A silver moon hung high in the sky.
Inside the Senju residence, Ren walked into the room carrying a tray of freshly prepared dishes.
Tsunade was sitting at the table with a small wooden plaque in one hand and a kunai in the other, carving something into it over and over.
"Teacher, eat something."
Ren slowly walked over and leaned in for a look, only to find that she had carved a single tally mark into the wood. The sight made his expression turn strange.
"Teacher, what are you doing?"
"You—"
Only then did Tsunade snap back to herself. She immediately tucked the wooden plaque away and said with a straight face, "Why do you walk around without making any sound? And stop calling me Teacher. I don't have a disciple like you!"
"Yes, yes, Teacher has worked hard."
Ren didn't care in the slightest. Smiling, he sat down across from her.
"Eat a little. You've been exhausted all afternoon. And if I remember right, it hasn't even rained much this month. So what exactly are you tallying? Could it be—"
"If you keep talking nonsense, I'll fight you right here and now!"
Tsunade glared viciously at him. As for Ren continuing to call her Teacher, she couldn't even be bothered to argue over it anymore.
There was no point saying anything to this bastard. Better not to speak at all and spare herself the frustration.
"Get me some sake. I want a drink."
"No. Alcohol ruins judgment. Drink less."
The moment Tsunade said she wanted alcohol, Ren rejected it without hesitation, which left her both annoyed and amused.
"You really have turned the world upside down. Did you forget I'm your teacher?"
"Didn't you just say you don't want me calling you Teacher?"
"And yet you're still saying it."
"Quit arguing. Anything else is fine, but no alcohol. Looks like you're still full of energy. Come on. Before Yugao and Hikari get back, let's do a little more training."
"…You lunatic."
Tsunade slapped his hand away. She had no interest in getting pulled into one of Ren's endless back-and-forths over this kind of thing.
Even though she had already accepted the current situation, she absolutely did not want Yugao and Hikari finding out. She couldn't afford to lose that much face.
As for the future…
That was for the future.
There was no point thinking that far ahead right now.
"By the way, why aren't Hikari and Yugao back yet?"
Ren did not press her further. Sitting down properly, he asked curiously, "I remember Root didn't have much to do today, and ANBU didn't seem to have any missions either. Did you exploit them again?"
"You think I'm you? Who goes around squeezing people dry for no reason?"
Tsunade rolled her eyes and answered helplessly.
"Do you really never pay attention to anything? The shinobi world's situation is getting more and more unstable.
"The Fourth Mizukage was attacked. Takigakure was attacked too. The Seven-Tails' jinchuriki is missing. And then there was the incident at the Fire Temple in the Land of Fire.
"You could say the entire shinobi world is already in chaos now. Both ANBU and Root are under enormous pressure. Everyone's busy.
"Did you think everyone was like you, with no need to deal with any of this?"
"Is that so?"
Ren nodded. The truth was, the state of the shinobi world really was grim right now. Whether someone had ambitions or not, preparations had already begun.
Even though Ren could not be certain what Kumogakure and Iwagakure were truly thinking, both villages had already long since involved themselves in the greater situation.
In fact, they could even be considered some of the driving forces behind this worsening tension.
The shinobi world really was teetering on the edge.
All it lacked was a single trigger that would force everyone to move!
And Ren felt that trigger was probably not far away.
"You mean well, but the interests you've touched are simply too massive."
Tsunade clearly understood all of this too. She could not help sighing.
"My grandfather may really have been wrong, and that's what led to the current situation. All those interests became fixed, and then had time to keep growing stronger.
"If you want to smash all of that apart, the price you'll have to pay is unimaginable. If this keeps going, I'm worried…"
"Teacher, don't you want to see a brighter and more peaceful future too?"
Before she could finish, Ren smiled and cut her off.
He reached out and gently wrapped an arm around her waist before continuing slowly.
"I know exactly what I'm doing. And I know very well what kind of consequences all this will bring.
"But what we have to do is change things. We have to change the problems left behind by the First Hokage. We have to change all of this!
"A transformation like that can't happen without bloodshed, just like when Konoha was founded in the first place. Isn't that right?"
Tsunade listened in silence for a while, then finally let out a sigh and leaned against Ren's shoulder.
