With a crash like thunder, Susanoo flared fiercely. Magnified in size and bursting with terror, the ethereal construct of Madara's Mangekyo stood ominously. It was now a complete humanoid, with both arms and legs, and easily ten times the size of any human. Uchiha Madara was positioned in its belly; like a yoke in a protective shell of raw power.
The sudden release of strength had blown both Saigo and Manji far away, and they fell atop one another, with a resounding thud. Susanoo, though lifeless, seemed to be staring at Tobirama, its immaterial lips curved into a gleeful and murderous smile. The two-faced, four-armed construct charged at the Senju, manifesting a chain of linked tomoe between two of its palms. It fired the peculiar object at Tobirama. The chain broke, and the released tomoe careened towards Tobirama Senju; it was a shower of Madara's Yasaka Magatama.
Tobirama zipped out of the path of each of the curved projectiles, evading each by a hair's breadth. The thundering of shattered rock pierced the air, as each tomoe smashed into the earth with a ferocity.
The silver-haired Senju hurried away, his face reflecting pure dread. His fingers desperately intertwined and released themselves in a myriad of hand seals. A dragon-shaped torrent surged towards Susanoo, spewing from Tobirama's lips. The watery beast failed to match Susanoo's size, yet it managed to entangle its body about the humanoid's right leg. With a strained twist, it pulled on the captured feet and threw Susanoo off balance.
Madara scowled, as his creation collapsed on its back with a crash. Susanoo fell, and the earth shattered instantly under its weight. The humanoid attempted to stir to its feet, but was flattened once more, when a bulbous mass of flesh landed on it with great force. The mass was so powerful that it plunged Susanoo deep into the ground, and the earth shuddered. It was Manji, who had swollen to unfathomable size, and was enlarging still, pressing upon Susanoo with all his immensity.
Madara, from within Susanoo's protection, eyed the behemoth which sat stop his humanoid creation, and recognized Manji's chakra. It dawned on him instantly, like a fact he had already known: Manji was responsible for the blast that had obliterated the terrain, and the product of Edo Tensei was about to wreak havoc once more. Madara's eyes searched earnestly for Tobirama, and found the Senju frantically speeding away from where Manji had landed on Susanoo.
Uchiha Madara roared, a savage howl which reflected the thunderous outpouring of his might into Susanoo. Susanoo's arms tensed with great strength, as it heaved Manji into its arms and threw him away.
The large sphere that Manji had become, crashed into the earth with a deafening boom. Susanoo had only managed to push it a few centimeters away, as it was deceptively heavy. Manji grew larger, like a balloon which was being rapidly inflated. Susanoo, Madara lurched inside, darted away from the growing sphere, distancing itself with a series of enormous leaps and strides.
But it was not enough.
Manji exploded into a massive wave of raw destructive power, and Susanoo was not spared, neither was Tobirama for that matter. The Senju had however managed to create enough distance that a sturdy Wall of Water proved strong enough to dampen the blast. His armor however was none the better, as it was cracked and broken in many places. His silvery mop of hair appeared unkempt and his whole frame was splattered with dirt and grime. But he was alive and somewhat fine.
Manji reformed in a matter of moments, and was frozen still like a puppet whose strings had been snapped. Saigo was not too far from Manji and had also been obliterated by the explosion, but had reformed just as the Blast Element user did. As the smoke cleared, Tobirama found himself immensely curious as to what befell Madara.
The Senju searched keenly for some sign of the Uchiha, while hoping with all his heart that he would find none. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted something that resembled a dome. The construct was not clear, as the dust of the explosion had not fully settled. Chakra sensing however, informed him that it was the creation of his brother Hashirama, and the Senju in question dwelt within the dome.
The dust and smoke faded to reveal that what he was looking at, was indeed a Mokuton. A dome of wood which was one of Hashirama's signature defenses. Tobirama sighed, he knew very well that his brother would waste no time in giving him an annoying lecture. Even he had to admit that he used Manji's technique rather carelessly.
The wooden construct separated at the centre, and each half sank into the ground. Hashirama was now in sight, and he was walking briskly towards Tobirama, fuming with rage. “ARE - YOU - CRAZY?!” bellowed the Senju leader, stressing every syllable to echo his fury.
“Hashirama, there's no need-” Tobirama was silenced however, when Hashirama grabbed him, and began to a desperate search for any sort of injuries. Hashirama spotted a few cuts and bruises, and immediately began to provide medical aid.
