Whoosh, whoosh. Two sharp sounds tore through the air as two kunai, trailing steel wires, struck at Hane Genma's back from an unexpected angle.
The attacker was Uchiha Izuna, who had just scrambled up from behind. Genma and Senju Tobirama had just teamed up to suppress him, but that didn't mean he was a pushover.
However, with two sharp clangs of metal, Senju Tobirama deflected the incoming kunai.
Genma had siphoned a bit of his chakra just moments ago, but it was nothing significant and wouldn't temporarily affect his combat prowess. Tobirama turned his attention to deal with Uchiha Izuna.
Genma, on the other hand, wouldn't feed his Odama Rasengan to the younger brother, as he didn't want to injure Izuna anywhere above the neck. As for why he had no such reservations about Uchiha Madara... this was a difference in treatment based entirely on strength. No matter how you looked at it, the older brother was built different from the younger one.
Genma felt that this strike of his could at least force out Madara's Susanoo. But right at that moment, the terrain beneath his feet suddenly shifted. A square earthen pillar thrust the half-kneeling Uchiha Madara into the air, while countless conical earth spikes shot toward Genma.
Left with no choice, Genma's Odama Rasengan transitioned from offense to defense. He thrust it forward, instantly pulverizing the earth spikes.
The Odama Rasengan obliterated everything in its path, yet it still couldn't stop Uchiha Madara from ascending unscathed to a higher vantage point.
"To actually force me to use Earth Style, which I'm not particularly adept at... A very impressive jutsu."
Madara stood atop the earthen pillar, offering his critique from high above. His expression remained as impassive as ever, exuding a deep-seated pride that suggested everything was completely under his control. But if you were to ask him if the kick he took to the waist hurt, his answer would undoubtedly be that it was nothing but a scratch.
He genuinely thought the Rasengan was a good jutsu, not just to maintain his persona. A jutsu like this—simple, direct, and packing considerable destructive power—was exactly the kind of jutsu he preferred.
Madara was casually flexing his superiority up there, but someone else couldn't stand this kind of behavior.
After Genma used the Rasengan, Uchiha Sasuke immediately remembered that he had indeed heard the name "Genma" before, but right now, that was the least of his concerns.
A distinct, high-frequency, piercing shriek suddenly reached everyone's ears. Even Uchiha Madara subconsciously turned his head to look.
They saw Uchiha Sasuke not only wreathed in crackling lightning, but also gripping a sphere of even more blindingly brilliant lightning in his hand. And then, a streak of light shot straight toward Genma's position.
But Sasuke didn't use the Chidori to get back at Uchiha Madara. His target was... Senju Tobirama.
Great. Sasuke, who had seemed entirely too quiet and obedient since being summoned, was finally having one of his episodes.
Sasuke had seen historical clips... ahem, someone had fed him some heavily biased "trivia" about the era surrounding the founding of Konohagakure. From his standpoint, he believed that every tragedy the Uchiha clan suffered during the Konoha era stemmed from the Second Hokage's discriminatory policies.
So, the crucial question: What was the Second Hokage's name? And what should you do if you ever had the fortune of meeting him?
Rationally speaking, most of the conflicts between the Uchiha and Konoha were a "takes two to tango" situation. But as an Uchiha, one couldn't exactly blame Sasuke for viewing things this way.
Rationality? He'd just tell the "voice of reason" to get lost.
Sasuke's figure transformed into a perfectly straight streak of lightning, charging directly at Senju Tobirama, who was locked in a fierce battle with Uchiha Izuna.
In his Chidori—or rather, Raikiri—state, Sasuke's speed completely eclipsed Tobirama's, who could only rely on the Body Flicker Jutsu. But one must not forget that Tobirama was an absurdly skilled sensory ninja. In his prime, his sensory abilities could cover the majority of the ninja world.
He couldn't pull off anything quite so exaggerated right now, but grasping the overall tactical situation of the entire battlefield, even from a higher dimensional perspective, was as easy as breathing to him.
Sasuke was undeniably faster, but Tobirama could effortlessly predict his attack trajectory.
Thus, he easily side-stepped Sasuke's sure-kill strike, a hint of curiosity even flashing across his face.
Sasuke's figure shot between Tobirama and Izuna. He instantly whipped around for a backhand strike, but still hit nothing but air.
"The Sharingan... why is there a third Uchiha?"
In the split second they crossed paths, Senju Tobirama caught a glimpse of Sasuke's three-tomoe Sharingan.
Honestly, even without seeing the Sharingan, Tobirama would have pegged Sasuke as an Uchiha ninja. If you put Madara, Izuna, and Sasuke side-by-side, the latter two looked much more like blood brothers, while the former seemed like the outsider... In terms of aura and temperament, Izuna and Sasuke were remarkably similar.
