Chapter 280: Lian Ye Leaves

"Lian Ye, are you finally going to leave or not?" Senju Hashirama, seeing him linger, suddenly became a bit anxious.

If Lian Ye doesn't leave now, he intends to speak to persuade him to stay.

Who could refuse a ninja who not only loves the Village but also cooks well as a companion?

But for his safety, they can only painfully drive him away, lest his close friend keeps him in mind.

Lian Ye: "???"

Something feels off; it seems Uncle Hashirama really wants me to leave?

His brain starts to freeze, and for a moment he can't figure out what's going on.

Senju Hashirama, who has always been the most reluctant to see him go, why is he this time unusually urging him to leave quickly?

And Madara, who has repeatedly invited him to join the "Moon's Eye" project, suddenly stops mentioning the invitation.

When things go awry, there must be a monster!

"Uncle Hashirama, then I'm really leaving!" Lian Ye says again, unwillingly.

He tries to awaken their hearts, hoping they will speak to persuade him.

"Well, goodbye, Lian Ye!" Senju Hashirama smiles and waves, showing no sign of reluctance on his face.

Hahaha, this kid is finally leaving!

He is afraid that Madara might suddenly invite Lian Ye, but fortunately Madara hasn't spoken, merely watching everything silently.

Even if Lian Ye leaves, his close friend still doesn't say a word.

The plan is unfolding as he expected; it just needs Lian Ye to leave.

Lian Ye realizes Senju Hashirama isn't joking; he truly wants him to leave, his face showing a strange expression.

What on earth is Uncle Hashirama up to?

His gaze falls on Madara, hoping the other will invite him again to join the "Moon's Eye".

Madara crosses his arms, his face still maintaining the previous calm, as if he doesn't care about his departure at all.

But inside, he is not as tranquil as he appears; his mind is full of doubt.

Why does Hashirama let this kid leave without stopping him?

Could it be that Hashirama sensed his inner thoughts and is deliberately targeting him?

He glances at Hashirama without a flicker of emotion, the guy wearing a radiant smile.

Madara Uchiha: "……"

Hehe, so this guy really intends to make me persuade Lian Ye!

How could the illustrious Madara possibly do such a thing?

Back then, being constantly rejected by Lian Ye had already shamed him. Now he would never invite Lian Ye in front of Hashirama again.

Unless the "Moon's Eye" project is set into motion, he won't issue another invitation!

Or that kid might join him voluntarily.

Holding that thought, Madara simply watches silently, without any intention to speak.

A true Ninja World Asura would never stoop to coax a junior.

Only a shameless guy like Hashirama could pull off something like this!

"Kid, if you're leaving, then leave quickly." Being stared at by Lian Ye for so long makes Madara feel inexplicably uneasy.

This kid is odd; he usually rushes to leave, yet today he lingers as if expecting something.

Lian Ye is bewildered by their identical attitudes; what's going on today?

Both of them really seem to want him to leave!

That's not right; usually when he leaves, they would rather lock him in here, but this time they seem eager for him to scram...

"Goodbye, Uncle Hashirama, Lord Ban!" Lian Ye takes a deep breath, turns, and leaves without looking back.

He is betting that at this moment the two will say something to dissuade him, allowing him to feign reluctance and stay here a while longer.

If he stays longer, isn't he afraid Madara won't invite him?

Unfortunately, things don't go as he wishes.

Lian Ye completely leaves the cave; neither of them says anything to stop him.

No, no, the script is wrong!

He wishes he could turn and question them why they didn't block him, but ultimately he dismisses that absurd thought.

Hashirama and Madara's attitudes toward his staying or leaving have clearly undergone a huge shift.

Although he doesn't know the exact reason, it might not be a bad thing for him.

This indirectly shows that Madara currently has no plans for him, and his companions are still safe for now!

But this brings us back to the original question.

If Lian Ye doesn't join the "Moon's Eye" project, Madara will always have thoughts about him, and his companions will always remain in danger.

He now knows his companions are temporarily safe, but doesn't know exactly how long this "temporary" period will last.

This is also his only worry: if he waits until Madara awakens the Rinnegan, that's fine; by then the others will be older, and Lian Ye could persuade Madara with his fists.

But if he acts after a few years, Tuan Cang and the others will have only a dead end.

Then he would have to awaken the Kaleidoscope Sharingan through tears to avenge them.

Of course, these are all Lian Ye's own speculations.

Madara recruiting him doesn't necessarily mean he'll kill Zhi Cun Tuan Zang and the others; perhaps he'll use other means.

Regardless, Lian Ye dares not be even slightly careless.

Now, having proposed to leave with no one stopping him, he can only follow the plan and travel first.

As for Madara's matter, there's still half a year, after all.

If it really doesn't work, he'll just keep coming back to stay a couple of days; if his staying frequency rises, you don't think Madara Uchiha can tolerate it?

Lian Ye turned and looked toward the two people at the mouth of the distant cave, waved at them, then turned and vanished into the forest.

"Phew, finally left," Senju Hashirama exhaled.

He feared that if Lian Ye didn't leave again, he would be invited by Madara Uchiha to join the Moon's Eye project, but fortunately Madara did not invite Lian Ye this time.

He hopes the kid enjoys his travels and doesn't come back to them.

He worries that spending too much time with Lian Ye will make him dependent on him.

Lian Ye has always been the candidate he has his eye on.

Hashirama doesn't want Lian Ye tangled up with the two "deceased ones," especially since Madara is eyeing him.

Naturally, he hopes Lian Ye stays as far away from them as possible.

After all, Madara is no longer the close friend who co‑founded the Village with him.

Hashirama knows clearly that Madara will use any means to achieve his ideals.

Therefore he doesn't want Lian Ye drawn into this vortex, and this time he kept urging Lian Ye to leave here…

"That kid left, you seem quite pleased?" Madara Uchiha turned his head toward Hashirama, his brows slightly furrowed.

Today's Hashirama, uncharacteristically, urged Lian Ye to leave quickly, leaving him momentarily confused.

If it were usual, he would have begged Lian Ye to stay long ago.

"Hahaha, how could that be." Hashirama scratched his head and laughed, "It's just that Lian Ye wants to travel; I can't keep him here, can I?"

"He's been staying in the Village all these years; he really needs to go out and have some fun."

Madara Uchiha's tightly knit brows gradually relaxed as he nodded in agreement.

"Makes sense."

Seeing this, Hashirama let out a sigh of relief, finally having gotten away with it.

Only he didn't notice Madara's mouth corner

Hashirama, that guy, simply never lies.