Hashirama's Resolve, Accelerated Unification!

Madara Uchiha was an incredibly arrogant man; he never cared for the opinions of others, with the sole exception of Hashirama.

Hashirama's repeated rejection of his path and his strength left Madara feeling deeply displeased.

Madara felt that his current strength was fast approaching that of the Sage of Six Paths. As for that brat Kizaru, if not for his utterly shameless fighting style, Madara did not consider him a true opponent.

Kizaru? A draw at best—that was his limit.

This was the assessment Madara had given after clashing with Kizaru.

Being looked down upon by his only friend and rival left Madara feeling not only annoyed but also somewhat impatient.

If not for the three-year pact with Kizaru, Madara would have charged into Konoha right now to fight that brat to the death, just to show that blind fool Hashirama who was truly the strongest in the Shinobi World.

The more he thought, the angrier he became. Not wanting to even sense Hashirama's presence anymore, Madara flew off, preparing to leave the Land of Grass for the time being.

Sensing Madara's chakra fading into the distance, Hashirama let out a sigh of relief.

As he was now, he was no match for a Madara wielding the Rinnegan. If Madara were to lose his head in the heat of battle, this entire region might be reduced to ruins.

Relaxing, Hashirama turned his attention to the distance, toward the "ninja" standing alone amidst the ruins of Kusagakure.

Perhaps "ninja" was no longer the right word; that Kusagakure Jonin had already turned into a monster.

Shaking his head with a sigh, no matter how much he had experienced, Hashirama still felt pained by such a tragedy.

In that moment, Hashirama suddenly recalled something Kizaru had once said: human ambition and desire are