Whoosh!
High above the battlefield, perched on the back of his massive white clay bird, Deidara watched with artistic fascination as his puppet creation plummeted toward its target. The construct was a perfect replica of himself, crafted with meticulous attention to detail—but its true beauty lay not in its appearance, but in the devastating surprise concealed within its clay-formed body.
"Enjoy my art!" he declared with manic enthusiasm, his visible eye blazing with the fervor of a true artist witnessing the moment of his masterpiece's revelation.
His hands moved through the detonation seal with practiced precision, and immediately the puppet's carefully constructed exterior began to transform. What had appeared to be solid clay suddenly became riddled with hairline fractures that spread across its surface like a spider's web.
"Art is explosion, drink!"
Buzz!
Flames began to seep through the growing cracks, their orange light creating an ominous glow that promised imminent destruction. The puppet had been designed not just as a projectile, but as a concentrated bomb containing enough explosive clay to level several city blocks.
BOOM!
The detonation was nothing short of apocalyptic. A sphere of superheated air and crushing force erupted outward from the puppet's position, instantly expanding to engulf the entire top portion of the wooden giant. The explosion's intensity was so great that it temporarily turned the surrounding air into a miniature sun, radiating heat and light that could be felt for miles.
The massive wooden construct, despite its incredible size and durability, began to tremble under the assault. Even a technique of the First Hokage's caliber couldn't remain completely unaffected by such concentrated destructive force.
At approximately the wooden giant's waist level, Kakashi and Shisui—who had been desperately fighting against the ever-growing forest of tree trunks that threatened to entrap them—suddenly found their footing stabilized as the entire structure shuddered from the impact above.
The trees that had been sprouting around them with relentless persistence suddenly halted their growth, their creator's attention momentarily diverted by the unexpected aerial assault.
Both men exchanged a quick glance of understanding, their battle-hardened instincts immediately recognizing the tactical opportunity that had been presented.
"It's Akatsuki's Deidara," Kakashi identified, his experienced nose detecting the distinctive chakra signature that emanated from the explosion's aftermath. Having faced the artistic terrorist in previous encounters, he could recognize the man's explosive techniques even without direct visual confirmation.
"What a perfect opportunity!" Shisui agreed, his mind already calculating the optimal approach route.
Without hesitation, both ninja launched themselves upward, racing toward the wooden giant's head while its defenses were compromised by the ongoing explosion. Time was critical—they had to reach their objective before the First Hokage could fully recover from the surprise attack.
Suddenly, through the roiling flames and smoke of Deidara's explosion, massive tree trunks began to erupt skyward like grasping tentacles. The wooden appendages grew with incredible speed, reaching toward the circling aircraft with obvious predatory intent.
Fortunately, Deidara's experience with explosive techniques had taught him the value of maintaining safe distances. The moment his puppet had detonated, he had directed his clay bird to gain altitude and distance, putting significant space between himself and the inevitable counterattack.
As the wooden tentacles continued their rapid growth, the explosion's flames began to dissipate, revealing the true extent of the damage—or rather, the surprising lack thereof. Where the blast should have left destruction, a gap had opened in what appeared to be a protective wall of living wood. Through this opening, both the First Hokage and Uzumaki Mito could be seen, completely unharmed despite having been at the epicenter of the explosion.
Swish!
Shisui and Kakashi moved with the fluid coordination that came from years of partnership, their forms blurring as they sprinted across the wooden surface. Within moments, they had covered the considerable distance to reach a position near the giant's apex.
But their arrival didn't go unnoticed. The moment they drew close to their objective, the wooden surface beneath their feet began to shift and undulate once again, responding to its creator's renewed focus.
Simultaneously, the wooden giant resumed its assault on the ground-based combatants. Its massive fists swung with renewed vigor toward Uchiha Yoruki and Itachi, each blow carrying enough force to crater the earth.
While Yoruki's Sword possessed the theoretical ability to cut through any material, the enhanced regenerative capabilities granted by sage techniques meant that the First Hokage's wooden constructs could repair damage almost as quickly as it was inflicted.
Crack!
The wooden giant's enormous fist once again collided with the ethereal surface of the Yata Mirror, but this time the legendary artifact showed signs of strain. Hairline fractures appeared across its previously flawless surface, spreading outward like a broken window.
