Chapter 211: I Play for Real

At dawn, a figure traversed the dense forest with the first rays of light, stepping across the fresh spring greenery before finally landing by a winding river.

"Whew... how nostalgic!"

Over a decade had passed, and the boy had grown into a man, but the waters of the Nanhechuanhe still flowed on, unchanged by the passage of time.

"I didn't expect the Senju clan to have pushed the front line all the way here. It seems my cousin and his men are truly struggling."

Uchiha Gin crouched down, stirred the cold river water, and then looked up at the towering Wood Human in the distance, sighing with a touch of melancholy in his eyes.

The Nanhechuanhe was only a dozen kilometers from the Uchiha clan grounds. The shockwaves from the titanic battles between Uchiha Madara and Senju Hashirama were clearly audible within the clan grounds. The ordinary clansmen living there were filled with anxiety, and the merchants who had lingered in the Uchiha grounds had long since fled. The entire Uchiha territory now lay in a state of desolation.

"Sigh... I hope that after this performance, I'll finally see the gates of Konoha."

Giving himself a mental boost, Uchiha Gin stood up, stretched his limbs, and a rare look of seriousness appeared in his dead-fish eyes. He clapped his hands together, split a wooden branch from his body, and watched it transform into a wood clone upon hitting the ground.

"Ha... Original, can I just play the part of Old Uncle and die immediately?"

The forcibly awakened wood clone received the information in its mind. As a tool with no benefits, it expressed reasonable dissatisfaction with the original's exploitation, suggesting it would only accept the role of Uchiha Tian Dao if it meant dying instantly.

"No, I'll play Old Uncle. You play the White-Haired one. I'm afraid if you get stabbed, you'll just dispel the clone."

Uchiha Gin shook his head and made the arrangements; he didn't want any mishaps in his final performance of the Warring States period.

"Heh, clones have no human rights, huh?"

The clone rolled its eyes at this explanation, confident that it wouldn't make such a rookie mistake.

"Stop yapping!"

"Fine, fine..."

The clone rolled its eyes again, performed a hand seal, and used the Transformation Technique. Its body was wrapped in green wood branches, and a moment later, the branches fell away to reveal a familiar white-haired figure. With scarlet eyes, it looked at the original with a sour expression.

"Yes, yes, that's the expression. Very convincing."

Seeing the clone's perfect performance, Uchiha Gin couldn't help but applaud. He then performed the same Transformation Technique, shifting into the weathered appearance of Uchiha Tian Dao. His tiger-like eyes widened, and the pressure he exuded was immense.

"Did you memorize the script?"

Uchiha Gin, now disguised as his uncle, frowned and asked.

"I know what I'm doing. Just follow the script."

Faced with the greater good, the wood clone temporarily set aside its resentment and nodded seriously.

"Good! Let's go!"

Everything was ready; all that was missing was the east wind. Uchiha Gin watched the two giants collapsing in the distance and waved his hand.

Let the show begin!

At the very center of the Uchiha and Senju battlefield, the members of both clans tacitly cleared a stage for their leaders. In the vast clearing, boulders were ground into dust, trees were uprooted, and craters of varying sizes covered the field. The dust kicked up by the shockwaves rose dozens of meters into the air as the two heaven-shrouding giants slowly crumbled.

"Hashirama!"

"Madara!"

Two sharp figures leaped from the heads of the giants. Uchiha Madara brandished his war fan and charged excitedly toward Senju Hashirama, who met his old friend head-on, raising his massive broadsword.

"Clang! ~~~"

A violent metallic ringing echoed, and another massive wave of force swept across the field, forcing the reinforcements to keep their distance.

"Fall back! This is not a battle you can participate in."

A flash of gold appeared before the Senju clansmen. In the blink of an eye, a figure in indigo armor blocked their path. Senju Tobirama, having arrived via Flying Thunder God, panted slightly, his hanging hands trembling. After steadying himself, he turned his scarlet eyes toward them with intense intimidation, stopping them from making a pointless sacrifice.

On the other side, Uchiha Izuna arrived late. He first glared hatefully at Senju Tobirama, who had fled during their duel, and then shouted to his red-eyed clansmen:

"Don't interfere with Big Brother's battle!"

Having said that, Uchiha Izuna mocked Senju Tobirama not far away:

"Stupid white-hair, did your dead father only teach you how to run away?"

"Damn you! Evil Uchiha!"

The current Senju Tobirama was far from the composed man he would become. Facing his nemesis, he gritted his teeth, drew a chipped longsword, glanced at it with heartache, curled his fingers, and vanished instantly.

"Hmph! Coming to tickle me again?"

Seeing the opponent vanish, Uchiha Izuna, who knew Tobirama's methods well, sneered. He activated his Mangekyō Sharingan, scanned his surroundings vigilantly, and waited for the attack.

