Chapter 24

So,

He must truly have become the head of the Senju clan!!!

The young Madara felt at that moment that he could not accept this news!

22, Madara, do you know that weakness is a sin?!

Upon hearing this news, the young Madara,

Said his brain cells were insufficient.

The childhood friend he had grown up with since childhood,

How could he suddenly become the head of the Senju clan?

Just a few days ago,

He had clearly been no different from you,

Still just an ordinary ninja!!!

In the Uchiha clan,

Although the young Madara was the son of Uchiha Tian Dao, head of the Uchiha clan,

This identity brought him no great advantage!!

To earn the clan's recognition,

He had to gain it through his own strength and achievements.

Even if he was the clan head's son,

Without true strength,

The clan members would never grant him true respect!!!

Although the Senju and Uchiha clans were utterly incompatible,

The young Madara knew the internal structure of the Senju clan was identical to that of the Uchiha clan,

Both revered strength above all!!

If Hashirama could become head of the Senju clan,

Didn't this mean the Senju clan had already recognized his strength??!

Once the young Madara understood this point,

He lost all interest in whether he and young Hashirama stood on opposing sides,

His confidence had been shattered!!!

Before this, he believed his strength and young Hashirama's had only a small gap,

But not a large one.

With enough time,

He would surely become as strong as young Hashirama!!

But now young Hashirama had become head of the Senju clan,

Didn't this mean he was stronger than his father, the former Senju clan head Hashirama Senju?!

Thinking again of the gap between himself and his father Uchiha Tian Dao,

The young Madara felt a wave of despair!!!

According to his estimate,

He would need at least three years,

Even longer,

To surpass his father Uchiha Tian Dao,

Yet now Hashirama Senju had already surpassed his father Hashirama Senju,

In three years,

How strong would he become?

The young Madara dared not even imagine!!

【Tobirama Senju: I suddenly feel a bit sorry for the other Madara; suddenly, two nearly equal childhood friends have become as different as heaven and earth…】

【Orochimaru: Perhaps this is the difference between genius and genius—even geniuses vary enormously. I've long understood this well…】

【Jiraiya: Thank goodness… thank goodness Orochimaru is just an ordinary genius. If he were as monstrous as the First Hokage in this scene, I'm sure I'd have lost all motivation to chase him long ago…】

【Fourth Raikage: It seems the Senju clan isn't as powerful as I imagined. They're famous only because of the First Hokage. Without the First Hokage, the Senju clan doesn't seem so impressive…】

【Koharu: I agree with you, Fourth Raikage. The Senju clan seems to have produced only the First Hokage with the Wood Release. No other Senju has awakened the Wood Release. Aside from the First and Second Hokage, the Senju clan hasn't produced a single renowned ninja in the ninja world!!!! Even their own granddaughter, one of the Legendary Sannin Tsunade, became famous only because of her medical ninjutsu.】

【Sasuke Uchiha: Hmph!! Only the Uchiha bloodline is the strongest bloodline!!】

【Deidara: Then how did your clan get wiped out?】

【Sasuke Uchiha: …】

【Sakura Haruno: Have any of you noticed? The First Hokage in the black frame and the First Hokage in the white frame look and dress exactly the same, but the First Hokage in the black frame seems much more handsome to me…】

【Ino Yamanaka: Forehead, you stole my line! That's exactly what I was going to say!!!】

【Anko: … You kids, what are you paying attention to all day? But now that you mention it… it really does seem that way!!!】

…

"... Did you suddenly show up just to flaunt yourself in front of me?"

"What's so great about being clan head?"

"Give me enough time, and I'll become head of the Uchiha clan too."

The young Madara stood across the river, his face scowling.

Seeing the expression on his face,

The boy Hashirama smiled wryly.

It seemed he hadn't miscalculated.

The bond between the boy Madara and himself hadn't changed.

There was no great rift between them!!

Before the family ambush incident last time,

they must have already guessed each other's identities.

The Senju and Uchiha clans were like destined enemies,

and deep down, they both felt each other's presence.

The boy Hashirama had never deliberately investigated the boy Madara's identity!!

But he could feel it,

that the boy Madara was from the Uchiha clan,

though he couldn't say why—only attribute it to instinct!!!

So they had known each other's hidden identities from the start,

they just never spoke of it!!!

"Madara… as my acknowledged rival."

"I believe in you."

"With enough time, you will surely become the head of the Uchiha clan."

"Among your peers."

"You are the only one my age who makes me feel pressure."

The boy Hashirama told a lie against his conscience.

Yet he believed he hadn't deceived the boy Madara,

for he had truly felt that way once,

but as his strength grew ever greater,

he no longer believed the boy Madara could keep pace with him or pose a threat!!!

"Madara, why do you strive so hard to grow stronger?"

"I remember you once told me you wished to build a peaceful world."

"Deep inside, you are also weary of the war between the Senju and Uchiha clans, believing such meaningless battles are unnecessary."

"You despise the current system, despise how all the adults send children to the battlefield."