Makiya stood within the crystal in the Susanoo's forehead. The jet-black chakra construct did nothing to obscure Madara Uchiha's vision; he could see Makiya's transformation clearly.
'What a strange ninjutsu. I sense the presence of natural energy... is it Sage Jutsu?' Madara frowned. In a battle between ninjas, information was everything. This rule applied especially to evenly matched opponents, and at this point, Madara fully recognized Makiya's strength, viewing him as a rival on the same level as Hashirama.
The armored Wood Golem stood majestic, stirring up gale-force winds and massive waves with every movement. Standing atop the Golem's head, Madara looked like a living god. Only he knew the truth of his condition; no matter how his aging body recovered, he simply lacked the stamina he had in his youth, when he could fight Hashirama for three days and nights until the world itself turned dark.
Waves of exhaustion surged from across his body to his mind. His decaying physical form was desperately signaling to his brain that if he didn't rest soon, his organs would truly start to fail.
The life energy he drew from the Gedo Statue was, after all, a temporary supply. Successive battles had drained every last drop of energy, and Madara's body began to age rapidly, the aura of death becoming apparent.
On the other side, a spirited Makiya formed a sharp contrast to Madara. His young body was brimming with vitality, and his eyes were bright, showing no trace of fatigue despite the intense battle.
"Youth is truly wonderful. I hope that when the day of my resurrection comes, you will still be this young," Madara muttered to himself, ensuring Makiya couldn't hear. He then clapped his hands together, and the armored Wood Golem drew two blue light blades, lunging at Makiya like an ancient samurai.
Makiya's Susanoo also stepped forward with its blades. If Makiya's Susanoo moved with the speed and fluidness of a human, the Wood Golem moved with the agility of a living giant standing right before one's eyes.
Boom!
Four golden blades crossed above their heads. The light blades in the Wood Golem's hands slammed down from above, colliding violently with the golden blades.
The heavy force transmitted through the swords into the Susanoo's body. The black giant staggered back a couple of steps and fell to one knee.
The Wood Golem released one of its long blades while the other maintained the suppression. The blue armor covering its hands spread toward its palms, and another blade materialized out of thin air, slashing directly toward the abdomen of Makiya's Susanoo.
Crashing sounds filled the air as a large section of the black chakra construct shattered. A massive wound was carved into the abdomen of Makiya's Susanoo; the blade pierced through the armor, skin, and muscle, eventually catching on the solid spinal column.
Makiya glanced at the wound and slowly reduced the output of his ocular power and chakra. The skin and muscle of the Susanoo gradually vanished, leaving only a ghoulish skeleton still wrestling with the Wood Golem.
"Oh? Giving up already?" Madara controlled the Wood Golem to press its full weight forward, the clashing of golden and light blades ringing out incessantly.
"Pulling back a fist is done to strike harder next time." Makiya's gaze was contemptuous. "Don't you even understand that simple logic?"
"But right now, you're the one being pinned down!" Madara roared. Makiya's expression was incredibly irritating; even a saint has his limits, let alone the hot-tempered and prideful Madara.
The long blade in the Wood Golem's hand danced again, the sound of the wind whistling like thunder. The azure blade collided with the black spine, sending shockwaves scattering in all directions.
With a sharp snap, Makiya's Susanoo broke in the middle. The lower half, losing its chakra support, vanished as it fell. The four arms above could no longer withstand the Wood Golem's strike and were sent flying by the immense force.
Rumbling booms echoed as Makiya's figure was shot backward, carving a long trail across the sea's surface. When he burst back up from the water, the armored Wood Golem stood alone on the vast battlefield, its massive arms brandishing blades as if celebrating its victory.
"Is it over..."
"Who won?"
"Why even ask? If you can't use those eyes of yours, I suggest you donate them to someone else and get out of the ninja world."
"You bastard from the Kaguya Clan, you looking for a fight?"
"Who's afraid of you, you pretty boy from the Yuki Clan!"
"Stop arguing! You don't actually think the winner is going to let us go, do you?"
The surviving Mist Ninja were suddenly jolted by the realization. They quickly suppressed their chakra and began running across the water. These survivors were clever; they knew when to run and had fled faster than anyone else, which was why they hadn't died in the aftershocks.
The last person was right. Whether it was Makiya or the other mysterious man who won, they were both enemies to the Mist. It made no difference.
The scale of the battle had long since robbed the Mist Ninja of any courage to resist. Was it some kind of joke? Did anyone really think they would throw their lives away for a meager monthly ninja subsidy?
