Second Battle of the Shinobi Gods !

00H 30M 00S

Strangely enough, seeing his rival standing in front of him caused Madara to feel an excitement he hadn't felt in years. He couldn't tell if he was really happy about the situation, but seeing Hashirama standing in front of him next to his wife gave the Uchiha a very pleasant feeling. Yet, by their postures and faces, Madara understood that they were in no way present for diplomacy... but for war !

— "I thought I killed you at the Valley of the End," Hashirama said with regret that it had not come true at that time.

For a long time he had defended this man whom he had considered a friend. But after opening his eyes to all that he had done, Hashirama could tell that he had been sorely mistaken.

This individual he had trusted was probably responsible for the eradication of Uzushio and Konoha. Yes, on second thought, it could only be him ! Only Madara Uchiha was so demented to perform Ninjutsu of this magnitude !

— "It seems that one is harder to kill than one thinks Hashirama ! After all, you were supposed to be dead yourself," Madara retorted as he strapped his Heikage hat to his belt.

— "Tch ! I won't make the same mistake twice little Uchiha... Father was right all along, you're a traitorous race who deserve nothing but death !" Hashirama exclaimed, thinking back on his father's many words.

Today this legendary ninja was no longer the happy man the world had known, he was a person who desired revenge and would do anything to get it.

— "Hn !" Madara merely replied to Hashirama's insult against the entire Uchiha clan.

— "And unlike last time, I'm not going to hold back like I did."

What Hashirama said was completely true. Throughout their existence, the Mokuton user had always held back in his fights against the Uchiha. Because he considered him his friend and they had the same goals of peace. And this Madara knew from the beginning.

— "Yes... you were better than me, I'll give you that," Madara admitted before releasing some of his chakra to make his hair flutter slightly. With this action, he revealed his Rinnegan hidden under his hair. "But that was before...," the man added smugly.

Hashirama and Mito both frowned at the sight of this ward. They had never heard of this Dôjutsu. Was this a new pupil power that belonged to another clan ? Had the Uchiha stooped to this, to steal someone else's techniques ? It wouldn't even surprise them coming from such an abject being. Unless it was an evolution of the Mangekyô Sharingan Eternal ?

They didn't know, but it didn't change their main objective.

— "Your Sharingan has never served you well against me... a new ward won't change that," the First Hokage stated before directing his right hand to the pommel of his sword. "The proof was in the pudding when Tobirama killed your brother with ease while he had the same Sharingan evolution as you."

It was a little provocation to enrage and hurt Madara. The Senju knew how quickly the Uchiha could start when his dear brothers who died in battle were mentioned. But against all odds, it did not have the desired effect. After all, Madara had had the chance to speak with his brother thanks to the Rikudô Sennin and he was now at peace with Izuna's death.

— "True... but your brother didn't really have a chance to do anything when my blade went into his heart either," Madara retorted with a sadistic smile.

The Uchiha admitted without taking his eyes off his rival that he had had his revenge. He had taken care of his own brother's killer himself. And to be able to tell the Senju this was a real delight : the revenge was all the more delicious.

— "Scum !" Hashirama shouted.

This was the last straw for the Senju ! This man was finally responsible for all his suffering ! By his actions, his entire family, his entire clan, and everyone he had ever loved had joined the other world !

— "All I did was pay him back !" Madara retorted coldly.

— "And I intend to finish what I started in the Valley of the End !"

Sakura had not lost a single moment of the exchange that was taking place before her ! There was no doubt about the outcome of this confrontation : no matter what else was said between the two greatest shinobi, the confrontation was inevitable.

The pink-haired woman did not like to fight, but today was a completely different matter. She had a goal, a people to preserve, a husband to love... a daughter waiting for her... a life to live !

It was obvious that the two men would be fighting each other in a very short time, so the two women turned their gazes to each other almost at the same time. They both knew their husband's strengths and extra help would make the difference in this next conflict.

So both understood that if they wanted to tip the balance for their husbands, they would first have to eliminate the one who accompanied them. And as each came to this same conclusion, Hashirama and Madara let loose their killing intent and their chakra to the max.

Everyone around could feel the power contained in these two shinobi and many on the walls gulped at the power.

Hashirama frowned a little more before turning his gaze to the pink haired woman for a moment. He would have thought that his killing intent alone would have been enough to throw her off balance. But she didn't, instead she stared at Mito as if he didn't exist. He had no time to wonder who she was and where she came from to fight alongside the dark-haired man.

— "I'll let you kill her," Hashirama said to his wife before charging Madara.

— "Hai," Mito replied before channeling chakra into her legs very quickly.

