As this thought crossed his mind, Uchiha Madara dispelled his transformation technique.
Bang!
"Tobirama's disciple, do you recognize me?"
Shimura Danzo's mind went blank the moment he saw Uchiha Madara's face. Whatever the man before him was saying no longer mattered.
Shock overwhelmed him—someone long presumed dead had appeared right before his eyes.
He wanted to believe it was merely an illusion, a trick of the enemy's Genjutsu. Yet, the thick scent of blood in the air made it clear—this was reality.
"No… this is impossible. You're dead. My teacher confirmed it himself," Danzo muttered, almost in disbelief.
"You can't be Uchiha Madara. Who the hell are you?"
Uchiha Madara.
The Anbu and Root operatives present were equally stunned upon hearing Danzo's words.
They exchanged uncertain glances, unable to determine whether Danzo's claim was true or not.
"Haha… Believe what you want. It doesn't matter," Uchiha Madara said with a shake of his head.
At that moment, A Fei emerged from the ground beside Madara.
"Madara-sama! You've finally arrived. If you had taken any longer, I might not have made it," A Fei said with exaggerated relief.
Madara glanced at A Fei and replied coldly, "This matter no longer concerns you. Leave."
Madara was not impressed with A Fei's performance. Although he wielded Wood Style, the difference between A Fei and Senju Hashirama was far too great. Even Madara himself paled in comparison to the First Hokage.
"Understood, Madara-sama."
A Fei had been waiting for the chance to leave. Had Madara not ordered him to keep Danzo occupied, he would never have risked his life against a group of opponents.
After all, if he died now—without ever experiencing the feeling of a proper bowel movement—wouldn't he regret it forever?
With A Fei gone, Madara turned his attention back to Danzo.
"Now that it's just us, are you ready to die?"
As he spoke, Madara unleashed his Chakra.
A violent gust of wind erupted, causing the trees to creak and bend under the sheer force. The very ground beneath him cracked, unable to withstand his immense power.
Boom!
Danzo stood frozen in terror. He had never encountered such an overwhelming Chakra presence before.
Though he had seen Uchiha Madara as a child, this was completely different.
A single thought consumed him now—escape.
Fighting was not an option. His only chance of survival was to have the remaining Anbu and Root operatives delay Madara long enough for him to flee.
Determined, Danzo issued his command.
"All units—attack with full force!"
Then, turning to the four shinobi maintaining the barrier, he ordered, "Dispel the formation. You will fight as well."
Without hesitation, the four shinobi deactivated the Four Purple Flame Formation.
And the moment the barrier disappeared—
Danzo turned and fled.
He didn't spare a single thought for the subordinates he had just ordered to fight.
Madara, watching Danzo's retreating figure, raised an eyebrow in mild surprise.
"Just now, you sounded so determined… I thought you wanted to fight to the death?"
But he had no intention of letting Danzo escape. He had orchestrated this entire scenario carefully—how could he allow the main actor to simply run away?
Channeling his Chakra, Madara formed a Wood Clone.
Behind him, a wooden figure emerged, instantly morphing into an exact copy of Uchiha Madara.
For Madara, using Ninjutsu did not require forming hand seals like ordinary shinobi. Even Senju Hashirama, who used to clasp his hands together in battle, had only done so out of habit.
The moment the Wood Clone appeared, it sprinted after Danzo.
Meanwhile, Madara turned to face the remaining enemies.
"Abandoned by your leader… But as warriors, you deserve some dignity. I will grant you that," he said.
The ten remaining shinobi braced themselves. They had only heard of Madara's legend before, but his raw power just now confirmed it—his reputation was no exaggeration.
Danzo ran faster than he ever had in his life, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't shake off his relentless pursuer.
"Summoning Jutsu!"
A massive cloud of smoke erupted behind him.
As it cleared, a giant, elephant-like creature appeared—Danzo's summoned beast, Baku.
"Baku, stop him!" Danzo commanded.
Without hesitation, the creature inhaled deeply through its long trunk, then released a powerful gust of wind toward Madara.
The violent gale tore through the trees and stripped the ground bare.
"Foolish."
Caught off guard by the sudden attack, Madara was briefly staggered.
But then—
A blue skeletal form began to materialize around him. Chakra surged, quickly shaping into the form of a towering warrior.
In an instant, a massive Susanoo stood in place, its head pointed and its entire form pulsating with raw power.
Within the giant's hands, a glowing blue blade formed—a weapon as sharp and deadly as a laser sword.
From within the colossal figure, Madara cast a cold glance at the summoning beast.
Then—he swung the blade.
Boom!
Danzo, still running, heard the deafening impact and glanced back.
His heart sank.
His mighty summon, Baku, had been sliced apart in a single strike, vanishing into a cloud of smoke.
"Stop running. You cannot escape," Madara called out as he resumed the chase.
Danzo didn't respond. He just kept running.
But Madara's patience had run out.
With a burst of speed, he leaped high into the air—soaring past Danzo.
Landing in front of him, he slammed down onto a bridge.
Boom!
The force of Susanoo's landing shattered the stone structure, cutting off Danzo's escape route.
"Now, you have nowhere left to run," Madara said, looking down on him.
Danzo stood frozen, realizing the inevitable.
His heart pounded, his mind raced, but deep down, he knew—Madara would never let him live.
A newfound resolve hardened in his eyes.
He reached up and began to unwrap the bandages on his right arm.
"I don't know how you survived," he said, his voice steady despite the fear within him. "But if I'm going to die, at least satisfy my curiosity—how did you escape from the First Hokage?"
Madara's lips curled into a smirk.
"No comment."
Of course, he would never reveal that he had prepared Izanagi in advance before his legendary battle with Hashirama.