Omodaru

"Whoosh!" In the instant the Rinbo shadow launched its surprise attack, Chen strangely twisted aside... and dodged it!

Madara: "What!?"

"Damn." Leaning back to the limit, Chen thought, Madara really went straight for Rinbo? Without this [Omodaru], I really wouldn't be able to face him head-on here!

Madara was surprised, but he was also truly seasoned. "Hm? His gaze didn't follow the Rinbo shadow's movements. Does that mean he can't actually see the shadow? He can't see it, yet he can dodge it... does he possess sensory abilities like Naruto's?"

No, it was too early to draw conclusions. He needed to probe further!

The Rinbo shadow turned back and swung a fist at the completely defenseless back of Chen's head, launching a second strike!

"Whoosh!" Chen somehow bent forward forcefully from his reclined position, dodging Rinbo once again!

"That is..." Madara narrowed his eyes, catching a crucial detail. When the Rinbo fist was a hand and a half away from the back of Chen's head, its speed had strangely slowed!

It could slow close-range attacks? But that alone couldn't explain how he had dodged an invisible attack!

He would increase the intensity!

—Limbo: Border Jail!

Madara activated Rinbo with both eyes at once! Four shadows launched an unceasing barrage of alternating rapid attacks!

Chen also sensed the invisible pressure mounting! He simply closed his eyes and pushed his concentration to its limit!

His footsteps shifted and changed, his waist, hips, and arms driving his body forward, backward, down, and up!

Beneath the black God Robe, every lean, powerful muscle in his body seemed to have developed a will of its own, performing extreme movements that even many superb Taijutsu ninja could never accomplish!

If an outsider unaware of the truth had been present, they would have thought he was dancing rhythmically at the air!

"To think such a thing exists..."

Madara clenched his arm tightly.

Because what he saw was Chen dancing within his Rinbo!

"A layer of 'Personal Barrier' envelops his body. Its thickness is roughly thirty-three centimeters! It changes shape with his movements, yet always covers his entire body. Whenever Rinbo's attacks touch the edge of the barrier from any direction, they slow down. That mechanism gives him the prerequisite to possibly evade Rinbo."

"Furthermore, when the barrier is touched, it produces an inward-transmitting effect resembling 'ripples.' Those ripples faithfully convey the location and direction of external attacks to his skin through the sense of touch."

"So, he cannot see Rinbo, nor can he sense it directly, but through this indirect perception, he can evade."

"Since Rinbo's signs cannot be detected beforehand, this Personal Barrier must exist whenever he maintains his Mangekyō state. It is similar to Kamui in Obito's right eye."

"However, what makes him formidable is not merely his Dojutsu, but his body, which can make swift and precise reactions in coordination with the indirect perception provided by those 'ripples.'"

"That means he himself possesses exceptional physical qualities. His attainments in Taijutsu and the Body Flicker Technique are unquestionably considerable."

"Rinbo is a technique that only the Rinnegan and Six Paths Senjutsu can contend with, yet he can handle it with ease using only the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan. On that point alone, he is qualified to stand before me!"

"Whoosh!" Madara stopped Rinbo.

Chen straightened his posture as well, without a single superfluous movement.

But in truth, that exchange had pushed him to the limit.

Dodging the combined assault of four Rinbo shadows was the utmost reaction his current body and Personal Barrier could achieve.

If there had been one more Rinbo shadow, or if Madara himself had attacked in coordination with Rinbo, he might have needed other methods to deal with it.

And Rinbo could use the caster's techniques as well, such as Susanoo.

Madara clearly had not gotten serious. He was mainly testing him, so there was no need for Chen to get serious either.

Chen calmly said, "Is your test of my strength over?"

"Hmph." Madara neither confirmed nor denied it. "What is the Dojutsu your right eye activated just now called?"

"[Omodaru]."

"Omodaru? A rare Time Dōjutsu."

"As expected of Uchiha Madara. You recognized at a glance that it was a Time Dōjutsu."

