Standing in the center of the battlefield, Naruto Uzumaki's hair whipped wildly in the wind, his eyes wide as he watched the Susanoo descend from the sky. The very ground beneath his feet had already been torn apart. The sheer force of the air currents from the Susanoo's sword had carved a deep trench in the earth.
Naruto brought his palms together, his gaze fixed on the giant, glowing sword, and shouted, "Sage Art: Wood Release: True Several Thousand Hands!"
The jutsu that had once ravaged the Village Hidden in the Mist appeared in the world again.
A giant golden Buddha, even larger than the Susanoo, suddenly emerged from the ground and reached for the purple construct in the air. With just two of its giant golden hands, the Buddha yanked the tall Susanoo down from the sky. Then, its thousands of other palms swarmed forward, pressing the Susanoo to the ground, preparing to deliver a severe beating.
"That bastard Naruto… he was holding back again!"
Blood trickled from the corners of Sasuke's eyes from the strain. He pushed his Mangekyo Sharingan to its limits, using its power to create just enough distance between the Susanoo and the thousands of golden hands. It bought him the crucial time he needed to activate the Flying Thunder God Technique and escape the dangerous situation with his Susanoo.
Fortunately, the unique power of his Mangekyo granted him a moment's respite. Just as the thousand golden hands were about to crash down, the purple Susanoo suddenly vanished, reappearing high above Naruto.
"Whew…"
Sasuke took a deep breath, watching as the golden Buddha's palms struck the ground below. Violent explosions and shockwaves ripped through the area. When the smoke and dust cleared, underground springs and magma spewed from the fresh craters. The battlefield they had chosen was wide, but now, under the assault of the golden Buddha, a third of the land had been completely wiped out.
The grass and forests were gone, leaving only the newly emerged springs and magma slowly converging as thick smoke and steam rose from the earth.
Outside the Four Red Yang Formation, the Konoha ninjas watching the battle all stared with wide eyes, looking at the scene before them in disbelief. Their minds were reeling, and their legs felt weak.
"Hey, Choza… Shikaku…" Inoichi Yamanaka stared at the ravaged ground inside the barrier, his mind blank. He felt like he couldn't even hear his own voice. "During the Great Ninja War… did we ever see a scene like this?"
Choza Akimichi clenched his fist and shook his head firmly. "Never," he said in a deep voice. "At least, I've never seen it…"
"I haven't either." Hiashi Hyuga's Byakugan was already active. He slowly shook his head, his voice hoarse. "Even on battlefields where Tailed Beasts were used, I've never seen such power. It makes you feel like you can't even begin to resist…"
Yes, unable to resist. Compared to the world-destroying attack of the golden Buddha, the power of the Tailed Beast Bombs they had witnessed on the battlefield seemed almost insignificant.
Mei Terumi, standing among the Hokage's guard unit, murmured, "Is this the full power of that guy, Naruto Uzumaki?"
Back in the Hidden Mist, Naruto had used the True Several Thousand Hands, but he had only used a single one of its palms to destroy the village's will to fight. Now, she had witnessed with her own eyes the power of all thousand hands striking at once. She had originally thought their village would be turned to ruins and tens of thousands would die, which was why she had ordered a full surrender.
Thinking about it now, she realized ten Mist Villages would be wiped out by the golden Buddha.
The shock on Tsunade's face slowly faded, replaced by a satisfied smile. "Tch, that guy Naruto… he's already grown to this point…"
She had been the one to push for Naruto to become the Fifth Hokage against all opposition, and the young Hokage's growth had always satisfied her. Just when Tsunade thought the thirteen-year-old was doing well enough, Naruto would give her an even bigger surprise—both with his power and his actions.
"Kakashi-sensei!" Sakura Haruno tightly gripped the white-haired Jonin's sleeve. The shock on her face had not yet faded as she asked cautiously, "Naruto and Sasuke's fight is too dangerous, isn't it? When will it end…?"
"It should be soon, right?" A drop of cold sweat appeared on Kakashi's forehead. He wiped it away carefully and said with lingering fear, "Whew… luckily one of these guys joined the ANBU, and the other became Hokage. Otherwise…"
Although it was a good thing that his two former students were so powerful, it was probably better for subordinates who could destroy the world to stay far away from him, right?
While most of the ninjas were shocked by the young Hokage's extraordinary power, a few dissenting voices were heard.
"Well done, Sasuke!" The Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, saw the battle more clearly than the others, though he too was momentarily surprised by the power his son displayed.
However, at the most critical moment, Sasuke hadn't been scared into inaction. He first used his Mangekyo Sharingan to create distance, buying himself time to use the Flying Thunder God Technique to escape the Buddha's attack. As Sasuke's special training teacher, Minato didn't hold back his praise.
Orochimaru ignored the golden Buddha, looking only at the purple Susanoo with an obsessed expression. "Sasuke's power… is becoming more and more fascinating. To be able to escape even in such a desperate situation…"
"Hmph. You still think the Sharingan's power is so great?" Tobirama Senju frowned in displeasure upon hearing Orochimaru. He looked at his grand-disciple and said coldly, "That brat named Sasuke just barely escaped with his life, and he had to use a jutsu I invented to do it."
"…"
The obsessive look in Orochimaru's eyes vanished. He simply smiled and shook his head, not wanting to argue with Tobirama. After all, anyone who knew the Second Hokage knew he was a professional, die-hard hater of the Uchiha clan. If the one who had escaped using the Flying Thunder God Technique didn't have the Uchiha surname, Tobirama would probably be praising him to the heavens.
Speaking of which, Orochimaru was actually a bit curious why Tobirama was somewhat benevolent towards Itachi, a known spy, but was so completely malicious towards Sasuke. Was it just because Itachi had massacred the Uchiha clan, while Sasuke was a surviving orphan who should have been killed?
Inside the Four Red Yang Formation, Naruto's Tenseigan had already pinpointed Sasuke's new position. He didn't attack again, but just looked up at the purple Susanoo and said softly, "Hey, Sasuke. Now, I'm getting serious."
"…"
Sasuke's face froze. The world-destroying image of the golden Buddha flashed in his mind, and he couldn't help but curse inwardly. But his pride wouldn't let him admit defeat.
Sasuke once again manipulated the Susanoo's hands to form a bow, replying with a cold smile, "Alright. I've just finished my warm-up, too. Come on, Naruto!"
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Bonus:
1
Naruto Uzumaki: I'm getting serious now!
Sasuke Uchiha: Just now…
Naruto Uzumaki: Just now was only a warm-up.
Sasuke Uchiha: You almost killed me, you know that?!
Naruto Uzumaki: Weren't you the one who said you were just warming up??
2
Sasuke Uchiha: Why don't you like me?
Tobirama Senju: Have you even looked at yourself?
Sasuke Uchiha: I'm pretty handsome though!
Sakura Haruno: Yeah, he's super handsome!
Naruto Uzumaki: He's… okay.
Tobirama Senju: Heh… with a face like that, and you still have the nerve to show it in public every day… unbelievable.
Sasuke Uchiha: …What kind of weird standards did people have back in the Warring States era?!
Madara Uchiha: Heh, don't listen to Tobirama's nonsense. Sasuke, you're damn handsome! Other than Hashirama, there's not a single man in the whole ninja world who could compare!