“Look at you! You're terribly hurt!” roared Hashirama, the fury in his words laced with worry. “I told you that zombie technique would only bring trouble!”
“It's called Kuschiyose: Edo Tensei.” Tobirama retorted coolly. His calm voice ringing with a defensive note. “And I think I just killed Madara with it.” he added with such blandness, that one might think Madara was an insignificant ant.
“You killed...” Hashirama's voice broke. He felt a fierce twist in his gut and his heart sank. An expression of sadness had overcome him.
Tobirama saw the somber look on his elder brother's face and shrugged. “I know you two were friends when you were kids, but now you're-” The silver-haired Senju was interrupted however, as Hashirama grabbed him and jumped a great distance away. An immaterial blade, which both brothers were all too familiar with, plunged into the spot were they stood only moments before, but it was far larger than they knew it to be.
“I won't declare me finished just yet.”
Both Hashirama and Tobirama gasped in utter shock. Tobirama jaw had dropped and his eyes widened, but he hurried to regain his composure. Hashirama's surprise however, seemed to have turned to glee, as wide grin split his features. His hair billowing fiercely behind him, Hashirama strode confidently towards the massive blade. The ethereal weapon was in the hands of a humanoid, whose size far surpassed that of every physical object both brothers had ever encountered, the Tailed Beasts included.
“Is that Susanoo?” asked Tobirama, his voice trembling. The monstrous being before them was many times the size of what they knew as Susanoo. It was a head above the Nine Tails in size, and looked more material than ethereal. It was draped in loose robes, and bore armor on its shoulders and waist. Four arms were attached to it, a larger one and a smaller one on both sides of its gigantic body. A sword was in each of the two larger arms, while the smaller ones bore no weapons and its feet were shod with pointed shoes.
Its facial features were more distinct, a carved-out mouth, an extremely long and pointed nose. Strangely, it possessed resemblind hair, which flickered carelessly in the wind, like fire. Part of this flame-like mane was bundled at both sides of its face.
“Madara, I had no idea you had this up your sleeve.” said Hashirama, his voice ringing with excitement. “Seems our battle will be more interesting than usual.”
The thunder of a crash filled the air, as the One Tail Shukaku landed at their current location. It stood high and mighty, behind the Senju brothers, its single spiky tail twisting and bending like a serpent.
Hashirama turned to Tobirama, and his face twisted into a threatening scowl. “Retreat brother.” he instructed solemnly. “I must face him alone.”
To Be Continued.
The sudden release of strength had blown both Saigo and Manji far away, and they fell atop one another, with a resounding thud. Susanoo, though lifeless, seemed to be staring at Tobirama, its immaterial lips curved into a gleeful and murderous smile. The two-faced, four-armed construct charged at the Senju, manifesting a chain of linked tomoe between two of its palms. It fired the peculiar object at Tobirama. The chain broke, and the released tomoe careened towards Tobirama Senju; it was a shower of Madara's Yasaka Magatama.
Tobirama zipped out of the path of each of the curved projectiles, evading each by a hair's breadth. The thundering of shattered rock pierced the air, as each tomoe smashed into the earth with a ferocity.
The silver-haired Senju hurried away, his face reflecting pure dread. His fingers desperately intertwined and released themselves in a myriad of hand seals. A dragon-shaped torrent surged towards Susanoo, spewing from Tobirama's lips. The watery beast failed to match Susanoo's size, yet it managed to entangle its body about the humanoid's right leg. With a strained twist, it pulled on the captured feet and threw Susanoo off balance.
Madara scowled, as his creation collapsed on its back with a crash. Susanoo fell, and the earth shattered instantly under its weight. The humanoid attempted to stir to its feet, but was flattened once more, when a bulbous mass of flesh landed on it with great force. The mass was so powerful that it plunged Susanoo deep into the ground, and the earth shuddered. It was Manji, who had swollen to unfathomable size, and was enlarging still, pressing upon Susanoo with all his immensity.
Madara, from within Susanoo's protection, eyed the behemoth which sat stop his humanoid creation, and recognized Manji's chakra. It dawned on him instantly, like a fact he had already known: Manji was responsible for the blast that had obliterated the terrain, and the product of Edo Tensei was about to wreak havoc once more. Madara's eyes searched earnestly for Tobirama, and found the Senju frantically speeding away from where Manji had landed on Susanoo.
Uchiha Madara roared, a savage howl which reflected the thunderous outpouring of his might into Susanoo. Susanoo's arms tensed with great strength, as it heaved Manji into its arms and threw him away.
