Fierce Battle (Seeking Follow-up Reads)

Senju Hashirama, standing at the forefront, stared gravely at the black-and-white Susanoo before him, as though he had witnessed once more the moment he and Uchiha Madara had parted ways.

"Stop. This meaningless conflict should not continue!"

"Konoha simply cannot bear such cruel internal strife."

Senju Hashirama's tone carried a trace of sorrow. From his words, it seemed he understood Konoha's current situation and did not want a civil war to truly break out.

But to Yan, what god of the Ninja World, what Senju Hashirama—he was merely a dead soul summoned from the Pure Land.

Sarutobi Hiruzen could not possibly have found sacrifices as high-quality as White Zetsu.

How much strength these two Hokage could actually wield now was still a question.

Therefore, Yan showed not the slightest respect for Senju Hashirama's attempt at persuasion and merely snorted coldly.

"Easy for you to say. The Uchiha Clan has suffered injustice for so many years, and you think you can brush it all aside with two sentences?"

Senju Tobirama, standing beside Senju Hashirama, replied with a face like frost.

"Big Brother, why waste so many words on him? Since this evil Uchiha brat refuses to come to his senses, beat him to death once and for all."

"Anything that attempts to split Konoha apart should not exist!"

"..."

As his words fell, the atmosphere in the field became suffocatingly oppressive, and a shadow gradually enveloped the skies above Konoha.

"HAHAHAHAHA!"

Yan threw back his head and laughed, his laughter filled with grief, fury, and mockery.

"Senju Tobirama, the Uchiha Clan was suppressed for so many years, and you deserve no small share of the credit."

"When the village was founded, it was agreed that one of the First and Second Hokage would be from the Uchiha Clan."

"But you went back on your word. After that, you even tossed my clan the mess that was the Konoha Military Police Force to fob us off."

At this point, Yan could not help but sigh.

"Senju Tobirama, your determination to destroy the Uchiha Clan truly has never died."

"Today, I'll collect a little interest."

With that, the black-and-white giant towering into the clouds swung its massive sword. Carrying a sharp, piercing gale, it came crashing down.

Senju Hashirama's gaze sharpened. He clapped his hands together and shouted.

"Wood Style: Deep Forest Emergence!"

In an instant, countless thick branches burst madly from the ground, coiling around the descending giant sword like enormous pythons in an attempt to halt its attack.

Just as the two forces reached a stalemate, Senju Tobirama flashed forward like a ghost, charging at Yan with a kunai gleaming coldly in his hand.

Yan snorted and controlled Susanoo to free one arm, which it slammed viciously toward Senju Tobirama.

The enormous arm seemed to compress the air until it erupted with a thunderous boom.

Yet Senju Tobirama did not retreat. At the very moment the blow neared, he twisted aside and nimbly evaded it, then drove his kunai toward Susanoo's joint.

Clang!

The kunai struck Susanoo, sending a spray of sparks flying.

Susanoo was completely unharmed. Instead, the recoil sent Senju Tobirama flying several meters away.

"Tobirama, be careful!" Senju Hashirama shouted. He was currently using all his strength to hold back the giant sword with Wood Style and had no room to assist.

Seeing this, Yan's lips curled into a cold sneer.

Sure enough, Senju Hashirama's current strength was far from his peak. He was perhaps about on par with a Super Kage gatekeeper like Nagato now.

At the same time, he increased his power output to Susanoo.

The giant sword pressed downward more and more visibly, while the branches let out a series of creaking snaps as they began to break.

Senju Tobirama steadied himself, his eyes resolute as his hands rapidly formed seals.

"Water Style: Water Dragon Jutsu!"

A massive water dragon roared out from around him and charged at Susanoo.

The water dragon collided with Susanoo, splashing water across the sky. Yet Susanoo only swayed slightly before continuing its attack.

"Damn it!" Senju Tobirama gritted his teeth, veins bulging on his forehead.

At that critical moment, Senju Hashirama shouted.

The branches wrapped around the giant sword suddenly erupted with immense force, forcibly driving the blade back.

By then, the entire village of Konoha had been thrown into chaos by the battle's aftermath. Buildings collapsed, and terrified civilians fled in every direction.

Senju Hashirama looked upon this scene, grief flooding his heart. Must it truly come to this irreversible point?

But Yan paid it no heed and once again controlled Susanoo to launch an even fiercer assault.

Susanoo blazed with light as black-and-white energy surged like a tide. Blazing flames ignited along its giant sword, which slashed toward Senju Hashirama and Senju Tobirama with the force to destroy everything.

Senju Hashirama's face showed sorrow, but it quickly hardened into determination as he brought his hands together.

"Wood Release: Wood Dragon Jutsu!"

In an instant, countless massive trees burst from the ground, forming an enormous wooden dragon that coiled upward.

Susanoo was wrapped by the Wood Dragon. Compared to its immense body, it was like a scarf wrapped around an adult's neck, yet its movements still slowed slightly.

Seizing the chance, Senju Tobirama formed hand seals.

"Water Release: Great Waterfall Technique!"

A torrential stream cascaded down like a waterfall, crashing against Susanoo.

"Two against one?" Yan snorted coldly. "You think I'm afraid of you?"

His Sharingan spun rapidly as Susanoo's power erupted once more, shattering the water and wooden scarf alike.

The battle grew ever fiercer. Both sides used everything they had, and all of Konoha seemed to have fallen into an apocalypse.

The surrounding ninjas retreated again and again, staring at the scene before them in terror.

They had never imagined that ninjas could be this powerful.

At that moment, Sarutobi Hiruzen, who had been watching from the outskirts, could no longer hold himself back.

He had never expected that summoning the First Hokage and Second Hokage would not improve the situation, but instead cause the battle to truly erupt.

Looking at the vast swathes of collapsed buildings, Sarutobi Hiruzen was frantic with worry and could not help shouting to stop them.

"Stop, all of you! First Hokage-sama, Sensei, and Uchiha Yan—stop fighting! We can talk this out!"

Senju Hashirama was an honest man. The moment he heard Sarutobi Hiruzen's shout, he immediately stopped moving.

Senju Tobirama and Yan, however, continued fighting without pause.

But without Senju Hashirama restraining Yan, Senju Tobirama quickly fell into a disadvantage and could only rely on the Flying Thunder God Technique to evade continuously.

"Stop!" Senju Hashirama shouted, his heart filled with anxiety and helplessness. "We are people of the same village. Why must we kill each other like this?"

However, Yan's fury did not subside. He controlled Susanoo as it continued launching attack after attack, shouting, "Senju Hashirama, how can we stop now that things have come this far?!"

At that moment, Yan's heart seemed to be burning with endless rage.

There was the injustice the Uchiha Clan had suffered for years, the terror and unease he had felt upon first arriving in the Ninja World, and the helplessness of having no one understand him.

Countless emotions churned through his mind before erupting in an instant, making his attacks increasingly fierce.

Susanoo glowed with an eerie light, each movement trailing dazzling streams of radiance.

Dark clouds blanketed the sky as thunder roared and lightning flashed. Thick bolts of lightning darted through the clouds like silver serpents, as though cheering on his fury.