Echo

by Joak Drysso

Being the story of the founding of Konoha, of its first and most infamous traitor, and of the day he ate fist.

Echo

A Naruto Fanfic By

Joak Drysso

---

"Hashi, behind you!" Senju Hashirama didn't even turn. He simply leaned forward, planted one hand on the ground, and kicked off with both feet as hard as possible. His left heel caught his foe in the chin, knocking his face upward. Pivoting on his palm, he landed, snatching a kunai from the belt along his left hip and bringing it across the ninja's throat.

The ninja gurgled in response, his hands slowly groping up to probe at the gaping wound in his throat. His head came back down, and forlorn eyes stared at Hashirama before the man fell to his knees, and then slumped forward. The Senju leader sighed and turned away, brushing a few errant strands of black hair out of his face. "Thanks, Tobi."

Tobirama gave him a grin and a thumbs-up. "No problem. If you're tired, you can relax. With me and the Uchiha, we should be able to clear this up pretty fast."

Indeed, the alliance with the Uchiha seemed to be turning out well. They were polished fighters, even if, in Hashirama's opinion, the Senju were superior. The only reason the Uchiha had ever held out as long as they had was simply because there were so damn many of them. Allowing himself a snort of irritation at the thought of stopping now, Hashirama turned to continue the clean-up process.

And paused when he saw, fifty-some yards away, Uchiha Madara standing with a drawn, bloody kaiken. The resulting staring contest was intense, until Hashirama finally turned away. Something about that man made his blood churn. Every time he looked at Madara, the only Uchiha who had ever been able to keep up with him, he regretted not annihilating the Uchiha. The Will of Fire was strong, but he couldn't shake the feeling that leaving that man – and the people who shared his blood and ambitions – alive would only come back to bite them in the ass.

It helped that this whole mess was their fault to begin with. The Morioka clan would have been valuable allies. Indeed, Hashirama had never seen any people so skilled with Doton before, and doubted he would ever again.

During their talks about adding the Morioka into the proposed village, which they still had not named, Madara had made a flippant insult. Morioka Tohsaku had taken offense, and responded in kind. Madara had responded by killing the man in front of an entire room of delegates, citing the pride of the Uchiha as his excuse.

Hashirama wondered if Madara hadn't been baiting him specifically so that he could kill the man and throw the Senju's plans into disarray. After Tohsaku's death, a full-scale war broke out. This was, hopefully, the last sordid act in this tale, a strike into the heart of the Morioka territory while joint Senju-Uchiha forces assaulted other villages. Hashirama felt like he was already too old for this, and the village hadn't even truly formed yet.

Kneeling by the broken body of a dying Morioka soldier, Hashirama reversed the grip on his kunai. The man stared up at him with broken eyes. His mouth moved, no sound came out. Hashirama read it in his spirit instead. Hashirama's eyes closed and he spoke in whispers, a prayer to the gods. When he opened his eyes, the soldier, tears of pain streaking his dirty, smudged face, was dead. Passing a hand over the man's face to close his eyes, Hashirama tugged the kunai out of the soldier's body and stood up.

"A pity to have died so young." The Senju nearly jumped in surprise. He turned. Madara stood there, looking down at the soldier with something approaching a sneer. "Had he been a decent fighter, maybe he would have lived longer, and burned brighter than the rest of this pathetic lot."

A single stony look from Hashirama caused Madara to halt in his insults. "I will not permit any of my men to speak ill of the dead. It brings misfortune. More than we've had already, no thanks to you."

"If he had not insulted my clan-"

"Don't." Hashirama warned. "I don't feel like playing your game today, Madara. Leave me be. Go amuse yourself with one of your consorts."

Madara smirked. Hashirama hated that look. For all of his dislike of the Uchiha and their leader in particular, he could understand why Madara had come out on top. His bearing and appearance fitted the dashing nobles of all the old stories. But when he smirked, Hashirama could not tell the difference between him and any of the petty warlords the Senju had put down in the last ten years.

It made him want to reach out and punch Madara. He restrained himself. But only barely.

The Uchiha turned and, with a sharp whistle, the remaining Uchiha turned and left the field, leaving the Senju to do the remaining work. Tobirama glanced over at Hashirama in confusion, and the elder Senju merely shook his head, rolled his eyes, and got back to work.

---

Some five years later, it finally happened.

