The dark clouds in the sky grew thicker and thicker. Though rain poured down in sheets, the cloud cover showed no sign of thinning. Fierce winds swept across the plains, and the slanting rain lashed Madara Uchiha's face, running down his cheeks before dripping onto the ground. Bolts of lightning flashed through the dense clouds.
The lightning reflected across Madara Uchiha's face. In Gaara's eyes, beneath that man's cold expression lay a faint trace of sorrow between his brows.
Madara Uchiha seemed to sense something. He stopped pouring Chakra into the Prison King of Hell, and the fleshy tongues gripping Gaara's soul swiftly retracted into the Prison King of Hell's mouth. Gaara's soul, which had been mostly pulled out, quickly returned to his body.
"What happened?" Gaara's consciousness returned. Seeing Madara Uchiha stop what he was doing, he secretly felt relieved, yet also confused.
As if he had sensed something, Madara Uchiha casually tossed Gaara into the distance and raised his head toward the sky.
BOOM!!!!
Suddenly, lightning flashed among the clouds. A bolt seemed to have eyes of its own as it shot down from the sky and struck Madara Uchiha. The thunder exploded beside Gaara and the others' ears, and everyone stared in shock toward Madara Uchiha.
Had Madara Uchiha been struck by divine retribution?
The thought immediately surfaced in Gaara's mind. Meanwhile, Rasa in the distance, along with Sasuke, the Masked Man, and White Zetsu hiding in the shadows, seemed to have noticed something. They stared solemnly at the sky.
"This is—"
"Hahahahaha!"
Rasa braced his hands against the ground, his face filled with excitement as he struggled to his feet. Turning toward Madara Uchiha amid the lightning, he burst into loud laughter.
Gaara looked at his laughing father in confusion. He did not understand why Rasa