Chapter 196: Filming in Progress, Acting Skills Are On Point (Two-in-One)

Inside the Uchiha clan leader's residence.

The first rays of morning sunlight shone upon the bare, toned body dancing in the courtyard, making the beads of sweat flying off it glisten; as the owner of the body slowly exhaled a breath of stale air, Uchiha Madara's morning training officially ended.

"That brat Izuna, why hasn't he woken up yet?"

Slowly opening his eyes, Uchiha Madara looked at the empty training ground, his brows slightly furrowed.

He had clearly admonished Izuna repeatedly yesterday to get up early for morning training today, yet now that the sun was already out, he hadn't even seen a shadow of him.

"Hah~"

Just as Uchiha Madara's anger was about to erupt, Uchiha Izuna arrived late, yawning.

"Izuna, you..."

Uchiha Madara's expression was displeased, and just as he was about to lash out, he caught sight of the undisguisable fatigue on his younger brother's face, with two pitch-black panda eyes being particularly eye-catching.

"Big Brother, I'm sorry, I went to work overtime last night."

Izuna looked at Uchiha Madara, who had been waiting for a long time, and said very apologetically,

"Late last night, the patrol team reported that intense explosions were heard near the clan grounds, so I led a team to investigate."

"Explosions? Could it be that enemies have snuck in?"

Hearing that Uchiha Izuna was delayed because of overtime, Uchiha Madara's expression softened immediately, and his tone carried a hint of concern,

"You weren't injured, were you?"

"Uh... I didn't find any enemies; before I even reached the scene, I ran into Father on the way."

Uchiha Izuna touched his head, his evasive eyes filled with something inexplicable, and he stammered,

"Father said he was practicing a new jutsu and didn't control his strength well during the execution."

"I see, thank you for your hard work, Izuna."

Uchiha Madara, who had turned around to put on his clothes, did not see the strange look on Uchiha Izuna's face; after offering a few words of encouragement, he turned back to look at his younger brother, waved his hand, and continued,

"Let's go, Cousin said we're going to the Nanhechuanhe for special training today, make sure not to be late."

"Alright, Big Brother."

Uchiha Izuna, who breathed a sigh of relief, hurried to keep up; in truth, he hadn't returned late yesterday, he had just spent some time hiding his magazines.

Moreover, because his Dao heart was unstable halfway through, he was attracted by a new work he had just acquired, which led to him staying up all night.

"I wonder what kind of special training Big Cousin has arranged."

Following behind Uchiha Madara, the haggard-looking Uchiha Izuna couldn't help but speculate.

In his mind, although Uchiha Gin's strength was average, he had many tricks up his sleeve, and this special training would definitely involve some fancy stunts.

"You'll know when we get there."

Uchiha Madara said with a cold expression; in fact, he didn't have high expectations for Uchiha Gin's special training, treating it as a family outing.

The two flashed over to the familiar riverbank; the water of the Nanhechuanhe was still murmuring, and looking at the familiar location, Uchiha Madara's memories of his youth welled up in his heart involuntarily.

So many years had passed, and things were no longer the same; back in the day, he and Hashirama were still a pair of happy youths, training and sparring here every day, sitting together and dreaming about the future—it was truly a memory that would last a lifetime.

Recalling the stone skipping from their first meeting, the corners of Uchiha Madara's cold mouth couldn't help but curl into an arc.

He wondered if Hashirama's stone-skipping skills had improved, so he bent down, picked up a stone, and threw it onto the water.

"Whoosh~~ slap~ slap~ slap~ splash."

The stone drew a white line on the water surface, barely skipped a few times, and then fell heavily to the bottom of the river.

"Whoosh~~ slap~ slap~ slap~ slap~ slap~ slap."

Just as Uchiha Madara was lost in his memories, a familiar sound stirred his brain; he looked up and saw a round stone flying over from the opposite bank, skipping across the calm surface of the Nanhechuanhe like a dragonfly skimming the water more than a dozen times before landing steadily at his feet.

