Hashirama sighed, and the last trace of hesitation left his face. "Madara, if you insist on going this far, then I won't hold back."
Madara gave a cold laugh. "Do you still think I'm the same as before?"
His voice was full of confidence.
"I am stronger than I was. This war will end with my victory."
Above the battlefield, Jie watched the scene unfold. Madara Uchiha and Hashirama Senju, both in their prime. Very few people in the ninja world would ever get to watch a battle like this.
Jie also wanted to know how Hashirama would react when he discovered that Madara could use Sage Mode as well.
And if Jie could use this chance to observe Shikkotsu Forest's Sage Mode, that would be even better. He had already mastered the methods of Mount Myōboku and Ryūchi Cave. Since only Shikkotsu Forest's method remained unknown to him, he naturally wanted to see it for himself.
On the ground, Madara and Hashirama both understood that words could no longer change anything.
The battle began without warning.
Hashirama raised his hand, and a water dragon surged forward
Madara did not retreat. He pulled the gunbai from his back and swung it forward.
"Uchiha Reflection."
A strange force burst from the fan, and the water dragon was thrown back toward the Senju formation.
Even if it was only a simple Water Dragon Bullet, it had been cast by Hashirama himself. Its power was far beyond an ordinary water technique.
Tobirama stepped forward at once.
"Water Release: Hard Whirlpool Water Blade!"
Water met water in midair.
The reflected dragon burst apart above the battlefield, falling like heavy rain over both sides.
That became the signal.
The Uchiha and Senju moved almost at the same time, their shinobi crashing into each other across the field. Neither clan needed much command. They had fought this kind of battle too many times.
Hashirama did not even glance at the broken water dragon.
He clapped his hands.
"Wood Release: Deep Forest Emergence!"
"Wood Release: Wood Dragon Technique!"
The ground split open as massive trees surged upward, spreading across the battlefield like a living sea. A great wooden dragon rose from within the forest and rushed toward Madara.
Jie focused on the battle from above. This was the kind of scene that deserved proper attention.
Madara knew these two techniques too well. Both the Wood Dragon and Deep Forest Emergence could absorb chakra.
Madara's eyes changed.
The pattern of the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan appeared, and blue chakra burst from his body.
"Susanoo!"
The third form of Susanoo formed around him, wrapping him in a giant blue frame with four arms, each holding a chakra blade.
Jie understood why Madara had not used Complete Body Susanoo right away.
Madara was still a normal living person at this point, without Hashirama's cells or any kind of enhanced body. Because of that, using Complete Body Susanoo would put a heavy strain on him, so he couldn't use it freely.
His Susanoo rushed forward.
The four chakra blades slashed down one after another, cutting through the wooden dragon and tearing apart the growing forest. Massive branches shattered and fell, only to be replaced by more trees as Hashirama continued feeding chakra into the technique.
Hashirama was not surprised.
Deep Forest Emergence and the Wood Dragon were never meant to finish Madara by themselves. They were only the first step.
His hands came together again.
"Wood Release: Advent of a World of Flowering Trees!"
The forest changed. Large flowers bloomed among the giant trees, their pink petals opening one after another and pollen spreading in the air.
Jie watched with interest.
The flowers looked harmless, but the technique was anything but...
Advent of a World of Flowering Trees could still absorb chakra, and the pollen itself was poisonous. An ordinary ninja would lose the ability to fight after breathing in even a little.
The Uchiha and Senju shinobi had already moved away from the range of their clan leaders' battle. As for Madara himself, he was protected inside Susanoo. The pollen could not reach him easily.
"Fire Release: Great Fire Annihilation!"
Madara struck back without hesitation.
The flames were already powerful, and with Susanoo amplifying the technique, they looked like a sea of fire. Even Hashirama's Wood Release could not remain untouched. The flowering forest burned, turning the battlefield around the two leaders into a wall of heat and smoke.
From there, the battle quickly intensified.
Madara's flames and Yasaka Magatama tore through the forest again and again. Hashirama answered with wooden shields, giant hands, and finally the Wood Human itself.
Fire, wood, chakra blades, giant hands, and heavy wooden shields collided again and again. Every exchange shook the ground.
It had been a long time since Jie had seen a battle that actually felt worth watching like this one.
Most opponents in his own era had already fallen too far behind him. Madara and Hashirama were different. At this point in history, both of them stood at the peak of the ninja world.
After a long round of probing, Madara and Hashirama finally began to take things seriously.
Hashirama brought his hands together.
Black markings appeared on his face.
There was no long preparation and no obvious process of gathering natural energy. He simply clapped his hands, and Sage Mode was already active.
"Sage Art: Wood Release: True Several Thousand Hands!"
The earth trembled.
A vast wooden statue began to rise behind Hashirama, countless arms spreading outward like a mountain made of living wood.
At the same time, Madara's chakra surged.
More ocular power poured out from his eyes, and the third form of Susanoo began changing rapidly. The blue giant grew bigger, its armor forming as it moved toward its final form.
Complete Body Susanoo.
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