Madara's offensive grew even more fierce.
The shadows of Limbo: Hengoku constantly shifted their positions, the cooperation between the main body and the shadows being seamless.
His taijutsu, ninjutsu, and dojutsu took turns, completely without holding back.
Although Gento could see the shadows with his Rinnegan, dealing with them was still taxing.
His combat experience was rising rapidly.
But compared to an old monster like Madara, who had lived for nearly a century, there was still a massive gap.
However, he did not care.
He was learning.
He was progressing at a breakneck pace!
Every single movement, tactic, decision, and split-second reaction of Madara was seen by his eyes and engraved in his heart.
His body continuously adjusted in battle, moving from being suppressed at the beginning, to gradually being able to strike back, and now to being able to trade blows back and forth with Madara.
His speed of progress was astonishingly fast.
The dojutsu of the Uchiha clan inherently possessed an incredibly powerful ability to copy and replicate.
Now, aiding Gento to learn mid-combat, it made him like a tiger that had grown wings.
The Panlong Staff, an immortal tool, showcased its true value even more in battle.
Not only was it sturdy enough to withstand Madara's full-power strikes, but more importantly, it was its energy devouring trait.
Every single clash and block absorbed Madara's chakra and dojutsu power, converting them into energy that Gento could utilize.
This gave Gento an absolute advantage in a battle of attrition.
Madara noticed this as well.
This kid's ninja tool was practically tailor-made for a battle of attrition.
Albeit he did not care.
What Edo Tensei brought him was boundless chakra!
Right now, he only wanted to fight, to have a satisfying battle, regardless of the consequences or the outcome.
The two fought from dawn till dusk, from dusk to the dead of night, and from the dead of night until the next morning's dawn.
The surrounding terrain had been totally altered.
The ground was filled with deep craters and fissures.
The distant cliffside had been blasted with massive gaps by ninjutsu.
Shattered rocks littered the ground.
Trees were uprooted, and streams were blocked and redirected.
The land within a radius of several miles looked as if it had been baptized by a natural disaster.
Gento's breathing grew rapid.
Keeping five gates of the Eight Gates open for so long had pushed his body's load to its limit.
Although his chakra remained abundant thanks to the replenishment from the Panlong Staff, his muscles had begun to ache, and his reaction speed had dropped slightly.
Despite this, the Madara opposite him showed absolutely no intention of stopping.
They fought all the way until noon of the second day, when the chakra inside Gento's body began to run dry.
Madara also keenly noticed Gento's continuously declining state.
Ultimately, as if he had fully enjoyed himself, Madara chose to stop.
Gento also stopped right away.
The two stood dozens of paces apart.
Gento swiftly utilized this gap to recover.
Meanwhile, Madara simply stood there without saying a word, his face carrying a long-absent satisfaction.
Gento knelt on one knee, the Panlong Staff stabbed into the ground beside him, the golden veins on the staff glowing, as if digesting the energy absorbed from this battle.
He raised his head to look at this legendary figure, a sincere smile appearing on his face.
Madara crossed his arms and looked down at him, his eyes filled with appreciation:
"Kid, what was your name again?"
"Gento Uchiha."
"Gento..."
Madara nodded, a smile rising at the corners of his lips.
"I have memorized your name."
"This battle was highly satisfying!"
"You are the most talented Uchiha descendant I have ever seen."
"To possess such power at this age is something even I, Madara Uchiha, could not achieve back then."
Gento stood up, put away the Panlong Staff, and bowed deeply toward Madara:
"The guidance of Senior Madara has brought vast benefits to this junior as well."
Madara waved his hand:
"Cut that out. I was simply enjoying the fight."
Gento immediately retrieved a sealing container from the Yomotsu space and opened the lid.
Two pale purple Rinnegan floated inside the container, emitting a faint glow.
"These are your Rinnegan."
Madara's pupils contracted slightly.
He stared at those two eyes, falling silent for a moment, and then raised his head to look at Gento.
"You are returning the Rinnegan?"
Gento stepped forward, presenting the sealing container in front of Madara:
"Just returning them to their original owner."
Madara did not take them right away.
He looked into Gento's eyes; there was no reluctance, no scheming, only openness and sincerity.
"Kid, do you know what this means?"
"With this pair of Rinnegan, my strength will rise even further."
"Are you not afraid of being unable to defeat me?"
Madara's voice was low, carrying a hint of probing.
Gento smiled; there was no reservation in that smile, only composure:
"Senior Madara, I respect you, which is why I am willing to return the Rinnegan to you."
"Even if I cannot defeat you, it would only mean my skills are inferior, and I would accept that. Besides..."
"I only wish to fight fair and square; I disdain employing petty tricks."
"Senior's Rinnegan was yours to begin with. It is only right to return them to you."
Madara stared at him for a long time.
He laughed heartily.
"Good! What a 'fair and square'! What a 'disdain for employing petty tricks'!"
"This personality of yours suits my temperament perfectly!"
Only then did he take the sealing container from Gento's hand, retrieve the two Rinnegan, and place them into his own eye sockets.
The Rinnegan returned to their place.
Madara's entire presence shifted abruptly.
His aura, which had been somewhat weakened due to the Edo Tensei, now surged violently like an erupting volcano.
Within his pale purple Rinnegan, the ripples slowly spun, emitting a heart-stopping pressure.
He closed his eyes, feeling that long-lost power, the smile on his lips deepening.
"Kid, I, Madara Uchiha, acknowledge you!"
Madara opened his eyes, looking at Gento.
"From this day on, you are an opponent and friend acknowledged by Madara Uchiha!"
Gento rejoiced in his heart.
He knew that a powerhouse like Madara could not be controlled by genjutsu like Kotoamatsukami; he could only win him over.
Today's battle, along with the act of proactively returning the Rinnegan, had undoubtedly earned him Madara's respect and trust.
This god of death would be an indispensable combat asset when confronting the Otsutsuki in the future.
What a pity he did not have an extra Reanimation card on hand right now, and could not immediately bring Madara back to life truly.
Though an Edo Tensei body was powerful, it was ultimately not a body of flesh and blood, unable to exert full strength.
"Senior, now that you have resurrected-even if it is only in the state of Edo Tensei-you can be considered to have returned to the shinobi world."
Gento immediately extended an invitation once more.
"Would you be interested in going to see the current Uchiha clan?"
"The current Uchiha is vastly different from your era."
Madara arched an eyebrow, a flash of curiosity crossing his eyes.
He looked at Gento's young face and nodded slowly.
"Very well."
"I am quite curious. Let me see what you have turned the current Uchiha into."
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