The large sphere that Manji had become, crashed into the earth with a deafening boom. Susanoo had only managed to push it a few centimeters away, as it was deceptively heavy. Manji grew larger, like a balloon which was being rapidly inflated. Susanoo, Madara lurched inside, darted away from the growing sphere, distancing itself with a series of enormous leaps and strides.
But it was not enough.
Manji exploded into a massive wave of raw destructive power, and Susanoo was not spared, neither was Tobirama for that matter. The Senju had however managed to create enough distance that a sturdy Wall of Water proved strong enough to dampen the blast. His armor however was none the better, as it was cracked and broken in many places. His silvery mop of hair appeared unkempt and his whole frame was splattered with dirt and grime. But he was alive and somewhat fine.
Manji reformed in a matter of moments, and was frozen still like a puppet whose strings had been snapped. Saigo was not too far from Manji and had also been obliterated by the explosion, but had reformed just as the Blast Element user did. As the smoke cleared, Tobirama found himself immensely curious as to what befell Madara.
The Senju searched keenly for some sign of the Uchiha, while hoping with all his heart that he would find none. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted something that resembled a dome. The construct was not clear, as the dust of the explosion had not fully settled. Chakra sensing however, informed him that it was the creation of his brother Hashirama, and the Senju in question dwelt within the dome.
The dust and smoke faded to reveal that what he was looking at, was indeed a Mokuton. A dome of wood which was one of Hashirama's signature defenses. Tobirama sighed, he knew very well that his brother would waste no time in giving him an annoying lecture. Even he had to admit that he used Manji's technique rather carelessly.
The wooden construct separated at the centre, and each half sank into the ground. Hashirama was now in sight, and he was walking briskly towards Tobirama, fuming with rage. “ARE - YOU - CRAZY?!” bellowed the Senju leader, stressing every syllable to echo his fury.
“Hashirama, there's no need-” Tobirama was silenced however, when Hashirama grabbed him, and began to a desperate search for any sort of injuries. Hashirama spotted a few cuts and bruises, and immediately began to provide medical aid.
“Look at you! You're terribly hurt!” roared Hashirama, the fury in his words laced with worry. “I told you that zombie technique would only bring trouble!”
“It's called Kuschiyose: Edo Tensei.” Tobirama retorted coolly. His calm voice ringing with a defensive note. “And I think I just killed Madara with it.” he added with such blandness, that one might think Madara was an insignificant ant.
“You killed...” Hashirama's voice broke. He felt a fierce twist in his gut and his heart sank. An expression of sadness had overcome him.
Tobirama saw the somber look on his elder brother's face and shrugged. “I know you two were friends when you were kids, but now you're-” The silver-haired Senju was interrupted however, as Hashirama grabbed him and jumped a great distance away. An immaterial blade, which both brothers were all too familiar with, plunged into the spot were they stood only moments before, but it was far larger than they knew it to be.
“I won't declare me finished just yet.”
Both Hashirama and Tobirama gasped in utter shock. Tobirama jaw had dropped and his eyes widened, but he hurried to regain his composure. Hashirama's surprise however, seemed to have turned to glee, as wide grin split his features. His hair billowing fiercely behind him, Hashirama strode confidently towards the massive blade. The ethereal weapon was in the hands of a humanoid, whose size far surpassed that of every physical object both brothers had ever encountered, the Tailed Beasts included.
“Is that Susanoo?” asked Tobirama, his voice trembling. The monstrous being before them was many times the size of what they knew as Susanoo. It was a head above the Nine Tails in size, and looked more material than ethereal. It was draped in loose robes, and bore armor on its shoulders and waist. Four arms were attached to it, a larger one and a smaller one on both sides of its gigantic body. A sword was in each of the two larger arms, while the smaller ones bore no weapons and its feet were shod with pointed shoes.
Its facial features were more distinct, a carved-out mouth, an extremely long and pointed nose. Strangely, it possessed resemblind hair, which flickered carelessly in the wind, like fire. Part of this flame-like mane was bundled at both sides of its face.
“Madara, I had no idea you had this up your sleeve.” said Hashirama, his voice ringing with excitement. “Seems our battle will be more interesting than usual.”
The thunder of a crash filled the air, as the One Tail Shukaku landed at their current location. It stood high and mighty, behind the Senju brothers, its single spiky tail twisting and bending like a serpent.
Hashirama turned to Tobirama, and his face twisted into a threatening scowl. “Retreat brother.” he instructed solemnly. “I must face him alone.”
To Be Continued.