"Hahahaha, Madara, I won again this time!"

A hearty and familiar voice rang in Uchiha Madara's ears; his heart shook violently, and he struggled to move his gaze from the stone at his feet, looking in disbelief at the figure slowly walking out of the woods on the opposite bank. A flash of joy crossed his face, but then he remembered what year it was, so his expression turned cold, and he said coldly,

"Hashirama! How dare you appear here?"

Senju Hashirama, who had appeared at the Nanhechuanhe once again, was not wearing his classic red armor, but instead wore a yellowish-brown haori over a dark green inner garment, with light gray hakama pants on his lower body.

"Hehe, because I have many things I want to say to you, Madara."

Dressed very formally, Senju Hashirama smiled and waved, looking like a boy next door, a completely different person from the powerful man on the battlefield.

"Hmph! I have nothing to say to you."

Uchiha Madara waved his hand to stop Uchiha Izuna from drawing his blade; although there was a hint of secret joy in his heart, he still frowned and warned Senju Hashirama, who looked harmless on the other side of the river.

"Really? Then I will be very sad~"

The thick-browed, big-eyed Senju Hashirama pouted resentfully, looking pitiful, which made Uchiha Madara's heart tighten.

"Pah! You guy! You've humiliated my Big Brother like that, and you still dare to come here and put on an act in front of us!"

Seeing Senju Hashirama's punchable expression, Uchiha Izuna, who didn't buy his act, was suddenly furious. Ignoring Uchiha Madara's obstruction, he drew his long sword and prepared to jump over to fight to the death with the man who had stolen his brother.

"Wait! Hashi-Izuna, be careful!"

Uchiha Madara, who had been charmed by Senju Hashirama, wasn't paying attention and let Uchiha Izuna dash out. He slapped his thigh and shouted urgently,

"Die!"

But it was too late; Uchiha Izuna's long sword erupted with cold light, slashing toward the unarmed Senju Hashirama with the force of thunder.

Just as he was about to split him in two, Senju Hashirama, enveloped by the blade wind, showed no signs of panic; instead, he rolled his eyes in his heart.

With an indifferent expression, Senju Hashirama looked at the aggressive Uchiha Izuna, extended one hand, and blue-purple chakra erupted from his body, instantly enveloping him.

"Ding! Crack!!"

Senju Hashirama used only his bare palm to block Uchiha Izuna's charged strike, and to the astonishment of those present, he used his brute strength to snap the long sword in his hand in two.

"Don't you dare hurt my brother!"

By now, Uchiha Madara could no longer afford to admire the beauty; he drew his own sword and flew forward, intending to save Izuna from danger.

"Madara, you know I don't like fighting."

Looking at the incoming Uchiha Madara, Senju Hashirama showed a helpless expression, then a flash of determination crossed his face as he raised his hands and brought them together.

The classic hand-clapping motion made Uchiha Madara's eyelids twitch; he had been tortured by this move quite a bit recently, and he subconsciously clenched his rear.

"Boom~~~"

As green light radiated from Senju Hashirama's palms, countless thick wooden branches rose from the ground, bypassing Uchiha Izuna, who was holding the broken blade, and headed straight for Uchiha Madara.

Xiang Zhuang dances with his sword, but his target is Liu Bang.

"Big Brother, watch out!"

Seeing that the opponent was only using him as bait to lure his Big Brother into a trap, Uchiha Izuna, in a panic, opened his scarlet eyes and performed hand seals rapidly.

In less than a second, dense fire-attribute chakra poured out of his mouth, attacking Senju Hashirama in front of him.

"Water Style: Water Wall!"

A cold voice rang out, and Bai Mao, dressed in classic blue armor, flashed and appeared before everyone.

With scarlet eyes filled with deep disgust, he spat out a stream of water, neutralizing all the flames spewed by Uchiha Izuna; for a moment, water mist filled the entire battlefield.

