"I told you, you cannot stop me."
Madara's voice boomed across the battlefield like a thunderclap, filled with chilling determination and confidence.
He commanded his Perfect Susanoo soaring above the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path. Then suddenly, something shocking occurred.
Under Madara's immense control, the already formidable Perfect Susanoo seemed to gain a new purpose.
The massive blue titan, like a towering peak wreathed in awe-inspiring pressure, majestically descended toward the Daibutsu.
Its thick skeletal frame sinuously extended and twisted, every bone seemingly infused with living vitality.
Its enormous arms resembled surging dragons, coiling tightly around the statue's limbs. Its powerful palms clamped firmly onto the statue's body.
Brilliant indigo chakra erupted from its fingertips, like a raging tide instantly submerging wherever it touched.
Forming a dense, unbreakable energy net, binding parts of the Demonic Statue in place.
Simultaneously, Susanoo's broad chest and abdomen slowly lowered, precisely covering the upper half of the Demonic Statue.
The moment their forms touched, an intensely blinding light erupted—as though capable of tearing through space-time itself.
In that radiant glow, Susanoo's outer shell seemed to morph into living liquid metal, flowing and reshaping along the statue's contours.
As though sculpted by a master artisan, it seamlessly encased the Daibutsu's head, shoulders, and back.
In an instant, a new colossus was born.
Standing on all fours, its entire body was covered by thick armor exuding a cold, radiant blue glow.
Flickering arcane lights danced across the armor, intertwining with the statue's original malevolent aura, sending visible ripples of energy pulsing through the air.
Behind it, ten massive tails, like coiling serpents, lashed wildly through the sky, whipping up fierce gusts of wind.
Now, slowly opening its bloodthirsty maw, it let out an ear-piercing roar.
Kurotsuki's fangs were now unveiled.
[Armored Outer Path Susano'o] had finally unleashed its terrifying might.
"Actually managed to reach this level?"
Hashirama gazed in shock at the monstrous form before him.
He could hardly imagine just how much stronger Madara had become.
Whether it was Heavenly Obstacle Quaking Star or Armored Outer Path Susano'o—these were powers Madara had never unleashed before.
"What kind of power is this? A monster?"
"You don't know how strong a horse is until you ride it!"
"Grandpa, take him down!!!"
Kawaki wasn't surprised in the least. In his eyes, this still wasn't Madara's most fearsome form.
In the original plot, Six Paths Madara was the truly despair-inducing presence.
Once reaching that level, even Naruto and Sasuke of this era would stand no chance—there would be no hope of victory.
Saying this, Kawaki charged forward first.
The Daibutsu slid across the ground as if gliding, rapidly closing distance with the Armored Outer Path Susano'o.
"Take him down!!!"
Snapped back to reality by Kawaki's cry, Hashirama too directed the Daibutsu charging forward.
The battle between the three titanic giants erupted instantly.
Two colossal statues of the Thousand Hands Manipulation Force — their fists rained down like hail upon the Armored Outer Path Susano'o.
Each punch carried such force it seemed to tear through the very air.
A cacophony of whistles rose and fell, like thunderbolts exploding across the battlefield's sky.
The Armored Outer Path Susano'o swung its twin blades in an unbreakable flurry, its ten massive tails merging behind it into a solid, shield-like barrier.
Each impact rang out like clashing metal, shaking the surrounding space so violently that visible ripples rippled outward.
Brimming with absolute confidence, Madara had prepared himself to face two opponents at once.
Yet reality still gave him pause — his Armored Outer Path Susano'o was steadily being forced back by Kawaki and Hashirama's combined assault.
Even with what seemed like endless chakra fueling his strength, Madara still found it taxing.
He had already given Kawaki more credit than he deemed necessary — yet now, Kawaki's pressure surpassed even Hashirama's.
"Kawaki Hatake, there's a familiar scent about you."
"How is your chakra this powerful?"
Growing increasingly alarmed, Madara realized Kawaki hadn't been nearly this strong during their previous clash.
"The powers of both Senju and Uchiha."
"I've tried them myself."
"Unfortunately, I never had your eyes."
"Mind if I take them?"
Kawaki saw no need to hide anything from Madara — he knew Madara would figure it out anyway.
"So that's how it is."
"If you wanted these eyes, why not take them from Nagato?"
"Had I done that, he might still be alive."
A mocking smile curled Madara's lips. Bonds? Affection? Such things were crutches for the weak.
"If I'd known you could come back, I wouldn't have let Nagato leave my side."
"You think I'm someone like you?"
Kawaki's emotions stirred briefly but quickly settled again.
True, had he taken Nagato's Rinnegan, today's situation might never have occurred.
But regret has no cure — and Kawaki had never even considered taking Nagato's eyes.
"Hahahaha!"
"Someone like me?"
"And just who do you think I am?"
"I watched my brother Izuna die before me."
"Murdered by Tobirama Senju — yet I still joined hands with Hashirama to build Konoha."
"Was I wrong?"
"No — I wasn't. The world is broken."
With a furious roar, Madara unleashed the Shinra Tensei, combining it with Susano'o's slash to finally drive Kawaki and Hashirama back several steps.
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"That's enough useless struggling, Madara."
But the Shinra Tensei proved insufficient against such titanic beings. Hashirama roared once more and charged forward again.
As the three clashed once more in a whirlwind of power and fury, Tsunade and the others arrived.
The moment they appeared, they were left utterly stunned by the sight before them.
The sight of the two Thousand Hands statues defied description. Watching one being — the armored Susano'o — duel two titans seemed beyond belief.
"What in the world are these?!"
For the first time, Jiraiya truly understood how small he really was.
"They're… just too powerful."
Orochimaru's snake-like eyes widened in shock as he beheld the vast chasm between Kawaki and himself.
"Uchiha... do we both truly wield the Sharingan?" Orochimaru murmured to himself.
Every counterattack from the [Armored Outer Path Susano'o] caused Fugaku to flinch instinctively.
He had once believed he had at least touched the threshold of the Uchiha's limits, but now he realized he was still trapped at the bottom of a deep well.
"Don't just stand around!"
"Let's move and lend them a hand!"
Tsunade took the lead, guiding the three men forward to aid Mito and Tobirama.
With the Two-Tailed Beast absorbed, the odds once again turned against Mito and Tobirama — back to two against four.
If this kept up, they would soon fall into enemy seals.
"Little Tsunade, hurry and rescue that monkey!"
"For all I know, he might already be dead. Move!"
Tobirama was too occupied to act and started to grow anxious.
"Understood."
"The rest is up to you."
With that, Tsunade shot off in the direction Tobirama indicated.
...
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