Just as Uchiha Izuna was scanning, Senju Tobirama suddenly appeared at his flank, crouching low. He swung his longsword, which was coated in azure chakra, and struck without hesitation at the gap under Izuna's arm.

"Clang! ~~"

A dull thud echoed. Although the feeling in his hand told him he had hit the target, Senju Tobirama remained troubled. He clearly sensed the immense vitality radiating from Uchiha Izuna, and his hand ached from the strange force reflected back at him.

"Heh... how many times has this been? Why don't you ever learn?"

Uchiha Izuna's mocking voice rang in his ear. Senju Tobirama, heart sinking, used Flying Thunder God to return to his starting position, frowning as he looked at his unscathed nemesis.

"Snap!"

The next moment, he heard a mournful sound from the sword in his hand. Looking down, he saw his blade, which he hadn't carried for long, snap into several pieces and fall to the ground.

"Damn it! If you have the guts, take off that strange armor!"

Senju Tobirama gritted his teeth and tossed the remaining hilt aside, his scarlet eyes filled with rage.

"Are you sick in the head?"

Uchiha Izuna, wearing his Thorns and Warmog's armor, curled his lip and pointed at his own head, asking.

"Whew... I must forge a divine sword capable of piercing all things. When I do, I'll turn this turtle into a sieve!"

Rubbing his sore wrist and looking at the smug Uchiha Izuna, Senju Tobirama, who had been frustrated for years, swore to himself that he would create a armor-piercing weapon.

"Hey, hey, hey, Original, Original, Senju Tobirama is still on the scene. How are we supposed to perform?"

On a small hill not far from the battle, the "Senju Tobirama" clone lay prone, looking at the main character who was still bickering with his cousin, and asked helplessly in the mental chat group.

"Tsk! Who would have thought this kid wouldn't properly drag Senju Tobirama away and would instead run to the main battlefield to join the fun?"

Uchiha Gin was also annoyed by the unexpected appearance of the little brother and Senju Tobirama. It was all because after he put the two pieces of "Despair" gear on the kid, he had become a bit too arrogant.

According to Old Uncle's intelligence, there were two battlefields today, quite far apart: the main battlefield between his cousin and Senju Hashirama, and the secondary battlefield between his younger cousin and Senju Tobirama. Logically, they shouldn't have interfered with each other, so why had they gathered here?

Actually, it wasn't entirely Uchiha Gin's poor planning; it was simply because Senju Tobirama had been beaten into submission by the rock-hard Uchiha Izuna on the secondary battlefield and, seeing his brother's Wood Human collapse, had rushed to the main battlefield out of concern. He had intended to check the situation and, if there were no major problems, fly back to continue grinding the turtle shell.

He just hadn't expected Uchiha Izuna, despite wearing heavy armor, to lose none of his speed and to have followed him to the main battlefield immediately.

"Then what should we do? Should we call it a day and go eat lunch?"

The wood clone scratched its head, looking hesitant. It had finally integrated its soul into the role and was ready to aim for the Ninja World Oscar, but now it seemed it would have to settle for a meal first.

"Heh, don't panic. I'll go perform a scene and trick the little cousin into leaving~"

Since he was already here, he couldn't leave empty-handed. Uchiha Gin steeled himself and strode toward the main battlefield.

"Hashirama~"

"Madara~"

Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara were unaffected by their brothers, their eyes fixed only on each other as they danced gracefully in the center of the battlefield.

"Heh, heh, heh... you white-hair, if you have the guts, come over here!"

Mimicking Uchiha Gin's provocative gesture, Uchiha Izuna looked at the gritting Senju Hashirama with a wicked grin and taunted him.

"You... Father, why are you here?"

Uchiha Izuna had been about to deliver a vicious personal insult when he discovered a familiar figure beside him. Seeing the cold-faced Uchiha Tian Dao, the younger cousin felt a jolt of fear.

"Izuna, why are you here? How is the rear battlefield?"

"Uchiha Tian Dao" frowned, his eyes filled with coldness as he looked at his somewhat arrogant younger son and asked.

"Cough... Father, I saw Senju Tobirama running away and was afraid he would do something to Big Brother, so I left the secondary battlefield."

Facing his father's questioning, the guilty Uchiha Izuna immediately pinned the blame on Senju Tobirama, who was standing not far away, looking vigilant.

"Don't make excuses. Go back to the secondary battlefield now. No commander should flee from their post."

He continued to scold his younger cousin with a cold face, urging him to return to the secondary battlefield to command the situation.

"But Senju Tobirama..."

"I'm here now. What are you worried about?"

He patted his younger cousin's shoulder. Suddenly frowning, "Uchiha Tian Dao" rubbed his swollen fingers inconspicuously and continued:

"Don't worry. As soon as you leave, Senju Tobirama will follow you back."

(End of chapter)