"This is…"
Uchiha Madara's expression changed somewhat. That massive Buddha was still rising higher and higher, and under such an enormous form, even his Susanoo appeared insignificant.
He had seen this power before, and he had speculated about it—but seeing it reappear once again still sent ripples through his heart.
Especially as he looked at that colossal Buddha piercing the clouds, with layer upon layer of countless arms unfurling behind it, he couldn't help but murmur, "This is… True Several Thousand Hands."
The True Several Thousand Hands was undoubtedly one of Uchiha Madara's most painful memories.
"So this is what you call 'making do'?"
Madara's voice was low, but in the next instant, his gaze grew both solemn and feverish.
"Fine then—let me see just how much of that power you've truly mastered!"
With a roar, Uchiha Madara's Susanoo charged recklessly toward the giant Buddha.
Susanoo's twin blades were drawn, violent power gathering ceaselessly along their edges.
The memories of that distant battle overlapped with the present image of Kitagawa Gen—no matter what, he had to try!
[Rumble—]
Under his power, a massive cloud of dust quietly spread out, and even the distant mountains seemed shattered by the force.
His two great blades tore through the sky, rending the earth itself apart as their violent energy slashed straight toward the Buddha.
Even at more than 200 meters tall, his Susanoo still looked small before the thousand-meter-tall Buddha.
"Truly desperate. In that case…"
Standing atop the Buddha's head, Kitagawa Gen watched the frenzied Madara without the slightest trace of courtesy.
Raising one hand upright, his chakra erupted once more.
"Sage Art: Top Transformed Buddha."
At Kitagawa Gen's command, the sky-piercing Buddha instantly began to move.
Its immense body shifted only slightly, yet the ground below quaked madly; the countless giant hands behind it swung out in an instant!
[Boom—]
[Boom—]
[Boom—]
Those deafening blasts resounded through heaven and earth, and each fist—each as large as a Tailed Beast—smashed down heavily upon the Susanoo.
Waves of colossal energy instantly swept across everyone, and amid the unending roar, all felt as though the very heavens were collapsing!
"Ah!"
However, Uchiha Madara was not like the Eight-Tails or the Two-Tails—his Susanoo continued to resist.
He swung his twin blades, instantly shattering the foremost arms.
But just as one arm was destroyed, ten more followed, and behind them waited hundreds, even thousands more—seemingly endless!
Uchiha Madara's full-power techniques were not to be underestimated, but the power of the True Several Thousand Hands was not something he could easily break through either.
Before long, he was already completely engulfed by the iron fists of the True Several Thousand Hands!
"So this… is the true power of Konoha?"
Ōnoki could no longer find words. When Susanoo had been shattered earlier, it had already lifted a nightmare from his heart.
But now, seeing Uchiha Madara suffer the same fate—an even more tragic one, at that—the dark cloud long haunting his heart seemed at last to disperse.
That was, after all, Uchiha Madara…
"That guy Gen really went easy on me by not finishing me off."
Naruto watched the distant scene with excitement, but then a sudden thought came to him.
It seemed that over the years, he had cursed at Kitagawa Gen quite a lot—perhaps more than anyone else…
"I'm still worlds apart from Senpai!"
Sasuke couldn't help clenching his fists. The sheer magnitude of that gap made it hard for him to breathe.
Yet alongside that suffocating feeling came exhilaration—he knew that following Kitagawa Gen was absolutely the right choice!
"Was this how you crushed them in Kumogakure?"
Beside him, Kurotsuchi tugged at Deidara and couldn't help asking, even Jiraiya leaned in curiously.
Deidara nodded, his eyes locked firmly on the front as he muttered softly, "That's right—this jutsu, this is the art itself!"
[Rumble— rumble—]
The immense waves of energy and impact continued. Under that torrent of power, flames spread endlessly across the ground.
The unending explosions battered Uchiha Madara again and again. Even though he, as an Edo Tensei, possessed countless eye power and boundless chakra, under the assault of the True Several Thousand Hands, his Susanoo was utterly shattered!
"Damn it!"
His body was blown away by the overwhelming force, and while still in midair, he saw yet another iron fist hurtling toward him.
And at that moment, he suddenly heard Kitagawa Gen's voice.
"I told you, I'm not exactly proficient with Wood Release—so I couldn't end your suffering too quickly."
"But I suppose I've fulfilled your wish, so…"
"It's time to end this farce."
...
The endless rumbling gradually subsided, and Iwagakure slowly regained its calm.
Standing at a distance and gazing upon a scene that resembled hell itself, everyone felt their minds buzzing.
They still had not recovered from the terror of this battle—for this fight had indeed shattered their understanding of what a ninja could be.
"A thousand-meter-tall giant Buddha."
"A hundred-meter-tall chakra giant."
