MADARA UCHIHA

 

Madara Uchiha (うちはマダラ, Uchiha Madara) was a legendary ninja who led the Uchiha clan prior to and after the formation of Konohagakure. After allying with his rival, Hashirama Senju, he also helped in the founding of Konohagakure,^[2] many years before becoming an antagonistic participant in the Fourth Shinobi World War after being reincarnated by Kabuto Yakushi.

Background

Madara in his youth.

Before the era of ninja villages, Madara and his younger brother, Izuna, were considered the most gifted members of the Uchiha clan. Even by his clan's standards, Madara's chakra was especially strong.^[3] He grew up constantly competing and training with Izuna and in their efforts to surpass each other, each awakened their Mangekyō Sharingan. With the power of the Mangekyō, the two brothers took control of the clan, with Madara becoming its leader. Under his leadership, the clan conquered all they came across. Because of the never-ending series of battles at the time, Madara eventually began to suffer from overuse of the Mangekyō Sharingan, leaving his eyesight severely deteriorated. In order to regain his sight he took Izuna's eyes for himself, granting him an "eternal" Mangekyō Sharingan with which he led the Uchiha clan to prosperity.^[4] While Itachi Uchiha would later go on to state that Madara took Izuna's eyes without his consent,^[5] Tobi would state that Izuna willingly gave up his eyes to Madara for the good of his brother and clan.^[6] It is unknown which is true.

	Konohagakure is formed.

Over the years, the Uchiha had constantly fought with the equally powerful Senju clan and as such, Madara had an undying rivalry with Hashirama Senju, the leader of the Senju clan.^[7][8] To bring an end to the constant fighting, Hashirama approached the Uchiha with an offer of peace. Although Madara never wanted peace with the Senju, the rest of the Uchiha wished to end the fighting, and Madara had no choice but to accept.^[9] The Senju, the Uchiha, and all the clans they had conquered came together to form the village of Konohagakure.^[10] Some time later, the villagers of Konoha selected Hashirama as the village's first Hokage, prompting Madara to contest him for the position.^[10][11] During the time he was a shinobi of Konohagakure, Madara approached Mū and Ōnoki where he informed them that despite the alliance that Iwagakure had made with Konoha, his village was to remain the dominant power and that from that point on, they would obey Konoha.^[12] Afterwards, Madara fought and defeated them when they engaged him in battle.^[13]

Madara with the Nine-Tails confronting Hashirama.

After realising that he would not be able to replace Hashirama as Hokage, Madara began to fear that Hashirama would begin to control the Uchiha and tried to rally support for challenging his leadership. Rather than help him, however, the Uchiha turned their backs on Madara, believing he only desired to rekindle the flames of war.^[14] Abandoned by his clan, Madara left the village, and took control of Kurama using his Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan.^[15][16] He later returned in order to challenge Hashirama in battle. They fought at the site that would someday be called the Valley of the End, where Madara was beaten, despite having Kurama at his side. Control of Kurama was ultimately taken from him by Hashirama and Madara was believed to have died.^[17][18] Despite losing the battle, he was able to survive and gain some of Hashirama's DNA which granted him the ability to use Wood Release.^[19][20] Madara stated that shortly before his death, he awakened his own Rinnegan.^[21]
Decades later, a masked ninja named Tobi began operating under Madara's name. Due to his knowledge of Madara's actions and deeds, Tobi made every ninja believe he was the legendary ninja himself. However, thanks to researching the matter with Orochimaru, Kabuto Yakushi learned the truth behind Madara's time after the Valley of the End and actual death, reincarnating the ninja to blackmail Tobi into letting him aid him in Fourth Great Shinobi World War where Kabuto exposes Tobi's deception.^[22] For reasons unknown, Madara is aware of Tobi and the agenda they both share.^[23]

