Battle Against Madara (2)
The night in Konoha was divided into two worlds by an invisible barrier.
Inside the village, the lights remained on, and the footsteps of patrolling ninjas echoed steadily through the streets, occasionally punctuated by the low barking of Ninja Dog and the conversations of night watchmen. Most of the villagers were fast asleep, completely unaware of what was happening outside the village—the transparent barrier, resembling an inverted giant bowl, not only isolated them from danger but also from all senses.
Outside the village, moonlight shone on the pale tide.
Eighty thousand White Zetsu stood silently at the edge of the forest, their faceless bodies all turned toward Konoha, like puppets awaiting orders. The White Zetsu in the front row had already tried to touch the barrier—the moment their palms touched that invisible barrier, blinding lightning exploded, and the White Zetsu's arms turned to ashes amidst the stench of burning flesh. The White Zetsu in the rear row tried to dig underground, but when their shovel-like hands dug three meters down, they also triggered the barrier layer buried underground, and the explosion ripped the entire earth apart.
They can't get in.
This barrier was a masterpiece created by Shikaku Nara after the Fourth Shinobi World War, under the guise of the wailing of all the Barrier Team members, forcing them to work overtime to complete it. It was a triple-layered barrier—ground, air, and underground—each with its own independent identification mechanism and defensive runes. Even more ingenious was that before Naruto left the village, Shikaku dragged this boy with his extraordinary sensory abilities to scan the entire village inside and out more than a dozen times with his Malice Sensing to ensure there were no loopholes.
"Strict entry and strict exit rules." This was Tsunade's absolute order.
To leave the village, one must possess a warrant personally signed by the Hokage; to enter, one must use a unique code that changes daily for each person. Incorrect code? Sorry, even if you were a ninja who just went out on a mission yesterday, you won't be allowed in today—you'll have to undergo three days of quarantine and investigation at the outer outpost first.
Therefore, at this moment, the 80,000 White Zetsu could only watch like a group of silent spectators, through a transparent barrier, observing the peaceful daily life inside Konoha, this "iron turtle."
"..."
Black Zetsu slowly emerged from the shadow of an ancient tree, half his body blending into the trunk, the other half exposed. His yellow eyes were fixed on the Konoha Village barrier. After a long while, a hoarse voice rang out:
"Reporting to Lord Madara, Konoha's defenses... are more formidable than we imagined. A triple-layered barrier, with a protective layer three meters below the ground. White Zetsu cannot penetrate it."
The sound traveled hundreds of miles, reaching the borders of the Land of Rivers, through a special Chakra resonance.
The Land of Rivers, a battlefield in the dead of night.
Madara Uchiha's true form stood on the shoulder of the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, his Rinnegan purple light. He controlled his clones to fight Naruto and Sasuke while receiving intelligence from Black Zetsu.
"A barrier..." Madara muttered to himself, his voice devoid of emotion. "Has Neji Hyuga made a move?"
"They haven't come out since returning to the Hyuga Clan Compound this afternoon," Black Zetsu's reply came quickly. "And they haven't reacted to the White Zetsu army at all. It's as if... they have no idea we're out there."
Ban's brows furrowed slightly.
This isn't right.
With 80,000 troops besieging the city, selectively surrounding the people and places he cared about, a normal person would at least come out to take a look or issue a warning. But Neji? He seemed to be sleeping soundly in the Hyuga Clan Compound, completely indifferent to everything around him.
Madara's gaze swept across the two battlefields.
On Naruto's side, while the number of Shadow Clone in Sage Mode wasn't as large as in Nine-Tails Mode, each one was more agile and deadly. The Senjutsu Rasenshuriken was incredibly efficient at eliminating White Zetsu, reducing the army of 20,000 to less than 10,000. Although Madara's Wood Release Clone used Taijutsu to entangle Naruto's main body, taking down this slippery kid in a short time wouldn't be easy.
Sasuke's situation is even more troublesome. That Uchiha Clan brat's Susanoo has evolved to its complete form, and he can even fly. The aura of Hashirama Cells is becoming increasingly apparent. Although Madara's clones are suppressing him with Wood Release and Taijutsu, it will still take time to end the battle quickly.
Time... what Ban lacks most is time.
He risked showing his true form on Naruto's battlefield in order to end the battle quickly. But if Neji truly didn't care at all, then all his calculations would have failed.
"Since that's the case..." A decisive Rinnegan, "Then let's take a gamble."
His figure disappeared from the shoulder of the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path.
Naruto's battlefield.
Sage Art: Wind Release: Rasenshuriken!
Another massive Uzumaki of wind blades roared out, shredding hundreds of White Zetsu and a forest into pieces. Naruto was panting heavily, his Sage Mode face still clearly visible, but the depletion of his Chakra was beginning to show—the number of Shadow Clone had decreased from several thousand at its peak to less than five hundred.
Madara Uchiha's Wood Release Clone continued to entangle him, with attacks from the Wood Dragon, suppression from the Gate of the Great God, and interference from the Deep Forest Emergence... Although they couldn't truly cripple Naruto in Sage Mode, they successfully slowed him down.
Just then--
Space was slightly distorted.
Madara Uchiha's true form appeared without warning, three meters in front of Naruto. It wasn't the Body Flicker Technique, nor was it high-speed movement; rather, it was some kind of more fundamental spatial leap. When he appeared, the surrounding air seemed to freeze, and the flow of Senjutsu Chakra paused for a moment.
"!?" Naruto's pupils contracted sharply, and he instinctively jumped back.
But Ban moved even faster.
He extended his right hand, fingers spread, aiming at Naruto. Purple ripples spun wildly within his Rinnegan!
"Wood Release: Laughing Buddha Jutsu."