"It is decided, then. The Senju, the Uchiha, and the Hyuuga, and the declared lesser clans and individuals who have pledged their service, are hereby united under Konohagakure. The Village Hidden in the Leaf." Tobirama read, as though from a scroll. Hashirama was a man made for the battlefield, not much of a face at all. Tobirama was every bit his equal, but he was a true statesmen, far more patient than Hashirama ever could have been.

So why had he agreed with this decision?

"By decree of the Daimyou of the Land of Fire, Konohagakure, to better serve his interests, has been ordered to select a representative to delegate authority for any jobs offered to us. We have decided that the office will be called Hokage." Tobirama gestured with his right hand. "This is a prestigious office. After much debate, it has been decided by majority opinion, that the first Hokage of Konohagakure shall be...Senju Hashirama."

The applause was stunningly loud. Dead silence from the Uchiha, of course, but Hashirama hadn't expected anything else as he stepped out onto the impromptu stage. However, the Senju, and the Hyuuga, and many of the smaller clans that had agreed with Hashirama's proposal, were applauding, stomping their feet, and shouting various war cries and battle chants in his honor. Hyuuga Kojiro, the elder who represented the clan at all official affairs, stood next to Tobirama, his face schooled into impassivity but unable to restrain the amusement and laughter in his white eyes, with his robes of office in hand.

Honestly, Hashirama thought as he approached somewhat sheepishly, at least it's just the Uchiha protesting the decision. The council meeting that had decided on his election to Hokage had certainly been rough, as Uchiha Madara protested, with all of the Uchiha on the council backing him. Madara felt that he deserved at least a joint post at the position, for having formed the coalition that got the entire movement started.

Hashirama had even considered it before Yamanaka Tetsuo had come forward and stated, quite bluntly, that many of the lesser clans would only accept the election of the man who had approached them and brought them into the fold. The Uchiha, the lesser clans declared, had no right demanding such a seat when their only penchant was toward war.

Madara had stalked out of the meeting. That had been two weeks ago. Hashirama had seen no sign of the man ever since then. And he was, to be honest, quite thankful for it. He reached Hyuuga Kojima, and with a bashful smile, slipped his left arm, then right, into the white robes. The light cloth settled on top of his armor, and then he accepted the rather garish hat, glancing at it quizzically to try and make sense out of how it went on his head.

Then his body tensed as he felt a Shunshin complete itself just behind Kojiro. The Hyuuga had felt it and perhaps seen it earlier, as the old man was in the middle of turning when a kunai buried itself in his back. Brute force hauled the corpse off to the side, tearing open a large gash in the man's back. Hashirama was left staring open-mouthed at a furious, trembling Uchiha Madara. All applause had stopped. A deadly silence enveloped the clearing.

"I deserve those robes. I do. Not you. Not you weak-minded filth. Strength rules, and I am the stronge-" A metal boot collided with his face. He stumbled back, nursing his broken nose and glaring at Hashirama, who wasn't even looking at him. Hashirama knelt by Kojiro's body, and with a sad finality, placed a hand on his shoulder, to commend him to the spirits.

Then he turned his gaze on Madara, and the Uchiha felt fear, true fear, for the first time in his life. "Get out."

Madara blinked, the words breaking the death-grip on him. "No. I refuse. You and your bastard clan and these arrogant upstarts conspired to remove me from my rightful office." He moved his bloody kunai into position where he could easily strike or parry. "I will not stand for it. My clan will not stand for it. Too long, the Uchiha have watched everyone else trample over us. No more. We will rule Konoha, as we were meant to."

Hashirama took a step forward. Madara instinctively took a step backward. Hashirama took another step forward. Madara backed off. Hashirama moved in an instant. Madara's Sharingan could not even follow the speed at which the first Hokage moved. He could only feel the impact of the greaves as Hashirama's crescent kick caught him on the cheek and sent him flying away.

Madara tried to push himself up onto his feet. Hashirama was already there, reaching down and catching the Uchiha by the throat, and hauling him up. "I have suffered your presence for long enough, Madara. This betrayal will not be forgiven."

Madara half-coughed, half-spat into Hashirama's face. "I do not want your forgiveness." Hashirama frowned, then let go of Madara's neck, scrambling away as the Sharingan began to spin. "Only your death." Black flames seemed to envelope Hashirama; he spun away, sprinting, feeling an unnatural heat burning at his back. He growled, and slipped out of the robes, stumbling away as they were quickly annihilated by the supernatural fire. He looked up at Madara, who glared at him with hatred and fury.

