"Don't be in such a hurry... That punch had quite the force behind it... My plan is to create a world without war or hatred—a world where everyone is equal and every wish can be fulfilled. I will use the moon to project the power of the Sharingan across the globe, trapping all of humanity in an eternal dream. This is the 'ultimate form of the world!'"
The three-tomoe in Madara's eyes flared with a crimson light, spinning rapidly as if responding to its master's surging emotions.
"Mega Kick: Heavenly Foot!" A chakra-infused kick descended from the heavens. The sheer atmospheric pressure made it impossible for Madara to even lift his gunbai for a moment.
Boom!
The lava-drenched ground exploded, forming a massive crater as cracks spread outward like a giant spider's web.
"Your methods are way too extreme. Trapping everyone in a genjutsu is no different from wiping out humanity. Once the current generation dies of old age, you'll be the only one left in the ninja world," Makiya remarked, watching Madara leap out of the pit.
"It doesn't matter," Madara laughed freely. "For the happiness of all mankind, I am more than willing to sacrifice myself."
"Are we even talking about the same thing?" Makiya was speechless. "The whole point of civilization is to reproduce and evolve. The world is meant to move forward. An illusion is just an illusion; you can't solve anything by running away from reality."
"Hmph. You're a sharp-tongued brat. You smugly hide behind the illusions woven by your own reality, yet you refuse to embrace true peace. How laughable." Madara's face darkened. Makiya wasn't just rejecting his plan; he was dismissing decades of endurance and sacrifice.
"The one hiding like a turtle in its shell is you. A true warrior dares to face a bleak reality, not drown in a fake fantasy," Makiya said mercilessly. "Your plan is so absurd, I could come up with a better one off the top of my head."
Madara Uchiha sneered. "You? How much do you even know about this living hell we call reality? To speak so boldly with such shallow experience... Fine, tell me. What proposal could possibly be superior to my plan?"
Makiya shrugged. "It's simple. I'll just become the supreme ruler."
Madara Uchiha blinked. "Huh?"
He didn't quite process it at first. Makiya's statement was so abstract that it took a moment for the weight of it to sink in.
"Supreme ruler... what exactly do you mean by that?"
"Literally. I become the sovereign of the ninja world, the ruler of all humanity, the emperor of all things—the supreme will that stands above every living being," Makiya explained patiently. "That is the only way to achieve true peace. Everyone will be equal beneath me. I will rule the world through law, enforce that law through machines, and hold the final say in everything."
"Ridiculous," Madara laughed contemptuously. "Human desire is bottomless. No one will ever willingly accept your absolute rule. What if they resist?"
"Simple. I'll just kill them," Makiya replied with total sincerity. "As long as I possess invincible power, every obstacle can be easily cleared."
Madara shook his head with a trace of regret. "One day, you will grow old and die. Back when Hashirama and I were young, the ninja world did enjoy a brief moment of peace. If we had wanted to, we could have crushed every other village, but even someone as strong as Hashirama was mortal. Once he died, war inevitably broke out again. Your reign would be nothing more than a fleeting mirage."
"You don't need to worry about that," Makiya waved his hand dismissively. "Barring any accidents, I should live for a very long time—perhaps longer than the history of the shinobi world itself. I'm not quite there yet, of course, but it's hard to say. I might just wake up tomorrow and be ready."
Madara was utterly confused by the rambling. After a moment, he decided his junior had probably sensed his limit and was just spouting nonsense to stall for time.
His rejuvenated state truly wouldn't last forever, but he had enough time for a few more words. The brat's stalling tactics would be useless.
Heavens have mercy, Makiya was actually telling the truth, but Madara didn't believe a word of it.
"Enough, you naive brat. Die along with your pathetic ideals!" Madara roared. His Susanoo manifested once more, a blue skeletal arm reaching out from behind him. It instantly condensed a massive blade and swung it down toward Makiya.
Clang!
A deafening metallic crash erupted as another massive blade appeared out of nowhere, blocking the strike right above Makiya's head.
"What?" Madara's eyes widened in shock as he stared at Makiya, who was now shrouded in black chakra. "You've awakened the Mangekyo? No, it's still three-tomoe. How is this possible?"
The three-tomoe in Makiya's eyes spun at high speed. A black skeletal torso coalesced behind him, as his ocular power and chakra flooded into the Susanoo. In the blink of an eye, a massive skeletal half-body towered over him.
Madara stared at the three-tomoe in Makiya's eyes, his expression shifting between suspicion and disbelief. He knew how Susanoo worked; he could use it freely because he had mastered the technique until it was etched into his very marrow. But what about this kid?
Could he be some old monster who had survived since the Warring States period?
But Makiya's young, vibrant body was clearly real, and Madara had secretly investigated his background. He was undeniably a young ninja of the new era. Yet, how could a mere three-tomoe Sharingan activate Susanoo?
Could it be that his Mangekyo pattern just happened to look like a three-tomoe?