"Big Brother, I told you, these evil Uchihas cannot be reasoned with."

Senju Tobirama, his expression as cold as frost, stood with his arms crossed beside Senju Hashirama, his cold eyes sweeping over the vigilant Uchiha Izuna as he spoke.

"Tobirama, don't interfere; this is a private matter between me and Madara."

While manipulating the wooden branches to try and capture the agile Uchiha Madara, Senju Hashirama, who was distracted by communicating with his brother, said in a rare, serious tone,

"Hehe, then I'll see how you convince this stubborn prick, Big Brother."

Senju Tobirama rarely didn't talk back; instead, he retreated to the rear with a look of watching a show.

"Hashirama!"

Uchiha Madara ran.

"Madara!"

Senju Hashirama chased.

"Whoosh~"

Uchiha Izuna, concerned for Uchiha Madara's safety, was about to step forward to help, but his path was blocked by a kunai that landed at his feet.

"Don't move, or I'll make you regret it for the rest of your life."

Senju Tobirama maintained the posture of having thrown the kunai, looking at the tense Uchiha Izuna with interest, his tone full of threats.

"Hehe, Senju Tobirama, do you think I would believe your words?"

Uchiha Izuna sneered, the three tomoe in his eyes spinning slightly as he scanned the arrogant Bai Mao from head to toe, trying to find a flaw in him.

"Hmph! With just those eyes of yours, they won't be of any use."

Senju Tobirama gave a disdainful huff, his scarlet eyes filled with contempt. He shook his finger at the ready-to-strike Uchiha Izuna and said,

"If you don't care about their lives, then go ahead and attack."

"What do you mean?"

Hearing Senju Tobirama's cryptic words, Uchiha Izuna's delicate brows furrowed tightly, his confusion nearly overflowing from his eyes.

"Come out! Let them see."

As Senju Tobirama's voice fell, four unfamiliar figures slowly walked out from the forest behind him; they were all faces Uchiha Izuna didn't recognize, but from their appearance, clothing, and chakra, it could be determined that the people who appeared were all from the Senju clan.

"Hmph, just a few nameless helpers."

Uchiha Izuna didn't take the few people who appeared to heart; he raised his hands, preparing to release a powerful ninjutsu again to help his Big Brother escape.

"Then look, who is behind them?"

Senju Tobirama finally waited for this moment; the slightly upturned corners of his mouth were like an AK on full auto, impossible to suppress.

"Mmph~ Mmph~"

The four Senju clansmen stepped aside at the right moment, revealing two bound figures; one of them looked at Uchiha Izuna with eyes full of excitement, but their mouth was gagged, unable to make any sound.

"Cough, cough. Little Zhi? Big cousin!"

The fire-attribute chakra in Uchiha Izuna's mouth was ready to be unleashed, but at the very moment it was about to burst forth, he saw those two bound figures.

Gritting his teeth, he forced himself to swallow the mouthful of flames; wisps of black smoke drifted out from between his teeth along with his trembling voice.

What the hell, how did the two of them get captured?

Suppressing the rising flames within his body, Uchiha Izuna looked at the captured Uchiha Gin and Uchiha Zhi with a speechless expression and spoke up.

"Tobirama Senju, you had better not hurt them, otherwise, even if you die, I will go to your grave and take a dump on it."

No, why does it sound like you're hoping the other party will kill the hostages?

"It seems you don't want to cooperate, then don't blame me for being impolite."

Hearing Uchiha Izuna's words, Tobirama Senju was so angry his nose went crooked. He casually pulled over the bound Uchiha Zhi, removed the gag, and said with an unpleasant expression,

"You little girl, persuade that little punk opposite you to surrender immediately."

"Hoo~ cough, cough."

In a dazed state, Uchiha Zhi finally took a few long-overdue deep breaths of fresh air. After regaining her senses, she glared with hateful eyes at the culprit beside her.

This white-haired guy with a face like a funeral actually stuffed her with a gag that tasted absolutely foul.

