While Kaguya was talking with Kazuki, on the battlefield—

The black flames of Wakatsuki, saturated with corruptive force, were devouring Uchiha Izuna's chakra—and even his soul—from within.

At that moment—

Uchiha Izuna truly understood… he and Senju Tobirama were cursed enemies!

His own dōjutsu, Amaterasu, had been known as the strongest physical attack among ocular powers…

But Tobirama's dōjutsu released black flames that felt like a complementary twin to his own—only instead of attacking flesh, it targeted chakra and the soul!

And compared to damage to the body, harm to one's spirit and soul was far more difficult to resist or recover from.

Though he hated to admit it… Wakatsuki was indeed superior to Amaterasu!

He had thought he could still last another few exchanges…

Now, wracked with agony from Wakatsuki's burning torment, Uchiha Izuna dropped to one knee, glaring stubbornly at Senju Tobirama.

Was Amaterasu really that weak?

Right now, Amaterasu was still violently consuming Tobirama's body!

One technique ravaged the spirit; the other seared the flesh…

These two bitter rivals—Uchiha and Senju—were both suffering under the torment of the other's Mangekyō jutsu, locked in a grim wait to see who would fall first.

And then, at that precise moment—

Senju Tobirama suddenly opened his mouth—so wide it was almost grotesque.

Uchiha Izuna stared at him in disbelief.

Had he gone mad?

And then, from within Tobirama's body, a pair of hands emerged—followed by a full body!

Just like a snake shedding its skin, Tobirama pulled a new version of himself out of his own flesh, forcibly resetting the effects of Amaterasu's flames.

The shed body sizzled and cracked under Amaterasu's black fire…

Tobirama chuckled coldly. He looked at the stunned Uchiha Izuna and tilted his head.

"A jutsu invented by a missing-nin," he said. "I stumbled across it and decided to give it a try."

"Turns out… it works particularly well against your damned Amaterasu."

"Uchiha Izuna—I'm not getting anywhere near you. You're probably planning to use Izanagi, hoping to land a sneak attack on my back afterward, aren't you?"

"Have you decided? Will you sacrifice the eye that casts Amaterasu, or the one that freezes space…? You only get one chance. Once you lose an eye, you'll never be my match again. Not that you ever were."

A radiant glow shimmered over Senju Tobirama's body as he cautiously activated the barrier of Ame-no-Iwato, guarding against a surprise attack from Uchiha Izuna. His voice, like the whisper of a devil, asked: "But if you don't choose… Wakatsuki will burn you alive. So, what will it be?"

Uchiha Izuna stared at Tobirama with deep hatred, forcing himself to endure the pain and regain composure, searching for a way to turn the situation around.

But he soon realized…

Tobirama had calculated everything—down to the last detail!

There was no way out. This bastard had even accounted for Izanagi… and now he stood there, completely in control, with an arrogance more Uchiha than the Uchiha themselves!

"Let that hatred consume you… Curse the miserable fate that denied you the chance to fight alongside Kazuki!"

Tobirama looked down at the crumpled Izuna, who lay face-down on the ground, his breathing growing weaker, and said solemnly: "These eyes… were granted to me by Kazuki. To lose to my dōjutsu—take pride in that, if nothing else."

"Now get out of my way. Don't align yourself with the Sage of Six Paths. Don't stop me from rescuing Kazuki. I'll spare your life… Even someone like you—I don't wish to kill you. After all, you are his kin."

Uchiha Izuna roared in rage, "Tobirama, you're still lying!"

Meanwhile, in the distance—

Uchiha Madara, locked in combat with Senju Hashirama, went berserk as he saw his younger brother defeated.

Limbo: Border Jail… activate!

Madara no longer cared for the thrill of going head-to-head with Hashirama. He deliberately left an opening, took a crushing blow from True Several Thousand Hands, and in return, used a Rinnegan technique to seize the upper hand in a single move—

That's what shinobi combat is all about.

With glass-cannon dynamics, the slightest intelligence gap between ninja of equal level could instantly shift the tide of battle.

Coughing up blood, Madara grabbed Hashirama and stormed toward Tobirama with murderous fury in his eyes.

"Undo your dōjutsu, you bastard!"

"Or I'll rip out Hashirama's soul and kill him for good!"

Tobirama narrowed his eyes dangerously—this wasn't good.

Madara was clearly injured, yet he had taken down his brother so quickly…

And just then—

Uchiha Obito, who had been eyeing the unattended Majestic Attire: Demonic Statue from afar, suddenly moved.

It was finally his moment to act!

Meanwhile, on another side of the battlefield, Isshiki's gaze sparkled with cold calculation.

Foolish mortals… keep wearing each other down.

...

