Chapter 244 – You Dare Talk, When You're Using Hashirama's Power Too?!
"Kitagawa Gen?"
Madara raised an eyebrow at Obito's outburst.
Ever since his revival, he had heard that name countless times. This boy, Kitagawa Gen, was said to have thrown the shinobi world into chaos, a thorn in their side. Madara had wondered when their paths would cross—he hadn't expected it to be so soon.
"Flying Thunder God, huh? To think it's been developed to the point where you could teleport me mid-strike… impressive."
He narrowed his eyes. The question was—when had Gen placed that seal on him?
"Gen!"
Ōnoki and Deidara also spotted him. Deidara's face lit up with excitement, but Ōnoki's expression darkened. His eyes were fixed on Madara, a figure burned deep into his memory.
"Uchiha… Madara."
He had dreaded this very scenario the moment Orochimaru perfected Edo Tensei. Now, the nightmare had become reality.
---
"Didn't expect to stumble onto this mess right after arriving."
Gen tilted his head, eyeing Ōnoki and Deidara before chuckling.
"Tch, who knows where this lunatic crawled out from."
Deidara smirked, eyes blazing. "Good thing you're here—let's take these two down together!"
"Don't be reckless, Deidara!" Ōnoki snapped, dragging him back.
Gen shook his head. "Leave this to me. I sent Jiraiya-sensei and Naruto to help with evacuation. By now they should be done. You two should go join them."
He had deliberately drawn Sasuke toward Madara to give Iwagakure more time to evacuate. If he unleashed himself here, he knew the collateral damage would be devastating.
Especially against Obito. The chakra he sensed from him was… abnormal.
Gen's eyes sharpened. So, he really has become Isshiki's 'Vessel.'
---
Madara finally spoke, voice low and amused.
"An impressive technique. Your mastery of Flying Thunder God even surprised me. So I'll ask you a question…"
"Oh?"
Gen tilted his head with mock interest.
"That boy—who trained him?"
Gen smirked. "Is that how you ask a question? And besides… don't tell me you really can't tell?"
His tone sharpened. "Look closely, Madara. Doesn't he remind you of someone?"
Obito frowned, confused, glancing between them. But Madara's face tightened, rage flickering in his eyes.
"Don't look at me like that," Gen said lightly, chakra beginning to stir within him.
"That glare does nothing. Better get serious, or you won't get another chance."
"No chance?"
Madara froze, then laughed—a deep, manic laugh. His eyes gleamed with battle frenzy.
"It's been a long time since anyone dared speak to me like that. Not even Hashirama would!"
FWIP!
Madara vanished in a blur, appearing before Gen in less than a heartbeat. His punch came down like an avalanche, stronger and faster than when he fought Sasuke earlier.
"You think you're stronger than him?!"
BOOM!
The ground split apart under the impact—yet Gen blocked the strike with one hand, blade still sheathed. The shockwave blasted Ōnoki and Deidara off their feet.
"This brat…" Madara's eyes narrowed. "Such raw power… I've only seen strength like this from Hashirama himself."
Gen smirked. "Take a guess."
Before Madara could process, Gen's counterpunch whooshed forward, his speed astonishing even the Sharingan.
"I see you," Madara growled, narrowly tilting aside. The fist scraped past his cheek, leaving cracks across his Edo Tensei flesh. He grinned wildly. "This feeling… I haven't felt it in so long!"
"Do you miss it?" Gen's smile widened. Chakra flared wildly around him.
"Then how about this—do you miss this?"
Madara's eyes widened as Gen's body dissolved into wood, vines bursting forth to wrap around him.
"Wood Release?!"
"Not just that."
Gen's true body appeared nearby, his form shifting—his eyes turning pale as his chakra erupted in waves.
"Byakugan…? No… an aberration of Sage Mode?"
Before Madara could question further, Gen raised a single hand. A dragon-shaped inferno roared forth.
"Sage Art: Majestic Dragon Flame!"
The flames seared the air itself. Even Madara frowned—the heat was on par with Hashirama's might.
"Sage Arts and Wood Release, hm? No wonder you're so arrogant."