"Little Zhi! How did you two get captured?"

Uchiha Izuna could not suppress the questions in his heart and was the first to ask.

"Ugh~ Mr. Gin and I had arranged to meet at the Nanhechuanhe today for special training, but instead of waiting for Mr. Gin, I was captured by this guy and his men."

After retching a few times, Uchiha Zhi looked at Tobirama Senju beside her with a pale face and explained to the confused Uchiha Izuna.

"Huh? Then how was big cousin captured?"

Uchiha Izuna was also completely bewildered. Given big cousin's strength, although he was a bit of a letdown, it was impossible that he didn't even have the chance to send a distress signal, right?

"Cough, cough, when I was captured, I already saw Mr. Gin tied up. They must have ambushed him long ago."

Coughing a few times to clear the strange taste from her mouth, Uchiha Zhi raised her head and explained to Uchiha Izuna.

"Don't worry about us, help the Young Clan Leader first!"

Looking at the situation before her, Uchiha Zhi, who knew what was important, immediately made a judgment. With the appearance of a hero ready to die for a cause, she stared tightly at Tobirama Senju with a look of martyrdom, refusing to give an inch.

"Haha, I love torturing stubborn little girls. I hope your mouth can stay as hard as it is now in a little while."

"Heh, you despicable Senju clan, use whatever methods you have. If I, Uchiha Zhi, frown even once, I'll change my surname to Senju!"

Uchiha Zhi continued her output.

"I'll deal with you later, first let me give you a little show of force."

Tobirama Senju shook his head; it seemed he didn't want to make a move just yet. Instead, he shifted his gaze to Uchiha Gin, who had been silent all along, raised an eyebrow, and spoke to the four standing Senju clansmen.

"Gey-tou-si, you didn't break this guy, did you?"

"Quack~ so stuffy!!"

"I've had enough!"

The four people questioned by Tobirama Senju had strange lights flickering in their narrow eyes. They stuck out their long tongues to lick their lips a few times, their philosophical faces carrying a bit of a lewd smile, and they spoke nonsense that no one could understand in a strange accent.

"Uh."

Even Tobirama Senju himself was a bit stunned. Are these clones all performance artists? With this kind of expansive expressiveness, it really didn't look like they were acting.

"Cough, cough... It seems the effect is quite good. See that, Uchiha Izuna? The end result of stubborn resistance is like this guy, having his soul knocked out of his body from being fed hot dogs."

Constantly reminding himself not to break character, a cold-faced Tobirama Senju pulled up the kneeling, dull-eyed Uchiha Gin and warned the fuming Uchiha Izuna.

"Tobirama Senju! I want you dead!"

If the flames in his eyes could turn into reality, Tobirama Senju shouldn't even have ashes left by now. Uchiha Izuna's anger was about to reach its peak; under the massive emotional stimulation, the three tomoe began to spin rapidly, with a faint tendency to merge.

Yes! It's working!

Seeing all this, Tobirama Senju was secretly delighted. It seemed his script could at least get an Oscar nomination.

Things were about done here, now it just depended on how the energy bar was charging on big cousin's side.

But the battlefield on the other side left him dumbfounded.

"Haha, Hashirama~ come chase me! Can't catch me, right?"

Uchiha Madara twisted his agile body to dodge the incoming wooden branches while looking at Hashirama Senju with an evil, arrogant expression, provoking him.

"Madara! See how I punish you properly once I catch you!"

Having fully entered the role, Hashirama Senju urged dozens of tentacle-like wooden branches to relentlessly attack Uchiha Madara, with no intention of stopping until he caught him.

"Uchiha Madara! You wouldn't want your loved ones to be tortured to death by me like this, would you?"

This scene, overflowing with pink, made Tobirama Senju's sphincter tighten. Unable to bear it any longer, he shouted loudly,

"Look, he's already been broken now~"

As he spoke, he pulled up the sanity-depleted Uchiha Gin and showed him to Uchiha Madara with an evil grin.

