Our Efforts... Do You Want to Let Them All Go to Waste?

"Are you crazy?" Sarutobi Hiruzen nearly jumped up. "This isn't just about dealing with a Tailed Beast! With our skill levels, getting involved would only cause trouble for the Hokage. And taking on the Nine-Tails? You're dreaming!"

"What's the rush? I told you we're waiting for the right moment," Hibari rolled his eyes.

"The right moment? What moment?" Sarutobi Hiruzen held back for a moment before finally asking.

Hibari stood on the eaves, glanced toward the Senju compound, and then looked out toward the village where the wooden giant and the Nine-Tails were battling further and further away. His voice softened. "I haven't quite figured it out yet... just waiting. Besides, aren't we both free right now?"

He actually remembered clearly that Uzumaki Mito would intervene in this battle, eventually sealing the Nine-Tails within herself and becoming the first jinchuriki.

And that was the exact moment he was waiting for. Although he knew he couldn't interfere in the duel between Hashirama and Madara, if he just stood by and waited for the outcome, he would surely regret it later.

Sarutobi Hiruzen stared at Hibari's back for a long time before finally sighing. "...Fine, then tell me, what exactly do you want to do?"

Hibari brightened up immediately. "It's not complicated. When the time comes, let's try a combination jutsu, shall we?"

"You'd better be careful," Sarutobi Hiruzen laughed. "If we really get dragged into that, people are going to die."

While the two of them were whispering and plotting how to intervene, on the other side, Uchiha Madara and Senju Hashirama were locked in a world-shaking battle.

Senju Hashirama intentionally led the battlefield away from the village. As they fought, they gradually moved toward what would later be known as the "Valley of the End."

Uchiha Madara didn't stop him. He hadn't come to destroy the village this time; his main goal was Senju Hashirama—he needed to obtain that "thing" from his old friend to make his future plans easier to execute.

Atop the Nine-Tails, Uchiha Madara held a giant fan in one hand and the scythe attached to it in the other. The Nine-Tails opened its mouth, and a small-scale Tailed Beast Bomb was fired, heading straight for Senju Hashirama.

Watching the projectile fly toward him, Senju Hashirama stood on the branch of a giant tree and pressed his palms together. "Wood Release: Wood Dragon Technique!"

Before the words had even faded, the wood beneath his feet twisted violently. In the blink of an eye, a wooden dragon surged forth, clamped its jaws around the Tailed Beast Bomb, and crushed it to pieces. The wood dragon itself shattered into debris in the process.

"Madara!!! Have you had enough?" Senju Hashirama blocked the attack, looked up at the figure atop the Nine-Tails, and his voice deepened.

Uchiha Madara frowned. "Even now, you still think I'm just throwing a tantrum? Hashirama?"

"Is there anything we can't sit down and talk about like we used to? I'll definitely help you!" Senju Hashirama said sincerely.

Uchiha Madara looked at his face, a flicker of hesitation crossing his brow, but he ultimately shook his head and muttered, "No, Hashirama..."

As he spoke, the tomoe in Uchiha Madara's eyes spun rapidly. Beneath him, the Nine-Tails threw its head back and let out a deafening roar, a terrifyingly dense Tailed Beast Bomb rapidly forming at its maw.

Without any intention of giving Senju Hashirama a chance to continue the argument, Uchiha Madara steered the Nine-Tails and blasted the projectile straight at his old friend.

Senju Hashirama's heart sank. At this point, he finally understood—Madara was truly out for his life and intended to destroy Konoha.

"Wood Release: Wood Human Technique!"

He slammed his palms together and shouted. The giant wooden figure that had moved near the Valley of the End rose up once more, steadily supporting Senju Hashirama.

The wooden giant extended a massive arm, catching the Tailed Beast Bomb in its palm just before impact.

Chakra collided violently, and the Tailed Beast Bomb expanded rapidly between the giant's fingers.

