BOOM!!!
A powerful shockwave expanded in a perfect circle, briefly creating a vacuum. The resulting hurricane screeched as it ground against the air, letting out a terrifying howl.
The waves boiled. Charred, broken roots were pulverized in the impact. The undulating sea surface sank instantly as if an invisible force was crushing the water.
Fierce winds carrying terrifying energy vented wildly. The seawater beneath the two behemoths was instantly pushed aside, revealing the muddy, chaotic seabed.
The violent explosion echoed across the ocean. Part of the force surged through their bodies, channeled into the ground through their feet. The earth rumbled incessantly, and deep cracks spread like a spiderweb across the seafloor where the water had been cleared.
The fractures stretched for kilometers, kicking up massive amounts of silt. The scars on the earth swallowed the sea, permanently altering the local ecosystem—it wouldn't stabilize for years.
The tens of thousands of tons of displaced seawater absorbed the shock, but as the waves rushed back from all directions and collided, they triggered a towering tsunami.
Tremors rippled inside the Susanoo. Protected within the diamond crystal, Makiya didn't escape unscathed; his internal organs were nearly rattled out of place. Fortunately, his physical body was strong enough to avoid injury.
The pitch-black giant staggered back several steps, its feet sinking deep into the seabed mud. It took a few moments to steady itself. Makiya looked down to see that the Susanoo's right arm had vanished.
On the other side, Uchiha Madara's Wood Golem fared worse. Its massive frame was lifted off the ground, crashing back into the sea. Its legs sank deep into the mire, and half of its body was gone, as if scooped out by an unseen hand.
Madara formed a hand seal. Roots erupted from the Golem's stumps, intertwining and condensing to regrow its thick arms.
Neither Makiya nor Madara wasted breath on trash talk. Their eyes met, an invisible clash of wills like lightning striking fire; another glance and the world itself might explode.
Despite holding the upper hand in close quarters, Makiya wasn't satisfied. 'The guy is an old man eroded by time, yet I'm struggling this much. How am I supposed to hold my head up in the Makiya circle? It'd be embarrassing if word got out.'
Golden flames filled the sky once more. Makiya's eyes widened as a flood of ocular power poured out recklessly. The pitch-black giant's surface changed again, sprouting two more arms from its back.
The four massive arms reached into the golden sea of fire in the sky, grasping for something. As they slowly pulled back, four golden longswords condensed from the flames appeared in the Susanoo's hands.
The Susanoo crouched low, the four golden blades held in a strange starting stance that seemed full of openings.
Madara didn't dare underestimate him. Even though Makiya looked vulnerable, he knew the boy was a master of the sword. What looked like openings were actually traps; a reckless attack would play right into his hands.
"Susanoo: Charge and Burst!"
Torrential golden flames erupted from behind the pitch-black giant. Using the massive thrust, Makiya controlled the giant to close the distance. The intense wind pressure created trails of white vapor that vanished instantly in the heat.
The Susanoo glowed with a faint gold light—a signature dash skill from the Blade Master in DNF, now manifesting with terrifying power on a colossal scale. The four golden blades performed successive upward slashes. Madara controlled the Wood Golem and Wood Dragon to block with everything they had, but they only managed to deflect two blades. The last two struck the Golem squarely.
Thud! Thud!
The dull sounds echoed across the battlefield. The unfathomably heavy Wood Golem was actually launched into the air by the impact. Its legs, which had been buried in the mud, left the seabed, trailing silt.
'This is bad!' Madara thought. He clapped his hands, flooding the golem with chakra. A constant stream of vines grew from its surface, wrapping around it like a suit of armor.
"Susanoo: Illusion Sword Dance!"
Charge and Burst was just the opening move. The following Illusion Sword Dance was the real source of damage. Driven by Makiya's vast chakra, the Susanoo's massive arms swung in rapid succession, moving with the fluidity of flesh and blood.
The four golden blades shone brilliantly, moving at speeds the naked eye couldn't track. In an instant, countless sword shadows flickered like phantoms, enveloping both the Wood Golem and the Wood Dragon.
Every shadow carried the power to shake the heavens and earth. The air shrieked as if space itself were being sliced. Charred wood fragments rained down as the once-imposing Golem was covered in sword gashes deep enough to see through. Even the Wood Dragon was hacked into eight pieces, its protective vines completely severed.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Massive chunks of wood crashed into the sea, sending up countless sprays of water. Finally, the blades carved the Golem into a literal stump. Seeing Madara protected behind thick wooden slabs, Makiya controlled the Susanoo to raise all four swords and strike downward with everything it had.
