Hibari's self-mutilating counterattack, though ruthless and decisive, ultimately failed to completely break free from Madara's grip.
Madara coughed up a mouthful of blood after taking the Rasengan, then exerted force with his feet, forcibly bracing against the Rasengan and remaining largely in place, without retreating much.
It wasn't that Madara's physical prowess was so great that he could withstand a Rasengan without any harm. It was simply because Hibari was worried that too much movement would alert him, so he used a Rasengan that wasn't very powerful.
This was also why Madara was able to stand there instead of being blasted away.
However, this momentary lapse was enough. When Hibari winked at Hashirama just now, Hashirama already understood what Hibari was going to do. It had to be said that while Hashirama usually seemed slow to grasp others' thoughts, his mind worked quickly in battle.
Madara didn't know what a Rasengan was, but how could Hashirama not know? Moreover, he was facing Hibari directly, so the moment Hibari made his move, his figure also moved.
Although Hibari failed to completely break free from Madara's restraints, what he did was enough. For victory had already been decided!
The instant Madara braced his feet and successfully stabilized himself, Hashirama's figure appeared behind him.
The next second, a 'thud!' was heard, and then Hibari, Hashirama, and Madara all stopped their movements.
A spray of blood, no one knew when, splattered onto Hibari's tender face...
The scene seemed to fall silent for a moment. After a long while, Madara asked, "What was that technique just now?"
Hibari's gaze flickered slightly, then he softly replied, "A-rank Hand Seal-less Ninjutsu: Rasengan. It's a ninjutsu I just developed not long ago."
"Hehehe... Rasengan... So it's a ninjutsu you created yourself, you brat? You've certainly learned a lot from that bastard Tobirama of yours, Hibari," Madara said softly, blood oozing from the corner of his mouth.
"I've learned a lot of Fire Release ninjutsu too. Didn't fall behind at all, Madara-jiisan," Hibari said with a faint smile.
Madara raised a hand with some difficulty, then placed it on Hibari's head. This time, however, Hibari didn't dodge, letting the already weakened hand rest on his head.
"Still haven't grown much taller... This made me underestimate you... Hibari," Madara said, forcing a faint smile.
At this moment, Hashirama, who stood behind him, still maintained a resolute expression, yet his eyes already held a deep sadness.
At this very moment, the sword in his hand had already pierced through Madara's back, and the sharp blade had emerged from Madara's chest. Crimson blood dripped continuously along the blade. The blood on Hibari's face had been splattered then.
"You've changed too, Hashirama," Madara said with a hint of emotion.
Feeling the continuous weakness and pain within his body, he knew very well that in the past, Hashirama would never have been able to kill him with such a decisive strike. Now, the truth was laid bare.
"The village... Anyone who wishes to be an enemy of the village, an enemy of us... no, an enemy of my village, I will consider them my enemy. Just as you said, Madara, how can we, who have emerged from such chaotic times, show mercy to our enemies?" Hashirama said in a deep voice. For some reason, his resolute words trembled slightly.
Hashirama knew clearly that the current balance of power among the Five Great Nations and Five Great Villages, coupled with his own existence, maintained a fragile peace. He strove to make this peace gradually solidify and last for a long time.
Therefore, Konohagakure absolutely could not fall into trouble. Otherwise, the maintained stability would instantly shatter, war would arrive as scheduled, and peace would cease to exist.
Thus, for the sake of this peace, he had to harden his heart and kill his friend, Madara, right here!
Madara's eyelids gradually drooped. His Sharingan, with its tomoe, gradually reverted to black pupils. His knees suddenly buckled, and he collapsed towards Hibari, falling straight onto Hibari's shoulder, nearly causing the sharp blade in his chest to pierce into Hibari's chest cavity.
"You've got your priorities reversed, Hashirama... Peace isn't so easily achieved. One day, all of this will turn into darkness, devouring everything," Madara said softly into Hibari's ear, his head resting against Hibari's shoulder.
After speaking these words, he fell silent.
Hibari, so close, could feel it: Madara Uchiha, who had shaken the shinobi world and stood shoulder to shoulder with Hashirama Senju, the 'God of Shinobi,' had died at this moment. This death was real.
Hashirama, who should have also been exhausted here, also felt his legs buckle, nearly collapsing to his knees. However, he ultimately did not lose consciousness.
This scene brought a hint of joy to Hibari. Regardless, he had indeed changed some things, hadn't he?