Personality

Madara was a very confident and prideful man, witnessed in his belittlement of Ōnoki both after his reincarnation and in the past,^[12] in his berating of Mei Terumī's technique,^[24] in the fact he uses relatively weaker attacks in his arsenal initially and works his way up to his more powerful techniques when the situation requires it^[25] and the fact he believes that using more powerful techniques more than once in a battle would be disgraceful.^[26] Conversely, he isn't above praising the abilities of others as he openly called both Mei and A's abilities an impressive offence, and Gaara and Ōnoki's manoeuvre an impressive defence,^[27] also commending the two being able to stop his first meteorite, as well as commending Naruto for countering his Wood Release attack. However he has also been shown to be spiteful, degrading Tsunade while comparing her to her grandfather, after saying he would kill her first out of the five Kage because she was a Senju. Madara is, however, an honest individual and is willing to admit when he is wrong as after Tsunade tag-teamed him with A, he admitted she was not weak at all. Madara is also willing to admit when someone is stronger than he is as he openly admitted that Hashirama could stop him during his battle with the five Kage. Madara, however, isn't above reprimanding others for recklessness or stupidity as he criticised Tsunade for attacking him without thinking of what the other Kage would do for treatment if she was killed and criticised the five Kage as a group for worrying too much about the flowers in his technique and not watching their backs. He also has a habit of referring to fighting as 'dancing'.^[28]
Madara has a dark sense of humour, as shown when he created multiple wood clones and surrounded each of the five Kage with five clones — thereby reversing the original five vs. one situation — and asked if they preferred the clones to use Susanoo or not.^[29] He also later referred to incinerating the forest as "creating coal".^[30] Madara also believes power is something tangible that can be passed down through generations and that the will of a dead person cannot be inherited, as it isn't tangible.^[31] While contesting Hashirama for the title of Hokage, Madara in his own way, was very loyal to Konohagakure, as he tried to force Iwagakure into serving Konoha, even after an alliance had been formed between the two villages.^[12] Despite his pride and confidence in his immense power, Madara has shown to be very cautious as he created a wood clone of himself at some point when the five Kage lost sight of him, in order to lessen the chances that they would catch him off guard.^[32][33]
As an Uchiha, Madara possesses an innate hatred for the Senju clan,^[34] as what is known as the Curse of Hatred, which dates back to the early days of the ninja world. This curse led him to oppose the truce fearing that his clan would be oppressed by them, and when Hashirama was selected to be Hokage instead of Madara, he defected from Konoha and attempted to attack the village after failing to replace him. His animosity towards Hashirama was particularly strong, going as far as to forbid Ōnoki from mentioning that name in front of him ever again. Nevertheless, Madara possesses a high level of respect and admiration for Hashirama as well as the Senju name as seen during the Fourth Shinobi World War where he would praise and curse Hashirama or other members of the clan in the same breath.^[35] Conversely, he also lamented that he would have taught Hashirama how to resurrect himself if he had known how much weaker the modern day shinobi would be compared to them.^[36] Madara was very competitive with his younger brother, Izuna, but Tobi also implies that Madara and Izuna were close as brothers.
Madara is seemingly treacherous by nature as, after the alliance with Iwagakure was made, he immediately betrayed Mū and Ōnoki, expecting them to follow Konohagakure's lead from then on. The Uchiha also believed Madara stole Izuna's eyes by force in order to escape blindness. He is also a battle-loving individual, commenting that he had not enjoyed this view in a long time while surveying the battlefield during the Fourth Shinobi World War. Relating to this, Madara enjoys a challenging fight and said that anything less than the five Kage against him would be inadequate. Madara is also very bold when it comes to battle, shown in his ready assault of an entire platoon of shinobi upon being attacked, despite being severely outnumbered.^[37] Despite his love of battle, Madara never loses his composure to excitement or fear in any of his battle situations. Also despite his love of battle, if Madara becomes bored with a fight, he will express disgust if his opponents try to force him to keep fighting.^[38] Madara is also something of a show off, as shown in his use of extremely powerful techniques in rapid succession, all the while, expressing satisfaction to having done it. He also purposely let himself get hit by Ōnoki's attack in order to show Hashirama's face on his chest to lower the morale of the Kage. Madara also showed the five Kage the true power of his perfect Susanoo by destroying an entire mountain range before administering the finishing blow. Due to the times he lived in, Madara believes it is natural for shinobi to spend their entire lives in battle. He also thinks that the world can't change from what it was in the past and believes that as such, mankind would be better served sleeping peacefully in an Infinite Tsukuyomi.^[39]
Madara has been described as being hostile and aggressive by nature as well as being very ambitious, the latter of which was seen during his rise to the position of clan leader as well as his desire to make his clan superior out of what Tobi claimed was Madara's great love for them. Madara had a sense of honour as, prior to their betrayal of him, he wanted to protect the Uchiha clan from the possibility of oppression by the Senju after failing to replace Hashirama as Hokage. Madara also views the tailed beasts as nothing more than masses of energy and tools too lacking in intelligence and sapience to think for themselves and as such, need to be "guided" by the Uchiha to learn their purpose and believes that they are but slaves to those with blessed eyes.^[16] Despite his aggressiveness, Madara has displayed restraint, withholding his full power when he doesn't need it, as he stated to the Third Tsuchikage that the reason that he went so easy on him when they fought in the past was because he didn't think an adult should fight seriously against a child, as well as expressing his wish to further explore the powers of his enhanced body but refusing to do so against a seriously injured Ōnoki.

