Chapter 289: I Will Help You Retrieve Your Eyes
Ōtsutsuki Isshiki, having forcibly seized Senju Hashirama's Sage Chakra, turned to the only one left—Uchiha Madara.
"Do you still intend to resist?"
Madara did not answer him. Instead, his gaze fell on Hashirama, who was pinned to the ground in a sorry state.
"Now do you understand how foolish it was to stop me back then, Hashirama?"
Though he complained, Madara had by no means given up.
He raised his hand, manipulating Susanoo, drawing his bow and aiming straight at Isshiki. His actions alone made his stance clear.
"Boom!"
An arrow, condensed entirely from immense chakra, shot toward Isshiki.
But Isshiki did not dodge or shrink in size. Instead, he suddenly summoned a massive black cube to block it.
"Rumble!"
The two forces collided midair, yet neither could overpower the other.
Madara's attack was neutralized, and Isshiki, pressing the advantage, began summoning more black cubes to counterattack.
A storm of cubes surged toward Madara, striking from all directions.
Madara's brows furrowed at once.
At this moment, his vision was heavily obstructed, and even his sensory perception was greatly impaired. He could no longer pinpoint Isshiki's exact position.
He steeled his expression and rose quickly into the sky, the cubes immediately in pursuit.
High above, the two sides clashed once more. The Truth-Seeking Orbs surrounding Madara instinctively formed a defense, while his Six Paths staff swung about, unleashing massive fireballs to bombard the oncoming cubes.
Another series of thunderous explosions followed.
"Boom, boom, boom, boom…"
Blazing fire and thick smoke from the detonations engulfed the battlefield, swallowing everything in sight.
For a time, Madara, Hashirama, and Isshiki all vanished from view.
Only after quite a while did the smoke finally clear.
When it did, Madara and Isshiki stood across from one another, eyes locked, before surging forward once again, colliding in a new round of combat.
It was obvious—until one side fell, neither would relent.
As they fought, Madara deliberately drew closer to Hashirama, retreating bit by bit toward his position.
Once near, he suddenly unleashed a vast Fire Release, engulfing the ground below in a roaring inferno.
The explosion shattered the entire earth, consuming even the pinned Hashirama in its blaze.
But Hashirama, being in Edo Tensei, quickly regenerated.
Madara spoke to him: "To defeat this man, there is only one way left. You should know what it is, Hashirama."
"If I fall here as well, then the shinobi world will have no hope!"
Hashirama, newly freed from the restraints and about to rejoin the battle, faltered at Madara's words.
He looked toward the two fierce figures battling above, and after hesitation, steeled himself.
"I'll help you take back what you want, Madara!"
With that, Hashirama quickly withdrew.
What Madara wanted—was his Rinnegan. And those eyes now rested in Nagato's hands.
Though doing so might harm the young man, for the sake of the shinobi world, and to stop Isshiki from destroying it, there seemed to be no other choice but to help Madara regain his full strength.
...
Meanwhile, Hiruzen Sarutobi had mobilized all of Konoha's remaining fighting force, doing everything in his power to lead the villagers toward safety.
Yet not long after their departure, the battle's shockwaves reached the village.
In moments, Konoha was reduced to ash, utterly annihilated.
The ground itself was pulverized to nothing thicker than a centimeter.
Where once stood the village and the endless forests surrounding it, now remained nothing but a vast, barren plain stretching to the horizon.
As Sarutobi and the others continued their retreat, suddenly Hashirama appeared ahead, overtaking them.
"It's the First Hokage!"
Sarutobi was overjoyed—but quickly noticed Hashirama's grave expression. Clearly, he was not here for pleasantries.
"This is no time for idle talk. Nagato, I have something important to tell you."
Hashirama came straight to Nagato's side.
Nagato slowed slightly and turned toward him. Hashirama explained: "First, I must apologize. But the situation is dire—Ōtsutsuki Isshiki's power has far surpassed our expectations."
"To stop him, there is only one way left. We must return the Rinnegan to Madara."
"If Madara cannot halt Isshiki, this world will cease to exist…"
"I beg of you!"
Hashirama bowed deeply to Nagato, even as his Edo Tensei body continued moving midair alongside the retreating group.
Silence fell all around.
Nagato, too, had witnessed Isshiki's terrifying might. At this moment, he could find no words.
"Do you truly believe in that man?" he asked after a pause.
"I'm sorry to burden you with such a cruel choice," Hashirama replied.
At once, Konan grew anxious.
"Nagato, don't you dare…"
"If the sacrifice of one life can save this world, I won't hesitate," Nagato said.
"What I fear… is that once Madara regains his strength, he will seek the same ends as Isshiki."
"If you can guarantee that won't happen, then what reason would I have to withhold these eyes?"
He ignored Konan's protests, speaking directly to Hashirama.
For a moment, Hashirama had no answer.
His own power no longer matched that of the true Ōtsutsuki. To make such a guarantee was impossible.
Seeing the deadlock, Hiruzen finally spoke: "Lord First… perhaps there is another way to save this world."
"Oh?"
Hashirama looked at him curiously. Hiruzen then shared what Yamanaka Inoichi had just reported.
After listening, Hashirama fell into thought. "Uchiha Dali, you say? That young man—is he really as capable as you claim?"
Clearly, he was skeptical.
After all, he had not seen Uchiha Dali's strength firsthand.
And based on his understanding of these people, even a mere tailed beast was enough to overwhelm them. To their eyes, anyone slightly stronger than themselves was revered as a god.
But whether it was truly so… only a real powerhouse could judge accurately.
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