With his chakra depleted, the Third Hokage knelt on one knee, the Vajra Staff deeply embedded in the soil, barely supporting his wavering body.
Sweat mixed with blood dripped from his chin, creating small dark pits on the scorched ground.
At this moment, his chakra was almost gone, and his lungs felt like they were burning.
Every breath was accompanied by intense pain.
In front of him, Danzō, however, was completely unharmed thanks to Izanagi.
However, as Danzō revived again, the third Sharingan on his chest slowly closed.
But there was no trace of exhaustion on Danzō’s face; instead, it was filled with twisted excitement.
His right arm had completely turned to wood, and the writhing Hashirama cells beneath his skin constantly repaired his injuries, making him look more like a monster than a human.
“What’s wrong, Hiruzen?”
Danzō slowly approached, his voice hoarse and mocking.
“Is this the capacity of a Hokage? Can’t even kill a traitor?”
The Third Hokage gritted his teeth, trying to stand up, but his legs felt as heavy as lead.
He stared intently at the last rotating Sharingan on Danzō’s chest.
Izanagi, a jutsu that could alter reality.
Based on the previous battles, each time he died, one of his eyes would close.
So, if he killed him one more time now, Izanagi would be rendered ineffective.
Although he thought this, the Third Hokage no longer had the strength to form hand seals.
“It’s over,” Danzō raised his wooden right arm, sharp wooden spikes extending from his palm.
“I will usher in a new era for Konoha—my era!”
“Third Grandpa! Danger!”
Just as Danzō was about to make his move, a powerful wind blade suddenly shot past, forcing Danzō to leap backward.
The Third Hokage abruptly turned his head, his pupils contracting sharply—the blond boy had appeared at the edge of the battlefield at some unknown time, his blue eyes filled with worry.
“Naruto?!” The Third Hokage’s voice changed, filled with panic.
“Run! It’s dangerous here!”
But Naruto shook his head and took a firm step forward.
“In the past, it was always Grandpa Third who protected me. Now it’s my turn to help you!”
Danzō’s movements paused, his single eye narrowing slightly as he carefully observed Naruto.
No Sharingan, no abnormal chakra fluctuations.
He looked like an ordinary kid.
“Heh…” Danzō suddenly laughed, his voice filled with cruel pleasure.
“The Nine-Tails Jinchūriki coming to me willingly? It seems even fate is on my side.”
He abandoned the Third Hokage and turned towards Naruto.
“Brat, if you’re going to blame someone, blame yourself for meddling—”
Seeing Danzō about to approach Naruto, the Third Hokage tried to get up and stop him but couldn’t move his body.
He could only shout in despair, “Naruto, run!”
Danzō looked at his abdomen in shock.
Immediately after, his body was sent flying backward as if hit by a cannonball, crashing through three large trees before barely stopping.
Amidst the flying dust, Naruto slowly retracted his raised right foot.
His originally clear blue eyes had turned into scarlet Sharingan.
A proud arc formed on his lips, his voice deep and oppressive.
“Finally, I can use some real strength.”
Sensing Madara’s chakra gradually exceeding Naruto’s body’s limit, the Nine-Tails slapped the water surface with its tail.
Its scarlet beastly eyes were filled with worry.
“Old Madara, be careful. Your chakra already far exceeds Naruto’s. If you release it fully, do you want to kill him?!”
Madara’s spirit body flexed its wrists, a dangerous light flashing in his Sharingan.
“I know without you telling me. That’s why I’m only using thirty percent of my strength now.”
“Thirty percent?” The Nine-Tails rolled its eyes.
“I’m reminding you, Naruto is just a seven-year-old child right now. Don’t treat him like the pervert you are!”
Madara snorted.
“I know what I’m doing. This much power is more than enough to deal with a half-baked Wood Style user.”
The Nine-Tails’ ears suddenly perked up.
“Hey, be careful! He’s about to use his last Sharingan!”
In the real world, the Third Hokage looked at the blond boy who had suddenly changed, and couldn’t help but be stunned.
“You, are you… Your Excellency?”
Madara clasped his hands, stretching his muscles as he walked.
He said as he walked, “I told you, Naruto is under my protection. You should rest and recover here for now. I’ll go deal with that bandaged brat.”
At this moment, Danzō crawled out of the ruins, his last Sharingan on his chest spinning wildly.
His expression was contorted to the extreme, his single eye filled with disbelief.
“Impossible… Uchiha Madara?!”
“You got it right,” Madara, controlling Naruto’s body, slowly raised his right hand.
“Too bad there’s no prize.”
Danzō roared, quickly forming hand seals.
“Wood Style: Deep Forest Emergence—”
“Too slow.”
Madara’s figure instantly disappeared and reappeared before Danzō.
The small fist, imbued with terrifying chakra, slammed heavily into Danzō’s abdomen.
“Pfft—!”
Danzō spat out a mouthful of blood, his body arching like a shrimp.
But Madara’s attack wasn’t over.
He grabbed Danzō by the hair and slammed a knee strike into his jaw.
Danzō’s body flew backward like a rag doll, crashing through three waist-high granite trees before barely stopping.
Amidst the flying gravel, he struggled to get up, blood seeping from his lips, dyeing his grayish-white face dark red.
“No, impossible!” Danzō roared, his voice distorted by madness.
“I’ve sacrificed everything for this day!”
He slammed his hands onto the ground, and the moment his palms touched the soil.
Hashirama’s grayish-white cells burrowed into the ground like earthworms.
“Wood Style: Deep Forest Emergence!”
“Rumble rumble rumble—”
The earth trembled violently, and hundreds of giant trees burst from the ground.
These trees grew at a speed that defied natural laws, their thick trunks covered in grotesque burls, and their sharp branches stabbing towards the sky like spears.
The entire battlefield instantly transformed into a primeval jungle, every tree exuding a bloodthirsty aura, engulfing Naruto from all directions.
Facing this terrifying sea of Wood Style, Madara, controlling Naruto, let out a disdainful cold laugh.
“That’s it?”
His scarlet Sharingan reflected the incoming sea of trees.
Madara slowly formed hand seals.
“Compared to Hashirama’s Deep Forest Emergence, yours is as weak as a baby’s!”
“Fire Style: Great Fire Annihilation!”
“Whoosh—Boom!!!”
What sprayed from Naruto’s mouth wasn’t flames, but a crimson inferno!
The wave of fire collided with the first giant trees, carbonizing them on contact, twisting and disintegrating in the high temperature.
Next, Madara increased the fire output, tripling the range of the sea of fire, forming a wall of flames tens of meters high, engulfing the entire sea of trees.
The exploding chakra triggered a chain reaction in the air, and the shockwave tore the unburned trees into pieces.
The sea of trees that had once obscured the sky was as vulnerable as children’s toys in the face of this world-destroying fire style.
Scorched wood chips flew everywhere, turning into scattered sparks in the heatwave.
The scorching airflow distorted vision, and even the surrounding rocks began to melt into molten lava.
Danzō stood frozen, his face still fixed in a look of horror.
His pupils reflected the sea of fire, and the small figure in the center of the fire, like a demon god.
He couldn’t believe that this was released by a seven-year-old child.
Was Uchiha Madara really that terrifying?
Madara lowered his hands, which had been forming hand seals, and walked slowly towards Danzō.
“Did you think I came here to support that brat Sarutobi?”
Saying this, he grabbed Danzō by the neck.
Madara sneered, “No, I came here to beat people up!”
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Update: “Monday to Friday – Update 3 Chapters a Day”
“Saturday and Sunday – Off”