Senju Hashirama, riding a Wood Dragon, looked across at Madara from the sky.
“Madara, stop,” Hashirama said with deep affection, “Do you really want to destroy the Village we built together?”
Uchiha Madara’s expression was calm, “Hashirama, what you believe to be peace is wrong, and I do not agree with it.”
As he spoke, the Tailed Beast Ball condensing in the Nine-Tailed’s mouth suddenly shot out.
Senju Hashirama’s pupils constricted; he hadn’t expected Madara to be serious!
He truly wanted to destroy Konoha!
Hashirama clapped his hands together, and Wood Release vines stretched out behind him, forming a massive barrier that completely blocked the impact of the Tailed Beast Ball.
Even Senju Hashirama was somewhat overwhelmed by having to hastily defend against the Tailed Beast Ball.
Sweat beaded on his forehead as he looked incredulously at his former friend, “Madara, why are you doing this…?”
“Hashirama, you’re still the same, always wishful thinking.” Uchiha Madara’s eyes were like an ancient well, undisturbed.
He had come to this battle with a resolve to die, so he naturally wouldn’t be swayed by Hashirama’s talk-no-jutsu.
“If you want to dissuade me, just give up!” Uchiha Madara looked at Hashirama with a mocking expression, “We stopped being people of the same world a long time ago.”
“Big Brother, stop being so wishy-washy!” Senju Tobirama said.
Madara wants to destroy Konoha.
Why is Big Brother still wasting words with him?
“I understand…” Hashirama murmured softly.
Madara had already embarked on a path of no return; his persuasion was useless now.
Hashirama’s gaze was firm, looking directly into Madara’s crimson Sharingan, his voice deep but each word carrying immense weight:
“I will never allow anyone to destroy the Village, not even you!”
Before his words finished, countless thick wooden stakes burst from the ground, surging towards Madara and the Nine-Tailed.
“Hashirama!”
“Madara!”
A world-shaking battle was on the verge of erupting.
Hashirama knew that Konoha could not withstand the aftermath of this battle.
He leaped up, Wood Release Chakra condensing into a giant lotus platform beneath his feet, using Wood Release to block the Nine-Tailed’s attack.
“Madara! If you’ve got the guts, follow me!”
Uchiha Madara understood Hashirama’s little scheme, but he didn’t mind.
Their battle gradually moved away from Konoha Village.
Renye watched Hashirama and Madara’s battle, too shocked to speak.
Is this really power that a human can possess?
He even felt that even if he were to awaken his Mangekyo in the future, he wouldn't be Uchiha Madara’s opponent.
Unless he found an elderly Madara hooked up to oxygen tanks thirty or forty years later.
After all, at that time, Uchiha Madara could only cling to life with the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, staggering when he walked.
Just an old man, Renye felt it would be easy to handle him.
But he only thought about it; how could Madara’s hiding place be so easy to find?
Renye felt a bit helpless.
Perhaps that was the only chance he’d ever have to defeat Madara…
Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara’s figures had already disappeared.
But the earth-shattering sounds of battle still echoed from afar.
Renye knew that the outcome of this battle would be Senju Hashirama’s victory, with Uchiha Madara faking his death to escape.
After this battle, he wouldn’t have much time left to develop…
The sounds of battle from afar lasted all night.
Until dawn, the sounds gradually faded.
Everyone knew that their battle had ended.
They began to worry, who was the final victor?
“Hokage-sama, you must win!”
The villagers couldn’t imagine what they would do if Senju Hashirama lost.
Senju Tobirama led the Konoha Ninja to the battle site.
He had originally wanted to go help, but his Big Brother had strictly refused.
Hashirama did not want anyone to disturb his battle with Madara.
Upon hearing the battle sounds cease, Senju Tobirama then led his people forward.
If Big Brother won, then all would be well.
If Madara won, they would step in and eliminate Madara.
——————
Valley of the End.
Uchiha Madara and Senju Hashirama stood opposite each other.
After a night of battle, both were utterly exhausted, their armor shattered.
Uchiha Madara didn’t even have enough Chakra to activate his Sharingan.
Both charged at each other.
Weapons clashed, and Hashirama fell to the ground.
Uchiha Madara turned around, looked at Hashirama on the ground, and said softly, “I’m the one standing, the opposite of last time.”
His thoughts returned to when he had been defeated by Hashirama.
If he had won back then, Konoha Village would not have been established.
It was precisely because of Madara’s defeat that he was tricked by Hashirama into forming an alliance and establishing Konoha Village together…
Senju Hashirama knelt on the ground, his voice low: “I want to protect the dream that has just been realized… I will never let you destroy the Village.”
Uchiha Madara looked disdainful, “Hashirama, you are nothing but a loser now, wait until I…”
Before he could finish his sentence, Hashirama suddenly appeared behind Madara and impaled his left chest with a sword.
Madara looked incredulous, lowering his head in disbelief at the blade piercing his chest.
Only then did he realize that the previous Hashirama was just a Wood Release clone.
“I was actually struck from behind…” Madara murmured softly.
“I will protect us… no, my Village!” Hashirama’s expression was serious, “No matter what happens, protecting the Village protects everything.
I firmly believe that no one who harms the Village, not even my friends, brothers, or children, will be forgiven!”
“You’ve changed, Hashirama.”
Madara’s body went limp, and he knelt on the ground, “Initially, you established the Village to protect your family and friends.
But now, to protect the Village, you can kill your friends and family… Is this not a case of putting the cart before the horse?”
After saying this, Madara slowly fell to the ground.
Hashirama looked at Madara’s corpse and fell silent.
If he could, he truly didn’t want to kill his former friend.
But there was no choice; Madara’s actions had touched his inverse scale.
In his opinion, the safety of the Village was above all else.
He sat beside Madara’s corpse and said softly, “Madara, I’ve always been trying to ease the conflict between the Senju and Uchiha.”
Hashirama showed a faint smile, “I even had Tobirama adopt one of your Uchiha children.”
“I wanted Tobirama, through his interactions with that child, to gradually dispel his prejudice against the Uchiha…”
He had originally thought Madara had only left in a fit of pique and would return to the Village before long.
He had even wanted to tell Madara about this when he returned, to give him a surprise.
He never expected such an outcome…
“Madara, farewell…”
At this moment, Senju Tobirama arrived with many Ninja.
When they saw that Hashirama was the ultimate victor, they immediately breathed a sigh of relief.
“Big Brother, are you alright?” Senju Tobirama asked with concern.
Hashirama shook his head, slowly getting up from the ground,
“Tobirama, I’m fine.”
Tobirama’s gaze fell on Madara’s corpse, his eyes full of greed.
Madara possessed the Mangekyo Sharingan.
If he could decipher the secret of the Mangekyo…
Hashirama seemed to have seen through Tobirama’s thoughts and said sternly, “Tobirama, I advise you not to have any ideas about Madara, or I will get angry!”
He would not allow anyone to desecrate his friend’s remains.
“I understand, Big Brother…”
Ultimately, Tobirama hid Madara’s remains deep in the mountains of Konoha.
——————
Deep in the mountains.
Uchiha Madara, lying in the coffin, suddenly opened his eyes.