Battle at the Dueling Arena 5

Izuna clenched his fist, and a blue Light Blade materialized out of thin air in his palm.

The edge of the blade gleamed with a faint bluish-purple light. There was no hilt; the blade extended directly from the space between his thumb and forefinger, as if a blade had grown out of his arm itself.

Tobirama Shinsuke: Is it a variant of Susanoo?

He simply confirmed it and then looked for another opportunity.

He didn't have to wait long.

Isshiki's Strength was terrifying. After another fierce battle, he once again forced Madara out of Susanoo. Madara fell into the Buddha's hand. Just as Isshiki was about to finish Madara off first, Hashirama rushed over and punched him away.

At that moment, Isshiki's back was briefly exposed to Tobirama's view.

The window lasts less than half a second, but that's enough for Flying Thunder God.

Tobirama gripped Izuna's shoulder tightly, his figure vanished from the spot, and the next instant he appeared behind Isshiki.

Isshiki reaction time was still ridiculously fast.

He turned around the instant he activated Flying Thunder God Technique, and the thin Black Rods that flew out of his sleeve and the blue Light Blade that Izuna conjured in mid-air were attacked at the same time.

Black Rods rained down like needles toward Izuna's chest, while Izuna's Light Blade drew an arc, the blade slicing into Isshiki's neck from the left, passing through skin, muscle, and blood vessels, and exiting from the right.

Strangely, the Light Blade pierced through Isshiki's neck without leaving any wound.

There was no blood, no cut; not even a red mark where the blade had grazed Isshiki's neck.

Seeing Isshiki, Isshiki, who was initially a little flustered, smiled mockingly, waiting to see the Black Rods turn Izuna into a hedgehog.

Tobirama thought Izuna would at least dodge Izuna Black Rods attacks, but for some reason, every single Black Rods was driven into Izuna's body.

They pierced through muscles and bones, protruding from behind, with one even stabbing into Izuna's lung, very close to his heart.

Upon witnessing this scene, Madara's eyes widened in fury, "Izuna!!"

Tobirama reached out to grab Izuna, intending to use the Flying Thunder God Technique to take him away before Isshiki could pursue.

But before his hand could even touch Izuna's clothes, a violent energy surge erupted from Isshiki's body.

Tobirama felt as if a wall had rushed towards him, sending him flying backward and crashing heavily onto a pile of rubble more than ten meters away.

A series of screams tore through the air above the basin at the same instant; they were all the Isshiki of scream.

Tobirama propped himself up from the pile of rubble and looked up at Isshiki.

He witnessed a scene that sent chills down his spine.

The black wedge-shaped markings on Isshiki's body were shattering inch by inch, like cracks on the surface of porcelain spreading from his jaw to his entire face.

Unstable white light emanated from the cracks, and it was as if Isshiki, or rather Jigen's body, had become a lamp with its outer shell shattered, with light bursting outward from the cracks.

And in the gaps between those cracks, a paler, more eerie figure flickered on the surface of his body.

The figure was taller than Jigen, its outline resembling something from another world. Each appearance was accompanied by violent fluctuations in Chakra in the air, as if two scenes were playing alternately in the same location.

"What have you done?!" Isshiki's voice changed, no longer the condescending calm of before, but filled with genuine fear and anger.

Madara caught Izuna, who was being sent flying by the Black Rods, in mid-air. He supported Izuna's back with one hand and wrapped his other arm around Izuna's knees, pulling him into his embrace.

Izuna had seven or eight Black Rods stuck in his body, and blood gushed from his wounds, soaking Madara's clothes. His Light Blade had turned into specks of light and dissipated, and he had already lost consciousness.

Madara wanted to take Izuna away.

But before he could even put force into his foot, Isshiki had already rushed towards her.

His movements were even faster than before, so fast that even Madara's Sharingan could only catch a white afterimage.

Without a second thought, Madara released his grip, letting the attack Isshiki at Izuna smash into his own chest.

