The instant the Wood Release Buddha Statue appeared, faint Buddha-light spread across heaven and earth, and a breath of vibrant life swept over the land.
Thousands of hands rose.
The divine visage radiated solemn majesty.
The Wood Release Buddha sat cross-legged between heaven and earth, hands pressed together, bearing the appearance of one who would suppress all gods and demons of the world with sheer might and deliver salvation to all living beings.
"If only I had more time…" Tobirama muttered, overlooking the wooden Buddha statue.
At this level, the "True Several Thousand Hands" fell far short of the title of "God of Shinobi."
"Doing your best is enough!"
Hashirama fixed his gaze upon the Susanoo before him, his own hands clasped, focusing entirely on controlling the Wood Release Buddha. The fact that he could not exert his full strength did not distract him.
After hearing Uchiha Yu's declaration of war, even Hashirama had hesitated.
He struggled with the thought of whether to withdraw without fighting. After all, looking at this war at its highest level, it was nothing more than an internal conflict of Konoha.
The other clans of Konoha were part of the village—but so were the Uchiha.
What logic was there in allowing other clans to oppress the Uchiha, yet not allowing the Uchiha to take revenge?
Of course, Hashirama did not wish to see the village he worked so hard to build collapse into civil strife.
His dream was to establish a home where all clans could coexist peacefully, to share both hardships and prosperity for the sake of Konoha, like a great tree sheltering its saplings, its fallen leaves returning to nourish its roots.
But… it was far too difficult.
Perhaps all of today's karma had been sown the day Madara left Konoha.
Now the skies had turned dark.
A sinister crimson glow seemed incapable of illuminating the Buddha's wooden body.
Boom—
The crimson Complete Susanoo slowly turned, its boots and greaves—once bound by Earth Release, Gold Dust, and the Wood Release tree sea—shaking off their restraints with ease.
The Complete Susanoo now stood face-to-face with the Buddha.
That casual turn of its body was like a man brushing aside spider silk.
The scene filled the fleeing shinobi around with terror and unease.
Their proud ninjutsu, combined with the binding of the God of Shinobi's Wood Release—
It had all been utterly useless against this being.
Still, they could pin their last hope on the God of Shinobi. That hundred-meter-tall wooden Buddha was their final lifeline.
But before the God of Shinobi could act, they first had to survive the murderous rampage of the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path.
In that moment, despair and hope coexisted.
Beneath the Demonic Statue, exhausted shinobi fled in panic, their hearts pounding in dread.
No matter how they struggled, the monstrous specter hunting them seemed impossible to shake off, ever following close behind.
"Everything you are doing right now is meaningless." Uchiha Yu's calm voice carried as he swept his gaze across the Hashirama brothers standing atop the Buddha.
From within the helm of Susanoo, his scarlet Mangekyō eyes glowed coldly, utterly unaffected by the oppressive aura of the Buddha before him.
Compared to the allied shinobi army, compared to Hashirama and Tobirama standing on the other side, it was Uchiha Yu who seemed like the true villain.
But Uchiha Yu did not mind. Some roles demanded someone stand in opposition.
"After Madara, you are the strongest Uchiha I've ever met." Hashirama said, locking eyes with Yu.
Though a thousand meters separated them—one standing atop the Complete Susanoo, the other atop the Buddha—the distance could not hinder their exchange.
Hashirama continued:
"It won't be long before you stand at the pinnacle of the shinobi world, surpassing Madara… and surpassing me.
But Konoha is like my own body. Perhaps I was wrong from the very beginning.
I know you seek revolution, but I cannot stand by and watch as you destroy it.
For what has befallen the Uchiha, I am deeply sorry."
Uchiha Yu replied evenly:
"Only fire and war can bring about rebirth. If you wish to apologize, then say it before the rest of the Uchiha down below. Since you cannot bear to watch, then close your eyes—I can help you with that."
"…Haa."
Hashirama exhaled a long sigh, sorrow filling his eyes as he fell into thought.
"What an arrogant little Uchiha brat!"
Tobirama's expression was cold and severe, his icy eyes fixed ahead as he patiently searched for an opening.
