The overwhelming suppression of the [Torii Seal] forcibly interrupted the [Susanoo], exposing Lord Madara's true form and pinning him firmly to the ground.
However, the [Torii Seal] exerts tremendous pressure primarily on tailed beasts with non-human physical forms.
As for powerful experts with tangible bodies and extraordinary taijutsu skills, its suppressing effect diminishes considerably.
Moreover, Lord Madara now possessed a peak-condition physical body merged with Hashirama's cells, giving him an astonishingly strong physique.
Even without outside assistance,
within just several seconds,
he could break free from the suppression of these five Torii Seals.
Of course, Hashirama wouldn't give Madara such an opportunity.
Therefore, he deployed numerous clones, preparing to apply sealing techniques onto the Torii Seals to enhance their suppressing power.
This way, when Tobirama arrived,
they could execute a sealing jutsu to truly imprison Lord Madara!
As for whether to kill Madara again,
Hashirama hadn't even considered it...
Back then, for the sake of the Village,
and due to theoretical differences, he had already painfully betrayed Madara once—taking down his closest comrade.
This time, no matter what,
he absolutely refused to deliver another fatal blow to Lord Madara...
Unfortunately,
Hashirama had indeed underestimated Lord Madara's current strength.
In the next instant,
before those Wood Release clones could arrive,
an invisible force suddenly slammed into the topmost Torii Seal,
instantly sending it flying.
Then the second seal, the third,
within merely two seconds,
all five Torii Seals were blasted away by some immense invisible force,
allowing Lord Madara's true form beneath them to escape effortlessly.
Without question, the one who smashed away the Torii Seals
was naturally that invisible 'Wheel Demonic Shadow' split off by Lord Madara himself!
For a shadow duplicate possessing equal strength to the original, knocking away a few Torii Seals was an easy task.
And this, in fact, was Lord Madara's hidden contingency plan from the very beginning.
When he first attacked, splitting off the Wheel Demonic Shadow wasn't just for slapping Tobirama once.
After all, having fought against Hashirama all these years,
how could he not understand the might of the Torii Seal? Naturally, he'd prepared countermeasures in advance.
...
"Another invisible attack?"
"What tremendous power!"
"What kind of ninjutsu is this exactly?"
Witnessing the failed suppression and Lord Madara breaking free,
Hashirama wasn't surprised at all.
If Madara could really be defeated so easily, something would've been seriously off!
Still, this invisible attacking force concerned Hashirama more greatly.
Although currently unable to see the attacker's actual form, thanks to the dual sensory enhancements provided by his Perfect Sage Body and Sage Mode,
Hashirama could barely perceive the vague silhouette of the Wheel Demonic Shadow.
He wouldn't be entirely at a loss for countermeasures.
Naturally, this wasn't the moment for detailed analysis right now.
Every second,
the gradual loss of vital energy from Hashirama's body urged him urgently:
No drawn-out battle. This must end quickly!
[Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique!]
Hashirama quickly unleashed this A-rank ninjutsu.
He abruptly hurled a massive shuriken.
In a flash, thousands of Shadow Clone shurikens screamed through the air—each crackling with Hashirama's chakra and packing a punch that could shake the heavens!
Tens of thousands of shurikens covered the battlefield like a storm, filling every inch of space ahead without leaving a single blind spot!
Of course, Hashirama never intended to defeat Madara with just shurikens alone.
Instead, he used this overwhelming attack to block every possible angle of approach,
forcing that invisible 'shadow' into defensive mode.
This way, the 'shadow' wouldn't be able to sneak up and suddenly interrupt the sage art Hashirama was about to cast next.
"Pa—"
Taking advantage of the moment, Hashirama immediately entered Sage Mode again and clapped his hands together.
It was time to unleash his most powerful technique — [Sage Art: Wood Release].
...
"Dang dang dang—"
A series of crisp clinking sounds rang out.
That was Madara's Wheel Demonic Shadow, positioned in front of him,
deflecting the endless wave of Shadow Clone shurikens flying toward him.
However, there were simply too many—tens of thousands of shurikens!
And many of them could adjust their flight paths under the guidance of chakra, making them almost impossible to fully guard against...
Even though the Wheel Demonic Shadow had deflected ninety-nine percent of the incoming shurikens,
a few still slipped through and struck Madara's own body behind the shadow.
One after another, these shurikens zipped past Madara.
Cutting through his skin slightly, slicing parts of his clothing...
Yet Lord Madara remained utterly unmoved.
Or perhaps—he actually enjoyed this pain? The thrill brought by this intense battle!
Whether intentionally or accidentally,
the final missed shuriken flew right past Madara's right shoulder, slicing off the last corner of his armor.
"Pa—"
Madara's armor and clothing dropped down, revealing his muscular and robust upper torso.
And there—right on his left chest—was a face he knew too well...
From a distance,
Hashirama saw this scene and froze in place, shocked beyond words.
Instinctively, his eyes widened as he stared intently at Madara's left chest.
Why does that face look so familiar?
Didn't Madara have anything like that on his chest before?
Several seconds passed.
Only then did Hashirama finally snap back to reality—and realized that it was none other than his own face!
He couldn't help blurting out in shock:
"Madara! What—'"
"Why the hell did you carve my face onto your chest?!!"
Madara looked up at Hashirama, remaining calm and composed.
"You've seen it now!"
"I guess there's no helping it..."
"As for why I engraved your face over my heart?"
"Do you really need to ask such a foolish question?"
Madara burst into wild laughter, unashamed and honest,
then loudly declared:
"Hashirama! Witness the power I've harnessed from you!"
[Wood Release: Wood Human Technique!]
Madara clapped his hands together—the Wood Release activated.
Moments later, an equally towering wooden giant rose from the ground, facing Hashirama head-on.
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