"I absolutely..."
"I absolutely will not let someone like you continue to destroy our village!"
"This village that we all worked so hard to build together!"
From within the sea of flames, an astonishing surge of energy swept outward.
"Wood Release: Wood Human Technique!"
Crack, crack, crack...
A massive wooden figure suddenly "rose" from the inferno. Its towering height now exceeded 100 meters.
The blazing vines barely reached the thighs of this colossal wooden construct.
Moreover, the overall hue of this Wood Human was no longer the dark green of before. Instead, it radiated a faint golden-green glow, giving it an extraordinary and noble appearance.
"To think he could combine the power of the Nine-Tails with Wood Release?"
"This brat..."
Madara's eyes narrowed slightly, a trace of curiosity flickering in his gaze as he observed the Wood Human emerging from the flames.
"But..."
"The only one who can truly stand against me is Hashirama!"
A brilliant purple light surged within Madara's Rinnegan, accompanied by a gale of wind and waves of blue Chakra that roared outward. His long hair billowed fiercely in the wind, and through the strands of hair blown aside, one could glimpse his other scarlet Sharingan.
Moments later.
The fully-formed Susano'o reappeared before the Konohagakure shinobi.
Even with the added power of the Nine-Tails, Naruto's Wood Human looked like a mere dwarf in comparison to Madara's deep blue giant. The height difference between the two was nearly double.
Buzz!
A deep, oppressive sound of something slicing through the air reverberated across the battlefield. It was the blade of Madara's Susano'o—a sword over 100 meters long—slashing down directly at the Wood Human.
On the other side of the battlefield, near the edge of the sea of flames.
A pair of brothers stood within an orange-red half-armored samurai construct.
The younger of the two, a black-haired boy, wore an expression of frustration and disbelief as he stared blankly at the colossal figures clashing in the distance.
The shockwaves from their battle alone caused the ground to rumble continuously, as if a powerful earthquake were raging beneath their feet.
"Naruto..."
"Even with such immense power, Naruto still can't defeat Madara?"
The boy gritted his teeth so hard that they audibly creaked.
"Sasuke!"
"Calm down!"
"Naruto has the Nine-Tails sealed within him, and his body can perfectly integrate with the First Hokage's cells. Such a combination is unique in the entire history of the shinobi world."
The older brother, a young man with smooth, flowing hair, spoke in a soothing tone.
"But... brother..."
"I still can't accept it. Why are we just standing here, helplessly watching?!"
"My strongest attack just now didn't even leave a scratch on him!"
"Why..."
As the three tomoe in Sasuke's Sharingan spun rapidly, his voice grew more agitated.
"Brother..."
"I want to protect the village with my own power too!"
"What do I need to do... to gain eyes like yours and Madara's?"
Sasuke's emotions suddenly calmed, and he fixed his gaze intently on Itachi's Mangekyō Sharingan.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the battlefield, Minato Namikaze stood beside Gai, his mind swirling with worry and frustration.
Ever since Madara's devastating strike that destroyed Konohagakure, Minato had been unable to sense Kushina's presence.
With Kushina's strength, it shouldn't be possible for her to fall so easily...
Could there be other enemies hidden in the shadows?
Danzo, that scheming old man...
Upon entering Sage Mode, Minato sensed Danzo's Chakra. He instantly realized that Danzo and his Root operatives were hiding beneath some ruins, showing no intention of joining the fight.
Minato gritted his teeth silently. He knew that even if Danzo and his men joined the battle, they wouldn't pose any real threat to Madara.
But this was a matter of principle!
At this critical moment, when the village's very survival was at stake, Danzo was still calculating his own selfish schemes...
This was outright betrayal of the village!
If they survived this crisis, Minato vowed to deal with Danzo and his followers with swift and decisive action.
For now, however, all his focus had to remain on Madara.
"Lord Hokage!"
"I have one last move left..."
The green-clad Konohagakure shinobi, now recovered, spoke to Minato in a deep voice.
"Gai, no!"
"If you use that technique, you'll..."
Minato's pupils contracted sharply. His immediate reaction was to stop Gai.
"It's alright, Lord Hokage..."
"Even if that guy has destroyed our village's buildings, as long as our people survive, we can always rebuild a new village!"
"To nurture the new seedlings, to give them the nourishment they need to grow..."
"That... is the entire value of youth!"
"Now is the time to protect what matters most in life!"
Gai smiled brightly, his white teeth gleaming with determination as he gave a resolute thumbs-up.
"Gai..."
"You, like your father, are a hero of the village!"
Seeing Gai's unwavering resolve, Minato swallowed the words of protest he had been about to say.
"It is time for the Blue Beast of Konohagakure to disappear and transform into the Red Beast!"
Gai charged toward Madara. As he ran, the blue steam emanating from his body intensified. Without hesitation, he drove his right thumb directly into his heart.
"Eight Gates Released Formation!"
"Gate of Death... Open!!!"
As a thin layer of red steam began to rise from Gai's body, Madara seemed to sense the immense power emanating from him.
At that moment, Madara's Susano'o had just severed the arms of Naruto's Wood Human. A wooden dragon was coiled tightly around the Wood Human's neck and chest.
Naruto, who had been roaring defiantly just moments ago, was now barely clinging to life.
The wooden dragon, summoned by Madara, had its sharp jaws deeply embedded in the Wood Human's neck.
The dragon's body continued to swell as it voraciously drained Naruto's Chakra.
The once radiant, golden-green Wood Human had dimmed completely, reduced to a lifeless husk.
Just as Madara was about to extract the Nine-Tails from Naruto's body—
"Hmm?"
"Walking on air to get here?!"
Madara's attention was suddenly drawn to a crimson figure.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Shrouded in red steam, Gai stepped through the air as if climbing an invisible staircase. His speed was astonishing, and in the blink of an eye, he had closed the distance to Madara.
Gai brought both fists to his chest, forming a peculiar hand sign. A flicker of pain crossed his face—it was clear that opening the Gate of Death brought unimaginable agony.
But Gai quickly suppressed the pain. With a fierce roar, he thrust his fists forward.
"Evening Elephant!"
"First Step!"
Boom!
A long, cylindrical shockwave of compressed air shot out, slamming into the face of Madara's Susano'o. The shockwave carried a faint crimson hue, its power immense and overwhelming.
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