The next second he was sent flying backward, kicking up a cloud of dust in the forest, his fate unknown.

Isshiki looked at Izuna, wanting to make a move, but Hashirama had already taken advantage of the gap when Isshiki knocked Madara away, cut in from the side, scooped up Izuna was lying on the ground, and carried him away at high speed.

Hashirama turned back and shouted something in the direction Madara had disappeared, but Isshiki couldn't hear him anymore.

He stood there, looking down at his hands.

The cracks, which appeared out of nowhere, continued to widen, with an unstable light emanating from the depths of each crack.

He can continue to control Jigen's body, but that's all.

He didn't know what Izuna had done; the diamond-shaped wedge was still on his chin, but he could no longer reincarnate using Jigen's body.

He hadn't found a suitable vessel yet; the energy within the wedge was still violently surging through his body.

The body he was currently in, Jigen's, was simply unable to withstand his power.

He hadn't found a suitable container all these years, so he hadn't driven a wedge into anyone's hands.

If Jigen dies, his consciousness will have nowhere to go and can only dissipate with resentment.

He heard Jigen, which he had suppressed, tentatively rejecting him from the depths of his consciousness, as if realizing that this might be the only chance for him to be reborn.

Anger and an emotion he hadn't felt in a long time—fear—exploded simultaneously in his chest.

He couldn't delay any longer.

If this battle isn't ended quickly and a new temporary container isn't found, it won't be Hashirama or Madara who disappear, but himself.

He forcibly poured his power into Jigen's body.

His grayish-white pupils instantly transformed into golden-black radiating patterns, and he raised his right hand, his five fingers spread wide.

The Sukunahikona activated.

Space tore open above his palm.

From the pitch-black rift, one after another, enormous black cubes emerged, each resembling a small mountain.

They were magnified the moment they appeared, crashing into the ground through the cracks and crushing in the direction Hashirama was fleeing.

Hashirama looked up, formed hand seals, and his Wood Release arms burst forth from the ground beneath his feet, heading towards the cubes.

The wooden arm and the black cube collided in mid-air, and then he saw a scene that sent chills down his spine.

The Wood Release was crushed the moment it touched the cubes, sending wood chips flying, but the cubes' speed did not decrease in the slightest.

Unstoppable!

Hashirama made a quick decision to summon his younger brother.

Tobirama! Help!

He didn't need to call out a second time. Tobirama's Kunai had already appeared on the ground beneath his feet, the faint glow of the spell illuminating the Kunai's handle.

The next instant, Tobirama placed his hand on Hashirama's shoulder, and the Flying Thunder God was activated.

The three figures vanished from their original positions at the same instant the cube crashed down, reappearing above a mountain wall at the edge of the basin.

The cube crashed into the ground, sending up a plume of debris and a shockwave.

The entire mountainside trembled. Hashirama, carrying Izuna, knelt on one knee to steady himself. Tobirama stood beside him, his Red Eyes fixed on the white figure standing in the center of the Ruins.

"Is this what they call the final form?"

Hashirama put Izuna off his shoulder and let him lean against the mountain wall.

Izuna's head was tilted to one side, the blood in his left eye had stopped flowing, and the bloodstains on his face had dried into dark red marks. He seemed to have all his strength drained away, and his breathing was shallow and rapid.

Hashirama reached out and checked his carotid artery; the pulse was still there.

He looked up at Tobirama and gave the order without room for argument, "Take me to Madara's side. You take Izuna and go first."

Tobirama nodded and patted Hashirama on the shoulder. The Flying Thunder God Technique flashed, and Hashirama's figure disappeared from the mountain wall, reappearing in the Ruins the collapsed mountain wall on the other side of the basin.

Tobirama didn't linger; he used Flying Thunder God to go back and pick up Izuna.

But when he appeared here, only a few drops of blood that had not yet congealed remained on the mountain wall, and a fragment of Black Rods that had rolled into the cracks of the rubble.

