Heiyan stepped through the space-time gate.
This time tunnel resembled a long corridor, its walls flashing with Mangekyou patterns, seemingly endless.
Finally, after who knew how long, Heiyan reached the end of the time tunnel.
However, to his surprise, he didn't appear inside the Anbu hidden room he had seen earlier, but instead found himself standing atop a vast river of time.
Looking ahead, from the upstream to the downstream of this river, scenes flickered like a movie reel—images of Hashirama and Madara joining hands to establish Konoha, all the way to Jiraiya's final days infiltrating Ame Village sixty-three years later. The entire history of the world of shinobi was condensed within this single stream of time.
Absolutely incredible.
Quickly, Heiyan realized that he could use the power of the Dragon Vein to travel freely to any specific moment in time.
So, on a sudden whim, he decided before heading to that secret Anbu room, he would first bear witness to those monumental historical moments in the world of shinobi.
After all, ever since he had crossed over into the Naruto universe, he had permanently altered its history. Many events from the original timeline could no longer be seen. That was just how things were now.
Now presented with this opportunity, Heiyan intended to become a time traveler, personally witnessing those lost stories.
Thus, he shifted his gaze toward the upper reaches of the river, where one particular scene emerged:
Madara Uchiha and Hashirama Senju stood atop their respective avatars—Susanoo and the wooden giant arhat—staring at each other from afar, locked in opposition.
This occurred after the founding of Konoha when Madara and Hashirama fell out, leading to Madara angrily leaving the village. Later, he returned wielding the mind-controlled Nine-Tails in vengeance, sparking a decisive battle against Hashirama.
This was the famed clash known as the Valley of the End.
Let's begin here.
A flash of light gleamed in Heiyan's eyes. He stepped forward and plunged into that image within the river.
The next second,
He felt darkness envelop him before reopening his eyes—he now appeared to stand right in the middle of a battlefield.
Far away, heaven and earth seemed to collapse, as if a Tailed Beast Ball had erupted. A massive fireball soared from the ground, radiating intense light and shockwaves outward in all directions.
Boom!
Trees in the forest were uprooted by the shockwaves, boulders rolled across the battlefield, and birds and beasts fled in panic.
This level of destruction—it came from a Tailed Beast Ball.
Faced with the incoming shockwave, Heiyan did not retreat. Instead, he floated into the air, surrounding his body with an invisible chakra barrier as he flew straight into the epicenter of the explosion.
Before long,
He spotted a Nine-Tails wrapped in blue Susanoo armor, and opposite it, a huge shield engraved with the face of a wooden arhat.
Just now, Madara had unleashed the powerful ninjutsu called [Beast Hell], while Hashirama countered perfectly using Summoning: Great Wood Release Technique, diffusing the danger.
At this moment, the expressions of the two were completely different.
Madara wore a serious expression, viewing Hashirama as a mortal enemy he must defeat at all costs. In contrast, Hashirama wore a relaxed smile, appearing completely at ease, clearly in full control of the battle.
Madara couldn't stand the sight of Hashirama's smug expression. Without another word, he intensified his assault with renewed ferocity.
"This can't go on like this—we'll destroy the land itself. We need to take this to the ocean."
Hashirama frowned at last, muttering to himself before turning and fleeing without looking back.
Of course, Madara had no intention of letting Hashirama escape so easily. He gave chase relentlessly, continuously commanding the Nine-Tails to fire Tailed Beast Balls.
Vrrrrr!
The Nine-Tails lifted its head again, gathering a pitch-black Tailed Beast Ball the size of a hill within its blood-red maw before blasting it forward with tremendous force.
Not good.
With nowhere left to run, Hashirama had no choice but to turn and face the attack directly. He quickly formed hand seals and slammed both palms onto the ground. With an earth-shaking roar, five ornate gateways carved with demonic faces rose from deep beneath the earth.
[Summoning: Quintuple Rashomon!]
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
Under the devastating power of the Tailed Beast Ball, each of the five doors shattered one by one into countless fragments. Yet they successfully altered the ball's trajectory, sending it flying off into the distance.
Unfortunately, that direction happened to be exactly where Heiyan was flying toward.
Hmm?
Following the path of the Tailed Beast Ball with his gaze, Hashirama noticed someone floating in midair. Without hesitation, he shouted urgently toward Heiyan:
"Move—now!"
But the other man just floated there, frozen in shock.
Then, something incredible happened.
Facing the incoming Tailed Beast Ball head-on, Heiyan made no attempt to dodge. Instead, he slowly extended one hand and made direct contact with it.
The next moment—a low hiss filled the air, like a black hole devouring everything around it.
A massive suction force erupted from his palm, drawing in the energy of the Tailed Beast Ball.
Right before the astonished eyes of Hashirama and Madara, the Tailed Beast Ball visibly shrank in size, vanishing entirely into Heiyan's body within less than ten seconds, dissipating into nothingness.
"Who are you?!"
They both shouted in unison, visibly stunned by Heiyan's immense power.