She propelled herself towards the pink haired woman who did not move an inch. She waited for the Jinchûriki to be in close combat, where she was most comfortable.

As in any large-scale fight, the first blow was always a test, in order to judge her opponent and see what he was worth.

The red haired woman cocked her right arm before charging it with demonic chakra. So she had managed to master the Kyûbi so she could cover herself in part with it, Sakura thought inwardly as she blocked the other woman's fist to her face with her own hand.

The blow was so powerful that a shockwave emanated from both women as the two chakras collided. Blocking the blow, Sakura felt lucky to be so precise in her chakra control. She had been able to absorb the entirety of Mito's punch with this control. However, the fox demon's chakra was the most corrosive in existence and that simple contact had slightly burned the palm of Sakura's right hand.

— "It doesn't matter who you are... it doesn't matter that you're Ashina-san's daughter! I'll prove to you that you don't attack my people without suffering the consequences," Sakura said before activating her Iryô Ninjutsu to heal her slightly injured hand.

This display of green chakra made Mito take a few steps back. She had never seen an Iryô Ninjutsu done in this manner and immediately thought it was a Kekkei Genkai. Seeing this, Mito understood that it would not be so easy to beat this woman, especially since she had managed to parry a strike loaded with demonic chakra.

— "And you're the one who dares to say that after what you did to our people ! You eradicated Uzushio ! You destroyed Konoha ! And you dare to speak of consequences !" Mito snarled before charging headlong at the Daimyô.

A Taijutsu fight ensued between the two women where for the moment it was only a question of strikes, parries, blocks and dodges. From time to time a kunai was thrown to divert attention or on the contrary to kill, but the two Kunoichi were far from being novices.

But during this exchange of blows, Mito understood one thing : never again block the blows of this woman ! Indeed, Mito had had the misfortune of trying to stop a blow from the rose and she had felt the bone in her forearm crack. She inwardly thanked the demonic chakra flowing in her veins. It allowed her to be healed quickly and resume the fight.

Suddenly, as they had moved away from each other, Sakura conjured up a kunai in a puff of smoke. It was one of her famous secret kunai, but it was different from the ones she had used against the Konoha army.

Sakura cocked her arm and threw it with her enhanced strength towards Mito who did her best to dodge the attack. Every time her enemy attacked her she became aware that this woman had phenomenal strength ! Where did she come from to have such skills ?

However, the kunai that Mito had dodged, continued its momentum before finally lighting up at the handle. The Fûinjutsu seal was activated and another kunai appeared to be propelled in the opposite direction with the same force. A very cunning seal, to surprise the enemies in the back. And it was indeed what happened to Mito, who received the kunai violently in the back.

— "Ahh !" The Uzumaki exclaimed as she felt the blade penetrate her flesh. She turned her gaze behind her to see who the enemy was that had dared to attack her : but she saw no one. She then grabbed the weapon stuck in her, twisting her arm a bit before pulling it out with a sharp jerk.

She turned her angry gaze towards Sakura as the fox demon tended to her wound.

— "No more games !" Mito said before activating her forehead seal.

A purple light emanated from her forehead before her body was covered in a multitude of Fûinjutsu seals.

Mito wanted to finish quickly.

Being in perfect harmony with her Bijû that she had trained by force thanks to her husband, the Jinchûriki charged her leg with demonic energy before striking her opponent. Sakura immediately positioned her arms at the level of her face in order to block the blow.

The blow was violent and so overpowering that Sakura knew she shouldn't take it all ! She let the power of the blow throw her backwards. The force propelled her several dozen feet towards the mountainside. As she saw the mountain approaching very quickly, Sakura immediately covered her back with an Doton Jutsu, coupled with a layer of chakra to cushion the impact.

The impact was violent and part of the mountain side Sakura was embedded in cracked.

No normal person could have survived this kind of attack.

With the satisfying certainty that Sakura was neutralized, Mito decided to propel herself towards Madara in an effort to help her husband. As soon as she got close to them, she swung a kunai in the direction of the Uchiha, but he parried it with his Gunbai without any problem.

Damn Sharingan, Mito thought as he saw the dark-haired man watching her out of the corner of his eye.

However, Madara had a completely different thought as he saw the Uzumaki attacking him : where was Sakura ? A feeling of fear came over him... he was afraid his wife was dead.

However, that feeling disappeared as quickly as it had appeared when a wave of chakra was felt. Sakura herself had activated her frontal seal, except that hers was superior to the one Mito possessed.

So it was a Sakura covered in Fûinjutsu seals, her hair fluttering and her eyes glowing white that emerged from the wall she had been embedded in.