It was true.
A change of this scale would never come gently.
A change like this would inevitably draw blood.
Even if she disliked that kind of extremity deep down, it did not change the truth.
"You little brat. Since when did it become your turn to lecture me?"
After a long while, Tsunade suddenly laughed, a little self-mockery in her voice.
"Don't forget, I'm your teacher, you conceited little bastard."
"Oh."
Ren nodded, then grinned mischievously.
"In that case, Teacher shouldn't always be underneath. How about next time you're on top?"
"…"
Tsunade fell silent.
She clenched her fist directly.
Since teaching had already failed completely, maybe she should just beat this wretched disciple to death instead.
Woooo—
Woooo—
Woooo—
Just as she was about to throw her righteous iron fist, Konoha's alarm suddenly blared throughout the village.
The shrill sound echoed across all of Konoha, and Ren rose to his feet at once. His sensory ability spread outward instantly, and it did not take him long to understand what was happening.
"What is it? What happened?"
Tsunade knew exactly how powerful Ren's senses were, so she immediately asked in a low voice.
"Did someone come looking for trouble in Konoha?"
"They did. And the people who came are anything but ordinary."
Ren nodded, then said in a rather strange tone, "Your grandpa, Hashirama Senju. And Madara Uchiha."
The two of them together truly surprised even Ren. Did this count as the "Founding Duo of Konoha" coming back to destroy Konoha?
The situation was a little absurd and ironic, but no matter what, the fact that they dared to come likely meant one thing.
"Nagato's already been found by Black Zetsu. They came to draw our attention!"
Nagato had been hidden underground by Ren personally, and even that White Zetsu who escaped and later died had been arranged by Ren himself.
The purpose was naturally to let Nagato continue gaining the Akatsuki's trust, continue reaping benefits from them, and keep feeding Ren's side information.
Madara and Hashirama coming here was somewhat unexpected, but no matter what, it also seemed to prove that Ren's arrangement had not gone wrong.
And now, naturally, it was time to deal with the trouble in front of him!
"Come on, Teacher."
Ren turned and looked at Tsunade, extending a hand with a smile.
"Let's go meet your grandfather. I'd also like to see just how much they've recovered."
"What's going on?"
"No idea. But get ready!"
"Everyone, gather immediately!"
With the alarm sounding, the whole of Konoha sprang into motion. Shinobi rushed to assemble, and not a single person dared treat this lightly.
"Those two bastards…"
Jiraiya's mind was buzzing. He had already rushed up near the Hokage Monument.
Looking at the two shinobi standing above it and gazing down at Konoha, he felt his heart begin pounding wildly.
He had already recognized who they were.
Their faces were nearly identical to the giant statues in the Valley of the End. That alone said everything.
"Madara Uchiha… and the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju…"
Cold sweat dripped down his face as he spoke the names aloud—names that even he found terrifying.
"Oh? You've got guts, brat. You actually came up here alone."
Madara had long since noticed Jiraiya approaching. Tilting his head, he gave him a disdainful smile.
"Not bad. Coming up here by yourself. I thought the first person to arrive would be that brat Ren."
"Were you summoned by Orochimaru with Edo Tensei?"
Seeing that the two of them had not acted yet, Jiraiya immediately pressed, "What are you after? And what is Orochimaru's objective?"
"Heh…"
Madara shook his head without a word, the contempt on his face deepening.
"Why would you think a fool like Orochimaru could control me the way he controls that idiot beside me?
"Are you overestimating that little brat Orochimaru? Or underestimating me?
"And why would I tell a brat like you what my goal is?"
Although the control of Edo Tensei technically lay in Orochimaru's hands, Madara believed that if he truly wanted to seize it, he absolutely could.
That was his confidence. He had never believed someone like Orochimaru was worthy of troubling him.
As for Hashirama?
That man had clearly never seen the Senju clan's "roots." Since he had failed to take that final step, being controlled was his own problem.
"Kid, go find Ren right now!"
Hashirama, unlike Madara, was not nearly so arrogant. The moment he saw Jiraiya, he shouted loudly.
"In a situation like this, only Ren can stop us. Get him here quickly and have him move us out of Konoha!"
