Mad Wolf Under the Moon: Hatake (5)

"Fire Style: Majestic Destroyer Flame!"

Susanoo instantly enveloped Madara's body. The long sword struck the blue chakra, unable to pierce even half a millimeter further. Susanoo's energy blades swung down directly at Tobirama, who vanished once more, ducking behind a tree. Madara opened his mouth, unleashing a raging torrent of fire that incinerated the entire forest before him.

Tobirama scrambled out of the sea of flames in a sorry state. Madara sneered at him, took another deep breath, and suddenly opened his mouth again.

"Fire Style: Great Fire Annihilation!"

Though it lacked the sheer scale of the previous technique, it made up for it with raw power. Suspended in mid-air, Tobirama had no leverage to dodge, and even the Body Flicker Technique could not escape an attack of such magnitude. Forced to endure it, Tobirama quickly wove hand seals, causing the vast chakra within his body to rotate rapidly.

"Water Style: Hard Whirlpool Water Blade!"

Powerful currents gathered around Tobirama, spinning rapidly to form a vortex. He then manifested a spear made of water and hurled it forward.

"Hidden Mist Technique!"

In the blink of an eye, Tobirama's movements were complete. The massive water vortex collided with the dragon of fire, creating a dense cloud of steam that blanketed the entire forest. Although Madara's Mangekyo Sharingan possessed the ability to perceive all things, it was still hindered by the thick fog. With Tobirama's added mist, Madara found it increasingly difficult to discern his surroundings.

"Sage Art: Howling Wind!"

Just as Madara grew vigilant, Mingye's voice rang out from nearby. A tangible shockwave of air slammed into the mist-filled zone. Even Madara was forced to manifest his Susanoo to steady himself against the gale. Caught off guard, Tobirama's plan to ambush Madara fell through once again. He turned and vanished quickly. Madara, having spotted Tobirama the moment he was discovered, spat out another burst of flame. The wind fueled the fire, setting the entire forest ablaze as it surged toward Tobirama.

"Water Style: Great Waterfall Technique!"

Like an ocean caught in a storm, a massive volume of water erupted at the edge of the firestorm, forming wave after wave that crashed into the wind-stoked inferno. Under the relentless assault of the tides, the flames were instantly extinguished, their arrogance washed away.

"Summoning: Manda!"

Senju Hashirama finally arrived on the scene, casting a cold gaze at Uchiha Madara. However, Madara's target was not Hashirama; he lunged toward Tobirama like a fierce tiger. Hashirama moved to intercept, but a massive, pitch-black python erupted from the nearby woods, its blood-red maw gaping wide to swallow him whole.

"Earth Style: Earth Style Wall!"

Seizing the moment, Hashirama slammed a hand onto the ground. Just as the giant python was about to devour him, an earthen wall burst from the ground beneath its jaw, striking Manda and sending it flying. Enraged, Manda lashed out with its tail. Hashirama vaulted into the air to dodge, but a chill ran down his cheek as a drop of blood splattered—he had been grazed. He looked in shock at Mingye, who had suddenly appeared beside him. Hashirama realized that even with Mingye so close, he still could not sense the man's chakra. Before he could dwell on it, Mingye launched another cold, ruthless attack.

"Earth Style: Swamp of the Underworld!"

His body turned into a log as Mingye sliced through it. Landing on the ground, Hashirama crouched, one hand pressed to the earth while the other held a scroll aloft. The hand on the ground triggered the technique, and a massive swamp appeared beneath Manda, trapping the serpent and rendering it immobile.

The scroll was tossed high into the air, releasing a barrage of large weapons that formed a staircase. Hashirama leaped across them, charging toward Mingye in the sky. He drew a massive, iron-like greatsword and swung it down. The wind whipped around Mingye, making his movements impossible to track. Forced back by the sheer pressure of the blade, Mingye narrowly evaded the strike.

Without pausing, Mingye formed a triangle with his hands, and a beam of white light shot forth. Hashirama blocked with his greatsword, shielding his body completely. The light struck the blade, causing no harm. Just as Hashirama prepared to counter, he felt his chakra turn chaotic. For him, the disruption lasted only a split second, but it was enough to lose the initiative. Mingye had already retreated ten meters into the air.

Regaining his composure, Hashirama's expression turned grave. He knew nothing of Mingye's methods, and his fighting style was deeply unsettling. Even a ninja not specialized in sensing would focus their spirit entirely on their opponent during battle, gauging their chakra fluctuations to stay ahead.

