Tobirama calmly assessed the situation, his voice steady as he spoke.
"It's because Madara isn't fighting just one person. From the very beginning, there have always been two. One out in the open, and the other hiding in the shadows. Aniki, do you remember that guy Mū, the one who disappeared after using that white light jutsu?
He hasn't shown up again since then. The one in the open was engaging Madara directly, luring him into a trap that had already been set. The one in the shadows was waiting for the right moment to strike. That large cluster of explosive tags... that was his doing."
Hashirama kept nodding along, absorbing every word Tobirama said.
"But why didn't Madara notice anything?" Hashirama finally asked, frowning in confusion.
"Maybe because he never thought there'd be traps set in advance," Tobirama replied. "Mū stayed in his field of vision the entire time, so Madara didn't feel the need to be cautious. Honestly, I think it's just arrogance on his part."
"Wait... don't tell me..." Hashirama's eyes suddenly widened. "Madara actually lost?"
"Unlikely, Aniki. He hasn't even used his Complete Susanoo yet," Tobirama replied. "But at this range, I'm not sure he'll be able to activate it fast enough."
He rubbed his chin thoughtfully, a glint of curiosity and anticipation flashing in his eyes.
Mū... you sly bastard... could you really pull this off?
Shinobi prioritizes offense over defense. Even a Kage-level ninja can have their guard broken by a single kunai. Even with the Rinnegan, a well-placed kunai could blind someone. Obito, even after gaining the power of the Six Paths, had to rely on Truth-Seeking Orbs to shield himself from explosive tags. So hitting Madara with explosive tags at point-blank range... it might actually work.
He was caught by Chibaku Tensei, which restricted his movement. Susanoo, especially in its Complete form, takes time to manifest. Explosive tags, however, detonate the moment they're triggered.
Madara's body doesn't regenerate quickly either.
(This is a logical conclusion. It's not about underestimating Madara. Even the Five Kage used explosive tags against him. Right now, he doesn't have the Rinnegan, and he's not an Edo Tensei. I believe that if he lets his guard down, explosive tags can absolutely penetrate his defenses.)
---
"So, your plan is to trap me and buy time to escape?" Madara muttered inside the colossal sphere, his voice steady and composed. Despite the situation, he remained calm.
From his point of view, the entire construct had one purpose: to stall him. Mū built this floating sphere not to defeat him, but to imprison him long enough to flee.
It made sense. What other reason could someone have for creating something so massive? For decoration? Of course not. It was obviously designed to delay him and give the enemy a chance to retreat.
"But what I really want to see..." Madara's eyes gleamed with anticipation, "Is the look of despair on your face... when you witness my Complete Susanoo!"
The thought alone excited him.
He could already imagine it, after the enemy had exhausted all their strength and tactics, he would finally unleash the Complete Susanoo. The look on their face in that moment would be priceless. Shock. Helplessness. Complete surrender.
That was why he hadn't used it yet. Only those who truly earned it were worthy of witnessing the true form of his power.
As the saying goes: Genius is merely the threshold to witness me.
However, Madara had completely misjudged Mū.
Mū wasn't just a genius. He possessed knowledge, vast and terrifying knowledge drawn from the entirety of the Naruto world. He had witnessed the late-stage power creep where even Super Kage-level shinobi were no longer dominant, where wielders of the Six Paths were everywhere, and where titans shattered Complete Susanoo with a casual kick. In his eyes, Madara's Susanoo was nothing to fear. It wasn't divine, it was outdated.
"Wait a second!"
Just as Madara was about to activate Susanoo and enjoy the sight of Mū breaking down in despair, a strange sensation suddenly struck him. Something was wrong.
He instantly shifted his focus and expanded his sensory perception. What he sensed shocked him.
Inside the rocks surrounding him, explosive tags. Not just a few scattered here and there. They were buried everywhere.
And it wasn't just in isolated patches. The entire meteorite sphere was packed with explosive tags.
There were even some stuck to his face.
"When the hell did he plant all these?!"
Madara was genuinely alarmed now. Mū had been within his line of sight the whole time. How could he possibly have had the chance to hide such a ridiculous number of explosive tags?
"…"
Outside, Mū stood silently, gazing up at the floating Chibaku Tensei. His expression calm, he brought his hands together and swiftly formed seals.
"Haa!"
With a burst of chakra, he detonated the entire sphere.
!!!
The Chibaku Tensei was immediately engulfed by a blinding white light. Thousands of explosive tags detonated simultaneously, their intense glare flooding the sky. The ground trembled violently beneath the shockwave.
BOOOOOOM!!!
Mū collapsed to the ground and closed his eyes, body going limp. He didn't flee. There was no need.
It didn't matter whether Madara lived or died; he had already accomplished what he set out to do. There was no need to run anymore because he had already cornered Madara.
Still lying on the ground, Mū gazed into the blinding light and activated his sensory technique.
"I knew Madara wouldn't go down that easily..."
Whoosh!
As the last traces of the explosion faded, a terrifying surge of chakra erupted into the sky like a violent storm.
Then came a voice, wild, arrogant, and booming with laughter.
"Hahaha! Interesting! So interesting! That was truly spectacular! Hahahaha!! You almost got me, you bastard!!"
Mū slowly lifted his head and looked up at the sky. And there, descending like a war god, was a colossal figure wrapped in violent purple energy.
It was a freaking Complete Susanoo.
The massive warrior hovered in midair, towering and divine, its presence overwhelming.
