A brilliant beam of light erupted across the ground as Orochimaru rapidly formed hand seals, instantly isolating the Six Paths–level enemy.
The allied shinobi forces of the Ninja World moved with perfect coordination, jointly forcing back the partially separated opponent. In the next instant, another flash of light cleaved the battlefield into two distinct zones.
Their roles were clear.
Jiraiya leapt onto a raised rock formation. After a century of trials, he appeared younger than ever—almost like the legendary days of the Three Sannin.
He glanced at Orochimaru—pale, composed, and cold as ever—and then at Tsunade, whose mature beauty carried the vitality of youth. For a fleeting moment, memories of their battle against Hanzō surfaced.
A faint smile tugged at his lips.
Even if time had passed, his spirit had not aged.
Golden chakra began to rise from his body.
Over the years, Orochimaru had buried himself in research, and Tsunade in medical advancements—but Jiraiya had devoted far more time to training. As a result, his combat strength now subtly surpassed theirs.
Not that they were ever pure combat specialists to begin with.
This was his Sage Mode—his own perfected variant. No longer bound to Mount Myōboku, it was a form he had refined through personal mastery.
He had once considered giving it a grand name.
In the end, he simply called it—Sage Mode.
Gone were the toad-like features. With his youthful appearance restored, he radiated vigor.
Seeing this, Tsunade and Orochimaru exchanged a knowing glance.
Dark, intricate markings spread across Tsunade's body as her Strength of a Hundred Seal and Creation Rebirth reached their peak state.
Orochimaru's Cursed Seal flared in response—now refined to a far more advanced form. Its dangers had been minimized, its power greatly enhanced. Only the chilling aura around him grew stronger.
"Let's go!!!"
Jiraiya roared, forming a Rasengan and slamming it into an Ōtsutsuki. The impact blasted a crater dozens of meters deep.
Tsunade followed through, her punch piercing straight through another Ōtsutsuki's body—though it was far from fatal. If Six Paths–level Ōtsutsuki were so easily killed, they would not be feared across worlds.
All around them, fellow shinobi launched relentless attacks.
Meanwhile, the allied forces facing the White Zetsu Army showed no hesitation. Without ceremony, they raised rifles and opened fire.
Energy-infused bullets tore through White Zetsu bodies. High-explosive grenades followed—purely energy-based, yet even more destructive than Deidara's clay bombs.
At first, the White Zetsu ranks fell into chaos.
But they adapted quickly.
Among them were lower-ranking Ōtsutsuki—mere cannon fodder—who unleashed Shinra Tensei, blasting away incoming attacks. Their status was even beneath that of Kaguya Ōtsutsuki in her time.
Other White Zetsu began counterattacking with ninjutsu.
These were no longer the weak, disposable Zetsu of the past.
Far from this battlefield—hundreds of thousands of li away—another clash shook the void.
The battle between Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara was just as devastating.
Both excelled in large-scale destruction.
Suspended in space, Madara controlled his winged Susanoo, unleashing massive slashes of chakra.
Sword energy tore through the vacuum.
Opposite him, an Ōtsutsuki general retaliated with waves of raw power, shattering each strike.
Energy surged. Even the stars seemed to tremble.
Nearby, Hashirama's Wood Release spread endlessly—colossal trees intertwining until they formed a structure the size of a planet.
They coiled tightly around another Ōtsutsuki general.
Yet the enemy's strength exceeded theirs.
Against attacks of planetary scale, violent energy storms erupted continuously, each blast erasing kilometers of wood.
But against something so vast, such damage was insignificant.
More importantly—
It regenerated.
At an astonishing rate.
This was the true power of Hashirama's Wood Release.
Realizing brute force was ineffective, the Ōtsutsuki general snorted coldly.
His name was Ōtsutsuki Shiki.
Having fought across countless worlds alongside his master, there was little he had not encountered.
With a single motion, he tore open a spatial rift.
A streak of black light flashed.
In an instant—
Hashirama's planet-sized Wood Release was split cleanly in two.
Then came a barrage of dark energy, completely shattering the massive construct.
"This is one of my Rinnegan abilities—Amenominakanushi!"
The space around him distorted violently.
Dark, massive blades formed from spatial energy condensed into existence, their edges humming with destructive power.
With a single thought, the blades vanished—
—and reappeared instantly behind Senju Hashirama, slashing down without warning.
It was precisely because of such terrifying abilities that he had been personally trained by Ōtsutsuki Shiki.
The Ōtsutsuki warrior gripped twin double-edged swords, their edges wrapped in warped space itself. Each swing ignored distance, cutting through space to strike from impossible angles.
"Hashirama… has your combat awareness dulled this much?"
A sharp sound cut through the battlefield.
Blood splattered.
But the voice did not come from the attacker.
It came from behind Hashirama.
Uchiha Madara stood there, having appeared in an instant. A shallow cut ran across his face—fresh blood tracing down his cheek.
He had intercepted the attack.
"Madara!!!"
Hashirama froze for a brief moment—then anger surged within him.
It wasn't that he hadn't reacted in time.
With his regenerative ability, he could have endured that strike.
But Madara had stepped in instead—and was now wounded because of it.
That alone was enough to ignite Hashirama's fury.
And that fury was directed entirely at Ōtsutsuki Shiki.
"How laughable… these trivial human emotions."
Another Ōtsutsuki descended nearby—his presence cold and disdainful.
This was Ōtsutsuki Shura.
He looked at the two of them with open mockery.
"Enough talk," Ōtsutsuki Shiki said indifferently. "We finish them first."
Hashirama's gaze lingered on the wound across Madara's face.
It hadn't healed.
That alone told him everything.
The energy within that attack was abnormal—it actively suppressed regeneration.
Even for Madara, it wasn't something that could be ignored.
Madara raised a hand and lightly touched the wound.
Pain flickered across his expression—
Then he sneered.
Under Hashirama's watchful eyes, a sharp glow formed at Madara's fingertips, thin as a blade.
Without hesitation—
He dragged it across his own cheek.
The flesh tainted by that strange energy was cleanly cut away.
Blood flowed freely down his face.
For a moment, his stern, handsome features looked almost grotesque.
But in the very next instant—
With the foreign energy removed, his natural regeneration surged back.
The wound closed rapidly.
In the blink of an eye, his face was restored as if nothing had happened.
(End of Chapter)
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