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Elsewhere, atop the giant wooden construct's head, Madara Uchiha found himself momentarily disoriented.
'That brat Qianyu once said he inherited power from someone beyond this world… Could it be true? That would mean the power I wield now is also…'
Madara's thoughts were in turmoil, Qianyu's words churning his mind. He no longer had the attention to spare for his clones on the ground.
'Now!'
The seven or eight Kage-level fighters on the field exchanged a glance. The Raikage and Shigure moved first, their forms blurring as they launched a coordinated sneak attack against the distracted Madara.
"Lightning Release Chakra Mode—Hell Stab: One-Finger Spear!"
The Raikage's body crackled with lightning, a shroud of electricity clinging to him like armor. A concentrated mass of raw power gathered on his index finger—the "Strongest Spear," unleashed from the very first move.
"White Secret Technique: Eight Guardians of the Feather!"
Shigure also brought out his trump card. With a sharp flick of a scroll, eight menacing white puppets materialized in a puff of smoke. Controlled by a web of chakra strings, they drifted toward Madara like vengeful ghosts.
"…This level of attack is hardly worth my attention. Still, I admire your courage for daring to strike at me."
Madara's focus snapped back instantly. His eyes turned cold. A casual, backhanded swing of his Uchiha War Fan effortlessly deflected the piercing lightning bolt and the storm of hidden weapons.
"Fire Style: Majestic Destroyer Flame!"
Madara formed a one-handed seal, his body twisting with a dancer's grace. His war fan swept up to partially obscure his face as he took a breath—and exhaled a roaring ocean of fire.
WOOSH!
Flames surged four, five meters high, swallowing the incoming wave of Gold Dust before roaring outward like a pack of ravenous tigers. The inferno forced back the advancing Raikage and Shigure.
"Water Style: Water Wall!"
Tobirama's hands clapped together. A wall of water, matching the scale of the fire tsunami, erupted before the group and crashed against the oncoming blaze.
"Enough. Playtime is over."
By now, any joy Madara might have found in the dance was gone. Qianyu's insinuations had planted a seed of doubt, leaving him unsettled and impatient. Even Hashirama's presence couldn't spark his old enthusiasm.
'Only one way to verify the truth now.' "Universal Pull—Limbo: Border Jail!"
Taking advantage of the visual chaos created by the clashing elemental forces, a violet light flashed in Madara's Rinnegan. A violent, invisible force of attraction erupted from him, pulling everything toward his center.
At the same moment, four shadowy silhouettes—entities that seemed to exist outside the normal plane of perception—detached from his body. They shot silently toward the Raikage and the others, who were desperately fighting the sudden gravitational pull. None of them noticed the ethereal attackers.
That feeling… Damn it! "Get back! Now!" Qianyu's expression changed. Black tendrils shot from his body, lashing out to grab at the closest allies as he shouted the warning.
Possessing a sliver of the Ten-Tails' power allowed him to sense the subtle, wrong presence. Combined with fragmented memories of a past life, his mind raced to a conclusion: Limbo: Border Jail. A unique ability of Madara's Rinnegan, splitting his shadow into four invisible clones that could attack and defend. In another timeline, this technique had subdued the Nine Tailed Beasts and captured Sasuke in a single move.
"Back from wh—GAAAH!"
The warning came too late. Qianyu's tendrils had just wrapped around Rasa and a Cloud ninja when it happened.
A massive, invisible force slammed into the Raikage's chest. His famed "Strongest Shield" of Lightning Armor caved in with a sickening CRUNCH, his entire torso concaving. At the same instant, Shigure and his eight puppets were flung backward like broken dolls.
Swish! Swish! Swish!
Qianyu's tendrils, now grasping the limp forms of the Raikage and Shigure, retracted instantly. In a flash of yellow light, he was gone, teleported away with his burdens.
Tobirama, the other contender for "fastest man alive," needed no second warning. He grabbed Hashirama and vanished from the danger zone in a blur.
"Hmph. Quick on your feet… I'll deal with you later."
Having effortlessly overwhelmed the opposition, Madara didn't pursue. He cast a sidelong glance at Qianyu and the others regrouping in the distance, then leaped from the hundred-meter-tall wooden giant.
WHOOSH!
Madara plummeted like a meteor into the river of shinobi below. Bodies scattered like splashes of water, thrown aside by the sheer force of his impact. Nothing could slow his advance.
"Ope Ope no Mi—Casual Healing Technique!"
Not wanting to expend his Mangekyō power prematurely, Qianyu retreated briefly. He placed a hand on the grievously wounded Raikage and Shigure, applying a basic but effective healing field—just enough to stabilize them.
Both were Kage-level, after all. Surely a little thing like a near-fatal wound wouldn't be enough to kill them… right?
[Ding! Treatment successful. Host rewarded with: "Physique Enhancement"!]
Perhaps because his treatment was a bit too "casual," the two men remained in critical condition. The system's reward was accordingly basic.
Heh. Been a while since I got a system pop-up. Been coasting on my own power for so long, I almost forgot about the cheat code.
A faint, amused smile touched Qianyu's lips at the long-absent system window.
"Madara's target is the Ten-Tails! Forget those two, Qianyu! We must stop him!"
"Understood, Lord Tobirama!"
Tobirama and the others had already moved ahead. Qianyu called out his acknowledgment and prepared to follow. While his ultimate plan involved Madara becoming Kaguya's vessel, he still needed to put on a convincing show of resistance.
Just as he gathered chakra for the Flying Thunder God Technique, a familiar figure came charging into view, riding a giant toad.
"Master Jiraiya? What are you doing here? Delivering yourself as a gift from a thousand miles away? How… thoughtful."
Qianyu's teasing voice still hung in the air as his form flickered and vanished.
