"What in the world… is that?"
Tobirama stared at Mū in disbelief.
The man was flying. Actually flying.
'If he can stay in the air like that… how am I supposed to even touch him?'
"Unbelievable," Hashirama whispered from the shadows, watching carefully. "To erase Madara's Susanoo so cleanly… that technique is insanely strong."
He knew better than anyone the sheer durability of Madara's Susanoo. He had to unleash his full strength just to shatter it. And yet, the bandaged man's jutsu had erased it in an instant, like a flash of light cutting reality itself.
"Big Brother, the technique is powerful, no doubt," Tobirama admitted. "But what caught my eye was the extra Mū. He vanished without a trace. I couldn't even sense him."
His sharp gaze locked on Mū's distant form.
Tobirama prided himself on his sensory skills, yet when Mū disappeared earlier, his senses failed completely.
Unlike ordinary concealment, Mu's camouflage technique renders chakra entirely undetectable.
Not even top-level sensory types like Tobirama could perceive it.
That is why Mū earned the title "Non-person" in the orginal story.
"…It's true. I couldn't sense his chakra at all."
Hashirama frowned, unsettled.
"This guy… he's no ordinary shinobi."
"Brother, we should move now,"Tobirama urged. "If this drags on, it could shatter the alliance we just built."
He had only just concluded a pact of friendship with Mū. If things spiraled out of control, all that work could be undone.
Truthfully, Hashirama had wanted to intervene earlier. But Tobirama had held him back with Flying Raijin, insisting they observe instead.
"Big Brother," Tobirama said calmly, "think of this as a test. It's a chance to measure the true strength of other villages. Whether we step in sooner or later doesn't matter."
"And besides, with your power, you could pull him out of Madara's hands anytime you want."
Hashirama sighed heavily. "…Alright."
Perhaps his brother was right.
---
The uproar had already drawn Konoha's residents and clans out into the streets.
"What's going on out there?"
"Looks like Madara is fighting an outsider. Word is, he's from Iwagakure."
"No way… to last this long against Lord Madara? That guy must be ridiculously strong."
The people of Konoha slipped quietly from their compounds to watch. When they saw Mū standing against Madara, When they saw him break Susanoo, Shock rippled through their hearts.
They knew what Madara was. They knew his power wasn't on the same scale as an ordinary shinobi.
Up to now, the only man who could shatter Madara's Susanoo was Hashirama.
And yet here, a man from Iwagakure had done the same.
---
Atop the Hokage Rock, several figures stood watching the battlefield. Hiruzen, Danzō, Koharu, Mitokado Homura, Kagami, and Akimichi Torifū.
"H-Holy… Danzō, that bandaged guy is incredible! He's holding his own against Madara!" Hiruzen exclaimed, eyes wide.
"Indeed," Danzō muttered, his expression grave.
"No," Kagami corrected, arms folded. "Lord Madara hasn't gone all out. If he did, that man wouldn't stand a chance."
Though not a blind devotee of his clan leader, Kagami still believed only Hashirama could truly stand equal to Madara.
Koharu, Homura, and Torifū remained silent, their gazes fixed on the battle with somber faces.
---
Madara's thoughts churned as he watched Mū.
Until now, he had believed only Hashirama stood as his equal.
But after seeing Mū's killing move, he was forced to reconsider.
Hashirama and Madara were true titans.
And this man, Mū… perhaps half of one.
Madara's gaze bore into Mū, his eyes no longer mocking, no longer careless.
Before, he had taken Mū seriously only because of his unyielding will. But now, now he regarded him as a true opponent.
A genuine powerhouse.
"Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan!"
Madara's scarlet eyes spun, dissecting Mū's body and the battlefield.
A moment ago, another Mū had simply appeared from nowhere.
It clearly wasn't a Shadow Clone.
How could an outsider possess a jutsu Tobirama himself had invented, one not yet spread beyond Konoha in these early days of the village?
And yet, Madara's Mangekyō couldn't unravel it.
'…Even my eyes can't see through this? Stronger than a Shadow Clone… what kind of technique is it?'
He narrowed his gaze, intrigued.
Mū, breathing heavily, swept his eyes toward the distance.
'Senju brothers… you've been here this whole time. You're just going to stand there and watch?'
His sharp sensory skills had already picked them out, yet they made no move to intervene.
If this continued, he might have no choice but to grab Ōnoki and retreat.
Madara's lips curved faintly. He too had sensed Hashirama's presence.
"Summoning Jutsu!"
With a sharp clap of his hands, Madara summoned forth his iconic fan and war scythe.
Whoosh!
In a blur, he appeared beside Mū, swinging his fan with brutal force. The impact hurled Mū into the air.
Before he could recover, Madara flickered again, striking him repeatedly midair.
He was herding Mū, driving him further and further from the village.
Even now, Madara's thoughts remained tied to Konoha and his clan.
A battle of this scale within the village would devastate everything. Too many of his techniques were shackled by the risk of collateral damage.
Mū steadied himself, grim, his mind racing for counters.
One attacker, one defender, the battlefield shifted.
The two clashed until, at last, they landed beyond Konoha's borders.
And then, with no restraints left, Madara unleashed a killing technique.
"Fire Style: Majestic Destroyer Flame!"
His signature Fire Release surged forward, a sea of flames consuming the horizon.
With the fan in his hand, Madara swung once.
And the inferno multiplied in power, its destructive force multiplied severalfold.
Mū's eyes tightened as he faced the approaching wall of fire. It surged like a tsunami, vast enough that in normal battle it would take ten Water Release shinobi to resist.
But now, he stood alone.
"Earth Style: Earth Flow Rampart!"
Rumble!
An enormous stone wall rose from the earth, reinforced to its utmost, standing firm before him.
CRASH!
Flames engulfed it instantly. The stone wall hissed and cracked, beginning to melt under the sheer heat.
Mū slammed both palms into the ground, summoning more walls to brace the first.
But this was real combat. His enemy would never sit idle after one technique.
Whoosh!
Madara's figure blurred again, appearing at Mū's flank.
A crushing kick smashed into his side, the blow embedded him deep into the very walls he had raised.
"Tch… damn. Almost tore the bandages clean off me…"
Underneath, Mū's face twisted with pain.
Fortunately, he had layered himself with Earth Style Hardening beforehand. Without it, his body might have broken apart on the spot.
Expression cold, Madara lifted his war scythe, bringing it down with deadly precision.
Slash! BOOM!
In a flash of white light, the scythe tore through what remained of the Earth Rampart.
The thick walls, which had endured Madara's sea of flames for so long, now split and collapsed under a single swing.