Hearing the sound behind him, Madara's gaze sharpened, and he instinctively turned around.
Yet there was no one behind him.
His pupils suddenly contracted. As if realizing something, he snapped his head back around.
Hashirama, whom he had been holding, was already gone.
The Yin–Yang Release black rods that had been embedded in Hashirama were now scattered across the ground, as though someone had pulled them out one by one.
Yet he had not noticed any of it.
Madara's expression instantly became extremely grim. He raised his head and looked toward the few figures who had suddenly appeared in the distance.
Hashirama stood supported by Kou at one side, while Sasuke and Naruto stood farther behind them.
Kou stood at the very front, meeting Madara's gaze head-on with remarkable composure.
Madara stared fixedly at Kou ahead of him—or, more precisely, at those Six Tomoe Rinnegan. His pupils shrank.
He could sense the power within Kou suddenly surging...
Kou now possessed the strength to fight him!
"But... how is that possible?!
"How could his strength have risen to such a level in such a short time?"
Madara stared straight at Kou, his brow deeply furrowed.
"What exactly happened to that brat?!!"
Hashirama looked in surprise at his body, which had recovered in an instant. As though he understood something, he let out a long breath.
He silently retreated behind Kou, standing in front of Naruto and Sasuke as he yielded the battlefield to the younger generation before him.
Kou first glanced at everyone behind him and gave them a slight nod. Then he turned his gaze toward Madara, whose face was filled with wariness, and a smile curled across his lips.
"Sorry for the wait, Prisoner Madara!"
Kou slowly spread his hands apart, and a dazzling purple glow flashed through