Uchiha Madara was using the orthodox green-leaf Wood Release.
And Yako, by contrast, looked more like some heretical villain, wielding red maple Wood Release instead.
That only made Madara even more excited.
The power of the red maple Wood Release was actually stronger than his own.
Its trunks were thicker.
Harder.
Far tougher.
Madara's green Wood Release was steadily forced backward.
The pressure suddenly emptied the space in front of him, opening up a passage more than twenty meters wide.
Beneath that passage was a dense, writhing mass of red maple Wood Release.
And under that—
The green Wood Release was still desperately trying to break through.
Yako clapped his hands.
A Wood Dragon erupted from the massive tree beneath his feet.
Carried by the dragon, Yako slowly advanced.
He was in no hurry at all.
Below the dragon, the crimson trunks of maple wood twisted and intertwined, constantly creaking under the crushing strain.
The green trees managed to snap a few of the red trunks—
But they still couldn't break through.
Madara lowered his eyes and glanced at his own left chest.
The Wood Release he had gained through transplanted Hashirama cells...
Still wasn't true Wood Release.
"Susanoo!"
A blue half-bodied skeletal Susanoo burst out from the slit in the tree.
There was no point hiding anymore.
The great tree Madara had been using as his shelter was torn apart by Susanoo's own hands.
Madara then cast a glance in Nagato's direction, and his expression shifted slightly.
He was too old.
If he stayed still and relied entirely on the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, he could still live a few more years.
But his previous assault on Konoha had already consumed what little vitality he had left.
At this point—
Uchiha Madara had already accepted death.
But death was not the end.
At the right time, he would be revived through the Rinnegan.
He had spent years laying the groundwork for that very resurrection.
So before dying this time—
He had to eliminate every remaining threat.
Floating inside Susanoo's chest, Madara stared down at Fox and said:
"Fox. You've got some skill."
"If you keep living, you'll interfere with my plans."
"You're a small nuisance."
"And nuisances should die."
Yako smiled.
"Some skill? A small nuisance?"
"Uchiha Madara, that doesn't sound like you at all."
"Listen to yourself."
"You're practically acknowledging my strength."
Then his grin widened.
"Come on, Madara."
"Go wild."
"This is your final dance before death."
Madara threw his head back and laughed.
"I never thought Konoha would produce a lunatic like you."
"For a moment, I almost wondered if you were Uchiha yourself."
"Since you're so arrogant, then let me show you the peak battle I once fought with Senju Hashirama!"
"Don't disappoint me, Fox!"
"Let me see how much of Hashirama still lives inside you!"
"Nostalgic, are we?" Yako said as he summoned a massive scroll. "Then let me indulge you properly."
The moment Madara saw Fox pressing a hand to that giant scroll—
His eyes briefly lost focus.
Hashirama...
Poof!
A cloud of white smoke burst outward.
When it cleared, four weapons had appeared atop the Wood Dragon's head.
A Senju broadsword.
A giant Fūma shuriken.
A chakra blade.
And an assassination black blade.
Madara's expression changed instantly.
"Where is the nine-section blade?"
Yako replied casually, "That one? Your subordinate destroyed it when he murdered Lord Mitokado Homura."
"My subordinate?"
Madara's heart sank.
Sarutobi Kanosuke.
The fake guy who had killed Mitokado Homura.
There was still another hidden force in the shinobi world.
A force buried so deeply that even he hadn't fully uncovered it.
And that force had been using his hand to suppress Konoha.
They were even more vicious than he was.
And their hatred for Konoha ran even deeper.
Madara said coldly:
"Hiruzen Sarutobi's generation only survived by clinging to the lingering prestige of Hashirama Senju."
"And they couldn't even protect Hashirama's weapons."
"A bunch of gutter rats who crawled out of the sewer."
Yako really wanted to say:
Madara-sama... your emotional attachment to Hashirama is getting a little too intense.
Mention him a few more times and you're going to start blushing.
Instead, he simply clapped his hands again.
Two massive wooden vines burst out behind him.
One wrapped around the Senju broadsword.
The other wrapped around the giant Fūma shuriken.
