Duplicity

"What?"

Kaguya's clear eyes widened in shock as intense pain surged from her abdomen. Her body, exhausted, was slow to react, and in that moment of distraction, the silver-haired girl had ambushed her.

Kaguya tightly grasped the silver-haired girl's wrist, trying to pull her hand out, but the girl's grip was like a vice, and she couldn't withdraw it. To her horror, Kaguya realized that a strange power was emanating from the silver-haired girl's arm, numbing every part of her it touched, making it feel as if it wasn't her own body.

"Become one with me," the silver-haired girl said coldly.

A shiver ran through Kaguya as she looked down and saw a white light spreading across her body, eroding it. She finally understood what was happening—the silver-haired girl was assimilating her. If she succeeded, Kaguya would cease to exist.

In other words, she would die.

On the battlefield.

A powerful repulsive force swept towards Hashirama Senju and Konan as they ran.

Hashirama's eyes narrowed. When he saw Kaguya raise her hand, he sensed danger. He stopped immediately, channeling chakra into his right hand and slamming it into the ground.

"Quintuple Rashomon!"

With a massive roar, the ground shook violently, and dust and debris flew everywhere. Five enormous iron gates rose from the earth, each about ten meters wide and several dozen meters high, with demonic faces carved into them, their mouths open in a menacing snarl.

"Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!"

Amidst the continuous explosions, wood chips flew and stones scattered. The first four Rashomon gates couldn't withstand the immense force and shattered to pieces. Fortunately, the fifth gate held, though its center was deeply indented and nearly pierced through, leaving it teetering precariously.

Hashirama was shocked. Though his power was diminished due to his reanimation state, the Rashomon's defense was still formidable. Yet, this girl had destroyed it with a single blow.

It seemed Black Zetsu was right—if she wasn't stopped, the world could indeed face destruction.

"Sage Mode!"

Red markings appeared on Hashirama's face as his chakra surged, and his aura grew significantly stronger. Yet, he knew he was missing an arm and couldn't perform hand seals, limiting his jutsu to close combat.

Meanwhile, Konan, having transformed paper into wings, flew above Kaguya, her fingers weaving hand seals rapidly.

"Paper Rain!"

Countless sheets of paper shot from Konan's wings, swarming down like a torrential rain towards Kaguya.

"Boom!"

Paper folded into spears rained down like a storm, the sound of them slicing through the air echoing in rapid succession. The paper struck the ground, raising clouds of dust that filled the air.

As the paper rain ceased and the dust hung in the air, Hashirama charged towards Kaguya through the swirling smoke like an arrow released from a bow.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

Sounds of battle emerged from within the smoke and dust, and two figures could be seen faintly, occasionally separating and coming together, locked in fierce combat. The fierce winds they generated swept the dust away, revealing the two figures.

Hashirama Senju, seasoned from countless battles, possessed vast combat experience, and his techniques were agile and skilled. However, Kaguya's strength far surpassed his. Throughout the ongoing battle, he could not find a single weakness in Kaguya, nor could he inflict any effective damage.

With a "bang," Hashirama was sent flying and crashed heavily into the ground, smashing into a distant rock and shattering it into pieces, sending debris flying and dust billowing.

Just as Hashirama tried to rise from the rubble, his vision blurred, and a silver-haired girl appeared before him, her pale hand aimed at his head. A black Truth-Seeking Ball began to expand, and if it struck him, he would be obliterated.

Konan wanted to rush to his aid, but it was too late.

Hashirama's pupils shrank, and he gritted his teeth, a hint of reluctance on his face. Although he had already died once, he did not wish to see the world he had lived in destroyed, as it held his most precious memories.

Was this the end of everything?

"Chibaku Tensei."

At that moment, a giant meteor streaked across the sky, blazing fiercely as it plummeted towards Hashirama's location, appearing before them in an instant. Kaguya turned to look at the sky, momentarily stunned by the sudden meteor.

"Boom!"

The meteor slammed into the ground, causing it to cave in and crack. A deafening roar resounded through the heavens. A massive mushroom cloud slowly rose, scorching winds mixed with powerful shockwaves surged forth, smoke billowed, and flames shot skyward. Everything on the ground was flattened, and the shockwaves swept the clouds away, revealing the blue sky.

When it was over, a crater over a hundred meters in diameter and several dozen meters deep remained, still smoldering and emitting a burnt odor.

Dust gradually gathered together, reforming Hashirama's body. Because he was reanimated and Chibaku Tensei wasn't using Yin-Yang Release, it didn't harm him, though his missing half-body hadn't regenerated.

"Madara, why are you here?" Hashirama quickly turned, asking in delight.

"Hmph," Madara Uchiha snorted, crossing his arms. "Can't I be here?"

"No," Hashirama chuckled awkwardly, "that's not what I meant."

"It's nothing," Madara glanced at Hashirama. "I just don't want to see you like a beaten dog. As my opponent, wouldn't that make me look pathetic?"

"Madara," Hashirama smiled brightly. "Thank you for your concern."

"I already told you, I'm not helping you," Madara, seeming embarrassed at being seen through, shouted loudly, "don't get the wrong idea."

"Watch out!"

A dark shadow flashed in the distance, shooting towards them like lightning. In an instant, it was right in front of them. Madara's pupils contracted—he had been so caught up in the moment that he didn't notice the incoming attack.

He wanted to dodge, but it was too late.