Shendu VS Uchiha Madara

"What is it? Zetsu?!"

However, before Zetsu could even speak, the giant boulder at the entrance was blasted into smithereens by a laser-like electric beam. Amidst the billowing dust and smoke, a pair of terrifying red pupils and a towering figure emerged.

"Who are you?!"

Uchiha Madara immediately rose in alert, grabbing his Uchiha Gunbai and entering a combat stance.

"Your Emperor—Shendu!"

(PS: The Shendu appearing in this book is an enhanced version, meaning it conforms to the original settings.)

Flames erupted almost the instant Shendu finished speaking, and the astonishing high temperature instantly engulfed the entire cavern.

"Uchiha Reflection!"

Uchiha Madara blocked with his Uchiha Gunbai almost subconsciously, but the very next moment, the straight-striking flames rolling in with heat waves made him realize his decision was catastrophically wrong.

"This attack... there is absolutely no chakra!"

The high-temperature heat flow instantly devoured the Uchiha Gunbai, followed by Uchiha Madara's physical body. He felt intense pain radiating throughout his entire body; his skin was completely ulcerated and even charred black.

Enduring the excruciating pain of deep burns, Uchiha Madara activated Susanoo. No longer caring about the base, he swung two sword auras that immediately cleaved through the sea of fire.

"A mere human actually managed to withstand one of my blows. You are not bad, but only not bad!"

Madara, who had always been the one to deliver such arrogant lines to others, could not tolerate being spoken to in this manner. His fury ignited instantly; he activated the Complete Body Susanoo and directly split his old lair, the Cemetery of Mountains, in two, hurling sword auras as he flew toward Shendu.

"Meaningless attacks..."

Shendu did not dodge. Instead, the reflection of the Rooster Talisman flickered in his eyes, and the sword auras were blocked as if by a pair of invisible hands, changing direction and rushing back toward Madara.

"What?!"

He immediately manipulated the Complete Body Susanoo to hold his sword and deflect the incoming sword auras. The moment Uchiha Madara intended to launch a counterattack, Shendu's body vanished from where he stood.

The invisibility magic of the Snake Talisman had been triggered.

"He disappeared?!"

Uchiha Madara dared not lower his guard, carefully sensing every movement of the wind around him. But Shendu's body seemed to have slipped into the void, making him impossible to find no matter what.

"Damn it!"

By the time he sensed the powerful fist wind attacking from the side, it was already too late. Even though there was nothing there, Uchiha Madara still felt his Susanoo suffer a heavy blow.

--Bang!

A force several times more powerful than Senju Hashirama instantly destroyed the shell of the Susanoo and struck Madara's body directly. In that moment, he felt the bones throughout his entire body shatter into powder; his body went limp, and he was sent flying as his organs ruptured.

--Boom!

Piercing through several mountain peaks, Uchiha Madara was finally embedded firmly into the rock face. His red battle armor had become tattered and torn, with fragments scattered everywhere, revealing the Dog Talisman that had been hanging on his chest all along.

Coughing up another large mouthful of blood, Madara's mind raced. He had lived for nearly a hundred years; logically, the current Ninja World should be filled with existences far weaker than himself. Where on earth did this Shendu pop out from?

Such power... and those methods that used absolutely no chakra. He truly could not understand; when had the world become so distant? Were he and Senju Hashirama not the strongest beings since the Warring States period?

Although he could stand tall thanks to the power of the Dog Talisman, the wounds on his body were real...

"Tch..."

Prying his body out of the human-shaped crater, Uchiha Madara's refusal to admit defeat was reignited. He was the "Savior of the Ninja World"—how could he fall here!

"Wood Release: Deep Forest Emergence!"

Uchiha Madara raised both hands, and tree roots spread out, winding upward. Shendu had no intention of dodging and was firmly entangled by the roots.

It is common knowledge that in the Ninja World, chakra is like the spiritual energy in cultivation novels—it is omnipresent and exists within the bodies of all living things in the Ninja World, with the only difference being the amount.

Therefore, Uchiha Madara naturally assumed that Shendu did not lack chakra, but rather used a special ability to hide it. He used Wood Release to imprison Shendu, intending to drain him dry first.

But the next moment, he realized he was wrong again. Shendu's existence could not be viewed through the common sense of the Ninja World; Shendu truly possessed no chakra at all.

--Roar!

Fierce flames incinerated the forest. Even though Uchiha Madara immediately performed the Wood Dragon Technique, it was useless against Shendu. Shendu leaped in front of Madara and delivered another deliberate, heavy punch.

But this time, Madara did not repeat his mistake of facing it head-on; he immediately used the Substitution Technique to escape.

"I never thought I'd have to use such a basic ninjutsu one day..."

"Since I cannot sense him, he should also be unable to sense my existence..."

Uchiha Madara ended his reckless combat mode and, for once, calmed his mind to think.

Judging by the fact that Shendu roared at the sky to vent his dissatisfaction after smashing the wooden log Madara used for his substitution into ashes, it was clear that Shendu seemingly could not distinguish his substitution. "If that's the case..."

Madara formed hand seals and, before Shendu could launch another attack, performed the "Multiple Wood Clone Technique" several times in succession.

Suddenly, thousands of Uchiha Madara clones, each manipulating a Complete Body Susanoo, stood tall above the dome. The moment Shendu turned invisible again, they all formed seals simultaneously.

"Fire Release: Dust Hiding Technique!"

A massive amount of high-density dust obscured the sky, covering everything in the vicinity, somewhat reminiscent of Jack's "Darkness Misty Metropolis" Noble Phantasm.

As Madara expected, the invisible Shendu was indeed hindered by the smoke barrier, and those eyes flickering with red, murderous light were very conspicuous amidst the dust.

"Now is the time!"

Following this came high-temperature flames; orange-red fireworks rapidly expanded, unfolding within the smoke to unleash their sustained, scorching heat. Uchiha Madara could rely on his Susanoo to remain immune to the burning fire, but Shendu had no choice but to endure it with his physical body.

However, Uchiha Madara had fallen victim to a massive information gap. How could Fire Style possibly be effective against Shendu, the Demon of Fire?

The moment the smoke dissipated, an even more violent inferno swept across the entire battlefield, instantly melting a large portion of Uchiha Madara's Complete Body Susanoo.

The amount of chakra within his body plummeted rapidly, while Shendu before him continued to unleash Eye Beam and Fire Breath without showing any signs of fatigue. Even the prideful Uchiha Madara couldn't help but wonder to himself: Does this guy not know what exhaustion is?!

Seeming to perceive Madara's confusion, Shendu ceased his assault and spoke slowly with the air of a superior being: "Mortal, do you take me for a weakling like the rest of you? I am a demon! I am a dragon! My magic power is infinite!"

"Magic power?!"

Uchiha Madara keenly captured this keyword. It seemed that White Zetsu had once told him that an old man using "Qi Magic" had appeared in Konoha. Could it really be a power system entirely distinct from chakra?

When White Zetsu first mentioned this to him, Madara had assumed it was merely a trick used by charlatans to deceive others, but now it seemed... perhaps that was not the case at all...