Before the Senju could go onto the offensive again, however, Madara disappeared. Hashirama nearly collapsed, but he refused to show anyone that weakness. He couldn't afford to. Konohagakure had existed, officially, for less than ten minutes and already it had suffered its first betrayal and murder. He, as Hokage, could not show anything but strength.

Irony. In a way, Madara had a point.

He chilled his burning blood, and turned cold eyes to Uchiha Takeshi, who visibly blanched. "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't have every member of your clan executed for aiding and abetting a traitor."

"We..." Takeshi faltered. "We did not know how deep his ambition went. It was a terrible oversight, and we deeply regret the unnecessary death of Kojiro-sama."

"Good. I'm glad you feel that way. It means you'll have no problem making reparations to them for their loss."

Takeshi's head snapped up. Angry murmurs sounded from the Uchiha. "Madara's plan was not ours. There is no need-"

"Madara was an Uchiha, last I checked. Not two weeks ago you were clamoring for his election to my position. Are you so quick to change sides?"

"We," Takeshi struggled to maintain his composure, "are loyal to Konohagakure. If...if Hokage-sama demands it, the Uchiha will make reparation to the Hyuuga." More angry whispers from the Uchiha, but under the cold collective eyes of the Hyuuga, even those died quickly. "Let it be known that Uchiha Madara is Uchiha no more. Blood means nothing when faced with such betrayal."

Hashirama knew lip service when he was getting it, but the last part, at least, was true, from what he could read in the man. The Uchiha were really willing to cut ties. Perhaps the political embarrassment had been too much.

The Hokage nodded slowly. "Good. I will speak with the new Hyuuga representative in a few days' time to discuss proper compensation. In the meanwhile, I suggest everyone acquaint themselves with the city and your clan grounds. You'll find me in the tower."

"...tower?" Tobirama tilted his head. "Uh, Hashi, I don't remember building the tower yet."

"We didn't." Hashirama closed his eyes. Tapping into the wellspring of chakra, he extended one hand forward, and a massive chunk of wood burst from the ground in the clearing along the mountain range prepared specifically for it. For several seconds, it retained no shape, constantly shifting, until finally it began to form a multiple-tiered tower. "I just did, though. Now, if you'll excuse me."

Tobirama and the others watched the Senju stalk off. The younger Senju shook his head. "This is not a good start."

---

"Is he serious?" Hashirama frowned, peering down from the high wall along the border of Konoha. Some distance below, Uchiha Madara bellowed a stream of expletives and insults, demanding that Hashirama come forth and fight him for the honor of ruling Konoha. "Is he serious? He's serious."

Tobirama nodded. "Yeah. He's serious. Maybe you made him go insane? I mean, really, this is all he can do? He used to be a lot more creative."

A shadow enveloped the wall, and the two Senju looked up. A giant, bizarre insect-like creature with six wings and a tail buzzed excitedly overhead, copious amounts of chakra forming at the tip of its horn. Hashirama scowled. "You had to ask. Let me handle this."

"Will you be okay?"

"Hey, it's like the time he tried to use the Nibi on us. This one just has a couple more tails is all. Just give me some moral support, or a water jutsu if it doesn't want to play nice." Hashirama looked up, and then cleared his throat.

Most of Konoha, the vast majority of which had never seen Hashirama display any power aside from his unique Mokuton, had to cover their ears as Hashirama's voice boomed, speaking in an unearthly tongue. Tobirama winced, but kept his attention divided between the Shichibi flying overhead, and Madara, who, upon hearing the tones used to communicate with demons, had stopped, and was glaring murderously up at the top of the gate.

Honestly, the Shichibi was the only real worry, but even Madara could cause some issues if he came up and tried to fight while Hashirama was busy striking a deal with a not-so-figurative devil.

For several seconds, demonic discourse occurred between the Shichibi and Hashirama. After a tense moment, the giant insect spun and flew off. Tobirama was left looking at Hashirama with some level of amazement. Those below looked up at Hashirama as though he were a god. "What...what did you tell it?"

"That if it touched one hair on the head of any member of this village, I'd send the Kyuubi after it for as long as it took for the damn fox to catch it and eat it. It didn't seem too thrilled with that prospect, so it left." Hashirama's shoulders sagged, and he shook his head.

"You seriously just bullied a tailed beast into leaving? Hashi..." Tobirama held out his right fist.

