The Power to Turn Stillness into Motion

"Did it fall down...?"

Uchiha Madara deactivated Susanoo and slowly walked up to the waterfall that had been split in two. "I'll have White Zetsu look for it later..."

--Rumble!

Just as Uchiha Madara ended his battle stance and was about to call White Zetsu over to clean up and dive in to retrieve the talisman, the rocks beneath his feet suddenly began to tremble. Countless tiny droplets of water sprayed into the air, and a massive shadow blotted out the sky above him. He immediately leaped to the top of the waterfall and turned to look up.

"Oh?! Isn't that Madara?! You've gotten so old!"

"!"

That familiar voice, familiar chakra, and familiar way of speaking?! Uchiha Madara's eyes flew wide open. The gigantic figure above him was unmistakably a statue of Senju Hashirama. For some reason, though, it had come to life!

And it was even wearing the exact same expression as the "Are You Hurt" secret art image!

"Hashirama?!"

Madara immediately dismissed the thought. How could that be?! Hashirama had died decades ago. He had even secretly attended Hashirama's funeral and had White Zetsu bring offerings for him. How could he possibly still be alive?!

Besides, there was no way Senju Hashirama could look like a statue hundreds of meters tall, right?!

"What's wrong, Madara? You look like you've seen a ghost! By the way, have you gotten shorter? Hmm... Is it because you're old...?"

After the Hashirama statue had looked him over for a while, Uchiha Madara grew increasingly annoyed. He had no idea why the statue had suddenly come to life, but as far as he was concerned, it was an impostor pretending to be his best friend! It absolutely could not be allowed to exist!

"Wait! Didn't you die before me, Madara?!"

Just as Uchiha Madara decided to personally get rid of the impostor, Statue Hashirama seemed to realize something, too. He remembered stabbing Madara in the back and killing him with his own hands! How could Madara have grown so old?!

Could it be... just as Tobirama had said, that Madara's body had suddenly disappeared back then because he was plotting some kind of scheme?

And the Uchiha Madara he had killed had only been an illusion or a clone?

Then what was Madara's goal?

Statue Hashirama was just about to ask when Uchiha Madara had already finished forming Hand Seals and unleashed "Fire Release: Dragon Flame Song Technique."

Four fire dragons shot out, growing larger as they rode the wind until they were enormous. They attacked simultaneously from above, below, left, and right, leaving almost no way to dodge.

Seeing there was nowhere to hide, Statue Hashirama clapped his hands and immediately formed Hand Seals. "Wood Release: Wood Human Shield Technique!"

Wood Release: Wood Human Shield Technique was a legendary Wood Release secret technique that only Senju Hashirama could use. It was a type of Sealing Jutsu. The user summoned two enormous shields shaped like demonic faces with fangs, then pressed them tightly together. It was said that they could ward off any disaster, making it Senju Hashirama's "absolute defense."

But compared to the real Hashirama's "Wood Release: Wood Human Shield Technique," the statue's version was clearly much larger.

The fire dragons exploded against the demonic-face shields. Uchiha Madara was somewhat surprised. The statue could actually use Hashirama's ninjutsu?!

Could it be... that this was another secret technique cooked up by that naturally evil white-haired brat?

"Madara, are you trying to destroy Konoha again?!" After the Hashirama statue blocked Madara's Fire Release, its kindly expression turned stern.

"Destroy Konoha? That has nothing to do with you, you fake!"

The expression on Statue Hashirama's face was exactly the same as the real Hashirama's had once been. Madara instantly flared with anger. "You're just a statue... and you dare lecture me!"

"Susanoo!"

Uchiha Madara's Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan spun rapidly, and a vast amount of chakra erupted from his body as he entered the fourth stage of Susanoo.

It was larger than its original third-stage form and now wore Tengu Armor.

"Can't be helped..."

Statue Hashirama looked at the Susanoo before him, which was a size smaller than himself, still unaware of how unusual his own body was. He closed and opened his eyes, and the "face markings" that signified entry into Sage Mode appeared.

"Sage Art: Wood Release: True Several Thousand Hands!!"

Statue Hashirama pressed his hands together and created a gigantic Thousand-Armed Buddha Statue. Since Statue Hashirama was larger, he used more chakra, and the Thousand-Armed Buddha Statue he created was even larger than the one from his battle with Uchiha Madara at the Valley of the End.

"Madara, I don't want to kill you a second time!"

In Madara's eyes, those words were undoubtedly a provocation and an insult, especially coming from an impostor. As chakra vast as the sea surged from within him, Susanoo changed as well.

"Complete Body Susanoo!"

With a beat of its wings, the colossal Tengu warrior soared upward, towering between heaven and earth. It was larger than a mountain and took on the form of a war god, with combat prowess to rival a Tailed Beast. Wings formed from the armor on its back and a pair of swords allowed it to fly through the sky and use the ninjutsu its wielder excelled at.

"Yasakani Magatama!"

Countless chakra Tomoe shot out. Hashirama immediately controlled the Thousand-Armed Buddha Statue's fists to meet them.

--Bang! Bang! Bang!

The fists collided with the Tomoe, stopping them, but the fists that blocked them also shattered. However, Statue Hashirama's chakra was just as vast as the real Hashirama's, and he kept creating new fists to clash with Madara's attacks.

"Tch...!"

Seeing that his long-range attacks weren't very effective, Uchiha Madara made Complete Body Susanoo land. It gripped two giant swords and swung them down fiercely, sending slashes of sword energy streaking out with visible blue chakra trails.

Statue Hashirama leaped into the air to dodge the sword energy, then formed Hand Seals once more. "Wood Release: Wood Golem Technique!"

Using his enormous reserves of chakra, Statue Hashirama quickly created a gigantic wooden golem. His statue body was already incredibly huge, so the Wood Golem was even more massive. Madara's Complete Body Susanoo looked like a child standing before it.

"Madara!"

"Hashirama!"

Although he knew full well that the other was an impostor, Uchiha Madara couldn't help but resonate with Statue Hashirama's shout. His blood raced as he controlled Complete Body Susanoo to swing its two enormous samurai swords in a horizontal slash.

Statue Hashirama's seemingly clumsy Wood Golem nimbly crouched to dodge the attack. It seized its chance and punched Complete Body Susanoo right in the head—at the spot where Madara was.

--Bang!

The Wood Golem's heavy fist slammed into Complete Body Susanoo's Tengu mask. The force was so great that even Madara inside felt intense pressure.

Then came weightlessness! Complete Body Susanoo's feet left the ground, but under Madara's control, it quickly turned around and slashed at Statue Hashirama several times.

--Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

The fierce sword energy struck the Wood Golem in the abdomen. Though it couldn't destroy it, the attacks still forced the Wood Golem back hundreds of meters.

"Heh... Hashirama's Wood Release, is it? You've imitated it to perfection."

"Since I can't fight the real Hashirama for now, I'll use you to test my skills!"

As Uchiha Madara spoke, he removed his armor and the dark blue robe beneath it, revealing Hashirama's face on his chest.

"That's...!"

Statue Hashirama looked on in shock as Madara began forming Hand Seals. At the same time, Complete Body Susanoo began forming the same seals—

"Wood Release: Deep Forest Emergence!"