The ring of flaming lions bared their fangs together.
Then, their lips curled upward. One of the lions calmly raised a paw and extended a single claw.
A universally understood, deeply unfriendly gesture.
Senju Hashirama rubbed his eyes hard, then stared again, as if hoping reality would correct itself.
"...Is this an illusion?" He turned instinctively toward Madara.
Partly because of their long-standing, melodramatic rivalry but mostly because everyone knew one thing… once those crimson eyes opened, illusion was usually involved.
And if it was an illusion, Madara would be the most likely culprit.
Madara glared at Hashirama, "It's not an illusion. Those things are really doing that."
Hateful.
The word might as well have been written across his face.
Senju Tobirama lost his patience. His hands flew through seals.
"Water Release: Water Severing Wave!"
A razor-thin jet of ultra-high-pressure water erupted from his mouth, slicing forward.
It swept through the encirclement in a clean arc, cutting the flaming lions neatly in half, upper and lower sections falling away before dissolving into mist.
"Hey Tobirama!" Hashirama hadn't even had time to stop him.
To be honest, he had been half-tempted to play along with the lions a little longer.
The severed flames dissipated completely.
Tobirama turned. "Brother, stop fooling around. Go catch that orange cat and see what it really is."
Izuna went forward. In the grass, he had found something solid. A porcelain cup split cleanly in two.
"Look." He lifted it with the tip of his blade and brought it over.
Hashirama crouched and examined it closely, sensing the residue left behind.
"…There's Madara's chakra on it," He said slowly. "And Tobirama's."
He scratched his head. "So what is that thing? A teacup spirit? Some kind of unknown ninjutsu? Or… is it a tanuki spirit?"
The air went awkwardly still.
In the folklore of the islands, tanuki spirits were famous tricksters, mischievous creatures that gained power through chance and cultivation.
Over time, stories softened them into friendly mascots, even giving rise to the legend of the lucky cat.
But older tales told of something else entirely.
A squat, cat-like creature, holding not its tail upright, but a massive signboard, marked with two bold zeroes.
The larger the sign, the greater the fortune it could draw in. Some legends even linked them to stolen luck… and ruined lives.
The shinobi world had grown from those same myths.
After Hashirama spoke, the expressions of the other three became noticeably uncomfortable.
"Brother," Tobirama said flatly, "Don't talk nonsense."
"It's probably just a legend." Madara frowned.
Izuna lowered his head, saying nothing. His grip on the sword tightened slightly.
Hashirama straightened and looked toward the quiet cabin in the distance.
"…Why don't we just go ask that orange cat directly?"
Tobirama nodded. "That's reasonable."
Then he paused and glanced sideways. "And call me Hokage-sama."
Boom.
Hashirama didn't even see the punch coming. Tobirama's fist landed squarely on his brother's face.
"Brother." Tobirama said irritably, "This is not the time to joke around. What if it really is a tanuki spirit?"
Hashirama rubbed his cheek, utterly unfazed, and laughed.
"Oh, you worry too much, Tobirama. Even the Two-Tails is basically just a big cat."
He grinned, confidence bordering on recklessness. "If it causes trouble, we'll just beat it until it behaves."
"…" Tobirama stared at him utterly speechless.
Speaking of the two-tailed cats, Tobirama, Madara, and Izuna all felt their faces hurt.
Senju Hashirama had really outdone himself, beating the tailed beasts single-handedly, only to hand them off to others.
Incredible strength, but the guy's sense of 'sending out power to maintain peace' left the Hokage world anything but stable.
Wars raged after his death, and villages, emboldened by their own tailed beasts, felt justified in testing the so-called god of ninjas. Could they be trusted?
Not really.
Tobirama, ignoring his brother's loud boasting, walked past Izuna and headed toward the small cabin where Garfield and Rin were staying.
Hashirama, ever the responsible elder brother, quickly followed.
Protecting a younger sibling, even one as exasperating as Tobirama, was non-negotiable.
This was the only thing Madara could genuinely respect about Hashirama, care and loyalty, even if his brain didn't always keep up with his brawn.
Madara, muttering under his breath, reluctantly followed behind, waving at Izuna as they moved.
"Izuna, what's wrong with you?" he asked quietly.
Izuna shook his head. "Nothing, brother… just a little strange feeling."
Madara grunted, unconcerned. After all, the 'flame lion' was nothing more than a porcelain cup, and fireballs couldn't hurt anyone.
The four walked up to the cabin. The door creaked open with a sound straight out of a horror movie.
Outside, the village was eerily quiet, but Garfield guessed Hashirama had already warned the villagers.
The cabin seemed normal at first… small, living room in front, bedrooms to the sides.
But once they stepped inside, the door shut behind them, and the living room vanished, replaced by a long corridor.
Tobirama tapped the walls with a kunai. "Stone," he muttered.
"Looks like a maze," Hashirama said with a grin, flashing his signature playful smirk. "Don't worry, brother."
"I'm not worried, I'm warning you to be careful!" Tobirama snapped.
"It's just a small maze." Madara stepped forward, passing the two Senju brothers with his usual arrogance.
"Let's split up. Izuna, come with me."
Hashirama scratched the back of his head.
"Be careful, Madara." He said, fighting the urge to punch the Uchiha for his attitude.
Madara rolled his eyes but nodded, gesturing for Izuna to follow. The two quickly vanished down the corridor.
Hashirama sank onto the floor, baring his teeth in a mischievous grin. "That orange cat today… I have a feeling it's tricked us already."
"Best to wait for Madara to get himself into trouble first, hehehe."
Tobirama, watching his brother's smirk, rolled his eyes, sighed, and sat down beside him, muttering a silent 'stupid elder brother.'
꧁𓊈𒆜༺⚜༻𒆜𓊉꧂
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