Hashirama couldn't help but laugh, before he pulled up an arm and pounded his fist against Tobirama's. "Hey, I have to set an example, right? Keep the villagers safe. I'm going to go see what he wants."

"Of course." The white-haired man nodded.

Hashirama vaulted the side of the wall, flashing through a brief series of hand-seals to summon a platform of wood that lowered him to the ground. He turned to face the crazed Uchiha, and blinked. It had only been a month and a half since Madara's exile from Konohagakure, and the man looked like he was on the verge of going feral. His hair was disheveled, his clothes tattered, and his eyes were wild. "You certainly let yourself go."

"Kkk." Madara managed, before laughing uncontrollably. "Yes, yes I did. But not for long! Soon, I'll be where I belong. At the top of that tower, ruling over these worthless peons, using you and your damned brothers' skulls as footrests!"

Hashirama frowned, but did not take the bait. Even from this distance he could make out the spinning of the Sharingan. Madara was simply waiting for him to get into a focus range to unleash a sure-kill blast from Amaterasu.

Well, I can't disappoint him. He focused for a moment, and felt the wood growing on him like a second skin. Then he charged forward. Madara gave a small whoop of victory, Amaterasu catching Hashirama directly. Then the wood split, the outer skin quickly burning in the black fire as he closed.

He had expected to find a surprised Madara. Instead, he found a kunai tip about an inch from his eye. He twisted aside as fast as possible, the weapon gashing his cheek instead. He stumbled to a halt as he saw Madara backing away, widening the gap again. "What, did you think I'd not remember that trick? Especially after you've seen my Amaterasu so many times? I'm insulted. So you honor my request? I can't think of why you'd be here if you weren't planning on dueling me for the right to become Hokage!"

"Why are you so obsessed with a political title, anyways?" Hashirama stared. He wanted to buy as much time as he could, to prepare himself mentally for this showdown.

"Isn't it obvious?" Madara held his hands out. "The Hokage. The strongest in all of Konoha. The strongest ninja in the world. That title, mine. What man could not dream of holding that for himself? Even you were no exception. For all of your supposed humility, you certainly did not fight your nomination and election."

"..." Hashirama had no counter to that. At least, none that Madara would believe. He had opposed it, but Tobirama had given him several good reasons for why he needed to accept the position, even if it was just temporarily. "All right. Fine. Whatever. Let's just do this now. I have things that require my attention here as it is."

Madara snorted. "Not for long. But yes, I know the perfect location. Come, follow." He turned, and his body blurred as he used the Shunshin.

Hashirama sighed, but followed dutifully. If he could spare Konoha any amount of damage, so much the better.

---

It was evening when they finally reached the bank of a great river that formed the barrier with Ta no Kuni. Madara came to a stop, and Hashirama appeared a good fifty yards away. "A fitting place for your death, hm? This river flows to some of the Senju's stores. Who knows, within a few days your family, your people, may be drinking water mingled with your blood." He shuddered. "Don't let me down, Hashirama. Put up a good fight, struggle, and fall before the strongest ninja to ever exist."

Madara might have said more, but a spear of wood drove at him from behind. With vague disinterest, he casually summoned fire to his hand, holding it out, incinerating the wood an inch away from his palm. Hashirama growled. "For a ninja, you really talk too much."

"Perhaps you're right." With a motion, a wicked-looking sickle slid into his grasp, the clinking of the chain it was attached to promising much pain and frustration if the fight took longer than a few exchanges. Hashirama knew that sickle well; Second Death, a rather infamous weapon even before Madara had taken it up. It was said that those who died at the hands of the Second Death would never be reincarnated.

Even if the legends weren't true, Hashirama had no intention of testing it. He tapped his right wrist, activating the seal engraved into the bone, summoning an immense scroll.

"Oh? The Senju Hundred Paths? I'm honored you've seen fit to use it against me." Madara smirked.

Oh, there was that urge to punch him in the face. This time, Hashirama didn't restrain himself. In an instant, he closed the gap, and drove a plated fist into Madara's face, the force sending the Uchiha flying away. "I told you, you talk too much."

Hashirama retreated back to the scroll as Madara unsteadily climbed to his feet, and knelt, running his hand along the various seals. Finding the one he wanted, number thirty-seven, he pressed his hand to the seal. "Kuchiyose." A surge of chakra and puff of smoke later, a wakizashi in an ornate sheathe rested before him on top of the scroll. He took up the weapon, and unsheathed it. "The thirty-seventh forge. The Falling Sakura."

