Konoha: The thirty-year-old Uchiha lacks motivation.

Looking at Tobirama Senju standing in front of him, Madara Uchiha seemed to have seen a ghost. If he weren't sure he was truly conscious, he would have wanted to slap himself twice to clear his head.

"White Hair, have you taken the wrong medicine?"

"Stop talking nonsense, you're no match for him. Take Jing and the others and run."

Tobirama Senju did not turn around, but his voice carried an undeniable resolve.

The combination of Madara Uchiha and Kurama (the Nine-Tails) could basically sweep across the entire ninja world, but he was now facing Hashirama at his peak, having unleashed the True Several Thousand Hands. Two fists are no match for a thousand hands; their combat power was clearly on a different level.

For Madara Uchiha, only defeat awaited him.

"Escape? That word doesn't exist in my dictionary, Madara Uchiha's dictionary."

Frustrated, Madara Uchiha swatted away the arm blocking his way and stepped forward, his fighting spirit undiminished.

"You don't need to worry about me, he can't stop me if I want to leave."

Tobirama Senju glanced at Madara Uchiha, who was standing next to him, with a slightly unease in his eyes. He thought that Madara hadn't left because he was worried about his safety.

Having mastered the Flying Thunder God Technique, he could come and go as he pleased. As long as Madara Uchiha and the F6 were safely evacuated, Tobirama Senju could run away at will.

Don't flatter yourself.

Madara Uchiha glanced at Tobirama Senju, whose expression had softened, and shook his head dismissively.

"Get out of the way, I've just finished warming up."

"Don't be stubborn. Don't forget who you are now."

"You've reminded me, I am the Hokage!"

"you"

Looking at the stubborn Madara Uchiha, Tobirama Senju was momentarily speechless.

"Neither of you are getting away."

Having witnessed the two shirking responsibility, Clone Number Nine impatiently interjected, and as he spoke, he clasped his hands together, causing thick wooden branches to sprout from the ground above the Buddha's scalp.

Madara Uchiha and Tobirama Senju's eyes narrowed, and they dodged to the left and right in perfect unison. However, these Wood Release creations, nourished by Sage Chakra, became even thicker and more agile, moving as if unlocked, and accurately chasing after the two figures who had not yet fallen.

"That's really troublesome."

In mid-air, Tobirama Senju frowned, formed a hand seal, and vanished in a flash of blue light.

When he reappeared, he was already behind the clone, and the kunai in his hand, gleaming coldly, suddenly thrust towards the opponent's vulnerable neck.

"Ding!"

Unfortunately, a wooden shield rose from the ground, easily deflecting Tobirama Senju's sneak attack.

"Tsk."

Having failed in his first attack, Tobirama Senju ceased his fighting and vanished once more in a flash of blue light.

"If you can't even break through his defenses, don't waste your energy here."

Madara Uchiha had already dealt with the stalker, Kizuna, and turned to look at Tobirama Senju, who had arrived beside him using the Flying Thunder God Technique. A slight smirk played on his lips, his words dripping with sarcasm.

"You're the same. Wood Release is the bane of Tailed Beasts. Even if you have the protection of the Knight System and can be immune to some of the effects of Wood Release, with the support of Sage Mode, it's only a matter of time before his Wood Release wears you down."

Feeling that Madara Uchiha was being somewhat ungrateful, Tobirama Senju gritted his teeth and retaliated.

If he weren't worried about the village being leaderless, he wouldn't care about Uchiha Madara's life or death. That inherently evil old man Uchiha should die sooner rather than later.

"Mere Wood Release."

Madara Uchiha swung his sword, severing several incoming wooden branches. He then transformed his spear blade into a gun, unleashing a white beam of light.

"Crackling! Crackling! Crackling!"

The clone, expressionless, raised a hand, and a wooden wall protected it completely. The chakra bullets formed from the tailed beast's power could only leave a dense array of shallow dents on the wooden shield.

"Stop resisting and become nourishment for my evolution."

As the smoke cleared, the wooden shield slowly opened, revealing an unharmed clone inside. His eyes, which had been fixed on Uchiha Madara and his companion, now held a more human-like yearning; his covetous gaze was filled with greed.

He can become a real human once he consumes these two chakra pills created by humans.

Thinking of this, the clone's face once again displayed the gentle smile it had shown before, which was extremely irritating to Madara Uchiha and his companion.

"Boom!"

Having grown tired of the cat-and-mouse game, the newly awakened clone slowly clasped its hands together, and the wooden Buddha statue sitting cross-legged on a lotus seat finally began to move.

"Go down."

The next second, Madara and his companion found themselves shrouded in a massive shadow. Looking up, they saw the sky filled with countless enormous wooden hands, surging towards them like a tidal wave.

"Come with me!"