Izuna has disappeared.

Tobirama's pupils contracted sharply.

In the center of the basin, Isshiki was looking down, his hands on his knees, his body slightly leaning forward, as if he were gagging.

The light emanating from his body was becoming increasingly unstable, and cracks spread from his jaw to his chest.

His wedge pattern is crumbling, and the rate of crumbling is accelerating.

Isshiki knew that even though the pain was unbearable, he had to find a suitable container immediately and carve a wedge on it.

As long as his consciousness is engraved into it, he can start over in a different body.

He suppressed the surging energy within his body, raised his head, and flew towards Konoha.

The Isshiki had barely flown a hundred meters when it came hurtling through the air from above the hill to the side.

The arrow wasn't aimed at his head, but rather at three meters in front of him, predicting his flight trajectory.

Isshiki abruptly stopped in mid-air, the arrow grazing his nose before embedding itself in the ground ahead.

He glanced down at the arrow, then turned away.

On the hill, Setsuna was kneeling on one knee on a protruding rock, already nocking his second arrow.

With Isshiki flick of his wrist, he threw a Black Rods at him.

The Black Rods rapidly enlarged in mid-air, shooting towards Setsuna with a piercing shriek.

He released the bowstring in Setsuna, his body simultaneously rolling to the side. The arrow and the Black Rods whizzed past each other in the air, the Black Rods embedding itself in the rock behind him, sending shards of rock flying.

Isshiki shrank the incoming arrow and casually tossed it on the ground.

He raised his head, his grayish-white pupils sweeping over the surrounding hills and Ruins, and then he noticed that a large number of people had gathered around him at some point.

On the hills and in the forest, the Konoha Ninjas and the newly arrived foreign reinforcements had formed a loose encirclement.

They gripped their Shurikens tightly, Kunai horizontally in front of them, and breathed heavily and rapidly, but not one of them retreated.

Behind the crowd, a figure was carrying the unconscious Izuna and retreating quickly.

It was Tadayo who took Izuna from the spot where Tobirama had disappeared.

Isshiki smiled.

His wedge pattern is still crumbling, Jigen's body is losing its ability to bear his consciousness inch by inch. What he needs most now is a container into which he can carve a wedge.

And these Ninjas, these containers, were surrounding him.

"They actually came to me willingly." Isshiki's face, a near-mad glint in his greyish-white eyes. "Then I won't be polite!"

Tobirama had just regained his footing from where the Flying Thunder God had landed when he witnessed this scene.

His pupils contracted sharply, and he shouted at the surrounding Ninjas, "Get out of here!"

His voice echoed through the valley, but no one moved.

They knew they might not be of much use; their Strength was far too insignificant compared to the four adults fighting on the front lines.

That guy is a monster. Neither Hashirama nor Madara could do anything to that monster, and even the opening that Izuna risked his life to create could only make him scream in pain a few times.

Even the fastest Lord Tobirama was already covered in wounds. The penetrating wounds on his body were still there, only the bleeding had stopped, not healed. In this state, let alone fighting, even throwing Kunai would cause a look of pain to appear on his face.

Are these guys who brought this suffering now heading to Konoha?

If he were allowed to go to Konoha would surely be destroyed.

How could we let this unknown guy destroy our home, the land that Hashirama promised to protect in his speech!

The Ninjas began charging forward one after another.

A Chunin the Senju Clan was the first to rush towards Isshiki. Before he could even throw his Shuriken, Isshiki's Black Rods had already pierced through his chest.

Blood mist exploded in the air, and he collapsed before he could even let out a scream. But at the same moment he fell, a young man from the Uchiha Clan leaped past him from behind, slashing Short Sword at the back of Isshiki's neck.

The blade missed, but Isshiki's elbow struck his abdomen, snapping him in two and sending him flying into the rubble.

There was no gap. The third person had already rushed over.

