Battle of Gods and Asuras (Part 2)

Wood Style: Wood Dragon Technique!

Senju Hashirama clapped his hands together, his expression focused as he watched Uchiha Madara standing atop the Nine-Tailed Fox. Suddenly, a massive wooden dragon erupted from the earth, lunging fiercely to bite at the Nine-Tailed Fox.

The Nine-Tailed Fox relied on its immense size and strength to block the dragon's assault. During the brief stalemate, it condensed a Tailed Beast Bomb and smashed it directly into the dragon's head, blasting it into smithereens!

The Tailed Beast Bomb did not lose momentum after destroying the wood dragon, hurtling straight toward Senju Hashirama.

Standing on a severed tree stump, Senju Hashirama remained calm and unhurried as he clapped his hands together once more to release a jutsu.

Wood Style: Wood Human Technique!

Following the release of the jutsu, a giant wooden hand burst from the ground beneath him and caught the Tailed Beast Bomb mid-air!

At the same time, the rest of the wooden body emerged from the earth. Senju Hashirama stood atop the wood human's head, controlling it to smear the captured Tailed Beast Bomb right into the face of the Nine-Tailed Fox!

Seeing the situation turn against him, Uchiha Madara hurriedly activated Susanoo to shield the Nine-Tailed Fox from the Tailed Beast Bomb held in the wood human's hand.

After the shield created by Susanoo collided with the Tailed Beast Bomb controlled by the wood human, the two forces reached another stalemate.

But neither side intended to give up.

With both sides firing at full power, the force of the stalemate exceeded a certain critical point and erupted in a massive explosion!

The power of this blast instantly swept across dozens of kilometers, reducing all trees and land in the vicinity to dust.

A moment later.

As a breeze blew through, the smoke cleared to reveal the Nine-Tailed Fox clad in Susanoo armor.

Uchiha Madara stood on the forehead of the Nine-Tailed Fox's armor, looking down at a wooden statue of a demon on the ground, and muttered to himself:

It withstood the beast's calamity. Is that the Wood Style: Wood Suppression Jutsu...

The demon statue on the ground suddenly split down the middle, revealing Senju Hashirama, who had remained unharmed inside.

He stared solemnly in the direction of Uchiha Madara, thinking to himself:

To wear Susanoo like armor on a Tailed Beast... Madara, you really have some wild ideas.

As he thought this, a look of admiration even appeared on his face.

At this moment, Susanoo swung its blade down, but the wood human clapped its hands together to block the attack.

"I have already seen through your attack! Wood Style: Deep Forest Emergence!"

Senju Hashirama shouted.

Immediately, the ground shook as several massive wooden hands erupted from the earth, surrounding the Nine-Tailed Fox from all directions and pinning it in place.

However, this confinement did not last long.

The Nine-Tailed Fox, clad in Susanoo armor, was exceptionally powerful. Within a few breaths, it broke free from the creations of the Wood Style: Deep Forest Emergence, tearing itself away from the numerous wooden hands.

As the Nine-Tailed Fox broke free, wood splinters flew across the battlefield.

While dodging and maneuvering through the air by stepping on giant wooden blocks, Senju Hashirama noticed that the surrounding land had been ravaged into ruins, and he couldn't help but think:

If this continues, the land will be a total mess. It would be better to move toward the coast.

With this in mind, he dashed toward the south.

Uchiha Madara gave chase, shouting, "Don't run!"

As one ran and the other pursued, a frustrated Uchiha Madara unleashed an attack combining a Tailed Beast Bomb with Susanoo.

Forced to stop, Senju Hashirama used a summoning jutsu to call forth the Fivefold Rashomon, attempting to block the combined attack.

Watching the Tailed Beast Bomb crash toward the Rashomon gates, Senju Hashirama thought to himself: Use this move...

Behind him, Uchiha Madara saw it too, and likewise thought: Changing the trajectory?