He charged at Madara, every bit as quickly as before, but Madara was expecting it, and brought Second Death up to clash with it. "So the Hundred Paths is a summon? The secret of the Senju, revealed! You just have a contract with-" He ducked underneath a thrust from the wakizashi. Hashirama instead slammed the pommel down onto Madara's head, before sweeping the blade down to catch the sickle as Madara made a cut at his stomach.

Hashirama backed off, and let go of the Falling Sakura, which disappeared. "You're holding something back, Madara. Don't insult me, please."

Madara twitched, and Hashirama restrained a smirk. It had been a calculated risk, to call him on it, but now he knew. This battlefield had been chosen for a very specific reason.

"All right then. I'll even the playing field! Mokuton! Daishin no Jutsu!" Hashirama summoned as much chakra into his palm, and then slammed it into the ground. The ground shuddered as water and earth mingled, before the ground spontaneously burst apart, enormous tree trunks and roots tearing up the earth and disfiguring the battlefield. A root snagged the Hundred Paths as it fell, slithering over to rest underneath Hashirama's left hand as he watched Madara. He pressed his hand on fifty-six. "Kuchiyose." A serpent-spear poofed into existence, and he gripped the haft. "Much better."

"A forest was not a good idea, Hashirama. Here, I can hide myself several ways. You'll never see me until it's too late." Madara's voice seemed to surround him. The Hokage merely closed his eyes.

"You forget, Uchiha. The forest is my domain." He spun and hurled the spear. The weapon howled as it split the air, burying itself into a tree some fifty yards away as a brown-ish blob separated itself from the tree and dodged. Tapping the scroll on seven, he whispered the summoning word again, and a hefty metal tessen appeared. Hashirama grabbed it, and jumped forward.

Then jumped up immediately, swearing in frustration as Amaterasu's black flames immolated the patch of tree he had been running along. He spotted a pair of kunai flying toward him, and snapped open the fan, the folded metal expanding. A distinct tang rang out as the weapons bounced off of the weapon, and then Hashirama shut it, landing just out of reach of Madara. He stepped in, his free hand lashing out to try and catch him in the throat with his fingers. He missed, but stepped in again with the momentum, even as Madara stepped back.

Hashirama spun on his foot and closed in again, swinging his tessen. Madara did not step back in time, did not see it in time. The metal fan collided with Madara's side, and the man grunted with response at the sheer weight and force of it, losing what breath he had. Hashirama stepped in and slammed his knee into Madara's gut, then grabbed him by the throat and held him against the tree. "Come on, Uchiha. You said you were the strongest. Where's that strength? I've only used three weapons. This is the best you can do?"

"Gh." Madara grunted. "Tsu...Tsukuyomi!" His Sharingan spun again, and Hashirama suddenly found himself in an off-tone universe.

"This world is under my control." Madara intoned. "For the next seventy-two hours, you will suffer as I see fit."

Hashirama grunted as his arms were pinned to his side. Madara traced a path along his neck with the edge of Second Death. "You can't really die here. Well, your mind could die, but physically, anything I do is simply genjutsu. A pity, I think, but it does give one so many options for torture." He slashed the blade across Hashirama's neck, and the Hokage died for the first time.

He came gasping back to life the next minute, horrified.

"Welcome to your life for the next three days, Hashirama."

---

Hashirama gasped as he was forcefully pulled out of the genjutsu. Madara smirked, and raised his arm to pry Hashirama's arm away from his neck, when suddenly the force intensified. He could no longer even breathe, let alone make sound. The Uchiha looked up, and what he saw made him very, very uncomfortable.

Hashirama's eyes were wild and vibrating, probably from sheer terror, but the sneer on his face, a look Madara had never seen, indicated hatred, abject hatred more than anything.

Madara decided that now was a very, very good time to pull his trump card. He called out with his mind, and heard an enraged, but grudging, response. He coughed, and managed to smile at Hashirama before a red blur tore through the ever-growing black flames of Amaterasu, charging headlong at the Hokage.