Itachi's defenses had reached their absolute limit. Blood flowed more freely from his eyes now, the strain of maintaining both the mirror and his Susanoo simultaneously pushing his visual prowess beyond safe parameters.
ROAR!
At that critical moment, the golem unleashed its own devastating display of power. The massive creature's bellow shook the very air as lightning began to crackle across its entire form. From its surface, countless transparent serpentine entities began to emerge—manifestations of pure chakra that writhed and twisted with malevolent energy.
The water-based restraints that the Second Hokage had so skillfully deployed were proving inadequate against such overwhelming force. The golem's raw power was simply too great to be contained by conventional binding techniques.
Buzz!
Opening its cavernous maw, the golem began to gather dense particles of chakra light. The energy condensed with ominous purpose, forming the unmistakable sphere of a Tailed Beast Ball. The technique's power signature was enormous—easily capable of obliterating everything within several miles of its detonation point.
The Second Hokage's expression grew grim as he recognized the mortal threat developing before him. His tactical mind raced through possible countermeasures, but the options were severely limited. Even his mastery of space-time techniques might not be sufficient to redirect an attack of such magnitude.
Just as the situation seemed hopeless, salvation came from an unexpected quarter.
A torrential cascade of sand suddenly descended from the heavens like a golden waterfall. The granular deluge formed itself into massive restraining bonds that wrapped around the golem's neck with surprising strength and precision.
The timing was perfect. With its throat constricted, the golem found itself unable to properly expel the nearly completed Tailed Beast Ball. The energy that had been so carefully gathered and compressed suddenly became unstable, its containment compromised by the physical interference.
BANG!
The resulting explosion occurred within the golem's own mouth and throat, the creature becoming the primary victim of its own devastating technique. Fragments of chakra and debris erupted outward as the beast staggered under the impact of its own misfired attack.
The Second Hokage, recognizing the reprieve for what it was, immediately retreated to a safer distance while casting his gaze skyward to identify his unexpected ally.
Gaara hovered above the battlefield on a cloud of manipulated sand, his pale green eyes focused with intense concentration as he maintained control over the restraining bonds that had saved them all.
"A sand manipulation specialist... a ninja from Sunagakure?" Tobirama murmured, his analytical mind filing away this new tactical variable.
But the momentary relief was short-lived. His attention was immediately drawn back to the ground-level battle as his enhanced senses detected that Uchiha Yoruki and Itachi were approaching their breaking point.
The wooden giant's assault continued without mercy, each blow delivered with mechanical precision and overwhelming force.
BANG!
When the massive fist struck the earth, the impact was sufficient to trigger seismic activity. Cracks radiated outward from the point of contact like a spider's web, and even distant observers could feel the vibrations through the soles of their feet.
At that critical moment, both Yoruki and Itachi materialized beside the Second Hokage, their forms flickering as they escaped the wooden giant's killing range through desperate use of body flicker techniques.
Meanwhile, atop the wooden construct, Shisui and Kakashi had finally succeeded in reaching the giant's shoulders. They were now tantalizingly close to their primary objective, with only a few dozen meters separating them from the First Hokage himself.
"Troublesome insects," Madara muttered, his attention divided between his ongoing duel with Minato and the coordinated assault developing on his brother's position.
If the Fourth Hokage hadn't possessed such effective countermeasures against his Limbo clones, Madara would have been free to eliminate these irritating interlopers personally. As it stood, he was forced to rely on his brother's abilities to handle the situation.
The wooden giant's massive form shuddered as it refocused its attention on the immediate threats. Without the distraction of Yoruki and Itachi's frontal assault, the reanimated First Hokage could concentrate his full power on eliminating Shisui and Kakashi before they could complete their mission.
"Earth Release: Mountain Earth Technique!"
BOOM!
The battlefield trembled as a new voice joined the combat, accompanied by the distinctive chakra signature of advanced earth-based ninjutsu. The ground around the wooden giant's base began to shift and rise with incredible speed and scale.
Two enormous hemispherical formations of solid rock erupted from the earth, each one comparable to a small mountain in both size and mass. The technique's execution was flawless, demonstrating mastery of earth manipulation that rivaled the legendary techniques of previous generations.