But for them, hope was slim. From the moment their enemy had summoned that monstrous being, the outcome had already been decided. All they could do now was stall for time, nothing more.
As soon as the words fell,
The crimson Complete Susanoo unfurled its wings, scattering the once life-filled breeze with a violent gust.
Then, instead of drawing the massive chakra blades from its skeletal wings,
A new weapon began to materialize.
A blade of pitch-black—like a shard carved from the night itself—emerged piece by piece, its edge so sharp that even space seemed to tremble.
Clang—
The Complete Susanoo grasped the hilt of the weapon with both hands. The Black Blade Dark Moon fit seamlessly with the massive crimson giant.
Uchiha Yu gazed toward the distant wooden Buddha statue. After drawing chakra from the tailed beasts, he infused a portion into Dark Moon.
From the very moment he acquired the Black Blade Dark Moon and awakened Susanoo, Yu had known: with sufficient chakra, this weapon could replace Susanoo's original armament—just like now.
Against his previous opponents, there had simply been no need to wield Susanoo in combination with the Black Blade.
The next instant, the ground trembled lightly—Susanoo had vanished from its spot, leaving only a cloud of dust.
Tobirama and Hashirama immediately looked up.
There, the crimson Susanoo swooped down with wings spread, like a collapsing mountain.
Both hands gripped the Black Blade, descending in a crushing strike at a speed far beyond what they expected.
"…Such a familiar feeling."
Hashirama sighed softly.
For an instant, it felt as if he had returned to his final battle with Madara. Back then, Madara too had attacked with such ferocity.
This—this was the speed Susanoo was meant to possess.
"Brother, what are you thinking about? Focus on the fight!!" Tobirama barked, seeing his elder brother momentarily dazed.
"…" Hashirama immediately snapped back to reality.
A crimson flash—Susanoo's Black Blade pierced straight through the wooden Buddha statue, its edge driven into the earth, forcing the statue to the ground beneath its weight.
The two colossal figures toppled, sliding from the center of Konoha all the way to the front of the evacuation shelter.
Buildings were flattened in their path, carving a massive trench through the village.
Konoha itself had become their battlefield.
In mere moments, the Complete Susanoo had already overwhelmed and toppled the wooden Buddha.
"Top Transcendent Buddha!!!"
Hashirama roared through clenched teeth.
Sage chakra within him surged like a flood into the wooden Buddha.
Instantly, space itself quaked as the fallen Buddha's forest of arms seemed to come alive—fingers clenched into fists, striking toward Susanoo with unstoppable force.
Killing intent filled the heavens and earth.
Thousands of colossal wooden fists hurtled forward, each strike crushingly heavy, each one equal in strength.
At his peak, this technique could shatter Madara's Perfect Susanoo Armor with ease. Every fist's impact carried the destructive force of a falling meteor.
But just as the Top Transcendent Buddha unleashed its strikes—
The ground before the crimson Susanoo split open. Shattered rock floated upward, drawn to the Black Blade's hilt, layering themselves into a series of massive stone bulwarks.
The blade itself shifted to an earthy yellow hue, becoming like an ancient sword encased in stone.
This was the transformation of Dark Moon once Yu infused it with Earth Release chakra.
In that moment, the blade seemed bound by countless threads to the rocks and soil of the earth.
Thus, in an instant, he shaped the rising earth into chakra-reinforced stone shields.
Three massive barriers manifested in succession.
Boom—! Boom—! Boom—!
The wooden fists of the Top Transcendent Buddha pounded against the shields like torrential rain.
The stone bulwarks held for only half a second before cracks spiderwebbed across them, fragments tumbling down.
"What kind of technique is this…?! Even with the fastest hand seals, there shouldn't be time to form Earth Release that quickly!"
Tobirama's expression darkened as he stared at the rocky shield protecting the crimson Susanoo.
He hadn't seen Uchiha Yu weave even a single hand seal!
Hashirama not needing seals made sense—he was unique in that regard. But what right did Uchiha Yu have to fight without seals?!
°°°
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