Yet, Mingye had no chakra fluctuations at all. Furthermore, the battle made it impossible to keep one's attention fully fixed on him; if one didn't keep their eyes glued to him, they might lose track of him or fall victim to another ambush.

Manda had broken free from the swamp and roared at Hashirama. It raised its tail over twenty meters high, bringing it down like a giant axe. Hashirama responded calmly. Using his own body as an axis and Yang-style chakra as a foundation, he gathered Water Style in one palm and Earth Style in the other. As he clapped his hands together, a flash of green light vanished in an instant. The earth began to tremble, and a massive wooden hand erupted from the ground, shooting toward the sky.

"Wood Style: Cloth Bag Technique!"

The wooden hand firmly grasped Manda's tail. Hashirama roared again, and three identical wooden hands emerged around the serpent, slamming into its body and subduing it in one fell swoop.

Mingye stared in shock as Manda was defeated in a single strike, cursing the serpent's incompetence in his heart. He dropped to the ground and melted into the shadows of the forest.

"Mayfly Technique!" But all of Mingye's efforts were meaningless before Hashirama, who had fully unleashed his Wood Style. To Hashirama, everything in the forest and on the earth was as clear as if he were seeing it with his own eyes. He was the true god of this terrain. His body dissolved into a pile of mud, and in the next second, he appeared behind Mingye, sweeping a leg toward his waist. Mingye blocked with one arm, but the force was too great; he was kicked into a tree.

Mingye had not expected Hashirama's strength to reach such heights. He turned to flee, but Hashirama gave him no chance. A long blade appeared in Hashirama's hand; he grabbed Mingye by the collar, slammed him against the tree, and drove the blade into the wood right beside his neck.

"Stop!"

The moment Hashirama finished, Madara's voice came from behind. A Susanoo chakra hand held Tobirama in its grip, and Madara held his war fan high, poised like a guillotine over Tobirama's head.

They stared at each other in silence. Neither Hashirama nor Madara spoke another word. Instead, Mingye curled his lips into a smile and looked at Madara, speaking calmly.

"Kill Tobirama, and we can completely suppress the Senju Clan in a short time...!"

"Mingye!"

Hashirama, never expecting Mingye to utter such cold-blooded words even while captured, shouted his name to stop him. But Mingye had no intention of stopping.

"Big Brother, he cannot kill me. What you must do now is...!"

"I told you to be quiet!"

An enraged Hashirama slammed Mingye into the ground, but in that same second, he launched a surprise attack on Madara.

Boom.

A towering tree erupted beneath Madara's feet. Simultaneously, Mingye summoned Ara to bite Hashirama's arm. Hashirama kicked Mingye away, but Mingye dug his hands into the earth, dragging himself back three meters before lunging at Hashirama again.

"Kill Tobirama!"

Mingye's words did not prompt Madara to strike. Caught off guard by the Wood Style, Tobirama seized the chance to escape the grasp of the Susanoo. Even severely wounded, Tobirama knew his objective: to kill Mingye. Both Tobirama and Mingye understood their positions within their respective clans. Strategy was not the forte of their two older brothers; thus, erasing the true brain of the opposing clan would deal a devastating blow. Sensing the faint killing intent, Mingye sneered and rolled into the forest, while Madara and Hashirama faced off in a true duel.

"It's been three years. Since that last battle, your Senju Clan has been deliberately avoiding our Uchiha Clan. Now that you've seen us wipe out the Hagoromo Clan, do you really think we're too battered to fight back?"

Hashirama did not attack, looking at Madara with sincere, grave eyes, hoping to end this senseless conflict with words.

"Enough talk. I only want to tell you that this battle is unnecessary! We share the same ideals!"

Madara looked at him with a mocking, disdainful smirk and retorted coldly.

"Ideals! What are ideals? Do you know why the world only needs one sun? Because that is all the people need!"

"Fire Style: Great Fire Annihilation!"

"Wood Style: Deep Forest Emergence!"

The ruthless flames collided with the life-filled trees. The expected scene of fire consuming wood did not occur; the trees seemed to absorb the flames, blocking everything Madara unleashed. Without a second thought, Madara activated his Susanoo. The blue skeletal warrior, wielding four blue chakra blades, began a relentless barrage of horizontal slashes against the encroaching forest.

The earth warped under the intensity of their battle. Fire burned the trees, and the trees grew rapidly in response, creating a strange, precarious balance. Yet, at that moment, Hashirama felt a sharp sting in his body. He looked down at his arm; the spot where the snake had bitten him had turned black and was emitting a foul stench. Madara noticed Hashirama's condition at the same time and spoke with haughty arrogance.