While Madara Uchiha was still in a daze, Tobirama Senju raised his hand and placed it on Madara's shoulder. A flash of blue light appeared, and after a dizzying moment, the two of them appeared at the feet of the wooden doll.

"You're doing something unnecessary again."

Turning to look at Tobirama Senju, whose expression was grave, Madara Uchiha slapped his hand away.

"Hokage-sama, teacher!"

The F6 members, who had remained silent to the side, leaped down in front of the two, their expressions showing a hint of fear.

This is not a battle they can participate in.

"Why are you still here?"

Tobirama Senju frowned deeply. He had thought that his disciples would have scattered like birds and beasts when the war started, thus preserving the flame of Konoha.

"How can we leave without the teacher's permission?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi knelt on one knee, his gaze fixed firmly on his teacher's somber face. Although the enemy could not be defeated, they would never desert their posts.

"That's right, Konoha has no deserters."

Compared to the slightly annoyed Tobirama Senju, Madara Uchiha somewhat appreciated the behavior of these young people.

As expected of a disciple taught by his older cousin, he may be a bit weak, but his courage is commendable.

"Alright, you hold them off for a bit, I'll take them away first."

Rubbing his throbbing temples, Tobirama Senju decided to send his disciples away first, otherwise they might die from unknown area-of-effect attacks once the indiscriminate battle began.

"Running, all you do is run, you have no backbone whatsoever as the Konoha village chief."

Madara Uchiha glared at Tobirama Senju, who was preparing to use the Flying Thunder God Technique to take down the F6.

"Reckless courage is not advisable."

Tobirama Senju knew that none of them combined could defeat the Sage clone. Rather than face certain death, they decided to protect themselves and fight another day.

"None of you will escape."

Just as the two were arguing, the clone's voice came from above, the arms behind the Buddha grew wildly, and a huge shadow enveloped the entire sky.

That's too late!

With countless fists, like small mountains, about to fall, Tobirama Senju, who hadn't even found the coordinates yet, felt a chill run down his spine.

It doesn't matter if he dies here, but if the F6 are gone, how will he explain it to the villagers? These are the future of the ninja clan.

Especially for Mirror, if Mirror dies here, that curly-haired guy will surely take his life. Even if he escapes death, there will be no place for him in the entire Hidden Leaf Village.

Whoosh!

Suddenly, a white figure blocked their path. Tobirama Senju stared in astonishment at Madara Uchiha, who had removed the Driver from his waist, his mind filled with huge question marks.

"Are you out of your mind?"

Madara Uchiha has the Knight Armor protecting him, so he should be able to withstand this attack. Now, he's throwing away his last lifeline. Does he really not want to live anymore?

"Only magic can defeat magic."

After reverting to his original form, Madara Uchiha showed no panic in the face of the overwhelming barrage of fists. Instead, he did something that surprised everyone.

Hands clasped together

"you?"

Seeing that familiar movement, Tobirama Senju's brain instantly went blank. Could it be that this evil Uchiha old man had learned...?

"Wood Release: Ranking Technique".

A rich life force surged from Madara Uchiha's body, and blue Wood Release energy poured into the ground, causing a wooden shield shaped like a fanged demon face to rise from the ground and tightly envelop everyone.

The next second after everything went black, everyone heard a continuous series of explosions.

"Boom!"

About ten minutes later, the explosions gradually subsided, and the wooden shields above everyone's heads also disappeared.

The group, now seeing the light of day again, looked down at the isolated island centered on them, then looked up at the huge craters that had been smashed into their surroundings. They all swallowed hard.

"Is this really something a human being could do?"

However, compared to being astonished by the Buddha's terrifying attack power, Tobirama Senju was more concerned about something else.

"Where did you steal this Wood Release technique from!?"

"Stealing techniques? I, the Hokage, am not even qualified to look at the Scroll of Seals?"

Madara Uchiha reveled in the jealous expression on Tobirama Senju's face, feeling an overwhelming sense of satisfaction.

"No, how did you awaken Wood Release!?"

Realizing he had asked the wrong question, Tobirama Senju quickly corrected himself.

"You're an Uchiha! Answer me!"

He couldn't believe that someone from the Uchiha clan, who had absolutely no connection to them, could awaken his older brother's unique bloodline, something he himself didn't possess.

"Who says only the Senju can awaken Wood Release? Compared to the Senju, we Uchiha should be called the Wood Release clan."

Seeing Tobirama Senju jumping up and down, Madara Uchiha curled his lip, the image of Gin Uchiha using Wood Release flashing through his mind.

[2 > 1]

We, the Uchiha, are the true lineage of Wood Release bloodline.

"What do you mean by that?"

"It doesn't mean anything, I'm just afraid that if you know the truth, you'll start to question the meaning of life."

"What's the truth?"

Madara Uchiha turned his head back, and Tobirama Senju, seeing this, was about to continue questioning him, but the other man leaped forward first.

