"Danzo's convoy has been attacked!" Ning Rongrong suddenly cried out.
No one needed further explanation. The violent, overlapping explosions rolling in from the distance already told them everything.
"Move!" Qian Renxue made a snap decision. Without hesitation, she led the team forward at full speed.
Yet the moment they reached the battlefield's edge, every one of them froze.
White humanoid creatures crawled across the shattered earth. Enormous Wood Release structures still pulsed with residual chakra. And at the boundary of the destruction stood a white-haired old man, motionless, calm—utterly detached from the carnage.
"Are you the Spirit Masters from the Sacrificial Shop?"
His voice was slow, measured, carrying a faint but unmistakable sense of superiority.
"Who are you?" Biwa Jūzō reacted instantly, stepping forward to block the group.
At the same time, Ning Rongrong and Qian Renxue stiffened. Their mental perception and light-attribute spirit power were being suppressed—subtly, yet relentlessly. It felt as though an invisible hand had pressed down on their souls.
The two exchanged a brief glance.
Ning Rongrong discreetly prepared to send a warning, but Qian Renxue stepped half a pace forward, deliberately blocking her movement. Her expression remained composed as she spoke, "Such an oppressive aura… You're no ordinary ninja. Who exactly are you?"
"Oppressive?"
The old man chuckled, baring teeth in a smile that carried no warmth. Beneath his white hair, a faint crimson glow flickered.
"Soon," he muttered to himself. "Once I obtain the Longevity Pill… I will stand in the light again."
One eye snapped open.
A single, blood-red tomoe spun slowly within the Sharingan.
Biwa Jūzō's face changed color instantly.
"Run!"
There was no hesitation.
Qian Renxue turned sharply, shouting, "Retreat—now!"
But the old man's voice followed them like a death sentence.
"You're already too close."
A chilling calm echoed behind them. "You can't escape."
The air itself seemed to tremble.
Terrifying ocular power surged outward like a tidal wave.
At the very rear of the formation, Qian Renxue abruptly pulled a bead glowing with eerie purple light from her spirit tool—and crushed it without hesitation.
Buzz—
A deep violet barrier unfurled instantly, stretching like a translucent wall between Madara and the fleeing group. Purple light rippled across its surface, dense and absolute.
Gao Feng and the others recognized it immediately.
A Fortune Bead.
The incoming ocular power stalled mid-air, twisting unnaturally, as if repelled by an unseen will. After a moment of resistance, it slid aside and smashed harmlessly into the empty ground nearby.
Madara's expression shifted—just slightly.
"What is this?"
For the first time, genuine surprise appeared on his face.
He pressed his ocular power harder, launching another attack.
Again, it was deflected.
Again—and again—each assault forcibly diverted, as though the barrier itself refused to be harmed.
The purple light began to flicker. The barrier trembled, its radiance slowly dimming.
"Interesting."
Madara's lips curled upward. "Very interesting."
He had no intention of letting them go.
Sooner or later, he would confront the Sacrificial Shop anyway. Before that, gathering intelligence was essential—and these people were a perfect source.
"Tobi."
The moment Madara spoke, Tobi melted into him like liquid shadow, wrapping around his body and forming living armor.
From beneath the mask, Madara's voice sounded almost playful.
"Let me see what other surprises you have."
The world seemed to hold its breath.
A suffocating chakra pressure erupted violently.
From the earth itself, a colossal figure rose—towering, majestic, and utterly overwhelming.
Susanoo.
Its form blotted out the sky, casting a vast shadow over the fleeing group.
The giant raised its arm. A massive blade condensed from pure chakra, humming with destructive power.
With a single sweep—
The world shattered.
A storm of annihilation surged forward, grinding trees, rocks, and hills into dust. The ground split open in grotesque ravines as the wave of destruction roared toward them.
Before such overwhelming force, resistance felt meaningless.
The earth convulsed violently. Simply standing was a struggle—escape seemed impossible.
Without hesitation, Gao Feng crushed another purple bead.
A second barrier flared to life.
The storm struck—and was bent aside.
When the dust settled, the land behind them looked as though it had been cleaved open by a god's blade.
"Hurry!" Qian Renxue shouted, snapping everyone back to reality.
They fled again.
Madara frowned slightly.
Even Susanoo's slashes could be deflected?
The giant blade rose once more.
Another devastating sweep followed.
Xie Yue reacted instantly, crushing the Fortune Bead in his hand. A third violet barrier bloomed, barely holding back the mountain-splitting strike.
Madara's pupils narrowed.
"Three already…"
And each time, a different person.
Could it be that every Spirit Master carried one?
Susanoo grasped the blade with both hands.
The next swing was even more violent, warping the air and draining color from the world itself.
"We don't have any left!" Qian Renxue shouted.
"I do!" Ning Rongrong turned sharply, raising her hand.
A fourth purple barrier erupted, forcibly blocking the world-ending storm.
Black Zetsu, watching silently, counted in his mind.
Four.
At that moment, a chilling realization settled in his heart.
If such treasures could be casually distributed… what kind of existence was Boss Li?
Madara stepped forward.
The earth shook violently beneath Susanoo's weight.
"Enough games."
He sheathed the blade.
Susanoo clasped its hands together, condensing dozens of Yasaka Magatama, which launched forward like falling stars.
"Who still has one?!" Qian Renxue demanded.
"I'll handle it!" Yu Heng flashed to the rear, crushing the final bead. The barrier rose—then his expression changed.
"Something's wrong! This is continuous fire—he's controlling the rhythm!"
"Detonate it early!" Qian Renxue ordered. "Block as much as possible!"
Yu Heng acted instantly.
The purple barrier detonated, releasing a violent shockwave that deflected most of the Magatama.
Three still slipped through.
Life and death hung on a knife's edge.
Biwa Jūzō surged forward, Executioner's Blade drawn—
"I'll block—"
"Move!" Xie Yue yanked him back.
"Our mission," Xie Yue roared, "is survival!"
In that instant, the formation shifted seamlessly.
Ning Rongrong poured every last trace of mental power into the Eight Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda, amplifying Gao Feng to the limit.
Flames engulfed Gao Feng's body.
Veins bulged. His vision narrowed.
Thirty-six thrusts in a single breath.
All momentum converged into one blade of condensed fire—piercing straight through the Magatama and shattering it mid-air.
Feng Xiaotian and Huo Wu clasped hands.
Wind and fire fused perfectly at the brink of collapse.
The elemental giant reappeared, shaping a roaring fire dragon that crushed the second Magatama into fragments.
The Yu Family Brothers soared skyward.
Lightning converged into a massive dragon, whose blazing sphere collided head-on with the final Magatama, forcing it back before detonating it in a deafening explosion.
The five collapsed in exhaustion.
Their companions grabbed them without stopping, fleeing at full speed.
"Impressive," Madara murmured, watching them disappear.
He did not pursue.
They had escaped his effective range, and time was no longer on his side.
Too close to the Land of Whirlpools. Delay any longer, and the Five Kage might arrive.
Susanoo faded.
Madara casually tossed a scroll to Black Zetsu.
"Go."
"Retrieve the Longevity Pill. Bring it to me."