red eyes remained as cold as ever.

"Brother, we can't waste any more time. You know what needs to be done."

Senju Hashirama nodded, his gaze somewhat complicated as he looked at Uchiha Taiga. "Little guy, if you're willing to give up collecting Tailed Beast chakra, I can make the call to let you leave."

"Brother!"

Senju Tobirama immediately grew anxious upon hearing this.

Senju Hashirama ignored him, simply looking earnestly at Uchiha Taiga.

"Sigh..."

Uchiha Taiga sighed. "As expected, people tend to only believe what they want to believe. Even though I've said before that I have no interest in conquering the ninja world, no one believes me. You're like this, and so is your brother."

Senju Tobirama seemed to sense something, his expression changing slightly.

Then, Uchiha Taiga continued, "Every single one of you... are you really that confident?"

As his words fell, the pale-gold chakra flames enveloping his body suddenly surged.

*Rumble!*

The next moment, the Majestic Attire Wooden Golem beneath their feet abruptly stood up.

*Crack! Crack! Crack!*

At the same time, the Fudo Myoo statue beneath the Majestic Attire Wooden Golem extended a single arm, the golden sword in its hand instantly glowing with blinding brilliance.

Both Senju Hashirama and Senju Tobirama saw the bloody tears streaming from Uchiha Taiga's eye sockets at that moment. Neither felt it would have any immediate impact on him—at least not right now. They only felt a deep sense of shock.

Immediately after, the radiant golden sword slashed horizontally. As if cleaving through space itself, it instantly sliced the colossal Kannon statue cleanly in half.

Along with it, the mountain peaks in the background were severed as well.

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