Boom! Boom! Boom!
Just as Isamu was about to explain something to Garuda, rhythmic explosions echoed from the distance. Indra and Ashura had both unleashed their ultimate techniques, and the Perfect Susanoo and the Wood Golem were locked in a violent clash.
Both giants stood seven hundred meters tall. Indra was finally serious, pushing his Susanoo to its limits, while Ashura was equally focused, though he had yet to reveal his strongest technique.
"Heh, they're finally getting serious!" A smile appeared at the corner of Isamu's lips as he watched the two titanic figures. Only when they fought seriously could he properly study and learn from their techniques. Otherwise, there would be little point in watching. Then again, it was only natural for two lifelong rivals like them to escalate so quickly.
"Sigh, these two stubborn brothers are always like this. I don't know how much longer this kind of life will continue." Looking at the massive figures in the distance, Garuda felt a wave of melancholy. She truly hated seeing family members fight each other.
"Unless one side compromises, this conflict of ideals will never end, especially between people as powerful as they are," Isamu said calmly, his eyes fixed on the battlefield.
"I just don't understand. Is ideology really that important? Important enough for two brothers to fight to the death? Wouldn't it be better if they both took a step back?" Garuda pouted.
Isamu shook his head.
"Taking a step back sounds easy, but it isn't. Once you've reached the level of Indra and Ashura, compromise becomes almost impossible. To them, their beliefs are more important than their lives. And how can people with such pride simply abandon their convictions? That's why they're trapped in a deadlock."
Hearing this, Garuda fell silent. She knew he was right. Both of her brothers valued their pride and beliefs above everything else. A peaceful resolution seemed unlikely, but as long as there was even the slightest possibility, she refused to give up.
On the battlefield, after testing each other with lesser techniques, Indra finally revealed his true strength.
The Susanoo gripped its sword with both hands and raised it high above its head. A massive amount of Chakra erupted outward, and the blade extended into the sky, growing to a terrifying length of several thousand meters.
"Take this! Heaven and Earth Cleaving Blade!"
The colossal energy blade came crashing down toward Ashura's Wood Golem.
"This lunatic!"
Seeing the terrifying attack, Ashura's expression changed instantly. He slammed his hands together.
"Wood Release: Adamantine Barrier!"
Countless trees surged upward from the earth, forming a wooden wall more than fifty meters thick above the Wood Golem.
BOOM!!!
The gigantic blade descended.
The fifty-meter-thick barrier shattered instantly.
The Wood Golem's left arm was severed.
The remaining force of the attack carved through the earth itself, creating a bottomless canyon thousands of meters long.
The shockwave flattened entire forests nearby. Seeing such destructive power, the fighters on both sides instinctively moved their battlefield farther away.
Looking at the massive trench stretching across the land, Isamu couldn't help but feel surprised.
Indra hadn't used this move during their duel.
It seemed Indra truly had held back against him. But when facing his destined rival, he showed no mercy whatsoever.
As the landscape was reshaped and distant volcanoes erupted from the force of the strike, Ashura shouted angrily,
"Have you lost your mind?! Keep this up and you'll destroy the world! Do you really want to see everything vanish?"
Indra sneered.
"So what if the world is destroyed? As long as I defeat you, I have my own way to reshape it!"
Part of that attack had been aimed at Ashura.
The other part had been intended for Isamu.
Indra wanted to show him exactly how he dealt with his enemies.
"Reshape the world? What arrogance! Do you really think you're a god? Do you think you possess that kind of power?!"
Instantly regenerating the Wood Golem's severed arm, Ashura charged forward and engaged Indra in close combat.
Elsewhere, the battle between Mandala's Lava Behemoth and Isamu's Susanoo clone had also reached its peak.
"You're pretty capable, kid, to fight me this far!" Mandala said as he wiped the sweat from his forehead, secretly acknowledging his opponent's strength.
"Kid?" The clone laughed.
"Don't be fooled by my appearance. I'm already forty years old. You only look about thirty-five or thirty-six yourself. Calling me a kid seems a little inappropriate."
The clone paused before adding with a grin,
"Besides, I'm only a clone. My strength isn't even comparable to my main body's. What's there to be proud of after fighting me for this long?"
"Damn you!"
Feeling humiliated, Mandala flew into a rage and sent the Lava Behemoth charging forward once more.
Being stalemated by a clone wasn't exactly glorious.
After hearing those words, Mandala attacked with even greater desperation.
Watching both battles unfold, Isamu couldn't help but sigh.
"This is the first time I've witnessed a battle of this scale. Just seeing a fight like this makes the trip worthwhile."
Looking between the clash of the clone and Mandala and the battle between the two brothers, he felt genuinely impressed.
This level of combat no longer existed a thousand years later.
Every strike changed the landscape itself.
Who besides himself possessed such power in his own era?
"You've never seen a battle like this before?" Garuda asked curiously.
Having grown up watching Indra and Ashura fight, she no longer found such scenes unusual. All four siblings were powerful enough to shake the world.
"That's right."
Isamu nodded.
"Where I come from, almost nobody can unleash attacks on this scale. There aren't many opportunities to witness battles like this either. Though there are two people whose strength is comparable to your brothers."
"One of them is old."
"The other is already dead."
Naturally, he was referring to Madara Uchiha and Hashirama Senju.
One was hiding in the shadows, quietly preparing for the future.
The other had long since passed away.
"I see."
Garuda nodded thoughtfully.
"Having people as strong as my brothers is already quite impressive. They're extremely powerful, after all."
Then, as if remembering something, she suddenly became interested.
Looking Isamu up and down, she hesitated before speaking.
"Isamu, forgive me for being rude, but may I ask you a question? I don't mean any offense. If you don't want to answer, that's perfectly fine."