"Hashirama, it's been ages since we've fought for real," Madara said, his voice laced with both challenge and nostalgia.
"Madara, do you want to let all our efforts go to waste? Our infighting will only dishonor the comrades who once stood by our side," Hashirama implored, his tone earnest. His words seemed to strike a chord, if only for a moment.
"Are you lecturing me now?" Madara retorted sharply, his pride flaring. No one, not even Hashirama, could presume to preach to him.
Hashirama sighed inwardly. He knew there was no avoiding this fight. With a swift motion, he hoisted the colossal scroll on his back and clasped his hands together.
"I don't want to kill you," he said.
"Oh? So, you think you could kill me anytime you want? Don't underestimate me! I can strike the other shore now!" Madara shouted, his chakra surging in a violent storm that sent his long hair billowing wildly. Beneath him, the Nine-Tails growled in sync with his master's rising fury, charging straight at Hashirama.
The battle began. Hashirama leapt back and pressed his hands together. From the earth, a towering ancient tree erupted, its branches morphing into a massive wooden dragon that coiled around the Nine-Tails, restraining its movements while draining its chakra.
Madara smirked. He knew how to counter this. The Nine-Tails opened its mouth, condensing a Tailed Beast Bomb that shattered the wooden dragon in an instant. Yet before the dust could settle, a massive wooden golem emerged from the tree, catching the Tailed Beast Bomb midair and hurling it back at the Nine-Tails.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The battlefield was engulfed in smoke and explosions. The very ground of the shinobi world fractured under the sheer force. Tobirama and Kakuzu, buffeted by the shockwaves, scrambled to higher ground.
"Should we intervene?" Kakuzu asked with a smirk.
Tobirama rolled his eyes and spread his fingers. "I'll give you five billion ryo if you go."
Kakuzu chuckled, knowing Tobirama was exploiting his greed.
"Working for free? Dying for free? Not happening. Besides, you'd probably pocket the reward for yourself."
Satisfied with his earlier spoils—two new kekkei genkai—Kakuzu had no interest in risking his life. Tobirama, meanwhile, turned his full attention back to the battle. His usually stern face showed a rare hint of tension as he watched Madara's destructive rampage.
Several minutes later, Madara activated his Susano'o, encasing the Nine-Tails in an ethereal armor. The armored beast roared to life, hurling Tailed Beast Bombs like cannon fire.
"Hashirama!" Madara bellowed, leaping from the Nine-Tails' head. In one hand, he wielded his iconic war fan; in the other, a massive scythe.
"Madara!" Hashirama countered, unsheathing his own massive blade as they charged toward one another.
With a thunderous clash, their weapons collided, the force shaking the heavens and earth.
"Sage Art: Wood Style - True Several Thousand Hands!" Hashirama's voice rang out as he summoned an enormous Buddha statue with countless arms, towering over the battlefield.
Tobirama's eyes widened in shock.
"I've… never seen that jutsu before," he admitted quietly to Kakuzu, unable to hide his astonishment.
Kakuzu frowned, his sharp gaze fixated on the monumental clash.
"So, this is the power of gods," he murmured.
As the two titans clashed, the battlefield bore witness to destruction on an unimaginable scale—an epic struggle destined to shape the future of the shinobi world.
The battle was far more intense than anything depicted in the manga. Mountains were leveled, the earth shattered, and rivers flooded into the scarred landscape. It lasted nearly a full day.
Finally, Hashirama used the hidden blade within his massive sword to pierce Madara's chest from behind. Madara's eyes closed, and his presence faded completely.
As soon as Hashirama could no longer sense Madara's chakra, his legs gave out, and he dropped to his knees, panting heavily, his face pale.
"Quick!" Senju Tobirama called out, gesturing urgently. Yamanaka Seifu and several dozen Konoha jōnin rushed forward.
Kakuzu, standing nearby, moved to Hashirama's side and grasped his wrist. He frowned as he assessed the situation. Hashirama's chakra still flowed through his body, but his pulse was growing weaker by the second.
"How is he?" Tobirama demanded.
Kakuzu could only nod grimly. Their earlier suspicion had been correct. The True Several Thousand Hands and its Top Transformed Buddha technique, while powerful, had consumed an overwhelming amount of energy—beyond what any mortal, even a god, could withstand.
The reason Asura had survived using this technique was the power granted by the Sage of Six Paths, which served as a foundation for such feats. But Hashirama, no matter how exceptional, was still mortal. This technique didn't just deplete his chakra; it had drained his very life force.
Even after being reanimated through Edo Tensei, Hashirama couldn't replicate the same feats he once performed in life. Without the vitality that came with being alive, his abilities were inevitably limited.
"I… I'll be fine," Hashirama said weakly, gripping Kakuzu's hand and forcing himself to his feet. He smiled at the others, though the effort made his condition all the more evident.
"Brother, enough talk! Let's get back to Konoha first!" Tobirama said firmly, grabbing Hashirama's arm.
But Hashirama shook his head, resisting the pull. He didn't want to leave just yet.
"Lord Hokage, please! We need you to return," Yamanaka Seifu pleaded. The sight of their wounded leader filled the Konoha shinobi with anguish.
After a long moment of hesitation and the collective urging of his comrades, Hashirama's gaze drifted to Madara's lifeless body on the ground.
"Him… he…"
Even now, at this moment, Hashirama couldn't stop thinking about the friend-turned-rival who had been his closest companion. The sight was both touching and heartbreaking.
"Enough, Brother. Let's go back. The rest can wait…" Tobirama's voice trailed off as he turned his attention to Kakuzu.
"Kakuzu, take Seifu and the others and bring Uchiha Madara's body back to Konoha. Brother, we're leaving."
With that, Tobirama vanished with Hashirama in a swift shunshin.
As the two disappeared from sight, Kakuzu felt a gnawing sense of unease.
"Hey, Lord Hokage—" he began, but there was no trace of Hashirama left to answer.
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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