Though the battlefield still roared with distant fighting, both the Uchiha and Senju warriors paused in unspoken agreement. They looked up, mouths agape, eyes wide with disbelief as they witnessed something that would be forever etched in memory.
Not even the dust in their eyes could distract them. Some warriors drooled unconsciously, forgetting to even close their jaws.
"Clan Chief, go for it!"
"Clan Chief, go for it!"
A Senju and an Uchiha, who just moments ago were trying to kill each other, now stood shoulder to shoulder, waving their arms and cheering with gleeful excitement.
"Hmph! As if your lousy wood style could ever beat our clan chief~"
An Uchiha, eyes slightly red, sneered at the flushed Senju beside him.
"I know a good ophthalmologist. Want me to make you an appointment?"
The Senju responded with a cold laugh, his tone full of mockery as he "politely" offered help to his red-eyed rival.
"Despicable Senju!"
"Evil Uchiha!"
"Huff... Huff..."
Just as they were about to brawl again, a massive shockwave blasted through the field. Struggling to open their eyes against the wind, they caught sight of a scene that would haunt them forever.
In the center of the battlefield, Madara stood within his colossal Susanoo, facing four giant wooden dragons. Without a shred of hesitation, he seized all four dragon heads and shouted:
"Uchiha Taijutsu Secret Technique—Uchiha Suplex!"
This ancient move, secretly practiced for two and a half years by Madara, had finally found its time to shine.
He tightened his grip around the dragon heads, took a deep breath, bent his knees, and—leveraging Susanoo's massive weight—heaved the wooden giant off the ground like a theme park ride.
"Ahhh! Ahhh! Ahhh!"
Caught in the sudden rotation, Hashirama felt dizzy and nauseous. He clung to the head of his wooden golem, gripping a protrusion tightly just to avoid being flung away.
"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"
After several dizzying spins, Madara, himself a little nauseous, released the golem. The massive wooden creature sailed through the air before crashing into a distant mountain.
BOOM!
The earth shook as the wooden golem collided with the peak, landing only after sliding several meters.
"Whoosh~"
Still riding the momentum of his surprise counterattack, Madara's eyes gleamed red. He drew a massive longsword from his side and began walking toward the downed wooden golem.
BOOM... BOOM...
Each step of his Susanoo shook the earth like thunder. With each footfall, Madara's heart sank deeper.
"Whoosh!"
A massive hand swept through the smoke, dispersing the dust. Standing atop the wooden golem's nose, Hashirama extended a hand and made one final plea.
"Madara! We were once close friends, and we shared the same dream."
Hashirama's voice was sincere, his tone heavy with emotion. He truly did not want their years of friendship to end in mutual destruction.
"Hashirama! How long will you keep saying such childish things?!"
Madara raised his longsword high. His eyes wavered with hesitation, but memories of his father's tragic death pushed him forward.
"There's no such thing as honesty between us!"
With that, Susanoo's great blade came crashing down toward Hashirama.
"Madara!"
Hashirama's expression hardened. If he couldn't reason with his friend, he'd beat him into submission.
Clapping his hands together, his battered golem suddenly surged with vitality. Its massive fist, brimming with energy, punched straight toward Susanoo's blade.
BOOM!
The massive sword and wooden fist collided in an explosion that lit up the entire battlefield. Realizing the danger, both sides quickly began retreating at full speed.
"Whoosh!"
The first to escape was Tobirama, who vanished with a flick of his finger, reappearing hundreds of meters away at a temporary camp. From his vantage point, he watched a massive white light engulf the battlefield, the shockwave leveling forests, lakes, and carving a crater several kilometers wide.
"So this is the power of the Uchiha...?"
From high above, Tobirama's eyes filled with wary calculation. His mind raced, already forming contingency plans to deal with this threat.
After all, only his brother had awakened the Wood Style, but multiple Uchihas could awaken the Mangekyō.
BOOM!
The battle continued despite the devastation. But after witnessing such destructive power, none dared set foot near the battlefield.
The clash lasted a full day and night.
Huff... Huff...
Madara collapsed to the ground, his breathing ragged. He tried to get up, but his limbs had no strength left.
"Whoosh!"
