Kurama, Come With Me-Room and Board Included

Unfortunately, without the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan, Uchiha Madara still couldn't armor his Susanoo and reach Perfect Susanoo.

By now, Uchiha Madara had already developed his Susanoo to its fourth form.

"That's exactly what I had in mind, Madara."

Senju Hashirama stared solemnly at Madara.

That terrifying power must have come from the patterned eye.

"Ha!"

Senju Hashirama clasped his hands together and let out a fierce shout.

"Wood Release: Deep Forest Emergence!"

Here it comes, here it comes—the classic "shout it, and it appears" moment.

Uchiha Yang felt every cell in his body buzzing with excitement.

The clash of two ultimate powers was far more thrilling than watching it in the anime. Only seeing it happen for real could show just how hopeless it felt to face these two forces.

[Brain: As expected of Wood Release—it really is powerful. The vines struggling out of the soil look inconspicuous, but they're incredibly difficult to deal with. A pretty good area-of-effect technique.]

[Sharingan: Hmph, Wood Release is nothing special. Only absolute power matters. Those are just rotten logs.]

[Hand: You're getting worked up, you're getting worked up! Sharingan's getting worked up. I'm not focused on the power, but on the technique. Clapping your hands once without using Hand Seals—that's what I should learn!]

[Leg: Speed decides everything. I'll handle running away if we can't win.]

Still, Uchiha Yang could tell that Deep Forest Emergence wasn't yet at its full strength.

In other words, Senju Hashirama hadn't completely awakened his Sage Body, nor had he gained Senjutsu.

At this level, he still couldn't defeat Uchiha Madara.

As the battle grew more and more intense, Uchiha Madara's fighting spirit was fully roused.

The two blue blades brimming with chakra in Susanoo's hands swept down, cutting through the vines rushing toward him.

Senju Hashirama was also astonished by Madara's strength. If he hadn't awakened Wood Release, he might already have lost.

"Ha!"

Senju Hashirama's expression was solemn as he clapped his hands sharply.

The vast chakra inside him reactivated Deep Forest Emergence. The technique, which had nearly withered away, suddenly sprang back to life, sending countless vines rushing toward Uchiha Madara once more.

"Hashirama, do you still not understand the difference between us?"

"This time, I've already made it to the other shore."

Faced with the incoming vines, Uchiha Madara shouted excitedly. Several more pairs of arms appeared on his body, and blades emerged out of thin air.

Every swing sent a blade of wind slashing down, leaving countless marks across the ground.

The vines posed no threat to Uchiha Madara. He pressed forward, drawing closer to Senju Hashirama.

"I've won, Hashirama."

From inside Susanoo, Uchiha Madara looked down at Senju Hashirama and brought several blades crashing down.

"Clan leader!"

The Senju Elder and the other Senju shinobi shouted in alarm.

"Wonderful!"

Uchiha Sei and the others thought their clan leader was about to kill the Senju clan leader right there.

Only Uchiha Yang knew Senju Hashirama still had another trick up his sleeve. After all, the cunning Senju Hashirama had even managed to deceive Uchiha Madara.

"Madara! It's too early to call the winner!"

The cunning Senju Hashirama shouted excitedly and clapped his hands together. "Wood Release: Wood Human Technique!"

A dignified wooden golem appeared. Senju Hashirama held his hands together and faced Uchiha Madara's attack without fear.

Several arms emerged from the wooden golem, catching Susanoo's attack by force.

"The clan leader is mighty!"

Seeing their leader withstand the attack, the Senju shinobi breathed a sigh of relief and shouted excitedly.

"Just as expected. Everyone, stay calm."

Seeing the astonished looks on the Great Elder and the others, Uchiha Yang reassured them.

"Wood Release: Wood Dragon Technique."

Just then, Senju Hashirama gripped his wrist with one hand and opened his palm.

A wooden dragon appeared, quickly coiling around the wooden golem's shoulder before biting down on Susanoo's arm.

Uchiha Madara gave a cold snort at the sight. He was a little surprised, but still believed his strength would completely overwhelm Senju Hashirama.

Uchiha Madara's Mangekyō Sharingan glared fiercely. He ignored the toll on its power and drove Susanoo's knee forward.

The wooden golem staggered backward, and Senju Hashirama hurriedly regained his footing.

Uchiha Madara attacked again. One slash came down and cut off one of the wooden golem's arms.

"Kill!!!"

Unwilling to watch their clan leader fight while they stood by, Uchiha Sei led his men into battle.

Their target wasn't Senju Hashirama, but the other Senju.

"Uchiha Sei, I've been waiting for you."

The Senju Elder and Uchiha Sei were old acquaintances. They immediately clashed.

Since Uchiha Sake and the others had gone as well, Uchiha Kage appeared beside Uchiha Yang with the Shadow Guard to protect him.

Seeing everyone else busy while he stood watching made Uchiha Yang feel out of place. His gaze settled on the Nine-Tails, still bound and lying on the ground.

"Little Nine-Tails, I'm coming."

Uchiha Yang couldn't help grinning as he headed straight for the Nine-Tails.

The Nine-Tails had been searching for an opening when it suddenly shivered, a chill creeping through it.

"What's going on?"

The Nine-Tails had never felt such an ominous premonition before. It looked all around.

"Little Nine-Tails, I'm over here."

Seeing the Nine-Tails looking around for no apparent reason without even glancing down, Uchiha Yang called out to it.

Uchiha Kage and the Shadow Guard were startled by their master's words. They hurriedly took up battle stances.

They weren't afraid of dying. They were afraid they wouldn't be able to protect their master.

"What gives you the nerve, ignorant human?"

The Nine-Tails was enraged at being called Little Nine-Tails and swung a paw down. Though it couldn't move from where it was, it could still attack.

"Bad pets shouldn't greet their master that way."

In an instant, the Nine-Tails' descending paw stopped above Uchiha Yang's head.

Uchiha Kage was on edge. When he saw the Nine-Tails' attack stop, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.

[Sharingan: When it counts, you can still count on me. My Mangekyō Sharingan can deal with a mere Tailed Beast with just a glance.]

Uchiha Yang silently gave the Sharingan a thumbs-up.

After entering the Nine-Tails' mental space, Uchiha Yang looked at the Nine-Tails, bound by mental chains, and nodded in satisfaction.

"Kurama, come with me. I'll take care of you from now on."

"How do you know my name?"

The Nine-Tails stared at the human in astonishment. It had thought he was ordinary, but it turned out he was an Uchiha with the Mangekyō Sharingan.

Besides, only the other Tailed Beasts knew its name. There was no way a human should know it.

"I just do. I don't know why, either. Anyway, I've taken a liking to you today. You're coming with me. I'll cover all your food, drink, and other needs from now on."

The more Uchiha Yang looked at the Nine-Tails, the more he liked it. Its fur must feel wonderful to the touch.

The Nine-Tails stared at him in silence for a long time, as if it wouldn't be satisfied until it had seen right through him.