The vines whipped them outward over a hundred meters with a terrifying howl.
The broadsword slammed into Susanoo's skeletal body with a deafening metallic crash.
"The indestructible Senju broadsword," Madara said. "At least you figured out the right way to use it."
"But it's not your weapon, is it?"
"That's why you swing it around without the slightest bit of care."
"And even if it is the Senju broadsword—"
"How exactly do you plan to break my Susanoo with it?"
At the same time, the other vine swung the giant Fūma shuriken toward Susanoo as well.
This time—
Susanoo actually took a step back.
"You brat," Madara said sharply.
"The giant Fūma shuriken doesn't have the indestructible property."
"Are you trying to destroy it?"
Madara's aged body no longer supported close-quarters combat.
If he were younger, he would have used the Sharingan to teach Fox what real taijutsu looked like.
His Wood Release was inferior.
So now, he had no choice but to rely on Susanoo's overwhelming offense and defense.
The half-bodied skeletal Susanoo rapidly transformed.
It grew into a full-bodied Susanoo.
With four arms and a pair of serpentine long blades, it swung down toward Yako.
The instant Madara brought out full-bodied Susanoo, Yako brought his hands together.
From both sides, a Wood Dragon erupted.
The moment Madara saw the dragons, the wrinkles on his forehead deepened dramatically.
"That damned Wood Dragon Technique..."
"This is the technique I hate the most."
"Without question."
The two Wood Dragons coiled in from left and right, wrapping toward Susanoo.
One of the serpentine blades severed one dragon—
But the other successfully wrapped around Susanoo's body.
As a chakra-based construct, Susanoo immediately began to weaken.
Madara had plenty of experience dealing with the Wood Dragon Technique.
At a moment like this, he had to release a massive burst of chakra instantly and blow the dragon apart.
If he hesitated—
The dragon would keep absorbing chakra and only grow stronger.
Madara exploded with chakra.
The shockwave alone generated a violent gale that tore through the surrounding rainforest.
Then—
Armored Susanoo!
A dark tengu-like cloak of armor formed around the body.
The completed form of Susanoo tore the Wood Dragon apart with sheer force.
Now it stood nearly a hundred meters tall.
Yako frowned.
Madara's Susanoo was seriously troublesome.
Wood Dragon alone wasn't enough.
"Wood Release: Threefold Wood Golem!"
The Threefold Wood Golem burst out from the earth.
Madara looked at the three-headed, six-armed wooden giant and sneered:
"Hideous."
"Misshapen."
"In both strength and aesthetics, it's laughably inferior to Hashirama's Wood Golem."
Then Susanoo transformed again.
Wings erupted from its back.
Twin blades appeared in its hands.
It became Perfect Susanoo.
The Threefold Wood Golem and Perfect Susanoo slammed into one another.
Two titanic giants over a hundred meters tall collided, shaking the entire area.
Far in the distance, White Ram and the others hurriedly retreated.
A battle like this was no longer something ordinary shinobi could participate in.
White Ram trained every day under the effects of the Ten Seal, and he had always believed his strength ranked fairly high among jonin.
But now?
Even the aftershocks of Fox's battle felt like wind techniques launched by elite jonin.
It was impossible to get close.
One slash from Susanoo's giant sword flattened several hundred meters of rainforest.
Perfect Susanoo and the Threefold Wood Golem clashed in fierce taijutsu combat.
The golem's fists were absurdly hard.
Every punch sent Susanoo staggering.
But Susanoo's massive swords made it impossible for the wooden giant to take hits head-on.
Trees were kicked loose from the earth.
Rainwater was blasted back into the sky.
After more than a minute of deadlock, Yako finally changed tactics for the first time.
"Wood Release: Top Transformed Buddha!"
"Uchiha Madara!"
"Didn't you want to see Top Transformed Buddha?!"
"The Top Transformed Buddha you've been obsessing over is here!"
Inside Perfect Susanoo, Madara slammed his hands together.
"Ever since Hashirama Senju died, I have spent all these years thinking of how to break Top Transformed Buddha!"
Then his lips curled into a savage grin.
"Brat."
"If you die to this move—"
"It will be your honor."