Hiruzen persuaded me to die

Two colossi of wood towered across the war-torn island like forgotten gods summoned from ancient myth.

"A-Another Wooden Golem?!"

"It's even bigger than the last one!"

"What is this battle?!"

On the other side of the island, both Konoha and Mist shinobi stood slack-jawed, stunned by the sight.

From the shoulder of the titanic creation made of twisted chakra-infused wood, Hyūga Naraku, the Fifth Hokage, gazed down like a calm storm above a raging battlefield.

"That's Lord Fifth Hokage!"A Hyūga ninja called out, Byakugan veins bulging with excitement.

Moments later, confirmation rippled across the ranks of allied ninja.

"Confirmed—it's his chakra signature!"

"It's truly Wood Style... but it's from Lord Fifth!"

"Incredible... this is far beyond what we expected!"

The air of uncertainty that had clouded the Konoha forces dispersed like mist in sunlight. Many had doubted when Naraku first exhibited Mokuton—believing it was some one-time anomaly.

But now?

Now, standing tall upon a monstrous Wooden Golem that eclipsed even the one crafted by the reanimated First Hokage, they believed.

For a brief moment, fear was replaced by awe. And with awe came loyalty.

Yet, not all observers shared that faith.

Inside Kamui's twisted void, Black Zetsu's scream shattered the silence.

"Impossible!"

Even Uchiha Madara, the greatest of Indra's reincarnations, had never been able to manifest a complete Wooden Golem—even after transplanting Hashirama's cells. At best, he'd wielded the Wood Dragon Technique and Deep Forest Emergence.

But this man—a Hyūga, not a Senju, not a reincarnation of Ashura—was casually standing atop a fully-formed Wooden Golem that surpassed the First Hokage's in height and stability.

"Where the hell did this Hyūga Naraku come from?!"Black Zetsu's thoughts raced with chaotic dread.

Sarutobi Hiruzen, watching the battlefield from Kamui, clenched his fists with a grim scowl.

He had once seen Hashirama unleash this jutsu.

He knew its overwhelming power—enough to crush Bijuu with ease.

And yet...

"...His golem is taller than Afei's."

Even Obito, whose plans had long accounted for every variable, now frowned. Naraku's existence was becoming too troublesome.

"Looks like we'll have to activate Yagura."

His Mangekyō Sharingan spun slowly, a red moon rising behind his single eye.

Back in reality, the clash of titans began.

Each Wooden Golem, hundreds of meters tall, collided with tremors that shook the island. Forests were flattened. Rock cracked. Birds fled. The seas recoiled.

"Looks like your golem is running out of steam,"Naraku spoke calmly, standing atop his giant's shoulder as his creation pushed the other back, inch by inch.

Afei, or rather White Zetsu ALFY, scratched his head like a child who'd lost his favorite toy.

"Troublesome, troublesome..."

Though lacking true emotions, Zetsu's voice was laced with performative exasperation.

Then—

ROAAAAAR!!!

The island trembled anew as a massive chakra signature surged to the surface.

From the depths of the jungle waters, a turtle-like leviathan emerged—its shell spiked like a fortress, its tails whipping with elemental rage.

The Three-Tails, Isobu.

Its single visible eye was locked in a red glow of madness.

A Sharingan.

"So it's true," Naraku murmured."Yagura's been under Genjutsu control all this time."

In the beast's gaping maw, chakra twisted violently, compressing into a glowing orb of pure destruction.

A Tailed Beast Bomb, fired directly toward Naraku's Wooden Golem.

The other ninja forces looked on in horror.

But Naraku didn't flinch.

"A standard Tailed Beast Bomb... against this?"

As the orb closed in—screaming, shrieking, humming with annihilation—Naraku's golem reached out.

And grabbed it.

CRACK—WHOOSH!

Chakra vapor screamed across the sky as the massive black-red sphere of energy was caught, trembling in the giant wooden hand.

"W-What?!"

ALFY's eyes bulged in disbelief.

A Tailed Beast Bomb—caught like a pebble?

"You still don't understand Wood Style," Naraku replied, eyes half-lidded, almost disappointed.

With a flick of his finger, his golem hurled the bomb forward—straight at ALFY's already-struggling creation.

"Take it back."

"No, no, no—!"

BOOOOM!!!

The detonation was apocalyptic.

A mountain nearby was erased. Wind howled as a shockwave tore through the canopy, ripping up trees, leveling cliffs, and blinding the battlefield with flame and dust.

"Retreat!"Kakashi roared, shielding his face from the incoming dust hurricane."We can't stay here—move, now!"

Konoha's forces boarded the giant ink birds summoned by Sai, flying into the sky, away from the epicenter of annihilation.

"That's not even safe... we need to go farther!"Terumi Mei grit her teeth. For once, she didn't wait for Kisame's opinion.

"Konoha's retreating—we stay and we're dead."

Even her Byakugan-wielding scouts confirmed what she feared.

"The Three-Tails... it has a Sharingan."

"Yagura's definitely been controlled."

Her voice dropped to a whisper.

Uchiha Madara…

That name, that shadow, that legacy—loomed once more.

On the ruined battlefield, ALFY's battered form emerged from the swirling ash.

Only half of his Wooden Golem remained. The other half had been obliterated.

"Tsk tsk… and this is the might of the First Hokage?"

Naraku stood atop his own unscathed golem, smiling faintly.

"Even a basic Tailed Beast Bomb leveled your creation. How disappointing."

He wasn't speaking to ALFY alone. He was mocking the limitations of Impure World Reincarnation itself.

Sarutobi's version of the technique was incomplete. He didn't dare relinquish control. He didn't dare restore the full soul.

Hashirama's power, thus, was only a fraction of what it had once been.

ALFY, though powerful, was just a puppet dancing inside that weakened vessel.

"Hmph! Don't you dare look down on me, you arrogant poop-sniffer!"

ALFY stood atop his broken titan, flailing like a child throwing a tantrum.

"I still have... my ultimate technique!"

The island rumbled again.

The final round was about to begin.