"I told you—you can't stop me."
Madara's voice echoed across the battlefield like a tolling bell, filled with unshakable confidence and chilling resolve.
Hovering above the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, the fully formed Susanoo loomed like a divine guardian. Then, in a shocking display of power, something unprecedented occurred.
Under Madara's control, the already formidable Susanoo took on a new purpose.
Like an enormous blue mountain radiating supreme authority, it slowly descended toward the Demonic Statue.
Its massive skeletal frame began to stretch and twist unnaturally, as though each bone had been imbued with a will of its own.
Its colossal arms coiled around the statue's limbs like a pair of writhing dragons, locking the creature in place with an iron grip.
From its fingertips, eerie blue chakra surged forth like an overwhelming tide, instantly engulfing every point of contact.
The energy solidified into a dense, unbreakable web, binding sections of the Demonic Statue's body in place.
At the same time, Susanoo's broad chest and abdomen pressed downward, perfectly aligning with the statue's upper body.
The instant the two entities connected, a blinding light erupted, so intense it seemed to tear through space itself.
Within that radiance, Susanoo's armor melted into a fluid, almost living form, flowing seamlessly over the Demonic Statue's surface.
Like a master craftsman refining his greatest work, the molten chakra molded itself around the statue's head, shoulders, and back, fusing them into one.
In the span of a breath, a new monstrous entity was born.
Standing on all fours, its entire body was clad in thick, glimmering armor that radiated an eerie, cold blue light.
The armor pulsed ominously, merging with the sinister energy of the Demonic Statue, sending visible shockwaves rippling through the air.
Behind it, ten massive tails writhed like a nest of serpents, whipping up violent gusts of wind.
Then, its enormous jaws parted—
A deafening roar tore through the battlefield, drilling into the very souls of those who heard it.
Madara's ultimate fusion—Armored Outer Path Susanoo—had bared its fangs.
"You've got to be kidding me..."
Hashirama stared at the colossal beast, momentarily dazed.
He could hardly comprehend how much Madara's power had grown.
Tengai Shinsei was already devastating—but now this? He had never seen Madara wield such an ability before.
"We'll see if he's the real deal once he gets going."
"Grandfather—let's take him down!"
Unlike Hashirama, Kawakaze wasn't particularly shocked.
To him, this wasn't even Madara's final form.
The true terror was the Six Paths Madara from the original timeline.
If things reached that point, they were done for. Naruto and Sasuke weren't here to help—meaning their chances of victory were nonexistent.
With that, Kawakaze launched himself forward.
The Great Buddha surged across the battlefield like a rolling avalanche, closing in on the Armored Outer Path Susanoo.
"Get him!"
Snapped out of his brief daze, Hashirama gritted his teeth and charged as well.
The battle of the titans had begun.
Two massive Buddhas, each wielding countless fists, unleashed a relentless barrage upon the Armored Outer Path Susanoo.
Every punch carried enough force to tear the very air apart.
The deafening booms rang out like rolling thunder, shaking the battlefield.
Madara's fusion fought back fiercely—his two great swords slicing through the storm of attacks, while the ten massive tails merged into a nearly impenetrable shield.
Each collision sent massive shockwaves rippling outward, the air itself trembling under the sheer magnitude of their clash.
Madara stood tall, brimming with absolute confidence.
He had been prepared to fight both of them at once.
Yet, to his surprise—
The Armored Outer Path Susanoo was steadily being pushed back.
Despite his near-limitless reserves of chakra, he could feel the pressure mounting.
He had thought he was overestimating Kawakaze.
But now, he realized—
The real threat wasn't Hashirama.
It was Kawakaze.
"Kawakaze Hatake, I can sense something familiar in you."
"How is it possible for your chakra to be this strong?"
The more Madara fought, the more unsettled he became. He could tell that Kawakaze was far stronger than when they had last clashed.
"The power of both Senju and Uchiha..."
"I once tried to wield it myself."
"But I lacked your eyes."
"So, what do you say? Will you give them to me?"
Kawakaze saw no reason to hide the truth—Madara would figure it out sooner or later anyway.
"So, that's how it is."
"If you wanted the Rinnegan so badly, why didn't you take it from Nagato?"
"If I had done that, he might still be alive."
Madara smirked mockingly. Family, bonds—those were things only the weak clung to.
"If I had known you could come back to life, I never would have let Nagato leave my side."
"Do you think I'm like you?"
A flicker of emotion passed through Kawakaze, but he quickly composed himself.
It was true—if he had taken Nagato's Rinnegan, today's situation might never have happened.
But there was no turning back. And he had never wanted Nagato's eyes to begin with.
"Hahaha~"
"Someone like me?"
"Tell me, who do you think I am?"
"I watched Izuna die before my eyes."
"Killed by Tobirama Senju—and yet I still built Konoha with Hashirama."
"Was I wrong?"
"I wasn't wrong. The world was."
With a furious roar, Madara unleashed Shinra Tensei.
The repulsive force, combined with Susanoo's slash, finally forced Kawakaze and Hashirama back a few steps.
"Stop struggling, Madara."
Against beings of this scale, Shinra Tensei had lost its impact. Hashirama roared and charged forward once more.
As the three of them clashed again, Tsunade and the others arrived on the battlefield.
The moment they saw the scene before them, they were completely stunned.
The sheer scale of the two True Several Thousand Hands Buddhas was indescribable, and the fact that the armored Susanoo was holding its own against both was beyond belief.
"What... what even is this?"
For the first time, Jiraiya truly grasped how insignificant he was in the face of such power.
"Incredible..."
Even Orochimaru's snake-like eyes were filled with shock. He could see the insurmountable gap between Kawakaze and the rest of them.
"Uchiha... Do he and I really share the same Sharingan?"
Every counterattack from the armored Susanoo made Fugaku's eyelids twitch.
He had once believed he had touched the threshold of Uchiha's true power.
Now, he realized—he was still at the bottom of the well.
"Don't just stand there."
"Let's move."
Tsunade was the first to act, leading the others to support Mito and Tobirama.
With the Two-Tails absorbed, Mito and Tobirama were now facing a two-on-four battle.
At this rate, they wouldn't last much longer before they were sealed away.
"Where's Sarutobi-sensei?"
As Tsunade reached Mito and Tobirama's side, she realized something—
Hiruzen was missing.
"Tsuna, go save Saru."
"I don't even know if he's still alive. Go, now!"
Tobirama, unable to spare a moment, was growing anxious.
"Yes."
"I'll leave this to you."
Without hesitation, Tsunade shot off in the direction Tobirama had pointed.