Grayish-white scraps of paper continued to gather toward the scar on Madara's chest, slowly piecing together Hashirama's face bit by bit.
"Hmph, you think I left Konoha just because of that woman?"
"Uzumaki Mito and Hashirama got married before the founding of Konoha, brat. Don't talk nonsense."
"I left Konoha because I saw that Hashirama's 'one village, one country' system was deeply flawed. It would never lead to true peace!"
"And I was right. After I left and Hashirama died, what happened?"
"Three consecutive Shinobi World Wars ravaged the world. Even that cunning bastard Tobirama died in the chaos."
"Isn't that enough proof that Hashirama's path was a mistake!?"
Uchiha Hikaru chuckled, turning slightly as he stood within the towering frame of his Susanoo. He raised his left hand and pointed mockingly at Madara.
"See? You're getting flustered!"
"I just asked why you had Hashirama's face tattooed on your chest. You didn't deny it."
"Instead, you start ranting about his marriage and how wrong he was. That's not a denial, that's deflection."
Hikaru's words struck a chord in Madara, making him hesitate.
Could it be... Am I really obsessed with Hashirama?
No. Impossible. Absolutely not... unless Hashirama were a woman! Only a woman with that kind of strength would be worthy of being his woman!
Madara's grip tightened around his fan and scythe as he glared furiously at Hikaru.
"Hmph. As a fellow Uchiha, it's pathetic to see you using the same manipulative tactics as that white-haired Tobirama. You've strayed far from the clan's pride."
"Surely you know the Rinnegan requires the combined power of Uchiha and Senju blood."
"Don't tell me you haven't had any of Hashirama's cells transplanted into you."
"The reason his face appears on my chest is simply because the vitality in his cells is too powerful, even for me to fully suppress!"
Hikaru glanced toward Tsunade on the battlefield, then back at Madara with a grin.
"That's awkward. I married his granddaughter. We're very much in love."
"No Hashirama cell transplants here. And yet, it looks like I'm about to awaken the Rinnegan~"
Madara paused, mind spinning.
Damn it... why couldn't Hashirama have been a woman!?
Watching the legendary Uchiha spiral into inner conflict, Hikaru's smug grin widened.
Finally. The moment I've been waiting for.
But just seconds later, Hashirama's reconstructed face on Madara's chest was once again covered by glowing red armor.
Madara returned to his usual solemn demeanor. His gaze fixed coldly on Hikaru.
"Your turn is over, brat."
"Now it's mine."
A deep-blue skeletal frame surged up around Madara, formed from his immense chakra and the power of his eyes. The Susanoo's bones were soon wrapped in dense muscle and thick armor, creating a towering warrior of pure chakra.
It kept growing, expanding beyond the size of Hikaru's current Susanoo.
Not to be outdone, Hikaru's own chakra flared to life. His Susanoo roared as it grew in height and mass, matching Madara's every advance.
Both now stood within the six crystalline nodes atop their Susanoos, like gods peering down from the heavens.
"Complete Body — Susanoo!" both declared.
Hikaru's Susanoo appeared as a pitch-black shogun clad in dragon-scale armor, wielding a long version of Tensa Zangetsu, its crimson cloak fluttering in the storm of chakra.
Opposite him stood Madara's Susanoo — a tengu-armored warrior with blue eagle-like wings and a curved ninjatō in hand.
The two warriors locked eyes through the crystal chambers.
And then—
They struck.
Black and blue chakra blades collided in a flash of blinding light.
"Swoosh!"
The clash rang across the battlefield, shockwaves cracking the air as both poured their strength into every swing.
"Raise your head... Sword," Hikaru intoned.
The power of his Mangekyō Sharingan — Sword, his unique dojutsu — activated.
The weight of Madara's Susanoo blade surged unnaturally. His arm strained as if gravity itself had multiplied.
His weapon sagged under its own weight.
In that instant, Hikaru's blade — forged from Sword's chakra — came crashing down.
Madara's eyes narrowed. He focused on his own weapon, clenching it tight.
"Shura Path: Reforge!"
A crimson glow enveloped his blade. In a flash, it was restored — its balance reset — and once more, it rose to meet Hikaru's attack.
"Is that all you've got, brat?"
"Hmph. Tobirama must've rubbed off on you if you're fighting with such cheap tricks."
"But unfortunately for you... those won't work on me!"
With that, Madara launched a rapid flurry of strikes, his chakra blade tearing through the air toward Hikaru's Susanoo.
Hikaru responded in kind, tightening his grip on Sword, slashing to meet each blow.
The battlefield became a maelstrom of slashes, impacts, and explosions of chakra. Sparks erupted with every blade clash, and the air shimmered with overwhelming energy.
Suddenly, Madara raised a hand.
"Shinra Tensei!"
A crushing wave of repulsive force surged outward. It slammed into Hikaru's Susanoo, sending him skidding backward dozens of meters, gouging trenches into the battlefield.
Hikaru grunted, shaken by the power of the jutsu.
So that's it... Repulsion and gravity — the Six Paths techniques...
He'd once thought those were generic Rinnegan powers. But now, Hikaru realized: this wasn't just any Rinnegan.
These were the true abilities of his Rinnegan — the eyes awakened through Madara's twisted path.
No wonder he could fight Hashirama on equal footing.
The Limbo: Border Jail, the Edge of Hell — these were Madara's true ocular techniques.
Hikaru couldn't help but feel pressured.
Even Sword, with its conceptual manipulation of weight and form, felt inferior next to Madara's overwhelming arsenal.
And yet...
When he thought of Hashirama's Sage Body — something Naruto never possessed — it gave him balance.
Besides, he now had Yachihoko.
Through Sword and Saya — he had awakened Yachihoko, a technique even more broken than any of Madara's eye powers.
And now... it was time to use it.
As his Susanoo steadied itself mid-retreat, Hikaru narrowed his Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan and locked eyes with Madara.
With a silent thought, he placed the Mark of Yachihoko.
A technique to copy all of Madara's ocular powers.
No hesitation.
Hikaru pointed straight at him.
"Banshō Ten'in!"
Madara's eyes widened.
Suddenly, his Susanoo and body were pulled forward by an immense gravitational force.
"You little bastard—! You can copy ocular techniques!?"
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