Chapter 180 : Exhilarating, Absolutely Exhilarating
Under everyone's watchful eyes, the two Majestic Attire giants clashed.
Uchiha Taiga's Wooden Golem swung its blade down, pale-gold chakra condensing on the edge, the blade piercing the air with a piercing howl.
Senju Hashirama's Wooden Golem raised its sword to block. The dark-blue chakra longsword and the pale-gold wooden blade collided with a deafening boom, so loud that the distant city walls trembled.
The moment the two blades met, a shockwave erupted from the edges, pushing outward in all directions like an invisible wall.
The shockwave swept across the Wood Style forest on the ground, snapping trunks in half and uprooting canopies. The entire forest looked as if a giant hand had pressed down from above, significantly flattening it. The broken trees were swept up by the shockwave, tumbling through the air before flying off into the distance.
The ground beneath the two Wooden Golems couldn't withstand the pressure. Massive chunks of earth caved in, forming a gigantic crater.
The edges of the crater were densely packed with cracks, spreading outward like a spiderweb for hundreds of meters.
To a normal person's eyes, the giants' movements appeared incredibly slow.
It took a second or two to swing a sword, three or four seconds to take a step. Every punch thrown looked as if it were moving through water, slow enough to see every detail of their actions.
But that slowness wasn't real; it was simply because they were too massive, so large that a normal person's eyes couldn't keep up with their true speed. By the time one saw it raise its hand, the fist had already smashed into its target.
The two Wooden Golems battled, blades clashing and fists colliding.
Every impact whipped up a gale, scattering rubble and broken wood everywhere. The ground beneath their feet was unrecognizable, littered with craters, fissures, and pulverized rock and soil.
The distant mountains suffered as well.
Taiga's Wooden Golem punched Hashirama's Wooden Golem in the chest, forcing it back several steps until its back crashed into a small mountain.
A huge chunk of the mountain collapsed, massive boulders rolling down the slope and hitting the ground with dull thuds.
After regaining its footing, Hashirama's Wooden Golem charged forward again, slashing Taiga's Wooden Golem on the shoulder and carving off a large chunk of wood.
The severed wood fell from the sky, smashing into the ground to form yet another massive crater.
The two Wooden Golems fought a running battle, quickly leaving their original area and moving toward the outer mountain ranges.
Beneath their feet lay vast stretches of trampled forest, and behind them was a trail of shattered stone and broken wood. Every step they took left a deep footprint in the earth.
The fierce winds whipped up by their battle howled like a hurricane blowing from the center of the battlefield. With every clash, a gale surged outward, carrying gravel and wood splinters that stung the faces of anyone they hit.
The distant spectators were affected; some struggled to stand, while others had to hug trees to avoid being blown away.
The Kage standing at the very front remained relatively steady.
Raikage A's feet were planted into the ground like nails. The wind blew past him, but his body didn't budge an inch, though his hair stood on end and his clothes clung tightly to his frame.
Rasa's Gold Dust formed a barrier around him. The wind slipped through the gaps in the gold, its force greatly diminished.
The water beneath Yagura Karatachi surged up, forming a water wall in front of him that blocked most of the wind and sand.
Onoki floated in midair, his body swaying in the wind, but his Particle Style glowed steadily in his palm, ready to strike at any moment.
Watching the two giants still brawling in the distance, Onoki's brow furrowed into a tight knot. He turned and shouted to the Iwagakure Jonin behind him.
"Use Earth Style!"
Hearing the command, the Iwagakure Jonin immediately began weaving signs.
The next moment, earthen walls rose from the ground, linking together to form a long, continuous barrier just outside the town.
The walls were tall and thick, reaching over ten meters at their highest and five or six meters at their thickest. Lined up side by side, they completely shielded the front of the town.
The wind howling from the battlefield slammed into the earthen walls, emitting a roaring sound.
The walls trembled slightly but did not fall.
Gravel and wood splinters pelted the walls with a crackling noise, like someone throwing stones against them.
The others also employed their own methods.
The Sunagakure ninja retreated to the side of the earthen walls, while Rasa's Gold Dust formed a golden barrier in front of them.
Chiyo and Ebizo stood at the back of the crowd. Chiyo held several chakra threads connected to a few puppets standing before her. With every movement, the puppets shattered the incoming rocks and wood fragments.
The Kumogakure ninja stood on the other side of the earthen walls, with Raikage A at the forefront. His Lightning Style chakra already coated his entire body, blue currents crackling around him, preventing any ordinary debris from getting close.
The Kirigakure ninja stood at the very back, with Yagura Karatachi leading them. He already gripped his coral staff, the tip shimmering faintly with watery light.
On the battlefield, the clash between the two Majestic Attire Wooden Golems grew increasingly savage.
Taiga's Wooden Golem swung its blade at the neck of Hashirama's Wooden Golem. Hashirama's Wooden Golem dodged sideways, the blade grazing past its shoulder and slicing off a piece of armor.
Hashirama's Wooden Golem countered with a backhand slash aimed at the waist of Taiga's Wooden Golem. Taiga's Wooden Golem raised its left arm to block, the dark-blue chakra sword striking the pale-gold armor and leaving a deep gash.