Appearance

Madara as he appeared during Konoha's founding.

Madara was a tall, fair-skinned man with spiky, black hair that had a slight, blue tint to it. In his younger days, his hair was shoulder-length and he wore the standard Uchiha clan outfit: a high collared black shirt with the clan's crest on its back, which Madara tended to leave slightly open, and blue pants with bandages around his shins. Around his waist, he had a sash that held a sack, presumably containing his ninja tools.^[40] During later years, his hair grew out more and his sash was replaced by a belt, adorned with pouches and various weapons. He also wore another sash strapped across his shoulders which he used to hold his numerous swords.^[41]
By adulthood, his hair had grown to waist-length with shoulder-length bangs framing the sides of his face, the left side hanging partially over his left eye. Although still relatively young, more prominent creases had developed under each of his eyes. In most cases, his attire took the form of the standard shinobi dress of his era, consisting of bright red traditional armour — similar to that of samurai — worn over a simple black suit. This armour was constructed from numerous metal plates, formed into multiple protective guards along his body, in particular: chest, waist, shoulders and thighs. Unusually, his chest plate left his back entirely exposed, presumably so as to better display his clan's crest. This clothing was accompanied by boots and gloves, as well as his village's forehead protector after the truce with the Senju and founding of Konohagakure, but this was discarded upon his defection. During battle, he often carried an orange-coloured war fan on his back that had a mitsudomoe pattern, coloured bright red, in both of the top corners.
After implanting Hashirama's DNA into his body and Kabuto Yakushi's further experimentation, a replica of Hashirama's face appeared on the left side of Madara's chest.^[42] After breaking the Impure World Reincarnation contract, the cracks on Madara's body disappeared, giving him the appearance he had in life.

Abilities

Madara is considered by many notable individuals to be one of the most gifted shinobi in history and the most powerful that has ever been produced within the Uchiha clan. The fact that he fought and survived every battle he ever fought with Hashirama Senju, who was recognised as the strongest ninja in the world in his time, also indicates that Madara was also one of the strongest ninja of his time. Madara is able to control the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox using his dōjutsu and is also one of the two known persons capable of summoning the beast along with Tobi.^[43] However, its sealing inside a jinchūriki has rendered him unable to summon the beast.^[44] Overall, Madara's fame and status was so great that his name alone was enough to strike fear, and Tobi was able to use that to his advantage to instigate a world war.^[45] Madara's very presence in the battlefield during the Fourth Shinobi World War was menacing enough to compel the five Kage to confront him together, feeling any less than their combined efforts would not be enough to stop Madara.
After activating his Rinnegan and using it in conjunction with his Susanoo, Madara's abilities led Gaara to wonder if he had the power of a god as he sent a meteorite hurtling towards the Fourth Division.^[46] Due to the manner of his revival and the enhancements done by Kabuto, Madara's already colossal skills as a ninja were improved, to the point where he was able to overpower the five Kage multiple times by himself without even using the full extent of his powers and leave them in a state of awe and fear when he manifested his final Susanoo. Tsunade was so baffled by Madara's extraordinary prowess as a ninja that she questioned how it was possible that her grandfather had really defeated such an opponent in the past when they, the five Kage, couldn't do so in the present.^[47]
Madara was noted to have been born with an extremely powerful chakra, even by the Uchiha standards,^[3] which Kurama claimed to be far more sinister than that of its own.^[48]

Physical Prowess

Madara tearing through the Fourth Division.

