"Phew—finally, we've arrived."
"But dawn's about to break. Madara, your ability is way too slow."
High in the sky, Senju Hashirama first glanced at the endless snow-capped mountains that had come into view, then at the eastern horizon, already paling with the light of day.
He turned to his companion and complained: "I could've just used Moonwalk myself and gotten here faster."
At once, veins bulged on Madara's forehead. His cold Rinnegan eyes shifted toward Hashirama.
"Hashirama, you talk too much."
At this moment, the two had smoothly reached the far north of the continent of Falmart, the southern edge of the snowy mountain range.
Behind them stretched a forest not particularly large. To the west lay a lake known as the "Inner Sea."
To the east spread endless grasslands—once the territory of the Warrior Bunnies.
Just as Uchiha Madara and Senju Hashirama were preparing to head deeper, ten streaks of multicolored light shot toward them from the direction of the mountains.
It was a group of magicians in uniform white robes and tall white hats, each riding on a long staff as if it were a mount.
At the tip of every staff flared jets of firelight, each a different color.
Six men, four women.
All looked well into their fifties or sixties.
Having read the relevant intelligence beforehand, Madara and Hashirama needed only a glance to gauge their strength.
"Guests from the World Government," the elder at the head rasped, his voice hoarse. "By order of the God of Knowledge, we have come to escort you to the temple, where you will meet with Goddess Elange, Goddess Ra, Goddess Lunaryur, and Goddess Miritta."
Having declared their purpose, he introduced himself: "I am Montoya, guardian of the Temple of Knowledge."
Madara and Hashirama exchanged a wordless glance.
Guest?
They must be mistaken. These people weren't here to welcome them—they were here to capture. No… to capture gods!
[What do you think, Madara?]
[I think it's a trap.]
[But what if they truly want to negotiate with us?]
[Idiot, Hashirama—you're no longer the First Hokage. Right now, we're just shinobi carrying out a mission. Do you even remember what the mission was?!]
[Then what do you suggest, Madara? From the sound of it, there are four main gods inside. If each of them holds the power of a general—]
[That…]
As the two exchanged silent glances, doubt flickered across Uchiha Madara's face.
Indeed, according to intelligence, it had been confirmed that Hardy, the Goddess of the Underworld, possessed general-level strength.
By that reasoning, the other main gods likely had the same level of power.
With four of them gathered here, rushing in recklessly would be unwise.
If they knowingly charged into an unwinnable fight, the mission was bound to fail—so why take that risk?
And yet, if they simply turned back now, it would leave a bitter taste. Not only that, it would be disgraceful.
They had only recently joined the World Government.
This was their very first S-rank mission from Umigakure.
If they failed so quickly, how could they ever hold their heads high again?
Losing to Kaido before had already been humiliating enough!
"Lead the way."
Madara replied without a change of expression. Hashirama, hearing this, stayed silent.
"Please, follow me."
Montoya smiled faintly.
Behind him, the other nine magisters immediately shifted aside, opening a path.
In moments, the group was already gone.
About five minutes later, another Uchiha Madara suddenly appeared out of thin air.
He scanned the surroundings, then pulled a Den-Den Mushi from the pouch on his leg and dialed.
The line connected quickly. "Hello? This is Aokiji. Identify yourself."
At the Alnus Hill camp—
Kuzan sat cross-legged atop the roof of the two-story building allocated to him, eyes closed, his body exuding wisps of chill air.
Opposite him squatted a Den-Den Mushi wrapped in heavy winter clothes.
"This is Uchiha Madara. Senju Hashirama and I have reached the snowy mountains. We've just encountered something unexpected—
Madara's clone quickly relayed the situation.
"Four main gods? And you went in?" Kuzan's eyes snapped open.
"Yes. My original body and Senju Hashirama have already gone inside," the clone confirmed.
"Damn. I'll head over immediately. Tell your original body to stall for as much time as possible," Kuzan instructed gravely.
"Understood."
The call ended.
A few minutes later, a gray-white Osprey transport aircraft roared into the skies, heading north.
Meanwhile—
After finishing the call, Madara's clone did not hesitate. He self-detonated on the spot, vanishing in a puff of white smoke.
At that same moment—
Uchiha Madara, walking behind Montoya, glanced sideways at Senju Hashirama.
The latter caught the former's glance and gave a subtle nod.
By now, the group had reached the highest peak of the snowy mountain range.
Uchiha Madara and Senju Hashirama saw that the summit was not pointed, but a flat expanse.
Upon it stood snow-white structures of varying sizes, all built entirely from crystalline ice.
Most striking were the twin ice towers on either side, soaring up into the clouds.
Overhead, a semi-transparent energy field covered the mountaintop, shielding it from the raging blizzards outside.
What caught their attention were the four exceptionally strong auras within.
Exceptional, when compared against the ten magisters accompanying them.
Still—
[Madara, do you sense it?]
[If those four auras really belong to the four main gods, then perhaps we've worried for nothing.]
Again, the two exchanged glances, and Madara's expression gradually turned cold.
[Don't underestimate them, Madara. Once battle begins, they may reveal strength on par with a general!]
[Hmph, as if I needed you to remind me.]
While Madara and Hashirama continued their silent exchange, the group passed through the barrier and landed upon the southern platform.
There, dozens more white-robed, staff-wielding magicians were already lined up in ranks along both sides, stretching all the way to the entrance of the crystalline great hall.
"The Four Goddesses have awaited you within for quite some time. Please."
Magister Montoya lifted a hand toward the hall.
