[Mitsuki: "Compared to the seniors' fights… ours are child's play."]
[Shinki: "Grandfather's era must've been brutal…"]
[Itachi Uchiha: "No matter how you cut it, the Five Kage can defeat Madara Uchiha."]
[Madara Uchiha: "Before absolute power, schemes are empty talk."]
Madara watched them push themselves upright and smiled.
"Not bad… Ōnoki. Your dance was pretty. But you're still far from the mark."
Dust Release had sheared away half of Madara's body—
—and yet the wounds stitched back together at once. Edo Tensei flesh reformed with eerie calm.
Then everyone saw it: a face bulging from his chest.
Hashirama Senju's face.
Tsunade's pupils shrank. Why is Grandfather's face… on Madara's chest?
[Tsunade: "Madara, what did you do to my grand-uncle?"]
[Madara Uchiha: "Heh."]
[Hashirama Senju: "Madara, I didn't know you loved me that much."]
[Tobirama Senju: "????"]
"Brother, what are you even saying?!" Tobirama clutched his head.
"He's not like the others, little brother," Hashirama said mildly.
"You say that every time! He's ruining you!"
[Itachi Uchiha: "Credit where it's due—Ōnoki's experience is unmatched."]
[Sarada Uchiha: "So that's the legendary Dust Release…"]
[Iwabe Yuino: "Even Madara had to praise Lord Tsuchikage."]
People stared at Madara's chest markings, half-bemused. What is this chūni fashion choice?
Madara ignored them and fixed on Tsunade. "You bear Hashirama's blood, don't you?"
"So what?" Tsunade's brows drew tight.
"Then I'll start by dealing with you again."
"The 'kill-the-medic-first' plan? We've anticipated it. You think you'll succeed so easily?" Mei Terumi's voice went cold.
"Mistake," Madara said, bored. "That woman is Hashirama's descendant. Her medical ninjutsu only postpones death. Hashirama did what she does… innately."
Understanding clicked: Byakugō might be Tsunade's trump card—but in Hashirama's case, it was practically a passive trait.
[Tobirama Senju: "Don't fret, little Tsunade. Your grand-uncle was an outlier. It's normal to fall short of him."]
[Hashirama Senju: "Hahaha—Madara, you really have missed me."]
[Madara Uchiha: "…"]
[Izuna Uchiha: "The conniving Senju are seducing my big brother again!"]
[Sarada Uchiha: "Why do our ancestors' relationships feel… complicated?"]
"Madara brings up Lord Hashirama every third sentence," Boruto muttered.
"Seems that way," Iwabe whispered, sweating.
Inojin Yamanaka frowned. "Wait… has Madara even gone all out yet?"
Heads turned. The Madara on-screen felt like he was holding back.
"Enough grandstanding!" the Raikage barked.
Tsunade stepped forward, eyes steady. "Yes—I'm Hashirama's descendant. No, I can't use Wood Release. And compared to the First, who barely used seals, my medical ninjutsu isn't anything special."
She lifted her chin. "And I'm a woman. But that doesn't make me the weak woman you imagine. What I carry isn't just power—"
Her Byakugō mark flared open, lines unfurling across her skin.
[Hashirama Senju: "Good, good—now we're burning!"]
[Tobirama Senju: "She's grown into her responsibility. Satisfying."]
[Mito Uzumaki: "I was worried Hashirama might have been a bad influence…"]
[Jiraiya: "He already was."]
[Tsunade: "Shut it, you pervert!"]
[Madara Uchiha: "Tiresome. When do we get to my Six Paths mode?"]
[System: "Soon."]
Tsunade blurred out of sight.
"The pollen's been blown away by Dust Release," Madara mused. "All you've done is add another medic."
"Four couldn't do it? Then five will. Don't mistake me for 'just' a medic!" Tsunade roared.
Madara raised Susanoo.
Tsunade's fist crashed down—the blue ribs cracked.
Madara's eyes narrowed. "Your speed lags behind the Raikage… but your strength—above his?"
"Fire Release: Majestic Destroyer Flame!"
Madara vaulted back and vomited a burning tide.
"Water Release: Water Formation Pillar!"
Mei arrived in a surge; a wall of water shattered the blaze.
She didn't stop. "Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet!"
An oceanic dragon spiraled up, engulfing Madara and hurling him skyward.
The Raikage ghosted behind him, fist cocked.
"Weighted Rock!" Ōnoki's chakra sank like lead—
"Thunder—Horizontal Thousandfold Dance!"
Impact howled.
With Tsunade, A, and Ōnoki chaining their power, Susanoo shattered.
Madara slammed down, punching through tangles of vine and cratering a distant wall.
Smoke drifted.
"You're not weak," Madara said, eyes going cold. "But since you stepped up to die, the rest will follow. You're the only healer… aren't you?"
"Not unless you truly kill me," Tsunade answered from above.
The other four took their places beside her.
"Hashirama—whatever you left behind, this little trick doesn't measure up," Madara sneered.
Tsunade flashed—and drove a fist through Madara's chest, pulverizing most of his torso.
"You're already dead. Stop spreading hatred."
"Kazekage—now!" the Raikage snapped.
Gaara's hand rose; torrents of sand surged up and sealed the remains, a hundred-meter pyramid locking into place.
Just as victory seemed to settle—
schlick—
A blue giant blade burst from the earth and skewered Tsunade.
Madara lifted her like a spit roast, the blade raising her toward the sky.
"The thing you sealed was only a Wood Clone," he said, bored. "Convincing, yes—but as an enemy, only I have ever seen through it. With my eyes—"
[Hashirama Senju: "Don't brag. You didn't see through it back then."]
[Madara Uchiha: "…"]
[Tobirama Senju: "His mouth is his sharpest weapon. Stop humoring him."]
The frame froze on Tsunade, impaled—
faces across the alliance and the new generation blanching in shock.
The Fifth Hokage… is in mortal danger.
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