["I've already seen through your attacks—Wood Release: All-Encompassing Net!"]
[The two continued their clash, destroying everything around them.]
[Hashirama thought: 'If this continues, the entire land will be ruined. We should move toward the coast.']
[He began withdrawing toward the sea, while Madara controlled the Tailed Beast in hot pursuit.]
[Everything in their path—including mountains—was crushed to dust.]
…
The Ninja World.
"Too strong! The Nine-Tails alone is terrifying—and combined with Uchiha power? Only Lord Hashirama could fight something like that!"
"This is the true might of Lord Hashirama's Wood Release! Compared to this, the Wood Release used by the Edo Tensei version we saw before looks like a joke!"
"Do you think Hiruzen Sarutobi is already hiding in shame somewhere? That guy dared to call himself the strongest Hokage in history?"
"Remember that guy named Yamato who used Wood Release in the earlier footage?"
"Of course! But Yamato's Wood Release is basically landscape gardening. Hashirama's Wood Release is conquering-the-world level."
"This is real Wood Release! This is the true strongest Hokage in history!"
…
Konoha, Chūnin Exam Arena.
Hiruzen's old face burned red with shame.
Truly—no comparison, no harm.
His self-proclaimed title of "strongest Hokage in history" wasn't even worthy to shine Lord Hashirama's shoes.
He sighed internally.
Thankfully, the First and Second Hokage weren't here to witness this…
Otherwise he really would go dig himself a hole to crawl into.
…
The footage continued.
[The two finally reached the coastline.]
[Madara fused a Tailed Beast Bomb with Susanoo's power and hurled it at Hashirama.]
[Madara smirked proudly: "You can't block this. Let's see what you do now!"]
[Hashirama bit his thumb: "Go! Fivefold Rashōmon!"]
[Five massive Rashōmon gates rose. Madara's attack was diverted toward the far shore, triggering a colossal explosion.]
[Madara: "Hashirama! I haven't fought you seriously in so long. You should realize I'm not who I used to be."]
[Hashirama pressed his hands together: "Everything we have worked for—our efforts—do you intend to make them all meaningless, Madara?"]
["There is no benefit in us fighting. We will only hurt the village and the shinobi."]
["We would be disgracing our brothers and comrades!"]
[Madara grew enraged: "You're lecturing me?"]
…
Pure Land.
[Madara: Hashirama! Were you lecturing me back then!?]
[Hashirama: Madara! I was only stating the truth.]
[Madara: Hmph! So you were lecturing me!]
…
The footage continued.
[Hashirama: "I don't want to kill you."]
[Madara frowned: "So you're saying you can kill me anytime you want?"]
[Hashirama: "No… I'm saying we're friends."]
[Madara roared: "I just blasted myself all the way to the opposite shore!"]
[After shouting, Madara began raising his chakra even further.]
[Hashirama: "If that's how it is… then there's no other choice."]
["Sage Art—Wood Release—True Several Thousand Hands!"]
[Hashirama: "I'm coming, Madara!"]
[Madara: "Come! Hashiraaaama!"]
[What followed was an incomparably fierce battle. Their overwhelming power reshaped the landscape itself, forming what would later be known as the Valley of the End.]
[In the end, both were nearly exhausted. Hashirama finally gained the upper hand—piercing Madara with a sword.]
[Madara closed his eyes and slowly fell.]
[The footage ended.]
…
For a moment, the entire ninja world exploded in excitement.
"Good heavens! Are those really ninjas fighting? This level of combat is beyond anything I believed possible!"
"No wonder they're called Gods of Shinobi. Their power isn't something normal people can even compare to!"
"That—that is what a true ninja battle looks like! Everything we call fights is basically children playing!"
"Lord Hashirama and Uchiha Madara—truly the Gods of Shinobi!"
"Lord Hashirama is the real strongest Hokage in history! That Sarutobi guy should roll himself out of sight!"
"But from the footage, Madara ends up dead, right? So who the hell is that masked guy?"
"Exactly! Why is that masked guy pretending to be Madara? He even has Sharingan—so who in the Uchiha clan is he?"
…
Almost every shinobi realized an undeniable truth:
The power of Hashirama and Madara—
Was worlds apart from theirs.
A heaven-and-earth gap.
Especially in Konoha.
The villagers knew now—they had been lied to.
Their beloved Third Hokage wasn't the "strongest Hokage."
He wasn't even qualified to carry the shoes of the real strongest Hokage.
Of course…
Some shinobi were worried about something far more serious.
Cloud Village.
Fourth Raikage, A: "I didn't expect Uchiha Madara to be this powerful… and now he has a Resurrection Coin. Once he revives, the ninja world will fall into chaos."
Mabui: "If Madara really died… then that masked man… hmhmhmhm. Who knows what he is."
A: "Prepare for every possible scenario."
Stone Village.
Kurotsuchi: "Grandpa, Hashirama and Madara are absurdly strong!"
Ōnoki: "Indeed. That is the true strength of Hashirama. The Hashirama whom Orochimaru summoned with Edo Tensei couldn't show even a fraction of this power."
Kurotsuchi: "If Madara revives… what do we do?"
Sand Village.
Chiyo: "How nostalgic… this was truly that era."
"In comparison, modern shinobi are nowhere near their level."
"Big trouble is coming. Madara will certainly choose to revive himself."
Mist Village.
Mei Terumi: "I didn't expect the First Hokage to be so strong. I wonder how strong the First Mizukage was."
Chōjūrō: "Lady Mizukage… Madara will revive soon. We should plan ahead."
Konoha.
Hiruzen and Danzō were both scared out of their minds.
They were the masterminds behind the massacre of the Uchiha clan.
Once Madara revives, he will definitely come for them.
Maybe even Konoha itself will be in danger.
At this point, neither cared about the Hokage position anymore.
After all—
If they might lose their lives soon, who cares about being Hokage?
And—there was still the matter of the masked man.
Given all the evidence so far, that masked man was clearly not the real Uchiha Madara.
Obito was panicking too.
He was about to be exposed.
He had originally wanted to keep fooling everyone…
But if the real Uchiha Madara was about to be revived—
What the hell was he going to fool anyone with now!?
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