The Wood Golem raised its arm, thrusting a massive, mountain-like palm toward Makiya. In Makiya's eyes, the originally fluid movement was as slow as a crawling snail, and he dodged it with ease.
The ninjutsu used by Madara Uchiha and Hashirama Senju were increasingly colossal; however, a clash between top-tier masters was never about whose giant construct was larger. Sometimes, compression was the true essence of power.
Ninjutsu like the Perfect Susanoo or the Wood Golem Technique were perfect for fighting one against ten thousand, as their wide-range, high-density attacks could quickly wipe out an army's vitality. But against a single, powerful opponent, they were insufficient.
Consuming the same amount of chakra, a single strike of sword qi released by Makiya's swordsmanship was far more threatening than a heavy punch from a Susanoo.
As the strike missed, numerous hands sprouted from the Wood Golem's arm, reaching out like agile tentacles to grab Makiya out of the air.
Blue flames surged as Makiya brandished the pristine Kusanagi Sword, carving a brilliant arc through the sky as he rapidly closed in on Madara.
Tree roots, wooden walls, and giant hands erupted one after another from below, desperately trying to halt Makiya's progress.
"Dragon Dash!"
A ferocious dragon head manifested in front of Makiya. He became like a high-speed train, piercing through every Wood Style ninjutsu that tried to block him, reaching Madara in an instant.
"Uchiha Reflection!"
The Uchiha Flame Fan blocked his path as Madara stood ready. The blue dragon head charged forward with unstoppable momentum, breaking through the Susanoo's defensive barrier with ease as the sword qi slammed violently into the fan.
Boom!
Flames erupted outward. Madara, holding the fan, felt as if he had been struck by a heavy blow. His body was forced back continuously, his feet skidding across the rough head of the Wood Golem, leaving a deep furrow in the wood.
Sword techniques fell like a violent storm. The Kusanagi Sword fluttered in Makiya's hands like a butterfly dancing through flowers, incredibly fluid and agile. Faced with Makiya's fierce assault, the powerful Taijutsu Madara had honed through countless battles found no room to breathe; he could only passively raise the fan to defend with everything he had.
But even a 'sacred weapon' was not truly divine. The Uchiha Flame Fan was simply a precious ninja tool forged from rare materials, not an invincible object. Under Makiya's assault, which was saturated with Senjutsu chakra, fine cracks began to appear on the fan's surface.
Flames surged as white fire extended along the blade of the Kusanagi Sword, radiating a brilliant glow. Makiya reached his left hand toward the hilt in his right, and with a light grip, a second 'Kusanagi Sword' appeared in his hand.
The sword, formed entirely from condensed white flames, was almost indistinguishable from the real thing. With twin blades in hand, Makiya lowered his stance and lunged forward with explosive speed.
"Flower Dance of a Thousand Souls!"
Madara's expression turned momentarily dazed, as if he saw cherry blossoms dancing in the air, reminding him of a quiet afternoon by the river when he was a child.
Then, Madara suddenly snapped awake. In this season and this location, how could there be cherry blossoms? 'Is this a genjutsu?'
'To try and play with genjutsu in front of me, Madara Uchiha... how ridiculous.'
His Three-Tomoe Sharingan spun, and though his face was grim, he found no trace of being controlled by a genjutsu. Yet the cherry blossoms in the air felt incredibly real, and the brilliant sword intent within them stung his skin.
'Wait, sword intent?'
In the next second, Makiya appeared behind Madara, his twin blades moving like soaring dragons. The brilliant sword light completely enveloped Madara. The skills of the wandering samurai from the Arad continent were famous for their splendor; the enemy would be immersed in swordsmanship as beautiful as flowers, unaware that death had already arrived.
The final strike pierced through the air. The fan in Madara's hand was finally knocked loose and sent flying high into the air, the iron chains connected to his body rattling loudly. Bright red blood stained the top of the Wood Golem's head.
As the illusory petals dissipated, a wound deep enough to see bone appeared on Madara's chest. Even the large face of Hashirama embedded there was sliced in half, revealing a pulsing heart.
Makiya remained expressionless, showing not a hint of joy at his victory. In the next moment, the 'Madara' lying on the ground with fading life turned into a wooden carving. The chains connected to the fan rattled as they flew toward Makiya under someone's control.
Clang!
Makiya raised his blade to parry, and the fan was knocked away by the immense force. However, Madara's goal had been achieved. The moment Makiya raised his blade, the wood beneath his feet shifted, and two Madaras emerged from the hard structure on either side, their giant scythes swinging toward Makiya's neck.
The scythe and the fan were a set, connected by a chain of iron rings, making them extremely flexible in combat.
Makiya did not dodge, allowing the cold, shimmering scythes to strike him. The blue flames appeared illusory, but their defensive power was even more staggering than the Susanoo. Unless hit by Kekkei Tota or an equal amount of Senjutsu chakra, his defense would never be breached.
Just as Makiya expected, Madara's scythe became lodged above his shoulder. Despite being separated from his skin by only a thin layer of blue energy, it could not move an inch further.
Slash! Slash!
Two flashes of sword light passed in an instant. The two Madaras beside him were hacked into four pieces and fell to the ground, turning back into wooden statues.
Still Wood Clones.
Among all clone techniques, the Wood Clone was a special tier, capable of fooling almost any detection ability.
Makiya stepped on the iron rings connecting the fan, hooked one with the tip of his blade, and pulled hard. The fan that had blocked countless attacks was instantly yanked toward him.
"I can't let you have this." A hand emerged from the ground as Madara rose from the head of the Wood Golem, firmly catching the handle of the fan. "This is a sacred weapon passed down through generations of the Uchiha. Only the clan head may wield it."
