At some point, the sky over the battlefield had become overcast, the once bright sun now hidden behind layers of dark clouds. Then, a golden light descended from the sky, cutting through the darkness and bringing forth a brilliant golden sun back into the world.
As a ray of sunlight fell upon Uchiha Tajima, a massive shadow slowly formed behind him. With the infusion of golden sunlight, the shadow began to expand and take shape, eventually becoming humanoid.
As the shadow took on human form, silver-gray skeletal structures emerged from its back. A pair of massive skeletal hands appeared, quietly holding Uchiha Tajima within their grasp.
The figure continued to grow taller, the blurry light surrounding it solidifying. The skeletal frame became encased in thick armor, ultimately transforming into a towering silver-gray giant, as large as Hashirama's wooden avatar.
[Susano'o: Fourth Stage]
"Phew~ This is my first time using this, and it consumes quite a bit."
Now standing atop his Susano'o, Uchiha Tajima rubbed his strained eyes, speaking with a hint of reflection. At this moment, he could look directly at Senju Hashirama and the others standing atop the wooden figure across from him.
"Now, let me show you a specialty from the Uchiha clan~"
Amidst the shocked expressions of his opponents, Uchiha Tajima controlled his silver-gray Susano'o to raise its hands, where a series of massive magatama beads began to form.
The oppressive magatama emitted a series of sonic booms, and with Uchiha Tajima's command, they shot toward the stunned Senju Hashirama like shuriken.
[Yasaka Magatama]
"Brother! Don't zone out in the middle of battle!"
Senju Tobirama, the first to regain his senses, elbowed his older brother to snap him out of his stupor as a series of silver-gray magatama, each larger than a person, came hurtling toward them.
"Did I... fall under a genjutsu?" Hashirama, pointing at the silver-gray giant in the distance, asked his brother incredulously, hoping Tobirama could dispel the illusion.
Boom!
Before Tobirama could explain, the massive magatama struck the wooden figure head-on, causing a series of explosions. The two standing atop the wooden figure staggered, nearly falling off.
"So it's real!"
Hashirama hurriedly steadied the wooden figure, looking up excitedly at the silver-gray giant across from him, which was as large as his wooden avatar. His voice filled with excitement, "Tobirama, look at that giant! Isn't it amazing? Why didn't Madara ever use it?"
"Heh, maybe that wicked Uchiha never thought you were worthy."
Even in such a critical moment, Tobirama couldn't pass up the chance to sow discord.
"Oh, I see~"
Hashirama instantly became dejected, a visible dark line appearing behind him as he muttered under his breath, "So Madara was just playing with me all along~"
"You little brats, didn't anyone teach you not to get distracted during a battle?"
Just as Hashirama crouched down in disappointment, a cold voice suddenly echoed in their ears.
"!!!"
To their shock, the silver-gray giant, which had been far away moments ago, had quietly appeared before them. Inside Susano'o's "cockpit," Uchiha Tajima glared at them, his expression grim.
Madara, losing to this absent-minded brat... how careless. I'll have to train him properly when I get back.
Swoosh! Swoosh!
Senju Tobirama reacted instantly, flinging several kunai at Uchiha Tajima atop Susano'o, while simultaneously beginning to form hand seals.
"Which hand did you use to grab Madara earlier?"
Uchiha Tajima ignored the kunai flying toward him, his tiger-like eyes locked onto Hashirama as he angrily questioned.
Wait, why does he sound like he's accusing someone of stealing his daughter?
Clang!
The kunai bounced off Susano'o without leaving a mark. Only Tobirama would think of trying to pierce Susano'o with kunai. Let's hope he doesn't teach this to his students; it'd be a quick way to get them killed.
"Huh?"
Hashirama, utterly confused by the question, instinctively raised one hand, and the wooden figure mirrored his movement.
Snap!
The wooden figure's raised hand was instantly severed. Uchiha Tajima, expressionless, controlled Susano'o to retract its silver-gray blade and coldly remarked, "I hope you'll be more careful next time. Don't go grabbing my family again."
"Brother, move!"
Tobirama, who had been forming seals for quite some time, finally prepared his jutsu. His cheeks puffed out as he compressed a large amount of water-nature chakra in his mouth.
When the chakra reached its limit, a thin stream of water shot from Tobirama's mouth, aimed directly at the towering silver giant before him.
[Water Release: Water Severing Wave]
"Hmm, this one's pretty impressive."
Uchiha Tajima's Mangekyō Sharingan spun slightly, instantly recognizing the potential power in Tobirama's technique. To show his respect, he manipulated Susano'o to raise its left hand, summoning a silver-gray energy shield.
