"I once thought that after the shinobi villages were established, people would come to understand one another and peace would follow, and children would no longer have to go to war. But in truth, we were completely wrong."
"Hashirama, war has continued ever since we left. Cruel slaughter has even been happening constantly. Is this really the peace you wanted?"
"The beginning of Konoha's darkness was you, Hashirama—the moment you became obsessive and lost sight of what truly mattered."
"This time, I absolutely will not repeat the same mistake."
The Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan in Madara Uchiha's eyes glowed with a resolute red light, and his face surged with battle intent.
"Let's settle this today."
"Susanoo!!!"
A world-shattering force stood at the center of the battlefield as Madara Uchiha's chakra surged wildly from Susanoo's forehead.
"Hashirama!!!"
A deep-blue sword appeared in Susanoo's palm like a laser. As it swung, the entire space trembled.
This was Madara Uchiha's strength—and he was not even at his peak. The body of the Impure World Reincarnation always came with limitations.
"Madara!!!"
Seeing that he could not persuade Madara Uchiha, Hashirama's gaze hardened. He immediately summoned the Wood Dragon, which took shape in the blink of an eye. Then he clasped his hands together and forcibly blocked the sword.
"They're fighting again." Uchiha Kyu gazed downward, sensing the two auras.
He was high above the clouds, standing atop the Divine Tree and guarding it to prevent it from being damaged.
The moment Hagoromo Otsutsuki appeared in this world, he knew that the old man would never stand by and watch him seize the Divine Tree Fruit.
Hagoromo Otsutsuki had observed the Shinobi World for so long precisely to create a better environment for the Divine Tree to grow.
A millennium of planning, only to have the