Everyone in the area had their eyes turned in her direction as hardly anyone had seen Sakura in this state. Everyone was finally seeing the legendary pink-haired woman of the last war in action. Everyone understood from this intense release of chakra and skill why Madara had decided to marry her. She was just as monstrous as her husband.

Sakura struck the mountainside with her fist and it finally shattered. She grabbed a huge chunk of the mountain with both hands with only her strength before throwing it towards the three shinobi.

— "What the hell kind of strength is that !?" Mito exclaimed to herself as she saw the piece of mountain coming towards them. How could someone lift so much weight ? Was such strength even human ? Mito couldn't wonder any further as she turned her back to Madara and her husband before focusing the fox demon's chakra on her back.

Six huge chains covered in orange chakra emerged from her back and shot towards the huge rock that was approaching at full speed. For such corrosive energy, it was like running a knife through butter : the rock had no resistance. The huge projectile split into several pieces before hitting the ground around the three fighters.

However, being concentrated on the destruction of this projectile, Mito did not see Sakura who had previously hidden behind it. Indeed, after launching this attack, Sakura had propelled herself in the air, her fist charged with blue chakra forward. And if nothing was done, Mito was going to take the most devastating of Sakura's attacks in the face.

Hashirama was not a shinobi god for nothing and his sixth sense screamed at him that something was wrong. He disengaged from Madara with an arm wrestling move before closing the gap between them and his wife. He pushed her out of the way before gathering a huge amount of chakra in his left arm.

— "Mokuton : Kame No Tate !" Hashirama shouted as a huge wooden bulwark materialized before him. Unconsciously he created the shield not with one layer, but a dozen layers in front of him and was glad he did.

— "Shannaro !" Sakura shouted before hitting the wooden bulwark.

She had underestimated Mito Uzumaki ! She had thought that her skills alone would be enough, but she had been wrong ! Now it was over ! She was going to prove to the world that she was a warrior of their caliber, she was going to prove that Sakura Uchiha was no joke !

The wooden bulwark shattered into a thousand pieces as Hashirama looked on in shock and Madara looked on in pride. When the fist hit the wood, the ground sank a good meter and several meters in diameter in the form of a crater under the pressure exerted by the chakra of the two protagonists.

Still, the wooden technique took almost all the damage and the Senju was able to block the woman's fist with his hand.

It was the very first time that someone managed to block Sakura's technique, especially when it was aimed at killing her target. He wasn't a shinobi god for nothing to be able to do this kind of feat.

This blow which lasted only three seconds, Madara took advantage of it to direct his weapon towards Hashirama's neck which was blocked by Mito Uzumaki's kunai who was looking at this woman with apprehension. How could this woman have such a seal of Fûinjutsu and gain such power from it ?

Seeing this, Mito Uzumaki understood that she had to use all her cards to neutralize and kill this bitch of Uchiha ! So she concentrated...

It started with a glare, before Mito's body was completely covered in demonic chakra giving her a fiery appearance. Madara was very surprised at what he saw and thought that it was probably an advantage of being a Jinchûriki.

For Sakura, the reaction was quite different since she felt like she was seeing Naruto. She had the Kyûbi's cloak and that meant that she was in symbiosis with her Bijû.

The fight had only just begun ! And it would surely last a long time if the red-haired Kunoichi mastered the demonic mode.

01H 30M 00S

Four fighters, two sides, two visions of peace !

Chakra pulsed from all sides and all those on the walls had only one thought in mind : They were gods of the shinobi arts !

On top of the citadel walls, the men and women present were wide-eyed and most of them were speechless. How could it be otherwise when shinobi of their caliber were engaged in a fierce duel ? The valley was a real battlefield where nothing was spared. Houses were razed to the ground with a simple D-rank technique turned into an A-rank because they came from Hashirama or Madara.

The ground was literally deformed and it was hard to imagine that there were fields, streams or flowerbeds as the four opponents were giving it their all.

On one side there was Hashirama Senju against Madara Uchiha.

Everything was in the grace, in the gestures, in the technique and in the precision. They were the two greatest shinobi the world had ever known after the Rikudô Sennin and it showed. The weapons clashed with a regular clang from which sparks often emerged, themselves accompanied by a Ninjutsu technique. They were the very embodiment of the shinobi arts.

And on the other side, there was Mito Uzumaki versus Sakura Uchiha.

Unlike their husbands, they were in no way graceful, but rather in brutality itself. One because of her status as a Jinchûriki and the other because she was considered the strongest woman in the world.

