Madara's hands slowly released the long staff.
In his Rinnegan, the six tomoe began to rotate at an extremely slow pace. It was not the prelude to an attack, but the activation of some technique—a technique that required time to build up, one that could not be reversed once unleashed. Black Chakra gathered in his palms, emerging from nothing, turning from insubstantial to tangible, like something being summoned directly from the void.
At the same time, his real body began to retreat. He was not fleeing, but widening the distance—a reflexive judgment only a battle-hardened shinobi possessed.
"Naruto!" Sasuke's voice fell from above, carrying a rare note of urgency.
He did not need to say more. Naruto was already moving.
Golden Truth-Seeking Orbs whirled behind him. With a push of his right hand, three Black Receivers transformed from the Truth-Seeking Orbs shot from his palm, flying toward Madara's face in a triangular formation. The rods were incredibly fast, carving three straight black trails through the air. Madara pulled his hands from the long staff and flickered to the left. The three Black Receivers swept past his face, and the gust they stirred scattered the loose hair over his forehead.
Madara had dodged. But his Rinnegan did not leave the direction of the Black Receivers.
Those Black Receivers—absolute defensive constructs formed from Yin–Yang Release and fused with Chakra of all seven attributes—passed through Madara's field of vision. Yet he was not looking at them. He was looking at Naruto.
The instant Madara dodged, Naruto's body had already vanished from its original position. The Body Flicker Technique under Six Paths Sage Mode was faster than it had ever been before, so fast that his golden robe trailed an afterimage through the air, so fast that the air had no time to make