In the middle of the battlefield, the seated Buddha slowly rose, breaking free of the enormous disc connected to its back. The so-called Hundred Blessings Adornment was a manifestation of a Buddha's perfected virtue; the proper term for it was a halo.
Then the Buddha stepped off the giant Lotus Pedestal beneath its feet and walked toward Madara through the smoke and dust, one step after another.
Each step rang out with a heavy boom. The ground sank, then trembled, and the towering trees beneath its feet swayed and shook like weeds.
"Has the Susanoo been destroyed...?" Madara asked deliberately as he watched the Buddha approach.
In the distance, Yura saw that Madara made no move to restore the Susanoo and understood his intentions. He needed his ocular power elsewhere. Even with the Eternal Mangekyō, which would not go blind, the amount of ocular power he could use at any given time was limited and needed time to recover.
Hashirama did not know that yet. He assumed Madara could not produce enough chakra to repair the Susanoo for the moment. He quickened his pace and stood atop the Buddha's head with his palms pressed together, preparing a technique. His mouth hung open as he breathed lightly.
Hashirama had an immense amount of chakra—his total reserves were comparable to half the Nine-Tails' plus Naruto's. But unlike the Nine-Tails, his chakra was not inexhaustible, and it did not recover nearly as quickly. Using several costly techniques in a short span of time
left him showing a trace of fatigue.
"Here I come!"
The giant Buddha reached through the smoke and seized the stunned Nine-Tails as easily as picking up a chick. Though Madara's Sharingan controlled the Nine-Tails, it could see everything clearly. The enormous hand pinned it in place.
Madara watched with