The two Wooden Golems exchanged another punch.
The pale-gold fist and the dark-blue fist collided, the shockwave erupting once more and pulverizing the surrounding rocks.
Hashirama's Wooden Golem stumbled back two steps, its heel crushing a small hill flat.
Taiga's Wooden Golem also took a step back, a massive fissure splitting the earth beneath its foot.
They fought their way from the plains into the mountains. The surrounding peaks suffered the brunt of their brawl—some were leveled, others collapsed from the impact, and valleys were filled with rubble.
The ground was littered with craters, fissures, and pulverized rock and soil.
Amidst the battle, Uchiha Madara gritted his teeth. His Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan spun rapidly in their sockets, crimson light seeping from his eyes and illuminating his tense face.
His hand signs constantly shifted, chakra surging from his body and flowing through the Wooden Golem beneath his feet into the Majestic Attire giant.
Senju Hashirama stood beside him, his expression shifting from excitement to caution.
"What a formidable kid."
Hashirama's voice carried genuine admiration.
"Madara, increase your chakra! Let's combine our strength and use that jutsu!"
Uchiha Madara scoffed coldly, the corners of his mouth curling up as the crimson light in his eyes burned even brighter.
"You mean True Several Thousand Hands?"
Hashirama nodded, changing his hand signs and pointing his palms downward.
"Yes. With my current body, I can't unleash that jutsu directly; I need your cooperation. You use Yin Style, and I'll use Yang Style."
Madara's smirk widened, an uncontainable excitement gleaming in his eyes.
"Fine."
The two exchanged a glance, clapped their hands together simultaneously, and shouted.
"True Several Thousand Hands!"
The moment their voices fell, the Majestic Attire Wooden Golem beneath their feet began to tremble.
Countless wooden constructs erupted from beneath the Majestic Attire Wooden Golem, shooting out of the ground like massive tree roots.
These wooden constructs stretched in all directions—some burrowing into the earth, some reaching for the sky, and others spreading outward. They intertwined and converged, rising from the ground like a colossal wooden structure.
The Majestic Attire Wooden Golem was hoisted high into the air by the wooden constructs, ascending higher into the sky. The wood formed a massive pedestal beneath its feet, growing larger, taller, and wider.
The shape of the pedestal transformed from a tangled mess into a gigantic wooden Buddha statue.
The Buddha's head took shape first.
It was an enormous face with distinct features, its eyes half-closed, its mouth slightly open, and its expression solemn.
Behind the Buddha's head, countless arms emerged from its body, spreading out to the sides and covering the sky like a peacock fanning its tail feathers.
The number of arms was innumerable.
One thousand, two thousand, three thousand—densely packed, they extended layer by layer from the Buddha's body, each arm hundreds of meters long.
The Buddha statue continued to grow, becoming taller and more massive.
By the time it stopped growing, it was already taller than the adjacent mountains.
The hills and peaks looked like children's sandcastles before it. Its knees pressed against one mountain, its hand rested on another, and its head reached into the clouds.
The original Majestic Attire Wooden Golem stood atop the Buddha's head. Compared to the statue, it looked like a small child standing on an adult's head.
Its height didn't even match the Buddha's head, making its body appear small and frail in comparison.
The True Several Thousand Hands Avalokiteshvara statue.
Standing on the Majestic Attire Wooden Golem atop the Buddha's head, Uchiha Madara looked down at the colossal statue beneath his feet and threw his head back in laughter.
"Hahahaha!"
His laughter echoed through the mountains, carrying an irrepressible ecstasy.
"So this is Summit Enlightenment!"
His Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan spun rapidly, the crimson light seeping from his eyes and casting a particularly ferocious look upon his face.
Senju Hashirama stood beside him. His expression wasn't as ecstatic as Madara's, but he was smiling too.
He looked at the Buddha statue beneath his feet, then at the pale-gold Majestic Attire Wooden Golem in the distance, and spoke.
"Don't celebrate too early, Madara. After all, this isn't a true Sage Art. Without natural energy, this jutsu won't last long."
Madara's laughter ceased. He turned to glance at Hashirama, a smile still lingering on his lips.
"I know."
He withdrew his gaze, looking back at the pale-gold Majestic Attire Wooden Golem in the distance. He raised a hand, pointing in its direction.
"Do it."
Hashirama nodded, his smile shifting into a look of resolve.
The Buddha statue moved.
Those thousands of arms raised simultaneously, palms open. The densely packed arms spread out on both sides of the Buddha's body like a massive folding screen, blotting out half the sky.
In the distance, Uchiha Taiga's Majestic Attire Wooden Golem stood upon the earth.
Before that colossal Buddha statue, it was nothing but a speck. Even the Buddha's knees were taller than it, and a single palm could grasp it entirely.
Standing atop his Wooden Golem's head, Uchiha Taiga looked up at the gigantic Avalokiteshvara statue in the distance.
His expression remained unchanged, still filled with excitement.
"Yes, this is exactly how it should be! Exhilarating, absolutely exhilarating."
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