As Second Tsuchikage 37

Chapter 37: We Arrived Late

Boom!!

A Tailed Beast Bomb slammed into the massive wooden golem of Hashirama Senju, detonating with a thunderous blast that shook the earth. Flames surged, smoke erupted, and yet, when the dust cleared, the wooden titan remained mostly intact. It had only been pushed back a few dozen meters.

“What is this...?” Hashirama frowned slightly, his eyes narrowing.

A Tailed Beast Bomb?

Down below, the four Second Generation Kage were just as surprised. Their gazes immediately shifted toward the direction the attack had come from.

In the sky above, two streaks of blood-red light blazed across the clouds like comets.

“Kinkaku!”

“Hn!”

“Ginkaku!”

“Hn!”

“The Twin Horns march forth! Nothing shall survive!”

With two booming voices that echoed across the battlefield, a pair of towering figures descended in a dramatic flash. Both were wrapped in the chakra cloak of the Nine-Tails, each wielding a different sacred tool of the Six Paths. They landed before the four Kage like thunder crashing down.

“It’s the Gold and Silver Brothers!!!” the Second Raikage shouted in disbelief.

He recognized them instantly. These two muscle-bound monsters were his own village’s infamous Gold and Silver Brothers.

“What the hell happened to them?!” Hozuki Gengetsu cried out in shock, finally registering who they were.

“Why are they covered in Tailed Beast chakra?!” Samon added, eyes narrowing as he examined the dense cloak of energy surrounding the pair.

The two brothers turned back toward the four Kage, who looked battle-worn and barely standing.

“Vice leaders, are you alright?” Kinkaku asked, voice steady but tinged with concern.

“We’re fine... but...” the Second Raikage’s brows furrowed. “Didn’t you two die fighting the Nine-Tails? How are you still alive?”

He looked visibly shaken. Before departing the village, he had received confirmed reports that Kinkaku and Ginkaku had been swallowed whole by the Nine-Tails. And now here they stood, larger than life and very much alive.

Mū remained silent, his expression unreadable.

In his original timeline, he knew what had happened: the Gold and Silver Brothers had survived by devouring the Nine-Tails from the inside.

“Aye-sama, it’s a long story,” Kinkaku said with a savage grin. “We didn’t die. When the Nine-Tails swallowed us, we stayed alive inside its gut by eating its flesh. We also gained a little... something from it.”

“You were swallowed... but how the hell did you get out?” Gengetsu asked, lips twitching with mischief.

The moment the words left his mouth, both brothers’ faces went dark.

Damn it. Did he really have to bring that up?

They had survived inside the Nine-Tails' belly for days, clinging to life, but eventually, their exit wasn’t exactly heroic. They had been expelled from the beast... through the other end, along with its waste.

“Don’t bring up those disgusting memories again. Say one more word and I’ll kill you!” Ginkaku snarled with a forced smile, teeth bared.

“Ooh! I’m so scared!” Gengetsu gasped theatrically, ducking behind Mū like a frightened child.

Mū sighed, looking completely speechless.

Gengetsu was clearly doing it on purpose. He absolutely knew how they’d escaped, and still asked just to stir the pot. That wasn’t curiosity, that was pure provocation.

If he weren’t so ridiculously strong, and towering at 1.86 meters tall, someone would’ve socked him across the face by now.

“Enough! This isn’t the time for jokes. We’ve got an enemy right in front of us!”

Samon’s voice rang out, sharp and commanding, snapping everyone back to reality.

“Right! Since you’re here, fight alongside us against Hashirama Senju!” the Second Raikage shouted, his fists clenching tightly with renewed resolve.

But just as the tension built, a younger voice rang out across the battlefield.

“Sensei!!”

Mū spun around in surprise, eyes wide.

Charging toward them with a teleportation technique was none other than Ōnoki. He skidded to a halt beside his mentor, hands confidently planted on his hips and wearing a huge grin.

“Not just me! Everyone’s here!”

He quickly formed a hand sign.

