Chapter 416: Hashirama!!!
At this moment, Killer B immediately abandoned his entanglement with Madara.
He concentrated all the power of his eight tails into a single point and smashed it down toward Madara like a hammer.
Madara, however, casually blocked the strike with his hand, glanced at Han and chuckled lightly:
"Interesting, the silent coordination between Kumogakure and Iwagakure…"
As the Tailed Beast Bomb descended, Killer B used the recoil to break free.
Just when everyone was about to witness the explosion of the Tailed Beast Bomb and dispatch the sealing squad to contain Madara…
Madara's pale purple Rinnegan appeared, and with one hand, he caught the Tailed Beast Bomb, instantly refining and absorbing it.
"Mere grains of sand—how could they measure up to me?"
"No matter how well-coordinated, it's nothing compared to my days with Hashirama. I alone could face armies!"
Han, seeing this, seemed to catch a glimpse of that man from the past.
He had once stood like this as well, treating the united army of thousands as ants, toying with Tailed Beast Bombs as if they were mere playthings.
From a distance, the Fourth Raikage felt the same. His experience was even deeper than Han's.
The same overwhelming strength, the same dominance over an entire army, the same brutal beating of jinchuriki…
Without Uchiha Haneda, now they had Uchiha Madara. Could their anti-Konoha alliance still win?
Suddenly, the seemingly insurmountable enemy turned around.
His face lit up with an excitement far beyond what battle could bring. He rose into the sky and descended toward the north.
A thick cloud of dust rose, leaving everyone bewildered and unsure of what had happened.
"Hashirama!!!"
Madara loudly shouted toward a young man in the north.
The man wore the same black combat attire and red layered armor as Madara.
The difference was that his hair was straight and long, falling down naturally without Madara's flamboyant spiky style, and he wore Konoha's forehead protector.
"Madara," the newcomer, Senju Hashirama, replied nonchalantly.
But Madara was still exhilarated as he gazed at him:
"A long-awaited reunion, Hashirama! Let's…"
Hashirama, knowing that Madara undoubtedly wanted to fight him, pointed at Madara with a serious expression:
"Later. First, we need to deal with the anti-Konoha alliance and protect the village."
"Hmph, still the same guy…" Madara's excited face immediately fell. "I guess I really can't get along with him."
Just as Hashirama thought Madara would obediently stay by his side, Madara moved closer to him.
"Fine, let's finish what you said. Then you'll have time for a match, right?"
"The me of today is not the same as back then. I've grown stronger, stronger than you."
Madara opened his Rinnegan, proudly showing them off to Hashirama.
But Hashirama, unfazed, ignored him and focused on the fifty thousand-strong anti-Konoha alliance before him, lost in thought.
What on earth did Konoha do to deserve this?
Four great ninja villages united to attack Konoha. Was Konoha about to destroy the world?
Was his current stance truly the right one?
Meanwhile, the anti-Konoha alliance across from them had varied reactions on their faces.
Especially the Fourth Raikage and Han, who, seeing Madara and Hashirama standing together, recalled the days of Uchiha Haneda.
Susanoo wrapped around a Buddha—two men taking down four nations.
Were they about to relive that historical battle?
Seeing the declining morale, the Fourth Raikage raised his voice:
"I don't understand! Why are you all so afraid of Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara?"
"Can they be stronger than Uchiha Haneda, who once wielded the ultimate power of Uchiha and Senju combined?"
"Can they have the backing of Konoha like Haneda did?"
"Facing the same Wood Release and Susanoo now, as if we're back on the ancient battlefield of Hokage Mountain, this war seems destined to bring us nothing but disaster."
"Ten minutes ago, the advantage was ours."
"Now, it seems like all our advantages—time, place, and people—have vanished into thin air."
"But remember this: this battlefield doesn't have Uchiha Haneda. It's just Hashirama and Madara!"
"With five thousand to two, we still hold the upper hand!"
"No matter what, this battle remains in our favor!!"
The Fourth Raikage's impassioned speech reignited the morale of the fifty thousand-strong ninja alliance.
They didn't know that the Edo Tensei bodies were immortal and had infinite chakra. They only knew they were up against two enemies.
Even fifty thousand ants could swallow two lions!
Meanwhile, Hashirama and Madara fell into thought.
Who was this Uchiha Haneda they mentioned?
It sounded like he was even stronger than Hashirama and Madara themselves.
Scratching his head, Hashirama asked awkwardly, "Um, who… who is Uchiha Haneda?"
Madara smacked Hashirama on the head and scolded,
"Baka! Uchiha Haneda is from Konoha! He was the rising star of the Third Great Ninja War, skilled in kenjutsu and lightning release, known as the Blue Flash!"
"How can you, the First Hokage, ask the enemy such a question?"
Hashirama, hit and scolded by Madara, immediately grew despondent.
He crouched down, his expression and demeanor filled with a familiar sense of disappointment, reminding Madara of the past.
Madara softened and said, "Hashirama, I…"
"Madara… Actually… Hahaha, why do you know so much? Wait, you cheated in that battle!!!"
"Hashirama, I…"
Madara tried to explain but was cut off by Hashirama.
"Say no more, Madara. I never thought you'd resort to Izanagi. You were always proud, never compromising!"
Hearing the disappointment in Hashirama's voice, Madara couldn't hold back any longer:
"Hashirama! It was for our shared dream! I faked my death and grafted a piece of your flesh onto my chest. From that, I gained the power of All Creation, awakening the Rinnegan! But by then, I was old… otherwise, you would've seen a peaceful ninja world!"
Madara, however, was cautious not to reveal his full plan.
Until his ideals were realized, until true peace was created, he didn't believe his old friend would accept him.
As Madara and Hashirama locked eyes, the anti-Konoha alliance fell silent.
Was there something… ambiguous about the relationship between Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara?
Were they seeing things?
But as entertaining as it was, the war wouldn't end because of personal grudges.
Under the Fourth Raikage's command, the anti-Konoha alliance began to surround Hashirama and Madara.
Fifty thousand ninjas, combining the forces of Kumogakure, Iwagakure, Kirigakure, and Sunagakure, formed a near-flawless encirclement.
Madara, noticing , even when we fought side by side, we fought our own battles. I never thought we'd see this day."
Madara smirked. "Then let's do it… together, Hashirama!"
…