Uchiha Hikaru silently leapt down from the Wood Release: Wooden Man, landing lightly on the ground before lifting his gaze to meet its eyes.
"…Haha. I wasn't thinking for a moment. I'll be more careful next time—really, next time."
Hashirama Senju rolled his eyes, clearly displeased.
"Do you really think there will be a next time?"
Silence.
Some things were better left unsaid in this situation. Saying them out loud would only make things worse.
Uchiha Hikaru turned around, his eyes settling on Uchiha Madara and Obito standing opposite him.
"If you have any other tricks, feel free to use them."
"If you really have nothing left… then surrender. I treat prisoners quite well."
His tone was calm and sincere, yet Madara and Obito could clearly hear the contempt and ridicule buried beneath those words.
Obito chose to remain silent. He knew very well that the moment he spoke, he would lose.
Madara, on the other hand, was boiling with anger—yet he couldn't find the words to respond. After all, if their positions were reversed, he suspected he would be even more arrogant than the young man before him.
A deep-blue skeletal frame surged into existence.
In the blink of an eye, Susanoo was fully manifested.
Standing within the hexagonal core above the Crow Tengu-like form of Susanoo, Madara gripped two massive samurai blades and swung them down toward Uchiha Hikaru.
A flash of blue light streaked past.
The Wooden Man jumped sideways, instinctively letting out a startled, "Meow?!" as it dodged out of the way.
At the same moment, Uchiha Hikaru activated his own Susanoo. An armored giant took shape around him, while the Mangekyō ability Sword transformed into an enormous blade—longer than the height of his complete Susanoo.
Gripping it with both hands, Hikaru raised the blade horizontally, blocking the twin samurai swords wielded by Madara's Susanoo.
Boom—!
The earth shook violently, as if a man-made earthquake had erupted.
Shinobi in the rear were forced to channel chakra into the soles of their feet just to remain standing.
"This is insane…"
"Yeah. Even the tailed beasts only reach their waist."
At that moment, everyone understood this was no longer a battle they could interfere with. The only thing they could do was retreat—retreat as far as possible to avoid being caught in the aftermath.
Otherwise, Uchiha Hikaru would be forced to divert his attention to protect them. If the enemy exploited that opening, it would be far worse than death.
One by one, the Allied Shinobi Forces withdrew.
Seeing this, Madara assumed they had been frightened out of their wits. As he continued to control Susanoo and clash with Hikaru, he cast a disdainful glance toward the retreating shinobi.
"Have you had enough yet?"
"Hikaru, you should know—shinobi of this era are far weaker than those of our time. Without enduring brutal, life-and-death battles, they'll never become true shinobi."
Uchiha Hikaru smiled faintly. Tightening his grip on Sword, he lunged forward and slashed downward.
"You're wrong, Madara."
"They retreated because they didn't want to burden me—not because they fear you."
"They retreated because they believe I can defeat you."
Those words pierced Madara like a blade straight through the heart.
A deep, indescribable pain surged from the depths of his soul, dragging him back to that distant day—when he stood alone, separated from the Uchiha Clan.
He had wanted to lead the clan away from Konoha, toward what he believed was the path to true peace.
Yet what truly froze his blood…
…was that no one followed him.
Not even those he once trusted the most.
Izuna… was I really wrong…?
"No!"
"They follow you only because you're strong!"
"Just like when I was defeated by Hashirama—people are selfish and greedy!"
"A world where people truly understand one another cannot exist!"
"Only Infinite Tsukuyomi can grant everyone the world they desire!"
"Only then can war be erased and true peace be born!!"
Madara roared, his voice brimming with despair and revulsion toward the diseased state of the shinobi world.
The violent chakra surged wildly. Even his Impure World Reincarnation body began to collapse and regenerate simultaneously.
With sheer force of will, he deflected Hikaru's blade. To accelerate his attack, he released the twin swords entirely, clenched both fists, and slammed them into the chest of Hikaru's Susanoo.
Crack—
Dense fractures spread across the chest armor.
Uchiha Hikaru staggered back several steps, but chakra surged like a tidal wave, instantly repairing the damage.
At that moment, Sword shifted form once more—splitting into two manifestations.
One radiated dark violet light.
The other shone with brilliant gold.
The Pearlescent Gauntlet and the Hand of Justice.
"It seems words won't reach you," Hikaru said calmly. "I told you before—the Infinite Tsukuyomi you believe in was tampered with."
"Its true purpose is to resurrect the so-called Mother of Chakra—Kaguya."
"When that happens, the entire shinobi world will fall into absolute silence."
Left and right, the two Susanoo titans clashed endlessly.
Even these seemingly indestructible giants continuously shattered, fragments dissolving into chakra and scattering between heaven and earth.
Madara relied on the regeneration of the Impure World Reincarnation and his boundless chakra to keep fighting, refusing to yield.
Uchiha Hikaru relied on the immense reserves of Six Paths chakra and the terrifying recovery speed of his sage body.
Neither retreated.
The battle dragged on.
Elsewhere, Nagato took the initiative against Obito, using Sage techniques and the Rinnegan to restrain him, preventing any interference with the tailed beast battlefield.
Battles between Jinchūriki were always unpredictable—and this one raged until dawn.
Suddenly, Madara felt a familiar chakra.
His expression shifted as he looked into the distance.
"This feeling… this chakra…"
A figure descended from the sky, smashing into the ground and kicking up a massive cloud of dust.
"Madara!"
That voice.
Uchiha Hikaru immediately disengaged, dispelled his Susanoo, and appeared beside the newcomer.
"Lord First," Hikaru said respectfully. "You're finally here."
Madara leapt down from Susanoo, landing atop a tall rock, his face alight with excitement.
"Hashirama!!"
"Madara!!"
"Hashirama!!!"
"Madara!!!!"
The two sounded like children, competing over who could shout louder.
Until several figures appeared beside them.
"Brother, stop shouting like a child. It's embarrassing," Tobirama Senju said coldly.
Mito Uzumaki snorted. "What's with all this yelling? Seeing your old lover really gets you that excited?"
Hashirama scratched his head, laughing awkwardly.
"Haha… it has been a long time since I last saw my old friend."
Mito turned her head away with a huff. 😤
Madara's expression darkened as his reunion with Hashirama was interrupted by the two people he disliked the most.
"…Tobirama. Mito."
"I never imagined even you could be fully resurrected through forbidden techniques."
As the realization sank in, discomfort crept into his heart.
Konoha… developed a jutsu capable of full resurrection?
And when he remembered that he himself still existed only as a reincarnated corpse—
His mood worsened instantly.
"…Obito. Black Zetsu."
"Useless trash."