Moreover, both women would sometimes allow themselves to take a blow that, under normal circumstances, would not have been considered. Mito managed to heal herself with the Kyûbi's chakra, and Sakura compensated her injuries with her Iryô Ninjutsu.

Besides, it was on their side that the landscape suffered the most damage. Each blow, each movement, each dodge had an impact on the surrounding nature because they were both giving their all. Each with their own goals, but each with one thing in common: unconditional support for their husband.

— "They're amazing...," said a Chunin, looking down on the scene. He who considered himself talented in some areas of the shinobi arts, realized that he was a nobody compared to these four people.

— "They are monsters, you mean," added an impressed soldier. He, like many living beings in this world, had slowly learned to accept that people were capable of magic, otherwise known as shinobi art. But seeing such a level of power had the ability to make you believe in God.

— "We must help them !" Said an Uchiha who had just come to his senses. He wanted to help his clan leader and his wife. They had done so much to make this place a place of peace. They couldn't just stand by and watch.

— "And help them how ?! Have you seen what they can do ?" Another Uchiha remarked, Sharingan activated. "Do you really think we have any chance against them ?"

— "We'd only be more of a hindrance than anything else," Ashina Uzumaki added, not taking his eyes off the battle. Many looked at the patriarch of the Uzumaki clan. After all, he too was considered a shinobi god.

— "But not you... you're a ninja of legends Uzumaki-sama," remarked a Nara who was very familiar with the clan leader's exploits.

— "Yes... but I won't interfere," the old man replied without taking his eyes off his daughter and Sakura.

— "Why not ?" Many people asked. It was their leaders who were fighting to protect them and Ashina Uzumaki refused to fight ?

— "Because my honor forbids me to intervene," Ashina added, raising his voice as he let loose some of his killing intent around him.

— "How does your... honour... prevent you from helping our sovereigns ? Is it because it's your precious daughter on the other side ?" One Uchiha dared to ask in an accusatory tone. The concerned party didn't even deign to look the dark-haired man in the eye, he didn't even deserve it.

— "Because right now... I've never been so proud of my daughter !" Ashina announced fervently. "Despite the fact that Konoha has not kept its commitments to my people, Mito Uzumaki has never broken his end of the bargain !"

The world slowly began to understand why the great Ashina Uzumaki did not intervene : because he did not want to, and more importantly, he could not.

— "Today, my daughter Mito Uzumaki, is both an impeccable wife and an exemplary woman ! She honors her clan by accompanying the man she was forced to marry, even to death to preserve her clan !" Ashina explained, speaking louder and louder. "So no ! I will not interfere ! Even though my devotion is to Madara and Sakura, my honor forbids me to intervene !"

And so, everyone understood that this was much more than a settling of scores fight.

Suddenly, as everyone listened to Ashina explain, Sakura was propelled towards the wall. She acrobatically landed with her feet perpendicular to the wall. As soon as the rose touched the stone, it lit up with a royal blue colour and a hundred seals. Indeed, Sakura was putting a lot of pressure on the wall in order to take her momentum to propel herself towards Mito !

02H 00M 00S

— "I loved watching your brother die slowly before me ! Seeing his life leave his body was pure delight," Madara taunted as he blocked Hashirama's sword. "Sometimes at night I replay his death in my mind with my Sharingan."

— "MADARA !" Hashirama shouted, he couldn't bear to hear him talk about his brother like that.

Dozens of wooden roots emerged from the ground, forcing the dark-haired man to do a backward somersault to avoid being trapped.

— "Did I strike a chord ?" Madara scoffed after propelling himself about ten meters away from the Senju. Before him came a tide of wooden roots.

Madara quickly composed three seals with his hands before finishing with the ram. He inhaled as much air as he could while imbuing it with his chakra before propelling it into his mouth.

— "Katon : Goukakyuu No Jutsu !" Madara incanted before a gigantic wave of flames spread out before him. The Ninjutsu technique was probably a hundred meters wide and over three meters high. It was so large that it was easily visible from Heiwa's wall.

Madara continued to pour out this stream of incandescent flames which, thanks to the fact that it was his primary affinity, made the flames practically blue : a sign of their powerful heat. But despite this, the stream of wood roots kept coming, again and again.

So Madara used a Rinnegan ability.

— "Kuchiyose No Jutsu !"

Hundreds of formulas appeared on the ground as the concentric rings of the Rinnegan spread apart. A huge puff of smoke appeared to reveal a huge rhinoceros charging straight ahead.

The roots were numerous, but the strength of the behemoth, amplified by its titanic size and all mixed with its momentum, shattered the wooden barrier. But what was most impressive to Madara was his vision. Indeed, the Uchiha discovered a new ability of the Rinnegan : he shared the vision of the summoning.

