Of course, Hashirama was still Hashirama. The Top Transcendent Buddha was not something mere stone shields could stop.
The first layer of rock endured for a brief moment before the barrage of fists split it apart completely, shattering it to rubble.
The second layer!
The third layer!
Each in turn was crushed and broken.
The debris rained down like snow, filling the vast pit carved into the earth.
Past the broken shields, Hashirama gritted his teeth, pouring every ounce of strength into driving the wooden fists forward once more.
And just then—
Boom—
The sound of crackling flames suddenly erupted.
Tobirama's face was illuminated by the orange-red glow of fire. He snapped his head up, pupils contracting sharply.
Beyond the three shattered layers of rock shields, a massive blazing shield of flame had manifested.
"Another shield?!"
Tobirama ground his teeth.
"Sacred Relic: Yata Mirror!!!"
Behind the flaming shield stood an orange-red Susanoo, its entire body wreathed in fire.
Tobirama looked down in shock.
Only then did he realize—the stone sword that had pinned the wooden Buddha to the ground had already disappeared.
And now, after the collapse of the stone shields, Uchiha Yu's Susanoo had transformed into an entirely new form?
"He can really change Susanoo at will?"
Tobirama stared in disbelief.
Back at the evacuation shelter, he had already witnessed Susanoo shifting forms.
But only now, in this very moment, did he confirm his suspicion—Uchiha Yu possessed not just one, but two distinct forms of Susanoo.
This was beyond anything Tobirama thought possible for the Uchiha clan.
Boom—!
Hashirama's wooden Buddha struck down with its thousand fists, shattering through the three layers of stone. At last, they hammered against the surface of the Yata Mirror.
A deafening roar shook the heavens and earth.
Yet this time, the flaming shield did not shatter.
The orange-red Complete Susanoo held its ground, locked in a deadlock against the wooden Buddha.
Even Yu was mildly surprised.
The Yata Mirror's function was similar to Dark Moon.
But unlike Dark Moon, it required no chakra infusion. Instead, it could alter its own properties according to the nature of the attack, nullifying it—and even reflecting all physical strikes.
However, against the wooden Buddha, its ability to "reflect all physical attacks" seemed to have no effect.
Boom—
The orange-red Complete Susanoo shifted, lifting the Yata Mirror aside with its left arm to force the Buddha away.
The strength between the two colossi was nearly equal—every movement was like the grinding of massive industrial machinery.
Then, Susanoo's right hand reached into the void.
From the flames, the legendary Totsuka Blade materialized, blazing with the same orange-red fire.
The Totsuka Blade spun in the air, tracing a wide arc before cleaving down toward the wooden Buddha's head.
"Brother, move!"
Tobirama, sensing the danger, instantly placed his hand on Hashirama's shoulder.
"I think I can endure a little longer!" Hashirama said in a deep voice.
"Sarutobi Hiruzen and Danzō were sealed away by this very weapon!" Tobirama shot back urgently.
"…" Hashirama fell silent.
In the next instant, both brothers vanished via the Flying Thunder God Technique.
Rumble—!
The wooden Buddha collapsed with a thunderous crash, disintegrating into dust. The Totsuka Blade's strike cut only empty air, its target gone.
So long as Tobirama had enough Flying Thunder God markers placed, Yu would have no easy way of catching him.
Uchiha Yu turned, his gaze shifting eastward, toward the fleeing Konoha shinobi, along with the Cloud and Sand ninja.
He paused for a moment, thoughts stirring, and a plan formed in his mind.
Moments later, the orange-red Susanoo unfurled its blazing wings, soaring into the skies as it swept toward the east.
Whoosh—
The Complete Susanoo glided across the sky, no different from a flying mountain.
By now, the Hidden Leaf had been reduced to ruins—only the Gedo Statue remained, rampaging madly, slaughtering the stragglers left behind by the three great ninja villages.
Orochimaru and Garaga circled past the fleeing ninjas of each village, finally reaching the battlefield.
The two lifted their heads, staring at the shadow that swept over them as Susanoo soared across the skies overhead.
The sudden appearance of a giant serpent caused the Gedo Statue to pause its carnage, turning its head in a daze to stare.
"Turn around—run, now!" Orochimaru shouted to Garaga.
"No need to tell me twice!" Garaga snapped, lashing its massive tail as it bolted eastward once more. The last thing it wanted was to be mistaken for a toy and smashed to pieces by the frenzied Gedo Statue.
"Even the God of Shinobi lost…?"
The fleeing shinobi watched helplessly as their final hope was crushed under Susanoo's might.
"So it's true… Konoha really was destroyed by my hands."
Amidst the rubble, the reanimated Sarutobi Hiruzen realized the outcome was sealed. He could no longer even muster the strength to speak.
The reanimated Danzō grit his teeth and tried to tense his body, only to find he had no control over it at all.
"Heh… well, look what I found here!"
Tamao's bloodstained, doll-like face suddenly appeared in the cracks of the rubble.
With a grin, he yanked Danzō, Hiruzen, and Asuma out of the pit of shattered stone, tossing them to the waiting Uchiha comrades.
"We'll deal with them later. Since they can't help the captain, let's focus on taking over the village first—clean this mess up!"
Izumi sheathed Samehada and turned her gaze toward the evacuation shelter.
After a brutal struggle, the Uchiha, each of them drenched in blood, stood tall on the battlefield. They quickly began withdrawing while clearing away the remnants scattered through the Leaf.
At this point, the Cloud and Sand each left behind a rearguard of shinobi to join the reanimated Sarutobi army in drawing the Gedo Statue's attention.
Meanwhile, the Raikage and Rasa split up, fleeing in opposite directions.
After witnessing this war firsthand, no one could dismiss Uchiha Yu's declaration of war as a joke.
Outside the ruins of the Leaf…
The Iwa-nin unit was stationed two kilometers away. When the land beneath them was suddenly swallowed in shadow, the entire force looked up at once.
They were horrified to see the Complete Susanoo streaking across the skies.
But then they spotted their Tsuchikage, who had long been waiting high above, now hovering at Susanoo's flank.
"Uchiha Yu!!" Ōnoki seized the moment, latching himself onto the right side of the battle helm and shouting at the top of his lungs.
The tiny old man clung to the outside of the "cockpit," his gray hair whipping about wildly, making him look utterly ridiculous.
"Ōnoki?" Uchiha Yu raised an eyebrow.
"The Raikage ran west, while the Kazekage bolted northwest. As for me, old man that I am, I'll leave you with one last little gift—may the wind be at your back!"
With that furious roar, Ōnoki poured his chakra into the Susanoo's exterior.
"Earth Style: Lightweight Boulder Jutsu!"
This technique could reduce the density of matter, drastically lightening its weight.
It had always been Ōnoki's trusted method for speeding things up.
In an instant—
Uchiha Yu felt the Complete Susanoo's speed surge several levels higher, while Ōnoki's body, drained of all strength, spiraled downward from the sky.
°°°
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