Madara was marveling at the formidable defense of Hashiramau's Wood Release: Hōbi no Jutsu, which could withstand the impact of a Tailed Beast Ball at close range without sustaining damage.
Hashirama, in turn, was marveling at Madara's power.
"To use Susanoo as armor to cover a Tailed Beast, that's quite an idea, Madara..." Hashirama murmured softly.
The next second, the Nine-Tails Fox, wielding the Susanoo's great sword, raised its hand and slashed down towards Hashirama's location.
Hashirama showed no intention of dodging. He simply clasped his hands together, and in an instant, two massive Wood Release arms burst forth from the ground, directly catching the Susanoo's great sword in a bare-handed block.
"I've seen through your attack, Madara!" Hashirama said in a deep voice.
As soon as his voice fell, several gigantic arms grew out of the ground near the Nine-Tails Fox, attempting to subdue and pin it down.
"It's not over yet!" Madara roared. The next second, the Susanoo's great sword swept horizontally, severing all the surrounding arms.
As the battle intensified once more, Hashirama keenly noticed that the nearby ground seemed unable to withstand the power generated by their clash.
"If we keep fighting, this place will sink..." Hashirama thought to himself. His peripheral vision caught a glimpse of the ocean not far from there. They were quite close to the sea now.
"I need to get to the coast..." Hashirama mused.
Without delay, before Madara could unleash his next move, Hashirama acted with extreme speed. Stepping on crumbling wooden debris in the air, he retreated rapidly towards the coast.
Seeing this, Madara didn't think much of it and pursued, controlling the Nine-Tails Fox.
"Don't think you can escape!" Madara roared. The next second, the Nine-Tails Fox condensed another Tailed Beast Ball. At the same time, Madara plunged the Susanoo's great sword into the Tailed Beast Ball. As the Tailed Beast Ball spun and shot out, the Susanoo's great sword also flew towards Hashirama.
"This time, even the Wood Golem won't be able to stop it, Hashirama!" A ruthless glint flashed in Madara's eyes as he roared.
Hashirama, who had already reached the coast, landed on the ground. Looking at the howling Tailed Beast Ball, he pressed his finger to his lips, then gently bit it, drawing a few drops of blood. He slammed his hand onto the ground and roared, "Summoning Jutsu: Five-Fold Rashomon!"
The next second, before the Tailed Beast Ball fused with the Susanoo's great sword could strike, five towering Rashomon gates quickly rose from the ground.
The Rashomon gates were something Hashirama had acquired from an unknown source years ago. They possessed extreme defensive power, reputed to be able to defend against anything. Hashirama had forcibly signed a summoning contract with them, making them his summoned 'objects.'
However, even with the Rashomon gates' extreme defensive power, trying to block a Tailed Beast Ball created by the Nine-Tails Fox combined with Susanoo was wishful thinking.
But Hashirama didn't intend to block it completely...
Looking at the five protruding Rashomon gates on the ground, Madara's brow furrowed slightly. "To change its trajectory, huh?"
As soon as he spoke, the Tailed Beast Ball directly impacted the Rashomon gates without the slightest pause. All five Rashomon gates were knocked over, but just as both men expected, the Rashomon gates ultimately altered the Tailed Beast Ball's trajectory, lifting it slightly, causing it to graze the ground and strike the ocean. It then crossed the strait and exploded directly on a deserted island on the opposite side, completely obliterating the entire island.
Meanwhile, Madara, standing atop the Nine-Tails Fox, once again arrived before Hashirama. Looking down at Hashirama, Madara softly said, "It's been a long time since I've seriously fought you. You should know that I'm different from before, Hashirama?"
Hashirama took a deep breath, then clasped his hands together in front of his chest. This time, however, he didn't unleash any techniques. Instead, he looked at Madara again and sincerely said, "All of this so far, all our efforts, do you want to make them all for nothing? Fighting me brings no benefit. All you're doing is harming the village we built together, harming more people, and insulting our fallen brothers! Madara!!!"
Hearing Hashirama's words, a flash of anger crossed Madara's eyes, and he spoke with an agitated tone, "You're lecturing me again!"
"I don't want to kill you!" Hashirama roared.
These words were exceptionally jarring to the incredibly arrogant Madara. A ruthless glint flashed in his eyes, and he said, "Are you saying you can kill me anytime?"
"No! I'm trying to say, we're friends!" Hashirama retorted.
However, Madara was no longer listening to such words. He roared, "I've reached the other shore! I'm no longer walking the same path as you!"
As his voice fell, the gigantic Nine-Tails Fox roared again and charged towards Hashirama. Seeing this, Hashirama understood: reasoning was no longer an option. Madara had clearly entered a state of paranoia.
Therefore, to protect the village and the people who placed their hopes in him, a flicker of determination appeared in Hashirama's eyes. This time, he too would unleash his full power!
