Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara.
The two most unforgettable figures from the Warring States era.
Sweat beaded on the Third Kazekage's face.
Just who had Sunagakure provoked?
First, Amegakure suffered defeat on the battlefield. Then Orochimaru stormed in alone and nearly ruined his own future. And now... Uchiha Madara had arrived.
What on earth was happening to this world?
Maybe he had already started suspecting Madara's identity while on the road.
After all, everyone knew Uchiha Madara was killed by Senju Hashirama.
But now, this man was standing right in front of him.
All his doubts were gone.
This was Madara.
That overwhelming presence and suffocating aura—there was no mistaking it!
Only those who had truly felt that kind of pressure would understand how terrifying the man in front of them truly was.
Madara said nothing. His eyes only showed disappointment as he stared at the Third Kazekage.
In his mind, only a man of Hashirama's caliber deserved the title of "Kage."
Before coming, Madara had his own thoughts.
The Senju clan had committed atrocities during the Second Great Ninja War that had enraged the masses.
Because of that, none of the villages held favorable views toward the Senju.
Madara even considered uniting these disillusioned villages, bringing them under his command.
But now, he abandoned that idea.
Trash is still trash.
Collecting more garbage wouldn't change that.
No matter how many losers teamed up, they could never redraw the map alongside Hashirama.
Even the man in front of him, the mighty Kazekage, didn't spark the desire for battle in Madara.
"Jinchūriki."
With just one word, Madara pointed toward the distant prison. He had already sensed the presence of a tailed beast.
Jinchūriki?
So that's what Madara was here for?
The Kazekage frowned deeply.
A Jinchūriki was the village's ultimate weapon—a fundamental pillar that upheld the status of the Five Great Ninja Villages.
"I'm afraid I can't allow that. The Jinchūriki belongs to Sunagakure."
"Even if Senju Hashirama were here, my answer would be the same."
"After all, when the First Hokage distributed the tailed beasts, the One-Tail wasn't among them—it was already under our control…"
Senju Hashirama!
That name again.
Black Zetsu, standing behind Madara, sighed softly.
He was certain that the moment the Third Kazekage brought up Hashirama's name, it would spell disaster for the village.
Only Madara had the right to utter that name.
Anyone else? It was an insult.
Sure enough.
The moment the Kazekage spoke, Madara's aura shifted dramatically.
Like a calm sea suddenly riled into a storm.
Madara's cold and contemptuous gaze cut through the Kazekage's argument about the ownership of the One-Tail.
"The only man who could stop me was Hashirama. But he's dead."
"So what right do you have to stand before me pretending to be him?"
"You dare bring up a dead man in front of me?"
"Sorry, but I'm not the type to politely entertain your nonsense."
He sneered coldly.
Madara crossed his arms.
"But since you mentioned that man... I'll let you witness his power!"
"Wood Style—Birth of the World of Trees!"
The ground shattered.
Even in the dry, barren terrain of Sunagakure, when the life-giving chakra hit the earth, countless trees sprang forth with unstoppable vitality!
"To use this jutsu in such an open place… how spectacular."
"Look at you—an arid desert now filled with trees. Now that is climate change."
"No need to thank me. Just enjoy the power."
As trees burst through the sand, Sunagakure fell into deeper chaos.
And Madara didn't stop there.
He turned his gaze toward the prison built into the cliffs—just one look and the gates were blown open. He stepped forward, knocking out the guard in an instant, and leapt over the opposite side of the village.
"Where there are trees, there must be earth."
"But not from the ground—this time, from the sky."
He handed the captured Jinchūriki to Black Zetsu. Madara's aura intensified again.
The armor of Susanoo cloaked his body, and Susanoo itself began forming seals in sync with him.
Something... was falling from the sky.
But Madara no longer cared to watch.
"Heavenly Meteor!"
This was Uchiha Madara.
The power of a god!
Unfortunately, this wasn't his Edo Tensei form—so he wouldn't get to watch the meteor fall from up close.
Disaster struck again.
When the colossal meteor slammed into Sunagakure, hope was shattered.
The Third Kazekage coughed blood, poured all his remaining chakra into magnet-style jutsu to halt the impact, but it was futile.
It was a calamity.
And this... was just the beginning.