That smile died when Hashirama waved his hand and enormous tendrils of wood sprung from the ground, restraining the Kyuubi with little effort. "That was it? That was your trick? A Bijuu? I have just as much control, if not more than you, over these beasts. And you thought you would win?" He pulled Madara to him, and then slammed him back into the tree trunk. Madara's head struck it brutally, and he saw stars, hearing only ringing in his ears while Hashirama stared at him coldly. After a moment, he lifted Madara overhead, and then threw him with all of his strength into the enormous form of the nine-tailed fox. "Fine. You want a handicap? I'll give you a handicap." He waved again, and the roots receded. The Kyuubi roared, enraged. "Shut it, animal, or I'll kill you here and now."

It was a laughable threat, but the sheer fury and hatred that radiated off of Senju Hashirama gave even the Kyuubi pause. However, after a moment, Madara's voice, raspy from the strain on his throat, finally gave his order. "Kill that man!"

The Kyuubi wasted no time, gathering as much chakra as it possibly could in a second's time and unleashing it, a massive, devastating beam of energy that Hashirama leapt to dodge. One of its' nine tails swayed, sending a tornado at him. He simply rolled his eyes, and a large chunk of wood erupted from a nearby tree, forming a barrier between him and the wind, and providing him with a handhold.

As the wind began to die down, Hashirama let go, falling into the whirlwind, letting it carry him where it would, rising higher and higher. When he could finally act, he was situated some three hundred yards above the two. He flashed through a series of seals. "Mokuton! Mokushou no Jutsu!" A hundred wooden shafts split from the trees, sharpening to a fine point as they rained down on Madara and the Kyuubi.

Madara was able to dodge the enormous spears with ease; the Kyuubi, not so much, five scoring direct hits and piercing what served the beast for flesh, numerous others cutting or scraping the beast. It howled in fury and pain, its tails thrashing. The ground beneath them shattered. However, the forest did not fall away; the roots of the Daishin no Jutsu had gone so far down that more than half of the roots were still buried, hundreds of feet below in the new base level.

But the black fire of Amaterasu was spreading extraordinarily quickly; soon, even this haven would cease to exist.

Hashirama had to end it before that.

The nine-tailed fox continued to thrash about, still impaled by the five immense wooden spears. He could make out Madara hurriedly executing seals for one of his biggest fire jutsus, and that would just not do. Hashirama allowed gravity to finally take him, and he fell, and fell, and fell. Even as Madara finally completed the seals and exhaled a huge stream of fire that incinerated the wooden spears quickly, Hashirama landed on top of the Kyuubi, his full weight augmented by the fall and chakra focused into his feet at the point of impact. The Kyuubi howled again in pain, and thrashed about. "That's enough out of you." Hashirama snapped. After a moment, the fox's head finally hit the ground. Not dead, no, but certainly not willing to fight anymore, even under Sharingan coercion.

He turned to face Madara, who looked stricken. "There goes your only chance at victory."

Madara managed enough bravado to scowl. "As long as I live, there is always a chance at victory."

"Then I won't let you live." Hashirama shrugged, and lunged, twisting his body in a flying reverse roundhouse kick that connected with Madara's temple, smacking the Uchiha away. His body fell through the gap in between the roots, and plummeted down into the quickly-forming lake at the bottom of the new waterfall.

Hashirama jumped afterward, intent on ending it. He slowed his fall, and hit the ground on the muddy shore as lightly as he could manage. Not five feet away, Madara lay on the shore, slowly beginning to stir from his brief knockout. He didn't want that to happen so easily, so he walked forward, and stomped his foot down on Madara's head.

When Madara made a sound and began to struggle as best he was able, Hashirama finally felt ready to end it.

"I want you to remember this moment." Hashirama said softly, enough that Madara had to strain to hear it, though part of that had to be the fact that one ear was shoved into the mud, and the other was currently being crushed underneath the metal boot of Hashirama's armor. "I want you to forever remember that you were so weak that even calling upon the nine-tailed fox itself, you lost. That even with your vaunted Sharingan, you lost."

Hashirama eased the pressure on Madara's head, and knelt down next to him, roughly grabbing the Uchiha's head and tugging it upward to stare him in the eyes. It was a risky venture, but he was betting on the Uchiha lacking the chakra to play any more mind games. "That no matter what kind of trickery you employ, the Will of Fire will never falter, even for a moment. Remember that, and think twice before you come near my people ever again."

He reached down to his belt, and grabbed a kunai. With one motion, he lifted it up and ran Madara's throat through. He watched the man cough and convulse for a moment, expressionlessly, and then threw him into the water. "Never again."