Swish!
The moment when Shisui's eyes met the First Hokage's completely darkened gaze was electric with tension. The windmill pattern within his Mangekyou Sharingan suddenly crystallized into perfect clarity, each spoke of the design glowing with concentrated ocular power as Kotoamatsukami reached its full activation.
For a brief, hopeful instant, the technique appeared to be working exactly as intended. The terrifying chakra that had been building to explosive levels within the First Hokage's enhanced form began to subside, its violent energy gradually being suppressed by the absolute authority of the ultimate genjutsu.
"Did it work?" the question rippled through the minds of every ally watching the critical confrontation.
The Second Hokage, with his enhanced sensory abilities, focused intently on the chakra signatures emanating from atop the wooden giant. Itachi, Yoruki, and the others might not possess the same level of perception, but they could clearly observe that the wooden construct's resistance against Kitsuchi's mountain technique had completely ceased.
Kitsuchi himself, who had been straining to maintain his earth-based assault and was nearing the limits of his endurance, felt a wave of relief wash over him as the crushing pressure against his technique suddenly vanished.
Atop the wooden giant, a flicker of genuine awareness seemed to gradually return to the First Hokage's previously vacant eyes. The darkness that had filled them began to recede, replaced by something that resembled the legendary ninja's true consciousness.
Minato, despite being locked in his own desperate battle with Madara, couldn't help but observe this critical development. If the First Hokage could break free from the Edo Tensei's control through genjutsu manipulation—just as the Second Hokage had managed to do—then the tide of this war would shift decisively in their favor.
"Haha, what impressive ocular power..."
But at that crucial moment, Madara's voice cut through the air like a blade, filled with dark amusement and cruel satisfaction.
Hearing that tone, Minato's gaze snapped toward his opponent, and his enhanced senses immediately detected something alarming—Madara's power signature had suddenly dropped significantly, as if a substantial portion of his chakra had been redirected elsewhere.
Simultaneously, the First Hokage's eyes—which had been gradually regaining their natural light and awareness—suddenly underwent a horrifying transformation. The dark pupils became filled with concentric purple circles, the unmistakable pattern of the Rinnegan spreading across his visual organs like ripples in a disturbed pond.
The moment those legendary eyes manifested, Shisui's own eyes began to fill rapidly with blood. Crimson streams flowed from the corners of his eyes as his visual organs suffered catastrophic backlash from his technique's sudden and violent rejection.
"My genjutsu... it was actually repelled?" Shisui gasped, staggering backward several steps as waves of excruciating pain shot through his skull.
The shock was profound. Kotoamatsukami was supposed to be absolute, capable of rewriting the fundamental beliefs and motivations of any target without them even realizing they had been influenced. For it to not just fail, but to be actively repelled, suggested opposition of an entirely different magnitude.
Kakashi appeared beside his faltering partner with the speed of long-practiced coordination, his strong arm supporting Shisui's unsteady form. But as he helped stabilize his ally, Kakashi's sharp eye caught sight of something that made his blood run cold.
"This is..." he whispered, his voice tight with recognition and dread.
A black chakra receiver had emerged from the First Hokage's back, its dark surface gleaming with malevolent energy. The rod's presence explained everything—this wasn't simply Edo Tensei control being exerted from a distance.
"Fourth Hokage," Madara's voice carried clearly across the battlefield, laden with mockery and superiority, "surely you weren't naive enough to believe that a mere Mangekyou Sharingan genjutsu could function in my presence?"
The revelation was devastating in its simplicity. Unlike other Edo Tensei reanimations that operated through the technique's built-in control mechanisms, the First Hokage was being directly manipulated by Madara himself through an entirely different method.
"This chakra signature... it's the Six Paths of Pain!" Minato exclaimed, his knowledge of Rinnegan abilities—gained through his interactions with Nagato—allowing him to immediately identify the technique being employed.
