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At the border of the Land of Fire, the four major villages had hastily assembled nearly a hundred elite shinobi. Under Qianyu's direction, they had secured the main routes leading from the underground palace towards Konoha.
Their opponent was Uchiha Madara, after all. The legendary… no, the Asura of the Shinobi World. Surely a man of his stature wouldn't stoop to skulking along backroads for a sneak attack, right?
Still, just in case, Qianyu had left Minato in Konoha, ready to evacuate Kushina at a moment's notice.
'No idea if Black Zetsu will take the bait. But no matter what, we can't let Kaguya Ōtsutsuki get a perfect resurrection with the Nine-Tails. If she does, dealing with her will be a nightmare.'
In the original story, Naruto and Sasuke had the Sage of Six Paths handing out power-ups like candy. That's how they sealed Kaguya.
Qianyu, however, had no such connection to the Sage. He couldn't just go, 'Hey, I'll call you godfather, you gonna answer?' He wasn't Lü Bu, collecting foster fathers left and right…
"Qianyu, we've wasted days here already. Are you sure Uchiha Madara is coming?"
Just as Qianyu's thoughts were drifting, the Raikage approached, his voice thick with impatience.
Not every village was like Konoha, where the Kage could be a figurehead and leave daily affairs to subordinates. For him, every day spent away meant a mountain of paperwork and critical decisions piling up back home. What if Madara never showed, and their own villages descended into chaos first?
"And honestly, it's just one relic from a bygone era. Do we really need this many people? Let me take a few men back to Kumogakure. We can rush back if anything happens."
Qianyu smiled warmly at the Raikage's forceful suggestion and gestured behind him. "Sure, no problem. Just run it by Lord Tobirama over there before you leave."
The Raikage's face went rigid. He opened his mouth to retort, but the ground beneath their feet suddenly heaved violently. A massive, shuddering tremor ran through the earth, as if something enormous was charging toward them.
Whoosh!
All eyes snapped toward the horizon. A colossal, twisted silhouette breached the distance. A moment later, a terrifying wave of chakra pressure washed over them like an expanding ring.
"This chakra…!"
Every face in the assembly paled. The world's strongest, including the Raikage, wore expressions of pure shock. Weaker shinobi felt their legs turn to jelly, almost collapsing on the spot.
What kind of monster was this?
A body reaching a thousand meters high surged forward like a moving mountain. Even from this distance, the sheer, indescribable pressure radiating from it was palpable—a suppression that came from a higher order of life itself.
"Is that… the monster Uchiha Madara created by merging the Tailed Beasts?!"
The sight of the charging behemoth shattered their resolve. Faces turned ashen.
"Something of this scale… it's beyond human capability to oppose," the Raikage rasped, his throat dry. "How are we supposed to stop it with just us?"
'Weren't you just complaining about too many people, old man? Now it's not enough?'
Qianyu shot a glance at the Raikage. Though his own expression was grave, internally, he was cheering.
After a thousand years of manipulating the entire shinobi world from the shadows, Black Zetsu had finally been outplayed. The feeling was incredible.
'Heh. I laugh at Uchiha Madara's lack of strategy, at Black Zetsu's shallow wisdom. Now, all that's left is to beat Madara down and force him to absorb the Ten-Tails into himself!'
The plan was proceeding more smoothly than expected. Qianyu cracked his knuckles, a dangerous glint in his eyes.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Despite its immense size, the Ten-Tails was impossibly fast. The sky-blocking titan grew larger and larger in their vision, until its form consumed their entire field of view in the blink of an eye.
"It's… it's huge!"
Even craning their necks back to the limit, they couldn't see a tenth of the beast's body. The sheer scale drove the gap in power home with brutal clarity. An overwhelming pressure bore down on them.
"BAHAHAHAHA! You think this rabble can stop me, Uchiha Madara?!"
A figure of wild arrogance stood atop the Ten-Tails' massive head. He laughed maniacally, then leaped down, landing before the assembled forces.
It was Madara. Before bestowing eternal peace and beauty upon this world, he felt a truly exhilarating battle was in order.
"…Tch. Pathetic. Not a single worthy opponent among you?"
