A violent whoosh ripped through the air as Hashirama completed his hand seals. Chakra surged, and the earth itself groaned in protest.
The ground buckled, splitting apart as massive sections of earth and rock were launched skyward. From the fissures, colossal vines and saplings erupted—each thick enough to require several people to encircle them. In an instant, a horizontal sea of green trees formed before them.
It collided head-on with the golden-red energy explosion.
What followed was a nightmarish cycle of destruction and rebirth. The vines absorbed the explosive force, sprouting vibrant red flowers in the process. But the next moment, the energy blast obliterated them, only for new vines and saplings to burst from the soil again.
As long as Hashirama kept pumping chakra into the technique, this war between nature and raw power would have no end.
From a distance, Jiraiya watched the golden-red giant—a being that looked like a deity—and the devastation wrought by a single, casual strike. His face trembled, pupils dilating in horror.
"Is this really the kind of destruction a ninja can cause…?" he breathed. "It's terrifying."
He clenched his fists. "But possessing power like that… Naruto and the others truly are the Children of Prophecy." Jiraiya had never been more certain.
Standing beside him, Tobirama spoke in a stiff, deep voice. "This level of power has surpassed the peak of my brother's strength. And that last strike… it reminded me of Madara's Ootengu Susanoo."
Both had unleashed attacks that shattered the earth and leveled mountains. But the destructive power of Menma's strike was even greater—like a massive Tailed Beast Ball detonating in a terrifying explosion.
Tobirama's fists clenched, his face etched with resentment and regret. "A guardian this powerful… sidelined by that old monkey and Danzo. I should have killed those bastards myself."
He felt utterly blind. Not a single one of his disciples was worth a damn. If just one of them had been as devoted to the village as he was, things wouldn't have turned out like this—where benefactors became enemies.
In the distance, at the brow of the golden-red giant, Menma watched Hashirama counter the spreading explosion with Wood Release. He showed no intention of stopping or backing down. His gaze remained fixed on Danzo—the man who had died in the blast only to be resurrected by Izanagi less than ten seconds ago.
Danzo had already resurrected four times, leaving him with only six more chances. Yet, he had successfully approached Hashirama to help suppress the exploding Wood Release: Advent of a World of Flowering Trees.
"The First Hokage!" Danzo cried out, spotting the trees exploding as they absorbed energy, and his face lit up with elation. Having narrowly escaped death again, he used Izanagi to regenerate in the center of the forest, dodging the energy blast.
Without hesitation, he chose a direction and fled.
"The First Hokage!" Danzo shouted as he ran. "Menma is a wolf in sheep's clothing! He's plotting to destroy Konoha for revenge! Naruto is helping suppress him, but you must strike now while he's weakened!"
Just as Danzo finished speaking, a massive shadow enveloped him.
It was the giant foot of the golden-red giant, controlled by Menma, descending from above.
BOOM!
A massive crater instantly formed in the ground, crimson blood spilling from the impact. But the blood faded and vanished a second later.
Danzo reappeared beside Hashirama, safe but not unscathed.
"These eyes…" Hashirama's voice shook. "They're all Sharingan. And that arm… it's covered in my cells."
Staring at Danzo's grayish-white right arm—spotting the face embedded in it that was unmistakably his own—Hashirama's expression twisted into shock and horror. Seeing one's own cells and face on another person's body was both disgusting and terrifying.
"Evil Uchiha power," Hashirama spat. "Danzo, so your trump card is the Sharingan?"
Tobirama, who had followed close behind, narrowed his eyes dangerously at Danzo's arm, which was riddled with Sharingan eyes. "So this is how you survived that slash…"
Jiraiya glared at Danzo, shouting, "Danzo! What did you do to my disciple?!"
"As the acting Hokage," Jiraiya barked, "I order you to stop immediately!"
"Hokage?!" Danzo nearly vomited blood at the title. Hiruzen Sarutobi had used the Hokage position to pressure him for years. Now that Hiruzen's disciple had taken over, was he immediately using the same tactic?
Suppressing his rage, Danzo pointed at Naruto, who had regained control of his body.
"I'll deal with my affairs later. While Menma is suppressed, we must eliminate this threat! You all saw it. That single strike could have wiped out half of Konoha!"
Naruto, who was being pointed at, shouted back instantly. "First and Second Hokage! Perverted Sage! Attack me now! Menma has gone mad! He's killed so many ninjas and destroyed this place! Hurry, he's about to come out again!"
Hearing Naruto and Danzo's pleas, Hashirama hesitated.
Tobirama gritted his teeth. "Brother, now is our chance. Menma's personality is too dangerous. It's almost impossible to correct him."
"First and Second Hokage, you absolutely cannot attack the Child of Prophecy!" Jiraiya immediately stepped in front of them. "The Child of Prophecy will not die. Attacking now will only lead to the worst outcome!"
He raised a Rasengan in his hand, glaring fiercely at Danzo. "Danzo, dispel the Sharingan genjutsu you used on Naruto immediately. Otherwise, the first thing I'll do as Hokage is execute you as a traitor!"
Danzo ignored Jiraiya, pushing harder. "First Hokage, Tobirama-sensei, we're running out of time! As long as we absorb the Nine-Tails' chakra with Wood Release, Menma is doomed this time!"
"I'll let you die first!" Jiraiya roared.
Seeing Danzo still trying to sway Hashirama and Tobirama, Jiraiya appeared in front of him in an instant. Without hesitation, he drove the Rasengan into Danzo's chest.
Bang!
Danzo, who hadn't deactivated Izanagi, didn't even try to dodge. The Rasengan tore a bloody hole straight through his chest. Using the momentum, his body flew backward, crashing heavily to the ground.
"His body disappeared?" Tobirama started to reprimand Jiraiya but stopped when he saw the corpse vanish. Recalling Danzo's arm full of Sharingan eyes, he instantly understood. "A forbidden Uchiha technique…"
"No, Danzo escaped!" Tobirama roared in shock and anger as Danzo failed to reappear.
But just as he finished shouting, Menma's voice cut through the chaos.
"He can't escape."
"And Jiraiya," Menma's voice added, "you did very well just now."
As soon as he finished speaking, the ground shook violently.
Menma, having fully regained control of his body, launched the golden-red giant forward.
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