Golden flame sword beams erupted from the longswords, slicing the last remains of the Golem in half. The wooden wall protecting Madara shattered along with it. Blood sprayed into the air. With his sharp eyes, Makiya saw Madara being cut in half at the waist.
The blades were massive and wreathed in fire. Madara had no chance to use his healing abilities; his severed halves were engulfed by the flames and charred black.
Madara had somehow acquired a pair of three-tomoe Sharingan. For an Uchiha who knew Izanagi, a temporary death wasn't the end. They could sacrifice an eye to cast a genjutsu that denied reality.
Inside the diamond crystal, Makiya panted heavily. His chakra was recovering at a rate measured in several 'units of Kakashi' per second. That flurry of attacks had been exhausting, and even he was feeling the strain.
But after sharing his power across multiple worlds, Makiya's current stats were that of an all-rounder build. He developed every attribute equally, with no obvious weaknesses. His mana regeneration was incredibly fast.
"To think you could kill me once... you're quite something, kid," Madara's voice drifted from the sea. Makiya looked down and saw that one of Madara's eyes had turned gray—he had clearly used Izanagi.
"Makiya Uchiha, if you had been born in the Warring States period..." Madara started to say something, but then shook his head. "What a waste. Such an outstanding junior. You possess talent that transcends mortals, yet you're obsessed with the illusions of reality, blind to the truth. How tragic. For the sake of world peace, you must be sacrificed!"
With that, Madara performed a strange series of seals. He then ripped open the tattered White Zetsu covering on his chest, revealing the face of Hashirama Senju.
If you love him, tattoo him on your body.jpg
Clearly, Madara's love for Hashirama had become twisted and perverse. He had sewn Hashirama's flesh directly onto his body, enduring the constant erosion of Hashirama's cells day and night until he achieved a sort of balance.
The flesh itself was bizarre. It started as a tiny piece Madara had bitten off Hashirama, yet after merging with Madara's own tissue, it had grown into a complete face of Hashirama Senju.
The white skin even grew a mouth, nose, and eyes. Who knew where the neurons were connected, but it was incredibly unsettling.
Right then, an anomaly occurred on the Hashirama face on Madara's chest. Red eyeshadow flickered around the two tightly closed eyes, eventually spreading to the forehead in the form of a ring-like marking representing Yang Release.
"Makiya Uchiha, you are a worthy opponent. I admire you. This technique existed only in my original designs; using it on some nobody would be a waste. It is the perfect end for you."
Madara clapped his hands. The Hashirama face on his chest trembled as if a living person had been sewn inside and still possessed consciousness. Tiny green leaves and tender branches sprouted from around the face.
A towering, deep-green Wood Golem rose from the ground again. Makiya had expected Madara to pull out something like the Thousand-Armed Kan'on, but when he saw the Golem's signature pot-belly, his expression shifted to disappointment.
The Wood Golem grew taller and taller, quickly approaching a thousand meters. Madara stood proudly atop its head, the three-tomoe patterns in his remaining eye spinning rapidly.
"Majestic Attire: Susanoo!"
With a low growl, a deep blue Susanoo materialized from the top of the Wood Golem's head, spreading like armor to clad the giant's robust frame.
As the saying goes, 'Fine feathers make fine birds.' The Wood Golem, which had looked like a fat Buddha, was instantly transformed into a majestic, battle-hardened general by the armor of the Susanoo.
"I've wanted to do this for a long time, but never had the chance," Madara sighed atop the armored Golem, his voice tinged with regret.
This was a technique he had long since envisioned. Cladding the Nine-Tails in Susanoo armor was one application; cladding the Wood Golem was another. In Madara's vision, he and Hashirama would have used this move together to conquer the entire ninja world.
But Hashirama wouldn't cooperate. By the time they officially fell out, Madara never had the chance to try it. He could only keep the technique locked away in his heart.
Now that he had finally performed it, it felt as though a great weight had been lifted from his chest.
"Is it the final showdown then? I guess I should get serious too." Makiya looked at the majestic giant. A blue light flashed on his forehead, and light blue flames of aura erupted from his body. "The boring opening act is over. Madara, please die twice more!"
Uchiha Madara frowned. "What is this?"
Was there actually a jutsu in the ninja world he hadn't seen before?