"And that future Fifth Hokage—he crushed a hundred-meter-tall chakra giant with a single kick."
"This kind of battle… it's not even in the same dimension as ours."
Humans cannot imagine what they have never seen.
Although they had heard of many such things, more often than not they subconsciously believed those tales to be nothing but "exaggerations."
But today, they finally understood just how insane this world truly was.
"It seems the battle is coming to an end."
Ōnoki sighed with emotion as he watched the fighting settle down.
"Mm, perhaps so."
Jiraiya also let out a sigh, his gaze equally complicated.
"Never thought that guy would be that terrifying—and to think he's an Edo Tensei."
"What about Edo Tensei?"
Ōnoki gave Jiraiya a puzzled look, not quite understanding what difference that made.
Jiraiya thought for a moment before speaking softly.
"For other shinobi, this technique might be an enhancement—after all, it grants infinite chakra—but for Uchiha Madara and the First Hokage, it's actually a kind of weakening."
"Weakening?"
Ōnoki looked incredulously at the hellish battlefield in the distance, but Jiraiya nodded and went on.
"Edo Tensei requires a 'vessel' to bear their power—but they're too strong. There simply isn't a normal 'vessel' capable of containing them."
"Too strong…"
Ōnoki was momentarily speechless. If what he had just witnessed wasn't even Madara's full strength—
Then just how absurd was Kitagawa Gen's power supposed to be?
But he had no time to dwell on it. The thousand-meter-tall Buddha that blotted out the sky began slowly to fade, and at that moment their vision blurred.
In the blink of an eye, they saw that Kitagawa Gen had already appeared before them.
"Gen!"
"It's completely over?"
"Are you all right?"
Deidara was the first to notice, visibly excited.
Naruto and Sasuke's eyes lit up as well, while Jiraiya immediately inquired about Kitagawa Gen's condition.
Only Ōnoki's expression was complicated—he had feared Uchiha Madara his entire life.
That proud, defiant figure under the moonlight—that unsettling Susanoo—had long been etched into his nightmares.
And yet today, Kitagawa Gen had shattered it with a method so simple it defied belief; he honestly didn't know what to say.
The other Iwa-nin could not help but exclaim either. That brutal, inhuman clash had made everyone's hearts race—
And their blood boil.
They all understood clearly that if not for Kitagawa Gen, they'd have been finished.
"Don't worry, I'm fine."
Kitagawa Gen shook his head, smiled at everyone, and said, "Uchiha Obito and Uchiha Madara have both left. For now, it seems the battle is over."
Uchiha Obito's mentality had probably collapsed, and Uchiha Madara, having been beaten senseless by Gen's not-yet-proficient "True Several Thousand Hands," was likely not in a good mood either.
Otherwise, that guy wouldn't have left without even using the Rinnegan.
'Of course, even if he had used it, it probably wouldn't have done much.'
Kitagawa Gen recalled that when Uchiha Madara was first reincarnated with Edo Tensei, his Rinnegan could only use some basic abilities.
Without the "Limbo: Border Jail" technique, he probably knew it would be difficult to cause Gen any trouble.
So he simply chose to withdraw. After all, in a certain sense, his goal had already been achieved.
'Speaking of which, what was their purpose in coming this time?'
Gathering his thoughts, Kitagawa Gen's gaze swept past Ōnoki and turned curiously toward Deidara.
"Was it for the Jinchūriki?"
"Should be, yeah."
Deidara rubbed his chin and nodded, causing Ōnoki's eyelids to twitch.
"Hey, I'm not dead yet! I'm still the Tsuchikage!"
Glaring fiercely at the irreverent Deidara, Ōnoki then sighed and spoke.
"Their target was indeed the Jinchūriki. Your warning back then was right. I just didn't expect them to be so insane—or so strong."
Looking at the devastated Iwagakure, Ōnoki unconsciously clenched his fists.
Such a vast village had been nearly destroyed by this single battle!
Even though they had reacted quickly and begun evacuating, there would always be those who couldn't retreat in time—and some who had chosen to stay behind to help fight.
As for what had become of those people now, Ōnoki dared not even think about it, for it felt as though their fates had long been sealed.
"Damn Akatsuki…"
Thinking of this, even someone like Ōnoki—who had lived so many years and seen countless brutal battles—couldn't stop his eyes from reddening.
The surviving Iwa-nin also seemed to gradually realize the same. Their earlier awe, cheers, and joy of survival all fell silent.
In their place, a somber grief began to spread.
"Take heart. This debt will be repaid."
Jiraiya sighed and patted Ōnoki's shoulder in comfort.
Kitagawa Gen thought for a moment, then couldn't help but offer a reminder.
"I know it hurts, but hurry and retrieve the Four-Tails. They won't give up easily."
"I know."
Ōnoki nodded, then let out another long sigh.
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