Uchiha Madara carried the sealed Senju Hashirama and rushed swiftly to Uchiha Izuna's side, his eyes burning with fury and heartache.

Once again!

That bastard Senju Tobirama had hurt his little brother once again!

"Izuna, hang in there! I'll absorb the technique this bastard cast on you right away…"

Madara set Hashirama aside and activated the glowing violet light of his Rinnegan, intending to use the Preta Path's chakra absorption ability to pull out the black flames of Wakatsuki. But his brow furrowed tightly—

It failed!

The Flame of Wakatsuki was a demonic fire that polluted and burned both the soul and the spirit.

Once it entered a person's body, it would entrench itself within the soul and chakra of its target.

Under normal circumstances, Madara could only access Izuna's physical body—he couldn't reach his soul.

He could use the Human Path's ability to extract Izuna's soul and carefully purge the flames of Wakatsuki from within…

But that would be like performing an intricate surgery—extremely difficult even under ideal, undisturbed conditions. It required a quiet and secure environment.

With Tobirama glaring like a predator from nearby, Madara dared not recklessly tamper with Izuna's soul.

The worst-case scenario was being forced to use Izanagi and sacrifice an eye.

If Izuna's soul were to be exposed, it could become a matter of life and death…

"Brother, forget about me!"

Seeing the panic on Madara's face, Izuna's shame at being defeated by Tobirama yet again made him want to die on the spot. Still, he quickly relayed the intelligence he had gathered: "That bastard's dōjutsu is insidious. Be careful!"

"Once you're hit, it erodes chakra—and even the soul—like a slow-acting poison!"

"But there's a trade-off: it doesn't cast quickly. Under normal conditions, it's hard to land a hit. It's even slower than Amaterasu… And before it penetrates the soul, the black flames are still physical. The Rinnegan can absorb them."

"If worst comes to worst, I'll just use Izanagi and go blind in one eye. Let's finish off Tobirama quickly… I have a feeling he still has something up his sleeve. We can't let this drag on any longer!"

While Izuna was reporting intel—

Hashirama, still in his sealed state, was also transmitting information to Tobirama.

The so-called 'God of Shinobi' gave a rueful smile. "Tobirama, your Edo Tensei has gotten stronger—so strong that I can almost fight at my peak from when I was alive… but Madara is truly terrifying now…"

"His eyes—they're just like the Sage of Six Paths'. They can absorb chakra, pull on souls, and he has some sort of technique like an invisible clone. I landed a surprise attack using a Wood Clone from behind him, and I still got caught…"

"Oh, and his raw strength is absurd too. He broke through the Torii of Enlightenment with nothing but his physical body…"

"Looks like this time, big brother won't be able to help you."

Hashirama sighed helplessly and lowered his head. "He even absorbed my Sage Mode chakra…"

Tobirama fixed a hard glare on Uchiha Madara, his expression dark and grim.

"Uchiha Madara, you're really enjoying being the Sage of Six Paths' little lapdog, huh?"

He roared with cold fury, "You've even discarded your pride as an Uchiha and thrown away your precious Sharingan… What kind of Uchiha are you supposed to be now?"

"You're a disgrace to the Uchiha Clan!"

In Tobirama's eyes—

The power Madara now wielded to defeat Hashirama had absolutely nothing to do with Madara's own efforts.

Someone like him, worthy of defeating the God of Shinobi, Senju Hashirama?

Utter nonsense.

The Rinnegan glowing in Madara's sockets was proof enough… They were the same model as those worn by the World-Ending Demon King. There was nothing more to be said.

"I used to think you had some semblance of principle… Arrogant, narrow-minded, sure—but it was extremism of thought, not true evil at your core."

Tobirama's voice was low but brimming with sincere fury as he laid in.

"But now it's clear—you're just a slave… Whoever gives you more power, you grovel at their feet like a dog with no principles or bottom line. You've disgraced the title of Shura of the Shinobi World!"

"It'd be more fitting to call you the Sage of Six Paths' mutt!"

Tobirama didn't wait—he struck first with a barrage of verbal blows, scolding Madara so viciously that even Madara himself looked momentarily dazed.

And it wasn't just Madara. Even Uchiha Izuna, Uzumaki Mito, the Second Mizukage, the Second Tsuchikage, the various Jinchūriki, and every shinobi from Konohagakure nearby were visibly stunned.

Tobirama accusing Uchiha Madara of being unworthy of the Uchiha name…

Wasn't that a bit too surreal?

But the problem was—Tobirama's emotions clearly came from the heart. Everyone could sense it wasn't an act; it was raw and honest fury.

So much so that even Madara found himself wondering: did Tobirama truly believe his Rinnegan came from the Sage of Six Paths?

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