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With one hand holding Hashirama Senju's severed head, Madara Uchiha grew increasingly irritated by Tobirama Senju's incessant howling.
"What's with all the racket!? What's with all the racket!?" Madara snapped. "Have you forgotten that both you and your brother are in the Edo Tensei state? You can't die! Don't believe me? Take a look!"
Madara lifted Hashirama's face to show Tobirama—indeed, he wasn't dead.
However, Hashirama, now reduced to just a head being paraded around like a trophy for his younger brother to see, felt that death would have been preferable. The humiliation he endured was unbearable.
Tobirama, too, could sense his older brother's plight and seethed with rage.
"Madara Uchiha! We've lost, fine! But why must you continue to humiliate us like this!? You monster!"
Unfazed by Tobirama's curses, Madara casually approached him. With one hand gripping the black rod and the other forming a wind release technique, he cleanly severed Tobirama's neck. Just like that, Tobirama's head was impaled on the black rod and plucked from his body.
Tobirama's remains collapsed to the ground, dissolving into fragments that scattered like ash in the wind. Only his severed head remained, skewered on the black rod.
Amused by his own twisted sense of humor, Madara dangled the heads of both Senju brothers in one hand, forcing their faces to press against each other in an awkward and grotesque reunion.
"There we go! Now you two can finally be together!"
Faced with the grim reality of his brother's head pressed against his own cheek, Tobirama fell silent.
The emotions swirling within the two brothers were complex—a mix of shame, anger, despair, and resignation. Every word exchanged with Madara felt like another layer of humiliation piled onto their already battered pride.
Madara paid no heed to their inner turmoil. With one hand clutching the two heads, he leapt into the air, leisurely flying toward the Hidden Leaf Village. He still had plans to squeeze every last drop of value out of Konoha before it crumbled completely.
Meanwhile, deep beneath the surface of the village, the atmosphere in Konoha's underground bunker was tense and fraught with unease.
Led by the two elder advisors, Mitokado Homura and Koharu Utatane, the remaining chunin and genin forces worked tirelessly to protect the civilians who had been evacuated into the shelter.
Through reports delivered by a small contingent of ANBU scouts, the elders had pieced together the catastrophic situation unfolding above ground.
Their resolve was firm—they weren't stepping foot outside the bunker no matter what. Regardless of how Hiruzen Sarutobi might reprimand them later, they were determined to stay put.
After all, nothing mattered more than their own lives.
In fact, they had already devised a contingency plan. If things took a turn for the worse and Madara breached the village, they would flee through a secret passage leading out of Konoha, accompanied by a select group of loyal ANBU operatives.
This was the state of affairs within the underground bunker. Similarly, the various clans of Konoha had retreated to their respective hidden chambers underground. By now, most of their combat-ready members had been pulled back to safety, hiding below ground.
These clans were well aware of the dire situation above. Their mindset mirrored that of the two elders—if things went south, they would abandon the village without hesitation. To them, nothing—not the Will of Fire, not loyalty to Konoha—was more important than the survival of their own bloodlines.
Among these clans, however, there was one notable exception: the Uchiha clan.
Though the Uchiha had also taken refuge in their underground chamber, they remained embroiled in heated arguments about their next course of action. No consensus had been reached.
One faction argued that since Madara Uchiha had been ostracized and abandoned by the clan when he left Konoha, he surely harbored no goodwill toward them now. If necessary, they should evacuate immediately.
The opposing faction countered that Madara was, after all, an Uchiha by blood. Surely he wouldn't deny his lineage. Moreover, the decision to exile Madara had been made by the previous generation—it wasn't their fault. They proposed pinning all responsibility on their ancestors and allying themselves with Madara to restore the Uchiha clan's former glory.
The debate raged on, leaving the Uchiha divided and indecisive.
Above ground, the situation in Konoha was even stranger and more delicate.
Two factions stood on the devastated battlefield: the Hokage's forces and Danzo Shimura's Root organization.
Ever since Hashirama and Tobirama had temporarily spared Danzo, leaving to confront Madara, the dynamics between these two groups had grown increasingly tense and unpredictable.
Danzo, shielded by Root operatives, observed the weakened state of Hiruzen's forces with growing ambition.
What would happen once Hashirama and Tobirama returned after dealing with Madara?
Though he had managed to placate the Senju brothers for now, Danzo knew full well that his crimes wouldn't be forgiven so easily. When the dust settled, he would undoubtedly face severe consequences.
What should he do? What could he do?
Should he lead Root out of Konoha? No, impossible! He had dedicated his entire life to building power within the village; abandoning it was unthinkable.
Perhaps… perhaps he could seize control while Hiruzen and his followers were vulnerable. Once Hashirama and Tobirama returned, he could use Hiruzen as leverage to negotiate terms that secured his position within the village.
Such treacherous thoughts churned in Danzo's mind, tempting him to act.
But Hiruzen's side wasn't so easily dealt with.
Though Hiruzen's forces had suffered heavy losses, they were far from powerless. Some, like Tsunade and Sakumo Hatake, had grown disillusioned after witnessing Madara expose the rot festering at Konoha's core.
Still, in times of crisis, survival often outweighed personal grievances. For now, they needed to unite under Hiruzen's banner.
Thus, Hiruzen's faction maintained a wary eye on Danzo's Root organization. Particularly vigilant were Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and Tsunade, whose remaining strength kept Danzo in check.
As a result, an uneasy stalemate emerged. Hiruzen's side was on high alert, while Danzo's faction, though itching to make a move, dared not act rashly.
The balance teetered precariously, shrouded in tension and uncertainty.