However, although Hashirama's injuries didn't appear severe at the moment, his physical foundation had been gravely damaged internally. A vast amount of his life force was being used to heal his wounds and maintain his internal chakra. His body was in a complete mess, and it was uncertain if he could recover fully.
"Hashirama-jiisan... Madara-jiisan..." Hibari said softly, looking at the weakened Hashirama.
A flicker of pain crossed Hashirama's eyes. He nodded but didn't speak. He knew that Madara had been killed by his own hand.
Just then, Hiruzen's figure appeared. Seeing the scene before him, he was utterly shocked beyond belief.
What the hell was going on? He was just a few steps behind, and Hibari had actually helped the Hokage deal with Madara? This was too incredible! There must be some misunderstanding!
However, there was no time for him to ask questions. Instead, he quickly supported Hashirama, then looked at Hibari and asked, "Hibari, you reckless brat, are you alright?"
Hibari, supporting Madara's corpse with one hand, said, "It's nothing major, just a broken wrist..."
After confirming that Hibari hadn't suffered any fatal injuries, Hiruzen breathed a sigh of relief. He then looked at Hashirama and asked, "Hokage-sama, Mito-sama is... is dealing with the Nine-Tails Fox. What about Madara's body?"
Hashirama looked at Madara's corpse, supported by Hibari, then softly said, "Bury him here... Remember, this must be kept secret. Don't tell unrelated people."
Madara's attack on Konohagakure this time had been witnessed by the villagers and shinobi, and also confirmed by Tobirama.
Although he had left the village abruptly in the past, he was still considered a Konoha shinobi. However, after doing something like this, he could no longer be judged in the same way. Therefore, he had effectively betrayed all of Konohagakure.
As a 'traitor,' his body naturally couldn't receive a grand burial in Konohagakure. Furthermore, he wasn't well-liked in Konoha in the first place. If his body were brought back, it would likely cause some ridiculous and tragic chaos.
At the same time, while Hashirama had personally killed his friend, he couldn't just leave his body exposed in the wilderness, could he? Even if he wasn't a friend, he was still a hero of his generation. Treating him like that would be going too far.
Therefore, Hashirama thought it best to bury Madara here, and no one present should speak of it, so no one would attempt to dig him up.
Hibari and Hiruzen had no objections. Hiruzen formed a hand seal, then softly chanted, "Earth Release: Earth Movement!"
The next second, in a concealed spot not far away, a perfectly sized pit, just large enough for Madara to lie in, appeared.
Hibari, enduring the intense pain from his wrist, helped Madara up, then laid him flat on the ground. Looking at his seemingly 'unclosed' eyes, Hibari sighed. Although he knew the guy would revive soon enough, seeing his death at this moment still evoked some emotion.
Then, Hibari reached out and covered Madara's eyes, intending to close them.
However, just as Hibari's hand covered Madara's eyes, Hibari instinctively felt a craving that made his own eyes suddenly itch.
This itching came quickly and left just as quickly. After Hibari removed his hand from Madara's eyes, the craving within him vanished, and the itching in his eyes stopped.
This made Hibari look at Madara's face with great confusion and disbelief.
'It couldn't be because of the Mangekyo Sharingan, could it? Did something happen to me?' Hibari wondered with great confusion.
However, this was not the time for deep thought. After Hibari closed Madara's eyes, Hashirama, struggling with his last bit of strength, walked over, picked up his former friend from the ground, then walked unsteadily to the specially prepared pit, and personally buried Madara's body.
Hibari, watching this scene, used one hand to release medical ninjutsu chakra, covering his twisted wrist to alleviate the pain and injury.
At the same time, he was recalling the feeling from earlier—the itching in his eyes and the instinctive craving. It made Hibari now, thinking back, have a desire to 'dig out' Madara's Mangekyo Sharingan.
However, this thought was ultimately suppressed by his reason.
In fact, Hibari had considered such a thing from the beginning, but he thought it was too impractical. After all, once the time came, Madara would revive at full health. If he revived and found his eyes missing, wouldn't he come after Hibari for a fight to the death?
Hibari believed that even if Madara were blind, he could easily crush him. So he dismissed the idea. Besides, Hashirama and the others wouldn't just stand by and watch him dig out Madara's eyes, would they?
'Besides, the Sharingan isn't something only Madara-jiisan has, is it? I'll figure out what happened earlier eventually...' Hibari looked back towards Konohagakure and thought to himself.
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