"I see. So that's how it is."
"Why don't you take a closer look?"
With Deidara and Sasori already out of earshot, Menma pulled off his mask. Hashirama instantly recognized the face underneath. The only difference was that Menma's blue eyes had turned crimson, swirling with the complex patterns of the Mangekyō Sharingan.
Then, just as quickly as they appeared, the red patterns and the spectral Susanoo arms gripping his body vanished. In their place, a blazing torrent of golden-red Nine-Tails chakra erupted. Eight massive, elegant fox tails whipped out from Menma's back, tearing up the ground.
"Mangekyō Sharingan... and Nine-Tails chakra..."
"I get it now. That's why you can control the Nine-Tails so easily."
"You possess a Sharingan capable of hypnotizing a Tailed Beast completely!"
Since Menma could freely wield the Mangekyō Sharingan, that meant he had Uchiha blood. If that was true, then the Fourth Hokage's identity was never some genius commoner—it was a disguised Uchiha! His entire goal in becoming Hokage was to change the Uchiha Clan's fate within the Hidden Leaf! According to history, Minato Namikaze had gotten unusually close to the Uchiha Clan Head and his wife after taking office.
Hashirama's mind raced. He never imagined the "heroic" Fourth hid such a dark secret.
I need to get back, he thought desperately. I have to tell Tobirama about this. He'll figure out the rest.
Losing all will to fight, Hashirama realized he had to return immediately. He had to warn the others and watch out for Menma's true identity within the village.
"Heh heh... Leave?"
Hearing the old Hokage mutter to himself, Menma couldn't help but laugh.
"Hashirama Senju, are you really this stupid, or are you just playing the part?"
"Do you honestly think I'd let you walk away after showing you all this?"
The moment the word "doubt" left his lips, a ring of black markings appeared between Menma's brows and eyes. A hurricane of wind swirled around him, howling violently. The golden-red chakra coating his body surged even higher, and in an instant, he transformed into a fifty-meter-tall giant.
He wore a crown with fox ears, a black patterned robe, and carried a longsword tipped with a fox's tail.
Sage Art: Manifestation of Heaven and Earth!
Because this was only a Shadow Clone with eight tails and less than half the original's chakra, its height was only about half of the true form. Even so, Hashirama's wooden golem looked like a child's toy in comparison.
"Hashirama Senju. Your power is too troublesome. To stop you from interfering, I'm going to seal you away."
As Menma spoke, the golden-red giant lowered its left hand toward the small wooden doll. The words sounded familiar, but Hashirama couldn't place them. He clasped his hands together, forcing the wooden doll to sprout massive arms. He thrust them up, blocking the descending giant hand.
BOOM!
A deafening roar shook the battlefield. Ripples of force spread across the giant's palm as black patterns gathered. The wooden golem was swatted backward, crashing into the ground like a discarded ragdoll. Dust and debris exploded outward. The collision between the two vastly different sizes was like a giant Buddha brutally beating a child.
"He used Sage Chakra to forcibly sever the absorption of Wood Style!"
Hashirama was shocked. Menma could use Sage Mode? And it was strikingly similar to his own? That was the only way he could have stopped his Wood Style from draining the Tailed Beast's chakra. But even if he stopped the absorption, it only worked on Hashirama's current level. He still had a trump card to regain his peak power.
Sage Mode markings flared around Hashirama's eyes as he slammed his hands together.
"Sage Art: Gate of the Great God!"
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Three massive red Torii gates plummeted from the sky, crashing onto the golden-red giant's back. The immense suppression, infused with Tailed Beast chakra, forced the giant to its knees. Seizing the moment, Hashirama reached for the necklace around his neck.
"Menma Uzumaki. You are a threat to the village."
"Even if you are the Child of Prophecy, I won't show you mercy any longer!"
CRACK!
With a resolute expression, Hashirama crushed the necklace in his palm. A pillar of green chakra erupted, enveloping him. He channeled his peak power into the wooden doll rising below.
BOOM!!!
The wooden dummy, overflowing with chakra, expanded rapidly. In the blink of an eye, it grew thirty meters, reaching fifty meters tall. Now it stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Menma's golden-red giant. A terrifying aura swept across the landscape, whipping the air into a frenzy.
While the First was upgrading his construct, Menma drew the longsword from his back. With a single swing, the three Torii gates shattered.
"Tsunade's Death Necklace?"
"So that thing housing your chakra is your last trump card."
"But have you forgotten what technique Madara Uchiha used when he fought you?"
Hearing Menma's words, Hashirama's expression darkened. He immediately ordered his wooden doll to lunge at the golden-red giant. If Menma allowed his Susanoo to fully transform into a humanoid Tailed Beast, negating the Wood Style's suppression, Hashirama wouldn't be able to use the True Several Thousand Hands—and he would have no chance of winning.
Seeing Hashirama attack silently but swiftly, Menma, positioned between the giant's brows, chuckled. His eyes shifted back to crimson Mangekyō Sharingan. He controlled the golden-red giant to slash at the approaching wooden doll.
In that motion, Menma's jet-black pupils unleashed their power. Layer upon layer of black armor, like scales, covered the golden robe. A jet-black mask adorned with fangs and long horns—like a demon descending to earth—concealed the giant's face. Finally, a darkness that seemed to absorb all light twisted into patterns that coiled around the descending blade. The back of the blade remained brilliant gold and red, representing two extremes: life and death, good and evil.
"This is my majestic Susanoo."
"I call it... the Calamity of Divine Fall."
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