Jiraiya: "…"
Having witnessed the scale of the battle just now, Jiraiya honestly couldn't think of a good comeback to his disciple's jab. He could only grimace and urge Gamabunta forward.
"Madara… If you still consider me a friend, stop. Let us talk."
At the front lines, with support from Tobirama and Rasa, Hashirama appeared directly above Madara's path. He clasped his hands together, nature energy swirling around him as he entered Sage Mode.
"Sage Art: Gate of the Great God!"
Seeing Madara ignore him, Hashirama's hands slammed together. Massive, crimson torii gates—each formed of one horizontal and two vertical logs—rained from the sky, aiming to pin Madara down.
"Useless, Hashirama! I am not the man I was. I can finally reach the other side of the river… I will not be stopped!"
Madara roared. The Shinra Tensei exploded from him with full force, distorting the air and preventing the Sage gates from fully forming. His figure weaved through the incomplete crimson structures, an unstoppable force charging forward.
The giant hand of Gold Dust controlled by Rasa couldn't even touch the hem of his cloak.
"Ah… What must I do to save you, my… friend."
Hashirama let out a long, heavy sigh. With only half his living power restored, even working with his brother and the others, halting this vastly empowered Madara seemed an impossible task.
"…"
Tobirama remained silent, but his expression was grim. The only one who might have a chance to stop Madara now was Qianyu.
But that damnable brat was clearly holding back, scheming in the shadows, refusing to commit his full strength against the Uchiha!
'Madara is charging straight for the Ten-Tails… What should I do?'
By the Four Red Yang Formation barrier, Sarutobi Hiruzen watched the unstoppable advance. His face paled, then flushed, locked in an internal battle.
'Madara is too powerful. Even if I throw everything I have at him, I might not delay him for a moment. I would just die a pointless, meaningless death. Facing such an enemy, even if I pretended to retreat, Lord Tobirama couldn't rightly condemn me… But then…'
Hiruzen's gaze shifted to the monstrous, churning form of the Ten-Tails within the seal. His eyes were full of conflict.
If Madara Uchiha obtained that kind of terrifying power… the entire shinobi world would truly become his plaything.
"I'm already here… Let this old man… play the hero one last time!"
Countless thoughts flashed through Hiruzen's mind in half a minute. Finally, he gritted his teeth, a hard, resolute light settling in his eyes.
As a seasoned politician, he understood the principle of "no egg remains unbroken when the nest is overturned" better than anyone. For the children of his clan, for the children of Konoha… he could not retreat.
"Summoning Jutsu: Monkey King Enma!"
His hands flew through seals. A massive, powerfully built simian appeared in a puff of smoke. Enma, sharing his master's resolve without a word, transformed instantly into the adamantine staff, the Nyoi-bō, which dropped into Hiruzen's waiting hand.
"It's been too long since we fought side by side, old friend. I've missed this feeling."
Hiruzen tightened his grip on the familiar weight of the staff. His slightly stooped posture straightened. For a moment, he felt like the "God of Shinobi" of his prime again. The bittersweet ache of nostalgia filled his chest.
This… will likely be my final battle. "Madara Uchiha! As long as I stand, you shall not pass!"
His eyes locked onto the approaching Uchiha. As Madara burst through the last remnants of the Sage gates, Hiruzen, while maintaining his share of the seal, hurled the Nyoi-bō with all his might.
"This should buy a few moments… Adamantine Prison Walls!"
In mid-flight, the staff multiplied. One became two, two became four, then countless more, interlocking to form a massive, cube-shaped cage that snapped shut around Madara Uchiha.
"Hmph. You seek death."
The Ten-Tails was within reach. Madara's patience was gone. With a cold snort, he raised his scythe and charged forward—directly into the adamantine bars.
BOOM!
Hiruzen's eyes widened in horror. His ultimate defensive technique, one that could easily restrain a Kage-level foe, shattered like glass under Madara's charge. It didn't hold for even a single heartbeat.
SCHLICK!
The next instant—before Hiruzen's brain could fully process the destruction—Madara was already past him. Blood, flung from the scythe's blade, arced through the air.
Thud.
Sarutobi Hiruzen staggered. He fell to his knees, then slumped forward. A torrent of blood gushed from the massive, ragged tear in his chest. As he fell, one hand stretched out weakly, fingers clutching at empty air where Madara had been.
Is this… the end?
His vision blurred. His life, long yet suddenly feeling so short, flashed before his mind's eye.
Lord Tobirama… I never changed. I did not disappoint you. I, Sarutobi Hiruzen, have upheld the title of Hokage. Where the leaves of Konoha dance, the fire of will shall burn eternal… Qianyu… the future of the village… is in your hands now…
CRACK!
The shadow clones left by Qianyu and the other two were barely enough to sustain the Four Red Yang Formation. With Hiruzen's chakra cut off and his life fading, one corner of the crimson barrier fractured. It dissolved into a shower of shimmering red particles, then vanished completely.
Nothing now stood between Uchiha Madara and the Ten-Tails.
"A being from beyond the heavens? Hah! Ridiculous!"
Staring at the chakra beast mere meters away, Madara let out a derisive laugh. The seed of doubt, momentarily sown, was burned away by the blaze of his ambition.
He had schemed and suffered, lingering like a ghost in a sunless tomb for decades to reach this moment. Did that brat Qianyu really think a few vague words could shake his conviction?
"I, Uchiha Madara, reached this height by my own power! Not by the grace of some so-called 'heavenly being'!"
Madara's hands came together, forming the final sequence of seals. A low murmur escaped his lips. "Qianyu, Hashirama… I will make you see. I was right all along."
"Six Paths: Ten-Tails Coffin Seal!"
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