— "Is that..."

Madara didn't waste a moment and immediately replayed the signs of the summoning before placing his hand back on the ground.

— "Kuchiyose No Jutsu !"

Another cloud of smoke appeared to reveal a huge dog whose lips immediately curled up. He didn't need to be given an order, his connection with the possessor of the Rinnegan made him understand who his target was. And thanks to this new invocation, Madara's smile stretched, his field of vision expanded thanks to the Dôjutsu possessed by these two creatures !

Suddenly ! The rhinoceros flew over Madara !

Indeed, Madara had been so obsessed with the discovery of the abilities of this ward that he forgot about his opponent for a short while, so much so that he did not notice how the latter had gotten rid of the behemoth.

On his side, when Hashirama saw Madara's new summons, he had to think very quickly how to get rid of them. Unfortunately, he could not use his ultimate Ninjutsu of a Thousand Hands of Truth, nor his Wooden Dragon ! These techniques required Senjutsu to materialize and he could not make this monumental mistake at the risk of losing his life.

However, the Senju had more than one trick up his sleeve ! He had not stolen his nickname of Shinobi God ! Mastering his Kekkei Gekkai perfectly, he made a huge wooden golem emerge from the ground. The golem grabbed the rhinoceros by the horn before throwing it back to its summoner ! The behemoth flew through the sky and hit the ground further behind Madara. It was thus incapacitated by its violent fall and especially because of the abnormal position it had taken when it landed.

The wooden creature was not yet completely out of the ground. It then placed its gigantic wooden hand, more than three metres long, on a house that was close to it. The building could not withstand the force and weight that the golem exerted on it to support itself. It collapsed, reduced to dust. Fortunately, all the villagers had had time to take refuge in the city, for it would have been obvious that many people would have died at the battle site.

The golem, once on its feet, immediately set its sights on the rabid dog. Each of its steps, which hit the ground, made a deafening noise, testifying to its weight.

Madara's summons immediately jumped to the throat of the sylvan colossus ! He first wanted to attack the wooden dragon that surrounded the golem's torso in order to reach its head. The rabid dog was biting and clawing in all directions. Many pieces of wood were torn off and flew into the air. The dragon's head was also trying to grab hold of this animal to make it let go.

Then the golem armed its right arm in which a huge wooden stake materialized.

The gesture was clean and precise !

The stake went right through the dog, which gave a horrible cry of agony, before its body strangely changed. And under Hashirama's stunned look, the dog split into two, creating two opponents to his golem.

However, Hashirama didn't have time to think about this problem as Madara charged him once more in hand-to-hand combat. The latter had a wide smile on his face ! Madara Uchiha could not be happier than at this moment ! He had been waiting for this fight for so long, someone his own size to give it his all !

But, just before the two fighters were about to throw themselves at each other in hand-to-hand combat, they had a slight retreat. Mito passed between them, before continuing on her way as if they didn't exist, very quickly followed by Sakura. The two women had passed at an incredible speed which caught the eyes of both men for a few seconds.

Sakura began to hit the ground where Mito was just before ! A part of the valley was completely devastated ! Crevasses formed on all sides as rocks were thrown into the air. But despite the moving deformation of the ground, Mito was not buried under these blocks of land, on the contrary, she managed to remain stable.

Seeing the determination and tenacity of their respective wives, the two men had the same thought: they could never have had a better wife than these.

Then they focused on each other again and at the same time. A fraction of a second passed before they went toe to toe with all the rage in their guts.

02H 20M 00S

Hashirama was regulating his breathing. His inhalations and exhalations were getting longer and deeper, he was slowly catching his breath after all that effort. The man recognized that he had less stamina than before and that even the smallest of injuries took much longer to heal. He knew that these disadvantages were due to the fact that he could not use Senjutsu.

He had been fighting Uchiha Madara, his worst enemy, for two hours now and unfortunately he couldn't get past him. His opponent with his new ward was tougher than he remembered : he had abilities that were beyond comprehension ! Hashirama still considered himself lucky to be able to stand up to him thanks to his extraordinary reflexes !

The two shinobi were circling each other, sizing each other up, analyzing each other : they had to find the flaw in the other, find what would tip the balance. But it was also a way to give themselves a brief break from the confrontation.

They may have been considered Shinobi Gods, but their last fight in the Valley of the End had left its mark on both men's bodies. Even though no one could match them, they were less powerful, less devastating than at their peak.

— "I've already won, Hashirama," Madara suddenly said with certainty.

— "Don't take your dreams for granted Madara," the other replied skeptically.