Madara and Hashirama voiced no objection.
Observing their surroundings as they walked, they followed the magister along the straight avenue, then climbed ten tiers of steps before finally passing through the wide-open gates.
The moment they entered, they saw four women with skin like polished jade, radiant and resplendent, their tall, graceful figures exuding an unearthly beauty.
Each was shrouded in divine light of a different hue, suspended in the air at different positions.
Pairs of eyes, clear as water and bright as stars, studied the two shinobi closely.
Yet what seemed to be friendly gazes struck Madara as unbearably condescending.
It was reminiscent of how he himself once looked down on other shinobi.
The difference being—his disdain had been rooted in strength, while these goddesses seemed to base it solely on status.
The contempt of gods toward mortals.
And yet, according to the intel, the gods of this world had once all been human.
"Senju Hashirama, known in the shinobi world as the 'God of Shinobi,' now serving the World Government's Umigakure as its highest-ranking shinobi—the Mokage."
"And Uchiha Madara, likewise one of Umigakure's highest-ranking shinobi—the Hokage. Correct?"
Goddess Elange spoke in a faint tone.
"That's right," Madara said flatly. "So what is it you want to say? That you're ready to surrender?"
His face remained expressionless, unfazed by the lofty height from which they looked down.
"You jest," Goddess Elange answered with a soft laugh. "How could gods ever surrender to mortals?"
The other three goddesses agreed at once.
"We wish to join the World Government. We believe our divine power is something your side must need. But at the same time, we expect the respect due to us as gods."
Madara raised a brow, then asked with a strange expression, "And what exactly do you mean by 'respect due'? Spell it out."
At that, Goddess Ra spoke up: "To our knowledge, those of highest standing in the World Government are the so-called descendants of the Creator—the Celestial Dragons. They even call themselves gods."
"If that is so, then once we true gods join the World Government, we should possess a status higher than the Celestial Dragons—or at the very least equal to them."
Madara and Hashirama froze at her words.
What was this? They wanted a status higher than the Celestial Dragons?
Or at least equal?
At least?
But Goddess Ra went on without pause, repeating what they had clearly prepared in advance: "If the World Government agrees, we four gods can promise not to hinder your takeover of the Falmart continent's rule. We will even do our utmost to cooperate with whatever assistance the World Government requires."
"We can also grant you the status of demigods—bestowing a thousand-year lifespan, undying and unperishable bodies, and after a thousand years, the chance to ascend to true godhood!"
The other three goddesses listened intently, nodding again and again, wearing the smug look of those convinced refusal was impossible.
Senju Hashirama stroked his chin, glancing at Madara. "Madara, should we report their proposal back first?"
"Idiot, Hashirama!"
A vein throbbed on Uchiha Madara's forehead in irritation.
Without a care for the goddesses' gazes, he snapped back: "Get this straight—we're not here to negotiate. The mission is to defeat them, capture them, and deliver them to the Sage of Six Paths!"
Ever since he realized these goddesses' auras weren't particularly strong, Madara had lost most of his restraint.
True, they might be concealing some of their strength—
—but weren't he and Hashirama doing the same?
"All we need to do is carry out the mission. Whatever deals they want with the World Government, that's none of our concern!"
But Madara's blunt words made Elange, Ra, and the other goddesses' faces darken instantly.
Flames of fury blazed in their eyes, nearly bursting forth.
The divine radiance around them burned brighter, their killing intent pressing down and flooding the hall with a suffocating tension.
Yet Madara and Hashirama seemed utterly unfazed, still bickering as if nothing were happening.
"Yes, yes, fine—I was wrong, all right, Madara!"
Hashirama scratched the back of his head and gave an awkward laugh.
From the moment they demanded a status equal to, or higher than, the Celestial Dragons, he had known there was no chance for negotiations.
Even the Sage of Six Paths himself served Lord Imu.
And these so-called gods? Their strength was no more than that of a general—what were they compared to him?
"Defeat us? Capture us?"
"We have lowered ourselves so far, offering to join you, and you dare—"
Goddess Ra's anger only grew. Gales of night wind formed around her, her dark-green divine light blazing ever brighter.
[BOOM! BOOM!]
But before she could finish her words, her expression froze.
Elange, Lunaryur, and Miritta too widened their eyes, staring in shock at the two men who had suddenly lifted their heads, their gazes fixed coldly upon them.
Madara and Hashirama's expressions had turned solemn, their eyes sharp, utterly unlike before.
And the chakra flames erupting from them sparked a wave of uncontrollable dread in the goddesses' hearts.
"Go all out, Madara!"
"Of course. They may be four gods, but we'll treat them seriously, Hashirama!"
Almost simultaneously, both entered Sage Mode.
[RRRUUUMMMBBBLLLEEEE!]
The next instant—
The ice hall suddenly burst open from within.
A colossal Avalokiteśvara statue, several hundred meters tall, rose from the peak. Countless arms spread from its back, seated upon a lotus dais of blue light.
In an instant it crushed every surrounding structure and tower, towering unshakable atop the mighty frozen peak.
Its robes and every one of its hands were clad in a brilliant blue layer of energy.
It was as if a true Buddha Avalokiteśvara had descended upon the world, radiating ten thousand rays of light.
Atop the head—
Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara stood side by side, overlooking the endless snowy mountains, their gazes coldly sweeping over the four stunned goddesses and the magisters who now buzzed around like multicolored flies in chaos.
"Hashirama, let's call it even this time. Next time, I take the lead!"
"Ah, no problem, Madara!"
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