The battle was over.
A light drizzle began to fall from the sky, landing on Uchiha Madara and Hashirama, dampening their faces. The moisture seemed to sap the warmth from Uchiha Madara's body, and his temperature was dropping rapidly. However, the true cause was not the sudden rain, but the blade protruding from his chest.
"Foolish... Hashirama," Uchiha Madara murmured in his dying moments. "Sooner or later... this will become the darkness of the Village."
After leaving these last words, Uchiha Madara collapsed onto the water, completely losing all signs of life. Hashirama stood beside him, silently watching the corpse.
Hashirama did not regret it. He would protect the Village no matter what. If anyone wanted to destroy Konoha, even if it were his own brother or child, he would show no mercy. However, Uchiha Madara's final words made Hashirama's heart sink slightly; what he had said seemed to forebode something.
At that moment, Hashirama sensed a trace of presence and looked up at the high cliff, but he could no longer feel anything. He merely assumed it was a hallucination caused by his own nervous tension. This battle had been far too long. Hashirama's Chakra was nearly exhausted, and an unprecedented fatigue spread through his entire body.
Hashirama couldn't help but collapse to his knees, coughing a few times. He shifted his gaze to the Nine-Tailed nearby, which was twisted and entangled by trees, its eyes tightly shut as if it were asleep.
Uchiha Madara's idea of covering the Nine-Tailed with Susanoo was undoubtedly brilliant. Hashirama's ultimate Senjutsu technique, the Wood Release: True Several Thousand Hands, had only managed to fight it to a stalemate. The Susanoo on the Nine-Tailed had indeed been shattered, but the arms of the True Several Thousand Hands had also been completely broken off, rendering it unusable.
Hashirama gathered his final Senjutsu Chakra and used a Secret Technique to suppress the Nine-Tailed, forcing it into a deep sleep, which had averted the crisis. He then engaged in the final struggle with Uchiha Madara, winning by a narrow margin when both were completely exhausted.
Hashirama stared at the Nine-Tailed's form, suddenly feeling a slight jolt in his heart as he saw bright red Chakra slowly emerge from the Nine-Tailed, burning the surrounding trees. At this point, Hashirama's Senjutsu Chakra was already depleted, and he lacked the strength to maintain the power of the "Bringer of the Dharma." If given enough time, the Nine-Tailed would awaken.
Hashirama wanted to gather more Senjutsu Chakra, but his injuries were too severe, and his Chakra was nearly depleted. He was unable to gather new Senjutsu Chakra, and the forced attempt caused intense pain to wrack his body, making him cough up a mouthful of blood and collapse onto the water.
"Brother!"
"Hashirama!"
Hearing the voices, Hashirama struggled to climb up from the water and turned around to see Tobirama and Mito rushing over, though they did not look very well themselves.
"Tobirama, what happened to you two?" Hashirama asked hurriedly.
"During the battle between you and Uchiha Madara, many attacks flew toward the Village. Although they were weakened and diverted by you, we still had to expend a lot of effort to block the attacks." Tobirama explained quickly, then noticed Uchiha Madara lying there and asked, "Brother, is Uchiha Madara dead?"
"Ah. He is dead." Hashirama replied softly upon hearing this.
Tobirama glanced at his brother. Hashirama's tone was very flat, and Tobirama did not know what Hashirama was truly feeling; the only thing he knew was that Uchiha Madara was dead and the crisis in Konoha had been resolved.
Hashirama asked, "Where are the others?"
"I had them return. Since the crisis in the Village has been resolved, someone needs to be responsible for handling matters within the Village. I have temporarily entrusted it to Uchiha Sasuke." As Tobirama spoke, he shifted his gaze to the Nine-Tailed.
Tobirama had also read about Tailed Beasts in the clan records, and the immense power of the Nine-Tailed had shocked him. Looking at Hashirama's injuries, he would need some time to recover, but what would happen if this demon beast awakened?
Hashirama stared at the still-sleeping Nine-Tailed and said to his wife, who looked worried, "I don't have much strength left now. Mito, please help me seal the Nine-Tailed."
Mito came from the Uzumaki Clan, which passed down Sealing Techniques that were unparalleled throughout the Ninja World. Their Chakra also had a suppressing effect, and they possessed a unique ability called "Adamantine Sealing Chains." Although their combat ability was not very strong, the Uzumaki Clan enjoyed a great reputation in the Ninja World based solely on their Sealing Techniques.
Mito nodded and said gently, "Hashirama, leave the rest to me. You should get some rest."