"Making Rinbo, which is not bound by the physical laws of this world, slow down is definitely not physical 'slowing.' What else could it be besides a Time Dōjutsu? Omodaru's true power should be more than just that Personal Barrier, shouldn't it?"

Chen admitted generously, "Yes. That was merely its most basic ability."

Madara lowered his arms from his chest, eager to fight. "Let me see its more advanced abilities!"

It seemed that even after his miserable downfall, Madara's passion for battle had not changed. He could even temporarily set everything else aside.

Chen said, "That is fine, but rather than my Dojutsu, shouldn't you first ask why you were summoned here through Impure World Reincarnation?"

"Ha ha." After laughing once, Madara said darkly, "If I ask, I might have to eliminate you immediately! If I don't, I can still enjoy myself a little longer!"

"I see. As expected..."

Chen's heart was clear as a mirror.

Before his death, Madara had reached a century-long reconciliation with Senju Hashirama. He had, in a sense, acknowledged Hashirama's Nindo.

The Uchiha Madara standing here was no longer a symbol of darkness.

If Chen truly intended harm toward the ninja world, Madara would definitely execute him on the spot.

Madara stretched his arms and shifted several steps, as if getting accustomed to this body.

It was clear that he did not underestimate Chen at all. Instead, he regarded him as an opponent.

After all... besides Naruto and Sasuke, Chen before him was likely the only one capable of dodging Rinbo!

He said eagerly, "Come on! I won't use Rinbo next. Attack without restraint!"

Chen did not respond immediately. He first lowered his head to look at the Quartz Watch on his right wrist.

The time was 7:58 p.m.

Fine... if he wanted Madara to seriously listen to him, he had to satisfy his curiosity first.

"Crackle!" Once he made up his mind, fierce purple Lightning Style erupted from Chen's left palm, covering his wrist and condensing into a solid mass.

This hand seal-free Lightning Style was Purple Lightning, the technique Kakashi had further refined and developed from Chidori after losing his Sharingan following the Fourth Great Ninja War.

"Purple Lightning Style, an extension of nature transformation? Its power should be decent." Purple electric light reflected in Madara's eyes as he spoke casually.

So how would he use his right eye's ability to make that attack hit him? Madara would watch with interest!

"Hoo." Chen took a deep breath and charged Madara head-on!

Oh? He was coming directly at him? Did he intend to use Omodaru to slow Madara's movements as he closed in? What a pity. Madara would not let him get close so easily...

Madara raised his hands and formed the Horse hand seal before his chest!

"Fire Style: Great Fire Annihilation..."

At that instant, Chen sprinted to where Madara had been standing before his warm-up movements. Holding up Purple Lightning, his right eye trembled and emitted a vermilion glow!

"Now!"

—Omodaru!

"Whoosh!" Madara, just about to unleash his Fire Style, abruptly vanished from where he stood!

Amid blurred, trembling black lines in the air, he suddenly appeared before Chen's palm, right at Purple Lightning's sharp edge!

He had returned to his starting position from before the warm-up movements!

More critically, even the hand seal he had formed had been reverted to the posture of crossing his arms over his chest.

Even the Fire Style Chakra gathered in his throat, ready to erupt... had vanished without a trace!

"Hiss!" Realizing something, Madara sucked in a sharp breath and retreated with all his strength!

However... Chen had already seized the initiative with his Dojutsu, and the following combo flowed with blinding speed!

"Slash!" Purple Lightning swept past, dispersing Madara's left arm before he could lower it, and shaving away the features of Hashirama's face exposed on his chest!

Madara halted in the midst of retreating. He looked at Chen, unable to say a word for a long while.

Chen did not press the advantage foolishly. Instead, he withdrew Purple Lightning at the right moment and said, "Time Reversal. That is a somewhat more advanced use of Omodaru."

"And being able to avoid vital points even after already being struck under such extreme circumstances... only the legendary Uchiha Madara could accomplish that!"

"Rustle..." Dust reformed into Madara's left arm, then smoothed over the features on Hashirama's face on his chest.

