After all, during the battle in Konoha, Madara hadn't even taken things seriously before it ended.
Strictly speaking, he hadn't gone all out.
Under these circumstances, he hadn't fully adapted to his reanimated body yet.
On the other hand, Hashirama, due to the pressure Sasuke had exerted, had already perfectly adapted to his current state.
His movements were indeed a bit faster than Madara's.
The two of them exchanged a glance.
"You haven't forgotten that move, have you, Hashirama?"
Hashirama smiled. "Of course not!"
Hearing this, Madara turned to look at Sasuke. "Let's make this kid experience the power of our combined technique!"
As he spoke, Madara's Susanoo raised its hands, and in an instant, the Yasaka Magatama erupted.
The glowing orbs were hurled directly toward Sasuke.
One of the magatama shot through the air like a streak of light, but Sasuke wasn't intimidated. He controlled his Susanoo to hurl a magatama of its own in response.
Boom!
The explosion echoed through the air.
Meanwhile, Hashirama, controlling his wooden giant, had already moved behind Sasuke.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
The sound of the wooden giant's footsteps was deafening, making it impossible for Sasuke to ignore.
Hashirama's wooden giant stood opposite Sasuke's, and with a smile, Hashirama directed his giant to attack, reigniting the fierce battle between the two wooden constructs.
At the same time, Madara's eyes gleamed with amusement.
Both the wooden giant and the Susanoo made a strange movement, grabbing hold of Sasuke's wooden giant and Susanoo.
They even allowed themselves to be hit by Sasuke's attacks in the process.
In the next moment, both Madara and Hashirama leaped out from the heads of their respective constructs, charging straight toward Sasuke inside his Susanoo.
"Wood Release"
"World Tree Descent!"
Hashirama's voice rang out.
In an instant, the Susanoo beneath Sasuke's feet was entangled by wooden vines.
Sasuke tried to counter with his own Wood Release, but the vines transformed into a wooden dragon, tightly coiling around his Susanoo.
Seizing the opportunity, Madara shattered the chakra of Sasuke's Susanoo and delivered a powerful kick to Sasuke's chest.
Sasuke crossed his arms to block, but the force of the kick sent him flying backward.
Hashirama was already waiting on the ground below.
With a single punch, he unleashed the monstrous strength of the Senju clan, striking Sasuke squarely in the back.
Sasuke was sent soaring into the air.
The combined attack from the two legendary shinobi caught Sasuke off guard.
The injuries themselves weren't a major issue this level of attack wasn't enough to seriously harm him.
But now, suspended in mid-air and unable to land, Sasuke sensed an intense surge of chakra below him.
"Wood Release!"
"Fire Release!"
As their voices echoed, Sasuke quickly turned his head.
Below him, Hashirama and Madara simultaneously unleashed their techniques.
One was a torrent of flames, the other a wooden dragon.
*"Wood Release: Wood Dragon Technique!"*
*"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"*
Boom!
The flames and the wooden dragon collided in mid-air, the explosion igniting the dragon and transforming it into a blazing wooden beast that charged straight toward Sasuke.
The speed of the attack made Sasuke pause for a moment.
In that instant, a faint smile appeared on Sasuke's lips.
Such a brilliant combination of techniques he doubted he'd ever see anything like it again.
Swish!
*"Flying Thunder God Technique!"*
In an instant, Sasuke teleported away using the Flying Thunder God.
But as soon as he reappeared, the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, was already behind him, along with Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Sasuke was momentarily stunned. Their presence here meant that his shadow clone had been defeated.
Of course!
After such a long time, the clone, unable to use the Black Receivers, couldn't restrain the two indefinitely.
Facing immortal opponents, it was only a matter of time before the clone was defeated.
"We've got you now, Sasuke!"
Suddenly, Hiruzen grabbed Sasuke's arms.
At the same time, Tobirama pressed a kunai against Sasuke's throat.
"Don't even think about running now. It's over... Uchiha Sasuke!"
Tobirama placed a hand on Sasuke's shoulder, and the two of them had Sasuke firmly restrained.
Sasuke quickly understood the situation.
He glanced back toward Madara and Hashirama, who were watching him with faint smiles on their faces.
It seemed they had been waiting for this moment all along.
Well done!
They knew he could use the Flying Thunder God to evade attacks, but they had still launched him into the air, all for this precise moment.
Tobirama, who also possessed the Flying Thunder God, could instantly track Sasuke's location and close the distance.
It was a brilliant strategy.
But!
Sasuke looked at Tobirama, who wore an expression of pride.
"Do you really think that thing can kill me?"
Sasuke smirked.
Tobirama frowned.
"Even if it's just a kunai, in my hands, it can kill anyone. Don't even think about resisting, Sasuke!"
Hiruzen added, "You're skilled in taijutsu, so you should know that no matter how much strength you use, I can break your arms in an instant. A shinobi without arms how much fight can you have left?"
The allied shinobi forces were stunned.
Had they... really captured Uchiha Sasuke alive?
But why? What did they plan to do with him?
Madara and Hashirama walked toward Sasuke, their faces wearing identical smiles, clearly pleased with the outcome.
"I'll ask you one last time, Sasuke," Madara said.
"Will you join us? Or do you truly choose death?"
Sasuke chuckled, glancing at the kunai pressed against his throat and then at Hiruzen, who held his arms.
"My answer is still no," Sasuke said.
"I refuse."
Madara sighed, a look of regret on his face.
"It seems there's no other way. To ensure my plan succeeds, I'll have to kill you here. Goodbye, my talented clansman. It's a shame you were born in the wrong era..."
As Madara's words faded, Tobirama's kunai slashed across Sasuke's throat, and Hiruzen snapped Sasuke's arms.
The moment they released him
Swish!
Sasuke's body disappeared, reappearing in the distance.
It seemed he had used the Flying Thunder God in his final moments.
Madara chuckled. "The Flying Thunder God is fast, but it's not invincible, little Sasuke."
He seemed genuinely disappointed by Sasuke's final choice.
Dead?
Was Sasuke really dead?
With his throat slit, there was no way he could have survived, right?
Countless shinobi stared in disbelief, struggling to accept the outcome.
Sasuke, who had been so powerful, had actually been defeated.
But then again, those who had taken him down were all Kage-level shinobi, the strongest in the ninja world.
Being defeated by them could almost be considered an honor.
"Lord Sasuke..."
In the distance, Kimimaro, still locked in battle, turned his gaze toward Sasuke.
But in the next moment
Sasuke, lying on the ground, stood up as if nothing had happened, casually brushing the dust off his clothes.
"I told you, that wasn't enough to kill me."
Not dead?
In an instant, Madara's smile froze.
He had clearly seen Sasuke's throat being slit there was no way he could have survived.
Had he come back to life?
No, even the Outer Path: Samsara of Heavenly Life Technique couldn't be used on oneself.
This kid... had he used genjutsu?
Or perhaps Izanagi? No, it didn't seem like Izanagi. It definitely wasn't...
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