Ryuto lay on the wooden hand, struggling even to breathe.
He felt hollowed out. Every cell screamed with exhaustion, and he did not even have the strength to lift his eyelids.
"Broke... broke through..." The corner of his mouth twitched. He wanted to smile, but his face would not move.
Hashirama jumped down from the Wood Buddha's head and landed beside him.
"Are you all right?" Hashirama asked, a little breathless.
"Won't die... just... can't move..." Ryuto squeezed the words out between his teeth.
Hashirama nodded and looked toward Madara in the distance.
Madara knelt on one knee, his eyes still bleeding, but he held himself up without collapsing.
Izuna lay beside him, motionless.
"It's over," Hashirama said, turning to help Ryuto up.
Just then-
Boom! Boom, boom, boom, boom!
Explosions suddenly erupted outside the canyon.
Not one or two, but a dense barrage, like firecrackers at New Year.
Then came cries of battle.
The clash of blades.
The roar of ninjutsu colliding.
Screams.
They all mingled into a deafening racket.
Hashirama's expression changed.
"What's going on?"
Madara raised his head, wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, and sneered.
"I told you... it's not over..."
"The small fry couldn't wait any longer."
Hashirama immediately sensed for chakra.
His face darkened.
"The Uzumaki... the Hyuga... and..."
He paused.
"The Kaguya Clan? What are they doing here?"
Madara forced himself to his feet. His legs wobbled, but he did not fall.
"Who knows... but since they're here..."
"We'll deal with them all."
Hashirama ignored him and quickly looked at Ryuto.
Ryuto still lay on the wooden hand, unable to move.
Madara was badly wounded, and Izuna was unconscious.
Of the four of them, three were out of commission.
Only he had any strength left.
But outside, at least three