Chapter 322 – Uchiha Madara vs. Ōtsutsuki Isshiki
"Who are you?" asked the braided-haired man as he stared at the white-haired figure standing before him.
"You're the leader of the Kara Organization, aren't you?" the white-haired man said instead of answering. "Should I call you Jigen… or should I call you Ōtsutsuki Isshiki?"
"I don't know what you're talking about," the man replied. A flicker of killing intent passed through his eyes, yet his expression remained eerily calm.
"Stop pretending, Ōtsutsuki Isshiki," the white-haired man said coldly. "Hiding in front of these eyes of mine… don't you think that's incredibly foolish?"
"Who exactly are you? As far as I remember, I've never offended you," Jigen asked.
"My name is Uchiha Madara."
The man standing before him was none other than Uchiha Madara himself.
At this moment, Madara was not in Six Paths Mode. He was in his normal state, staring straight at the man with the spinning tomoe of his Sharingan.
"So it really is you…" Jigen muttered.
Of course, he knew the name Uchiha Madara.
After all, Madara came from the same era as Kaguya. Back then, he had even considered pulling Madara over to his side.
But because the body he was using at the time was already on the verge of collapse, he didn't dare to make contact with the man before him.
He understood all too well how terrifying the Rinnegan was. Even back then, if it weren't for his caution toward Senju Hashirama and Madara, he would have already collected all the Tailed Beasts long ago.
"I didn't expect you to not be swallowed by Kaguya," Ōtsutsuki Isshiki said. "But what exactly is your purpose in coming here?"
He realized that Madara knew far too much about him, so he no longer bothered to hide anything.
"Hmph. Since you've admitted it, then die," Madara said.
His face instantly darkened.
Uchiha Madara could accept defeat. Even if he lost to Hatake Yusuke, he could still accept it with an open heart.
But being ambushed and manipulated by Black Zetsu… that was a stain that would never be erased from his soul.
"You really think you're my opponent, Uchiha Madara?" Ōtsutsuki Isshiki said calmly. "Don't think that just because you and Senju Hashirama could dominate the shinobi world with your strength, you understand everything. This world is far wider than what frogs at the bottom of a well like you can comprehend."
"What you say may be true," Madara replied coldly. "We may be frogs in a well. But those words don't deserve to be spoken by trash like you."
As he spoke, Madara's eyes transformed into the Mangekyō Sharingan.
Deep blue chakra erupted from his body, surging violently into the sky. A four-armed Susanoo formed around him, a blade of radiant chakra condensing in its grasp as it swung down toward Ōtsutsuki Isshiki.
Isshiki sneered.
His body exploded with blinding golden lightning. The flash was so intense that even Madara, with his Sharingan, was forced to shut his eyes.
The violent surge of power tore straight through Susanoo, shattering it in an instant.
At the same time, Isshiki's eyes turned gold.
Several black rods shot forward, piercing through the air toward Madara.
"Shinra Tensei!"
Madara's eyes shifted into the Rinnegan.
A massive repulsive force erupted outward, stopping all the black rods in midair, freezing them just outside his reach.
"Rinnegan?" Ōtsutsuki Isshiki frowned as he stared at Madara.
"Limbo: Border Jail."
Madara's gaze sharpened.
An invisible force slammed into Isshiki, sending him flying backward through the air.
Isshiki stabilized himself mid-flight, hovering as he regained his balance.
"Just as expected of Uchiha Madara," Isshiki said.
He no longer dared to underestimate him.
Isshiki clenched both fists. Strange, tattoo-like patterns spread across his body, crawling over his skin from top to bottom.
"Hm? This chakra…" Madara's eyes widened. His face filled with shock and disbelief, which quickly twisted into deep, burning hatred.
"So it was you who killed Hashirama," Madara said, staring straight at Isshiki.
"Oh? I didn't expect something I did so discreetly to still be discovered," Ōtsutsuki Isshiki replied calmly.