"Since Hashirama says so, then hurry up and go."
Madara glanced at Jiraiya, his eyes full of disdain.
"I've got no interest in a little brat like you, and no desire to waste words. You don't even qualify for me to take seriously, so don't waste my time."
That arrogant tone displayed Madara's pride to the fullest. Jiraiya was unhappy, but he did not find it particularly surprising.
Because that was Madara Uchiha.
The old Asura of the shinobi world.
But Jiraiya could not retreat. And he would not allow himself to retreat!
"I know I'm no match for you, but Konoha is my village too."
Taking a deep breath, Jiraiya stared at Madara and Hashirama with solemn intensity.
"And there's something I've been curious about for a long time. Nagato… that Rinnegan is yours, isn't it? Why did you give those eyes to him?"
That question had troubled Jiraiya for a long time now.
Tonight, he truly wanted an answer!
"Hah?"
Madara tilted his head, looking somewhat surprised. A moment later, a cold smile curled at his lips.
"I didn't expect you to be this sharp. You actually guessed those eyes were mine?"
"Because I got some information. Some records."
Jiraiya inhaled deeply, his expression grave.
"Even if I can't read it myself, based on Ren's interpretation, both the Uchiha stone tablet and the Senju roots recorded some secrets.
"The power of creation from all things… I guessed that you were the person most likely to have awakened that power, so—"
"The Senju roots?"
Before Jiraiya could finish, Madara and Hashirama both spoke at nearly the same time.
Hashirama was still a bit dazed. This kid had actually seen that thing?
Madara, on the other hand, was practically thrilled. He had finally gotten useful information!
"Speak. Where did you see it?!"
As he spoke, Madara's chakra exploded outward.
That violent aura crashed straight down onto Jiraiya, making it difficult for him even to breathe.
Jiraiya himself was startled by the reaction. What was with this guy?
But in an instant he understood.
Madara wanted information about the Senju roots.
The Uchiha and Senju records were not the same. Naturally Madara would care.
But how could Jiraiya possibly reveal something like that?
"Forget it. I'm not telling you!"
"Is that so?"
Madara lifted a brow, but soon a smile spread across his face.
"Good. Very good. If you won't speak, then…"
In the next instant, Madara moved!
His figure seemed to flash straight in front of Jiraiya. He loved that piece of information. It was exactly what he had always wanted.
And now this white-haired brat happened to have it. So why would he waste another word?
"So fast!"
Jiraiya was completely stunned. Just now Madara had said he had no interest in him, and then he attacked instantly—and at a speed that made Jiraiya question reality itself.
But Jiraiya was still a top-tier shinobi. Even in this situation, his body reacted on instinct.
He crouched low and narrowly avoided Madara's punch.
"Pretty good reflexes."
Madara raised a brow and sneered.
"But what about now?"
In the very next instant, he drove a brutal kick straight at Jiraiya.
This time Jiraiya could not dodge at all. He was sent flying almost instantly!
Fortunately, Madara still wanted information, so he had not kicked him off the face of the Hokage Monument. Otherwise, Jiraiya would be flying over Konoha right now.
"Careful! The next strike is coming from your left!"
Just as Jiraiya scrambled up, Hashirama's voice suddenly rang out. His face changed at once.
He reacted immediately, moving to the right instead—but Hashirama was monstrously fast too. Even with the warning, Jiraiya was still punched away!
Before he had even landed, Madara was already there again. Another punch followed. Jiraiya tried desperately to block, but he was still sent hurtling away once more.
"What kind of speed and strength is this?"
His mind buzzed violently.
This kind of pure suppression through speed and power was utterly despair-inducing.
Against one of them, he might still have been able to try dodging.
Against both at once, he had absolutely no room to fight back!
This was even more terrifying than when he had faced Nagato's Six Paths of Pain.
Crashing heavily to the ground, Jiraiya ignored the pain wracking his body and forced himself to form hand seals.
"Fire Release: Great Dragon—"
"Stop struggling!"
Before he could finish, Wood Release instantly bound his limbs, and Madara appeared in front of him once more, gripping the very fingers Jiraiya had been using for seals.