Kitsuchi stood at a safe distance, his hands pressed together in the final seal of his technique. With a surge of chakra and will, he caused the two massive rock formations to begin converging on the wooden giant's position.
BANG!
The wooden construct responded with surprising agility for something of its size, spreading its arms wide to brace against the crushing force of the converging stone masses. The collision generated tremendous pressure, but the First Hokage's enhanced strength proved capable of resisting even this overwhelming assault.
"I didn't expect Iwagakure to still possess ninja capable of earth techniques at this level," the Second Hokage observed with genuine admiration.
Kitsuchi's technique was impressive not just for its scale, but for its precise timing and coordination with their overall strategy. The Tsuchikage's intervention had created exactly the opening they needed.
Taking full advantage of the distraction, Shisui and Kakashi made their final approach, leaping onto the wooden giant's head with fluid precision.
At that moment, the First Hokage was completely focused on resisting Kitsuchi's mountain-crushing technique, his hands pressed together in concentration as he channeled enhanced strength through his wooden construct.
Swoosh!
Almost the instant the two infiltrators appeared on the giant's head, an overwhelming barrage of diamond-hard chains erupted from seemingly everywhere at once. The metallic links moved with serpentine grace and lethal intent, creating a virtually impenetrable barrier between the attackers and their target.
While the First Hokage might have been temporarily occupied, Uzumaki Mito's formidable abilities remained fully operational. Her mastery of sealing techniques and chakra chain manipulation made her a dangerous opponent in her own right.
However, even her considerable power wasn't sufficient to simultaneously handle both Shisui and Kakashi, especially when they were operating in perfect coordination.
Ding! Ding!
Both men drew their weapons with practiced fluidity, their blades moving in perfect harmony as they deflected and severed the incoming chains. Every movement was precise and economical, designed to minimize energy expenditure while maintaining forward momentum toward their ultimate objective.
"Move quickly!" the Second Hokage called out from below, his voice tight with urgency.
His enhanced senses could detect the dangerous changes occurring within his brother's chakra system. The natural energy that had been steadily accumulating was approaching saturation levels.
"The First Hokage is about to recover his full power!" the Nine-Tails confirmed from within Naruto's consciousness, its voice heavy with the weight of remembered encounters with that legendary strength.
Whoosh!
Delicate but distinct markings began to appear across the First Hokage's face, spreading outward from around his eyes in the characteristic patterns of Sage Mode activation. The transformation was gradual but inexorable, each new line representing a geometric increase in his already formidable capabilities.
Crack...
At the same moment, the wooden giant's hands—which had been straining against Kitsuchi's mountain technique—suddenly surged with new power. The massive rock formations that had seemed capable of crushing even this legendary construct began to develop visible fractures.
The stone masses, despite their enormous size and density, were proving inadequate against the enhanced strength that Sage Mode provided.
However, Kakashi and Shisui were still just short of reaching their target. The distance that separated them from the First Hokage might have been measured in mere meters, but it might as well have been miles given the obstacles still in their path.
Swish! Swish! Swish!
From directly above Uzumaki Mito's position, a lethal rain of projectiles suddenly descended. Countless spikes formed from black iron sand fell like a deadly meteor shower, each one guided with precision toward its target.
Mito, despite her considerable abilities, found herself unable to adequately defend against Sasori's surprise aerial assault. The iron sand spikes pierced through her reanimated body with brutal efficiency, and the metallic particles continued to spread throughout her form like a virulent infection.
The chain attacks that had been blocking Shisui and Kakashi's advance suddenly ceased as their controller was overwhelmed by the puppet master's intervention.
Swish!
In that critical instant, the distinctive four-pointed windmill pattern within Shisui's eyes began to spin rapidly, the design shifting and blurring as enormous amounts of ocular power concentrated within his visual organs.
Like a streak of black lightning, he crossed the remaining distance to appear directly before the First Hokage, arriving just as the legendary ninja's Sage Mode transformation reached completion.
The patterns on Hashirama's face were now fully formed, and a terrifying wave of chakra was beginning to radiate outward from his enhanced form. The power differential between his current state and his previous capabilities was staggering—this was the full might of the God of Shinobi, restored to his legendary strength.
"Kotoamatsukami!"