Actually, there was a fourth Uchiha ninja present—Ran. But Ran had lost her Sharingan.
Logically, Ran should have felt grateful toward Madara, but everything changed after the ambush. She already harbored a deep hatred for the Uchiha clan, and now she hated them even more... This burning resentment wouldn't lessen even if it were distributed equally among every single Uchiha ninja.
Izuna had no idea what was going on, but regardless, a stray Uchiha ninja suddenly turning coat to help them was a welcome development. He asked nothing and said nothing, simply throwing himself into a relentless, coordinated assault on Senju Tobirama alongside Sasuke.
Now, the one caught in a one-on-two disadvantage was Tobirama.
Madara leaped down from his high perch, returning to Genma's side... So why did he even climb up there in the first place? Could he not defend against the Rasengan on the ground?
Genma rested his right hand on the hilt of his sword. In a flash, his edgeless heavy sword left its sheath, striking viciously at Uchiha Madara's waist from the side. The movement was both utterly treacherous and blindingly fast.
Given his habits, he naturally preferred swinging the sword to smack his enemies right in the forehead. But Madara was different. If Genma's movements were even slightly too broad, there wouldn't be the slightest possibility of landing a hit.
Madara instantly raised his knee, blocking Genma's longsword with the armor plating covering his thigh.
With a deafening crash, Madara's raised right leg was forced back down at an even faster speed. He even involuntarily furrowed his brow, his gaze darting to Genma's sword... Just as he expected, the damn thing was incredibly heavy.
Having clashed with it once before, Madara felt he had already given Genma's wrist strength enough credit. Yet, this direct exchange proved he had still underestimated his opponent.
But so what?
As Madara's right leg retreated, his left leg was already whipping toward Genma's neck. Caught off guard, Genma could only raise his sword vertically to block.
When Uchiha Madara's chakra erupted, it was a true eruption. Genma had braced himself defensively, but he was still instantly blown away.
Crap, I don't think I can out-dance him... Genma was surprised at first, but then realized there was something wrong with his mindset. Madara was a seasoned, veteran dancer; wasn't it perfectly normal for a youngster like him to lose a dance-off?
There was only one person in this world who could truly dance with Madara, and how could that person possibly be Genma?
Genma's left shoulder slammed violently into the ground. With a massive boom, the terrain instantly cratered inward. But immediately after, his body seemed to use the ground's cushioning to rebound like a spring.
Facing the edgeless sword once again, Madara didn't take it head-on this time.
Madara merely sidestepped to let the blade pass, then lunged forward a step, his right hand lightly resting on the back of Genma's sword-wielding hand in the blink of an eye. With what looked like a casual downward press, a crisp snap echoed out as Genma's wrist was instantly broken.
And it wasn't over. Uchiha Madara gripped Genma's broken wrist and yanked him back. Genma stumbled forward, losing his balance.
At that moment, Madara raised his knee again, violently driving it into Genma's throat.
Despite his exquisite chakra control, and the buffs from Boil Release and the Added-Weight Rock Jutsu, Genma was actually suppressed in an instant during a pure taijutsu duel with Madara... What did Madara do? Madara was simply exploding with chakra.
The gap in technique was one thing, but the disparity in their sheer base stats was simply too vast.
With this level of strength, does he really deserve to boast like he did earlier...? Madara kept his iron grip on Genma's wrist, ready to yank the knocked-back Genma forward again for a fatal finishing blow.
Clang. The edgeless sword fell to the ground.
However, just as Madara made his move, he felt a faint chill across his chest.
Wait a minute. What is this guy holding in his left hand? In Genma's left hand, he seemed to be gripping an invisible sword. By now, this blade had already cleanly sliced through the armor on Madara's chest, the tip piercing deep into his flesh.
The crucial point was that Madara felt virtually no pain during the process. This unseen sword was so incredibly sharp that slicing through flesh barely even triggered a neurological pain reflex.
Madara felt like he had just been bitten by a mosquito, only to realize he had been thoroughly ambushed.
But by then, his arm was already pulling back, yanking Genma toward him. At this exact moment, following through with that motion was tantamount to violently throwing his own chest onto the invisible blade. It was basically suicide.
Madara didn't think Genma possessed overwhelming strength, but the man was far too insidious.
This guy wielded a heavy, edgeless sword in his right hand and immediately engaged in close-quarters combat, meticulously crafting the illusion that he was a reckless brute. Yet, his actual personality was the exact opposite; in reality, he was as treacherous and underhanded as they came... To think that the high-density chakra weapon in his left hand was actually invisible!
Madara instantly realized he had been played. Right—someone who could hone their stealth abilities to such a terrifying degree could only have a deceitful personality. How could he possibly be a reckless brute?
He still didn't know exactly how his unfilial father had met his end.
