Standing atop the forehead crest of his colossal Perfect Susanoo, Uchiha Madara looked down upon Hoshiyomi from above and said proudly:
"Only Hashirama has ever been able to stand against my Perfect Susanoo. Come, let me see for myself — can you withstand its power?"
As he spoke, the gigantic Susanoo rested one massive hand on the hilt of the great blade at its waist. When Madara drew the forty-meter-long sword, a surge of terrifying chakra erupted like a storm.
Even before the blade fell, the crushing pressure radiating from its edge could already be felt.
Madara glanced at the twin blades in Susanoo's hands and smiled faintly.
"When it comes to sword techniques and swordsmanship, calling you the strongest in the shinobi world wouldn't be an exaggeration. I just wonder if you, who can be considered the strongest in the shinobi world, can withstand a single strike from me?"
Looking at the enormous long sword in the Susano'o's hand, Hoshiyomi's expression was extremely grave. Although his gaze was serious, Hoshiyomi could feel his heart pounding violently; his body was in a state of extreme excitement.
He had been practicing swordsmanship for nearly thirty years, but this was the first time he had faced an enemy like this. Even with his Swordsmaster's Heart, he couldn't help but feel his blood boiling with fervor.
At this moment, all previous strategies and considerations were cast aside. The only thing he wanted to do now was... fight!
"Really now, a contest of sword skills isn't about whose blade is longer to determine who is stronger."
As he spoke, Hoshiyomi gripped the Mikazuki Munechika tightly in both hands — and as he did, his body began to change.
A mysterious marking slowly appeared on his forehead, and his aura surged to its absolute peak. Tiny blue-silver motes of light began to swirl and dance around him, spiraling like stars.
Madara raised an eyebrow in surprise. He had seen Hashirama's Sage Mode before, but the Sage power radiating from Hoshiyomi was clearly different — wilder, yet more refined.
"Interesting…"
"We're just getting started!"
At that moment, Hoshiyomi's chakra began to surge uncontrollably, crashing through his body's natural limits and assaulting the Eight Inner Gates — the forbidden zones of human strength.
He had opened the Eight Gates Released Formation!
This time, he didn't stop at the sixth gate as before. After reaching the sixth, he drew in a deep breath and violently channeled all of his chakra toward the Seventh Gate — the Gate of Shock!
Each of the Eight Gates placed immense strain on the human body. In the past, Hoshiyomi could barely sustain up to the sixth gate — any higher would have caused unbearable damage.
But now, after mastering swordsmanship to the level of a Grandmaster, his physical body had undergone a fundamental transformation. He was far beyond the limits of an ordinary human.
In terms of raw physical strength, he already surpassed even the future Might Guy. And with Sage Mode's natural healing and regenerative power supporting him, he could finally afford to push himself further — to open the gate he had never dared touch before.
"Seventh Gate — Gate of Shock, OPEN!"
With a roar, Hoshiyomi shattered the final restraint in his body. In an instant, a massive wave of chakra flooded through him, forming a sky-blue aura cloak that enveloped his entire body.
The blue-silver motes of light merged seamlessly with the azure cloak, as though they were meant to exist together all along.
Feeling the surge of boundless strength coursing through him, Hoshiyomi smiled with satisfaction. He had never felt such power before.
Even facing the Perfect Susanoo, it no longer seemed insurmountable.
Gripping his Mikazuki Munechika tightly, Hoshiyomi called out to Madara:
"Come then! Let's see how strong your Perfect Susanoo truly is!"
Madara's eyes gleamed with exhilaration. He could no longer contain the hunger for battle that burned within him. With a single motion, he swung the colossal chakra blade in Susanoo's hands.
Even before the sword descended, a devastating wave of cutting pressure split the air — a force that seemed powerful enough to cleave the world itself apart.
The shockwave tore across the battlefield, the air roaring as visible currents of energy exploded outward along the sword's path, whipping Hoshiyomi's robes violently in the wind.
Yet Hoshiyomi paid no attention to the chaos around him.
At this moment, the world had lost all color in his eyes — all that remained was the single descending blade before him.
He was going to take that strike head-on!
As the massive chakra blade came crashing down toward him, Hoshiyomi didn't use any named sword technique. Instead, he simply swung his Mikazuki Munechika — a strike as plain and straightforward as any other.
Yet although there was no special technique behind the motion, within that single slash lay the condensed essence of thirty years of relentless training.
As the saying goes, "The highest truth lies in simplicity."
No matter how advanced a sword style may be, it can never escape the foundation of basic swordsmanship.
This swing might not look like anything extraordinary, but for a true master of the blade like Hoshiyomi, it was the most earnest, pure, and perfected sword strike he had ever unleashed.
Ordinary — and yet not ordinary at all.
If it could be explained, one might say this strike had touched upon the very concept of "The Ultimate Meaning" — the essence beyond all swordsmanship.
If every sword he swung from now on could reach this level, then Hoshiyomi would truly become a Sword Saint.
CLANG!!
Hoshiyomi's Mikazuki Munechika collided with Madara's chakra blade — and then, strangely, both weapons froze in midair, locked in perfect balance.
For a moment, the distant White Zetsu peering out from the ground couldn't comprehend what he was seeing.
Then—
BOOM!!!
The delayed shockwave from the collision erupted all at once, releasing a visible storm of destructive energy that swept across the entire forest where the two stood.
Countless ancient trees, hundreds of years old, were instantly snapped in half.
Had White Zetsu not sensed danger and retreated underground in time, he surely would have shared the same fate as those trees.
And that terrifying shockwave wasn't even the final result of their clash.
When the violent tremors finally subsided and White Zetsu cautiously surfaced again, what he saw left him utterly speechless.
Behind Hoshiyomi, the ground itself had been torn apart, split by a massive fissure stretching an unknown distance.
And above Madara's Perfect Susanoo, the clouds in the sky had been cleanly sliced in two — as if the lingering power of Hoshiyomi's strike had divided even the heavens.
White Zetsu stared blankly at the scene before him.
Honestly, his mind screamed that he should at least shout "Holy crap!" to release the overwhelming shock he felt.
But when he opened his mouth, no words came out.
Faced with this near-divine spectacle, even speaking felt impossible.
Yet even if he couldn't speak — others could.
After what felt like an eternity, the two blades finally disengaged.
The moment they parted, two identical roars of laughter echoed across the battlefield:
"Hahaha! Splendid! Absolutely splendid!"
"Again! Let's go again!"
Hoshiyomi and Madara locked eyes — both burning with the same unquenchable fighting spirit.
In the next instant, their bodies moved as one. Hoshiyomi leapt high into the air, his blade flashing, and once again the two weapons clashed with a thunderous impact.
The fierce battle between Hoshiyomi and the Perfect Susanoo began anew!
...
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