It wasn't over yet.
Wood Style: Digging Insert Technique!
A wooden thorn grew from Madara's hand, aimed at the two sages from Mount Myōboku.
From the look of him, he meant to kill them both.
Madara truly loathed the Toad Song. He had never imagined the Ninja World possessed an Illusion Technique capable of controlling even the Rinnegan.
If Madara hadn't used Izanagi early, he might already have gone to the Pure Land to trade blows with Hashirama.
Madara claimed he wanted an enemy who could make his blood boil, but when he found one, he wasn't happy about it.
An enemy who could counter his powers had to be crushed.
As Jiraiya flew backward, he spotted Madara's killing move. Fighting through the searing pain in his chest and gut, he canceled the Summoning Technique.
With two pops, Sage Fukasaku and Sage Shima were sent back to Mount Myōboku.
Madara flared with anger. "Jiraiya!!"
Watching from a distance, Liao Wu could barely contain his excitement.
He wanted to learn every one of Madara's Ninjutsu.
Susanoo, Wood Style—all of them were as impressive as sage arts. He had to learn them!
Fish Ball stuffed a fish into Obito's mouth and asked Liao Wu, "Liao Wu, what do we do with Obito?"
"Kill him and bury him somewhere!"
Liao Wu was busy watching the fight. He had no time to think about Obito.
Fish Ball extended his sharp claws and said fiercely to Obito, "Don't blame me, Obito. You fed me before, but this is my master's order."
"Mmph, mmph—"
Obito struggled desperately.
Tobi emerged from Obito's body and apologized. "I'm very sorry, Lord Liao Wu. I failed to keep an eye on Obito. I thought he'd come to help Lord Madara."
Liao Wu turned toward Tobi and reached for his head. "It's fine, Tobi. Be more careful in your next life."
Tobi hurriedly retreated into Obito's body.
Liao Wu thought he had been discreet, but Tobi had still caught him absorbing some of the experimental White Zetsu.
Liao Wu went back to watching the fight.
Those White Zetsu in Madara's Base made his mouth water.
Each White Zetsu was another life.
Madara's Base held roughly a thousand White Zetsu. They had been generated from the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path by infusing Hashirama Cells and Chakra, not produced through the Spore Technique.
Unlike those produced by the Spore Technique, these could provide enough vitality to create Life Spores.
But with Black and White Zetsu watching, Liao Wu didn't dare refine them at will. Those White Zetsu were Madara's Chess Pieces for monitoring the Ninja World, not livestock.
Madara's battle with the Sannin was all but over.
Orochimaru's Great Snakes had all been dealt with by the wooden giant, and Slug had been beaten apart, her pieces scattered everywhere.
Jiraiya's Sage Mode had ended. Orochimaru and Tsunade were covered in wounds.
Across from them, only the hem of Madara's clothes was slightly dirty!
The fight had become utterly one-sided.
"Ninjutsu: Heavenly Foot!"
Tsunade concentrated all her Chakra into her leg. Even Madara would have his organs smashed by a kick like this.
He wasn't in an Impure World state. The Hashirama Cells in his body were monstrous, but they couldn't regenerate his organs that fast.
Madara didn't move an inch. Just as Tsunade was about to kick him—
He formed a hand seal.
Sharingan: Hypnosis!
Tsunade seemed to see a pair of Crimson Sharingan. She fell into the World of Illusion, then collapsed unconscious on the ground.
"Tsunade!" Jiraiya shouted, blood spilling from his mouth.
Orochimaru stared at Madara's closed eyes. "He can use an Illusion Technique without a Sharingan?"
Tsunade was a Kage Level fighter. Surely only an Illusion Technique on the level of the Mangekyō Sharingan could catch her?
Could someone use the Sharingan Illusion Technique without a Sharingan?
Yes!
Madara could use the Uchiha's "Third Power," Susanoo, even without a Sharingan. Why wouldn't he be able to use an Illusion Technique?
Besides, Madara had cast it through a hand seal. By making Tsunade look at the seal, he had released the Sharingan Illusion Technique.
Madara disliked Illusion Techniques. He preferred fights where every punch landed.
But disliking them didn't mean he couldn't use them. His eyes had already reached the level of the Rinnegan.
Eyes like those could control a Tailed Beast with a glance. Dealing with a lightweight like Tsunade was easy.
Madara picked Tsunade up and tossed her toward Liao Wu.
"Since the Leaf Village refused to let their Princess marry my grandson, we'll take her ourselves."
"Catch, Liao Wu! Hashirama's granddaughter is yours now!"
Overjoyed, Liao Wu caught Tsunade securely, then bowed deeply to Madara. "Thank you, ancestor! You're magnificent! I'll make the Uchiha name great and ensure the Uchiha flourish throughout the Ninja World!"
"Madara Uchiha!!" Jiraiya charged forward without a thought for himself.
Orochimaru stopped him. "Jiraiya, don't be reckless!"
Jiraiya snapped, "Tsunade's been captured! How am I supposed to stay calm?"
Orochimaru said, "Only the living can win. Ordinary Ninja can't stand against Madara Uchiha. We retreat first!"
"Once we're back in the Leaf Village, we can raise a Ninja Army to surround Madara Uchiha and rescue Tsunade."
Jiraiya knew Orochimaru was right. The safest course was to retreat and request tactical support.
But—
"I'll never stand by and watch the woman I love fall into enemy hands!"
Jiraiya charged in again, heedless of the consequences.
Orochimaru gritted his teeth and followed.
Orochimaru considered himself a rational man, so why did he lose his head when it mattered most?
Because of the idiot beside him, of course!
Jiraiya was the kind of man you could always trust with your back. He would never stab you in it.
Unlike Liao Wu, who would frown, slip behind everyone else, and stab them in the back.
Now that he finally had Tsunade, Liao Wu had lost all interest in Madara's fight with the Sannin. He just wanted to find somewhere to enjoy himself.
Suddenly, a blue-and-white Slug appeared on Tsunade.
"Lord Liao Wu, please don't hurt Lord Tsunade."
Liao Wu roared at Slug, "Get out of my way, Slug! Push me too far and I'll use you as a cup!"
Slug: "o(≧口≦)o"
Madara began trading blows at close range with Jiraiya and Orochimaru. The two of them were out of Chakra.
Madara, meanwhile, was simply trying to recover his fighting instincts as a Ninja. In other words, he was playing with them.
In Taijutsu, Madara was a legendary Ninja who had fought his way through countless Ninja since the Warring States Period. His skill had reached a state of effortless mastery.
His Catch and Release left Jiraiya and Orochimaru struggling to defend themselves.
At last, Madara tired of playing and kicked Jiraiya away.
Orochimaru swung his Kusanagi Sword at him. Madara simply let the blade strike his arm.
The Kusanagi Sword caught against Madara's bone. He kicked Orochimaru away and took the sword from him.
Madara ran a hand along the blade and judged it. "Not bad. Very sharp. This must be the Sky Tachi, one of the Kusanagi Swords—a divine weapon that can extend and retract at will."
The Kusanagi Sword wasn't a single divine weapon. It was a general term.
Three appeared in the Original Work: Orochimaru's Sky Tachi, and another he gave Sasuke—a light, sharp sword Sasuke often paired with Chidori Stream to make it more powerful.
The last was Itachi's Spirit Body sword, the Totsuka Blade. It, too, belonged to the Kusanagi Sword family, though Orochimaru searched for it his entire life without finding it.
Kusanagi Sword in hand, Madara caught up to Orochimaru like a ghost and thrust. The blade was about to pierce Orochimaru's head.
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