— "Which of us still has his entire clan alive ?" The Uchiha challenged arrogantly. "I won Hashirama ! You are the last of your clan, the last of the Senju ! This endless war between our two clans is over, the Uchiha have won ! And when I am done with you, your name will disappear... forever ! Just like your beloved village," Madara taunted.

Madara loved to torture his opponents, he relished the opportunity to push them to their limits, to force them to make mistakes. In this way, he sought to provoke the flaw in Hashirama so that he could end it all ! Once and for all ! Of course, he had deliberately put forward their rivalry with the clan, while not saying that his granddaughter, Tsunade Senju, was still alive and safe in Heiwa.

— "Madara !" Hashirama shouted angrily.

He recognized the pettiness of his opponent. Madara was a sadistic person and he loved to play with people's feelings ! Hashirama almost gave in to his anger and activated one of the devastating techniques with the Senjutsu, but he changed his mind at the last second. That would have been a huge mistake and would have given him the opportunity that his enemy was trying to provoke by telling him all this.

— "Yeah... I've been enjoying smashing this village of hypocrites to bits ! And you're next," Madara gloated, raising his right hand in front of him, palm open :

— "Bansho Ten'in !" He uttered as his right pupil dilated.

Hashirama felt a force of attraction pulling him towards the Uchiha in one fell swoop, and he couldn't do anything to escape it. And as he inexorably got closer to his enemy, the latter was waiting, a sadistic smile on his face, for him to impale himself on the sword he was holding out in front of him.

The Senju absolutely had to find what to do to avoid the fatal fate that awaited him at the end of this blade. And he was not a very powerful shinobi for nothing, for he reacted immediately by making the appropriate mudrâ.

— "Mokuton : Moku Bunshin No Jutsu !" Hashirama uttered just before he was impaled by Madara's weapon whose smile turned into an annoyed grimace as he realized how the Senju had gotten away again.

Thanks to his cloning technique, Hashirama's body was transformed into a wooden clone that received the deadly blade in place of the real body of the person concerned, which itself emerged from the back of this clone. This technique saved his life and he was happy to master the Mokuton !

At the same time, at the other end of the valley, a concentration of chakra was taking place. Indeed, Mito was making a Bijûdama on a small scale. Not to throw it at Sakura who would have dodged it without any problem, but rather to target the eight rabid dogs that had been chasing her ever since the wooden golem had been blown to bits.

The attack was launched and created a deep furrow in its path before hitting the first creature. The Bijûdama, like the previous ones, first shrank before increasing in size and then exploding ! The blast and the ground shaking destabilized Hashirama and Madara for a few seconds.

Almost all of the beasts had been charred but Sakura had not been blown away by the explosion as she was far too far from the action. However, the result was still worth considering as Mito had finally understood the weak point of these summons.

The last dog to escape the explosion snorted and charged the Uzumaki again. The red-haired princess made her famous demonic chakra-covered chains appear on her back. The beast was about to jump on him and tear him apart with its fangs, but he barely had time to leap before the chains pierced him. The chains wrapped themselves around his body until they strangled him. Moreover, the corrosive chakra of the fox demon prevented any regeneration of the animal or even any division of its body.

And so it was with howls of agony that Madara's summons finally perished !

— "Die, you bastard !" Mito could not help but say before turning back to Sakura.

Sakura was about fifty meters away waiting, taking advantage of the few minutes of respite to catch her breath. Sakura had never fought so long in her life ! She was inwardly thankful for her many training sessions with Tsunade Senju for developing her stamina. But also for teaching her to regulate the toxins in her own body. Sakura took a quick look at her husband to see where he was and his position reassured her. She then placed her hands in the sign of the ram which made Mito frown, this was the first time she had ever done Ninjutsu.

The red haired warrior wondered what technique she would use. She had no way of anticipating because she couldn't read her opponent. Sure enough, since Sakura had released her frontal seal, her eyes had turned bright white. They showed no emotion or indication of her next moves. And so, Mito could only watch and wait to see what this woman had in store for him while counting on the Kyûbi's chakra to get her out of there.

And suddenly, more than a quarter of the valley began to be charged with chakra. Sakura had chosen to use the same technique she had used against the Konoha army.

It had been over two hours since she had used her feet to spread explosive tags in the ground where she and Mito were fighting. She hadn't done this with the aim of eradicating her opponent with the explosion. No, she wanted to create an opening and take advantage of the moment of surprise to act.

— "Katsu !" Sakura shouted before a horrific explosion engulfed the valley. The ground that had been ravaged was completely annihilated by the thousand explosive tags that went off at once.