Immediately after, a blinding flash of fire tore through the wooden palm. With a thunderous explosion, the violent shockwave instantly swallowed Senju Hashirama, Uchiha Madara, and the Nine-Tails, carving a bottomless crater into the earth.

Even though they were quite far from Konoha, Hibari and Sarutobi Hiruzen could clearly see the mushroom cloud rising on the horizon. Hibari's eyelid twitched, and he couldn't help but mutter, "That should be about time, right?"

As soon as he spoke, he saw the gate of the Senju compound creak open. A beautiful woman stepped over the threshold, her gait steady, her gaze fixed on the smoke-filled battlefield in the distance—it was Senju Hashirama's wife, Uzumaki Mito.

The thick smoke from the explosion gradually dissipated, and the orange-red Nine-Tails had undergone a drastic change.

A suit of armor made of solidified chakra wrapped tightly around it; this was the formidable power granted by the Mangekyo Sharingan: "Majestic Attire: Susanoo!"

Relying on this absolute defense, Uchiha Madara and the Nine-Tails were almost unscathed by the previous impact.

On the other side, the entire primeval forest created by the battle had been reduced to splinters, and even the wooden giant that had held the Tailed Beast Bomb had vanished without a trace. In its place remained a massive wooden box.

The next moment, the lid of the box opened from the center, revealing Senju Hashirama, completely unharmed. He looked up at the Nine-Tails covered in the Susanoo armor.

Uchiha Madara was watching him too, muttering to himself, "Wood Release: Wood Shield Technique, huh... your defense is still as absurd as ever."

Senju Hashirama was also assessing his opponent's new form, sighing softly, "Using Susanoo as armor to wrap around a Tailed Beast, you really are something, Madara."

Before he finished speaking, the Nine-Tails swung the giant Susanoo sword, slashing down toward him.

Senju Hashirama didn't dodge or retreat; he pressed his palms together again. In an instant, two massive wooden hands burst from the ground, forcefully catching the descending blade in mid-air.

"I've seen through your attack, Madara!" Senju Hashirama said in a deep voice.

Almost simultaneously, several giant wooden arms erupted from the ground around the Nine-Tails, looking as if they were about to pin it firmly to the earth.

"It's not over yet!" Uchiha Madara roared. The giant Susanoo sword swept horizontally, and the surrounding wooden arms were severed instantly.

The battle intensified once more. However, Senju Hashirama keenly sensed that the ground beneath his feet had begun to tremble uncontrollably; it clearly couldn't withstand their destructive power for much longer.

"If we keep fighting, this place is going to collapse..." His thoughts raced, and his peripheral vision caught a glimpse of blue in the distance—unbeknownst to them, they were already very close to the coast.

"I have to lead him to the seaside."

With his mind made up, Senju Hashirama moved with lightning speed. Taking advantage of the moment before Uchiha Madara's next move, he pushed off the ground, stepping on flying wooden debris, and retreated rapidly toward the sea.

Seeing this, Uchiha Madara didn't hesitate to pursue, controlling the Majestic Attire Nine-Tails.

"Don't think you can run!" Uchiha Madara bellowed. The Nine-Tails gathered a pitch-black Tailed Beast Bomb in its mouth, and at the same time, he forcefully thrust the giant Susanoo sword into the orb.

As the Tailed Beast Bomb shot forward, spinning rapidly, the giant sword was carried along with it, both blasting toward the distant Senju Hashirama.

"This time, your Wood Shield Technique might not be able to take it, Hashirama!" A fierce look flashed in Uchiha Madara's eyes, his voice laced with ruthlessness.

By now, Senju Hashirama had retreated to the shore. Just as his feet touched the ground, the Tailed Beast Bomb, fused with the giant sword, came whistling toward him. Without hesitation, he pressed his finger to his lips and bit down hard.

Blood seeped out, and he slammed his hand onto the ground. "Summoning: Quintuple Rashomon!"