"Sage Art!!!" Hashirama roared. The next second, Sage Mode markings instantly appeared on his face. Hashirama, possessing a Sage Body, could directly enter perfect Sage Mode during battle without needing to accumulate anything.
As his voice fell, his immense chakra began to surge. With the enhancement of Senjutsu, Hashirama roared again, "Wood Release: True Several Thousand Hands!!!"
The last time Hashirama Senju used True Several Thousand Hands was when he furiously pummeled Chomei the Seven-Tails in Mushiking Valley. At that time, he almost beat Chomei to the point of being unable to live independently, forcing it into reincarnation.
This time, the appearance of True Several Thousand Hands was still just as breathtaking. A gigantic thousand-armed Buddha statue rose from the ground. The Nine-Tails Fox, already enormous after donning the Susanoo: Armored Nine-Tails, was dwarfed by the True Several Thousand Hands, which was two or three times larger, if not more!
"I'm coming for you, Madara!!!" Hashirama roared from atop the head of the thousand-armed Buddha statue.
Although the True Several Thousand Hands was much larger than the Nine-Tails Fox, Madara felt no trepidation whatsoever. He unhesitatingly spun the tomoe in his Sharingan, controlling the Nine-Tails Fox to charge towards the thousand-armed Buddha.
"Come on, Hashirama!!!" Madara roared as well.
In just a moment, the two gigantic 'monsters' collided. Then, Hashirama roared, "Top Transformed Buddha!!!"
As his voice fell, the thousand-armed Buddha statue directly came to life. Countless arms, imbued with immense power, slammed down violently onto Madara and the Nine-Tails Fox.
At the same time, the 'Susanoo: Armored Nine-Tails' also unleashed its fists from its side, all of them striking with crushing force.
However, Hashirama's Senjutsu was ultimately more powerful.
The True Several Thousand Hands technique had once pinned Chomei the Seven-Tails to the ground, making it cry out for its parents. Even now, with the Nine-Tails Fox encased in a layer of Susanoo, it was still largely effective. Countless gigantic fists forcibly broke through this so-called absolute defense, shattering half of the 'Susanoo: Armored Nine-Tails' on the Nine-Tails Fox.
But that was the extent of it. Hashirama's Top Transformed Buddha had no remaining strength.
Perhaps due to the continuous intense battles, Hashirama felt a long-lost sense of exhaustion after unleashing this Top Transformed Buddha.
Madara Uchiha stood within the shattered Susanoo, looking at Hashirama, thinking in disbelief, "It was actually broken...?"
Before that thought could fully register, although exhausted, Hashirama forcibly made the True Several Thousand Hands move again. The gigantic wooden Buddha statue, along with the thousands of arms behind it, detached from its back.
Then Hashirama roared, "Tenth Edict On Enlightenment!!!"
As his voice fell, the gigantic Buddha statue grabbed the Nine-Tails Fox, which had returned to its original size after losing its 'Susanoo: Armored Nine-Tails.' At the same time, a 'sit' character manifested on its other hand, and it slammed its palm onto the Nine-Tails Fox's head, forcibly 'subduing' the Nine-Tails Fox.
At the same time, Hashirama and Madara both returned to the ground. Neither of them wished to control the wood golem or the Nine-Tails any longer. Madara swung his gunbai and sickle, then charged at Hashirama with a roar.
Hashirama also drew the sword hanging at his waist, his expression grim, and similarly charged towards Madara.
Both possessed exceptional skill. Several clashes passed without either being able to overcome the other. Slowly, their battle moved far away from the Nine-Tails Fox and the gigantic Buddha statue.
Just then, three figures appeared not far from the Nine-Tails Fox: Hibari and the others.
"We're still a bit late..." Hibari said, looking at the scene with some worry.
Originally, his idea was to come with Mito Uzumaki, then, along with Hiruzen, use their 'S-rank Collaboration Ninjutsu' to help Hashirama and catch the Nine-Tails Fox and Madara off guard.
But unexpectedly, by the time they arrived, Hashirama had already single-handedly pinned the Nine-Tails Fox to the ground and subdued it.
Mito looked at this scene, then glanced at Hibari, the little fellow who had suddenly appeared halfway and insisted on coming with her. She said, "This is the best time. Now that the Nine-Tails Fox is subdued and unable to resist, we can easily achieve our goal."
Hibari nodded, seemingly agreeing with this statement, but his concern was for Hashirama's physical condition. If he continued to fight Madara like this, he might still win, but he would suffer irreparable damage!
Thinking of this, Hibari looked at Mito's back, then at Hiruzen's back. He made up his mind and subtly slowed his steps.
-------
Want to read ahead of schedule? Head over to my Patreon ——— patreon(.)com/PrimalDemon [remove the parentheses ( )]