Within a few minutes, Senba was helped over by the Jonin Shinoda and brought before Isamu.
"Senba, how are you? Are you alright?" Seeing the exhausted look on Senba's face, Isamu quickly stepped forward and asked.
"I'm fine. I just consumed too much Chakra, and the wounds are only superficial. But Father, what happened to you?" Looking at his father's torn clothes and towering body, Senba was filled with confusion.
"Don't worry. This is simply the result of pushing my power to its limit. Alright, Shinoda, hurry up and lead the remaining Ninjas away. I'll stay behind and cover your retreat!" Seeing that the original force of over six hundred Konoha Ninjas had been reduced to barely a hundred survivors, Isamu immediately urged everyone to leave.
"Understood, Lord Isamu! We'll retreat immediately!" Hearing his words, Shinoda did not hesitate and immediately prepared to leave while supporting Senba.
"Wait! Father, the enemy's strength is overwhelming. You should retreat with us too. There's no need to fight them to the death. Once reinforcements arrive, we can face them head-on later!" Senba refused to leave and spoke anxiously.
"Senba, you're thinking too simply. With your speed, you won't last until reinforcements arrive. And during the four hours you delayed them, the main Iwagakure force has already caught up. Someone must stay behind to stop them. Besides… this is my fate. My karmic debt with Iwagakure!" Isamu shook his head calmly.
"Father, you mean… No! No, you can't do something this reckless!" Senba immediately understood what his father meant and became agitated.
"Senba, there's no need to persuade me further. You know that once your father makes a decision, it will never change!" Isamu raised a hand and stopped him.
"But Father, how can I just watch you go…"
"Senba, remember this well. Possessing strength alone does not make someone truly powerful. True strength comes from the heart. A person is only as strong as their conviction. The saying that a fountain can never rise higher than its source does not apply to our family. You possess both Uchiha and Senju blood. As long as you continue developing your power, you will one day become an overlord of an era. Father believes you possess limitless potential!" Isamu slowly gave his final instructions.
"Father!" Hearing those final words, tears involuntarily welled up in Senba's eyes.
"That's enough. A real man bleeds but does not cry. What are you acting like this for? I've already said everything that needed to be said. The Iwagakure Ninjas are almost here. Go!" Isamu stopped looking at Senba and turned toward the battlefield ahead.
"Father… thank you!" Knowing he could no longer change his father's mind, Senba knelt and kowtowed three times.
"There's no need for that. Shinoda, drag him away already!" Although Isamu never turned around, he knew exactly what Senba was doing.
"Let's go, Lord Senba!" Shinoda helped Senba to his feet.
Senba took one final reluctant look at his father's back before being forcibly pulled away by Shinoda.
"You brat… being this sentimental. I'm not even your real father, so why go this far? Senba, let your real father accompany you on the road ahead!" Watching the Konoha Ninjas leave, Isamu cursed with a smile.
Only then did he realize his face was wet.
"This White Zetsu body can actually cry? How strange…"
Two minutes after Senba and the others left, the ground began trembling violently as chaotic noises echoed from the distance. Clearly, the thousand-man Iwagakure vanguard had arrived.
"They're here. Enough sentimentality. It's time for a real battle!" Watching the movement ahead, Isamu mobilized his Chakra and clapped his hands together.
"Wood Release!"
Countless trees erupted from the ground, lining up into a massive wooden wall over a kilometer long and dozens of meters high.
When the Iwagakure Ninjas arrived, they immediately noticed the enormous wall blocking their path. At the same time, they also saw Isamu standing before it. There was no helping it—his three-meter-tall body was simply too conspicuous to ignore.
"Hey! You over there, are you some abandoned pawn Konoha left behind to stop us?" one Iwagakure Ninja shouted. Since Isamu was not wearing a forehead protector, they couldn't immediately identify him.
"An abandoned pawn? No… I am your nightmare!" Isamu grinned.
"That voice…" One of the Quasi-Kage members of the Shadow Guard Squad trembled when he heard it. He carefully examined the giant figure before him, and once he recognized that familiar face, his expression twisted instantly.
"It's you… you bastard!" He gritted his teeth and glared viciously at the man before him.
"What? You know this person?" another Quasi-Kage asked in confusion.
"He's Uchiha Tensei—the bastard who attacked our Village years ago!"
"Uchiha Tensei?!" The others immediately reacted in shock. One of them shouted toward the distant figure, "Hey! Are you really Uchiha Tensei?"
"It is your Grandpa Isamu. What, do you want to chat? Shall we sit down and have some tea while we talk?" Isamu replied casually. After all, every second he stalled was another second gained.
"Uchiha Tensei, do you still remember me?" the furious Quasi-Kage asked.
"Hm? Who are you? Have we met?" Looking at the man, Isamu had absolutely no memory of him.
"Heh… I really asked in vain. Of course a murderer like you wouldn't remember someone insignificant like me. But today, I will avenge my elder brother whom you killed! I've waited decades for this moment!" The Quasi-Kage laughed bitterly before glaring hatefully at Isamu.
"Your elder brother? I don't recall killing any Quasi-Kage-level Iwagakure Ninja," Isamu said with genuine confusion.
"Decades ago, you stormed into Iwagakure alone, summoned a giant monster hundreds of meters tall, and with a single slash destroyed countless buildings and people. My elder brother was only a Chunin back then, and he died under your blade! Don't tell me you've forgotten!"
"Oh, that time." Isamu finally remembered. "I was using the Complete Body Susanoo back then, and I did destroy quite a few buildings. I didn't expect the sword shockwave to kill a future Quasi-Kage's older brother. Sorry about that—I honestly didn't notice."
"You bastard! Is that supposed to be an apology?!" The Quasi-Kage nearly exploded with rage. "And don't think I'll forgive you just because you apologized. Today, I will kill you and avenge my brother!"
In truth, he could accept his brother dying in battle as a Ninja. Those who died for the Village were honored as heroes. But because so many buildings had been destroyed during that attack and Iwagakure lacked funds, the compensation his brother's family received was pitifully small. His brother had left behind a wife and child, and their lives became miserable afterward.
At the time, he had only been a Genin himself and could provide very little support to his sister-in-law and nephew. That was why his hatred toward Uchiha Tensei—and toward Konoha itself—had burned for so many years.
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