From Madara's back, a black chakra receiver extended like a serpent, its length stretching across the battlefield to maintain direct connection with the rod embedded in the First Hokage's spine. Through this link, Madara could exercise absolute control over his brother's reanimated form while simultaneously channeling his own Rinnegan abilities through the legendary ninja's body.
"Witness for yourself the complete power of the God of Shinobi who preceded you!" Madara declared, his hands suddenly pressing together in a seal of profound significance.
In perfect synchronization, the First Hokage atop the wooden giant mirrored the gesture, his movements precise and deliberate despite being controlled remotely.
"Sage Art: Wood Release: True Thousand Hands!"
BOOM!
The earth, which had already endured tremendous punishment throughout the course of this epic battle, was subjected to the most violent tremor yet experienced. The earthquake that followed was of such magnitude that it affected not just the immediate battlefield, but extended to shake the very mountains that ringed the circular combat zone.
The scale of destruction was beyond anything previously witnessed, a testament to the legendary technique that had once been used to subdue the Nine-Tails itself and establish the foundation of the modern ninja world.
"Get out of there!" Sasori shouted from his position on the white clay bird, his usual calm demeanor cracking under the pressure of witnessing such overwhelming power.
Swish!
Kakashi, still supporting the injured Shisui, leaped directly onto the back of the circling bird with the desperate agility of someone who understood that remaining on the ground meant certain death.
BANG!
As the clay bird climbed rapidly into the sky, Kitsuchi's mountain technique—which had been holding the wooden giant in place through sheer compressive force—suddenly collapsed completely. The massive rock formations crumbled like sand castles as something far more powerful pushed against them from within.
The ground beneath Kitsuchi's feet began to fracture and split, spider-web cracks spreading outward with alarming speed. Recognizing the mortal danger, the Iwagakure ninja retreated with decisive speed, barely escaping the expanding zone of destruction.
As he reached safety, the source of the tremendous force became visible. The wooden giant they had been fighting was being drawn upward, pulled into the air by something even more massive. What emerged from the earth defied comprehension—a colossal statue that dwarfed mountains, its thousand arms spreading outward like the branches of an impossibly vast tree.
The True Thousand Hands technique in its complete form was a sight that few living beings had ever witnessed. Its scale was so immense that it seemed to challenge the very concept of what was possible through ninjutsu.
"Such terrifying chakra..." Suzuka whispered from her position at the base of a distant mountain, her voice trembling with shock.
Even from miles away, the chakra pressure emanating from the technique was palpable, a crushing weight that seemed to press down on everything within its range.
"Look over there..." a staff member of the Allied Forces Headquarters pointed toward the battlefield with a shaking finger, his voice barely above a whisper.
Shikaku and the other command personnel turned to follow his gaze, and immediately every face reflected profound shock and disbelief. Even from their distant position at the mountain's base, the thousand-armed statue was clearly visible, towering above the surrounding peaks like a monument to divine power.
"Is this... truly the power of the First Hokage?" Gaara murmured, his usually composed demeanor cracking as he struggled to process what he was witnessing.
Modern ninja such as Mei Terumi, Uchiha Shisui, and Itachi—all of whom were considered among the strongest of their generation—found themselves united in stunned silence. They had heard legends of the First Hokage's abilities, but witnessing them firsthand was an entirely different experience.
"To be completely honest," Sasori admitted from his aerial vantage point, his mechanical features somehow managing to convey genuine fear, "if it's not absolutely necessary, I really don't want to face this kind of opponent..."
The puppet master's words echoed the thoughts of everyone present. This was power on a scale that transcended normal combat parameters.
"This is the kind of opponent that Madara once faced?" Sasuke asked, his voice tight with newfound understanding.
The revelation put Madara's legendary status into proper perspective. No wonder even with the power of the Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan and the Nine-Tails at his command, he had ultimately been defeated. When the First Hokage fought with his full power, the concept of conventional victory became meaningless.