The coordination between Senju and Uchiha was this flawless?
Madara's scarlet gaze locked onto Jiraiya's eyes, his voice cold.
"Stop imagining you can resist. Speak everything you know right now… or else…"
As he spoke, his eyes erupted with an intense surge of chakra, and a bizarre power instantly invaded Jiraiya's mind.
"Genjutsu?"
Jiraiya felt immediately that something was wrong, but his consciousness had already begun to blur.
He fought desperately to resist, but Madara's genjutsu was not something an ordinary shinobi could endure.
He gritted his teeth, trying to force himself awake, hoping to disrupt his own chakra and break the illusion—but the Wood Release was absorbing his chakra, leaving him powerless.
"This is bad. Don't tell me…"
Jiraiya's thoughts were growing more and more unclear, but right then, he seemed to see two figures rushing in.
Their terrifying speed did not seem any slower than Madara and Hashirama's at all.
"Hm?"
Madara also seemed to sense something. He leapt away in the next instant, and at almost the same moment, a figure arrived in a blur.
Boom!
A massive shockwave nearly lifted him off his feet. The ground cracked open in an instant, while Jiraiya was hurled far away by the impact alone.
But just before he hit the ground, countless vines shot up and wrapped tightly around him.
"They finally came!"
At the sight of that, Hashirama broke into a smile, while Madara merely shook his head with mild annoyance.
"They really picked the worst possible time."
As the dust settled, Ren and Tsunade stood there—and more and more people were already closing in!
"Grandfather. It's been a long time."
Tsunade looked at Hashirama and let out a quiet sigh before speaking in a serious tone.
Then her gaze shifted to Madara.
"Orochimaru really has improved, hasn't he? He actually managed to summon even someone like you. What exactly is your purpose in coming here this time?"
"Hmph. You're not qualified to question me."
Madara knew Tsunade was Hashirama's granddaughter, and he could sense that her aura was far from ordinary.
But a man as proud as Madara was not the type to acknowledge someone that easily.
Only those who earned his recognition in battle were worthy of his notice!
"What about me, then?"
But soon enough, Madara did not feel much like talking anymore, because Ren spoke up lazily from the side.
Those words made Madara fall briefly silent.
After all, this was the very person who had beaten him into the ground before!
"Hmph. Ren…"
Only after a moment did Madara snort, his expression turning increasingly grave.
"You've come at the right time. There's a debt between us that needs settling!"
"A debt to settle?"
Ren tilted his head, sounding genuinely puzzled.
"With the way you are now, you seem a bit lacking for that."
That sentence stabbed Madara right where it hurt.
Since when had anyone ever looked down on him?
Even Hashirama at his peak had never spoken to him like that!
But unfortunately, that sword which once blotted out the heavens—that sword which had destroyed his Edo Tensei body—had really beaten all the arrogance out of him for a while.
Still, Madara was Madara.
Whenever it was time to speak boldly, he would never allow himself to fall behind, and never bow his head to an enemy!
"That was my former self. I still haven't fully returned to my strongest state. But even so, fighting you now is not impossible.
"And besides, I'm not alone this time. You really think victory is guaranteed for you?"
"Is that so?"
Ren tilted his head.
In an instant, his chakra stirred, and those strange spatial ripples began to emerge once more.
Madara became immediately wary, while Hashirama let out a slight breath of relief.
He had seen this move before. Ren intended to move them somewhere else to fight.
That would be for the best.
At the very least, their battle would not explode inside Konoha and cause catastrophic damage.
But right then, Ren spoke again.
"Since you're so confident, I'll give you a chance. I'd also like to see how much the two of you have recovered now.
"And at the same time, I'm curious—just how strong were the Asura of the Shinobi World and the God of Shinobi, the two men who once ruled the shinobi world and founded Konoha?"
Those words made Madara feel a little better, and even Hashirama smiled.
Titles might just be titles, but it depended on who was saying them.
If some ordinary civilian or some average shinobi said such things, neither of them would have cared in the slightest.
But these words came from Ren—a man who was absolutely not weaker than they had once been at their peak, and who might even be stronger.
That made all the difference.
But the very next line darkened both of their expressions.
"I just hope you won't disappoint me."
