Inside the castle-like Mizukage building.
The nameless Third Mizukage was considering whether to intervene in this Great Ninja World War.
With the current four-versus-three advantage, the Leaf alliance clearly held the upper hand.
But the Hot Water Country and the Land of Grass simply couldn't compare to their opponents' three nations each possessing Tailed beasts.
The Land of Water had never shown much interest in high technology.
Being located far from the mainland of the shinobi world, it was nearly impossible for them to become a battlefield.
What troubled the Third Mizukage was simply whether dragging the Land of Water into this mess was worth it.
As one of the few still alive from the First Five Kage Conference, he hated the thought of dragging the world back into Warring States chaos.
"A real coward."
An eerie voice echoed through the office, causing the Third Mizukage to tense his entire body immediately.
Now in a combat stance, he looked around repeatedly but failed to detect the intruder.
"Who are you?"
"I am the one who will lead Mist to glory."
Sweating profusely, the Third Mizukage experienced helplessness for the first time in his life.
No Anbu from Mist had arrived, even after all this time.
He realized his attempt to buy time was over—no help was coming.
With a flick of his fingers, the Third Mizukage unleashed the Hiding in Mist Technique, shrouding the office in thick fog.
Black Zetsu, with other intentions, seemed completely unperturbed.
Over thousands of years, he had perfected mind manipulation to an unparalleled level.
"There's no need to be tense."
"I'm not your enemy."
Yet the Third Mizukage, after forming seals, encased the entire office in a Water Release technique.
"Back in my day, maybe I'd have waited it out."
Black Zetsu whispered near his ear while quietly approaching. "Unfortunately, I must escalate this Great Ninja World War to a whole new level before they emerge."
Gradually losing consciousness, the Third Mizukage saw a strange black creature before finally collapsing.
His body now occupied by Black Zetsu, he would likely never be able to tell anyone about the pair of eyes he had seen in his lifetime.
Several days later, in an underground small chamber that was gradually expanding.
A seventy-meter-tall white [Susanoo] was engaged in hand-to-hand combat with two equally tall giants.
Shen, maintaining excellent control over speed and technique, was handling these two less-than-peak shinobi legends without even showing the slightest sign of distress.
This battle had continued nonstop since he injected himself with the serum.
"You've improved somewhat, kid." Madara remarked, slightly fatigued, as he dismissed his own [Susanoo].
Even someone like him couldn't fight nonstop for days without getting tired.
Back in his younger days, he probably would have felt exhilarated instead?
Meanwhile, [Impure World Reincarnated Hashirama], tireless and possessing nearly infinite chakra, immediately controlled a [Wood Humanoid] to ambush Shen, who appeared distracted.
The [bright white Susanoo] stepped back one step, accurately timing its movement to grasp the sluggish [Wood Humanoid]'s neck.
"Well done!" [Impure World Reincarnated Hashirama] clapped his hands together immediately while standing on the shoulder of the [Wood Humanoid].
Instantly, Shen's [Susanoo] was pushed back several steps.
Over two hundred meters tall, the colossal Buddha seemed far from reaching its limit.
"Ah well," Impure World Reincarnated Hashirama wore a cheerful smile, "if it gets any bigger, this space probably won't be able to contain it anymore."
Such a clumsy provocation naturally failed to fool Shen.
"But," the pure-white Susanoo, with all four of its arms glowing brightly, "I'm also curious myself—just how far can I go right now?"
Hashirama's smile widened even further.
He had always loved ambitious young people.
"Just let me see how strong the next Hokage really is!"
The Buddha behind him, its back covered in a dense array of over a thousand hands resembling a turtle shell, launched continuous attacks at the four-blade-wielding figure standing before it.
Inside the Susanoo, Shen accelerated his brain's processing speed.
Only when several incoming hands blurred into a straight line across his vision did he finally maneuver the Susanoo to slash with its blades.
"With such commanding finesse, this Susanoo might become the ultimate power of the Uchiha Clan." Through small holes in the Yin-Yang Release defensive barrier he'd created, Madara murmured in amazement.
In the shinobi world, as long as you could stop your opponent from unleashing any powerful techniques, you'd already won half the fight.
In fact, every large-scale existence in the Naruto world appeared extremely sluggish from a ninja's perspective.
Just as ordinary people rarely notice ants crawling beneath their feet.
One major reason why Shen's Susanoo was so fast wasn't only because of his superior control—it was also because he could split his focus effortlessly, keeping track of all battlefield changes simultaneously.
By minimizing movement paths while maximizing attack and defense effectiveness, others perceived this efficiency as sheer speed.
Right now, each swing capable of slicing down no fewer than ten wooden hands served as perfect proof.
Beside Madara, White Zetsu trembled throughout the entire confrontation.
Only now did he realize that what his creator had claimed before hadn't been boasting at all.
A colossal Buddha over two hundred meters tall versus a Susanoo still two forms short of full completion—despite this gap, the intensity of their clash was already overwhelming.
He couldn't even begin to imagine the destructive power possessed by a fully completed Thousand Hands Manipulation Force: Thrust — specifically the Summit Enlightened Thousand-Armed Cannon — which stood two to three times taller than the Nine-Tails-Enhanced Susanoo.
The relentless destruction of wooden hands sent a rush of exhilaration through the reincarnated Hashirama atop the colossal Buddha.
Back in the Warring States Era, only one person had ever provoked him into using this technique—Madara Uchiha alone.
"What if," thought Hashirama, accelerating his assault, "it were a complete Summit Enlightened Thousand-Armed Cannon facing off against his perfected Susanoo?"
Older generations wanted future ones to surpass them—not by throwing matches on purpose.
At least now, faced with the serious version of the colossal Buddha, Shen immediately felt immense pressure.
Four arms slicing through the wooden limbs like they were chopping fruit soon found themselves overwhelmed by countless incoming wooden hands.
"It's not enough... I'm still not strong enough..."
To protect this Naruto world, one needed sufficient strength.
Shen felt deeply fortunate having been born into the Uchiha Clan, especially into the clan leader's residence.
He was born into status and power, but earned his wealth through relentless effort.
The only thing missing was greater strength.
His source of strength was his determination to protect this world.
The bright white Susanoo, gradually being shattered, suddenly lit up as two crimson beams glowed from its once dim eye sockets.
A flame-shaped cape and the Karasu Tengu Armor completely covered its body.
Impure World Reincarnated Hashirama, who had ceased his attacks, watched with a look of pleasant surprise.
After days of nonstop battle, even the young man he'd grown fond of had been pushed this far.
"It's not over yet."
Bright white chakra shaped like flames engulfed the entire Susanoo.
Madara tightened his defenses and let out a smile he hadn't worn in years.
When the massive chakra stabilized and towered as tall as the Daibutsu, the Perfect Susanoo lifted its colossal blade high.
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