Madara is a very adept taijutsu user, possessing notable physical strength, great speed, and remarkable reflexes. With just one roundhouse kick, he was able to repel a shinobi twice his size into an oncoming group of shinobi, knocking them all off their feet.^[49] Madara was also able to easily dodge Gaara's high-speed sand attacks, Mei's close range Lava Release attack, and even guard himself against A's punch while the latter was clad in his Lightning Release Armour without being protected by Susanoo.^[50]
Additionally, Madara is highly proficient in kenjutsu, aptly demonstrated when he effortlessly disarmed a shinobi of his sword and, after grabbing it, cut down several members of the Fourth Division, while wielding the blade in a reverse grip. He has displayed great manoeuvrability and dexterity while using kenjutsu. The speed of his attacks were so great that none of the shinobi he killed using this combat skill had any time to react.

Nature Transformation

Madara using Fire Release: Great Fire Annihilation.

Madara is a master of Fire Release nature transformation, displayed in his use of devastating fire techniques such as the Fire Release: Great Fire Annihilation technique which required the combination of numerous Water Release: Water Encampment Walls to extinguish,^[51] and the Fire Release: Great Fire Destruction technique which he used to incinerate a large portion of the forest he had created. He can also create dragon-shaped fireballs for a wide barrage at an enemy.^[52] The flames were enough to burn even Tsunade while she had the Strength of a Hundred Technique still active.^[53] In the anime, Madara could also use Wind Release through his trademark gunbai to create powerful gusts of wind.^[54]
After his confrontation with Hashirama Senju at the Valley of the End, Madara acquired a portion of his power, granting him the ability to use Wood Release and its component natures: earth and water.
With Wood Release, he has demonstrated the ability to instantly create numerous massive trees with which to attack his opponents directly,^[55] and a dense forest of flowering trees, whose pollen can render a foe unconscious. He is able to merge with and hide within trees.^[56] Madara can even create single or multiple wood clones using the pre-existing vegetation and wood in the immediate vicinity as a medium.^[57]

Dōjutsu

Sharingan

Madara's Sharingan.

Madara managed to master the Sharingan at a young age — a feat which he received significant praise for.^[58] Using it, he gains access to the dōjutsu's generic abilities such as seeing chakra, predicting movements, and placing a victim under paralysing genjutsu with just a single glance, leading those who had faced him to advise others to not look directly at his eyes whilst confronting him.^[49] He is also able to control the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox with his Sharingan.^[16] Madara is able to use these abilities in conjunction with his primed taijutsu and kenjutsu skills in battle to deadly effects, leaving his opponents with very little time to react or means of defence.

Mangekyō Sharingan

Madara's Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan.

Madara and his brother Izuna were the first Uchiha to awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan. However, after his eyesight progressively worsened to blindness through its use, Madara took and implanted Izuna's eyes into his own body, which then awakened a new "Eternal" Mangekyō Sharingan — a combination of his own and Izuna's Mangekyō. With it, he never had to fear the risk of losing his eyesight again.^[5]
Madara has since used his Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan to control the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox.^[16] He could also put Kage, like A into a paralysing genjutsu with just a glance with his Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan, despite A's claims that the Sharingan was useless against him. Madara demonstrated the ability to use Susanoo — and is therefore also able to use Tsukuyomi and Amaterasu by extension — though they have yet to be seen. Unseen in others' variations, Madara's Susanoo demonstrates two entirely different sides that are conjoined along the spine, with each displaying a pair of arms, a face that is distinct from the other, and a complete lower half inclusive of feet.

Madara's stabilised final Susanoo destroying a mountain range with one slash.

His Susanoo's defensive capabilities are high, even in its ribcage state, having withstood Naruto Uzumaki's Ultra-Big Ball Rasengan and A's Lightning Oppression Horizontal Chop with no damage.^[59][60] It wields undulating blades in the right hand of each side and it appears to be capable of contributing towards some of Madara's techniques, as it was seen forming hand seals together with him during battle. Madara is also able to use the Yasaka Magatama technique.^[61]
Madara's Susanoo's final form is an enormous construct with its mouth obscured and a body similar to its full body form. The outer armour, which only remotely resembles the usual tengu with armour, and the trademark pillbox hat-like adornment on the forehead is split down the middle from the beak downwards where the normal Susanoo underneath is revealed. Along this armour, which seems much more fluid than the other known Susanoo's, are holes at the end. In its stabilised form, the Susanoo dons an outer armour and a samurai outfit. It also has four arms, two plated ones which hold a pair of katana in sheaths, the other pair of which wields them.^[47] According to Madara, this Susanoo's power is comparable with that of a tailed beast^[62] and he was able to repel and corner all five of the current Kage, while simultaneously demolishing a large portion of the mountain range behind them with a single sword swing.^[63]

Rinnegan

Madara's Rinnegan.