Back then, when he learned that Uchiha Madara and Senju Hashirama were locked in a fierce battle, he planned to secretly kill them both when they were critically wounded.
What he hadn't expected was that Hashirama would actually defeat Madara.
Even so, Hashirama himself was left gravely injured and fell unconscious.
That was when Ōtsutsuki Isshiki launched his surprise attack and killed Hashirama while he lay in a coma.
The reason Madara knew about this was because when he used Izanagi to return to life, he intended to go back to the Uchiha clan's base to retrieve something that belonged to him.
At that time, he sensed traces of space-time ninjutsu chakra.
At first, he thought Senju Tobirama had created a new technique. Fearing that his own plans might be exposed, Madara chose not to investigate further.
Later, Hashirama's death felt strange and out of place.
But because of his own grand scheme, Madara never looked deeper into it.
Now, as he once again felt Isshiki's aura, those old memories were dragged back to the surface.
"In that case," Madara said calmly, "I have one more reason to kill you."
The chakra within his body began to surge violently.
"Fire Release: Great Fire Annihilation!"
A vast sea of flames roared forward, swallowing everything in its path as it rushed toward Isshiki.
But in front of Isshiki, a massive black cube suddenly formed out of thin air, positioning itself between them. The cube blocked the tidal wave of fire completely.
Seeing this, Madara immediately summoned Susanoo once more.
"Tengai Shinsei."
The sky darkened in an instant.
A colossal meteor fell from the heavens, crashing down with overwhelming force.
Isshiki's eyes turned gold again.
The massive meteor vanished from Madara's sight as if it had never existed.
"Space-time ninjutsu?" Madara thought. "But there was no spatial fluctuation at all. And those eyes… what exactly are they?"
He stared at the spot where the meteor had disappeared.
"Is this space-time technique similar to Sasuke's Amenotejikara?" Madara wondered silently.
Of course, Ōtsutsuki Isshiki had no intention of explaining anything.
At that moment, a black rod appeared in Isshiki's hand, and he shot forward, closing the distance in a blur.
"Come," Madara said, showing no intention of dodging.
The two of them collided in a brutal taijutsu exchange.
Fists and kicks clashed again and again, each impact echoing through the air. After a long stretch of combat, the two found themselves evenly matched.
Then, Madara's Sharingan caught a tiny opening in Isshiki's movements.
Madara lashed out with a kick.
Isshiki blocked it with a black rod, then used the momentum of Madara's strike to leap backward, creating distance between them.
At the same time, Madara began gathering chakra, preparing to unleash Fire Release once more.
But without the slightest hint of panic, black rods suddenly appeared inside Madara's body.
In an instant, the chakra within him was sealed.
"Damn it!"
Madara's eyes shifted back into the Rinnegan.
He ripped the black rods out of his own body with his bare hands, then stared at Isshiki with intense caution. He hadn't expected Isshiki's technique to be this dangerous.
"No… planting black rods inside my body out of nowhere," Madara analyzed rapidly. "Did he manipulate Yin–Yang Release within me and then control it? No… that's impossible."
He immediately rejected that possibility.
If that were truly the case, Isshiki wouldn't have wasted time fighting him like this. And Madara would have sensed the movement of chakra inside his own body.
"No. The information I have is far too limited. I need to gather more," Madara thought.
His gaze hardened.
The Rinnegan glinted once more.
"Universal Pull."
A massive gravitational force erupted, dragging Isshiki straight toward him.
As Isshiki was pulled in, a black rod formed in Madara's hand, and he hurled it forward.
Isshiki created his own black rod and knocked Madara's attack aside.
At the same time, Isshiki's palm aimed toward Madara again.
In the next instant, black rods pierced straight through Madara's body.
"Damn it!"
Madara immediately retreated, yanking the black rods out of himself as he leaped back, his eyes locked onto Isshiki with unshaken resolve.
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