Especially Madara. The more he looked at him—the flowing white hair, the pair of horns atop his head, the long robe marked by a black Six Tomoe symbol across the chest—the more familiar the figure became.
Suddenly, realization struck him.
Isn't this the exact image of the legendary Sage of Six Paths—the fabled ancestor of the Uchiha clan?
Could it really be…
A wave of shock and realization crashed over Madara's thoughts.
At that moment, Heiyan finally spoke.
"Just a passerby. I didn't intend to interfere with your duel," he said coolly. "Please, continue as you were."
With those words, Heiyan truly did drift aside, watching idly like a spectator with no intention whatsoever of getting involved.
This...
Hashirama and Madara exchanged glances, unsure how to respond.
Whatever—he'll die today regardless.
Unable to contain himself any longer, Madara gathered his strength once more, ready to end things quickly with a decisive final strike against Hashirama.
As tradition dictated, the two exchanged verbal taunts before their ultimate clash.
"Hashirama, it's been a while since we last fought seriously," Madara declared. "You should know—I'm not the same man I used to be."
"Everything we've worked for until now - do you really want it all to be for nothing, Madara?" Hashirama pleaded. "Fighting each other gains us nothing. It only harms our village and fellow ninja, betraying our brothers and companions."
Hashirama spoke with deep sorrow, hoping his old friend might still see reason.
"You... are you preaching to me?" Madara snapped impatiently, completely immune to Hashirama's words.
"I don't want to kill you," Hashirama sighed.
"So you're saying you think you can kill me anytime you want!" Madara roared with fury at those words.
After this verbal clash only intensified their conflict, both men realized arguing was pointless. Only through battle could they settle who was right.
So—
"Hashirama!"
"Madara!"
Shouting fiercely, one activated [Imposing Garment: Susano'o], while the other instantly entered Sage Mode, unleashing his ultimate technique—the [True Thousand Hands Art: Sage Technique — Godlike Sealing Array].
Boom!
Another earth-shaking battle commenced.
During the fight, Hashirama clearly had the advantage. He controlled the massive Great Buddha to destroy Madara's [Imposing Garment: Susano'o] and used [Kakuān: Bringing Forth the Heavenly Hand] to seal away the Nine-Tails, forcing it into peaceful slumber.
Immediately afterward, both warriors drew their weapons for a final blade-to-blade confrontation, clashing furiously within the canyon until heaven and earth seemed to darken.
Soon enough, Heiyan witnessed that iconic moment.
"I... have actually been stabbed in the back..."
Lowering his head in disbelief, Madara stared at his chest where multiple ninja blades pierced through.
He'd fallen for Hashirama's Wood Clone tactic.
"I will protect my village. Whether it's my friends, brothers, or even my children—anyone who opposes the village will find no mercy from me."
Gripping the ninja blades tightly, Hashirama spoke those words.
"Hashirama, you've changed."
With a bitter smile, Madara knelt onto the water surface and exhaled his last breath.
This epic battle that raged on for an entire day and night finally came to an end.
Though Hashirama Senju emerged victorious, not a trace of happiness stirred within him, for he never wanted to kill Madara—the best friend he once cherished most.
Until his very last moment, he struggled desperately, hoping Madara would change his ways.
But he failed.
Furthermore, for Hashirama, killing Madara didn't mean safety had returned.
Lifting his head with a solemn gaze toward the sky above, he watched Heiyan float down to the water's surface and walk toward him.
Hashirama could sense immediately how strong this mysterious figure was—even stronger than both him and Madara combined. His body already drained from the battle with Madara, Hashirama had no strength left to face another threat.
Fortunately, this stranger appeared to harbor no intent to attack.
"You pushed yourself too hard."
Heiyan immediately saw through Hashirama's weakened condition. Flicking his finger, he sent a milky-white energy sphere flying straight toward the exhausted warrior.
Startled, Hashirama instinctively tried to dodge, but his fatigued body refused to respond. Helplessly, he watched as that glowing sphere entered his chest.
However, he soon discovered a warm current flowing throughout his body, repairing many damaged meridians and restoring significant strength.
"Thank you."
Hashirama snapped out of it, thanked Heiyan, and then asked curiously, "May I know exactly who you are..."
"I already told you. I'm just a wandering traveler passing by. Using Sage Art has pushed your body too far — your cells have reached their division limit. I'm afraid you don't have many years left. Spend more time with your family."
After saying this, Heiyan glanced at Madara Uchiha's corpse, then activated Kamui and vanished in an instant, disappearing into a spiraling spatial distortion.
Hashirama stood frozen, unable to say a word.
After a while.
"Aniki!"
In the distance, Tobirama Senju arrived hurriedly with a group of Konoha ninja. When they saw Madara's body, a huge weight was lifted from their chests, and one after another broke into wide smiles.
They couldn't even begin to fathom what kind of catastrophe Leaf Village would face if Lord Hashirama were to die at Madara Uchiha's hands.
Thankfully, Hashirama Senju, the God of Ninja, was invincible. No one could ever defeat him.
"Tobirama," Hashirama finally spoke up, "burn Madara's corpses. Let him find peace."
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