Kazuki's sudden surge of killing intent stunned everyone present.
His burned fingers twitched.
The charred skin peeled away.
Beneath it—
Smooth, flawless skin.
As if it had never been burned at all.
This was the regenerative ability of Hashirama Senju enhanced by Sage Mode.
Ordinary flames couldn't harm Kazuki.
Uzumaki Mito stared at him in Sage Mode.
For a split second—
She lost focus.
And that was enough.
The seal inside her body began to unravel.
Terrifying, malevolent chakra burst outward.
The already dense tailed-beast chakra began to solidify.
Her body dropped to all fours.
The ninth tail began to form.
She was about to fully transform into the Nine-Tails.
"Hahaha!"
Kurama's voice echoed.
"My Nine-Tails body is returning!"
"It's been forty years!"
"I'm finally free!"
"Hashirama Senju! Uzumaki Ashina!"
"I'll slaughter every last one of your descendants!"
Mito's consciousness wavered, but she lunged at the Two-Tails and shouted,
"Kushina! Come here! I'll help you seal the Two-Tails!"
Kazuki's heart sank.
Even if the Two-Tails were sealed—
What about Mito?
Kushina was nearly in tears.
Kazuki looked at her helpless expression—
And something in him snapped.
He formed hand seals.
Sage chakra exploded outward like a roaring ocean.
The strongest Wood Release technique of the God of Shinobi—
"Immortal Art: Wood Release — True Several Thousand Hands!"
Previously, on the bridge between the Land of Water and Fire, Kazuki had used the Wood Golem Technique.
This—
Was beyond that.
A divine evolution.
The size of the previous wooden figure wasn't even as large as the head of what emerged now.
A colossal Buddha statue erupted from the earth.
Towering like a mountain.
Countless massive arms fanned out behind it.
Kazuki stood atop the wooden construct.
The wooden man stood upon the Buddha's head.
Thus—
True Several Thousand Hands.
The Buddha atop the summit.
The ground shattered.
The land split open.
"Homura!"
Danzo reacted instantly, dragging Homura Mitokado backward.
They barely avoided being crushed by a fragment of the descending Buddha statue.
Each hand was larger than a house.
Even grazing it would mean death.
Homura collapsed to the ground in terror.
Forty years ago—
The Valley of the End.
The same overwhelming Buddha.
The same earth-shaking presence.
Danzo clenched his teeth.
When they were young, they had worshipped the God of Shinobi.
That man had subdued Uchiha Madara.
Subdued the Nine-Tails.
And, together with Uzumaki Ashina, sealed it within Uzumaki Mito.
Now—
A completely different young man.
The same Sage Mode.
The same ultimate Wood Release.
"Impossible…"
Koharu wasn't so lucky.
She was struck by the shockwave of the Buddha's emergence and sent flying.
Blood sprayed through the air.
Minato and Sakumo retreated immediately.
Minato remembered the devastation at the border earlier—
Had this been the cause?
Sakumo recalled childhood stories told by his teachers.
Hashirama Senju's ultimate technique.
"Is this… the legendary Immortal Wood Release?"
The moment the Buddha appeared—
Kazuki didn't even need to attack.
The Four Violet Flames Formation collapsed under the sheer pressure alone.
CRACK.
It shattered instantly.
The four jōnin maintaining it vomited blood and staggered backward.
Did it even need to be fought?
Kurama, nearly free, froze when he saw the massive Buddha.
His momentum faltered.
He was suppressed back by Mito.
Inside Mito's mental world—
Kurama had already torn apart most of the seal.
Half his body had emerged from the gate.
But the instant he sensed the Immortal Wood Release—
Instinct.
Fear.
He recoiled.
Even after decades—
That terror remained carved into his memory.
Mito seized the moment.
She forced the seal back into place.
"No!"
Kurama roared, bracing the gate with his claw.
"I'm getting out!"
Outside—
Mito's transformation receded from nine tails back to six.
But the seventh was forming.
Her face grew paler.
She was old now.
Not what she once was.
For decades, she had endured.
If the Nine-Tails escaped—
Who would protect Konoha?
She had clenched her teeth and endured for one more second.
Then another.
Now—
Seeing Kazuki's Immortal Art True Several Thousand Hands—
She finally exhaled.
For the first time—
She wasn't afraid.
In her mind, Hashirama's image appeared.
"Hashirama… do you see?"
She was certain now.
Kazuki was Hashirama's reincarnation.
How else could he use the exact same technique?
It was fate.
The Senju and Uzumaki were meant to stand together.
To restore Konoha's glory.
As Hashirama's wife—
His will had always been hers.
Kushina stared at the towering Buddha in shock.
Before she could react—
A massive wooden hand extended before her.
She gritted her teeth and leapt onto the palm.
It lifted her upward.
Higher.
Hundreds of meters above the ground.
"Ah—!"
Before she could steady herself—
She felt arms wrap around her from behind.
"Kushina. Are you okay?"
Her shoulders trembled.
She shook her head as tears fell.
"I'm okay… I'm okay…"
"I'm back."
"And I won't let anyone hurt you."
She froze for a heartbeat—
Then suddenly turned around.
And kissed Kazuki deeply.