Perhaps the oppressive aura of the Ten-Tails behind him was too much. Not one of the hundred-strong force dared make a sound. Madara's lips curled in disappointment.
"You inherently evil Uchiha Madara! I will personally—!"
But then, a familiar voice rang out from the crowd. A voice so detestable, Madara would never forget it.
"Tobirama Senju!!"
Madara's brow furrowed as he looked toward the source. Sure enough, he saw that infuriating white-haired face again.
'The Edo Tensei? If that damned white-haired bastard is here, then…!'
He saw Tobirama's reanimated form, and his eyes blazed. His gaze shot through the crowd like lightning, searching.
"Ha… Hashirama!"
Madara's body trembled. After all these years, with everything changed, he never thought he'd lay eyes on that man again.
"So this is the surprise you prepared for me, Qianyu? How thoughtful. BAHAHAHA!"
Madara laughed with wild excitement. With the man he had dreamed of day and night present, everything became infinitely more interesting.
"Madara, what is it you hope to achieve by clawing your way back to life? Our era ended long ago."
The crowd parted instinctively. A man of extraordinary presence walked to the forefront and shook his head at Madara.
"Stop this madness, Madara. End it here."
Hashirama Senju looked at his old friend, his tone solemn. "Do you wish to render all our struggles and efforts until now meaningless? Your actions now are an insult to the bonds we shared as brothers and comrades."
"You don't understand, Hashirama. My path is the correct one. I will prove it to you soon enough!"
At this moment, Madara would listen to no one. He believed only in himself. Only Uchiha Madara could bring peace to the shinobi world!
"Madara!"
"Hashirama!"
Their gazes locked in mid-air. In that instant, there was only each other in their eyes. Everyone else faded away.
"Ma—"
"Shut up, brother! What's the point of wasting words on someone inherently evil like him?!"
Tobirama's sharp rebuke cut through the moment, interrupting the silent exchange between his brother and their enemy. He pointed an accusatory finger at Madara.
"You should have listened to me and dealt with him back then! The world wouldn't be in such chaos now!"
"Shinra Tensei!"
Madara's face darkened instantly. A powerful repulsive force blasted the annoying bastard who dared interrupt his reunion with Hashirama far into the distance.
"Hmph. To be honest, I've wanted to do that for a long time. Though venting on a walking corpse is rather pointless."
Madara snorted, then turned back to Hashirama, excitement blazing on his face. "Try and stop me, Hashirama! Among everyone here, only you…!"
"God, you talk too much. The great Asura of the Shinobi World, yapping on and on. You want to dance, too?"
Qianyu, impatient with the drawn-out cutscene, simply hit the 'attack' button and skipped it.
Whoosh!
Madara caught the kunai Qianyu casually tossed his way. His old face darkened. This was the first time someone had dared to act cool right in front of him, the King of Swag.
Was this brat trying to show off in front of the master of show-offs?
"Qianyu… you're something else. I'll remember you!"
Madara gritted his teeth, muttering the threat. He decided then and there: in the Infinite Tsukuyomi, where everyone would enjoy beautiful dreams, he'd reserve a special, nightmare-filled room just for Qianyu.
SCREEE!
Just as Madara and Hashirama were locked in their intense stare, the Ten-Tails behind Madara suddenly moved of its own accord. The madness and chaos swirling in its massive crimson eyes began to recede.
"Four Crimson Yang Formation!"
The Ten-Tails stirred. Reacting instantly, four figures flashed past Madara. Their hands moved in unison, forming seals to unleash a powerful sealing barrier—one that required four Kage-level shinobi working in perfect sync.
Shoom!
A barrier of shimmering red flame erupted, expanding into a massive, inverted rectangular prism. It swiftly enveloped the Ten-Tails' colossal form.
Hashirama Senju. Tobirama Senju. Hiruzen Sarutobi. Qianyu.
Facing a crisis threatening the entire world, Hiruzen Sarutobi, the former "God of Shinobi," had stepped forward without hesitation to don his armor once more.
Of course, to say it was entirely out of duty… well, about half the reason was probably Tobirama's intimidating presence.
"These are Konoha's four Hokage! Leading from the front, peerless in power! We can't disgrace Konoha!"