Ren glanced at Madara. Then, as if suddenly inspired, he folded his arms across his chest, lifted his chin slightly, and looked at the two men with little more than the corner of his eye.
"At the very least… I hope you can entertain me."
"…"
Both Hashirama and Madara's eyes widened.
That level of arrogance was rare even for them.
Hashirama gave Madara a curious glance. Why did Ren's way of speaking suddenly sound so much like Madara's?
"This brat… did he do that on purpose?"
And Madara himself ground his teeth. That line was supposed to be his, wasn't it?
But neither of them got a chance to say more. As space rippled, they vanished from where they stood.
When they saw their surroundings clearly, they immediately recognized the place.
"The Valley of the End?"
"That's right. The Valley of the End."
Ren nodded, a smile spreading across his face.
"Just now, I heard you were very interested in the Senju roots. Well, here's your chance.
"If the two of you can entertain me properly, then I'll tell you the secret."
"…"
Hashirama was speechless.
Madara, on the other hand, felt his fists tightening hard.
Suddenly, Hashirama turned to look at Madara and spoke in a quiet, almost thoughtful voice.
"Madara… now do you understand why people want to punch you?"
"..."
"Lady Hokage, what happened?"
After Ren, Madara, and Hashirama disappeared, Konoha's shinobi quickly surrounded the area.
Yugao and Hikari had run into each other on the way here, and the moment they arrived, Yugao stepped up beside Tsunade and asked in a low voice.
"It was Madara Uchiha and my grandfather."
Tsunade pressed her lips together when she saw Yugao, but very quickly regained her composure and replied calmly.
"They came here. Their purpose is unknown, but it's probably related to the thing we found up there."
"You mean that thing from the Senju clan?"
Hikari glanced at Tsunade. She seemed to have a rough idea of the situation, but soon frowned slightly.
"Then why not just give it to him? There wasn't that much written on it anyway, and you know there were some rather interesting records in there too. Maybe it would even throw off his thinking."
She had read what was on the roots before.
Even though Ren could not see it himself, he would always interpret it for her.
Because of that, she knew there really was not much recorded there. The most important parts were probably just the "power of creation from all things," and the fact that the Uchiha had basically been fooled like idiots.
For Hikari, something like that—especially that kind of black history—was not worth hiding at all.
"It's not like I said I wouldn't. It's just that this idiot refused to say anything."
Tsunade rolled her eyes and pointed directly at the still-dazed Jiraiya.
After being tormented by Ren for an entire afternoon, she had finally gotten a chance to rest. Then before she could even eat, this nonsense happened.
And she herself had only just arrived. Before she had even understood the full situation, she had already witnessed Konoha's founding duo beating Jiraiya half to death.
What she had heard were only fragments.
As for the rest, she honestly had no idea at all.
"Ahem—cough, cough—"
Jiraiya, who was being supported by Minato after the latter sensed something was wrong and rushed over, suddenly felt a tightness in his chest and began coughing violently.
So in the end, this was somehow his fault for not speaking?
But Jiraiya did not dare argue.
After recalling what was on the roots, he suddenly realized that maybe he really should have just said it!
Regret hit him immediately.
It seemed he had taken that beating for nothing…
"Sensei, Lady Tsunade, what exactly is going on?"
Minato looked utterly confused. He could not make sense of the situation at all, and he was still dazed over everything that had just happened.
Boom—
But at that moment, the earth suddenly trembled, and a tremendous burst of chakra exploded into the distance.
Even from Konoha, the violent gale from that chakra forced them to narrow their eyes.
"That direction… the Valley of the End?"
Tsunade looked into the distance and immediately identified where it was before turning to Minato.
"This isn't the time to explain. Let Jiraiya tell you on the way. Ren may be able to handle them, but I think we should still go take a look."
"Yes!"
Minato nodded.
Even though he did not understand what was going on, he knew the enemy had to be incredibly strong.
After all, people capable of beating Jiraiya into this condition were rare in the entire shinobi world, in Minato's eyes.
Not to mention that he could sense those chakra signatures himself. These were no ordinary enemies.
"And why is the Nine-Tails inside me so restless?"
