Madara knew very clearly what his usual catchphrases were.
For example: "Hashirama," "Do you also want to dance?", "Have you seen me in my prime?", "Uchiha nice," and so on.
But the word he said most often was definitely "Hashirama," because that man was too important to him. Not only was he a lifelong rival, he was also a lifelong dearest friend. The only thing missing between them was a marriage certificate.
Therefore he had every reason to suspect that the cursed kotodama was "Hashirama."
Even if he couldn't read anything from Tenten's expression, he had to stay on guard.
If he slipped up even once, he really would get sucked into the Red Gourd and the whole Tsuki no Me Keikaku (Eye of the Moon Plan) would go up in smoke. The Red Gourd was not like Natsuki's coffin; inside that thing, there was no way to resist at all.
Natsuki blinked. "What, what? What were you about to say? Weren't you going to refute me? Why are you covering your own mouth?"
"You two little brats, you think I don't know what you're up to?"
Madara's face darkened. "I understand the Rikudō Ningu (Six Paths ninja tools) far better than you do. One of my catchphrases has been cursed; the moment I say it, I'll be sucked into the Red Gourd. You think I'm stupid?"
Natsuki looked genuinely surprised. "And you still dare say the Rikudō Ningu (Six Paths ninja tools) are boring? They're pretty amazing!"
Madara snorted. "It's precisely because I understand them that I find them boring. What a joke. They're not even as good as our Uchiha fan. You should know that our Uchiha fan is…"
"…Hm? Right, my fan! That bastard A from the Hidden Cloud still hasn't given it back to me!"
Natsuki chuckled. "Forget about looking for your fan for now. Which phrase do you think is the cursed kotodama?"
"Obviously it's 'Hashi-nyan-nyan'!"
Madara once again couldn't help covering his mouth, then glared at Natsuki and Tenten.
He was obviously furious.
How could he not be? He loved nothing more than to have "Hashirama" on the tip of his tongue, and now he didn't dare say it because of the kotodama curse. Of course it made his heart ache.
He couldn't be bothered to bicker with Natsuki any longer and spoke bluntly. "If you think you can deal with me using the Rikudō Ningu (Six Paths ninja tools), then you're making a big mistake. From here on out, I'm going to get serious. Use whatever tricks you have. Otherwise, don't blame me for killing you. Anyone who stands in the way of my plan will receive no mercy from me."
Natsuki pressed his lips together at that, then turned and exchanged a look with Tenten.
Tenten pouted, clearly very displeased.
She had originally thought that securing the kotodama curse would be enough to seal Madara. She hadn't expected this Shura of the ninja world to be so formidable: not only had he guessed the cursed word, he even held himself back from saying it. More importantly, he clearly knew that staying silent too long would also get him sucked in, so he kept talking nonstop.
Just think about it. Someone who constantly had a catchphrase on the tip of his tongue could still force himself not to say it while he had no choice but to keep talking. Impressive, isn't it?
Especially when Madara loved Hashirama so deeply, for him to hold back from calling out his beloved's name was even more difficult.
And yet he still did it. That was truly admirable.
Natsuki could only comfort her. "It's fine. In a bit I'll smash his mouth so he can't open it for a long time. He'll still get caught sooner or later. Just wait and see."
Tenten nodded, then said, "I'm fine. You're the one who has to be careful."
Natsuki patted Tenten on the head, then flashed back to stand opposite Madara, squaring off against him once more.
Madara still stood with his arms folded, maintaining his overwhelming aura from beginning to end, radiating crushing pressure. Fortunately, it did nothing to Natsuki.
Still, he had to keep talking. "What else do you have? Hachimon Tonko (Eight Gates) is powerful, but it doesn't last long."
"Ah, at this point I can't keep hiding things anymore."
Natsuki looked helpless on the surface, but in truth he was excited. Being able to fight such a powerful opponent was, in itself, a delight.
Besides, he wanted to try fighting Madara head-on.
He clapped his hands together, and his entire aura suddenly changed. Dark markings appeared at the corners of his eyes. "Sennin Modo (Sage Mode), on!"
Sage Mode?! You can use that too?!
Madara once again showed an expression of disbelief. Natsuki had simply shocked him too many times.
Having overwhelming strength was one thing, but he also knew all sorts of powerful techniques: Ranton (Storm Style), Mokuton (Wood Style), Jiton (Magnet Style), Mafuuba (Demon Sealing Wave), Hiraishin (Flying Thunder God), Hachimon Tonko (Eight Gates), and now even Sennin Modo (Sage Mode). It felt like there was nothing he couldn't do.
But precisely because of that, Madara felt an even greater need to defeat him.
Only a true powerhouse was worthy of Madara going all out to bring them down.
At that moment Natsuki suddenly raised his hand, a swirling boiling sphere of water forming in his palm: Uzumaki Futtou-dan (Vortex Boiling Bullet). In the next second that Uzumaki Futtou-dan (Vortex Boiling Bullet) was whisked away by Hiraishin (Flying Thunder God), appearing right in front of Madara.
"Not good…"
Boom! The Uzumaki Futtou-dan (Vortex Boiling Bullet) detonated!
A gigantic spiral sphere of boiling water suddenly burst open, with Madara at its center, sweeping across a radius of over a hundred meters. The surrounding rock was instantly ground to powder, and terrifying heat poured out. The ground for hundreds of meters around shook under the impact.
Even where Natsuki and Tenten were standing, a searing wave of heat slammed into them, making it very uncomfortable.
The hot air spread like smoke, hanging in the air and refusing to dissipate.
Behind them, the Three Kage, Kakashi, Guy, and the rest of the allied shinobi further back stared blankly at the scene, finding it utterly unbelievable.
How was anyone supposed to dodge an attack like that and live?
So… was Madara dead?
Only after a long while did the steam slowly disperse, revealing a crater a hundred meters across, with Madara standing inside it, seemingly unharmed.
But his expression had grown grave. "What an incredible technique. If I hadn't hastily wrapped myself in the power of the Rinnegan, I would have been shredded by that force with no way to fight back. Even the Rinnegan's barrier and Susanoo's defense were almost crushed. The power of that jutsu is absurdly overwhelming. Is this the work of Sennin Modo (Sage Mode)?"
Madara no longer knew how to even evaluate Natsuki.
Just this one Uzumaki Futtou-dan (Vortex Boiling Bullet) alone deserved a perfect score. With Sennin Modo (Sage Mode) boosting its power and Hiraishin (Flying Thunder God) delivering it instantly, it was practically a one-hit kill move.
If it had hit anyone else, there probably wouldn't even be bones left.
Even he had panicked for a moment just now. Fortunately the combined protection of his Rinnegan and Sharingan had saved him; otherwise he really would have been reduced to ash.
In that case, he wouldn't have been able to speak for a long time and would have been sucked into the Red Gourd.
On top of that, while he was trapped inside Uzumaki Futtou-dan (Vortex Boiling Bullet) he had been forced to mutter to himself the whole time, because the technique lasted quite a while. If he had forgotten to keep talking, he would have been caught by the curse as well.
Seriously, the Rikudō Ningu (Six Paths ninja tools) were such a pain.
Natsuki didn't answer Madara. Instead, he raised his hand and gathered a Mizu Enzan (Water Circle Slash), then flung it out.
The Mizu Enzan (Water Circle Slash) seemed to rip through the air itself, reaching Madara in an instant.
Madara instinctively bent backward to duck, but Natsuki raised two fingers like a blade, and the Mizu Enzan (Water Circle Slash) immediately turned ninety degrees and scythed sharply downward, cleaving toward Madara's waist.
(End of Chapter)
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