"Hashirama, do you know how the Rinnegan comes into being?"
Faced with this question, Senju Hashirama could only respond with confusion. After all, he had only been reanimated twice and was unaware of many things that had occurred.
Seeing the perplexed look on his old friend's face, Uchiha Madara felt a surge of satisfaction, the kind one feels when showing off in front of friends. Watching Hashirama's expression shift from confusion to shock and realization, Madara felt a thrill akin to euphoria.
After a brief pause to heighten the suspense, Madara couldn't help but begin his explanation.
"On the surface, the Rinnegan requires two conditions."
"The first is the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan of the Uchiha Clan. The second is the cells of a Wood Release inheritor from the Senju Clan."
"Back during our battle at the Valley of the End, I obtained your cells. That's how I managed to awaken the Rinnegan."
"Right! Wait a second! What do you mean? You didn't die back then?" Hashirama was completely bewildered, overwhelmed by the sheer amount of information.
However, when Hashirama asked this question, Madara's face darkened with displeasure—a look one shows only when betrayed by someone they trust most.
"Hashirama, you have the nerve to bring that up! Back then, you actually tried to kill me!"
Feeling a bit awkward, Hashirama scratched his head and laughed. "Haha, well... I might have been a bit impulsive!"
"Hmph!"
After another dissatisfied snort, Madara continued, "But in truth, there's a third condition for awakening the Rinnegan."
"And that is an immense amount of energy."
Although Madara had acquired Hashirama's cells back then, it took him decades to finally awaken the Rinnegan. This was because the energy required to activate it was simply enormous.
Otherwise, with the Rinnegan in hand, he could have personally gone out to collect the Tailed Beasts. Even Hashirama wouldn't have been able to stop him—especially since Hashirama passed away just a few years later.
At that time, Madara would have been truly invincible, capable of single-handedly conquering the entire ninja world. So why didn't he? Why did he have to set up so many contingencies?
The answer was simple: by the time he awakened the Rinnegan, Madara was already old and frail.
Though his plans had failed now, he had gained something new—the power of Mōryō.
As an embodiment of malice, Mōryō's power was remarkably compatible with the Uchiha Clan. The intense negative emotions caused Madara's Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan to pulsate continuously.
At the same time, the energy Mōryō infused into him was more than sufficient.
Thus, while he couldn't reclaim his previous Rinnegan, he could awaken a new, even stronger pair!
The reason he agreed to follow Mōryō's commands was simply to find a safe place to absorb this power.
"So, do you understand now, Hashirama?"
Madara maintained his arms-crossed posture as his crimson Sharingan gradually transitioned into the circular patterns of the Rinnegan.
He glanced at the Death God, who was wreaking havoc on the battlefield, and released an aura so overwhelming that even Hashirama couldn't help but feel a chill.
"That so-called Death God is nothing more than a ridiculous clown in my eyes."
"But I won't waste my time dealing with him. I have more important matters to attend to."
"Don't worry, Hashirama."
"When my plan is complete, we will meet again."
Madara turned his gaze toward Amagakure, where a massive concentration of Mōryō's power awaited. Once he absorbed it, he would ascend to an unfathomable level of strength.
As Madara departed, Hashirama refrained from pursuing him. Instead, he turned his attention to the Death God on the battlefield. Dealing with this threat took priority.
"Wood Release: True Several Thousand Hands!"
The colossal Thousand-Armed Kannon statue reappeared on the battlefield, its majestic form stretching across the heavens. Each arm radiated unimaginable power, as if capable of suppressing all malevolence.
"Yes! The First Hokage-sama is taking action!"
The remaining ninjas of Amagakure cheered. The earlier despair had been overwhelming.
The Death God had been rampaging through their ranks, harvesting souls with impunity. Anyone struck by its blade had their soul irreversibly taken. And in its spectral form, the Death God was nearly untouchable.
Itachi's Amaterasu had proven effective, but due to a lack of information and a moment of carelessness, he had fallen victim to the Death God, losing his soul in an instant.
"Asura's power? Interesting," the Death God remarked, turning toward the massive statue with a chilling smile. It showed no fear; instead, it launched an attack of its own.
With a whooshing sound, several wooden arms extended from the Thousand-Armed Kannon, reaching for the floating Death God.
Boom!
Though the Death God had shifted into its spectral form, Hashirama's attacks were imbued with Sage Chakra, capable of harming even souls.
This was excellent news!
Seeing the Death God struck, the morale of the allied forces soared. But as the attacker, Hashirama wasn't as optimistic.
He could clearly sense that his attacks had inflicted only minor damage on the Death God. This was the nature of ancient gods—they were fundamentally different from mortal beings.
While mortals could wield immense power, they were ultimately constrained by their inherent frailty. Ancient gods, however, were not.
The Death God spread its arms wide. After gauging the strength of Hashirama's attacks, it grew even more arrogant. Its long white sleeves billowed as it accelerated, moving with astonishing speed.
"Summit Enlightenment!"
This time, Hashirama unleashed his full power. The Thousand-Armed Kannon, once a symbol of compassion, transformed into a wrathful Vajra. Its thousand arms, each capable of annihilating a Tailed Beast, launched a relentless barrage at the Death God.
The white-clad Death God, caught in this hurricane of fists, resembled a lone boat in a storm. Yet, this boat possessed unparalleled strength. It ignored the torrent of punches, advancing steadily against the tide, and raised its small knife once more.
Whoosh!
Senju Tobirama appeared beside Hashirama using the Flying Thunder God Technique, grabbing his brother and preparing to teleport them away.
But the seemingly battered Death God merely sneered coldly.
"Your strength is indeed impressive, so much so that I'm willing to risk injury to kill you."
"And I still have abilities I haven't revealed, reserved for moments like this to ensure absolute victory."
"Underworld Domain!"
A yellow-green field suddenly expanded from the Death God's center, enveloping the battlefield. Within this domain, the real world temporarily transformed into the Underworld, where the Death God reigned supreme.
Here, it could achieve things previously impossible—such as restricting spatial transfers.
"What?!"
Tobirama froze, clearly shocked that his Flying Thunder God Technique had been rendered useless.
Sensing the dire situation, Kakashi immediately attempted to assist.
"Kamui!"
A spiraling spatial rift appeared, only to vanish without a trace moments later.
By then, the Death God's unassuming knife had already slashed again, claiming two more souls.
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