Even with all the strongest ninja of the current era assembled on this battlefield, combining their abilities still wouldn't be sufficient to challenge the True Thousand Hands technique. In the face of such overwhelming power, strategy and skill became irrelevant.
The Second Hokage's expression was particularly grim. Among all those present, he alone truly understood what they were facing—this was the power he had least wanted to confront, the technique that represented his elder brother's absolute pinnacle.
At that moment, three familiar figures crested the final mountain barrier and appeared at the battlefield's edge. Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Orochimaru had finally arrived, but their timing brought them face-to-face with the most overwhelming display of power any of them had ever witnessed.
"This..." Tsunade's voice was barely audible, her normally strong composure completely shattered by the sight before her.
Even knowing her grandfather's legendary status, seeing the True Thousand Hands in person was a shock that left her mind reeling.
"Such incredible sage power..." Fukasaku observed from his perch on Jiraiya's shoulder, his ancient voice heavy with professional assessment.
Shima nodded gravely beside him. Both toad sages understood the implications of what they were observing. The First Hokage's Sage Mode hadn't been learned from Mount Myoboku, nor did it originate from the other two great sage locations—Ryuchi Cave or Shikkotsu Forest.
Hashirama Senju had developed his mastery of natural energy entirely through his own research and understanding, creating a unique form of senjutsu that rivaled anything the traditional sage locations could teach.
"You actually have time to stand there gawking?" Orochimaru's dark laughter cut through their stunned paralysis. "The battle is far from over."
Without waiting for a response, he continued his rush toward the battlefield's center, his scientific mind already analyzing potential countermeasures despite the seemingly impossible odds.
Jiraiya and Tsunade shook themselves from their shock and followed, their legendary training overriding their instinctive fear.
Just as despair threatened to overwhelm every Allied force on the battlefield due to the First Hokage's complete power manifestation, the Nine-Tails within Naruto's consciousness finally spoke with urgent authority.
"There's no alternative remaining, Naruto. You must immediately borrow the chakra from Kushina's body."
The great fox's mental voice carried the weight of ancient knowledge and desperate necessity.
"Only by combining both halves can you transform into your complete tailed beast form again."
Kurama's assessment was brutally honest. Even after absorbing natural energy during their brief respite, its chakra reserves had only recovered to approximately half of their normal capacity. This power level was insufficient to support Naruto's full transformation, but combined with Kushina's half of the Nine-Tails' chakra, they might achieve the strength necessary to challenge even the True Thousand Hands.
Understanding the stakes, Naruto nodded with grim determination and reached out to grasp Kushina's arm with urgent intensity.
Kushina was momentarily startled by the contact, but quickly realized that Naruto was communicating with her own portion of the Nine-Tails' consciousness. Her maternal instincts immediately understood what was being asked of her.
"Please!" Naruto's voice carried the weight of everything they were fighting to protect.
Whoosh!
As he spoke, the point where his palm touched Kushina's arm began to glow with deep golden chakra. The energy transfer was immediate and profound, flowing from mother to son like a river of liquid light.
Naruto's eyes, which had been dim with exhaustion, suddenly blazed with renewed vitality and purpose. Gradually, all of the Nine-Tails' chakra that had been sealed within Kushina's body flowed into his own, reuniting the two halves of the great bijuu's power for the first time in sixteen years.
"Let's go, Kurama!" Naruto declared, his azure eyes now containing two distinct but harmonious sources of light—the familiar glow of his own determination overlaid with the ancient wisdom of the Nine-Tails.
The fusion of yin and yang chakra, of mother's sacrifice and son's will, created something greater than the sum of its parts.
BOOM!
Rich golden chakra erupted outward from Naruto's body like a solar flare, the energy so intense that it formed a solid, protective cloak around his entire form. The manifestation was more complete than any previous transformation, the reunited Nine-Tails' power creating a construct of unprecedented stability and strength.
ROAR!
In front of the towering thousand-armed statue, an answering roar suddenly rang out—a sound that carried the defiance of youth against legend, of hope against despair, of the future challenging the past!