Lightning Release: Heavenly Thunder

In an instant, countless sharp wooden stakes burst from the ground like the snapping jaws of a giant beast.

Kosuke leaped atop the ever-rising stakes and into the air. The Two-Tomoe Sharingan appeared in his eyes, forming a pair of Three-Tomoe Sharingan.

At this moment, the world before him seemed stripped of its surface, revealing pale-blue streams of flowing Chakra—within that stake to the southeast, emerald energy was gathering.

"Southeast!" He abruptly flung out a Kunai tied with Exploding Tags, and white light flickered between the inscriptions.

Madara's Lightning Release longsword plunged straight into the stake's core.

With a thunderous boom, Hashirama flipped out from the exploding wood chips and landed on the ground, the armor on his left shoulder scorched black.

This was the first time he had been injured since the battle began.

"Madara, you two worked well together this time." Hashirama patted the charred shoulder guard, his smile brighter than the winter sun. "You were even more in sync than before..."

The cold gleam of Madara's Kusanagi Sword cut off Hashirama's praise.

Madara's taijutsu was like a blizzard, every strike carrying a fierce offensive force.

Meanwhile, Kosuke used the Body Flicker Technique to circle the battlefield's perimeter, targeting the precise moments Wood Release appeared to destroy its Chakra nodes.

The Two-Tomoe Sharingan of the two Uchiha traced a crimson line of death across the battlefield, rapidly forcing Hashirama toward the flowing river.

"Wood Release: Water Hydra!"

What burst from the river's surface was not spray, but countless vines.

At that critical moment, Madara's blade cut through three layers of wooden walls in succession, yet Hashirama was nowhere to be found.

Just as he looked toward the bottom of the river, Kosuke's pupils suddenly constricted at the edge of the battlefield, and he shouted urgently, "Retreat!"

He Body Flickered forward, grabbed Madara by the sash, and shot backward.

However, Hashirama's Wood Release came even faster than their retreat.

Countless saplings grew wildly beneath their feet, about to turn into a cage in the blink of an eye.

Madara's Fire Release exploded within the cage just before it sealed shut. The backlash from the heat wave caused blood to seep from both men's noses and ears.

At that moment, Kosuke formed hand seals with one hand, completing them in the blink of an eye.

Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!

Driven by the hurricane, the flames that had yet to fade surged higher with the wind.

A terrifying fire dragon suddenly formed in midair and charged fiercely toward Hashirama beneath the water.

The instant the fire dragon touched the river's surface, thick water vapor rapidly spread.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Kosuke and Madara retreated at high speed once more.

"Downstream, the river surface!"

Following Kosuke's direction, Madara's Lightning Release flowed into the river. White-blue currents made the entire river tremble violently.

An oval wooden spike shot out from the riverbed, landing on the bank and cracking apart.

Hashirama leaped out from within, an unfinished Wood Release hand seal still pinched between his fingers.

The three formed a triangular standoff amid the shattered battlefield, their breaths creating swirling currents within the thinning mist.

Kosuke and Madara panted heavily.

The intense battle had gradually drained the Chakra within both of them.

Yet they stared fixedly at Hashirama, clearly seeing no change in that expressionless face, and a trace of confusion flashed through their eyes.

That guy's Chakra did not seem to have decreased in the slightest.

Madara and Kosuke exchanged a swift glance.

Lightning once again rose along Madara's blade, while Kosuke's Body Flicker Technique tore across the battlefield.

This time, he did not choose to cast ninjutsu from the edge of the battlefield, but charged straight at Hashirama himself.

The Sharingan's crimson light surged wildly through his pupils, spreading every one of Hashirama's escape routes into a blood-colored map.

Behind him, Madara's Fire Release sealed off Hashirama's retreat, while Lightning Release burst from the ground to form a dense electric net.

At that moment, Hashirama smiled.

He crouched down and slammed both hands onto the ground.

All the shattered wood chips around the battlefield instantly rose into the air, abruptly forming a hurricane under the pull of his immense Chakra.

Kosuke's Sharingan discovered a terrifying fact—over the past half hour, Hashirama's Chakra had not changed at all. Even the Chakra he consumed now was replenished the very next second.

How the hell were they supposed to fight this?!

"Wood Release: Deep Forest Emergence!"

In an instant, the entire battlefield seemed to come alive.

Broken stumps sprouted new buds, charred vines put forth tender branches, and even the wood chips on Madara's blade began to multiply.

Kosuke, who had retreated at top speed, stood back-to-back with Madara amid the green tide. In silence, they swallowed Soldier Pills to restore their nearly depleted Chakra.

"Madara, kid, take my final blow!"

Hashirama clasped his hands together and roared, his flushed face blazing as the black hair behind him whipped through the violent green tide.

Kosuke abruptly looked up at the storm clouds gathering in the sky under Hashirama's ninjutsu. The long blade in his hand suddenly flew free and embedded itself three inches in front of Hashirama's feet.

"Madara!"

Madara instantly understood and drove the Kusanagi Sword in his hand three inches from Hashirama's feet as well.

Then, he formed hand seals at the same time as Kosuke.

Snake—Horse—Tiger—Ox—Monkey

"Lightning Release: Heavenly Thunder!"

As the restored Chakra within the two of them was drawn forth, the storm clouds that had gathered because of Hashirama's All Things Echo rapidly expanded into a black mass stretching several kilometers.

The air grew scorching from the massive concentration of electrons, while dust on the ground floated slightly under the influence of the magnetic field. Both longswords trembled faintly as well.

Lightning writhed through the clouds like silver serpents, bolts tearing across the sky.

Amid deafening peals of thunder, the pressure across the battlefield plummeted, making it difficult for ordinary people to breathe.

The instant Hashirama's ninjutsu took shape, the lightning gathered in the heavens condensed at once and crashed down upon the earth.

Boom!

The moment the two large-scale ninjutsu collided, the sharp roar of high-frequency explosions rapidly spread across the battlefield between the Uchiha and Senju.

Every ninja stopped in unspoken unison, staring blankly at the blinding light in the distance.

The circular shockwave from the explosion, carrying lightning, shattered rocks, and broken timber, spread wildly in every direction, sweeping across the battlefield in the blink of an eye.

At the center of the explosion, a massive crater a hundred meters deep had been blasted into the ground.

Arcs of electricity flickered within it, while the surrounding rocks had melted into glass-like matter from the intense heat.

At that moment, all vegetation, rivers, and mountains on the battlefield where the three had stood had completely vanished.

As the lightning descended, the three people facing one another all widened their eyes.

Without pausing for even an instant, they turned and fled in disarray.

At that moment, all manner of Body Flicker Techniques were unleashed one after another.

Though they escaped the center of the explosion, they failed to escape the shockwave it produced.

Like strips of cloth, the three were lifted from the ground by the shockwave and hurled toward the battlefields of their respective clans.

Along the way, stray lightning coursed freely through their bodies.

"It's Hashirama!"

"It's Madara and Kosuke!"

Only then did the stunned people on the battlefield come to their senses.

They swiftly stepped forward, watching one another warily.

Thus, this battle came to an end.

The representatives of the employers in the Senju and Uchiha camps frowned slightly at the sight, their expressions deeply displeased.

Kosuke and Madara were hurriedly carried back to camp by their clansmen. Even under the full treatment of the Medical Ninjas, currents still crackled across their bodies.

"How are they?" Uchiha Tajima rushed over upon hearing the news, his tone full of anxiety.

"Clan Head, their lives are not in danger, but..." Senmei, the head of the medical team, looked troubled and hesitated to continue.