Madara stated that he awakened the Rinnegan shortly before his death and possesses the ability to switch between both it, and his Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan at will.^[64] However, it should be noted that while using the powers granted by one dōjutsu he cannot simultaneously access those granted by the other.^[65] Like other users, Madara is able to use the techniques of the Six Paths of Pain, displaying use of the Preta Path, with which he was able to absorb the chakra from one of Naruto's Rasenshuriken and even a complex kekkei tōta like Ōnoki's Dust Release technique.^[66]
When these abilities were combined with his Susanoo, he can pull two massive meteorites towards the battlefield from the atmosphere above.^[67] Even if the first meteorite was slowed down and stopped, the second one would strike the first, ensuring their collision. Using this technique just a single time, Madara devastated most of the Fourth Division.

Equipment

Madara has been shown with a diverse range of weaponry over the years, with him carrying a war fan for most of his life. In addition to the war fan, he had a large kama with him, when his final confrontation against Hashirama took place.^[68] Madara has wielded various types and numbers of swords as well, ever since his days on the battlefield.^[69]

Part II

Confining the Jinchūriki Arc

The contents of the sixth coffin.

As Tobi, under the guise of Madara Uchiha, prepared for the war against the Allied Shinobi Forces, he was approached by Kabuto Yakushi. A former associate of Akatsuki, Kabuto requested that he be allowed to assist with the war-effort, under the condition that Tobi turn Sasuke Uchiha over to him following the conflict. He then summoned five previously deceased Akatsuki members as proof that he could bolster Akatsuki's forces using reincarnated shinobi, as well as a mysterious sixth coffin, the occupant of which proved sufficient blackmail to force Tobi's consent.^[70] Though initially unseen, the person in the coffin was later revealed to be the real Madara Uchiha.^[71]

Shinobi World War Arc

Madara is being noticed by the Fourth Division.

Frustrated when a reincarnated Nagato is sealed by the recently freed Itachi Uchiha, Kabuto finds himself forced to use his trump card but it's only after Naruto Uzumaki takes out several more reincarnated shinobi, that he has Mū summon the reincarnated Madara to the field. Forcefully removing his coffin's lid before voicing his assumption that Nagato had finally used the Outer Path: Samsara of Heavenly Life Technique to bring him back from the dead, Mū corrects Madara, explaining that Summoning: Impure World Reincarnation had been used instead. Somewhat shocked by the manner of his revival, the two confront the Fourth Division. Upon noticing the forehead protectors of the allied army, Madara asks who is responsible for the Impure World Reincarnation. However, as Mū does not know, Kabuto takes full control and, speaking through him, identifies himself as Tobi's assistant before informing Madara that he had been restored to an extent beyond even his prime. Finding it rather dreary to be spoken to through a corpse, Madara questions Kabuto with what he knew of his prime but admitting his ignorance, Kabuto requests a demonstration.

Madara unleashes his Susanoo.

Given free reign, Madara begins his assault on the spectating Fourth Division, Gaara, Ōnoki and Naruto's shadow clone. Madara uses the Fire Release: Great Fire Annihilation technique, which takes the combined efforts of several shinobi to extinguish. Obscured by the resulting steam as he attacks them directly, he commandeers a sword and proceeds to tear through their ranks. As Naruto attacks Madara from above while Ōnoki raises the ground below him, sending him on a collision course, Madara activates his Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan and uses Susanoo to shield himself from harm. After Gaara uses lightened sand to separate Madara from his protection and to pull him into the path of an oncoming Rasenshuriken, he activates his Rinnegan and uses the Preta Path's ability to absorb the attack. When Kabuto tries to take credit for the improvements to Madara's powers, Madara remarks that he shouldn't get the wrong idea, as they weren't his creation. Together with Susanoo, he then forms three hand seals and pulls an enormous meteorite down from the atmosphere, directing it towards the battlefield.
Unconcerned by the prospect of destroying himself and Mū, aware that they'll both reform afterwards, Madara recognises Ōnoki as he flew towards the meteorite in an attempt to lighten it and stop its descent. Congratulating his and Gaara's successful efforts, Madara questions Ōnoki as to how he would deal with a second one as another meteorite collides with the first, overwhelming Ōnoki and killing the majority of the Fourth Division. After reforming, Madara remarks that he hadn't enjoyed a view such as this in a long time, as he stands amidst the rubble left in the wake of the impact.

