After the [Perfect Susanoo] appeared
Most of the Stone Ninja collapsed in terror where they stood.
A dozen seconds later, the more timid ninja turned and fled, unable to find the courage to face the Susanoo.
That wasn't a battle. It was suicide!
One fled, then another.
More and more Stone Ninja scattered, and the entire Iwagakure army began to fall apart.
First Tsuchikage Ishikawa wanted to stop them, but there was nothing he could do!
This was the Ninja World—a battle between ninja. Without enough incentive or prestige, who would risk their life for you?
Even if Ishikawa hardened his heart and killed the fleeing Stone Ninja,
he still couldn't stop the rout.
With his build and strength, how could he kill as quickly as Madara's Susanoo?
A single casual swing over there could cut down dozens of ninja!
Which side was more terrifying?
The ninja could tell.
If he really killed the deserters and cut off their escape, forcing them into a corner, what was to stop them from turning on him, the Tsuchikage?
They couldn't beat Madara Uchiha, but surely they could beat an old Tsuchikage like him?
There was nothing he could do.
Ishikawa could only watch as the Stone Ninja fled and the entire Iwagakure army collapsed...
"Lord Tsuchikage, it's not time to give up yet!"
Mu staggered through the air to Ishikawa's side and shouted. Clearly, he hadn't admitted defeat.
His Light-Weight Rock Technique was still too unpracticed for him to fly freely.
"Mu, you..."
Ishikawa looked at Mu's resolute face, then at the peerless Susanoo, unsure how they could fight back.
"Lord Tsuchikage, please draw his attention for me. A ninjutsu on this scale must have cost him his mobility."
"If my Dust Release hits, I might be able to bring down that monster!"
Hearing this, Ishikawa felt a glimmer of hope.
He gritted his teeth and agreed:
"Fine. I'll draw his attention!"
"Earth Style: Super Stone Golem Technique!"
Ishikawa formed hand seals and unleashed the trump-card ninjutsu he had kept in reserve.
A huge amount of Chakra poured into the earth, raising countless boulders that quickly gathered into a "Stone Giant" more than two hundred meters tall.
Unlike the Stone Golem Technique developed by the Second Tsuchikage, Mu, this Super Stone Golem Technique was far more violent and dangerous.
Once formed, it consumed vast amounts of the user's Chakra every second.
The slightest miscalculation could drain the user dry and kill them.
Yet it was this very technique
that had allowed Ishikawa to quell the turmoil in the Land of Earth and claim the title of Tsuchikage.
In the chaotic Warring States period, without strength, mere words could never persuade anyone!
The Stone Giant rising from the earth soon caught Madara's eye.
Though it only reached the Susanoo's waist, it was already an impressive feat by a ninja's standards.
A single boulder could crush a ninja to death, and Ishikawa could control a giant made of hundreds of thousands of boulders. His strength was plain to see.
"Tsk. Looks like some Sand Ninja still refuse to give up!"
"Good."
"Let me send you off, you who bear the name of Tsuchikage!"
Madara made no secret of his intent. He swung the Susanoo Katana straight at Ishikawa's Stone Giant.
"Whoosh—!"
The blade cleaved through the air, trailing a line of scorching fire. It moved at dozens of times the speed of sound.
The lumbering Stone Giant had no time to defend itself.
One slash cut it in half.
It was no match for the Perfect Susanoo—not even for a single blow!
But it wasn't over.
Ishikawa poured in even more Chakra. Countless boulders rose rapidly beside the bisected Stone Giant, joining together to fill in the gap.
In no time, it was restored.
Madara's eyes lit up.
He couldn't help but praise it:
"A Doton technique that can repair itself so quickly?"
"Not bad. Not bad."
"No one else is your equal in Doton. You've done the title of Tsuchikage proud."
"But with Chakra consumption this enormous and wasteful, how long can you keep it up?"
"Don't think molding a giant lump of mud will let you match my Susanoo!"
They were both massive techniques, but the Super Stone Golem Technique couldn't compare to the Susanoo.
Its defense, power, and agility
were all far inferior...
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On top of that, the Stone Giant consumed several times more Chakra than the Susanoo.
In only a short while, Ishikawa's face had turned visibly pale. The technique's terrifying cost was clear.
Madara saw at a glance that Ishikawa wouldn't last much longer.
"Whoosh—!"
Another slash fell, and the freshly restored giant shattered again.
Madara toyed with it as casually as if he were dismantling a plaything, curious to see how long Ishikawa could hold out.
But
the Tsuchikage Ishikawa was fighting desperately only to draw Madara's attention and give Mu an opening.
And he had succeeded.
Meanwhile,
Mu had already circled around behind the [Susanoo]. From several hundred meters away, he aimed at Madara inside its forehead and charged up Dust Release once more.
But he had only reached halfway through charging it
when he suddenly realized
that at some point, Madara had already turned to look at him.
He'd been exposed!
The next instant,
the towering Susanoo suddenly sprouted two more arms.
One of its right hands casually clenched into a fist and swung.
"Boom—!"
The air along its path was compressed and blasted apart by the immense force. A violent gale roared forth, crossed the several hundred meters, and struck the spot where Mu stood.
In an instant,
the area around him, dozens of meters across, caved in and cracked, as if it had been hit by a meteor.
Mu's Dust Release was interrupted outright.
The force drove him into the rock. His bones shattered, his muscles tore, and blood sprayed from his body. He was on the verge of death.
"So this... is Madara Uchiha..."
Mu murmured in despair. He felt he'd lost for good reason.
Madara really had been watching him all along!
To have Madara Uchiha keep an eye on him throughout the battle was an honor in its own way.
Mu wasn't wrong. Madara had been keeping him in his sights the entire time.
Since Madara knew Mu had mastered a powerful secret technique that could threaten him, how could he possibly take his eyes off him?
If he were careless on the battlefield, he never would have survived this long.
Madara looked coldly down at Mu.
"Waiting until your opponent thinks he's won, then launching a sneak attack? And having the Tsuchikage draw my attention?"
"You're as despicable as that bastard Tobirama!"
"Too bad. True power won't be defeated by tricks like that..."
It was both praise for Mu and contempt for him.
But there was no denying it.
Ninja as underhanded as him were better suited to the battlefield and more likely to win there!
Just like Tobirama had defeated Izuna...
If Iwagakure had endured, this man would most likely have become its Second Tsuchikage.
Too bad he wouldn't get the chance!
Madara controlled the Susanoo, and a fourth hand formed another Susanoo Katana.
It came down in a single slash.
Mountains crumbled and the earth split.
Mu, the future Second Tsuchikage, died on the spot!
"Mu!"
The Tsuchikage Ishikawa's eyes widened with fury, his hair bristling with rage.
Watching his most prized student die before his eyes filled him with grief and hatred.
"Madara Uchiha!"
Ishikawa ground his teeth and sent the Stone Giant charging at the Susanoo with everything it had.
He launched one last desperate attack.
"You can roar as loud as you like. It won't change who wins the battle."
"Power isn't will. It's a phenomenon caused by physical forces!"
"First Tsuchikage, your curtain falls here!"
Madara had had his fill. He stopped playing around and gave Ishikawa no chance to turn the tables.
The next instant,
all four Susanoo Katanas came down at once, aimed at Ishikawa.
Like four blue beams of light cleaving through the sky, brilliant and dazzling, yet filled with murderous intent.
"Boom—!"
The enormous Stone Giant shattered completely, and a rain of stones fell from the sky.
The First Tsuchikage Ishikawa was annihilated along with it!
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