"Right! If the four lords have restrained that monster, let's all attack together and kill Uchiha Madara!"
The sight of four Hokage acting in concert, an unprecedented event in shinobi history, massively boosted morale. The loudest voice belonged to Fugaku Uchiha.
Fugaku had volunteered for this mission to stop Madara.
The Uchiha clan had finally integrated into the village, finally attained the peaceful life they had longed for. He would not allow anyone to destroy it!
For the future of the Uchiha and the shinobi world, he had come to send his ancestor to the afterlife!
"Attack!"
The Fourth Mizukage's eyes flashed red. He gave the order. The madmen of Kirigakure immediately charged at Uchiha Madara, fearless.
"Charge! Kill him!"
Following Kirigakure's lead, the elites from the other three villages reignited their fighting spirit. With furious roars, they launched their assault on Madara.
"Hmph. A pack of foolhardy pests. Allow me to show you my true, peak power!"
Madara scoffed. If Hashirama weren't here, he might have indulged in playing with this rabble. But with Hashirama watching, his eyes had room for no one else.
"Susanoo!"
Madara's low shout echoed. A towering blue warrior-god erupted from the ground. Its sky-blotting wings spread wide, effortlessly blocking the barrage of incoming ninjutsu.
"Dance of the Twin Blades!"
Madara raised his arms. The Susanoo drew two massive swords from its back and swung them in a sweeping reverse slash toward the charging shinobi.
If that slash connected, it would likely bisect half the assembled force in an instant.
"Wood Style: Wood Human Technique!"
At the critical moment, a flash of white light. The next instant, a gigantic wooden human, rivaling the Complete Body Susanoo in size, appeared. Its massive hands clamped down like iron shackles, locking the Susanoo's arms in place.
"(òwó?)! Nani?!"
The appearance of the wooden giant shocked everyone.
Madara instinctively glanced back, only to meet Hashirama's utterly bewildered gaze… This level of Wood Style didn't come from Hashirama?!
Which meant…
"Qianyu! You brat… you've mastered Wood Style?!"
Madara stared at Qianyu, standing atop the wooden giant's head, his voice full of shock and suspicion.
"Hmph. Qianyu is a descendant of my Senju clan. It's only natural he can use my brother's Wood Style."
Tobirama appeared beside Qianyu, retorting with a cold sneer. Seeing Madara caught off guard brought him immense joy.
"Bullshit! Qianyu clearly carries the blood of my Uchiha clan!"
Tobirama's mocking face was the last straw. Madara's anger flared, his voice turning icy.
"…Huh?"
The implications of those two statements were staggering. Even in the midst of battle, many minds short-circuited, casting strange looks up at the trio.
"What's going on? Weren't the 'Platinum Stars' supposed to be common-born? I idolized them! So he's just another bloodline inheritor?"
"Damn! Does he have both Senju and Uchiha blood? No wonder he's so strong so young. I used to wonder what would happen if the God of Shinobi and the Asura of the Shinobi World had a kid…"
"Is that true? Any well-informed Konoha brothers care to clarify?"
"I have no idea! I'm from Konoha and I've never heard this. But think about it… it sounds ridiculous! The Senju and Uchiha were like fire and water. How could they ever intermarry?!"
The whispers from below rose in a wave. Above, the looks Tobirama and Madara directed at Qianyu grew increasingly unfriendly.
"Qianyu, what is the meaning of this? Why does Madara (Tobirama) say you have Uchiha (Senju) blood?!"
They questioned him almost in unison, then shot each other a glare. "Hmph!"
"People perceive the world through their own senses. And thus, they are bound by them."
Qianyu looked at Uchiha Madara, completely unruffled. "Reality may be but a moon reflected in water. People live within their own perceptions. How far can your Rinnegan truly see?"
Uchiha Madara: "???"
Qianyu had intended to give Madara one last chance. But Madara's face was already a thundercloud. He couldn't hear the underlying message.
To him, this brat Qianyu had repeatedly dared to act cool right in the face of the King of Swag. He had crossed the line.
'These village brats mock me for being old and weak… I'll send them flying with one good smack!'
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