"Wood Release..."
"Wood Dragon Jutsu!"
A wooden dragon rose from behind Hashirama, wrapping around the Susanoo greatsword and neutralizing the force of the strike.
To use the Wood Dragon Jutsu under such conditions...
Izuna mentally raised his assessment of Hashirama's potential yet another level, his killing intent chilling. "But have you forgotten that I haven't finished attacking?"
A Susanoo arm appeared, though it looked somewhat miniature compared to the arms growing from the Two-Tails' front legs below.
Bang!
Clenched into a fist, it smashed down from above.
Shoo—
Senju Hashirama and Senju Tobirama, the two brothers, formed a straight vertical line as they plummeted from the sky into the ground.
"Vice-Clan Head Hashirama! Lord Tobirama!" the Senju and Uzumaki ninja below shouted.
"To face the two strongest Senju alone!" Uzumaki Hiro'umi's wrinkled face was full of solemnity. However, the opponent he faced was no simpleton either; he was the man whom the ninja world would come to call the [Asura]!
"Daring to be distracted by others while facing the Clan Head of the Uchiha... you give me no face at all, do you?"
Controlling a Susanoo in a two-headed, four-armed state, Madara led one-third of the Uchiha allied forces to block the Uzumaki. His arrogant gaze truly looked down on everything.
"The Uzumaki sealing jutsu is rather troublesome," Madara ordered coldly. "So, finish them off quickly."
"Yes! Clan Head!"
The morale of the Uchiha allied forces below soared. If the Senju and Uzumaki were awed by the power Izuna displayed, the Uchiha were inspired by it.
"Wood Release: Hundred-Armed Kannon!"
In the rear, a Hundred-Armed Kannon, not much smaller than the majestic armored Two-Tails, appeared.
Finally going all out? Senju Hashirama!
With Uchiha Madara blocking the Uzumaki clan—who possessed absolute suppression capabilities against the Two-Tails—Izuna controlled the Two-Tails and engaged Senju Hashirama in a battle that had absolutely never occurred in the original history.
Senju Hashirama, who had not awakened the Wood Human Jutsu or Sage Mode, remained tough, but he eventually fell into a disadvantage.
The Calamity of the Beast used by the future Madara—combining the Nine-Tails and Susanoo—possessed power surpassing a standard Perfect Susanoo. With the Two-Tails, it could only be said to approach a Perfect Susanoo. But even so, it was an extremely terrifying existence.
Three hours later, sensing he had no more trump cards and his chakra was gradually depleting, Senju Hashirama finally ordered a full retreat.
Harboring the thought of beating a drowning dog, Izuna immediately ordered the entire army to pursue. The Uchiha allied forces chasing behind Izuna saw the countless vines remaining on the ground, marred by shocking cracks—scars caused by the sword qi of the Calamity of the Beast.
"Brother, Uchiha Izuna doesn't seem to intend to let us go easily!"
retreating Senju Tobirama looked at Senju Hashirama beside him and suggested, "Why don't we..."
Hashirama understood Tobirama's meaning clearly. Although the Senju and Uzumaki side had lost under the combined assault of Izuna and Madara's teams, they were far from "routed." If a portion stayed behind to resist while waiting for reinforcements from the remaining clansmen at the main base, there was still hope to turn the tables.
But Hashirama shook his head and rejected Tobirama's proposal, replying in a low voice, "Tobirama, look around."
Tobirama frowned, not quite understanding Hashirama's meaning, but he followed his brother's words and looked around. However, the scene that entered his eyes caused Tobirama's heart to skip a beat.
He saw that whether they were Senju or Uzumaki ninja, every face was filled with shock and bewilderment.
Hashirama explained quietly, "For us, the impact might not be that severe. But for the clansmen, the morale Izuna displayed has already stripped them of the resolve to fight. Turning the tables in the near future is impossible."
For a Kage-level ninja like Tobirama, the power Izuna displayed was certainly surprising, but not enough to reach the level of "fear." But that only applied to ninja of Tobirama's caliber. For those below Jonin level, or even ordinary Jonin, the power Izuna demonstrated this time had completely robbed them of their will to battle. Even if a reversal was possible in terms of troop numbers, morale would not sustain it.
Chasing all the way to the Senju camp at Mount Congyun, Izuna ordered a halt to the pursuit. Mount Congyun had always served as the dividing line between the Uchiha and Senju territories. Going further would mean entering the Senju heartland, which was too dangerous.
However, winning this battle meant gaining Mount Congyun. In other words, in terms of terrain, the Uchiha now held a dominant advantage over the Senju.
This battle was worth it!
"With this, Mount Congyun is completely ours!"
Izuna threw a kunai, cutting down the flag bearing the Senju clan emblem that stood over the military camp. Compared to the Shirotani Pass battlefield, where Senju Yuma had ordered the rearguard to burn the camp upon retreat to leave nothing for the Uchiha, Senju Hashirama was much more decisive. He didn't even bother burning it; he just left.
"Izuna, you are undeniably the primary contributor this time!"
After Izuna threw the kunai to break the Senju flag, Madara simultaneously fired one to break the Uzumaki flag.
"Congratulations, Clan Head, Vice-Clan Head. To achieve a complete victory in your first major war against the Senju since taking office," Uchiha Gakugyo led a group over, cupping his fists to the two.
As a future elder candidate for the Uchiha clan, he was currently the strongest in the clan after Izuna and Madara. Even though their ranks were higher than his, as an elder, he usually spoke to them more like a peer. But not now; he used the tone of a subordinate addressing superiors completely.
"With the Clan Head and Vice-Clan Head leading us, the day the Uchiha replaces the Senju as the number one clan in the Warring States is just around the corner!"
"We beat the Senju!"
"We won!"
"We can go home!"
A thousand clansmen shouted one after another; many fell to the ground, holding their heads and weeping bitterly. Subsequently, many clansmen lifted Izuna and Madara, tossing them into the air, catching them, and tossing them again. This scene looked very much like Naruto returning to Konoha after defeating Pain.
They stayed in the Senju camp for the night. Post-war battlefield management also began. One very important task was the recovery of Sharingan.
Before Izuna rushed from the north to support them, the Uchiha, suppressed by the Senju, had been forced to lift the ban and allow clansmen to use Izanagi. This resulted in many Uchiha clansmen now being in a one-eyed state. The eyes of their fallen kin on the ground could still serve the Uchiha one last time.
This order was quite cruel, but it was issued by Izuna personally. Madara had wanted to play the bad cop himself, but Izuna refused. He wasn't a saint; there was no need to keep his hands spotlessly clean. Under the prestige Izuna displayed, no one voiced opposition. Not only because of Izuna's martial deterrence but because they knew this was for the clan.
Izuna ordered Uchiha Ise and Uchiha Enka, two young men of his generation, to investigate the injuries among the clan's elites above Jonin level. Among them, Uchiha Gakugyo, Uchiha Takahiko, and other representative figures of the Old Guard—peers of Uchiha Tajima—had suffered considerable injuries.
Uchiha Shin had already been reassigned to work at the clan school by Izuna after this war due to a severe error a year ago. Taking this opportunity, all members of the Old Guard who suffered relatively serious injuries were sent off to idle positions.
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