In the gloomy river valley, the atmosphere was oppressive and heavy, as if even the air had been stained gray. This place would become the stage for the two clans' final battle. A life-or-death struggle was about to begin.
Shouts of battle rang through the sky like thunder, shaking everyone to the core. Warriors brandished their weapons and charged fearlessly at the enemy. Their cries revealed their longing for victory and their defiance of death.
The booming of ninjutsu rang out one after another, like fireworks blooming in the night sky—brilliant and deadly. All kinds of techniques clashed in the air, releasing tremendous energy and sending wave after wave of shock through the valley. Flames, lightning, and storms raged, sweeping everything nearby into a vortex of destruction.
The dying cries of the wounded echoed across the battlefield—the final struggles and desperate pleas of those whose lives were slipping away. Every cry sent a chill down the spine, as if death itself were drawing near. Blood stained the earth, and bodies lay scattered across the valley in a horrific tableau.
All of it came together in a brutal symphony of war. Each note marked a life lost, each beat the arrival of death. Amid that bloody melody, the warriors of both clans were writing their own stories with their lives.
Uchiha Madara's arrival, backed by his immense strength and imposing presence, temporarily steadied the Uchiha Clan's ranks. Though wounded, he still fought with his usual ferocity, wielding the Gunbai and a sickle as he controlled his Susanoo in its Tengu form, clashing fiercely with the giant Wood Dragon and the Flower Tree World controlled by Hashirama Senju. Each collision made the earth tremble and sent shock waves rolling through the air. His very presence was a banner for the Uchiha Clan.
Izuna Uchiha was like a vengeful ghost, with only one target: Tobirama Senju. His vision through the Mangekyō Sharingan had grown blurry, but his superb swordsmanship, familiarity with Tobirama's tactics, and ruthless willingness to die together kept Tobirama locked in combat. Every attack was backed by all his strength, flames and blade-light intertwining as he forced Tobirama to keep using the Flying Thunder God Technique to evade him, leaving him no chance to break away and aid others or use a Forbidden Jutsu.
"Tobirama! Today, I'll take your life and offer it up to the souls of my clan!" Izuna's voice was hoarse from exhausting his Chakra, but it brimmed with venomous hatred.
Tobirama's expression was cold and composed. The Flying Thunder God Technique made him almost impossible to pin down, while his Water Release Ninjutsu was cunning and ruthless. Rather than clash head-on with Izuna, he used his speed and tactics to keep him at bay, seemingly waiting for something. Now and then, his gaze swept toward his elder brother's fight at the center of the battlefield, then quickly returned as he coolly analyzed Izuna's every move.
"Your eyes are nearly at their limit, aren't they, Izuna?" Tobirama's icy voice cut through the roar of a water dragon, an attempt to throw him off with words.
"They're good enough to take your head!" Izuna roared. The flames on his blade burned brighter, and his attacks surged like a tide.
On the other side of the battlefield, Uchiha Sou fought desperately, but most of his attention was fixed on Izuna and Tobirama's duel. His sense of Internal Seeking let him clearly detect that Izuna's life was burning wildly and unstably, like a lamp running out of oil, and the feeling of Dissonance within it was growing stronger. Tobirama, meanwhile, was like cold iron, his presence steady as he waited for the chance to strike the fatal blow.
Suddenly, Madara and Hashirama's battle reached a fever pitch. A fierce sweep of the Wood Dragon's tail caught Madara's old injury, making him falter for the briefest instant!
That was the moment!
The opening Tobirama had been waiting for appeared! He deliberately let a Water Clone take the full force of Izuna's fierce attack, while his real body used the explosion as cover and the Water Body Flicker Technique to put distance between them at incredible speed. His hands formed Hand Seals faster than ever before!
"Flying Thunder God Slash!"
His figure vanished from where he stood. He didn't attack directly, but appeared beside a specially made Kunai that he had quietly planted earlier in the shadow of a boulder behind Izuna, in the blind spot of his vision!
The timing and angle were perfect! Izuna had just exhausted his previous momentum and had yet to gather strength for another attack. His attention had also been diverted for an instant by the crisis on Madara's side—and his Mangekyō vision was fading, making this the hardest area for him to cover!
Izuna's battle instincts told him he was in extreme danger. He twisted his body to its limit, his Sharingan spinning wildly as he tried to catch sight of his attacker!
But it was too late.
Sshing—!
A streak of cold light flashed past, faster than the eye could follow, like the kiss of death!
Izuna's body went rigid, and the sword fell from his hand with a clatter. He stared down in disbelief at the terrible gash that had been cut from his chest to his abdomen. Blood gushed from it like a burst dam, instantly staining his armor and the earth beneath him.
"Ugh..." He tried to speak, but only blood spilled from his mouth. His vision darkened rapidly, and his strength ebbed away like a receding tide.
"It's over." Tobirama appeared some distance away, his voice as cold as ever, revealing not the slightest hint of emotion. He glanced at Izuna, whose life was fading fast, but made no move to finish him off. Instead, he immediately turned a wary gaze toward Uchiha Madara, who was charging toward them in a frenzy. His goal had been achieved. No one could save Izuna from such a grievous wound.
"Izuna!!!"
Uchiha Madara let out a heart-wrenching roar. Ignoring Hashirama's Wood Dragon, he charged toward the spot where his younger brother had fallen, as if possessed. His enormous Chakra erupted out of control in his fury, knocking aside everything in his path.
He reached Izuna and caught his limp body in his arms. Seeing the horrific wound and the light rapidly fading from Izuna's eyes, Madara trembled violently with grief and rage.
"Bro...ther..." Izuna summoned the last of his strength. His lips moved, as if he wanted to leave some final words, but in the end, his hand fell limply to his side, and the light in his Mangekyō went out completely.
"Izuna! Izuna!!!" Madara clutched his brother's still-warm body and let out an anguished howl toward the sky. Tears of blood streamed from his eyes. His presence grew even more overwhelming, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth as he fixed a crazed stare on Tobirama. "I'll let you live for now. One day, I'll take your head for Izuna, and avenge him!"
Hashirama Senju stopped attacking. He watched the scene, his face filled with complicated, unspeakable pity and pain. Tobirama quietly returned to his elder brother's side, his expression still composed.
The Uchiha warriors witnessed it all, and their morale collapsed at once.
"Retreat! Protect the clan head! Retreat!" the clan elders shouted at the top of their lungs. The surviving Uchiha shinobi escorted Madara, who seemed to have lost his soul as he held Izuna's body, as they fled in disarray toward their clan's territory.
The Senju Clan did not pursue them far. Hashirama raised a hand to stop his men. The price of victory in this war had been too high.
Uchiha Sou followed the retreating forces, taking one last look back at the battlefield. He saw Madara, like a wounded beast, holding his brother's body, his back radiating endless desolation and an air of destruction.
The kiss of the Flying Thunder God had completely rewritten the Uchiha's future.
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