"The problem is, where should we seal this guy?" Hashirama trusted his wife's skill with Sealing Techniques; his only headache was how to contain the Nine-Tailed. According to the clan records, Tailed Beasts had been suppressed before. The medium for the seal was a magical artifact; the better the artifact, the more effective the seal, but it required constant monitoring to prevent the seal from breaking.
For a Tailed Beast as powerful as the Nine-Tailed, the artifact used to seal it had to be of very high quality—perhaps a Sage Tool like Uchiha Madara's flame fan. But the problem was, where would they find a Sage Tool now? The flame fan could not be used as a sealing vessel.
Facing this problem, Mito said, "Just seal it inside my body."
Both Hashirama and Tobirama were shocked. Mito recounted a passage from the Uzumaki Clan's records: in ancient times, when Tailed Beasts wreaked havoc, people sought ways to suppress them. An ancestor of the Uzumaki Clan had been invited to suppress a Tailed Beast and reportedly sealed it within his own body. This ancestor later died in an accident, and the Tailed Beast within him died as well. However, Tailed Beasts are immortal; even if they die, they revive after a period of time.
"According to this ancestor, the constitution of our Uzumaki Clan seems very well-suited for suppressing the power of Tailed Beasts. To prevent the Tailed Beast from causing chaos again, he used this method," Mito said. "Using a Sealing Technique to seal something inside a body is feasible, but this is just a record, and I don't know if it's truly viable."
"That won't do! How can we attempt something based on an ambiguous record?" Hashirama immediately refused.
Mito shook her head slightly and said, "Hashirama, can you find any other way right now? Once the Nine-Tailed awakens, you won't be able to stop it in your injured state. I can only hold it off for a while at most, and you cannot find an artifact capable of sealing the Nine-Tailed in such a short time."
Hashirama was silent. He had to admit that what Mito said was correct. Artifacts with sealing properties were hard to find, let alone one capable of sealing the Nine-Tailed, but he also did not want his wife to take the risk.
"Hashirama, although this record is ambiguous, I feel it is very likely true. The Chakra of our Uzumaki Clan does indeed have the effect of suppressing others' Chakra. Given the current situation, we have to try." Mito said.
"Then, why don't I try it instead?" Hashirama felt it would be better for him to take the risk.
"Does your Chakra have the same ability to suppress others as mine does?" Mito scolded.
Hashirama was at a loss for words. Although the Senju Clan and the Uzumaki Clan were distant relatives, their abilities were not exactly the same; people of the Senju Clan did not possess the same ability to suppress Chakra as the Uzumaki Clan.
"So, let me do it." Mito said.
Hashirama looked into Mito's eyes, his heart touched by her resolve. She was prepared; why was he being so indecisive?
"Alright." Hashirama gritted his teeth and finally relented.
Tobirama would not just stand by and watch either, saying, "If there is anything needed, let me help."
Thus, the three of them immediately began preparing to seal the Nine-Tailed. Hashirama obtained a Secret Technique medicine to restore Chakra, temporarily recovering some, and then cast a technique to increase the constraints of his Wood Release. At this moment, the Nine-Tailed slowly opened its eyes. When it saw its current situation, it was instantly filled with rage, and its Chakra expanded rapidly—
Hashirama used all his strength to stop the Nine-Tailed's rampage, while Mito unleashed the unique ability passed down in her clan—Adamantine Sealing Chains. A large number of chains emerged from her body, wrapping around the Nine-Tailed. The dual suppression of Wood Release and the Adamantine Sealing Chains left the Nine-Tailed unable to move.
"Damn humans!" The Nine-Tailed was exceptionally furious. It had originally been living freely in the forest when an uninvited guest suddenly burst in and, without a word, seized its consciousness. When it woke up, it was bound by other humans, and it looked like they were going to seal it.
What a joke! For these past thousand years, it had never been sealed. Now, was it going to be suppressed by these damn humans just like its other kin?
The Nine-Tailed erupted with its final bit of strength, snapping off a corner of the trees. The debris flew straight toward Hashirama but was blocked in time by Tobirama.
"Nine-Tailed, your power is too great... I cannot let you run wild!" Hashirama knew the anger in the Nine-Tailed's heart, but he could not let a creature with such power go free.
The Nine-Tailed roared in anger. However, it was powerless. Under the powerful Sealing Technique, it slowly merged into Mito's body, completely suppressed by the powerful Chakra of the Uzumaki Clan. This was a shackle far more secure than any Sage Tool.
Hashirama saw that Mito had no adverse reactions, appearing only a bit weak, and breathed a sigh of relief. Tobirama felt the same. Suddenly, he sensed the presence of others approaching, quickly turned his head, and shouted, "Who is there!"