Izuna, restore the glory of the Uchiha!

Things never go so smoothly.

Just as Izuna arrived at the location where Hashirama was last recorded to appear, a tremendous tremor shook the earth deep within the continuous mountain ranges in the northwest of the Land of Fire.

Madara has found Kurama (the Nine-Tails).

Unfortunately, he had just found Hashirama.

This guy can be frighteningly perceptive at times, and incredibly slow to grasp things at others.

Perhaps because he was raised with virtually nothing that could threaten him, he developed a carefree and easygoing personality.

Izuna saw that broad back of the man in the green tribal clothing again; the scene was still so familiar.

A chaotic casino, a noisy crowd, and Senju Hideaki sweating profusely.

This time, however, Izuna did not deliberately conceal his figure.

In other words, he did it so that Hashirama could see it.

However, Hashirama remained engrossed in the gambling and refused to look up.

Hashirama traveled all the way from the southern part of the Land of Fire, indulging in food, drink, gambling, and extravagant spending, having a wonderful time.

At first, he was able to sit in the very center of the casino, enjoying the surprised and greedy gazes of everyone, boldly pushing his chips in front of him and shouting "All in!" which drew gasps from all around.

Then, as his wallet emptied, he sat in a seat on the side. Although the amount was smaller and there were fewer onlookers, he was still able to immerse himself in the moment and couldn't pull himself away.

When he arrived here, he had almost no money left in his pocket. The old folks in the clan had already cut off his allowance in order to force him to go back, and they would never spend money to help him in this pointless emergency.

He was a big spender, and Tobirama was in charge of managing the family's money. He had no sense of financial management whatsoever. Born into a powerful family, he had never experienced poverty.

At this point, he could only sit sullenly at the small square table at the entrance of the casino, betting his last few coins in a dejected manner.

Many passersby were quite surprised. How could a tall, well-dressed man be gambling with thugs at the same table, arguing heatedly?

"Ugh! I lost again!"

As the last die was rolled, Hashirama slumped dejectedly onto the table, his voice mournful.

He hadn't even seen a shadow of Ban along the way, and now he'd lost all his money. Was he really going to have to turn back? He was so unwilling to accept it!

Thinking this, he finally looked up from the empty gambling table. Of course, the chips had all been happily taken away by the winner. He sat at the table, bored and lost in thought, counting the wood grain on the table.

Senju Hideaki was also by his side, looking pale and sickly.

He had nowhere else to go, and if he abandoned the man in front of him and went back to his hometown alone, he would inevitably be accused of dereliction of duty.

Hashirama is so stubborn about things he believes in, and he has become completely numb to the dilemma of being caught between two difficult situations.

Just as his listless gaze was wandering and he was worrying about dinner, he suddenly caught sight of a figure in the distance.

Dark blue high-necked tribal dress.

His signature frizzy black hair.

A cold and aloof aura that can be felt from afar.

That's it... that's it!

"Hashirama-sama... Lord Hashirama!"

Senju Hideaki excitedly patted Hashirama's arm and exclaimed in surprise.

"What's wrong? Stop filming..."

Hashirama waved his hand listlessly; he wasn't particularly bothered by his subordinate's rude behavior.

If Senju Hideaki had any complaints about him, he could understand it quite well, since Hideaki had gambled away all their meal money.

Although he is also feeling very down right now.

"Isn't that... Lord Uchiha Madara?"

Hashirama practically jumped off the dilapidated bench, which groaned under the force of the movement and nearly fell apart.

His ears heard what he had always dreamed of.

Uchiha... Madara!!!

"Where? Where?"

His gaze quickly extended in the direction Senju Hideaki pointed out, and soon locked onto the figure in the distance.

"Spots! They really are spots!"

Hashirama was almost too excited to contain himself. He took long strides, disregarding the crowd, and ran wildly toward the familiar figure in the distance.

Senju Hideaki also saw hope in life, which meant that he could finally end this damned wandering job, return to his clan's territory, and get a good rest.

Most importantly, their dinner was sorted out!

So he followed Hashirama, chasing after that figure with hope. In his heart, Madara's figure had never been so majestic, so tall, and so approachable!

Just as they were about to reach the figure behind them, and Hashirama was about to reach out his hand—

A carriage suddenly drove past, blocking the view.

After the carriage drove away, both of them were stunned.

Where are they? Where are the spots?

"Lord Hashirama, he's there!"

Eager for food, Senju Hideaki quickly spotted Madara. He appeared at the alley entrance on the other side of the street, at a distance that was neither too close nor too far from them, and was walking away quickly.

"Let's give chase!"

Hashirama's eyes were filled with hope. Madara's figure was right in front of him. He couldn't let him get away this time!

However, for a long time afterward, they found themselves in a very awkward and strange situation.

They could always see where Ban was, but no matter how fast they sped up, the figure always maintained a distance that was neither too close nor too far—they just couldn't catch up with him.

Before long, Senju Hideaki, who was physically weaker, was exhausted, panting heavily, and his face was as pale as a sheet.

In order not to hinder Hashirama's search for the hard-won Madara Uchiha, his eyes, as he looked at the clan leader, conveyed too much hope.

"Lord Hashirama, I... am here... waiting for... your... good news!"

Senju Hideaki finished speaking with difficulty, panting as if he were giving his last instructions.

"Okay! You wait."

With hope on his shoulders, Hashirama nodded with a determined look in his eyes. He kept a close eye on Madara's shadowy figure, afraid that he would lose him in the blink of an eye. He waved to Senju Hideaki and then quickly continued on his search.

Without the burden of his companion, Hashirama unleashed his full speed, his chakra exploding, his figure almost blurring into afterimages, leaving trails of afterimages in the forest.

He accelerated almost frantically, like a whirlwind.

And that's why the distance between him and the figure in front of him quickly shrank.

It's about fifty meters long...

Thirty meters to go...

The last ten meters!

The distance between them had finally reached a point where they could almost touch each other.

Hashirama stomped his foot, panting heavily, his eyes gleaming with joy.

His hand was almost reaching for the fluttering hem of the figure's clothes in front of him.

However, at this crucial moment...

hum-

A strange ripple in the space gently brushed against his hand like water.

Hashirama only felt a blur before his eyes, and the figure that was so close to him vanished without warning, disappearing without a trace as if it had never existed.

He grabbed at nothing and stumbled a few steps before regaining his balance.

Standing there blankly, surrounded only by a desolate forest, withered leaves falling and the wind howling, it was as if everything that had just happened was a dream born from excessive longing.

The spots are gone.

He just saw it.

A huge sense of loss welled up inside me.

"Mada-ra—!!!"

A flock of birds took flight from the depths of the dense forest, chirping and flapping their wings before disappearing in terror into the gray sky.