Raiden lay awake in his room, his mind buzzing with the events of the past few days. The recent rescue operation, Madara's unexpected help, and Hashirama's tearful gratitude all replayed vividly in his mind. Kawarama's rescue had left Raiden with a heavy understanding of the stakes involved. This wasn't just an idealistic mission—they were walking a tightrope between unity and survival.
He had been optimistic about this thinking he had the future strongest shinobis on his side, forgetting that a small event can turn all his hard work into nothing.
Just as he began drifting into sleep, a quiet knock at his door jolted him awake. He opened it to find a familiar Uzumaki messenger standing there, bowing respectfully. "Raiden-sama, the clan leader requests your return as soon as possible. The summons is urgent."
Raiden blinked, the unexpected news clearing the remnants of sleep from his mind. "When does he want me to leave?"
'I knew I would be called back, but not this soon'
The messenger gave a quick, formal nod. "As soon as you're able, Raiden-sama. Preparations for travel can begin immediately."
'I guess it must be urgent, If he wants to see me as soon as possible'
With a deep breath, Raiden nodded. "Understood. I'll make arrangements."
The messenger left after getting the confirmation. "I wonder why father called me back"
"Yawn"
"I am too tired for this let's go to bed"
Raiden returned to bed.
The next morning Raiden went to Hashirama's room as soon as he woke up, but after opening the door he saw no one, he asked a servant and she told him that the young master had gone out to get some fresh air.
'I guess he went there' and he was right Raiden found both Madara and Hashirama at their secret spot arguing.
"Raiden!" Hashirama called out, practically bouncing over. "You're here! You wouldn't believe what Madara how cool Madara was throwing me at my brother's directions flawlessly."
Madara huffed, crossing his arms but unable to hide a slight smile. "I didn't save him for praise, Hashirama. Besides, I'd have done the same for anyone important to… the cause."
Hashirama gave him a few friendly pats on the back. "So humble! Look at him trying to act cool about it!"
Raiden laughed, feeling the tension ease with their usual banter. "Good thing you were there, Madara. But I have some news—I'm being summoned back to the Uzumaki clan."
Hashirama's expression fell. "Oh. How long?"
Raiden shrugged. "Not sure yet. It sounds like they want me back immediately, so… maybe a while."
Madara, looking slightly unbothered, gave him a small smirk. "You're tough to replace, but we'll manage. Just don't get lazy while you're gone."
Hashirama laughed, nudging Raiden playfully. "Yeah, and bring us some fancy Uzumaki seals when you come back. I'd love to see Madara's face when he realizes I have better seals than he does."
Madara rolled his eyes but cracked a grin. "Try it. You'd need them just to keep up with me."
They continued exchanging lighthearted jabs until, after a while, they lay back on the grass, staring up at the sky in comfortable silence. Raiden watched the clouds drift across the sky, his mind beginning to spin with thoughts of leaving.
After a while, Madara broke the silence. "Too bad we can't talk while you're away. Messages are too risky… we'd give ourselves away if anyone intercepted them."
"Yeah I wish there was some way we could reach each other," Said Hashirama
Raiden's mind began churning, considering the issue. Communication would be invaluable for the three of them. The need for it reminded him of something from his past life, a unique way people communicated in a certain anime One Piece. "There might be a way, an object in which you talk and it gets sent to another object so we can hear each other's voice."
Both Hashirama and Madara sat up, intrigued. "You think you could make something like that?" Hashirama asked, eyes wide.
Raiden rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "It might be possible. We could try creating a system where chakra, once infused in a seal, could send messages over distances. It'll take some trial and error, but it could be our next big project."
Madara's eyes gleamed with interest. "It would give us a major advantage."
The three lay back again, their spirits lifting as they chatted late into the night, their plans and dreams blending into the stars above them. Raiden's heart felt heavy at the thought of leaving, but knowing that he would return to his two friends—and their vision for a unified shinobi world—gave him the resolve to face whatever awaited him back at the Uzumaki clan.