Naruto: Fatherhood Made me Invincible

On the other side of the ruined landscape, Hashirama Senju sighed but said nothing as he watched Madara, bound by his love for his brother, acquiesce to the Sage. If it were him, if it were Tobirama's soul being threatened, he knew he would do the same. He only sighed because he knew that Madara, in his own way, was now a prisoner.

Seeing the murderous intent in Madara's eyes finally recede, the Sage smiled. "Don't look at me like that. You brought this upon yourself. And I'm not afraid to tell you, this is merely a clone of mine. Even if you kill me, it will be useless." To prevent Madara from betraying him, he had to reveal that he was not in his true body. He believed that as long as Madara wasn't a fool, he wouldn't dare to defy him now.

Madara's expression tightened, just as the Sage had expected. Knowing that even if he killed the man before him, he could not save Izuna's soul, Madara suppressed his rage. His face was an icy mask as he said in a deep voice, "I will help you but don't go back on your words"

"Of course," the Sage smiled faintly, the lie tasting sweet on his tongue.

Madara knew it was a lie, but for Izuna's sake, he had to play along. The Sage's smile disgusted him, but he could only endure it.

Obito, who had been hoping for a battle to the death, was extremely disappointed. But he knew he couldn't change the course of events, so he could only continue to wait for an opportunity.

Hashirama, however, did not share his friend's clandestine thoughts. At this moment, he stood up, his face solemn, but his voice firm. "Madara, I'm sorry! Kagami is the man who will bring peace. I cannot bear to see him die at your hands! If you want to kill him, you must step over my dead body first!"

Obito watched the three of them, on the verge of fighting again, and silently stepped back, a gleeful thought screaming in his mind: "Fight!"

"Hashirama, are you an idiot?" Madara's face darkened. He had planned to play along with the Sage, to gather information. But now, Hashirama's impulsive move had disrupted his plan.

"Madara, isn't peace what we have always wanted?" Hashirama pleaded, his eyes full of a desperate hope. "Come with me to stop him! Kagami, who can bring peace, must not die!"

But Madara said nothing, and Hashirama's face fell, though he did not press the issue. He knew Izuna's soul was still in the Sage's hands, and Madara must be in great pain. He turned to the Sage, his fists clenched, his eyes determined. "Even if you are our ancestor, if you want to prevent the arrival of peace, I will stop you, even if it costs me my life!"

"Hmph, Hashirama, what gives you the courage to resist me?" the Sage snorted. He glared, and a powerful pressure slammed down, forcing Hashirama to his knees.

At that moment, Madara suddenly stood in front of Hashirama. He looked directly at the Sage, his voice a low and threatening growl. "What do you want to do to Hashirama!"

The Sage glanced at Madara indifferently. He still needed Madara to deal with Kagami, so he relented. "Don't worry. I just put a restriction on him. It won't harm his life. I'll set him free after we deal with Kagami."

Madara fell silent, finally nodding slowly. "I hope you won't do anything unnecessary."

Obito, seeing that the fight was once again averted, was extremely disappointed. "Tsk, what a waste of time."

At that moment, the ground trembled slightly, and a White Zetsu with a twisted body suddenly jumped out from the ground, his eyes full of fear. It was Tobi. "Obito! Something terrible has happened! That Kagami guy... he..." His words stopped abruptly as he saw Madara's red eyes. "Hey... Madara-sama... why are you here too?"

Madara ignored the question. "Just tell me what happened."

"Yes, Madara-sama!" Tobi said, his voice quick and clear. "Master Madara, Kagami is leading Konoha's elite ninjas towards our Rain Village. He will be here in a day at most!"

Hearing this, Madara's lips curled into an excited smile. "Interesting. I didn't expect that he would come to us on his own initiative before we even went to find him." He found that he admired this younger generation of the Uchiha clan more and more.