Unlike these ignorant Mist Ninja, Madara Uchiha knew that having a Susanoo forcibly broken would affect the user, but it wasn't fatal. For someone as young as Makiya, he would likely recover after a few breaths.
Strike while the iron is hot. Having killed his way through mountains of corpses, Madara knew this well. The constant feedback of weakness from his body urged him to end the fight quickly, and it just so happened that he agreed.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The armored Wood Golem held its twin blades, the hundreds-of-meters-long edges acting like swords of divine punishment, repeatedly striking the area where Makiya had fallen. Silt and seawater were flung high into the air as massive waves surged.
"Hey, were you looking for me?"
A voice came from above. Madara's pupils constricted as he quickly looked up, discovering that Makiya had somehow escaped the sea and was standing in mid-air.
Because Makiya was at a higher altitude than the Golem, Madara had to look up at him, a gesture that made Madara extremely displeased.
"Why did you stop maintaining the Susanoo? Is your ocular power exhausted?" Madara folded his arms, his expression cold.
Makiya shook his head. "Being big doesn't necessarily mean being powerful. I was just playing the 'giant game' with you. Madara Uchiha, your era is over. An old man like you should just stay in his grave!"
Despite Makiya's disrespectful tone, Madara actually grinned. "Fine, fine. So you finally admit I am Madara Uchiha?"
He could tolerate being misunderstood, but what he couldn't stand was being mistaken for Tobirama Senju. That dog had no right to be compared to him!
"Don't worry. Once the battle is over, I'll leave you an intact corpse. To die by my hand, Madara Uchiha's hand, is something you can take pride in!" Before the words even finished, Madara controlled the Wood Golem to close in once more, its blade piercing the sky.
Makiya tilted his body slightly to dodge the slash. The wide, slab-like blade fell right past him without touching even a corner of his clothing.
Wrapped in blue aura, his every movement was exceptionally fast, his speed having increased significantly compared to before.
The Kaguya Sword appeared in Makiya's hand. Influenced by the Sage Jutsu chakra, it evolved into a pale white flame that enveloped the blade, emitting a holy light.
The unique human Sage Mode granted Makiya incredible physical attributes, making it feel as though he could crush the earth itself with his bare hands. This was a common illusion one felt after gaining a massive burst of power; Makiya was familiar with it, as it happened to some degree every time he shared strength.
"Ultimate Sword Art: Swift Slash!"
In Sage Mode, Makiya could more perfectly execute the Sword God techniques from Arad. With a flash of white light streaking across the sky, Makiya's figure vanished. When he reappeared, he was already standing behind Madara.
"What!" Madara's eyes widened—or rather, his single eye. The dynamic vision of his three-tomoe Sharingan could only capture a shadow; he couldn't see the actual movement at all.
The suddenly appearing sword light erupted. As Makiya sheathed the Kaguya Sword, countless sharp blue sword beams ravaged the top of the Wood Golem's head. The hardened armor of the Majestic Attire: Susanoo cracked over a wide area, and the chakra construct began to crumble.
"Another sword technique I've never seen before. Did this brat start practicing the sword in the womb?" Madara's face darkened. Makiya's swordsmanship was unheard of, but to combine swordplay and chakra to this degree without years of practice and countless life-and-death insights was absolutely impossible.
"Wood Style: Tree Root Burial!" Sitting and waiting for death was not Madara's style. He leveled his right hand and opened his palm toward Makiya. Countless thick tree roots surged from his arm like giant serpents, intending to strangle Makiya completely.
Makiya slowly reached for the Kaguya Sword behind him. An invisible pressure descended, and the vast space before him seemed to move on its own as air currents vibrated between Makiya and Madara.
'Yet another new sword technique...' Madara's eyelid twitched. He felt an invisible force locking onto him. This technique could not be dodged; it had to be met head-on.
The spreading roots suddenly accelerated, but just as they reached Makiya, the long sword in his hand seemed to flicker, yet also appeared as though it hadn't moved at all.
Even with the insight of his three-tomoe Sharingan, Madara could only see the afterimages of Makiya's arms. In that split second, the extreme speed of the draw had exceeded the eye's ability to react.
Snap!
The rushing roots were suddenly marked by a massive sword scar, followed by an explosion of countless invisible slashes. The roots stretching through the air were instantly blown into countless fragments.
Clang!
The protective crystal in front of Madara vibrated violently. A straight gash appeared on its surface. The sword qi had directly pierced through the Susanoo armor known for its defense. If it hadn't been for Madara's instincts honed on the battlefield causing him to instinctively move an inch at the last moment, his head would have been separated from his body.
Madara raised a hand to touch his neck. He felt the warmth on his palm as the smell of blood began to spread within the Susanoo.
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