Uchiha Madara felt that formless blade carving through his chest cavity, heading straight for his heart—this was no longer the time to hold back.
BOOM! Madara's chakra erupted at full force. He released Genma's wrist, and immediately, Genma felt as if he had slammed into an invisible wall of energy, instantly being blasted backward.
As his three tomoe shifted shape and his Mangekyo Sharingan activated, he finally unleashed the Susanoo. And he immediately summoned the third stage, manifesting it almost instantaneously.
Genma was launched backward by this sudden, colossal burst of energy. His body flew horizontally and smashed brutally into a massive tree in the distance. With a resounding crash, he was flattened against the trunk like a tape measure.
"Cough, cough, cough..."
He struggled in place for a couple of moments before finally peeling himself off and scrambling back to his feet.
He first pressed his left hand to his throat. As abundant life energy soothed the severe damage to his windpipe, his broken right wrist was also gradually snapping back into place.
Looking over at Uchiha Madara, blood was pouring from the wound on his chest like a miniature waterfall.
It was a pity. It looked like he had been just a hair's breadth away, but that "hair's breadth" was actually an insurmountable chasm.
That chakra jet stream technique consumed an obscene amount of energy. From here on out, Genma's condition and combat capabilities would only deteriorate. And he was only able to pull it off because he had managed to steal some of Madara's chakra while they were "holding hands."
There was nothing he could do. Madara's Susanoo was already out; what chances did he have left?
It should be about time, shouldn't it? Genma cast a glance over at Tobirama. Pincered by two Uchihas, his "dear friend and beloved brother" was looking increasingly ragged.
"To actually force me to use the visual prowess of both my Mangekyo Sharingan... I must say, you are just as utterly repulsive as that Senju brat over there."
Despite the wound on his chest being undeniably severe by any metric, Madara's spirit seemed to be growing increasingly ecstatic. Given a few more minutes, he might just evolve into one of the "Four Maniacally Laughing Legends."
And right at that moment, the continuous, distant rumble of thunder seemed to echo from afar. The earth and the mountain ranges began to heave and churn in response.
An all-consuming wave of greenery, like a raging tsunami, surged rapidly from the horizon toward the battlefield.
At the very forefront of the endlessly expanding forest and high-speed coiling vines, the faint silhouette of a man could be seen standing... What an incredibly novel way to travel.
The White Zetsu, who hadn't dared to enter the battlefield and were merely observing from a distance, died anyway. But honestly, this was a death they could accept. After all, basically every living organism within this radius had perished.
No discrimination, no targeted attacks, no chance of refusal. Everyone just died equally.
Senju Hashirama had finally arrived. Even though he absolutely didn't mean it that way, his method of entrance seemed to be screaming...
I'm not targeting anyone in particular, I'm just saying everyone here is trash. Genma's eyelid twitched violently. Are you actually here to help, or what? The Sea of Trees swept in from the horizon, appearing sluggish but moving with devastating speed. In the blink of an eye, an ocean of green completely flooded everyone's vision. It didn't matter if you had the Sharingan or not; if it was your time to get hit by a tree, you were getting hit by a tree.
Honestly, Genma could mentally accept Uchiha Madara, but Senju Hashirama was a bit hard to swallow... Once you actually faced a technique from the "God of Shinobi," anyone would conclude that this guy probably wasn't a ninja at all. He was more like a damn alien from a higher dimension.
Rumble, rumble, rumble. The Sea of Trees mercilessly swallowed this tiny battlefield. When the dust and debris slightly settled, aside from the newly arrived Senju Hashirama, only three other people remained standing.
No, rather, it was the remaining "Three Susanoo."
While Uchiha Madara looked relatively unfazed, Uchiha Izuna and Uchiha Sasuke both had heavily bloodshot eyes, faces smeared with blood, and were panting heavily. Their Sharingan were bulging like fish eyes.
The latter two only had their Susanoo in the first stage. While they hadn't tarnished the name of "Absolute Defense" and managed to barely block the assault of the Sea of Trees, their avatars were now battered and virtually in ruins... And this was only because Senju Hashirama truly wasn't targeting anyone; he had simply laid down the forest in their general direction.
"Tobirama? Where are you?!" Senju Hashirama bellowed at the top of his lungs.
However, Tobirama had already been buried deep beneath his forest.
There was one person present who was visibly the most pissed off. He buried all of his shock and rage deep down, leaving only ultimate arrogance in the depths of his heart...
Who the hell is this guy? Showing up and nearly crushing him to death for absolutely no reason—anyone would be furious, let alone an emotionally volatile Uchiha.
Furthermore... are you looking down on the Susanoo? Sasuke's closed left eye suddenly snapped open. He glared at the reckless idiot charging toward him with complete disregard, blood pouring profusely from his eye socket...
"Amaterasu!"
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