"Such trivial tricks," Madara muttered expressionlessly. The trees beneath his feet withered instantly, turning to ash.
Drawing the great sword from his waist, he slashed fiercely at Hashirama's wooden golem.
A blue energy wave flashed, and the golem beneath Hashirama was severed in an instant.
Hashirama quickly prepared to use Wood Release to reconnect the bisected golem.
But before he could act, Madara swung his sword again. With several more slashes, the golem was cut into countless fragments.
"Hashirama! If you don't go all out, you're no match for me!"
Madara, controlling his fully powered Susanoo, approached Hashirama. The massive figure of Susanoo made the ground tremble with each step.
The statue of Madara beneath his feet wobbled with the shaking earth, and the clasped hands of the statue's reconciliation seal broke apart.
The falling stone hand crashed into the waterfall below, creating a huge splash.
As the reconciliation seal fell, Madara's resolve seemed to harden even more.
"Hashirama! You once said that whether they are friends, brothers, or even children, as long as they oppose the village, you will show no mercy."
"Now, I return those words to you. For the sake of my ideals, I am willing to abandon everything!"
"Hashirama! If you try to stop me, then come at me with all your strength! Hashirama!!"
Hashirama looked at the slightly crazed Madara with helplessness.
The day he killed his best friend, he returned home filled with regret, especially after hearing Madara's last words, "You've changed."
Hashirama had been reflecting on what had changed in him. He started prioritizing family, indulging his granddaughter Tsunade, and offloading work onto Tobirama.
Now, Madara was saying those words again.
"Madara! Forgive me, but this time I must stop you!" Hashirama declared resolutely, swiftly forming hand signs to activate Sage Mode.
"Sage Art—Wood Release—True Several Thousand Hands!!!"
A giant Buddha, rivaling Madara's full-powered Susanoo, emerged. Madara's sword ruthlessly severed any hands trying to stop him.
Each slash left Hashirama increasingly strained. Despite the Edo Tensei body granting him endless chakra, the recovery speed couldn't keep up with Susanoo's overwhelming power.
Without other measures, Hashirama could not defeat Madara.
Madara had become completely different. After the battle at the Valley of the End, he fused with Hashirama's power, gaining the Sage Body.
He awakened the Rinnegan and attained the power of the Six Paths.
In a sense, Madara wasn't fighting alone; he was wielding the combined strength of himself and his former friend, who had once fought for peace.
"Hashirama! It seems you can no longer stop me. Give up, and I will bring you the peace and tranquility you seek!"
"Madara! Illusions are false!!"
"Hashirama! If everyone falls into the same illusion, then the place where their minds reside becomes the true reality! In that world, no one will have regrets, all dreams and desires will come true, and there will be no conflicts between people. That is true peace!"
Madara shouted, trying to convince both his friend and himself.
But his attacks never ceased. Hashirama's Buddha was on the verge of collapse alongside the statue beneath him.
Just as Hashirama struggled to stop Madara, Itachi arrived.
He encased Hashirama's Thousand-Hand Buddha in a red armor resembling the Tengu, Susanoo, blocking Madara's sword.
Hashirama regained his footing.
At the same time, Orochimaru, in his Eight-Headed Serpent form, joined in, biting into Itachi's Tengu armor.
The armor immediately absorbed black Sage Chakra, further strengthening the Buddha's defense.
At this moment, no matter how many times Madara swung his sword, Hashirama's Buddha stood firm.
Hashirama declared, "Madara! This is the power of comrades! Back then, you and I united and swept through the Land of Fire, establishing peace in the ninja world!"
"Now, I will once again create peace, together with the next generation!"
"That peace was an illusion, Hashirama!!" Madara shouted, throwing a black sphere.
The black sphere emitted an overwhelming gravitational force, pulling everything around it.
The river, trees, rocks, and earth from the Valley of the End floated towards the sky.
Even the combined strength of Susanoo and Sage-enhanced Buddha couldn't resist the gravitational pull of Chibaku Tensei.
Chibaku Tensei was the same powerful ocular jutsu used by the Sage of Six Paths to seal the progenitor of chakra, Kaguya Otsutsuki.
In Madara's hands, it was no weaker, capable of handling Hashirama and Itachi, who hadn't attained the power of the Six Paths.
Itachi quickly warned, "Listen! Once caught by Chibaku Tensei, it's impossible to escape!"
"It will use immense gravity to trap us, making us immobile!"
"This isn't just an offensive jutsu; it's a sealing technique!"
"We need to target the black sphere Madara threw—it's the core. If we destroy it, we can break free!"
"Use your best long-range jutsu to attack it, quickly!!"
Hashirama wasn't adept at long-range attacks, but he could use his brother's techniques.
He created several wood clones, intending to overwhelm the core with numbers.
The clones simultaneously unleashed Water Release—Water Severing Wave!
The Water Severing Wave, developed by Tobirama, was an S-rank jutsu that released a highly pressurized stream of water, cutting through enemies like a sharp blade with immense destructive power.
It was one of the most offensive jutsu in Water Release.
Unlike Hashirama, Tobirama used Flying Thunder God to return to Minato and borrowed a Tailed Beast Bomb from Naruto before returning.
The terrifying Tailed Beast Bomb followed Hashirama's attack towards the black sphere.
The Third Hokage used his signature Five Release Great Combo, while Jiraiya launched Sage Art: Five Right Guard Gates.
Orochimaru watched with keen interest, curious about the black sphere's composition, its source of gravity, and why Itachi mentioned its sealing properties.
His fascination with the power of the Six Paths grew stronger.
The strongest among them, Eternal Mangekyo Itachi, chose a different approach.
He judged that Hashirama and the others' attacks were sufficient to destroy the Chibaku Tensei core.
Controlling Susanoo, which clad the Thousand-Hand Buddha, Itachi drew the Totsuka Blade.
While Madara expected an attack on the Chibaku Tensei core, Itachi stealthily targeted Madara's true body!
The Totsuka Blade elongated, piercing Madara in an instant.
Madara, incredulous, looked at the Totsuka Blade in Itachi's hands. He recognized this weapon from his clan's ancient texts.
The Totsuka Blade possessed both genjutsu and sealing properties.
Even the cautious Orochimaru had fallen to this sword in the original timeline.
"Rest in eternal peace. It will give you the tranquility you seek."
Madara laughed, "Such chakra, such techniques…"
"Among all the opponents I've faced, only Hashirama could achieve this!"
"I acknowledge you, young one. Among the Uchiha, only Uchiha Haneda surpasses you!"
"Tell me, your name!"
"Uchiha Itachi," Itachi said softly, his gaze remaining vigilant on Madara.
Until Madara was fully sealed, he would not let his guard down.
"Excellent, Uchiha Itachi!"
"Interesting, amusing—I never expected the weak Uchiha to produce two exceptional talents back to back, hahaha!"
"Unfortunately, I, Madara, am stronger than all of you!!!"
With that, a Truth-Seeking Orb appeared in front of Madara.
The Truth-Seeking Orb nullified the Totsuka Blade, causing the non-corporeal sword to shatter.
The Totsuka Blade automatically returned to Itachi's hands.
Madara, contrary to everyone's expectations, was not sealed. He stood proudly, unshaken!
...