Morning Peacock!
A barrage of flaming punches burst forth like the fanned tail of a peacock. Even Uchiha Madara couldn't help but cast an appraising glance at its power.
"Impressive!" he remarked. "But that's all it is."
The Susano'o extended an arm and swatted Might Guy's attack away, as if extinguishing a small flame. The Morning Peacock was effortlessly neutralized.
However, facing the overwhelming presence of Susano'o, Guy showed no trace of fear. He charged forward, meeting Susano'o's massive palm with a punch of his own.
"Ow! That really hurts!" Guy exclaimed, clearly underestimating Madara's strength. Even though this was only the standard form of Susano'o, it was no less formidable than Itachi's fully evolved version.
The result? Guy's right hand suffered a severe compound fracture after taking the blow head-on.
"Katsuyu, please heal me quickly!" he called out.
Meanwhile, Kakashi, having used Kamui earlier to assist Guy, was forced to halt his own offensive. He summoned a Pack Wall of ninja hounds to block the incoming fire dragon.
As for Tsunade, her approach was as reckless as ever. Relying on her exceptional regenerative abilities, she charged straight through the searing flames and delivered a full-force punch to Susano'o.
"Break for me!"
Under Madara's slightly surprised gaze, the Susano'o shattered on impact. Tsunade's full-strength punch was enough to destroy the non-complete form of Susano'o.
"Lightning Cutter!"
Kakashi seized the fleeting opportunity, his lightning-clad hand aiming straight for Madara's chest.
Rip!
Madara narrowly dodged the attack, but the armor on his chest was shattered, revealing a familiar face beneath.
"Grandfather?!" Tsunade gasped in shock. "Uchiha Madara, you actually transplanted my grandfather's cells!"
Madara, who had been preparing to explain himself, was momentarily taken aback. "You could tell I've transplanted Hashirama's cells? Not bad, you've got some insight."
"Since you've figured it out, let me show you what Wood Release can do!"
"Wood Clone Technique!"
Madara created nine Wood Clones, which surrounded Kakashi, Guy, and Tsunade in groups of three.
Each clone was enveloped in blue light, summoning nine Susano'o to the battlefield.
Meanwhile, Madara's original body stood leisurely in the background, watching the unfolding battle like an adult supervising children.
"You've been ganging up on me three-on-one all this time. Now it's my turn to fight three-on-one."
"This isn't good, Kakashi!" Guy said.
Kakashi nodded grimly. At this point, they had no choice but to give it their all.
"Wood Release: Wood Dragon Technique!"
A massive wood dragon coiled around one of the Susano'o, giving Kakashi the chance to use Kamui in an attempt to absorb the Wood Clone.
"Hmm? How do you know Wood Release?" Madara's gaze shifted to Kakashi, his brow furrowing deeply.
Suddenly, as if realizing something, Madara's original Susano'o joined the assault on Kakashi.
This put Kakashi in an even more precarious position. Even with Kamui, it wasn't the same as Obito's eye, and he couldn't keep up with Madara's relentless attacks.
"Kakashi!"
A massive blade from Susano'o came crashing down toward Kakashi, who was busy fending off another Wood Clone's attack and had no time to react.
Just as everyone thought Kakashi was about to meet his end, Madara's strike veered slightly off course, merely slicing off the outer layer of Kakashi's chest armor.
"I knew it!"
Seeing the familiar face on Kakashi's chest, Madara instantly flew into a rage. "Hashirama's face on your chest? How dare you!"
"The only one allowed to have Hashirama's cells is me!"
Although Kakashi had narrowly escaped death, he couldn't feel relieved. He realized that Madara's killing intent had shifted entirely toward him, making him the primary target of Madara's wrath instead of Tsunade.
Oh no!
What's going on here?
Kakashi was being beaten so badly that he was practically rolling on the ground. Yet, Madara wouldn't finish him off outright, instead tormenting him endlessly. Kakashi had no idea what expression to wear anymore.
"Kakashi!"
Guy rushed over and intercepted Susano'o's massive blade.
He raised both hands to catch the descending weapon, but the overwhelming force caused the ground beneath him to crumble instantly. The blade grazed his body, leaving a deep, bloody gash across his chest.
And... it revealed another familiar face.
That's right. To prevent Guy from dying after using the Eight Gates, Deidara had also given him a dose of Hashirama's cells.
Seeing that all-too-familiar face appear once again, Madara froze in place.
The battlefield fell into an eerie silence as everyone exchanged bewildered glances, unsure of what to do next.
But the silence was short-lived.
"You worms!" Madara roared in fury, breaking the stillness. "Die, all of you!"
Damn it! Hashirama belongs to me alone!
How dare so many of you put Hashirama's face on your chests!
Madara decided to go big and annihilate these insolent fools once and for all.
"Tengai Shinsei!"
Both Madara's original body and his Susano'o began forming hand seals.
Although he wasn't in his Impure World Reincarnation state, the power he had absorbed from Mōryō allowed him to revive indefinitely. Thus, he had no qualms about unleashing such a devastating technique.
Besides, even if the meteorite fell, his Susano'o would protect him completely.
"What is Madara doing?"
The shinobi from Amagakure looked on in confusion, but it was clear that whatever technique Madara was preparing was no ordinary jutsu.
"Guy, we have to stop him!" Kakashi shouted, preparing to launch another attack.
But before they could act, Madara smirked. "Too late. Welcome your end."
The light above dimmed as a massive shadow enveloped the battlefield. Everyone instinctively looked up, only to see the clouds parting and a colossal meteorite hurtling toward them.
"You've got to be kidding me!"
Countless shinobi were so terrified that they nearly dropped their weapons.
They weren't afraid of death, but they wanted their deaths to have some meaning—not to be crushed like ants by a falling rock.
"Run!" someone screamed.
But many others didn't even have the will to flee. "It's useless. A meteorite this size... there's no escaping its range of destruction."
The meteorite's sheer size wasn't the only problem. The shockwaves and aftereffects of its impact would be far more devastating.
"Kamui!"
Kakashi made one last desperate attempt, but the meteorite was simply too massive. The portion he could absorb was negligible.
What now?
As Kakashi was overwhelmed by fear and despair, Guy stepped forward.
"Is it time?"
"Guy! You—!" Kakashi understood immediately.
But before Guy could open the Eighth Gate, the situation on the battlefield changed once again.
A massive wooden giant suddenly rose from the ground, its arms outstretched as if cradling a planet.
"Wood Release: Wood Human Technique!"
A man clad in red armor appeared on the battlefield.
He looked up at the meteorite with a grave expression, sensing another massive force following close behind.
There was a second meteorite!
But even this didn't faze Hashirama Senju, who had enough composure to greet his old friend.
"Long time no see, Madara."
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