The explosion also caught Madara off guard.
The sudden shockwave caused his massive Susanoo to sway, leaving it momentarily paralyzed.
Naruto, however, had already used the tail of his Susanoo-clad Kurama to block the impact.
Seizing the opportunity while Madara was unable to react, Naruto swung his sword and struck Madara's Susanoo.
Boom!
The powerful blow sent Madara flying, leaving two terrifying gashes in his mountain-like Susanoo.
"Phew--"
"I didn't expect the Nine-Tails' Tailed Beast Ball to be this powerful. Madara, did you use the wrong method when you controlled the Nine-Tails back then?"
Senju appeared beside Madara. Although he had been hit hard, since he couldn't feel pain, he was in a relatively good mood and even joked with Madara.
"Hmph! Hashirama, no one would think you're mute if you shut up!"
Hashirama's words only made Madara even more furious, and he let out a cold snort.
"If I were at my peak, I wouldn't be in such a sorry state."
"Uh... I feel like even at your peak, one-on-one, we might not be his match."
Hashirama was straightforward. He didn't feel ashamed about being weaker than someone else. He was already dead, so why would he care about such things?
"Shut up!"
In fact, Hashirama had never seen Madara's true peak. After all, by the time Madara awakened the Rinnegan, Hashirama had already passed away.
"You two, if this is all you've got, then today's battle ends here."
Naruto stood firm, and several chains emerged from behind him. If Madara and Hashirama didn't have any other tricks up their sleeves, he planned to seal them right away.
Although these chains were not used by him, they were released by Kushina, who was waiting in his seal space, with the help of the Nine-Tails' Chakra.
"Adamantine Sealing Chains? So you're from the Uzumaki Clan too."
Hashirama's eyes lit up, and he couldn't help but laugh. "Hahaha, it seems we're quite connected. If it weren't for this situation, I'd definitely have a drink with you."
"Heh, that won't be necessary. Show me your full power! You have one last chance to attack!"
If it were a different scenario, and Hashirama found out what Naruto had done to Konoha, he would probably summon the Thousand-Armed Buddha statue right away.
Hashirama chuckled and shook his head slightly, then glanced at Madara as if seeking his opinion.
Madara also looked at Hashirama, his eyes conveying a message. Despite his arrogance and stubbornness, he wasn't blind to reality.
Hashirama understood Madara's gaze and smiled again, feeling a long-lost surge of excitement.
"Hahahahaha! Madara, how long has it been since we last fought side by side?"
"Hmph! I just don't want to be looked down upon by some brat!"
Madara, as usual, didn't give Hashirama any face and turned to Naruto. "Brat, don't die on us now!"
Both of them clapped their hands together.
"Sage Art: Wood Release: True Several Thousand Hands!"
Once again, countless vines and trees surged from the ground.
A wooden statue, even more massive than Madara's Susanoo, rose with a thunderous roar.
Thousands of arms stretched out from its back, resembling a colossal mountain. Its size was overwhelming, yet its appearance was as serene as the Thousand-Armed Guanyin statue found in temples.
Immediately after, Madara shouted loudly.
"Susanoo!"
Madara's previously diminutive Susanoo now flowed like water, covering Hashirama's giant Buddha statue.
The already imposing Thousand-Armed Guanyin statue was now clad in layers of indigo and purple armor, similar to Naruto's Susanoo-clad Kurama.
Susanoo-clad Buddha!
As the Susanoo armor enveloped the statue, Madara and Hashirama stood side by side at its peak.
In terms of size, they had completely surpassed Naruto's Susanoo.
Standing there, Hashirama felt a long-lost surge of excitement and shouted, "Madara, we're fighting together again!"
"Hmph!"
However, Madara just snorted and said nothing more.
"Hahaha!"
Seeing Madara's stubbornness, Hashirama couldn't help but laugh even louder.
"Young man! Although it's just one move, this is the power that once brought peace to the Ninja World. I hope it satisfies you!"
"Top-Transformed Buddha!"
Both Hashirama and Madara shouted in unison.
The giant Buddha statue, clad in indigo and purple armor, began to move under their combined roars. The thousands of arms on its back started to swing wildly.
At the same time, Naruto's face finally showed excitement.
"Haha, let me see what this peace-bringing power is really made of!"
However, not everyone was as excited as Naruto. Although Kurama wasn't human, it was still deeply affected.
Facing the thousands of arms clad in indigo and purple armor, even with Naruto as his backer, Kurama's deepest fears were triggered, plunging it into a state of terror.
This was the closest it had ever come to death.
While this didn't affect Naruto much, since he was the one controlling the Susanoo-clad Kurama, and Kurama was merely supplying Chakra, seeing Kurama in such a state, Naruto wanted to help it overcome its trauma.
He shouted.
"Kurama!"
Kurama immediately snapped out of it.
Instantly, it felt a wave of shame. It had come here for revenge, yet it had been the one to falter. These were just two dead men, and today was the day to settle the score.
Kurama's ferocity erupted as it let out a deafening roar.
"Roar!"
Following Kurama's furious roar, an overwhelming surge of Chakra burst forth. The ends of its nine tails transformed into hands, each gathering and spinning with intense Chakra.
Black Chakra Spheres formed in each of the hands, while a Tailed Beast Ball gathered in the mouth of the Susanoo-clad Kurama. Without hesitation, it charged toward the thousands of arms, unleashing everything it had.
Under such terrifying pressure, Nagato and Konan were momentarily stunned.
But Konan quickly cried out in alarm.
"Nagato, the scale of this attack is too vast! The civilians are still within the range!"
Nagato's expression shifted slightly.
"Take me there!"
Although he couldn't participate in battle of this magnitude, he could still shield against the aftermath.
Without hesitation, Konan carried Nagato and darted toward the scene.
Moments later, a blinding white light erupted from the center of the battle.
Boom!
Where the light exploded, the Tailed Beast Balls on the nine tails of the Susanoo-clad Kurama relentlessly obliterated the fists of the Thousand-Armed Buddha.
For every few arms destroyed, more would continuously regenerate, only to be destroyed again.
The blinding light from the Tailed Beast Balls' explosions lasted for what felt like an eternity.
The endless explosions and the terrifying shockwaves raged uncontrollably, turning the entire Land of Rain into a barren wasteland.
Nagato and Konan flew above the gathered residents of the Land of Rain, guided by paper cranes. Nagato raised his hands high, using Shinra Tensei to desperately block the apocalyptic shockwaves.
The massive shockwaves, deflected by Nagato's power, were redirected into the sky.
But the sheer force of the explosion was so immense that the perpetually cloudy, rain-filled sky of the Land of Rain was instantly cleared. The dark clouds were shattered and dispersed, revealing a rare, clear blue sky!
When the light finally faded, Nagato and Konan witnessed the awe-inspiring aftermath.
Seeing such a battle, even if they died now, it would have been worth it.
The Thousand-Armed Buddha's arms were all severed, and its upper body had completely vanished. On the other side, the Susanoo-clad Kurama's armor was partially shattered, revealing parts of Kurama's true form and its ferocious, triumphant fox face.
The colossal Buddha collapsed, and the bodies of Madara Uchiha and Hashirama Senju, which had been completely shattered, began to slowly regenerate on the ground.
Naruto stood atop the Susanoo-clad Kurama, arms crossed, a faint smile on his lips as he watched the two figures slowly reforming.
"That was quite the fight."
"Senju Hashirama, Uchiha Madara, I might never forget this battle for the rest of my life."