Bang!
Their figures collided in mid-air, then began a fierce duel.
Madara's Taijutsu was undoubtedly top-tier.
His control over strength had reached a micro-level; his use of techniques was perfected to the extreme. Every punch and kick could exert just the right amount of force, appearing at the most opportune moment.
Ryuji was not weak either.
He multitasked, fighting Madara while simultaneously opening his personal space, taking out spare parts for the Armor and donning them.
Although wearing Armor made him heavier and clumsier, it greatly enhanced his speed, defense, and strength.
Ryuji adopted a broad, sweeping style of defensive counterattacks, without the slightest flaw.
Bang! Bang! Bang!!!
The two traded blows, one attacking, the other blocking; one advancing, the other retreating. They constantly pulled and pushed, fist shadows filling the sky, leg shadows flickering, dazzling to the eye yet pleasing to behold.
Because their movements were too precise. Each strike perfectly aligned with body mechanics, using the simplest actions to deliver the greatest force. Fists and feet continuously collided, shaking the rainwater to splash everywhere.
On a high ground far from the center of the battlefield, a person half-black, half-white was observing the battle.
The white half of the body expressed astonishment, "To fight evenly with Madara, it's truly astonishing!"
"That's because Madara has aged." The black half pointed out the issue. "Even with Guruguru enhancing his physical abilities, his lifespan has reached the point of exhaustion. No matter how much it's enhanced, there's a limit; it can't compare to Nagato's outburst."
"Was Nagato that strong?" White Zetsu voiced doubt, then turned to look at the unconscious red-haired youth lying beside him.
"Don't underestimate Nagato. Although it's not his own power, he is still the third person to master the Six Paths' power."
"In that case, isn't Senki Ryuji, who can defeat Nagato, even stronger?" White Zetsu exclaimed in surprise.
Hearing this, Black Zetsu fell silent.
He naturally knew Ryuji was formidable, but he couldn't understand his sudden rise at all.
From the intelligence he investigated, Ryuji's past performance was only at the level of an ordinary genius in the Shinobi World.
But starting two months ago, during the four-village alliance's attack on Suna, the other party continuously displayed abilities beyond common knowledge.
Fighting ten Elite Jonin alone, without using deceit or trickery, relying purely on hard strength to kill nine in a frontal battle, with one fortunate enough to escape.
Though the subsequent three-cannon retreat of the enemy was impressive, Black Zetsu didn't think much of it; he was only somewhat surprised by the weapon's power.
But later, repelling Minato's team in Roran, beating Setsuna with Taijutsu in Konoha, acting decisively and swiftly to purge the high command upon returning to Sunagakure, coming to Amegakure and defeating the life-burning Nagato, now fighting evenly with Madara...
This series of actions not only displayed power beyond the ordinary but also showcased a bold, resolute character.
His intelligence and strategic vision couldn't be underestimated either. Although each action seemed bold and confusing, each time he could break the situation in the simplest, most direct way.
'Moreover, he knew about Uchiha Madara, knew about the Eye of the Moon Plan, knew about Mother...'
'What else does this person know?'
'What exactly is this person planning?'
Black Zetsu's eyes flickered with malevolence.
He learned through Guruguru about what Ryuji had said to Madara earlier.
Although Madara, out of arrogance, didn't believe it, as the true mastermind behind the scenes, he listened with trepidation.
Especially hearing Ryuji say he wanted to kill Kaguya, his heartstrings almost jumped out.
Otsutsuki Kaguya was immortal and indestructible; even the Sage of Six Paths and his brother couldn't kill her, only choosing to seal her away.
If one knew the complete information, it would be impossible to conceive the idea of killing Kaguya.
But it was also possible he understood all the information and had developed a means to kill Kaguya.
Although Black Zetsu felt this was impossible, any potential threat to his mother couldn't be ignored.
'This guy is an anomaly; he must die!'
Black Zetsu thought to himself.
Madara thought the same.
'This person knows my plan and has the strength and influence to affect the Shinobi World's situation. If allowed to live, he would definitely disrupt the plan.'
'Senki Ryuji must die!'
Madara's eyes radiated ferocity, his attacks becoming increasingly ruthless.
His current speed and strength were indeed inferior to the life-burning Nagato, but his combat experience, Taijutsu skill, combat awareness, and strong mentality could blast Nagato to smithereens.
Anyway, leaving the Outer Path Statue meant certain death. Madara fought without regard for his life now, completely intending to take Ryuji down with him.
With this reckless ferocity, Ryuji was actually being suppressed.
This was quite unbelievable.
Logically speaking, with Armor that even a Rasengan couldn't damage, no matter how high pure Taijutsu skill was, it couldn't break through the defense. Even trading life for life seemed impossible.
But Madara's Taijutsu skill had reached the pinnacle, and he had clearly done prior investigation, clearly understanding the weaknesses of mechanical armor.
Namely, the joints between components.
By attacking the joints, the armor could be separated, causing harm to the person inside.
