214. Suplex?

The silent hospital room was filled with tension as Uchiha Gin gently patted his younger cousin's shoulder, trying to comfort him. Uchiha Izuna, whose shoulders trembled slightly, was clearly on the verge of breaking down. Gin, barely holding back laughter, said softly,

"Izuna, let's go check on Madara."

He was afraid if they stayed longer, he might burst out laughing.

"Damn Senju! Is brother injured too?"

Wiping the tears from his swollen eyes, Izuna stood up, his expression filled with rage as he clenched his teeth, demanding an answer from Gin.

"No, he's fine. Madara just inherited the old man's legacy and finished his surgery."

Gin shook his head and gestured to the sunken eye sockets of Uchiha Tajima's body on the bed. He explained to his still-clueless younger cousin, who could only manage a simple,

"Understood."

The series of shocks had left Izuna emotionally numb. He simply followed Gin out of the room toward Madara's recovery area.


---

Pushing open the door, Gin and Izuna found a familiar figure standing by the window. To Gin's surprise, Madara was already up and moving. The anesthesia was supposed to last for three hours, yet here Madara stood just an hour post-surgery.

"You're awake already, cousin!"

Gin called out in surprise.

"Brother, I'm so sorry!"

Izuna, unable to hold back his grief any longer, broke into tears the moment he saw Madara. His tears flowed freely as he apologized profusely.

"Cousin. Izuna."

Madara's voice, cold and emotionless, carried from where he stood by the window. Slowly, he turned around, his eyes heavily bandaged.

"I will avenge our father."

His hands moved to the bandages, unraveling them layer by layer. As the last strip fell away, a pair of mesmerizing Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan, brimming with malevolent patterns, came into view.

"With these eyes—the eyes awakened through my father's sacrifice."

Madara’s voice trembled with fury as his chest heaved with emotion. A chilling, oppressive aura filled the room, causing even Gin to steal a cautious glance at him.


---

"Cousin, you just transplanted the Mangekyō. If you lose to that bowl-cut brat again, won't Uncle's sacrifice be in vain?"

Gin tried to offer his "sincere advice," though a flicker of unease flashed in his otherwise deadpan gaze.

"I won't lose. I am far stronger now."

Madara’s newfound confidence radiated from his eyes as he felt the immense power of his Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan. Turning to his younger brother, he beckoned,

"Izuna, deliver a declaration of war to the Senju. Tomorrow, we fight."

"Understood!"

Still in awe of his brother's transformed eyes, Izuna stood upright and responded with vigor before rushing off to carry out the task.

Gin sighed as his attempt to dissuade Madara failed. He muttered softly,

"May fortune favor you."


---

The next day, as the sun dipped toward the horizon, the battlefield was set in the canyon near the Naka River. Madara stood with a few loyal guards, waiting for the arrival of Senju Hashirama.

Before long, Hashirama, clad in his signature red armor, arrived with his younger brother Tobirama and several aides. The moment the two sides met, the atmosphere turned volatile, tensions crackling like lightning in the air.

"Madara, how is your father?"

Hashirama's tone carried a hint of guilt as he attempted to address the incident. However, Madara's cold voice cut through,

"My father is dead. Gravely injured and unable to recover."

The usual camaraderie between the two had vanished. Madara's blood-red eyes were filled with deep hatred, making him almost unrecognizable to Hashirama.

"So spare me your childish ideals. Fight me, Hashirama!"

Overwhelmed by vengeance, Madara’s Sharingan spun rapidly, merging into a sinister, intricate pattern. A towering blue Susano'o emerged behind him, radiating overwhelming power.

Faced with this newfound strength, Hashirama’s expression turned grim. The enormous figure of Susano'o was more solid and fearsome than ever. Wasting no time, Hashirama began weaving hand signs. The ground quaked as he channeled his immense Wood Release power, shouting,

"Wood Release: Flowering Tree World!"

Massive wooden branches erupted from the earth, coiling toward Susano'o's fists. The unexpected counter left Madara momentarily stunned, his brow furrowed as his enormous fists were restrained by the growing trees.

"Hiss…"


As Uchiha Madara prepared to free himself from the bothersome wooden branches, the sound of massive ground-breaking movements immediately put him on high alert. Scanning his surroundings, he saw thick, life-filled branches encircling him. Each one was larger than his Susanoo, and they relentlessly coiled toward him like countless tentacles. Caught off guard, they sent his Susanoo stumbling and swaying.