Madara suddenly had a brainstorm, convinced he had found the answer. It was common knowledge that the pattern of the Sharingan changed when evolving into the Mangekyo, but there was no rule saying it *had* to look different. Perhaps this brat had awakened the Mangekyo, but the design simply remained the same.
"Cunning brat, you almost fooled me!" Having 'uncovered the truth,' Madara flew into a rage. Young people these days had no honor, trying to trick an old predecessor like him. He had almost fallen for it.
If it was a Mangekyo, he had to be wary of the boy's ocular abilities.
Madara calculated silently. Makiya had gone to such lengths to hide his Mangekyo, which meant the abilities in his left and right eyes were likely terrifying—enough to decide the battle in a single stroke.
Madara cast aside his last bit of hesitation. His chakra erupted without reservation, and the blue skeletal torso began to swell and expand. A titanic construction of cobalt energy cast a vast shadow over the battlefield. Bones, muscle, and skin formed, followed by a suit of impenetrable armor. Within seconds, a massive armored giant, 120 meters tall, stood tall over the earth.
Makiya refused to be outdone. The black skeleton grew in tandem, its blade still locked in a struggle against Madara's own. The bones expanded at a staggering rate, and muscles as hard as steel attached themselves to the frame. A layer of pitch-black armor, radiating a haunting light, covered the entire form.
The gargantuan body reached its completion. Makiya's Susanoo stood hundreds of meters high, rising like a majestic mountain peak. The black giant's eyes flashed with a sinister crimson light, resembling two bleeding moons that radiated absolute authority and pressure.
"To think you could reach this level... I admit, I underestimated you!" Madara was ecstatic, his expression twisting with manic excitement.
Clang!
The massive blades ground against each other, emitting a shrill, glass-shattering sound that echoed across the sea and caused the very air to vibrate.
At this moment, no one on the field cared about the noise. The Mist ninja who had retreated to the shoreline looked up in utter despair as two towering deities rose before their very eyes.
"What... what kind of jutsu is this?"
"Is this some kind of joke? That is our enemy?"
"There was intel from the Land of Grass about something called Susanoo... but is it supposed to be that big?"
"I'm done. I'm not fighting this anymore! I'm going home!"
"It's impossible to win. How could anyone ever defeat enemies like that?"
The giants' power struggle sent massive shockwaves through their blades into the ground, causing the already battered island to shatter further.
Makiya and Madara stepped back simultaneously, their feet plunging into the ocean and kicking up colossal waves.
Given the sheer size of their Susanoos, the island could no longer contain them.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The giants' feet trampled the earth. The Mist ninja who couldn't dodge in time were instantly crushed into a pulp. When the feet lifted, the massive footprints were filled with scraps of clothing and blood, the only evidence that ninja had once stood there.
Mei Terumi:
The ocean spray drenched her face, her hair sticking to her cheeks in a messy tangle. The young girl strained her neck to look up, etching every detail of the giants' silhouettes into her memory.
'Kirigakure will lose this battle.' That was Mei Terumi's first thought. But she was a stubborn girl. She vowed to train until she found a way to stand against monsters like these.
'One day, I will be the one to bring them down!' she swore silently.
The shockwaves of the battle were wiping out groups of Mist ninja, but neither Makiya nor Madara noticed. Their focus was entirely on each other.
Their blades danced wildly, the wind pressure from their swings carving through the ocean surface and creating massive walls of white foam. Standing in the deep sea like ancient armored samurai, they began a life-and-death struggle.
Steel clashed against steel, and every impact unleashed waves of force that shattered the water's surface.
The two fought their way from the shallows of the island into the deep water until the sea reached the Susanoos' thighs. Standing within the diamond crystal on his giant's forehead, Makiya formed a seal.
"Susanoo: Ryujin Jakka!"
Golden flames erupted along the length of his blade. Makiya closed his eyes, recalling every movement of the Sword God. His Susanoo moved in perfect sync with his will; the massive sword became light as a feather, warping the very space it passed through.
"Draw Slash!"
A golden flash streaked across the horizon. Makiya's blade moved like a gentle breeze over the water, seemingly devoid of any aggression.
Yet beneath that calm lay a lethal danger. Every hair on Madara's body stood on end as he felt an overwhelming sense of crisis.
At the critical moment, the blue giant gripped its blade with both hands, raising the energy edge to block. Its legs dug deep into the seabed silt to brace for the coming impact.
Boom!
The golden flames raged as the sword light exploded. The blade in Madara's hands snapped instantly, and the golden edge continued forward without losing momentum, slicing the blue giant clean in half at the waist.
The remnants of the sword light tore through the giant and flew toward the tiny Mist camp on the island. Like a child tossing a firecracker into an ant nest, the entire island was blown into countless fragments.
Mist Ninja:
When gods fight, it is the mortals who pay the price.
"Such power! Such incredible swordsmanship!" Hurled backward as his Susanoo shattered, Madara's eyes were wide, his face a mask of manic distortion. "In terms of pure swordplay, no one I have ever faced is your equal. I, Madara, declare you the strongest!"
As he spoke, Madara's hands blurred into a series of seals, and thick, powerful tree roots began to erupt from his surroundings.