Crouching in the bushes with nothing to do, Chu Yang tilted his head up and started counting the stars. Unfortunately, thick clouds filled the sky tonight, completely obscuring them.
When the clouds covered the moonlight for the third time—
Chu Yang's Observation Haki suddenly picked up two overwhelmingly powerful presences.
They were so terrifying that his heart lurched violently, forcing him to immediately shut down his Observation Haki.
At the same moment, Senju Tobirama leaned close to Chu Yang's ear and whispered, "They're here."
They're here!
Those two simple words made Chu Yang's heart leap into his throat.
He cautiously poked his head out—and finally saw Senju Hashirama's figure.
Standing opposite him was the legendary Uchiha Madara.
The two fated rivals gazed at each other across a narrow stream.
"Madara, surrender!" Hashirama called out loudly. "Let's end this meaningless war together! You and I can build a peaceful world—one where the children of our clans can live safe and happy lives!"
"You're still just as naïve as ever. Sometimes, I truly envy you…" Madara looked at Hashirama with a complicated expression, then shook his head coldly. "Where is Izuna? Did you kill him?"
Hashirama explained, "He's not dead."
Hearing that his younger brother was alive, the coldness on Madara's face finally softened, a flicker of relief passing through his eyes.
"Hashirama," Madara said, "unless we decide a victor today, this war will never end. You yearn for peace—then let your fists do the talking."
At those words, Hashirama finally abandoned his last shred of hope. He took a deep breath and assumed a battle stance.
Madara smiled. This was exactly what he wanted—to see Hashirama fight with everything he had. Compared to this, their previous clashes on the battlefield had been nothing more than child's play.
In the next instant, the two figures collided, launching into a ferocious battle.
From Chu Yang's perspective, he noticed something striking—whether it was Madara or Hashirama, neither of them used ninjutsu very frequently. Most of the fight consisted of pure taijutsu exchanges.
For top-tier experts, every technique had already been refined to absolute perfection. They no longer needed lengthy hand seals—sometimes just two or three were enough.
Otherwise, the brief window spent forming seals would be a fatal opening in the eyes of an equal opponent.
So far, Madara had only used Fire Release to support his combat, while Hashirama relied solely on Wood Release.
Yet it was precisely this stripped-down, minimalist style of fighting that delivered an overwhelming visual impact to Chu Yang.
Gradually…
Their speed surpassed the limits of human vision.
Chu Yang could only see blurred afterimages streaking back and forth—he couldn't make out any specific movements at all.
Standing beside him, Tobirama noticed Chu Yang's difficulty and quietly reassured him.
There was nothing that could be done. Unless one possessed special ocular powers like the Sharingan or the Byakugan—eyes capable of drastically enhancing perception—even an ordinary elite shinobi would struggle to follow movements at this level.
Even with his body reinforced by Wood Release, Chu Yang could only watch for a short while longer than most.
The battle's shockwaves spread far and wide, ravaging the entire valley. The earth cracked and collapsed, trees and vegetation were obliterated, and all life was wiped out in the area.
Chu Yang watched in horror. Before he could even react, Tobirama grabbed him and retreated at lightning speed from the edge of the battlefield.
Moments after they withdrew, a fireball the size of a three-story building slammed into their previous position. The explosion's aftershock shaved the ground clean.
When Chu Yang landed and looked back, all he saw was a pitch-black, scorched wasteland.
If he had still been standing there—even Wood Release wouldn't have saved him. Even the gods themselves couldn't have.
Cold sweat instantly soaked through Chu Yang's back, and his body began trembling uncontrollably.
Tobirama chuckled. "See that? Even a simple Great Fireball Technique can have completely different power depending on who uses it."
Chu Yang couldn't help rolling his eyes.
You call that a Great Fireball Technique?!
Anyone who didn't know better would think a nuclear bomb had gone off over my head!
Even at a time like this, Tobirama didn't forget to lecture the still-shaken Chu Yang. "You're very clever—but that's also your problem. You learn everything too easily, so you want to learn everything. In the end, you'll just become a fool who knows a little about everything, but masters nothing."
Chu Yang didn't deny Tobirama's point.
But he wasn't fighting alone, was he?
With countless selves learning in parallel, sharing and merging knowledge, the limitations that plagued ordinary people didn't apply to him.
The path he walked was destined to be one no normal person could ever imagine—let alone understand.
As the moon climbed higher in the sky, the battle reached its climax.
A violent tremor rippled through the ground.
Chu Yang barely had time to look up—
When he saw an indescribably colossal figure rise from the earth!
A towering wooden giant, thousands of meters tall, blotted out the moonlight entirely—like an ancient demon god descending upon the world.
Wood Release: Wood Golem Technique
Standing atop the Wood Golem's shoulder, Hashirama wore a grave expression. The fight had reached the point where both sides were laying bare their ultimate trump cards. Victory or defeat would be decided here.
Boom—BOOM—BOOM!!!
The Wood Golem moved. Each step sent the entire valley shaking violently.
Directly ahead of it, Madara began forming seals, the tomoe in his Mangekyō Sharingan spinning rapidly.
Madara pushed his ocular power to its absolute limit.
In a single burst, he consumed nearly ninety percent of his chakra.
Blue flames ignited from the void, condensing into a skeletal apparition.
As the flames burned ever brighter, the phantom solidified—bones forming flesh, flesh forming armor—until it became a complete humanoid form.
At last, a colossal warrior clad in samurai armor emerged.
The mighty war god was Susanoo.
Its size rivaled that of the Wood Golem. Armored wings spread from its back, four arms extended from its body, and each hand wielded a sword.
Under Madara's control, Susanoo closed in—and struck first.
The Wood Golem reached out, brutally grasping the energy-forged blade in Susanoo's hand, yanked the war god toward itself, and smashed a massive fist straight into its body.
The clash between the two giants sent Chu Yang's blood boiling!
"Big Brother has this in the bag," Tobirama said coldly. "Madara doesn't have enough stamina left to maintain Susanoo. His ocular power is almost exhausted."
Chu Yang also noticed that as Susanoo remained manifested longer, its movements became increasingly sluggish.
Earlier in the battle, Madara had already accumulated numerous injuries. Hashirama, on the other hand, thanks to his extraordinary regenerative abilities, was in far better condition.
Madara—having emptied his body to summon Susanoo—was already at his limit!
Tobirama let out a long sigh. "How ironic… His current state mirrors that of the Uchiha clan itself."
With that sigh—
The demon-god-like Susanoo shattered apart with a thunderous collapse.
(End of Chapter)