"Big cousin? You despicable guy... %... &￥&*!"

Uchiha Madara, who had been in a decent mood, saw the broken Uchiha Gin and his anger level instantly maxed out. His eyes turned scarlet, and a cold, gloomy aura permeated the entire battlefield. The immense pressure made everyone present unable to help but glance over.

"Hashirama! Is this the peace you speak of? &&*…￥#@%&*%*&*…#@……"

After scolding the small and finding the old, and finishing his rant at the white-haired guy, he turned his guns directly and began to output wildly at the long-haired Hashirama Senju.

"Madara."

Hashirama Senju, who had fully embraced his inner actor, first dimmed his eyes, then as if thinking of something, his eyes filled with radiance again. He looked at the gnashing Uchiha Madara and spoke slowly,

"I can let them go, but..."

"Spit it out if you have something to say!"

Uchiha Madara said coldly. Negotiating with me? What kind of person do you think I am in your heart?

"I want... you!"

The resolute-faced Hashirama Senju's words were shocking, scaring Uchiha Izuna and Uchiha Zhi on the field into screaming,

"Ha??"

"Pfft!!!"

At a high point not far from the battlefield, Uchiha Tajima, who had just taken a sip of tea, performed a "Water Style: Great Dam Breaker" on the spot. His scarlet eyes were full of strange colors, and he couldn't help but turn his head to ask the person beside him,

"Gin? This part wasn't in the script!"

"Believe me, my actors have all received professional training~"

"Brother, no! They must be trying to capture you to use as a bargaining chip to force Father to submit!"

Uchiha Izuna was the first to jump out. Despicable Senju clan, your tricks have already been seen through by me!

"What do you mean by that?"

Uchiha Madara didn't have much of a reaction to this explosive statement; instead, he frowned and stared at Hashirama Senju with a suspicious gaze, hoping for a reasonable explanation.

"Uh... you might not know, but my wedding date is approaching..."

Hashirama Senju scratched his head in embarrassment, looking shy as he explained to the questioning Uchiha Madara.

"Crack!!"

A crisp sound rang out.

"Huh? What was that sound?"

Everyone was full of confusion, looking around for the source of the sound.

"Brother, what was that sound just now?"

Uchiha Izuna, equally confused, flashed to his brother's side, scanning the area with his Sharingan, trying to find the source.

It was nothing, just the sound of a heart breaking.

"Your wedding date is approaching, what does that have to do with my brother?"

Izuna, who had been the best mouthpiece since childhood, asked the question everyone present wanted the answer to without hesitation.

"That... the Uzumaki clan we originally agreed upon seems to have called off the marriage."

"Clatter~"

The sound of fragments healing rang out again.

"Hahahaha, I knew it! No one would ever take a fancy to a fool like you!"

Just as one uses heavy rain to disguise tears, Uchiha Madara used loud laughter to hide his joy. With a few teardrops in his scarlet eyes, he laughed exaggeratedly, gasping for air as he mocked him.

"There's no help for it, I'm in urgent need of a marriage partner now."

Ignoring Uchiha Madara's mockery, Hashirama Senju said with conviction, his face showing no sign of pretense.

"So you're looking for me?"

Uchiha Madara felt wonderful inside, but he didn't show it on his face. With a look of disdain, he waved his hand and refused,

"Not a chance!"

"Sigh... I knew it, that's why I captured this guy."

Hashirama Senju pointed at Uchiha Gin in Tobirama Senju's hands and said extremely seriously,

"If you don't submit to me, I'll take this guy back."

"Ha? My big cousin is already thirty years old, you know?"

Uchiha Izuna couldn't help but retort.

"Heh, it's fine, I think this curly-haired dead-fish-eyed guy still has some charm~"

Hashirama Senju waved his hand, indicating he wasn't a picky eater.