Madara using the Wood Release.

After reforming, Kabuto informs Madara that he theorised that he had obtained a portion of Hashirama Senju during their confrontation, despite losing to him. Madara then proceeds to check underneath his shirt, after which he complements Kabuto on his preparation, before asking if he knew of their plan. Notified of Kabuto's uncertainty that the "fake" will act accordingly, Madara attempts to summon Kurama but is unable to do so as it is still sealed within Naruto. Learning that Naruto is from the same clan as Mito Uzumaki, he opts to attack using Nativity of a World of Trees instead of pursuing the real jinchūriki, yet this is countered by a Kurama-empowered Naruto who destroys the opposing forest, to which Madara commends him.
Lamenting that he didn't get the opportunity to explore his abilities further, Madara belittles the still defiant Ōnoki, remarking that it was natural for shinobi to spend their entire lives in battle and as such, mankind would be better served sleeping peacefully under an "Infinite Tsukuyomi" (無限月読, Mugen Tsukuyomi). Charging towards the few remaining survivors alongside Mū, they are however repelled by Tsunade and A, who had just been transported to the battlefield. Looking on in shock, Madara is confronted by all five of the current Kage.

Madara and Mū face Ōnoki and A.

Deeming this an adequate test of his abilities, Madara leapt upwards to avoid Mei Terumi's attack but was instead intercepted by A, who knocks him into the lava below. Activating his Susanoo to protect himself, he is plunged even deeper into the molten liquid by A, before being completely immersed by another torrent of lava. Emerging unharmed whilst sheltered by his Susanoo, Madara commends A and Mei's respective offensive abilities, before deciding to assess the Kage's defensive capabilities using Yasaka Magatama. However, when his attack is blocked, Madara breaks through their dual-layered defence with his Susanoo's blades, only for his vision to be obscured as the Kage launch another strategy. Unable to react to the quickly approaching A, thanks to Ōnoki's assistance, their combined efforts allow A to punch through Susanoo and hit Madara.

The result of Madara fusing with Hashirama's cells.