And the expected result happened. Mito was in the middle of the explosions and when they started, Sakura propelled herself towards her opponent, obviously avoiding the tags she had on her feet. While in midair, Sakura cocked her chakra fist and charged at Mito who had raised her arms towards her face.

The Uzumaki had indeed been surprised by the blasts and reflexively protected herself from the resulting shrapnel. But that was her mistake, for the pink-haired Kunoichi took advantage of it and struck her in the chest. The impact was so intense that it created a shockwave that first reverberated through Mito's armor, which exploded into a thousand pieces. But it didn't stop at the simple destruction of the protections, but the wave, cumulated with the chakra overload, broke many ribs of the Jinchûriki's thoracic cage. The latter took the violence of the blow and spat blood despite herself while being pushed backwards for several meters.

She hit the ground and scraped it for about ten meters before finally stopping. She immediately put her hand to her chest because the pain was so excruciating. She let out many moans of suffering so much she was in pain, but the sensation diminished drastically ! The Kyûbi's chakra was already healing her.

03H 00M 00S

Hashirama had to do something to get the upper hand on Madara ! Madara was able to anticipate many of his attacks with his Sharingan. Moreover, not being able to use Senjutsu, Hashirama had to find an alternative to take the Uchiha as a traitor ! And this, as quickly as possible because fatigue was beginning to invade him ! He had to find a way to neutralize the Uchiha, so that he wouldn't know where to put his head !

And that's when he had an idea ! Hashirama Senju wasn't the greatest ninja of all time for nothing !

— "Mokuton : Moku Bunshin No Jutsu !" Senju recited.

He then pulled five wooden clones out of his own body and surrounded Madara on all sides. Three of the wooden clones and the original made a quick series of seals before placing their hands on the ground.

— "Doton : Tochi Keimusho !" The four Hashirama's said in unison.

Although Hashirama could not use Senjutsu, he could call upon the five natures of chakra that he mastered, especially water and earth, which were his main natures.

From the ground came four huge walls nearly five meters high as the ground beneath Madara collapsed. The other two clones jumped to the top of the walls before making a series of mudras, each one different, while channeling chakra into their lungs.

— "Katon : Goukakyuu No Jutsu !" Said the first clone before sending a continuous blast of fire at Madara below who didn't move an inch, confident in his own abilities.

— "Futon : Toppa !" The second one uttered as he expelled a continuous stream of wind to accentuate the first fire technique.

Hashirama wasn't as powerful as Madara when it came to the element of fire, but thanks to his combination with the wind, he came close. Moreover, the Senju was counting on the fact that he was enclosed within four walls to amplify the heat ! He hoped to weaken his opponent considerably, but this was without counting on the Rinnegan's abilities.

Madara had not even tried to avoid the Senju's Dôton technique. On the contrary, in a way it amused him to see his rival use his entire arsenal of techniques against him. The Uchiha was still surprised that he had not yet used his Senpo techniques, could it be that... But he didn't have time to wonder any longer as he received the combined technique of Katon and Futon.

He then stretched his right hand in the air and used another of the Rinnegan's abilities : Gakidô, the way of the hungry demons. Indeed, as the concentric rings of his eye expanded, a maelstrom of energy appeared above him and absorbed the flow of chakra that was pouring over him. This lasted for a few seconds during which he continued to absorb the two techniques. But he was surprised because it didn't last as long as he thought it would. Madara was experiencing for the first time one of the limitations of the Rinnegan : its cooldown time between each technique and the duration of some of them.

This setback was unfortunate because Hashirama did not seem to want to interrupt his technique at all. He was going to burn the Uchiha in his earthen prison ! What a feat for a virtuoso of the Fire element ! Madara knew then that he had only one alternative left if he didn't want to end up so pitifully ! But what he was about to do was using a lot of chakra and he had to admit that he was running out of chakra !

After all, they had already been fighting each other for several hours.

— "Tch !" Madara shouted before activating his Eternal Mangekyô Sharingan.

He used some of the chakra absorbed by his Rinnegan to power the third technique of his Sharingan : Susano !

All around him, chakra flows accumulated towards him, making his hair fly towards the sky. And in a few seconds, a skeletal being of about fifty meters in height appeared. The humanoid form was clad in Sengoku era armor and each hand held a huge sword, Madara at its centre at the head from which eyes flared a royal blue that stared at Hashirama.

The appearance of Susano shattered the wooden clones and the earthen walls. However, even though the humanoid was visible from the city walls, Madara knew that he could not summon the full form of his Susano, he did not have enough chakra for that. Besides, he also knew he shouldn't dally. He arched his arm so that the Susanô would attack the place where Hashirama was located in a circular strike.