“Whew... whew…”

Barely managing to fend off the onslaught of branches, Madara finally caught his breath. Yet, a strange floral scent in the air drew his attention. Alarmed, he noticed the battlefield blooming with enormous red flowers, their stamens trembling as they dispersed yellow pollen into the air.

“Poisonous pollen?”

Inhaling a few breaths of the pollen, Madara felt his chakra refinement slowing and his body growing numb. His Susanoo mirrored his condition, its knees buckling. If he couldn’t figure out that Senju Hashirama was behind this, he might as well have been blind.

“Stop this, Madara!”

Seeing his friend ensnared by his Wood Release, Hashirama clasped his hands together in prayer and sincerely implored him:

“Continuing this battle serves no purpose.”

“You call this meaningless? Then why did my father have to die?”

Using the pause in Hashirama’s words, Madara gritted his teeth and issued this soul-piercing question.

“…”

Hashirama’s head lowered, guilt weighing heavily on his heart. He didn’t know how to respond. After all, his father had been killed before his own eyes too. He fully understood the pain Madara was feeling.

“It’s because of you… all of you!”

Recalling his father’s tragic death at the hands of Tobirama, Madara’s anguish magnified the power of his Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan. As his eyes spun furiously, his Susanoo erupted with an unparalleled aura. The shockwaves from this surge caused both sides of the battlefield to hunker down for safety.

Madara’s Susanoo, which had been relatively slender, began to grow rapidly. From a mere ten-meter giant, it rose to an immense height that blotted out the sun. It donned a layer of heavy armor, sprouted massive wings on its back, and its face was adorned with a fierce tengu mask. The completed form of the Susanoo appeared before everyone like a fearsome deity of war.

“What is that?”

Hiding behind the wooden branches, Tobirama gawked at the towering blue colossus. His mouth hung slightly open as he looked at the sword in his hand. In comparison, he felt a deep sense of powerlessness.

Inside the head of the Susanoo, Madara stood with arms crossed, gazing down at Hashirama with contempt. Although he could previously manifest a Complete Body Susanoo using his Mangekyo Sharingan, its size had never reached the grandeur achieved with his Eternal Eyes.

“Wood Release: Wood Golem Jutsu!”

Sensing a hint of danger from the unprecedented giant, Hashirama decided to stop holding back. He performed a series of hand seals, unleashing the full potential of his Wood Golem Jutsu. Amidst a surge of thick smoke, countless wooden branches intertwined and merged, creating a massive, whimsical-looking wooden golem wrapped in a dragon. The imposing figure stood opposite Madara’s Susanoo.

“Ma-Da-Ra!”

Although stunned by the massive golem, Madara’s overconfidence, bolstered by the Eternal Mangekyo’s powers, left him undaunted. He extended both hands, directing his Susanoo to charge at the wooden figure.

“Ha-Shi-Ra-Ma!”

Perched atop the wooden golem, Hashirama showed no signs of retreat. He commanded the golem to confront Madara’s Susanoo head-on.

“Boom!!!”

The titanic clash between the two giants sent shockwaves rippling across the battlefield, forcing everyone to retreat to avoid being swept away.

“Wood Release: Wood Dragon Jutsu!”

Seizing an opening, Hashirama unleashed a Wood Dragon Jutsu. As the massive dragon lunged toward Madara, the latter, noticing a glaring weakness at his back, smirked. His Susanoo, equipped with additional arms for defense, punched the dragon to pieces with two iron fists.

“Wood Dragon Jutsu!”

Not expecting his sneak attack to be so easily countered, Hashirama furrowed his brow and clasped his hands together again. This time, four additional wooden dragons sprouted from the golem and coiled toward the Susanoo.

“Did I win?”

After the four dragons struck their target, Hashirama lowered his hands cautiously. Still shrouded in dust and smoke, the battlefield obscured the result. A trace of worry appeared on his otherwise composed face.

“Oops... I might’ve overdone it. I hope Madara is okay…”

As the smoke cleared, an astonishing sight caused even the usually calm Hashirama to gasp.

The four colossal wooden dragons, thought to have struck the Susanoo, were tightly clutched in its arms. No matter how hard they struggled, they couldn’t break free. Just as Hashirama pondered his next move, a chilling voice reached his ears:

“Hashirama… have you ever witnessed the Uchiha Suplex?”