Haniyasu

At 6:06 p.m. on July 2.

In the dense forests of Konoha, Chen and Madara descended from a space-time vortex.

At the edge of their vision stood a large pavilion. Madara recognized it at a glance—it was the very place where Naruto and Shin had fought in the illusion Chen had shown him last night.

Chen had already scouted the area beforehand and marked the nearby spatial coordinates, but they were still some distance from the battlefield.

Madara asked, "Why not go directly there?"

Chen said, "As witnesses, we should take some precautions first."

As he spoke, his left eye turned toward Madara, flashing with vermilion light.

—Haniyasu!

"Whoosh!" A layer of grayish aura enveloped Madara's entire body.

"Is this a body-hiding ability like that brat Second Tsuchikage's Mujin Mesai?"

"Not entirely the same. Mujin Mesai can evade the senses of the five senses and Chakra perception, but it can still be detected through physical means. Haniyasu, however, is immune to physical perception, Chakra perception, Senjutsu perception, and every other form of detection! Because what this technique erases is one's very 'sense of presence'!"

After saying that, Chen cast Haniyasu on himself as well.

It was worth mentioning that Utsuro-ryu in his right eye and Haniyasu in his left eye were the innate Dojutsu of Chen's Mangekyo Sharingan.

It was precisely by relying on those two abilities that Chen had been able to deceive everyone in his early years, moving through the key battlefields that would decide the future of the shinobi world and making many unknown preparations in advance without anyone noticing.

Madara said, "Such a convenient technique? It must have a weakness!"

Chen said, "It does. This is a technique that only a 'witness' can use to their fullest. Its weakness is that the caster must restrain themselves and cannot reveal killing intent toward the outside world, or the concealment effect will be lifted immediately."

Madara lowered his gaze. "I see. If one cannot reveal killing intent, then its usefulness in battle is greatly diminished."

Chen smiled faintly. "Actually, if you control your killing intent well, you can still quietly kill someone. But for an expert like you, even if an opponent silently infiltrated behind you, you could instantly counter them, couldn't you?"

Madara could not help recalling that filthy black figure.

Back from the dead, and he just had to bring up the one thing I didn't want mentioned...

Still, he was not truly angry at Chen. For one thing, Chen had not mentioned Black Zetsu at all.

And if Madara truly had anything to be angry about, it was his former self.

"Chen, let me make this clear first. If this turns out to be a wild goose chase, you know the consequences, right? Madara does not tolerate even a grain of sand in his eyes."

Meeting Madara's gaze, Chen replied neither humbly nor arrogantly, "Rest assured. Unless absolutely necessary, I never do anything without confidence. So far, there has never been such an 'absolute necessity.'"

Heh... So he meant that he had the confidence to fall out with me as well?

Rather than becoming angry at those words, Madara found himself appreciating the younger man before him even more.

Because every word and action of his came entirely from the mindset of the strong!

"Whoosh!" The vortex spun, and Chen and Madara landed atop a large tree.

In the clearing before the pavilion.

Naruto was sitting on a rock with a young girl, while Sasuke leaned against the pavilion entrance.

"..." Seeing Naruto's back, Chen lowered his eyes as well and said to Madara, "We came at just the right time."

Madara stared at the scene, which perfectly overlapped with the illusion, unable to hide his shock. "It truly is as you said..."

Chen shifted his gaze away from Naruto and fixed it on the girl. "That is Sarada, Sasuke's daughter. To save time, I omitted the reason she appeared here in the illusion. In short, because Sasuke had been active outside for years, he had neglected his family."

"By chance, she saw a photograph of Sasuke with one of his female subordinates from his Hawk days. Suspecting that her biological Mother might be someone else, she ran away to uncover the truth. She and Sasuke just acknowledged each other inside the pavilion. She probably could not accept that her father had failed to recognize her immediately, so Naruto is comforting her..."

After hearing that, Madara said, "I am not particularly interested in these domestic matters. What I care about most is whether Naruto and Sasuke's strength has truly declined to the pathetic extent shown in that illusion..."

"They're here!" Chen glanced at the black vortex that had suddenly appeared atop the pavilion's eaves, then looked down at his watch.

6:32 p.m.

Madara turned his gaze and saw a bald man in an Akatsuki robe and an onion-headed youth emerge from the vortex!

The exposed scalp of the bald man was densely planted with Sharingan, every single one a Mangekyo with a deep-black inverted-triangle pattern.