Several hands suddenly appeared and bound Naruto's limbs. Although it only lasted for half a second, it was enough for Madara. His left hand pressed against Naruto's chest, and a powerful suction force emanated from his palm—
"Sealing Technique: Absorption Seal!"
Senjutsu Chakra surged forth from Naruto's body like a burst dam, only to be devoured and absorbed by Madara's palm. The Sage Mask on Naruto's face faded and disappeared at a visible speed, while the surrounding Senjutsu Shadow Clone burst one after another like punctured bubbles, turning into white smoke.
"Ughhh--!" Naruto roared in pain. He could feel the Natural Energy he had painstakingly absorbed being forcibly extracted.
In just three seconds, the Senjutsu mode was deactivated.
Naruto collapsed to the ground, panting heavily, his body drenched in cold sweat. He looked up at Madara Uchiha standing before him, and for the first time, genuine fear appeared in his blue eyes.
Madara withdrew his hand and looked down at his palm. The Hashirama face pattern on his chest had changed—the eye shadow and markings characteristic of Sage Mode had appeared on Hashirama Senju's calm face.
"So this is... Senjutsu?" Madara murmured to himself, feeling the new power within him. The combination of Natural Energy and Chakra, that feeling of being closer to the very essence of the world...
He raised his head and looked at Naruto, who was slumped on the ground. A cold light flashed in his Rinnegan.
"Thanks, Nine-Tails Jinchuriki. In return, I'll let you... die a quick death."
Sasuke's battlefield.
"Sasuke! Down here!"
Sakura screamed from inside the Susanoo control room. Below, countless giant wooden hands burst from the earth, grabbing at Susanoo's feet. Sasuke gritted his teeth, controlling Susanoo to rise, while simultaneously swinging his spiral spear to sever the giant hands.
But as soon as one group was cut down, even more would emerge. Madara Uchiha's Wood Release Clone stood atop the Wood Dragon, his hands constantly Hand Seals. The forest seemed to come alive, with every tree and every vine becoming his weapon.
Even more troublesome was his chest—the fusion of Hashirama Cells and Uchiha Clan's Chakra had finally reached its final stage. The tearing sensation at the cellular level reached its peak, Sasuke felt as if his internal organs were being roasted on a furnace, with each breath bringing a burning pain.
"Sasuke-kun, hang in there!" Sakura continued to channel her medical Chakra into Sasuke's body to alleviate his pain, but the effect was limited.
Kakashi stood on the other side of the control room, his eyes fixed on Naruto's battlefield in the distance. The moment he saw Madara Uchiha's true form appear and absorb Naruto's Senjutsu, his expression completely changed.
"Oh no..."
Before he could finish speaking, Naruto's Senjutsu Mode collapsed, and all his Shadow Clone vanished.
"Sasuke!" Kakashi whirled around, "Get me and Guy to Naruto's side! Now!"
Sasuke also saw what was happening over there. He gritted his teeth, enduring the excruciating pain, and used the giant hand of his Susanoo to pull Kakashi and Guy out of the control room, and then—
A powerful throw!
The two shot towards Naruto's battlefield several kilometers away like cannonballs. In mid-air, Kakashi's right eye had already opened, the Mangekyo Sharingan pattern spinning wildly, ready to unleash Kamui at any moment.
Naruto on the battlefield, life and death hang in the balance.
Madara Uchiha looked at Naruto, who was slumped on the ground, but did not immediately kill him. His hands began to Hand Seals, a complex and ancient one.
"Summoning Technique: Demonic Statue of the Outer Path"
"Boom--!"
The earth cracked open, and a colossal Demonic Statue of the Outer Path burst forth, its nine eyes glowing an ominous red in the night. It opened its massive maw, letting out a silent roar, and then—
"Splash!"
Several jet-black chains shot out from the golem's mouth, like living venomous snakes, rushing straight at Naruto!
Naruto tried to dodge, but having just lost his Senjutsu, his body was sluggish and his Chakra was disordered. The chains pierced his abdomen without any resistance, penetrating his flesh and reaching the sealed space.
"Ugh--!!" Naruto let out a heart-wrenching scream.
He could feel the chains pulling and dragging him... Inside his body, the Nine-Tails roared in anger and pain, but the sealing power attached to the chains made it unable to resist.
Golden Chakra was forcibly extracted from Naruto's abdomen, condensing into the outline of the Nine-Tails in mid-air. The fox's nine tails thrashed wildly, its claws tearing at the chains, but more chains wrapped around it, binding it like a dumpling, dragging it bit by bit toward the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path's gaping maw.
"Nine-Tails --!!!" Naruto roared, reaching out to grab the chains, but his fingertips only touched the cold warmth of the Chakra.
Just then--
"Kamui!"
In mid-air, Kakashi's right eye erupted with blinding light! Space twisted into Uzumaki, and the main chains binding Nine-Tails instantly snapped and disappeared into another dimension.
Madara Uchiha looked up at Kakashi and Guy in the air, a hint of surprise flashing in his Rinnegan: "Oh? Sharingan quite well..."
But he didn't stop. More chains shot out from the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path's mouth, densely packed like a black waterfall. The Nine-Tails was entangled again, and the dragging speed increased.
Meanwhile, Madara's Wood Release Clone had already met Kakashi and Guy in mid-air. His Initial Susanoo, and he swung his twin swords, unleashing two massive Chakra blades!
"Kai!" Kakashi shouted.
"Understood! Eight Gates, Sixth Gate, Gate of View —Open!"
Green steam erupted from Guy's body, transforming him into a streak of green light that dodged the Chakra blades and charged straight at the Wood Release Clone. Kakashi, meanwhile, continued to unleash Kamui, attempting to sever more chains.
But there were too many chains. The Demonic Statue of the Outer Path it was free, and half of the Nine-Tails' body had already been dragged into the Statue's mouth.