Hashirama POV
I stood at the entrance of our Senju estate, the sun casting a golden hue over the sprawling grounds. I had been waiting for my younger brother, Tobirama, who was a little late. The tranquility of the moment was interrupted only by the gentle rustling of leaves in the breeze and the distant sounds of the village coming to life.
Just as I was beginning to feel the weight of impatience, a bird swooped down and landed gracefully on my outstretched arm. It was a messenger pigeon, its chestnut feathers gleaming in the sunlight. I untied the small scroll from its leg, my heart lifting at the sight of the familiar handwriting.
"Isshin and Mito have arrived," he read aloud, a smile breaking across my face as I have not met Isshin and MIto in a long time. It was always a joy to see friends, especially Isshin, whose fiery spirit reminded him so much of their own brother. Excited, I quickly folded the note and tucked it away, eager to greet them.
"You called me elder brother?" Tobirama arrived, inquired. He was wearing his battle clothes, he must be busy perfecting his new flying Raijin techniques.
"We need to leave quickly, Mito and Isshin arrived at the port yesterday." Hearing my words a smile broke on his face which made me curious but I didn't ask. I and Tobirama began to make our way toward the path leading to the nearby village.
After rushing continuously for hours we covered half of the way, reaching almost the outskirts door and then soon heard the unmistakable sounds of chaos—a clash of metal and shouts carrying through the air. My heart sank as they covered the distance, realizing that something was amiss.
When we rounded a bend, the scene before us confirmed our fears: bandits had engaged Isshin in a fierce fight. The joy of their arrival was replaced by concern as I took in the sight of my friend battling against overwhelming odds.
"Hashirama, hold on!" Tobirama's voice cut through the air like a sharp wind. He appeared from around a corner, his expression serious. "You shouldn't go rushing into this."
"Why not?" I countered, his worry evident. "What if he's in danger? We can't just stand by while—"
"We need to let him fight," Tobirama insisted, his tone firm yet measured. "This is an opportunity to see Isshin's abilities first hand. He's not just any average shinobi; he's the strongest of the Uzumaki and Senju, as their elders have said."
I paused, considering Tobirama's words. It was true—Isshin was renowned for his prowess in battle. He had faced challenges that would have sent lesser men running, and he had emerged victorious time and again. But the thought of watching his friend face such a threat alone was difficult to accept.
"Are you really sure?" I asked, his brow furrowed in concern. "What if things don't go as planned?"
"We've trained him well," Tobirama replied, his voice steady. "This is his chance to prove himself, not just to us, but to the elders and his own clan. He needs to know he can handle himself. If he falters, then we'll step in. But we must trust him."
I sighed, the internal conflict evident on my face. As the training we gave him was many many years ago, moreover bandits are known for underhand methods. I respected Tobirama's judgment and knew that there was wisdom in giving Isshin the space to showcase his skills. After all, he had been raised with the expectation of greatness, a mantle that weighed heavily but also served to shape him into a formidable fighter.
"Fine," I relented, though a part of me still felt uneasy. "But if it looks like he's in real trouble, we intervene. Family is everything to us."
Tobirama nodded, a small smirk crossing his lips. "Agreed. We'll watch closely."
Together, they positioned themselves at a vantage point, the sounds of battle echoing from a distance. My heart raced as we waited. I knew Isshin had the strength and skill, but seeing him in action would confirm it. The tension in the air was palpable, and my fingers curled tightly around the hilt of my kunai, ready to act at a moment's notice.
As the clash of steel and shouts reached their ears, my instincts flared. I watched intently, my heart swelling with pride and concern, hoping that their faith in Isshin was well-placed. After all, this was more than just a fight.
First person
'They are unskilled and have no experience,' I saw through their savage, no-brainer stance and tactic to engage in battle and proceed to finish this quickly with an overkill combat art.
[One mind: Judgment cut]
Unleashes a storm of attacks from a sheathed stance; so fast that the blade is nigh invisible. One must focus their soul on the release of the blade, nothing else. In doing so, the strikes achieve a god-like speed.
In mere seconds they were chopped into pieces in cold blood and no mercy where they were standing 3 steps away. "RuNn! EveRyone FoR yOuR liLe."
*Swoosh
Out of 6 only four remain and among the one yells in absolute dread and fear however before he could run I had already killed him with just a kunai aiming at the center of his forehead without wasting a second.
Other three stand out from the bushes where they were hiding yet unlike the other three they looked veteran because of their stance, confidence and chakra. "You must be Isshin Ashina Uzumaki. The boy who slaughtered Ren, the leader of the rogue samurai and his hundred men...."
"All alone in a single night." I spoke with a cold smile remembering the bloody moon event that happened a few months ago. "You all must be the few survivors or backup which ran away like rats."
"YOU!" One of the armored samurai muttered, he was enraged and desperate as she rushed at me without thinking. Seeing their companion's high spirit, two also follow suit closing the distance and to provide support to their initiator.
[Multi shadow clone Technique]]
Creating nine clones of myself in a single hand seal with adequate chakra so the clone can use few ninjutsu or movement rendering Fuinjutsu to divert other attention in which I easily succeeded, so I could face off with the angry samurai seldomly.
As the clones form two groups of four, one uses a range water style water bullet while other engage in swordplay.
*Clang *6
Meanwhile I parried the incoming attack four times and took a few steps back in order to break the samurai posture however due to his experience and skills it was hard to do so. His chakra enhanced heavy strikes were strong, fast and precise yet I saw a flaw.
[Earth Style: Sharp backshot]
"Your back is wide open!" As I said I deflected his heavy attack last time as my one free clone weaved a few hand signs in quick succession and slammed his hand on the ground. As long and razor sharp rocks penetrated the ungraded samurai from behind effortlessly.
Flinched by the wound, Isshin in one swift movement delivered a death blow by injecting wind chakra in his special blade to increase its speed and hone the edge's to sever the head of mad samurai.
Isshin finished with the heavily armored samurai looking at the companions of the dead, who followed the same fate as their vital areas of their body were attacked.
Although his eight clones were gone the two samurai held their ground not scumming to their mortal wounds.