They were none other than Shin Uchiha and his Clone child!

Madara had already previewed Shin's background and the course of this battle through the illusion.

Madara had come here for only one purpose: to personally confirm Naruto and Sasuke's current condition!

He secretly hoped in his heart.

At this point, I am already certain that Chen possesses the ability to foresee the future. But Naruto, Sasuke... as people who once forced even Madara into a hard battle, I hope you can slap him hard across the face!!!

At the very least... don't let the disgraceful display you made in that illusion happen exactly as shown before my eyes, damn it!!!

Pin that garbage clown covered in Mangekyo to the ground and grind him into it, now!!!

"Swish!" The instant Shin Uchiha appeared, he locked his gaze onto the two on the ground, flicked his Akatsuki sleeve, and fired a barrage of ringed Shuriken!

"Buzz!" His Dojutsu activated at once!

Its ability was to "control objects he had marked"! Those ringed Shuriken had all been marked beforehand with his Dojutsu Power, and under his precise control, they tore through the air toward Naruto and Sarada!

Naruto immediately noticed them and cast a cold glance back!

"Clang, clang, clang!!" His right arm swept out from beneath the Hokage cloak, kicking up a violent gust that scattered every Shuriken's flight path behind him!

"Heh, not bad!" As Shin Uchiha activated his Dojutsu Power again... the Shuriken whose trajectories had been disrupted spun at high speed and turned back, shooting toward the two along even more unpredictable paths!

"Boom!" To protect Sarada, Naruto released Kurama's Chakra!

A brilliant golden fox head rose with a roar, blocking all the Shuriken once more!

At that moment, a black cloak fluttered fiercely as Sasuke flashed into the air and charged at Shin Uchiha!

"Heh, how about this!" In their Narrow Road Encounter, Shin curled his lips and casually flung out a large number of Shuriken. Under the control of his Dojutsu, their trajectories spread apart before converging upon Sasuke!

"Clang, clang, clang!" With peerless swordsmanship and the Sharingan's microscopic perception, Sasuke knocked every Shuriken away in an instant!

A moment later, Shin lunged before him. In close combat, he caught Sasuke's thrusting blade with his bare hand, while his Clone child followed close behind and thrust forward a large Shuriken!

The Rinnegan flashed beneath Sasuke's bangs... With a single Amenotejikara, he switched positions, then turned and fired a Great Fireball!

"!?" Shin saw the scene through the Sharingan on the back of his head and decisively used his Dojutsu Power to pull his Clone child behind him, using the child as a shield against the exploding flames!

But the fire was immensely powerful, driving the child heavily into Shin's spine... "Aah!!" Shin cried out miserably as the Kusanagi Sword that Sasuke had left in his hand after switching places with Amenotejikara crashed toward the ground!!

Why specifically emphasize that the Kusanagi Sword was in Shin's hand? Because there was a trick to it!

Before landing, the Kusanagi Sword in Shin's hand seemed to slip free and fly away. At the same time, Madara, who had noticed the trick, saw a sharp glint flash through his eyes.

Shin climbed to his feet somewhat awkwardly and sighed theatrically. "So that's it. Is this your Dojutsu Power, Uchiha Sasuke...?"

Madara's gaze grew slightly anxious.

So far, the course of the battle had been exactly the same as what Chen had shown in the illusion...

This should not be happening. What exactly are you two dragging your feet for?

And have you really not noticed the trick that guy pulled with the "sword"?

There is not much time left! Hurry up and tell me this is not real! You are playing with your opponent, aren't you?!

Chen reminded him in time, "Control your 'killing intent,' or Haniyasu will be undone."

"Slash!!" Suddenly... beneath Kurama's Chakra protection, Naruto widened his utterly defenseless cross-shaped eyes!

Sasuke's Kusanagi Sword was visibly plunged into his abdomen!

Chen and Madara both saw clearly what had happened in that instant.

Shin's embarrassed posture after being knocked to the ground had successfully made Naruto and Sasuke lower their guard. Then, using his Dojutsu to control the Kusanagi Sword he had marked in advance, he directly pierced Naruto!

Along with the blood that sprayed as the blade thrust out through Naruto's back, and the stunned expressions frozen on Sasuke and Sarada's faces—

"Heh." That was Madara's utterly disheartened laugh.

Then... Shin Uchiha's arrogant provocation rang out from below!

—"How about that? My Dojutsu Power is no worse than yours, Uchiha Sasuke!!"

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