Just as Isshiki steadied himself and entered a brief standoff with Hamura, the air thick with tension and danger, another sudden change erupted!
A deep, commanding voice rumbled like thunder overhead in the chessboard space:
"You're a worthy opponent. Let me take you on!"
Before the words had faded, a Gunbai formed from blue chakra plummeted from above like a meteor, tearing through the air with a piercing shriek.
It was more a declaration of power, a staking out of territory, as it slammed down with unerring precision between Isshiki and Hamura!
Boom!
The ground shook violently, and the shock wave forced the two apart.
Hamura frowned slightly and drifted back several steps, his white robes fluttering.
Isshiki's gaze sharpened. He planted his feet, held his ground, and looked up.
Amid the billowing dust, a tall, imposing figure clad in red layered armor, his long hair cascading down his back, landed firmly before the enormous blue Gunbai like a descending god of war.
He rested one hand casually on the handle, wearing a brazen smile that looked down on the world. His eyes were unmistakably the Rinnegan.
Those eyes blazed with excitement as they fixed on Ōtsutsuki Isshiki.
Madara Uchiha!
Isshiki's mismatched pupils contracted slightly.
Of course he recognized Madara Uchiha.
In the intelligence he had gathered about the shinobi world during his long years in hiding, particularly several decades ago, Madara Uchiha had been a name impossible to ignore.
The legendary "Asura of the Ninja World," the ninja who had founded Konoha alongside Hashirama Senju before parting ways with him, had supposedly "died" decades ago after their final battle at the Valley of the End.
But... what was going on with this overwhelmingly powerful Madara Uchiha standing before him?
More importantly, what about his Rinnegan?
Several questions flashed through