As the battle continues, Madara repels and destroys Ōnoki's looming golem using Wood Release: Advent of a World of Flowering Trees, distracting the Kage. Ambushing them from behind and knocking them into the forest below with his Susanoo, he sets the trees ablaze, just as the Kage succumb to the effects of the pollen. However, Ōnoki quickly manages to rouse himself and destroy the surrounding flowers, hitting Madara in the process and exposing a face formed from Hashirama Senju's tissue, jutting out of the left side of his chest. Hearing Tsunade's reaction, he questions if she was a descendant of Hashirama, noting his intention to kill her first if she was. When Mei retorts his remark by saying that it was a basic tactic to eliminate the medical-nin first, Madara corrects her, stating he would do it simply because of Tsunade's ancestry before saying that she couldn't delay their deaths anyway. He then belittles Tsunade further for being a woman who, despite being Hashirama's descendant, possessed neither Wood Release nor medical ninjutsu that could compare to those of Hashirama, before declaring that while weak people were ugly, weak Senju were even more so. Tsunade admits to most of what was said but rebuffs Madara's opinion that she was weak, claiming that what she had inherited wasn't just mere strength, but the undying Will of Fire.
Rebuking Tsunade's belief that this would lead to his defeat, by saying power was in fact an actual thing, Madara then listens to her retort of how the will of the deceased allowed her to reform the system of medical-nin. Hearing all four rules yet unaware of her technique, he uses his Susanoo to protect himself from Tsunade's punch but when she easily fractures it, Madara considers how her strength was superior to A's. When Madara counters, he is instead repelled by Mei, before his Susanoo is shattered by A and Tsunade. Crashing to the ground, he admits Tsunade wasn't that weak but reprimands her recklessness, as her death would trouble the others. Thinking of how he would have taught Hashirama to resurrect himself if he'd knew how weak shinobi would become, Madara says that all Hashirama left behind was the power he held, similar to how Izuna left only his eyes and their powers. After Tsunade angrily responds, Madara states that if anything could be passed down, it was simply hatred. Later struck by a powerful punch from Tsunade that seemingly allowed him to be bound and sealed, Madara suddenly impales her from below, just as he emerges from within one of the trees. He then reveals that they had instead sealed a wood clone, noting that only he could see through Hashirama's use of the technique in the past due to his ocular powers.
Pondering his next target, Madara was shocked when Tsunade instead shattered his Susanoo's sword and then attacked him using the broken blade. With the blade stuck in his Susanoo's ribcage, he countered and repelled Tsunade, before noting the similarities between her and Hashirama's techniques. As he questioned whether they thought he could be stopped with his own technique, Madara was attacked from behind by Ōnoki, but he absorbed the Dust Release technique. He then explained that he deliberately let it hit him before, to expose the Hashirama face on his chest in hopes of lowering the Kage's morale, yet he was disappointed to see that it had the opposite effect. When Tsunade stated that while they were outwitted by the wood clone, it could also be said that he had no other option but to use it, Madara blamed it on fighting five Kage-level shinobi at once. Denying that he thought of them as cowards for confronting him together in response to Mei, he asserted that the current odds were the perfect number to have fun and proceeded to create multiple wood clones, sending five to each Kage. Regurgitating Mei's sentiments, Madara asked the Kage not to call him a coward given who they were, before asking whether or not they preferred the clones to use Susanoo or not.

Madara's Susanoo clones loom over the Kage.

Observing the Kage being overwhelmed by his clones and their respective Susanoo, Madara identified the more experienced Ōnoki as the biggest threat when he rescued an immobilised A from certain death. Determined to break Ōnoki's will as the Tsuchikage rallied the Kage to face him once more, Madara was instead forced to flee from the approach of an enormous Dust Release: Detachment of the Primitive World Technique, as it wiped out his clones. Struck by Mei's attack, which contained both Gaara's sand and A's lightning-natured chakra, Madara's actions were halted long enough from him to start being sealed. Acknowledging the Kage's might, Madara manifested his final Susanoo, freeing himself in the process before telling the awe-struck Kage that they would now learn that even their efforts were futile against Susanoo's perfect form. Stating that only Hashirama could stop him, Madara then stated that Hashirama being dead was in their favour — as he swung one of his katana and repelled them — noting that if he was the only one they had to fight, the damage to the area wouldn't be as devastating (a reference to the battle between the two which created an entire valley) then answering Ōnoki's earlier question that an adult would never seriously fight children. Looming over the Kage with his Susanoo, Madara declared that he would destroy them and their efforts. But at the last second, as he attempted to deal the final blow, Madara's Susanoo suddenly de-materialised, much to his surprise.

Madara's soul remains intact.

At that moment, Kabuto's negation of Impure World Reincarnation occurs as Madara finds a light enveloping him prior to making an attempt to kill Tsunade with a Fire Release technique. Madara's soul then begins to leave its vessel just as Tsunade's Strength of a Hundred Technique was cancelled, but suddenly re-encases in his body and Madara attacks her with his Susanoo sword, only for her to evade the technique while unconscious. After everyone else was sent back to the afterlife following the end of the Impure World Reincarnation, Madara still remained on the battlefield. When the Kage questioned how this was possible, Madara explained that he negated the deactivation of the technique by severing the link between Kabuto and his own soul, by releasing the summoning contract of Impure World Reincarnation, stating that to be the technique's one flaw. Madara then proceeded to criticise Mei for not realising that he was not the kind of person who would let himself be bound by such a technique as that when the latter questioned what was happening. Madara then lamented that anyone who had seen his final Susanoo was supposed to die and stated that he will not activate it again because it would be disgraceful. Madara then stated that his enjoyment of fighting the five Kage had been ruined and decided to go after Naruto instead to reclaim the Nine-Tails. Madara's departure, however, was blocked by Ōnoki.