Makiya realized, "Then you should hurry up and give it back to Fugaku. He's so weak and doesn't even have the fan to protect him. If he dies out there for no reason, it'll be a disgrace to the Uchiha name."
Madara was momentarily speechless. Makiya was right; the fan was supposed to be passed down between clan heads, but that tradition had been broken with him.
"Since you're unwilling to hand it over, I'll just take it myself." Makiya raised his left hand toward the sky. The blue flames on his body fluctuated violently, and the stigma-like markings on his brow glowed even brighter.
"Ultimate Sword Art: Thousand Swords to Source!"
A massive amount of chakra surged through his body. Mixing with the natural energy accumulated in his brow, it transformed into azure Senjutsu chakra that erupted outward, condensing into ten blade-like wings behind Makiya.
Five blades of light floated on each side behind him, varying in length from top to bottom. Arranged together, they looked like wings of light unfolding from his back, dazzling to the eye.
"What kind of swordsmanship is this now!" Madara's eyes widened. "You brat... where did you find the time to master so many techniques? Is it a Mangekyo ability?"
Makiya's rise to power had been too fast. Even Madara, who had been secretly watching the ninja world, had failed to capture any trace of this boy's path to strength.
"I like to practice my swordsmanship in my dreams," Makiya gave a mysterious smile. How could he tell him about the Interdimensional Space? Regardless, everything he displayed today was the result of his own hard work; he definitely wasn't using hacks!
Madara's expression was dark. 'Practicing in dreams' sounded like a blatant lie. He desperately squeezed every drop of chakra from his body, controlling roots to attack from beneath Makiya's feet.
Invisible sword intent shredded every root that approached. Makiya pointed the Kusanagi Sword from a distance, and the ten swords behind him immediately flew out, carving perfect arcs through the air and surrounding Madara.
An inexplicable restraint wrapped around Madara, as if invisible giant hands were gripping him tightly, making him unable to move.
Madara struggled, finding the restraint incredibly strong. Seeing the light swords about to strike him, he immediately let go of the fan and pulled two pitch-black rods from his sleeves.
The black receivers could break through any ninjutsu restraint, but Makiya's swordsmanship was fueled by Senjutsu chakra, placing it on the same level of energy.
Madara detected the invisible energy threads in the air and swung the black rods, tearing through the resilient lines. By the time he finally broke free, the light swords were already inches away.
Madara was forced into a dual-wielding style—or rather, a 'dual-rod' style. He swung the two unremarkable black rods with ferocious speed, clashing with the light swords that struck from all directions.
Clang, clang, clang, clang, clang!
The black rods were creations of Yin-Yang Release. When Madara's bloodline merged with Hashirama's, the unique Yin and Yang energies intertwined and fused, condensing into the power of all creation. Upon awakening the Rinnegan, Madara had also mastered Yin-Yang Release.
Inserting the black rods into another person's body could disrupt their chakra, and they could also serve as receivers for his own chakra signals, making them very stable. Nagato used these rods to remotely control his puppet corpses.
The ten light swords attacked simultaneously. Madara split into three Wood Clones to use the black rods for defense. It wasn't that he didn't want to summon more clones; he simply didn't have enough chakra left.
Madara felt a sense of grief. He never imagined he would see the day his chakra ran dry, let alone reaching this point in a battle against a junior.
'Time truly is heartless!'
With a momentary lapse in focus, a light sword broke through the black rod's defense, piercing through one Madara's abdomen and leaving a hole the size of a basketball.
The 'dead' Madara turned into a wooden carving. The pressure on the remaining Madaras increased immensely as the rods swung continuously, the sound of metal clashing ringing out without end.
Suddenly, as a black rod crossed paths with a light sword, a crisp cracking sound reached Madara's ears, causing him to pale with shock.
"The black rod... actually broke!" Madara looked at the rod in his hand, which was covered in dense slash marks. This was a situation he had never encountered since awakening Yin-Yang Release.
'If he could only agree with my ideals, the Eye of the Moon Plan would surely succeed. I wouldn't need Obito, Itachi, or Shisui... Makiya alone would be enough!' Madara felt an infinite sense of regret. Makiya's ideals were too different from his own; they were destined never to cooperate.
"You are the greatest obstacle to the Eye of the Moon Plan. I must eliminate you today!" Madara suddenly abandoned his defense, his remaining Sharingan bulging as if it might pop out of its socket at any moment.
Makiya felt a cold, powerful ocular force wash over him. Madara's eye had originally been an Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan, and after being strengthened by Hashirama's cells, it had successfully evolved into a Rinnegan. The boost in ocular power was not to be underestimated. Experiencing it personally, Makiya found it truly formidable.
The cold ocular power left Makiya's eyes momentarily vacant. Madara had staked everything on this, pouring all his remaining ocular power into one move, his single eye weeping a stream of blood.
He was completely exhausted.
Madara crafted a magnificent journey for Makiya—the world after the implementation of the Eye of the Moon Plan. With his supreme control over genjutsu, he would make Makiya realize exactly who was right and who was wrong through a nearly flawless reality.
The flow of time in a genjutsu was different from reality. According to Madara's prediction, Makiya should wake up in thirty seconds. Thirty seconds was more than enough for Madara to kill Makiya countless times.
The flying swords that had been attacking began to slow down, indicating Makiya was deep within the genjutsu. Just as Madara was about to act, Makiya suddenly coughed up a mouthful of blood.
"Cough!"
The ocular power surged in his mind, but Makiya broke free from Madara's genjutsu world almost instantly. His Sharingan spun rapidly. "It's only polite to return the favor. Indulge in the genjutsu world of Mizuryu-Kei Land!"
Thanks to the version of himself from the world of Mysterious Revival, Makiya's immunity to genjutsu had increased greatly, though it did come with some... side effects. For instance, his own genjutsu had started to become rather strange.