Soon, when the Tailed Beast Bomb combined with Susanoo struck the Fivefold Rashomon, its trajectory was altered, sending it straight toward the other side of the sea.

Not long after, a flash of light from an explosion appeared, and both men saw the result of the move.

"It hit the land on the other side?"

Senju Hashirama tilted his head to look, a bead of cold sweat rolling down his face.

Uchiha Madara withdrew his gaze and said in a stern tone, "Hashirama, it has been a long time since we fought in earnest. You should know that I am not the same as I was before, right?"

Senju Hashirama pressed his palms together, attempting to continue his persuasion: "Everything up to now, all our efforts—do you really want to let it all go to waste, Madara?"

"There is no benefit in us fighting. This battle will only hurt the village and the shinobi; it will only insult our brothers and our comrades!"

Uchiha Madara's expression grew increasingly gloomy as he listened to his opponent.

"Are you... lecturing me?!"

Senju Hashirama issued a final ultimatum: "I do not want to kill you!"

Uchiha Madara's expression darkened even further: "Do you mean to say that you could kill me at any time?"

Realizing his words had angered the other, Senju Hashirama hurriedly tried to remedy the situation: "No, I mean... we are friends."

But Uchiha Madara would not hear it. He waved his hand to cut Hashirama off and shouted sharply: "My attack has already reached the other side of the sea!"

With that, he prepared to strike.

Senju Hashirama knew his attempt at persuasion had failed.

He muttered a helpless, "It can't be helped."

With that, he prepared to engage.

Sage Art!

Wood Style: True Several Thousand Hands!

Top Transformed Buddha!

High in the distant sky.

A pitch-black bird carried three people, all watching this terrifying battle.

These three were Hyuga Hoshishaku, Senju Yuto, and Senju Tobirama.

Senju Tobirama, who had arrived via the Flying Thunder God, originally intended to send the two children back to the village.

However, he could not win against his little nephew's stubbornness.

Furthermore, the two children had already been watching safely from high altitude for quite some time.

Thus, he decided to stay by their side, protecting the two children while observing the battle.

Although he lacked the qualifications to participate in the battle below.

He was, however, still capable of protecting others from the aftermath of the combat.

And so, the three of them watched the entire battle from atop the bird.

No one spoke during this time.

They were all stunned by the horror of the battle unfolding below.

This fierce struggle had escalated from the Nine-Tailed Fox versus the Wood Golem to the Susanoo-clad Nine-Tailed Fox versus the Sage Art: True Several Thousand Hands and the Wood Golem technique.

It progressed from the Nine-Tailed Fox being subdued by the Wood Golem to the two of them engaging in hand-to-hand combat, using taijutsu and ninjutsu for several hours straight.

Even until Yuto could no longer hold on and fell unconscious, the battle below continued.

Hoshishaku rubbed his numb cheeks and said to Master Tobirama, "Master, let me take Yuto back."

Senju Tobirama frowned as he looked at the figures below, then glanced at the unconscious Yuto and agreed to Hoshishaku's request.

"Very well. I have left the key formula for the sealing barrier on both of you. I will remain here to observe the situation."

Hoshishaku nodded and created a Shadow Clone to control the current bird.

He then took a new sealing scroll from a piece of sealing paper and began to draw.

Soon, another pitch-black bird was drawn into existence, and he picked up Yuto and stepped onto the newly created bird.

The Shadow Clone remained on the original bird to continue maintaining its form.

Once Hoshishaku's main body had secured Yuto, he headed back to Konoha without looking back.

As for the subsequent battle.

He would know everything once the Shadow Clone dissipated and transferred its memories.

He didn't even need to watch to know that the victor of this battle would be Senju Hashirama.

Therefore, there was no need to stay and continue watching.

As for reminding Master Tobirama to destroy Madara's physical body?

Better not. Everything currently was part of Black Zetsu's conspiracy.

He didn't even have the ability to protect himself; it was better not to provoke these big shots for the time being.