"I'll tell you when we get back, so don't be surprised."

"Wood Release: Giant Wood Golem Technique!"

Rumbling--

A giant Arhat, resembling the wooden puppet of Hashirama Senju, rose from the ground. However, under the influence of Madara Uchiha's Wood Release power, his body rapidly expanded, growing to the height of the wooden puppet Buddha in the blink of an eye.

"Huff, huff."

Slightly out of breath, Madara Uchiha stood atop the colossal wooden golem, his crimson eyes gleaming with a sinister light through the eerie patterns that formed them.

As expected, Wood Release can also amplify power.

"what?"

A hundred meters away in the void above the battlefield, a questioning voice came from a dark red portal, seemingly surprised by Uchiha Madara's unexpected performance.

"Wow!"

Those who witnessed this scene, including Tobirama Senju, almost popped their eyes out. They never expected that Madara Uchiha not only knew Wood Release, but could also summon a gigantic wooden figure comparable in size to the Great Buddha of Sage Mode.

"The power of a kaleidoscope, huh?"

Having fought the Uchiha brothers for many years, Tobirama Senju had naturally already analyzed their Mangekyou Sharingan abilities.

Back in the day, Madara Uchiha, even with only the ordinary Mangekyou Sharingan, was able to forcibly activate the complete Susanoo and fight his older brother's wooden golem to a standstill.

A casually released ninjutsu possesses power several times, even dozens of times, that of an ordinary ninja.

Madara Uchiha's Mangekyou Sharingan likely possesses the remarkable ability to amplify esoteric techniques.

"But."

After the initial surprise came a new wave of worries. While Madara Uchiha's colossal wooden golem could indeed rival the Sage Art: Buddha in size, their power was incomparable.

The Great Buddha is amplified by Sage Chakra, and its thousands of arms are not just for show. Once the Buddha appears on top, even if Madara Uchiha's wooden puppet is sturdy, it will not escape the fate of being smashed into wood chips.

"You imposter, are you ready to face my wrath?"

Standing atop the wooden dummy, Madara Uchiha's eyes were filled with a palpable rage. He was determined to find the mastermind behind it all and rescue Hasi Hot Mom.

"I'm not an imposter."

After being repeatedly called an imposter by Madara Uchiha, Clone Number Nine's emotions began to fluctuate. A hint of anger appeared on his previously expressionless face.

"I am a human being!"

"Crush him!"

In a fit of rage, the clone manipulated the Sage Art: Great Buddha, pressing down on Madara Uchiha's wooden doll with a menacing aura, as if it wanted to devour him.

"Who's afraid of who?"

Madara Uchiha was undoubtedly confident; he never believed that his Mangekyou Sharingan, which he was so proud of, was inferior to Hashirama Senju's Sage Mode.

The patterns in its pupils shifted, and the colossal wooden figure beneath its feet swung its fists to meet the attack.

"Thump!—"

The collision of the two behemoths created a visible shockwave in the sky above the battlefield, and the enormous sound was deafening, clearly audible even to people in towns a hundred miles away.

"boom!"

"Snapped!"

The giants' back-and-forth melee caused a localized downpour of wood in the Land of Fire. Tobirama Senju and his disciples hid under cover, their astonishment lingering in their eyes.

Because Madara Uchiha's colossal wooden golem lacked the burden of a rear-mounted weapon, it moved more nimbly and quickly gained the upper hand in hand-to-hand combat.

"roar!"

A pair of wooden fists swung with tremendous force, while the wooden dragon coiled around its body occasionally unleashed a black maw, tearing off several arms from behind the Immortal Buddha.

Seeing that he was at a disadvantage due to his limited mobility, Clone Number Nine frowned and poured all the refined Sage Chakra into the Sage Buddha statue beneath his feet.

"A Buddha image on the crown of the head."

"Boom!"

The Great Buddha of Immortal Arts suddenly stood up, and the thousands of arms that were attached to his back detached from his body, causing his size to expand. He then slammed them all down on Madara Uchiha's colossal wooden figure.

"not good!"

Seeing this, Tobirama Senju felt a pang of anxiety; his worst fears had come true.

The eldest brother's Top Transformation Buddha is an incredibly powerful secret technique capable of razing a country to the ground in an instant. Although Madara Uchiha's giant wooden puppet is sturdy, it cannot withstand the onslaught of so many hands.

"Human, I can lend you a hand!"

At this extremely critical moment, Kurama, who had been captured by Madara Uchiha, suppressed his inner fear and spoke in a trembling voice.

It had been hit by this move before and remembered it very well, but now that its life was at stake, it couldn't just sit idly by.

Madara Uchiha let out a soft snort, a dazzling red light flashing in his eyes, followed by a blue phantom image appearing.

"Hmph! Even the hardest fist fears a knife." (End of Chapter)