The burly man from the Akimichi Clan spread his arms and rammed into Isshiki like a wall, trying to lock the man in place with his weight.

With Isshiki slight turn of his body, he placed his palm on his chest, and Black Rods shot out from his palm, piercing through his back.

The burly man swayed slightly, gritted his teeth, and held on Isshiki Yishi, refusing to let go.

The next second, three more Black Rods appeared on his back, and he collapsed to the ground with a thud.

But the second he gained was not wasted.

Two more Ninjas simultaneously attacked from the left and right sides, Kunai and Short Swords aimed at Isshiki's ribs and lower back respectively.

He shrunk his body in Isshiki, landed a few meters away, then expanded again, and threw out several Black Rods, pinning the two pursuers to the ground.

Their Taijutsu would be completely countered by the Isshiki, and they would be killed in an instant.

Even so, no one stopped.

If one person dies, another is brought in; if two fall, four more are brought in.

They knew they couldn't win; they knew they might not even last a single blow, but they had to buy time for those who could fight to recover.

Only they can inflict effective damage on this Isshiki, so we have to hold on even if it costs us our lives!

Hashirama knelt beside Madara, his palms flat against Madara's chest, the green light of the Mystical Palm Technique continuously pouring into Madara's shattered ribs and damaged internal organs.

His forehead was covered in sweat, and the wrinkles on his cheeks had mostly faded, but he didn't stop.

He maintained the Mystical Palm Technique with one hand, while using the other hand to form a hand seal, biting his thumb until it bled, and then slammed his palm into the ground.

The Summoning Technique spread, and the Katsuyu's enormous body emerged from the smoke.

Without needing to explain, the Katsuyu instantly split into hundreds of smaller individuals, wriggling rapidly across the battlefield.

Some lay down Hashirama to assist him in providing more precise treatment, while others crawled toward the Ninjas lying in the Ruins.

To stop the bleeding, seal the wounds, and maintain vital signs, so that they would not die on the spot in this wave of attacks.

Sarutobi Sasuke was one of those who had just charged forward. When the Katsuyu crawled to his side, his chest was pierced by Black Rods, and his lungs were punctured. With each breath, blood bubbles were blown from the wound.

The Katsuyu covered his wound, its secreted mucus forcibly blocking the pneumothorax and keeping him clinging to life.

He climbed onto the abdomen of another Uchiha youth, Ifu. Izumi's internal organs had been ruptured by Isshiki knee strike, and his abdominal cavity was full of blood. The Katsuyu used Chakra to temporarily replace the functions of his ruptured organs, snatching his life back from the jaws of death.

But the death toll continues to rise.

The Katsuyu can save those who, after falling, still have a breath left.

Some people fall down without even their last breath.

In Setsuna, he drew his Short Sword from his waist, leaped down the hill, and joined the charging ranks.

He gripped the Short Sword in reverse, the blade close to his forearm, and cut in from the side of Isshiki's field of vision.

His Taijutsu ranks among the top three in the Uchiha Clan, and his speed is faster than anyone who rushed up before him. The moment his Short Sword approached Isshiki, he switched to a neutral grip, the tip of the blade thrusting upwards towards Isshiki's throat.

Isshiki Shi dodged to the side, then reached back to grab his wrist, but in Setsuna, he had already withdrawn his blade and taken a half-step back, causing Isshiki's fingers to miss. He then lunged forward again, changing his thrust to a slash, the blade cutting towards the inside of Yi Shi's knee.

Two rounds passed, and he still hadn't fallen.

The Isshiki gray pupils finally refocused on him, and the Black Rods flew out from the palm of his hand.

He dodged two blades in Setsuna, parried the third with the back of his blade, but was still grazed by the fourth one on the outside of his ribs, blood seeping from the tear in his clothing. He didn't look at the wound, gripped the Short Sword tightly again, and pressed it down once more.

Just then, the children arrived nearby.