“Ninjutsu: Allied Shinobi Forces Technique!”

Mū, Gengetsu, Sāmon, and the Second Raikage all widened their eyes at once, stunned disbelief flashing in their expressions.

None of them had expected reinforcements to actually arrive.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Four figures landed crisply in front of them.

Ishikawa. Byakuren. The First Raikage. Reto.

“Tsuchikage! Raikage! Mizukage! Kazekage!”

Even the seasoned shinobi observing from behind felt their hearts stir at the sight.

“Despite those injuries, you're still standing tall. You’ve done well, Mū,” Ishikawa said in a quiet, steady tone.

Mū wrinkled his nose. “Why does your breath stink like grilled meat?”

Reto let out a hearty laugh and clapped Sāmon firmly on the back. “Your sand manipulation has come a long way, Sāmon. Once we make it back, you’re taking the Kazekage’s seat.”

Color returned to Sāmon’s face as he bowed slightly. “An honor to receive your recognition, Kazekage-sama.”

“Well done, A! I made you my successor for a reason. You carry the lightning’s resolve!” the First Raikage exclaimed. The two Raikage bumped fists like old war brothers.

Gengetsu stared at Byakuren in disbelief. “Old man... even you came?”

He had truly assumed the elder would remain isolated on the distant island. Seeing him here was a complete shock.

That shock evaporated a second later, when Byakuren smacked him upside the head three times in a row.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

“You think I’d sit this out?! You dragged half the village’s elites here! If you died, we’d be defenseless!” Byakuren bellowed in fury.

Holding his head, Gengetsu groaned. “Come on! Everyone else is getting compliments. Why am I the only one getting beat up?”

Byakuren snorted. “Gengetsu, you idiot... You might act like a clown, but when it matters most, you’re the one holding the line.”

Gengetsu’s mood flipped immediately. He grinned from ear to ear.

Sāmon looked around, deeply moved. “Who would’ve thought the Four Great Shinobi Villages would form an alliance just for our sakes?”

“Hmph! Don’t get carried away. It was just a coincidence,” Byakuren grumbled with a huff.

“Haha! You sure didn’t say that while stuffing yourself with barbecue earlier,” Ishikawa teased, wearing a sly grin.

Behind them, the shinobi from the Allied Forces chuckled quietly at the scene.

“Their friendship is amazing. Honestly, kinds like Madara x Hashirama thing.”

“… Don’t you fucking dare.”

“..........”

“Alright! Everyone, clear the way!” the Four Kage called in unison.

“Leave this next part to us.”

The four of them stepped forward, shoulder to shoulder, facing down Hashirama with unwavering resolve.

Mū silently watched the figures standing beside him. Behind them stood the unified might of the Allied Forces. A faint smile tugged at his lips.

As he thought.

Only when faced with a truly overwhelming threat will people put aside their differences and stand together.

Just like today.

“I never would’ve guessed... Could I have been wrong all this time?”

High above on the massive wooden golem, Hashirama’s expression had darkened.

He had always envisioned this kind of unity. And now... it was finally real. But not because of him. Because of him, the world had come together—but in opposition.

The very dream he had poured his soul into had twisted into this cruel irony.

Could it be? Was he the enemy now?

The reason four entire nations had banded together?

A heavy sigh escaped his chest. It felt like he had pulled Konohagakure into an all-out war. Win or lose, there was no turning back. The Allied Forces would not rest until this was resolved. No one had declared war officially, but things had already gone too far.

Maybe if he backed down now... there might still be time to fix things.

But...

“Madara...”

Hashirama's gaze became distant, as if piercing through space and time.

In that moment, he imagined Madara standing quietly in the distance, watching him.

Madara had been doomed from the start.

His brothers were killed. His father lost to war. His only remaining brother, Izuna, cut down by Tobirama.

They had worked together to create a village and yet Madara was passed over for Hokage, mistrusted, and rejected. Even his own clan had turned against him.

Hashirama had been the only one who ever truly stood by his side.