A battle between gods

Though he had caught only a fleeting glimpse, Hashirama had already recognized the gigantic fox. He had never actually seen it before, but it was recorded in the Senju Clan's Clan Records.

According to the chronicles, nine monster beasts lived on this continent. Their tails numbered from one to nine, hence their other name: Tailed beasts. In the war-torn years of the past, there had been reports of monster beasts wreaking havoc. Judging by the survivors' descriptions, the culprits had undoubtedly been these nine tailed beasts.

Tailed beasts seldom appeared, but whenever they did, they left devastation in their wake, earning them a fearsome reputation. None had appeared for a long time during Hashirama's lifetime, and he had regarded them as nothing more than an ancient legend. He had never imagined that he would see one of the Monster Beasts recorded in the Clan Records with his own eyes.

The gigantic fox had nine tails and was therefore called the Nine-Tails. Hashirama had often read passages describing its astonishing power in the Clan Records, but without ever seeing it, he had had no real sense of what that meant. Now, however, he could truly feel the Nine-Tails' immense power. It was every bit as formidable as Madara's Susanoo.

Hashirama swallowed slightly. Madara alone demanded his full attention, and now he also had to face a Monster Beast just as powerful. Even he felt the crushing pressure. Judging by what he sensed, the Nine-Tails might be even harder to deal with than Madara in some respects.

After discarding his white robe, Hashirama immediately formed hand seals. Lengths of wood burst from the ground beneath him, packed as densely as roots, and lashed nimbly toward Madara.

Madara hurriedly raised his Gunbai to block the wood. Hashirama, of course, knew that the Gunbai could reflect ninjutsu, so the ground beneath Madara's feet began to tremble as well. More lengths of wood thrust up with tremendous force, while those striking the Gunbai spread apart and coiled toward Madara instead.

Seeing this, Madara swiftly retreated, escaping the encirclement of the Wood Release Secret Technique. As Hashirama's longtime rival, he knew exactly how powerful that technique was.

The trees did not stop. They kept extending, driving Madara farther away. Hashirama had resolved to fight Madara to the death, but he would not do it here in Konoha Ninja Village. With their strength, they would surely destroy the village, and that was the last thing Hashirama wanted.

"Brother, take this!" Tobirama shouted, throwing something to him.

Hashirama caught it without looking back and strapped it to his back. It was an enormous scroll containing a vast assortment of Ninja Tools stored with Sealing Jutsu. "Tobirama, I'm leaving the village to you," he said. "I won't let Madara set a single foot inside."

"Of course—" His tone shifted, and he lowered his voice. "If I lose to Madara, you must act immediately. Don't let him leave."

With the Nine-Tails present, even Hashirama could no longer guarantee that he would defeat Madara, so he prepared for the possibility of losing. Even if Madara defeated him, he would not come out unscathed. If Tobirama and the others attacked together then, they would be strong enough to finish him off!

"Brother..." Tobirama understood what Hashirama meant. Although he believed that Hashirama could never lose, he had to prepare himself for that possibility.

Hashirama smiled at his younger brother, then broke into a run and charged ahead. Under the effects of his Wood Release Secret Technique, the land before him now resembled a primeval forest. Trees tangled together in intricate knots, and the terrain had become completely unrecognizable.

Hashirama could sense Madara's powerful Chakra. Without a moment's hesitation, he headed straight for his location, and Konoha Ninja Village soon vanished behind him. The scenery streamed past in a blur of light and shadow. Suddenly, with a thought, he unfurled the scroll on his back, releasing two Katanas from its sealing formulas.

Just as he grasped them in both hands, the trees ahead burst apart with a bang, and a gleaming blade swept toward him. Hashirama hurriedly raised one Katana to block the Sickle's slash, while Madara's Gunbai parried the other.

"Let's warm up first," Madara told Hashirama. "I'll have the Nine-Tails come to us. When it arrives, our real battle will begin."

As soon as he finished speaking, Hashirama and Madara began to fight. In the blink of an eye, trees as hard as steel were sliced apart with ease, and the ringing clash of metal sounded without pause. Meanwhile, the distant Nine-Tails began making its way toward their battlefield.

The closer the Nine-Tails came, the more clearly Hashirama could sense its astonishing Chakra. Feeling that they were still too close, he deliberately led Madara farther away from Konoha Ninja Village.

Madara knew that Hashirama was drawing him to another battlefield, but he did not care. Destroying Konoha was merely something he could do along the way, not his main objective. Instead, he pressed forward, forcing Hashirama farther and farther back with increasingly vicious attacks. Naturally, this suited Hashirama perfectly. Only once they were far from Konoha Ninja Village could he fight without restraint.

After the battle between Hashirama and Madara began, Tobirama immediately ordered an emergency assembly of the village. He had already prepared for the worst. If the situation turned against them and even they could not stop Madara, the remaining villagers would have to leave to ensure that Konoha Ninja Village's legacy survived.

Kazemori Masaki also helped maintain order, gather the villagers, and assist with the evacuation. Satomi, who had been at home, hurried over as well. She still did not know what had happened. Everything had been fine at home when a sudden crash rang out, followed by fierce winds that swept through the village and destroyed many buildings.

Satomi had done extensive shinobi training with Kazemori Masaki, so she did not lose her composure. Instead, she calmly helped Kazemori Masaki while asking what had happened.

Kazemori Masaki gave her a brief explanation. Satomi could not help covering her mouth. She had never imagined that Madara would try to destroy the village, and judging by the situation, this was a crisis that could wipe out the entire place.

"Zhenghui, can Lord Hashirama win?" Satomi asked worriedly.

"He absolutely can!" Kazemori Masaki replied without hesitation.

Satomi immediately felt reassured, but she noticed that Kazemori Masaki's expression was not as optimistic as his words. She did not know that this battle between Hashirama and Madara would become a major event that affected the entire shinobi world.

Aside from marking the beginning of the First Shinobi World War, it would also allow Madara to steal the power of the Senju. On the verge of death, Indra's chakra and Asura chakra within him would merge, giving rise to the second pair of Rinnegan since the Sage of Six Paths and providing Black Zetsu with the conditions needed to carry out his plan.

Through the Eye of the Moon Plan he envisioned, Madara would directly or indirectly influence the major events that followed in the shinobi world, causing countless casualties—not to mention the global crisis brought about by Princess Kaguya's resurrection.

Kazemori Masaki silently resolved that he would never let any of that happen. The best way to prevent it was to keep the Rinnegan from appearing in this world.

There would be only one opportunity. Missing it would be like letting a tiger return to the mountains. Kazemori Masaki carefully worked out his plan. Once the battle between Hashirama and Madara was decided, his chance would come.

Just then, Kazemori Masaki saw an enormous burst of light in the distance. Though it was very far from Konoha Ninja Village, he could see it clearly. A shudder ran through him. This was Hashirama and Madara's battle. It had already transcended the realm of mortals. This was a battle between gods.

Even Tobirama, Sasuke Sarutobi, and the others did not dare approach the center of the battle. Its aftershocks alone were almost unbearable. Cold sweat broke out on Tobirama as he anxiously sensed the chakra in the distance. His greatest fear was that Hashirama's chakra would disappear while Madara's remained.

Kazemori Masaki was also using his own sensory abilities. He could not sense chakra the way Tobirama could, but he could feel natural energy. Once natural energy began flowing toward the battlefield, it would mean that Hashirama had entered Sage Mode, and the battle would be approaching its end.

(End of chapter)