Madara's chakra surged, shredding Gen's vines. His hands blurred into seals.
"But Wood Release isn't yours alone to wield!"
"Wood Release: Deep Forest Emergence!"
The barren cliffs of Iwagakure erupted with towering trees, roots and branches lashing out at Gen like a primeval jungle reborn.
---
"What… what is happening?!" Ōnoki gasped, hovering in the air, his face pale.
Deidara's grin faltered. "That's Wood Release… but it's not Gen's. That's… Madara's… hm?!"
"Idiot!" Ōnoki snapped. "Don't you see? That's Uchiha Madara!"
---
Elsewhere, Jiraiya, Naruto, and Sasuke were helping with evacuation, but they too froze as the forest surged from the rocky mountains.
"That chakra… it's not Gen's Wood Release…" Jiraiya muttered, horror dawning.
"Then who—?"
Sasuke clenched his fists, his voice low.
"He said it himself. That man… called himself Uchiha Madara."
"What?!"
Jiraiya's breath caught. Inside Naruto, Minato and Kushina stiffened.
"Madara… Uchiha Madara is really here?!"
The name alone sent chills through them all. And now, not only was Madara revived—he was wielding Hashirama's Wood Release.
A legend reborn… more terrifying than ever.
Even from far away, Jiraiya and the Iwa-nin could feel their scalps tingling.
They had evacuated a safe distance, yet the sight before them left them shaken—the once barren cliffs now transformed into a towering forest, surging upward as violent chakra swept across the land.
What kind of battle… is this?!
That thought had barely taken hold when something even more unbelievable happened.
"Sage Art: Dust Release — Detachment of the Primitive World!"
From deep within the forest, a pillar of blinding white light roared upward, sweeping everything in its path. The sheer intensity of the chakra was terrifying—Madara's freshly conjured forest was obliterated in an instant, every colossal tree cleaved cleanly in half.
BOOOOM—!
The shockwave split the ground. The beam continued, surging straight toward Obito.
"Hm?"
Obito hadn't planned to interfere yet—he had been quietly debating whether to test his newfound strength. But the attack's trajectory caught him off guard.
"Tch!"
With a cold grunt, Kamui rippled to life. His Susanoo twisted unnaturally as the beam tore through his body harmlessly. Yet behind him, an entire mountain was sheared flat, collapsing with a thunderous quake.
Obito's eyes narrowed, his expression turning frigid.
"…Fast reflexes. As expected of Uchiha Obito."
Gen's calm voice cut through the fading rumble. His gaze flicked briefly to Obito before settling on Madara.
"Tell me, though—are you really an Uchiha?"
"…?"
Madara frowned, but before he could respond, Gen's voice turned sharp.
"You wield the Sharingan, yet rely on such borrowed, corrupted power. How fitting."
Madara's face darkened. Those were his own words, thrown back at him.
"And you're supposed to be Uchiha Madara," Gen pressed on, eyes gleaming with mockery. "Yet you lean on Hashirama Senju's strength."
Madara's expression twitched.
"So tell me—what right do you have to lecture others?"
For once, Madara's composure cracked. He realized, with a twist of annoyance, that Gen had reflected his own insult word for word.
"…Interesting."
Then, after a beat of silence, Madara laughed. His laughter rumbled like distant thunder.
"In that case… let me show you true power—mine!"
A torrent of destructive chakra erupted from him. Armor clamped into place, wings spread wide, and a demonic mask settled over its face—Madara's Susanoo rose, immense and awe-inspiring.
This was Perfect Susanoo—towering even larger than Obito's.
The two colossal avatars loomed over Iwagakure, their oppressive presence suffocating the air itself. Facing even one Susanoo was terrifying enough. Now two stood side by side, like twin war gods descending upon the world.
But Gen remained utterly calm. He tilted his head slightly, then nodded as though satisfied.
"Yes. That's how it should be."
His eyes glowed as he raised a hand. Twin currents of strange chakra swirled to life around him.
"So here's my advice…"
He looked up at the two towering Susanoo, his voice steady and cold.
"You'd better attack together. Otherwise—"
A faint smile curved his lips.
"—you won't get another chance."