Talisman Reclamation Battle (Part 1)

"Alright, human, the warm-up ends here. It is time to reclaim my talismans!"

Flames ignited across the body of Shendu. The reflections of the Rooster and Pig Talisman appeared within his pupils, left and right, as he opened his maw wide, a torrent of searing heat slowly gathering within.

"His talismans?!"

"As I thought! The claim that the talismans were family heirlooms was nothing but a lie told by that brat, the Daimyo of the Land of Fire!"

From the very beginning, Uchiha Madara had been suspicious of the talismans' origins.

They possessed no trace of chakra, nor could any record of them be found throughout the history of the Ninja World.

Uchiha Madara had even dispatched White Zetsu to infiltrate the secret library of the Land of Fire's capital to scour every inch of their history, yet not a single line, not even a single character, described the existence of such talismans.

"The talismans are not some ancestral heirlooms of the Land of Fire's Daimyo; they are the source of a demon's power!"

Though Uchiha Madara finally knew the truth, it was now utterly meaningless.

A raging fireball appeared in Shendu's palm, swelling rapidly. In less than half a minute, it grew to such an immense size that its shadow completely eclipsed the moon.

Uchiha Madara's pupils were filled by the massive sphere of fire. The scorching heat enveloped him, evaporating his sweat in an instant. Every Susanoo beneath the fireball was melted away in a heartbeat, and even the experienced Uchiha Madara could not help but gape in shock.

The moment the fireball descended like a sun crashing into the earth, Uchiha Madara felt the Dog Talisman on his chest suddenly vanish. Turning around, he saw the invisible Shendu slowly manifesting. After merging the Dog Talisman into his body, Shendu said in a low, rumbling voice, "The power of immortality—a fine start."

With the Dog Talisman gone, Uchiha Madara instantly lost all his vitality, reverting to the state of Old Madara, who could barely stand. He had no time to attempt to reclaim the talisman or dodge the incoming attack.

--BOOM!

The explosion instantly engulfed the entire Cemetery of Mountains. Rocks, forests, soil, animals... the light on the horizon stretched endlessly, and everything in its path was reduced to nothingness in a flash. The erupting brilliance turned the night sky into day, a blinding glare visible even from the Land of Frost and its neighboring nations.

When the light finally faded, the vast landscape had vanished, replaced by a bottomless crater.

The Demonic Statue of the Outer Path lay exposed, but Shendu paid it no mind. He merely glanced at it with a look of disdain, muttering, "What an ugly demon!" before descending to the center of the blast to pick up the Sheep Talisman lying on the ground.

"Lord Madara! Lord Madara! Are you alright?!"

Only after Shendu rode away on his Dragon Soldier did the White Zetsu hiding deep underground dare to speak.

"Haa..."

Deep beneath the earth, the exposed eyes of the elderly Uchiha Madara had lost all luster; the pupils were no longer visible.

Izanagi... one of the ultimate ocular techniques unique to the Uchiha clan. It could turn unfavorable events that occurred within a certain timeframe into "never having happened," choosing only the outcomes favorable to the user to become reality. The duration of the technique varied based on the individual's ability, but the Sharingan used to cast it would inevitably go blind, making it a dangerous gamble. While active, even death could be rewritten, making it a terrifying technique that could render one invincible.

Decades ago, it was through this very technique that Uchiha Madara had deceived Hashirama and faked his death.

Uchiha Madara gasped for air. Without the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path to sustain him, he could clearly feel his vitality flickering like a weak flame in the wind, ready to extinguish at any moment.

His pale lips trembled; he lacked even the strength to speak. Fortunately, White Zetsu arrived in time, "wearing" itself over Uchiha Madara to provide a meager supply of life force, finally giving Old Madara a chance to return to the "embrace of the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path."

He felt like a fish out of water that had lost its dreams. He had only just regained his youth and vitality, only to be reduced once more to a state of total helplessness. The disparity was crushing, and to make matters worse, he had lost yet another eye.

"I can only continue to wait for the right person to appear..."

After giving instructions to White Zetsu to re-seal the cave, Uchiha Madara closed his eyes and slowly drifted into a dormant state.

"Next is the high-speed Rabbit...!"

Having secured the power of immortality to prevent any "capsizing in the gutter," Shendu chose the high-speed Rabbit Talisman as his next target.

Although the Dragon Soldiers were not slow, they were still insufficient compared to Shendu's own high-speed divine power.

Land of Earth, Iwagakure.

The moment Shendu rode his Dragon Soldier into the airspace of Iwagakure, the village's defensive barrier immediately detected the presence of the behemoth.

"Who goes there?! This is Iwagakure! No unauthorized entry!"

A dozen Iwagakure Anbu immediately surrounded Shendu, demanding his intentions. Shendu, clearly having no interest in answering them, chose to respond with raging fire.

--ROAR!

A sea of flames, unleashed with near-zero startup time, spread rapidly. Many Iwagakure ninja were engulfed by the fire before they could even react.

"Report to the Tsuchikage! We have an enemy invasion! The rest of you, with me! Delay him until reinforcements arrive!"

The lead Iwagakure Anbu issued the order, and the group of ninja performed hand seals in unison: "Earth Style: Earth Pillar Explosion!"

Countless sharp stone pillars erupted from the ground like bamboo shoots after rain, forming a straight line that extended to Shendu's feet before detonating.

This was a tracking-style ninjutsu. Without the Rabbit Talisman, Shendu could not dodge it, but there was no need to dodge such a pathetic "scratching" attack.

--BANG! BANG! BANG!

The explosions of the stone pillars continued in succession, striking Shendu's body from all directions and kicking up clouds of dust, yet they failed to leave a single scratch on his physical form.

"Alright, your turn is over. My turn!"

Shendu raised his thick arm, the pattern of the Ox Talisman reflecting in his pupils, and slammed it heavily toward the ground.

--BOOM!

A shockwave surged into the earth. In an instant, the mountains trembled and the ground shook. The immense downward force caused the land beneath them to collapse.

Like a giant spiderweb, the fissures of the sinkhole spread rapidly, spraying mud and flying rocks. The Iwagakure ninja lost their footing, forced to endure the assault of flying debris and the stench of churned earth.

When the dust and smoke finally dispersed, the land had been completely ravaged into a stretch of sandy wasteland.

"Just who is this guy..."

Such overwhelming power plunged the Anbu of the Hidden Stone into near despair. A scale of destruction like this... they feared that even if their entire force combined their Earth Release techniques, they could not achieve it.

Just as Shendu opened his maw once more, gathering momentum for a blast of flame, a "meteor" streaking across the sky suddenly hurtled toward him.

"Earth Release: Rock Fist Technique!"

It was the Third Tsuchikage, Ōnoki!

Upon hearing that the village had been invaded by an unknown creature, Ōnoki had immediately used "Earth Release: Light-Weight Rock" to burst through his window, followed by hardening his right hand into a solid rock fist and swinging it forcefully at Shendu with "Earth Release: Rock Fist Technique!"