Even if he could predict the opponent's attack route through a Taijutsu master's intuition, even if the Armor's auxiliary system could precisely calculate the opponent's attack intent, the optimal response strategy ultimately derived was only one… avoid the direct confrontation.
Meaning, even if you see through my attack, you can do nothing about it.
This was Madara's terror!
Not simply power, speed, or skill, but a whole constructed from combat experience, combat awareness, and strong mentality.
When such a terrifying being decides to trade life for life, he is unbeatable.
Unless his opponent is the same kind of being.
Of course, the above reasons were only objective factors.
Ryuji being thoroughly suppressed also had direct factors.
Namely, his power didn't come from himself but relied on technological equipment for enhancement.
No matter how familiar he was with the enhancements provided by this equipment, not wearing it every moment, he simply couldn't be as familiar with his power as those who trained to gain strength through their own efforts.
Even if he synchronized with Armor through the Sea of Consciousness, there was still a delay in transmission.
Although this delay was less than 0.001 seconds, almost negligible,
But at this level, even a 0.001-second delay was enough to tilt the outcome.
If the combatants' levels were raised another notch, this 0.001-second delay would become a flaw leading to defeat.
"As expected, only fighting an evenly matched enemy can reveal one's own weaknesses. Not having Aka join forces with me immediately was a truly wise decision." Ryuji laughed heartily and freely.
Although constantly being suppressed by the enemy was somewhat annoying, the joy of discovering one's weaknesses without paying any price was enough to outweigh this displeasure.
And the happier Ryuji was, the more displeased Madara became.
He, Uchiha Madara, was a being feared by everyone in the Shinobi World. To be used as a whetstone by a brat, how could he not be furious?
"Brat, you might be trying to mess with my mindset, but perhaps you don't know..." While attacking frantically, Madara took on a senior's posture to instruct, "Some people get carried away by anger, but some become calmer the angrier they get, yet the explosive power doesn't diminish in the slightest."
As his words fell, Madara's power became even more savage. His Chakra-infused fist actually struck with monstrous strength, punching the armored figure weighing a full 200 kilograms and sending him flying.
Although for Madara, who had transplanted Hashirama's cells, this wasn't something strange, resorting to using such a technique was enough to indicate one thing... his Chakra was severely insufficient, even unable to release Ninjutsu in large amounts to attack during battle.
Or rather, insufficient to support using Ninjutsu to sustain combat of this level.
In other words, this was the limit of this elderly Madara.
"Too disappointing. I originally thought I could witness more!" Ryuji turned to look at the observing girl. "Aka, attack together, finish this guy off."
"Understood!"
Aka brought her hands together in a clap. As Chakra was mobilized, a powerful aura emanated from her whole body, her hair flying wildly.
[Earth Release: Tooth Forest!]
Bang! Bang! Bang!!!
Sharp stone pillar spikes suddenly thrust out. Aka went all out, with vast Chakra supporting her, turning the area within thousands of meters, except where Ryuji stood, into a forest of sharp spikes.
Madara used Wood Release in advance, planting a large tree under his feet. Standing on the tree, he quickly rose with its rapid growth, narrowly escaping disaster.
He surveyed the surroundings. In his misty vision were stone pillar spikes everywhere, the sheer density and massive scale was shocking to behold.
Seeing this, Madara frowned deeply.
'To use a B-Rank Earth Release to this scale was no weaker than my own prowess in Fire Release.'
'But why had such a powerful strong person never been heard of?'
During his earlier covert observation, he had sensed Aka's powerful Chakra Reserve.
Initially, he hadn't paid much attention.
After all, people with strong Chakra weren't many, but not few either, especially the Uzumaki and Senju Clans, who were particularly strong in this aspect.
Although Aka's Chakra Reserve somewhat exceeded the norm for the typically strong, it wasn't too outrageous, still half a Nine-Tails' worth less compared to Hashirama.
But earlier breaking his aura and now using Ninjutsu of this level… the other party had already shown she wasn't just possessing potential but had converted that potential into combat power.
Poof!
Amidst his thoughts, an orange fireball was thrown over by Aka. The terrifying high temperature instantly evaporated the rainwater within nearly ten meters around it.
Madara didn't hesitate in the slightest, jumping away from the large tree.
The fireball struck the next second, colliding with the large tree and unleashing a terrifying explosion. Powerful heat spread, forming an energy dome hundreds of meters in diameter, incinerating everything inside to ashes.
"Scorch Release, huh."
Madara stood with legs clamped around the tip of a stone pillar, looking into the distance. He judged the nature of the Ninjutsu from the extraordinary high temperature that ordinary Fire Release couldn't achieve.
Ryuji piloted the mecha into the air, his left palm spraying a high-speed water cutter.
'When you're sick, take your life.'
'You don't have enough Chakra to use Ninjutsu in battle, right?'
'Then I'll use Ninjutsu for long-range strikes instead.'