"I admit, you are strong."
"Unfortunately, your opponent is me."
Nagato's Asura Path arm was mercilessly shattered by Kawakaze, yet his expression remained unfazed.
"The Rinnegan can never unleash its full power through Nagato's body."
"If you had come here in person, maybe I'd have given you some respect."
"But now… just wait to be sealed."
Kawakaze's initial strike hadn't landed. As he touched down, his figure flickered—reappearing instantly beside Nagato.
During their clash, he had already marked Nagato's reanimated body with the Flying Thunder God Seal.
Lightning surged around Kawakaze's body, radiating a vibrant blue glow. His sword was aimed directly at Nagato's neck.
Decapitating him wouldn't kill a reanimated body, but it would render Nagato temporarily immobile.
And that brief window was all Kawakaze needed to seal him away.
"You're faster than Tobirama."
"Shinra Tensei."
Nagato reacted instantly. The blade grazed his throat, leaving a deep, sharp gash.
A massive repulsive force erupted from him, surging outward toward Kawakaze.
Yet in the blink of an eye, Kawakaze vanished once again.
"So quick to use it?"
"Five seconds... I could kill you ten times over."
Reappearing a short distance away, Kawakaze smirked.
He was curious—what else could Madara make Nagato do?
Same spot. Same angle.
Kawakaze's sword gleamed once more, as if history were repeating itself.
"You've gone too far."
Nagato was completely enraged. Was this mockery?
Yet as the blade filled his vision, he was forced to admit—there was nothing he could do.
Kawakaze was simply too fast.
With Shinra Tensei in cooldown, there was no way to evade the strike.
From the moment he had been marked with the Flying Thunder God Seal, his fate had been sealed.
Swish—
Kawakaze's blade cut through Nagato's neck effortlessly, as if slicing through air.
Nagato's headless reanimated body collapsed limply to the ground.
Paper fragments scattered as the body began to regenerate.
Without hesitation, Kawakaze reached behind him, pulling out a pre-prepared sealing scroll.
In one swift motion, he sealed Nagato away.
Securing the scroll carefully, he decided to release Nagato when the time was right.
After all, he had made a promise to Nonō—he would bring Nagato back to life.
This was only the first step.
"Well done."
"We should pick up the pace as well."
Hashirama was overjoyed to see Kawakaze swiftly take down the reanimated Nagato.
Under his control, the Wooden Giant's attacks grew even more relentless.
Against the combined assault of Hashirama, Tobirama, and Mito, the three First-Generation Kage finally lost their ability to fight back.
Mito swiftly deployed her Adamantine Sealing Chains, binding them tightly in place.
"Seal them."
Before Mito could even issue the order, Tobirama had already stepped forward, calmly retrieving the sealing scroll.
"Finally, it's over."
Hashirama let out a long breath of relief, just about to dispel the Wooden Giant—when his expression suddenly changed.
A deafening roar tore through the sky.
Then, with a thunderous crash, something heavy slammed into the ground, sending dust billowing in all directions.
A massive figure slowly emerged from the haze—a fully formed Susanoo, its cold blue light illuminating the battlefield like a towering, indomitable giant.
Its immense form, looming within the swirling dust, radiated an overwhelming pressure that made the very air feel heavy.
"I'm here!"
Madara stood proudly atop Susanoo's head, his blade slicing down toward Tobirama without hesitation.
The colossal blue sword howled through the air, carrying enough power to cleave mountains in half.
Tobirama didn't waste a moment—he vanished instantly, using the Flying Thunder God Technique to escape.
He knew better than to try blocking a direct strike from a full-powered Susanoo.
For all his grievances against Madara, even he had to acknowledge the Uchiha's overwhelming strength.
Crack!
The Adamantine Sealing Chains snapped effortlessly under the force of Madara's blade.
The three First-Generation Kages were freed once more.
"Madara, you've finally come."
Hashirama controlled the Wooden Giant, intercepting Susanoo's second strike as his sharp gaze locked onto Madara's figure.
"Lord Madara, finish them here."
"With them gone, nothing will stand in the way of your Eye of the Moon Plan."
Zetsu emerged beside Madara, his voice brimming with excitement.
He was certain that Madara now possessed the strength to eliminate all obstacles in his path.
"I don't need you making decisions for me."
Madara cast a brief glance at Zetsu, who immediately fell silent.
"Hashirama, you can't stop me."
"Tengai Shinsei."
Madara's voice carried an unshakable arrogance, as if he had already dictated the course of this battle.
The moment his words fell, both he and Susanoo swiftly formed three distinct, intricate hand seals brimming with ancient power.
In an instant, an overwhelming surge of chakra burst forth, shaking the heavens.
The once-bright sky darkened as if an unseen hand had drawn a heavy curtain over it.
Then, a massive meteor—its size rivaling that of a small mountain—tore through the heavens, plummeting toward the battlefield with annihilating force.
Pulled downward by the relentless grip of gravity, its descent only grew faster, its piercing roar echoing across the sky.
"Die!"
Madara's face twisted into a manic grin as he vanished from sight, withdrawing like a specter.
"Is this the power of Shinra Banshō...?"
"Sage Art: Wood Release—True Several Thousand Hands: Top Transformed Buddha!"
Hashirama's expression was resolute as he let out a thunderous roar.
The already towering Wooden Giant began to shift and expand at an astonishing rate.
A colossal Buddha statue, its countless massive arms stretching toward the sky, burst into existence.
With a force capable of shattering mountains, thousands of arms surged forward, unleashing a relentless barrage against the descending meteor.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Each impact sent shockwaves through the battlefield, the air itself trembling from the sheer force.
Shattered rock fragments shot through the sky like deadly projectiles, crashing to the ground with ear-splitting detonations, sending clouds of dust billowing in every direction.
As more and more of the meteor crumbled under his attacks, beads of sweat began to form on Hashirama's forehead.
Finally, after an unrelenting onslaught, the massive meteor broke apart completely, reduced to nothing but falling debris.
Just as Hashirama began to relax, he realized—
The sky was still dark.
A second meteor—twice the size of the first and radiating an even more suffocating pressure—was already plummeting toward the battlefield.
"Sage Art: Wood Release—True Several Thousand Hands: Top Transformed Buddha!"
At that moment, the same technique erupted once again—this time from Kawakaze.
A Buddha statue even grander than Hashirama's emerged from the ground, lifting Kawakaze onto its head.
Thousands of fists struck out simultaneously, their deafening impacts shaking the battlefield.
Each strike carried enough force to tear through mountains, the sheer might reverberating in the ears of all present.
At that moment, Mito, Tobirama, and the three First-Generation Kages had no desire to continue fighting.
The endless barrage of massive debris raining down forced them into a desperate struggle just to evade destruction.
Boom!
After what felt like countless blows, the second, even larger meteorite was finally shattered, reduced to a cascade of rubble falling from the sky.
"You're impressive."
"But the Two-Tails is mine."
Madara's voice rang out again, laced with mockery and disdain.
Then, without hesitation, he repeated his strategy.
Under his command, the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path opened its maw—completely absorbing the Two-Tails.
The statue, now containing four sealed Tailed Beasts, swelled in size, its aura growing even more fearsome.
An ominous, bone-chilling presence filled the battlefield.
"Damn it!"
Kawakaze cursed under his breath, his expression dark as a storm.
He had anticipated that Madara might unleash a second Tengai Shinsei.
But he had never expected his true target to be the Two-Tails.