Minato touched his lower abdomen in confusion, but then he shook his head and chose not to dwell on it.
Ren, the village's young Hokage's aide, had already gone out alone.
No matter how one looked at it, they had to go support him.
And Minato was honestly curious too.
Just how strong was this young Hokage's aide, exactly?
At the Valley of the End, Hashirama and Madara wore very different expressions.
Hashirama was relatively calm, though his face was complicated.
Madara, on the other hand, had his fists clenched tight.
Ren's words had genuinely disgusted him—especially because he had realized Ren seemed to be imitating his tone of voice. That made him even more unable to endure it.
Looking at the composed Ren standing before them, Madara took a deep breath and finally said in a low voice,
"I'll go first. Support me!"
The moment the words left his mouth, Madara rushed forward, leaving Hashirama with a headache.
"Hey, you idiot—"
Hashirama had not wanted to move, but at that exact moment, his body once again acted against his will and followed right behind Madara.
That only made him feel more miserable.
The control of Edo Tensei was no joke.
"Tch, tch. The two men who once founded Konoha together are joining forces again. It really is something to reflect on."
Seeing that, Ren could not help letting out a light laugh, though he soon shook his head.
"Still, it's a little disappointing. After all, you're both Edo Tensei. You can't bring out your true full strength. But let me see just how well the two of you can coordinate!"
The moment those words fell, Ren rushed forward as well!
He moved so fast that his body seemed to drag afterimages behind it. In the blink of an eye, he was already in front of Madara.
Buzz—
A single punch shot out, wrapped in a fierce gale, as though it intended to smash Madara's head apart.
Madara, even as an Edo Tensei, would never allow himself to take a hit like that if he could help it.
His Sharingan spun lightly, and he instantly evaded. But at the exact moment he avoided Ren's punch, Hashirama's Wood Release arrived!
"Wood Release: Cutting Sprigs Jutsu!"
Sharp wooden spikes shot out from Hashirama's palm, stabbing straight toward Ren.
Yet Ren moved with astonishing agility. Twisting in one smooth motion, he avoided the wooden spikes, grabbed Hashirama by the wrist, and formed a seal with one hand at the same time.
"Wood Release: Root Burial Explosion."
Thick vines erupted from the ground.
Madara, who had just avoided Ren's first attack, had been about to strike down from above—but those vines shot toward him in an instant and wrapped directly around his body!
"Burst!"
Ren spared Madara a glance, then twisted his wrist.
Crack!
He nearly snapped Hashirama's wrist on the spot.
At the same time, the vines binding Madara spread madly, as if intending to crush him outright!
"Fire Release: Majestic Dragon Flame Jutsu!"
But just then, a gigantic fire dragon roared in from the distance, aiming directly at Ren's position.
That fire dragon was so enormous it looked scarcely inferior to a wooden dragon!
Any Fire Release technique used by Madara Uchiha was likely to exceed what normal people would understand as even an S-rank ninjutsu!
"Wood Release: Wood Dragon Jutsu!"
At the exact same moment, the wood dragon came from the other side with breathtaking speed.
But Ren merely tilted his head slightly.
In the next instant, the vines in front of him fused together.
Wood Release: Wood Wall!
Ren had completed the technique almost without even using hand seals.
"This man… has his use of jutsu reached such a level?"
Not far away, Madara stared at the scene intently, while Hashirama also fell silent. Yet at that very moment, Ren's voice suddenly rang out behind them.
"Thanks for the compliment. But your wood clones are pretty good too."
Both men's expressions changed at once, and they immediately tried to turn around—but Ren had already moved!
"Even without the Sharingan, I can still detect your wood clones. By the way, how do you think my wood clone did?"
That over there was Ren's wood clone too?
This guy had already seen through them from the start?
Hashirama and Madara exchanged glances, but this was not the time to worry about that.
"Wood Release: Wood Wall!"
Hashirama formed hand seals as he retreated. Instantly, a massive wooden barrier rose between them and Ren.
At the same time, chakra surged around Madara. His eyes spun rapidly, and in the next instant, a blue Susanoo rushed forward!
A gigantic chakra blade slashed down ferociously at Ren!
Seeing this, Ren's chakra flickered slightly, and in the blink of an eye, he had already moved far away.