"Hoo hoo hoo hoo~~~"

Just as the group was in the middle of a heated discussion, in a corner forgotten by everyone, the purple-haired Uchiha Chiharu felt her eyes shift to scarlet upon hearing Hashirama Senju's explosive statement.

Two tomoe spun rapidly, turning into three in no time, but the speed of the rotation did not stop at all, and it showed a trend of intensifying.

"Big Brother! That's enough with the jokes!"

Tobirama Senju, watching the drama from the side, felt a sour ache in his stomach; how could this transformation technique even mimic personality? Could it be that he was influenced by the characteristics carried within Hashirama Senju's chakra?

"Big Brother! That's enough with the jokes!"

Unable to endure it any longer, he spoke up to interrupt their playful antics.

"Mm~ sorry, I lost my head when I saw Madara."

Hearing Tobirama Senju's reminder, Hashirama Senju patted his head and replied with a smile, then his expression changed, and an aura of ruthlessness overflowed from his body.

Looking at the two Uchiha brothers before him, he said in a very unfamiliar tone,

"If you refuse to come with me, then this guy here will have no use at all."

As he spoke, he reached his hand toward the dazed Uchiha Gin.

"Don't even think about it!"

Hearing a violent shout from Madara Uchiha, the next second he rushed in front of the side-standing Hashirama Senju, brandishing his long sword, aiming straight for his arm.

The eldest cousin was soft-hearted after all, unlike a certain black-hearted person who specialized in stabbing people in the back.

"Heh, finally revealed a flaw."

A flash of a smile signifying a successful scheme crossed Hashirama Senju's eyes, and several flexible wooden branches burst from the ground beneath his feet, instantly grabbing Madara Uchiha, who was stalled in mid-air.

"Oh no!"

Seeing this scene, Izuna Uchiha jumped in anxiety, disregarding the gap in strength, and flew forward, wanting to help his big brother out of the predicament.

"Good, good, good, like the gourd brothers saving their grandfather!"

Hashirama Senju did not hold back, increasing the output of his Wood Release; the wooden branches quickly branched out and expanded, catching the flaw-ridden Izuna Uchiha right in the act.

"Mm-mm-mm~ let us go!"

In their desperation, the two brothers, having had their flaws exploited by Hashirama Senju, were bound tightly by the tentacle-like wooden branches. As the chakra in their bodies was drained away by the Wood Release, the two, unable to even maintain their Sharingan, went limp, their hands hanging down powerlessly.

"Haa... Hashirama, I know your target is me. Let them go, and I will go with you."

Panting heavily, Madara Uchiha stared intensely with his pitch-black eyes at the man before him who felt so unfamiliar, and said coldly.

"Especially that curly-haired one; he's old, and his strength is pathetic. Taking him to the Senju clan would just be a waste of food."

Uh, although it warmed his heart, why did those words sound so unpleasant?

"Why should I? Do we need you to point fingers at who we want now?"

Tobirama Senju, who was on the side, leaned over and reached out to pat Madara Uchiha's face, indicating that he could have whoever he wanted.

"Damn it!"

Powerless, Izuna Uchiha could only hang on the tree in impotent rage, his lips nearly bitten until they bled.

"Big Brother, I've found this baring-his-teeth brat unpleasant for a long time. Since he's useless anyway, let's send him to the Yellow Springs."

Seeing that the mood was sufficiently built up, the second male lead, Tobirama Senju, stepped forward to remind Hashirama Senju that it was about time to wrap up the scene.

"Alright."

Hashirama Senju, who did not forget to add a bit of drama for himself until the very end, first looked with a conflicted expression at the about-to-erupt Madara Uchiha, then turned his head with difficulty.

Looking at the equally glaring Izuna Uchiha, he extended one hand, which transformed into a sharp wooden branch, held it high, his eyes overflowing with chilling killing intent.

Uchiha Gin, who had been offline for a long time, saw this scene, and a flash of brilliance crossed his eyes.

"You've had your fun acting, shouldn't it be my turn, the male lead, to perform?"

(End of chapter)