Inside the Susanoo's cockpit, Madara stood with arms crossed. Most of his clothes had been obliterated by the blast, leaving him shirtless, his body covered in small burns and cuts. Only a pair of pants clung to him, yet he radiated undiminished dominance.
His blood-red eyes shimmered with madness and joy.
"I will fight again!!!"
Madara's roar echoed across the battlefield, brimming with unrestrained pride. But right then, another voice sliced through the sky.
"Stop, Madara!"
Descending through the air in a steady glide was Hashirama, wearing his kimono, his expression grave. Tobirama followed close behind, silent and sharp-eyed.
"What do you think you're doing, Hashirama, you idiot?!"
Madara's roar thundered through the air, his eyes blazing with fury. He didn't stop anything before, and now that Madara has activated his Complete Susanoo and is finally ready to fight seriously, he's surprised to see the other man decide to show up. He's just getting started, and the other has the nerve to interrupt him now.
Madara wasn't playing around.
"Madara, that's enough!" Hashirama shouted, his expression stern. "For the sake of the village, stand down. Mū-dono is an old friend of the people of Konoha!"
He pointed directly at Madara, trying to deescalate the situation before it spiraled further out of control. Seeing that things were quickly slipping beyond anyone's control, he could no longer remain passive.
Madara's eyes narrowed sharply.
An old friend of Konoha's people? Konoha hasn't even existed for that long. Where is this supposed 'old friend' coming from?
"Madara, I was afraid you'd hurt Mū-dono!" Hashirama said with earnest gravity.
Madara's fury deepened, his teeth grinding silently.
Did you not see how I was nearly blown to pieces by that white jutsu just now?
"Heh... afraid I'd hurt him?" Madara's voice dropped to a low growl. "Aren't you afraid he'd hurt me?!"
His tone was filled with sharp resentment, each word slicing through the air.
Tobirama's brow twitched, his eyes narrowing as he observed silently.
Hashirama said nothing. His silence was both an admission and an avoidance.
Madara turned and glanced coldly at Mū, who was slumped against the scorched earth, body barely moving.
At this point, Mū's chakra was completely drained. His strength was gone, his energy burned out to the last drop.
"Hmph."
Seeing Mū in such a pitiful, depleted state while he himself still stood tall, brimming with chakra, Madara finally felt his pride settle again.
'See? This is the difference between us.'
Mū threw everything he had at Madara just to force him into using Complete Susanoo. If he hadn't let his guard down for a moment, Mu wouldn't have even achieved that much.
"Mū-dono, are you hurt?" Hashirama rushed to Mū's side, immediately kneeling and activating healing ninjutsu, his face twisted with guilt and concern.
Mū struggled to keep a straight face.
Are you really asking if I'm hurt? I nearly died in your village... and you ask if I'm okay?
"I sincerely apologize!" Hashirama declared, his tone sincere and full of remorse. "Mū-dono, I, Hashirama Senju, apologize in the name of the Hokage!"
He stood upright and bowed deeply toward Mū, his body trembling with shame. He was one breath away from dropping to his knees.
Madara raised an eyebrow, clearly displeased by how far Hashirama was willing to humble himself. The sight of the First Hokage groveling in front of someone made his expression twist with subtle disdain.
"Cough, cough, cough!"
Mū let out a series of weak coughs, then, as though channeling the spirit of a seasoned stage performer, he launched into an emotional monologue.
"Sigh... I once believed Konoha was a village that pursued peace. That's why I traveled thousands of miles to come here, seeking friendship and mutual understanding. I never imagined... that Konoha would go so far as to orchestrate this entire ordeal just to intimidate and suppress me..."
Mū paused for a moment.
"It seems... people truly cannot open their hearts to one another. True understanding between shinobi is but a fleeting illusion..."
He spoke slowly, shaking his head in sorrow, his tone filled with heartbreak and disillusionment. Every word fell like a hammer on Hashirama's conscience.
Hashirama, who already carried a sensitive nature, felt his heart twist painfully. Mū's words struck deep.
"Mū-dono, we never meant to intimidate you! That was never our intention!" he cried out, his voice trembling.
"Heh... you had someone attack me, flaunting your village's power, while you hid in the shadows. And when I was on the verge of collapse, you suddenly appeared to play the part of the peacemaker. If that isn't suppression, then what is? Isn't that just bullying?" Mū snapped, his tone cold and piercing.
"This... this... I... I... I..." Hashirama stammered, utterly speechless. His face was full of shame and regret.
Each of Mū's words sent another wave of guilt crashing down on him. His spirit, so often buoyed by his ideals, now faltered beneath the weight of another man's disappointment.
Hashirama truly had a soft heart. He was a man who believed deeply in peace and empathy, even if he didn't always express it perfectly. Mū's words, though perhaps exaggerated, made him realize how his actions might appear through another's eyes.
To Mū, Konoha seemed like a bully, which made Hashirama appear hypocritical.
Ahh... I really do seem like a two-faced hypocrite right now...
But I didn't do it on purpose...
No matter how he tried to explain it, it would only sound like an excuse. In Mū's eyes, the image was already painted. So how could he possibly convey his sincerity?
There might be one way left.
He could bet the dignity of a strong man.
In that era of chaos, true warriors only knelt to the heavens, to the earth, and to their parents. Some, like Madara, didn't even kneel to the heavens.
But if Hashirama were to kneel, not out of submission, but out of genuine remorse, perhaps that would show how deeply he meant it.
And so, under the stunned gazes of Tobirama and Madara, Hashirama made his decision.
Bang!
The sound of his knees slamming against the ground echoed sharply.
Hashirama Senju dropped into a formal kneel before Mū.
===
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