A light sound marked Tobirama's arrival on the battlefield. When Madara saw the face of his father's killer, his eyes burned with hatred—but he could only glare.
"Madara, it's over."
Analyzing the fight and deeming Madara an extreme threat, Tobirama had every intention of finishing him off—for public safety, of course. Such a kind man he was.
"Wait! Tobirama!"
Hashirama, seated cross-legged beside Madara, looked up and stopped his brother.
"Why, big brother?! This is the perfect chance!"
Tobirama protested, upset. Whether in daily life or politics, Madara was a ticking time bomb.
"Stand down!"
Hashirama's eyes flared with authority, causing Tobirama to freeze and sweat under the sheer pressure.
"Just finish me off already, Hashirama..."
Madara, lying on the ground, turned his head and spoke weakly. His eyes showed acceptance of death.
"To die at your hands... I can live with that."
Despite transplanting his father's Mangekyō, he had still lost. He felt he had failed the Uchiha. Better to die now and apologize to his father in the afterlife.
"Hmph. Stop trying to act cool. If I kill you now, your brother and those who follow you will just rebel."
Hashirama saw this moment as the perfect opportunity to push for peace and finally build his dream village. He wasn't about to let Madara's death ruin that.
"Hmph! The Uchiha clan has lost its backbone anyway~"
Afraid that his death would spell doom for the Uchiha, Madara spoke ill of his own clan, hoping Hashirama would spare them.
"No, there's still hope. And besides, if I kill you, your rich cousin would definitely come after me."
Hashirama scratched his face, recalling a certain moneybags with golden curls who gave out red envelopes every year without fail.
"Huh?"
Madara was stunned. He had no idea his cousin had such terrifying influence. Was that curly-haired guy really hiding his strength?
"Big Bro Gin sends my kids New Year's money every year. Never missed a single time! Hahaha..."
Unable to hide the truth any longer, Hashirama awkwardly chuckled.
"That bastard! While we're out here fighting, he's aiding the enemy?!"
Fury burned in Madara's chest. His face turned red with rage.
"Help me up—I'm going to kill that curly-haired traitor!"
"Hahaha, you're still full of energy. How about we end this war here and now? Didn't we agree to build a village together someday?"
"...Sigh."
Hearing his brother talk once more about the village of his dreams, Tobirama sighed and finally lowered his blade. He knew Madara's life had been spared.
"Can we really never go back to skipping stones by the river again?"
Seeing Madara waver, Hashirama tried one last time to bring back the friend he knew. He spoke of their childhood, hoping to warm Madara's cold heart.
"That's impossible. My father is dead. I can't turn back now. I lost—and I can't protect the Uchiha anymore."
Madara's eyes flicked toward Tobirama, filled with hidden malice. He spoke with heavy breath, worn out from battle.
"Besides, I don't trust you people."
Though he said "you people," the distrust was aimed squarely at the white-haired one.
Still, he didn't say it with finality—there was a sliver of hope.
"What can we do to earn your trust?"
Hashirama latched onto that hope and asked quickly.
"If you really want honesty, then kill your brother. Or yourself."
With the cards laid bare, Madara was clearly trying to drag Tobirama down with him.
"If you do that, then we're even. I'll believe the Senju."
"Aminosu!"
Tobirama's blade was suddenly raised once more. He was ready to strike this evil Uchiha down.
"Kill my brother or commit suicide? Don't talk nonsense."
A loud voice rang out from behind.
"Exactly! That's absurd~"
Tobirama nodded in agreement, casually looking for the best angle to strike.
"Thank you, Madara. You really are a man of deep emotion."
"What are you planning, big brother? Are you going to kill me?"
Tobirama puffed up angrily. Was he not his brother's favorite little otōto?
"Madara gave me a choice. I won't kill my brother. He has a brother too—he knows what it means to be the older one."
Hashirama waved off Tobirama's outburst and began stripping off his armor. Dressed in only a single-layered robe, he pulled out a kunai and approached Madara with a strange smile.
The ambiguous gesture made Madara blush and squirm, horrified by what he thought Hashirama might do to him.
"What the hell are you going to do to my brother, you beasts?!"
(Two hundred bonus words because the author was late. Please forgive the delay due to overtime.)
(End of Chapter)
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