The incredibly sharp water stream grazed the top of Hashirama's wooden figure, slicing off a large chunk of wood. The smooth, clean cut caused Hashirama to swallow nervously.
Why do Tobirama's techniques keep getting more sinister?
Seeing that Uchiha Tajima didn't dodge and instead seemed prepared to take the attack head-on, a gleam of hope flashed in Tobirama's eyes.
Heh, the arrogant Uchiha is going to die because of his overconfidence! My Water Severing Wave can cut through anything!
Sizzle~
The water stream hit Susano'o's energy shield with a sizzling sound, but the anticipated scene of Tajima being split in two never occurred. Instead, Tobirama realized with shock that the shield was absorbing the water.
Not merely blocking it, but absorbing it!
Always cautious, Tobirama immediately stopped the chakra flow, and the water stream disappeared.
"Huh? Why'd you stop? With all that white hair, you must be pretty weak. No wonder you ran out of stamina so quickly."
Uchiha Tajima shook his head in disappointment. The boy didn't keep going, and the energy in his shield hadn't even fully charged yet.
"Hmph! Is that all you've got, old man?"
Never one to lose in a verbal spar, Tobirama wiped the corner of his mouth and retorted with disdain, "At this rate, you'll miss out on your son's final moments."
"You dare, brat!"
Enraged, Uchiha Tajima roared. This Senju silver-tongue was too much! He'll feel the full force of my Susano'o!
"Be careful, brother!"
Hashirama, finally snapping out of his daze, quickly moved his wooden figure to block Uchiha Tajima's furious punch. The two giants collided, and the battle quickly spiraled out of control.
"Senju clan members, retreat to the rear! This is no longer a fight you can participate in!"
Tobirama's voice boomed, directing the Senju forces to withdraw. Moments earlier, Uchiha Tajima had swung his blade, and the shockwave alone had torn the ground apart, reducing several Senju clansmen to pulp.
The silver-gray giant pressed forward, its massive blade slicing through the wooden figure with ease, cutting off large chunks of wood.
Hashirama retaliated, directing his wooden figure to punch Susano'o in the chest. The blow reverberated through the air, forcing Uchiha Tajima back several dozen meters.
Not one to miss an opportunity, Hashirama hurled several wooden dragons at the staggering giant, but Susano'o's energy shield reappeared, absorbing the dragons.
It was then that Tobirama noticed something strange: the shield on Susano'o's arm had an energy bar-like indicator. After absorbing the wooden dragons, the bar was now full, and the shield began glowing brightly.
"Hehe, finally charged."
Uchiha Tajima smiled as he looked at the glowing shield, then raised it toward Hashirama's wooden figure.
"Brother, move!"
Though he didn't know what the shield could do, Tobirama's instincts screamed that if Hashirama didn't dodge, he might not survive.
Boom!
Hashirama could also sense the overwhelming power gathering in the shield, but he couldn't move. Behind him were many Senju clansmen, watching from the distance. If he dodged, they would perish.
With resolve in his eyes, Hashirama bit his finger, smeared the blood on his hand, and placed his palms on the wooden figure's head.
"Fivefold Rashomon!"
The earth trembled as dark cracks appeared in the ground. From the depths, five enormous gates with demonic faces carved into them rose up, one after another, until five stood tall, blocking the path to the wooden figure.
The five gates, each a different color, stood in defense as Hashirama braced for the incoming rainbow-colored energy beam. He didn't dare let his guard down for a second.
Boom!
The first gate was easily obliterated, and the five-colored beam of light showed no signs of slowing down, piercing through the second Rashomon gate. By the time it reached the third gate, it paused slightly but still broke through, then went on to the fourth gate.
When it reached the fifth gate, the beam had lost much of its initial force. It took a bit more time to break through the fifth Rashomon, but in the end, it still pierced through.
Seeing that the five-colored beam had weakened considerably, Senju Hashirama remained cautious. He controlled the wooden giant to raise its hands, firmly catching the beam in its palms. After gathering his strength, he lifted his hands and redirected the beam's trajectory.
The five-colored beam shot straight into the sky, dispersing the clouds that had been covering the battlefield. Bright sunlight immediately poured down upon the land.
"Heh heh."
Senju Hashirama plopped down on the wooden giant's head, looking up at the clear blue sky. With a sense of relief, he laughed out loud.
"I actually blocked it."
Uchiha Tajima's light shield slowly dissipated. Using that technique had consumed a tremendous amount of energy, and that last attack had drained almost all of his ocular power.
Forcing his aching eyes open, he could feel the blood rushing toward his eyes. If he didn't stop soon, his eyes might start bleeding.
"Not bad, little brat from the Senju clan. Since you've managed to withstand that attack, I, Uchiha Tajima, acknowledge you as the leader of the Senju clan."
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