As the long sword was about to touch the Great Buddha, Shen's vision inexplicably turned dark.
Under the enhancement of the serum ability, he eventually lost consciousness.
However, the gradually fading Perfect Susanoo still brought great satisfaction to Impure World Reincarnated Hashirama and Madara.
Shen had skipped two stages and attained the Perfect Susanoo, which could shatter all phenomena in one strike. This had greatly exceeded their expectations.
"He's not bad," Impure World Reincarnated Hashirama said while carrying Shen gently landing on the ground, "he's your descendant after all."
"Isn't he also yours?" Madara, who had lowered his defenses, knew precisely what caused Shen's sudden explosive power.
"The Will of Fire?"
"Yes, but not the current version."
Impure World Reincarnated Hashirama felt slightly surprised at Madara's words.
"The Will of Fire has already become corrupted." Madara slowly raised his head. "I once said it would be putting the cart before the horse, becoming darkness within the village itself."
"I see," Impure World Reincarnated Hashirama's eyes gradually turned gloomy. "Nothing can escape the erosion of time, can it?"
In Konoha's early days, the Will of Fire meant protecting everything within the village.
Back then, Hashirama told Madara that even blood brothers would have to die if they threatened Konoha.
Thus, the dark side of the Will of Fire began taking root.
Originally created to protect everyone, Konoha itself became the most important thing.
Danzo Shimura suppressed and monitored the Uchiha Clan under the pretext of maintaining village stability.
Hiruzen Sarutobi continually compromised while wearing the mask of Mr. Nice Guy, always citing village unity.
Danzo Shimura rationalized his schemes through constant self-justification, claiming he acted for Konoha's sake.
All of them were shaped by that warped belief system.
Impure World Reincarnated Hashirama naturally understood that without someone emerging who placed villagers above the village itself, Konoha would surely keep decaying.
"Our original dreams have both been shattered," Madara looked at the unconscious Shen, his gaze uncharacteristically soft. "Now we can only count on this child."
"Hahahaha!" Impure World Reincarnated Hashirama burst into laughter, teasingly looking at him. "Madara, those words don't sound like something you'd ever say!"
Unperturbed, Madara stared at the iconic Uchiwa fan inside its transparent glass case for a long moment before finally speaking.
"Hashirama, I failed my responsibilities as clan leader, just as you did."
Thinking back to how his clansmen reacted with anger when he originally proposed integrating the Senju clan into Konoha, Hashirama felt an overwhelming sense of guilt upon hearing these words.
Sacrificing the Senju name for Konoha's prosperity indeed demonstrated a noble spirit.
But failing to consider his clansmen's feelings made it selfish beneath its polished surface, no matter how glorious it appeared outwardly.
Impure World Reincarnated Hashirama settled down, crossing his legs. "Want some sake?"
Madara sat beside him. "Of course."
What were they now? Simply old friends who had known each other for years.
One month later, February of Konoha Year 34.
Land of Water and Frost Country both declared war on Land of Fire.
They even deployed the Three-Tails' and Six-Tails' Jinchuriki, invading territories originally belonging to Uzu.
There was no way Land of Fire's Daimyo would tolerate this!
He sent twelve letters filled with growing fury to Third Hokage in one night, "requesting" him to reclaim the occupied lands as soon as possible.
Thus, under circumstances where Konoha had practically no available forces, Lord Third convened a meeting.
The clan leaders Kazushi and Meide—deadly rivals toward each other—both approached Third Hokage, demanding the right to personally lead forces into battle.
Just as he was about to agree, an Anbu member burst into the room.
After whispering a few words into his ear, Qing jumped out the window.
Third Hokage closed the window, his expression extremely serious. "Everyone, I've just received news."
"Rain Country has officially declared war on Land of Earth, Land of Grass, Land of Wind, Stream Country, and—"
His entire body radiated an invisible pressure—"on our own Land of Fire."
"Hokage-sama, the Rain shinobi cannot be—"
Before Third Hokage could finish, a certain high-ranking official—who was notorious for doing the bare minimum—immediately shut his mouth.
Perhaps because he'd maintained a gentle, amiable image for so long, the sudden display of authority shocked everyone into silence.
Konoha plus three allied nations must now face an invasion from six countries simultaneously.
Except for a nation daring enough to challenge multiple fronts at once, every other opposing nation's strength surpassed those of Hot Water Country and Land of Grass.
Even with Land of Fire's wealth and Konoha's powerful shinobi, this battle would drain their resources endlessly like a bottomless sinkhole.
At that moment, everyone in the conference room understood—more than a decade of peace was finally coming to an end.
After brief consideration, Kazushi stood and requested deployment. "The elite forces from Uchiha Clan are ready to march into Rain Country."
"Lord Third," Meide followed closely, "Hyuga Clan is also prepared to head into Rain Country."
With these two bloodline-limit clans from Konoha taking the lead, the other clan heads also decided to commit their forces.
The time for weighing pros and cons was long gone.
Victory meant survival.
Defeat meant total annihilation.
The bloodline-limit clans like Uchiha and Hyuga chose not to deploy toward the battlefields of Land of Water and Land of Lightning.
Everyone in the shinobi world knew well how obsessed those two countries were with bloodline limits.
The Uzumaki Clan's large chakra reserves could ensure Land of Grass's frontline fighters received sufficient medical support.
Yamanaka, Nara, and Akimichi Clans had always operated closely together.
Moreover, their inherited secret techniques ensured that their clan abilities wouldn't be stolen by outsiders.
Sarutobi and Shimura Clans both chose to deploy toward the battlefield in Land of Water.
After the main arrangements were settled, Third Hokage solemnly placed the Hokage hat on the meeting table.
"Everyone, this is a moment of life and death for Land of Fire. If even one battlefield collapses, the enemy will send massive reinforcements to invade."
His expression turned grave. "If that happens, Konoha will be like a fish on the chopping block."
"Under no circumstances can we allow that to happen!"
The entire conference room was energized by their speech.
Only Kazushi and Meide looked deeply troubled.
Kazushi had a young son who had gone missing months ago, while Meide agonized daily over his youngest daughter's safety.
Dissatisfied with relying solely on reports from their subordinates, both chose to get involved personally.
In an underground chamber nearly a thousand meters wide, located not far from Konoha,
Shen stood alone, his Perfect Susanoo fully unleashed, facing two legendary figures of the shinobi world, both at their absolute peak.
This space, bound by the Planetary Devastation Seal, had actually been on the verge of breaking open at any moment.
They held back simply because the two masters still wanted to impart whatever knowledge they could to the next generation.
After all, battle experience was all they had left to offer the younger generation.
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