Clearly, Madara understood very well that at their level, taijutsu and conventional ninjutsu were only warm-ups.
He had thought long and hard about how to deal with Ren.
In the end, he concluded that the best way was to make use of Edo Tensei's defining trait.
Infinite chakra!
Only by forcing constant large-scale chakra consumption and exploiting their endless reserves could they hope to defeat Ren in their current state!
"Hey, Ren! He's trying to wear down your chakra!"
Hashirama instantly saw through Madara's intent and shouted loudly toward Ren, which nearly made Madara's nose twist with rage.
Fortunately, even though Hashirama kept shouting warnings, his body still moved against his will.
"Wood Release: Wood Golem Jutsu!"
Rumble—
The earth began to shake violently as an enormous wooden giant rose from the ground, appearing beside the Susanoo that had just brought its blade down.
The two colossal beings radiated an overwhelming presence, like gods or demons themselves—enough to inspire awe in anyone who saw them.
"What… is that?"
Not far from the Valley of the End, Minato had arrived with Tsunade and the others. The moment he landed, he was met with this terrifying sight.
Disbelief filled his face.
Was this truly power a human could achieve?
What shocked him even more, however, was that neither Tsunade, nor Jiraiya, nor the Root and ANBU shinobi who had come with them seemed especially surprised.
It was as though they had all already grown used to this kind of thing.
As though it was no longer worth being astonished by!
"What exactly is going on?"
Minato pressed his lips together. He truly felt he might have died too early. The development of this era was happening far too quickly!
"Thanks for the warning."
Ren was now flying in the air, floating directly before those two gigantic manifestations.
Looking at the scene below, for some reason he suddenly thought of Naruto and Sasuke joining forces against Jigen.
How did these two compare to Naruto and Sasuke after they had already been power-crept out of relevance?
Though right now, imitating that so-called Jigen did not really seem difficult for him at all.
"Thank goodness they're Edo Tensei right now. If they were alive, it would be a lot harder for me to do this."
Ren thought to himself.
In the next instant, a white-gold radiance spread over his entire body!
Feel it.
The power of the current meta!
"That brat's about to move…"
Watching Ren in that state, Madara's expression turned grave.
At the same time, he was puzzled. Against an enemy like them, why was Ren not using techniques like the Wood Golem or anything similar?
Hashirama also thought Ren was acting a little too carelessly. He had just been about to say something—
But in the next instant, Ren vanished from where he stood!
Buzz—
Moving at terrifying speed, Ren shot straight toward the Susanoo. Madara snorted coldly.
"If you insist on being that arrogant and throwing your life away, then die!"
The hundred-meter-tall blue giant gripped its enormous chakra blade and hacked downward at Ren with brutal force.
In an instant, the earth churned, sand and stones flew, and even a distant mountain peak was split in two by the shockwave from that slash!
And yet, faced with that attack, Ren simply stopped in midair for a fraction of a second, then dropped sharply downward, avoiding it perfectly.
Seeing this, Madara immediately controlled the Susanoo to reverse its motion and slash again with the backhand.
But the huge Susanoo now looked somewhat clumsy in front of Ren. He stepped directly onto its body and sprinted upward at astonishing speed!
"You want to know the information recorded in the Senju roots?"
As Ren dashed upward, confirming Black Zetsu was not nearby, his voice suddenly rang out.
Madara froze for an instant.
Meanwhile, Ren leapt up as though aiming directly for the crystal at the center of the Susanoo.
"Ren, watch out!"
Hashirama shouted loudly. By now, he had already sent both the Wood Golem and Wood Dragon to attack.
"The roots didn't record all that much. But some of what they did record is very interesting."
Ren paid no attention to Hashirama's assault.
He moved through the air in rapid, fluid bursts, avoiding the attacks from the Wood Golem and Wood Dragon. He even planted a foot on the Wood Golem's arm for extra leverage and launched himself even higher!
"The overlapping portion mainly recorded the relationship between Senju and Uchiha. In other words, Indra and Asura."
While speaking, Ren threw a punch in midair directly at the head of the charging Wood Dragon.
Boom!