Only after a long while did Madara recover and ask, "What is the limit of the time you can reverse?"

"About five minutes," Chen said calmly.

Because in his plans, Madara and "the other one" were both extremely important figures. They would need to cooperate for a long time in the future, so there was no need to conceal something that would eventually be revealed anyway.

Madara's gaze darkened.

Omodaru was undoubtedly an even more absurd Dojutsu than Obito's Kamui. And Time Reversal was likely not even the full extent of this Dojutsu, much less the full extent of those eyes.

Anyone capable of awakening such eyes could never be an unknown nobody in any era.

With a solemn expression, Madara asked, "Uchiha Chen, right? You are this strong. Why was there no sign of you during the Fourth Great Ninja War?"

Because at that time, we were still developing.

My younger brother and I only had Mangekyō Sharingan.

Why waste our limited Dojutsu Power in a war that was guaranteed to be won?

My original plan had been for my brother and me to each offer one eye to the other, each awakening one Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan. After the war, we would persuade Naruto and Sasuke to form an alliance and resist foreign enemies together.

But I had never imagined that one day, my younger brother would leave me, dying in such an unclear and inexplicable manner. Not even Impure World Reincarnation could summon back his departed soul!

Nor had I ever imagined that Naruto's side would refuse all reason.

In the end, I was forced to inherit both of my brother's eyes and revise my plans!

Chen thought of many things, but only spoke four words: "The war has not come."

"Hm?" Madara raised a brow and stared deeply at Chen.

The war had not come.

During the Fourth Great Ninja War, the ninja of the Five Great Nations formed an allied army. Obito and I successively absorbed the Ten-Tails and became Six Paths. After Black Zetsu, that beast, stabbed me in the back, Kaguya Otsutsuki herself even descended... and he said the war had not come?

Then what exactly did he intend to fight?

Those four brief yet deeply thought-provoking words made him curious about this man, who bore some resemblance to the young Hashirama in appearance and some similarities to his younger self in temperament.

Young man, you have successfully caught my attention...

Madara asked, "Speak. Why did you summon me here through Impure World Reincarnation?"

Chen looked at his wristwatch once more.

8:00 p.m.

It seemed about time.

He raised his eyes and asked Madara's opinion. "Would you mind changing locations before we talk?"

Madara had noticed Chen looking down at his watch earlier.

Heh, interesting. He seemed to be someone with a strong sense of time...

Madara: "Why? Does it make a difference?"

Chen: "Yes. This is a site I specifically arranged for Impure World Reincarnation. It is gloomy, poorly lit, and not a good place to talk. Besides, there are no comfortable seats, no delicious tea or snacks. The two of us chatting dryly here makes us look like we have some kind of illness."

Madara thought with amusement, Heh, it seems he has not only a strong sense of time, but also a strong sense of space.

He deliberately decided to make things difficult for him. "What if I refuse to go?"

Chen said, "Then please take a walk and see what the ninja world looks like nowadays. I will come find you punctually at eight tomorrow morning!"

Madara tilted his head, and a question mark seemed to float above it.

Apparently, what was strong about him was not just his sense of time and space, but also his sense of autonomy! Was he really not afraid that Madara might do something excessive outside overnight? Wouldn't Naruto and Sasuke come after him then?

"Fine. Where are we going?" Since he was free anyway, he might as well see what Chen was planning.

"My home."

"Where is your home?"

"A thousand kilometers away, in the Land of Lightning."

"Walking?"

"No, flying."

Chen strode up to Madara and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Whoosh!" A Black Vortex burst from Chen's right eye.

After they were drawn in, a vast white world appeared before them, filled with countless grid-like rooms.

"Where is this?"

"The Otsutsuki Time Zone, the internal space of my Omodaru. Using this space as a transit point, I can also move through time and space..."

Madara: "..."

"Whoosh!" The scene changed again. Beneath the evening breeze and moonlight, a warm little house appeared before them, and a beautiful woman was waiting there.

—"Honey, welcome home~. The person beside you is... Uncle Madara, right?"