Almost the instant before the Tailed Beast Bomb struck, five massive Rashomon gates burst from the ground, layering themselves in front of him. Senju Hashirama had acquired these gates years ago from somewhere unknown, and their defensive power was peerless; he had managed to tame them into a summoning contract.

However, as strong as the Rashomon gates were, it was unrealistic to expect them to completely block a Tailed Beast Bomb combined with Susanoo. Senju Hashirama hadn't intended to take the hit head-on anyway.

Standing atop the Nine-Tails, Uchiha Madara frowned slightly. "Trying to change its trajectory with that?"

Before he could finish, the Tailed Beast Bomb collided with the first gate. The Rashomon couldn't even hold it for a moment before being pierced through one after another, all five gates collapsing with a roar.

Yet, just as Uchiha Madara had anticipated, the force of the impact did shift the trajectory of the Tailed Beast Bomb upward by a few degrees. It grazed the ground, plunged into the distant sea, flew across the strait, and slammed directly into a deserted island on the other side.

The entire island vanished in the explosion.

Before the dust had settled, Uchiha Madara had already closed the distance, looking down at Senju Hashirama from above. His voice was low but carried clearly: "It's been a long time since I've fought you for real... you should have realized by now, Hashirama, I'm not the same as I was before."

Senju Hashirama took a deep breath and pressed his palms together in front of his chest. But this time, he didn't launch an attack; instead, he looked up, staring intently at Uchiha Madara.

"Everything up to this point, our efforts... do you want to let them all go to waste?"

His voice was heavy. "Listen to me, Madara, continuing this fight won't benefit anyone. What you're doing will only destroy the village we built together, hurt more people, and insult the brothers who have already died!"

Fury flared in Uchiha Madara's eyes, and his tone grew irritable. "You're preaching again..."

"I don't want to kill you!" Senju Hashirama shouted.

These words, falling on Uchiha Madara's ears, completely ignited his pride. He sneered, "Oh? You mean to say you could take my life at any time?"

"No!" Senju Hashirama immediately retorted. "I mean we were once friends!"

But Uchiha Madara could no longer listen. He roared, "I have chosen a different path and will no longer walk with you!"

The Nine-Tails surged forward again at his command, lunging straight at Senju Hashirama. Seeing this, Senju Hashirama realized that reasoning was useless. Uchiha Madara had clearly fallen into paranoia and wouldn't listen to any advice.

To protect the village and those who had placed their hopes in him, Senju Hashirama's gaze hardened, and he finally made up his mind.

"Sage Art!!!" he roared.

The next second, the markings of Sage Mode instantly appeared on his face. Possessing the Sage Body, Senju Hashirama didn't need any preparation to enter a perfect Sage Mode.

Boundless chakra began to surge. Under the enhancement of senjutsu, he shouted again: "Sage Art: Wood Release: True Several Thousand Hands!!!"

The last time he had used this technique was when he was beating the Seven-Tails Chomei in the "Insect King Valley." He had nearly beaten the Seven-Tails into a state of total helplessness, forcing it to reincarnate.

And this time, the True Several Thousand Hands descended once more. A massive wooden Buddha statue rose from the ground. Even though the Nine-Tails, clad in the "Majestic Attire: Susanoo," was already enormous, this Buddha statue was still two or three times taller.

"I'm coming, Madara!!!" Senju Hashirama stood atop the Buddha's head and shouted.

Even with the overwhelming size of the True Several Thousand Hands, Uchiha Madara showed no fear. The tomoe in his Sharingan spun rapidly as he controlled the Nine-Tails to charge headlong at the Buddha.

"Come on, Hashirama!!!" Uchiha Madara's roar echoed simultaneously.

In an instant, the two giants collided with a deafening crash. Senju Hashirama immediately bellowed: "Top Transformed Buddha!!!"

The wooden Buddha responded, countless giant arms imbued with the power to shatter mountains and split rocks raining down fiercely upon Uchiha Madara and the Nine-Tails.