The dragon's head exploded apart instantly, and for a moment, a brilliant white flash bloomed in the air!
"At the same time, it also explained the origin of the power of creation from all things. And even more interestingly, the Sage of Six Paths left behind a final message for us!"
As he said that, Ren suddenly halted in midair.
The enormous Susanoo had seized the opening during his attack and brought its sword down on him with perfect timing.
Boom!
The terrifying power smashed the earth apart in an instant. A long trench, like a newly formed canyon, was carved straight through the Valley of the End!
Dust billowed wildly. Huge stones were thrown into the air. In the distance, Minato stood frozen as he watched, and for a moment, he truly almost could not resist rushing in.
But seeing that no one around him seemed to react much, he forcibly held himself back, though inwardly he had already begun complaining.
"They're really that confident? Then again, Ren's chakra is still strong as ever. But those two…"
Before he could think further, Ren's voice rang out once more from the distance.
"On the Uchiha stone tablet, what was recorded there was a set of instructions regarding something called the Eye of the Moon."
Ren's voice rang like a great bell.
Madara's eyes narrowed slightly. He let out a cold snort and tried to lift the chakra sword—
Only to realize, in shock, that he could not move it.
As the dust settled, everyone saw Ren standing on top of the Susanoo's broken chakra blade, calm and composed as he looked up at those two titanic figures.
"But…"
Buzz—
In the next instant, Ren stomped down violently, and the chakra blade snapped apart.
His entire body shot forward like lightning, vanishing from that spot and reappearing at eye level with Madara!
"The Senju roots never recorded any such thing."
Madara's expression shifted immediately. He tried to have Susanoo attack with its other sword, but Ren evaded it with ease.
And in the blink of an eye, Ren rushed forward, pierced through the protective shell around the Susanoo's center, and entered straight into its interior!
"Damn it!"
At that instant, Madara's eyes transformed directly into the Rinnegan.
A black rod appeared in Ren's hand, and he swung it straight at Madara!
Bang!
Amid the thunderous impact, Madara's body was hurled out through the Susanoo, and the giant construct dissipated as it lost his control.
"He actually… pierced through the Susanoo?"
Hashirama stared at the scene in utter disbelief.
Everything had happened far too quickly. He had no time to react at all.
Ren, however, merely raised a brow.
He knew perfectly well that he had not struck Madara's true body, but a shadow.
"Limbo clone? Looks like you've recovered pretty well. But only to this extent? Just one clone?"
"Don't lose focus!"
Even at that moment, Hashirama's body moved again against his will, and the enormous Wood Dragon roared forward toward Ren.
But Ren simply turned his head and hurled the black rod in his hand!
Under the influence of chakra, the rod expanded instantly and pierced through the Wood Golem's chest, making Hashirama feel his control over it disappear at once.
"So this is the power of Yin-Yang Release? It really is terrifying…"
Hashirama could not help muttering under his breath.
But in the next second, Ren was already right in front of him—and he drove a punch directly into Hashirama's abdomen!
Boom!
Hashirama was blasted away as well, though just before he smashed into the ground, Madara caught him.
"I told you already, in your current state, it's going to be very hard for you to entertain me. And the facts seem to agree."
Ren simply stood atop the Wood Golem's head.
With his arms folded across his chest in a posture almost identical to Madara's, he looked down at the two of them and smiled.
"Forget it. How can a young man really hold it against two old men? Let's just say I'm humoring you."
"…"
Madara slowly let go of Hashirama and glared upward at Ren.
For the first time, he felt this man was truly infuriating beyond belief.
And in spite of himself, a thought suddenly crossed his mind.
Was I really this annoying back then?
Before he could finish untangling that thought, Ren spoke again—and this time, his expression changed slightly.
"Let's get back to the point."
The moment those words fell, Madara's face shifted as well.
"On the Senju roots, the Sage of Six Paths made one thing very clear. There has always been a shadow lurking beside the Uchiha clan.
"That shadow caused the thousand-year conflict between Senju and Uchiha. That shadow is also plotting something even more terrifying.
"The Sage of Six Paths did not stop that shadow's actions because he had a greater purpose in mind.
"So why not think for yourself for once… what exactly is that shadow trying to do?"
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