The amplitude of the movement was considerable and fortunately he had his back to Heiwa, otherwise the city could have been hit by the weapon and thus swept away and annihilated.

When he saw the Susano materialize, Hashirama's eyes widened in astonishment ! Damn Sharingan ! How could he have forgotten that damned technique ! Of course the Uchiha could also use this striking power. Hashirama had to find a solution before he was cut to pieces by this giant blade that Madara would surely not hesitate to bring down on him.

And as expected, Madara arched his arm backwards to point it at him. Hashirama thought quickly, but he could think of no solution as the sword moved inexorably towards him.

Then suddenly he knew !

He made a combination of seals with such speed that his fingers seemed to blur.

— "Mokuton Hijutsu : Jukai Kôtan !"

He knew it was a very chakra intensive technique, but he had to be able to slow down the devastating sword somehow. A multitude of trees began to grow all around the Susano. He intended to use this technique to hinder Madara's movements as much as possible and if possible to hold back the sharp blade.

However, he did not allow himself to see if his idea worked because he launched another technique with the little chakra he had left:

— "Mokuton : Hôbi no Jutsu !"

This technique had only one purpose : to protect Hashirama. Once launched, the latter was surrounded by a huge defensive dome with the head of a Dragon. He was thus protected from any attack until he could find something else to parry his enemy.

The forest of trees grew at a dizzying speed, defying all the laws of nature, but it had little effect on the sword of the Susano, except to be a slight obstacle to his sharp blade.

Indeed, the sword ravaged everything in its path... the ground broke up, the trees were swept away as easily as if they were mere twigs. But it did not reach the original recipient, who had suddenly disappeared. Madara had not had time to see that his rival had hidden momentarily in his wooden dome.

The sword continued its circular motion until it reached the nearest mountain. The mountain collapsed with a deafening crash, accompanied by the blast of the strike which was even felt on Heiwa's wall.

No sooner had the sword finished its movement than the Susano began to disappear : Madara was almost out of chakra and could no longer maintain the technique. He fell breathless, one knee to the ground. He looked at Hashirama who also appeared at the same time, from his wooden dome.

So the Senju had survived !

Seeing Madara in this state, Hashirama understood that this was his chance ! He didn't think about it and started to charge his enemy while kneading the little chakra he had left. He then conjured up two more arms made of wood. Indeed, he didn't have a Sharingan like his opponent, so he was going to cheat : Madara couldn't handle four weapons at once.

They both knew that they didn't have enough chakra left to throw any more techniques at each other at the risk of consuming all of their remaining chakra. So the two men engaged in a battle of Taijutsu and Kenjutsu, the art of sword fighting.

It was now a battle of endurance : to the one who would physically break down first !

Thanks to his Sharingan, Madara remained on the defensive the whole fight, dodging and looking for an opening to finally get rid of the Senju. But the presence of Hashirama's four arms, each holding a weapon, made the task much more difficult if not impossible.

Moreover, being in hand-to-hand combat, Hashirama managed to inflict many wounds on his opponent. They were certainly not fatal, but the Uchiha's body was covered with scratches caused by the numerous strikes he had dodged in extremis. Also, in other places there were a few gashes from which blood was flowing.

— "You're not so proud now," Hashirama exulted angrily, though all his weapons were blocked by the Uchiha.

The two men were pushing each other with their arms ! The muscles of both fighters were contracted to the maximum to the point that they could be seen to flinch from the effort.

Except that Hashirama made a mistake, worthy of a beginner : he looked Madara straight in the eyes.

This was the opening Madara had been waiting for !

Madara used almost all of his remaining chakra to cast a powerful illusion on the Senju. The tomes of his Dôjutsu began to spin rapidly. But the Senju immediately closed his eyes to stay out of the illusion.

Madara aimed his sword at the Senju's neck ! This was it, the end had finally come : the blade would decapitate the Shodai Hokage since his eyes were closed. But against all odds, the Senju's arms moved by themselves, as if they had a will of their own.

The Uchiha was completely stunned : his strike had just been parried !

This was the opening the Senju clan leader was waiting for when he opened his eyes again ! He threw a violent knee strike into the belly of his enemy who gasped for breath. Hashirama didn't wait and he followed up with a foot strike to the face of the Uchiha who was half stunned. And in a last effort, Hashirama Senju struck with all his strength to propel his enemy two meters away from him before falling to the ground on one knee, completely exhausted.

With no chakra left, the wooden limbs disappeared from his back. He watched as Madara Uchiha fell noisily and painfully to the ground.

— "Argh !"