Chapter 167 - Chapter 167: Madara's Arrogance! Morkel Strikes With Force!

Katsuyu, seeing Tsunade in such a miserable state, shouted anxiously, "Lady Tsunade!"Barely holding on, Tsunade responded weakly, "Heal the Kage first... make sure to save their lives…"As soon as those words left her mouth, she closed her eyes and fell unconscious.High atop a massive boulder, Uchiha Madara curled his lips into a disdainful smile and mocked, "Your will to survive is strong, but your strength is far too weak!"With a wave of his hand, his Susanoo clone—an immense, spectral warrior of chakra—lifted a chakra-infused blade and brought it down with terrifying force!This deadly strike was aimed straight for Tsunade's head.Fwoosh!The chakra sword cut through the air with a sharp whistle, its power deadly and precise.If that sword landed, even with Tsunade's legendary regenerative ability, she would not survive.But just at that critical moment—Buzz!A strange mark lit up on Tsunade's palm—the mark left by Morkel!Crack!A loud rumble echoed as a human-shaped wooden figure erupted from the glowing seal on her hand!The wooden construct morphed and reshaped until it took the form of Morkel himself!The clone version of Morkel stood firm, his gaze instantly locking onto the descending blade of blue Susanoo.In that moment, his eyes changed—activating the Mangekyō Sharingan!A green skeletal Susanoo materialized around him, intercepting the deadly blow.Clang!The Susanoo blade was halted by Morkel's own Susanoo—a skeletal giant in its initial form.Having successfully blocked Madara's attack, Morkel's clone immediately transferred his chakra into Katsuyu, allowing her to resume healing the gravely injured Kage.From atop the boulder, Madara narrowed his eyes in surprise."A Wooden Golem clone? It can use the Mangekyō Sharingan too?""So, you are the Morkel they've been talking about…"The clone ignored him, continuing to form hand seals as he focused on healing the wounded.Yakushi Kabuto, operating the reanimated Second Tsuchikage nearby, offered a word of caution."Although he's strong, I must warn you—this guy has something dark about him."Madara scoffed."You're overthinking it.""Do you think I'd be afraid of some brat?""And this is just a wooden clone, not the real one."As he spoke, blue armor of Susanoo began forming around him. It continued to materialize, now shaping into the fourth form. The Karasu Tengu-style helmet snapped into place, giving him a demonic visage.Madara sneered, "Boy, do you really think that with a borrowed Uchiha eye, your clone can form Susanoo to this degree?"—Meanwhile, at Turtle Island on a platform forged by Morkel—Morkel, who had been forging iron, suddenly paused. He set down his hammer, walked to the side, and took a long sip of water before placing his hands on his waist."Lady Tsunade is in trouble," he said calmly. "The seal I placed on her has activated."Naruto, alarmed, exclaimed, "Trouble?!"Morkel nodded. "The activation means her chakra has been depleted. She's on the verge of death."Naruto frowned. "And you're still standing here drinking water?! Why aren't you rushing to help her?!"With a composed gesture, Morkel pressed his palm down, signaling Naruto to remain calm."Relax. Before the battle started, I ensured the safety of Lady Tsunade and Lord Jiraiya. I placed a clone on each of them. That should be enough to hold the enemy. If not… I'll step in myself."Naruto blinked. "Isn't it easy for clones to be dispersed?"Morkel replied, "Apparently not this time. The clone is still active. If you're really that worried, go check on them. The Great Toad Sage only said I couldn't directly participate in the battle.""But you've helped develop a new sealing technique for the ninja alliance and sent your clone to protect Tsunade. Doesn't that count as participating?"Morkel shrugged. "The Great Toad Sage always speaks ambiguously. I can't say where the line is drawn. As long as my main body doesn't engage with the enemy's main force, I should be fine."Naruto asked, "How much chakra does your clone carry?""About one-fifth," Morkel replied as he turned back to his tools.—Back on the battlefield of the Iron Country—Morkel's clone nodded to Tsunade and the other four Kages, now regaining their breath.Suddenly—Whoosh!Chakra surged from his body, and his green Susanoo evolved further!The armor thickened, growing massive wings from its back. The Karasu Tengu-style helmet locked into place as the construct transformed into the complete form of Susanoo!Towering over 200 meters, Morkel's Susanoo resembled a martial god—majestic and terrifying!Madara, who had just completed his own fourth-form Susanoo, was visibly shaken.He had assumed that Morkel's clone could barely sustain the initial form of Susanoo.But this—this was an entire complete-form Susanoo, summoned by a clone!Madara clenched his fists. "How is this possible? Just how much chakra does this kid have?"He had always believed that aside from Hashirama, no one could match his chakra reserves.Yet now, a boy decades younger had summoned a full-body Susanoo using only a fifth of his power!"Kid, you've got some nerve!" Madara growled through clenched teeth.Without hesitation, he too summoned his full-body Susanoo. His massive blue warrior stood as tall as Morkel's green one, four arms wielding two colossal blades.The sky trembled under the pressure of these two titans.Morkel's clone tilted his head, genuinely surprised."Oh? You can do complete Susanoo too? That's cool! But… who are you?"Madara nearly exploded with rage."You don't even know who I am?!""The disrespect!""Listen closely, brat. I am Uchiha Madara—the founder of the Uchiha clan!""Do you dare challenge me?!"Morkel's clone tilted his head innocently. "I'm not really good at dancing."He narrowed his eyes. "So you're Madara? Honestly, you should've stayed in the afterlife. This world has no place for you anymore."With that—Boom!The green Susanoo burst forward like a cannonball, charging directly at Madara's blue titan!Not to be outdone, Madara swung his blades in retaliation.Clang! Clang! Clang!The sky above the Iron Country lit up with shockwaves as the two giants clashed. Their weapons collided with the force of natural disasters, echoing across the desert like crashing thunder.Below them, the four Kage lay on the ground, barely conscious. They watched the titanic battle with wide eyes."So this… this is what a real fight between monsters looks like," Ohnoki muttered, awe in his voice."I thought I'd seen everything in my old age… but today… this is an eye-opener."Terumi Mei nodded. "The fact that Morkel can hold his own against Madara… that's beyond belief.""Don't forget," she added, "Madara's in a reanimated state. He has infinite chakra."The Raikage coughed. "Anyone remember when Morkel showed up? Last I recall, he was trying to crush me…"Tsunade, her body slowly mending, gave a bitter smile."I… I don't even know when he arrived…"—The battle in the sky continued to rage.Madara and Morkel clashed again and again, neither willing to back down.Blades struck with such force that clouds dispersed, and the terrain below crumbled.Each warrior stood atop the pinnacle of power—one a living legend from the past, the other a mysterious force of the present.The ninja world had changed.And as the two Susanoo giants exchanged blows, a single fact became clear—This was no longer a battle for pride.This was a battle for the future of the world itself.---