Time flowed back to the moment Madara divided his forces.
Border of the Land of Lightning, Ancient Hidden Road
Madara stood upon a mountain peak, the Rinnegan reflecting the Lightning Release troops surging from afar like an army of ants.
With a gentle wave of his hand, four large Tailed Beast Bombs swiftly flew out from behind him.
"Explode!" Madara murmured softly, and the four Tailed Beast Bombs plunged like falling meteors, bursting into violent detonations the instant they touched the ground.
The Land of Lightning's personnel and resources were instantly vaporized into fine dust, the Impure World Reincarnation army turned to flying ash in the intense light,
and even the commandants of the Wind and Earth commanderies, far away in Pangaea Castle, were knocked to the ground by the shockwave.
Shamon gazed at the horizon in trembling disbelief. "This... this is simply world-destroying power..."
Ishikawa slammed his fist against the shattered floor. "With power like this, even without those two, the so-called Ten Thousand Worlds Ninja Nation is nothing they can contend against."
The people in the battlefield undoubtedly suffered heavy losses, and indeed, under the continuous bombardment, the Cloud Shadow Village ninja casualties were massive.
Yet soon, nearly one hundred thousand white-bodied figures appeared on the ground once more.
Surprisingly, they all looked identical, each wearing an eerie expression as they charged forward.
Swish!
Lightning Release: Hell Stab!
First Raikage A's attack, however, was blocked dead in its tracks by a three-stage Susanoo.
"Break for me!" His features twisted, flames erupting within his eyes as he roared.
Lightning flickered, and crack! Fractures gradually appeared on the Susanoo.
"The Raikage, is it? You're not bad, stronger than that thick-browed foundation."
"I hope you can entertain me to the fullest!" With those words, he formed hand seals for the Unknown Seal.
First A instantly leapt aside. "Nothing happened?"
At this moment, the sky gradually grew dim.
The surviving ninja in the rear murmured in confusion, "Is it going to rain? Right in time to favor Lightning Release!"
"Look... look at the sky!" someone cried out in shock, hardly able to speak.
"What... what is that?!"
Suddenly, a massive meteor broke through the clouds, revealing its despair-inducing form...
First A roared aloud, "You won't get your way! Fall back, all of you; I will stop it."
Lightning Armor-Activate!
Hell Stab: Assault!
In order to allow the troops to successfully retreat, A had no choice but to charge straight up from where he stood.
"Break, I say!" With his fingertips covered in chakra like sharp blades, he stabbed fiercely into the meteor.
Acting as a sword with his very body, he smoothly sliced the meteor in two, though thanks to the protection of the Lightning Release Armor, he himself sustained no major injuries.
Seeing the situation turn unfavorable, those white human figures quickly melted into the ground, just like Black Zetsu.
Upon seeing this, Madara's pupils constricted. "Found your trace at last!"
Just as the Raikage was still celebrating high in midair, an even larger meteor appeared in the sky above!
At this moment, Madara's eye sockets were covered in patterns, and activating Sage Mode, he arrogantly proclaimed,
"This is my new ability, Tengai Shinsei: Triple Strike!"
Through the Rinnegan, he dragged yet another incomparably huge meteor down from outer space.
First A, after a brief moment of distraction, once more used every ounce of his strength to thrust!
"Cough, cough~" Blood spilled from his lips; the toll of this intensity of impact on his internal organs was far too heavy. "I'll stop you anyway!"
At that moment, First A's son, Greater A, suddenly appeared beside him. "Lord Raikage, I've come to aid you!"
"Get lost! What will happen to Cloud Shadow Village if you die?"
"If we can't even protect our own Kage, what kind of Raikage would I be?"
"Fine! Let us father and son strike together!" The two transformed into a pair of sharp swords, once more slicing the second meteor in half.
"Hoo, hoo, hoo~" First Raikage roared, "Did you see that? This is the Will of Fire!"
Greater A: "Right! Don't think you can easily defeat us!"
Madara's lips curled upward as he said with genuine interest, "A fine performance, but it's not over yet. Look above you."
Blocking out the heavens and covering the earth...
A giant meteor, large enough to crush mountains and fill the seas, was slowly descending amidst sparks.
It completely engulfed the two Raikage. "Is... is he even human?"
"Madara, you've gone too far this time; we're going to get caught in the blast too." Beside him, Eight-Tails Gyuki was sweating profusely as he quickly spoke out.
The other three Tailed Beasts nodded repeatedly as well.
"What is there to fear?" Madara calmly maneuvered the meteor to slowly veer off course, heading toward the enemy stronghold. "You need only hide behind me."
Suddenly, over a dozen martial arts experts from the Sengoku era appeared all around. Seeing the patterns on their faces and their black pupils, Madara immediately understood these were individuals brought back by Impure World Reincarnation.
"Don't make a move, let me have some fun. Consider it a preliminary warmup."
He immediately released control of the meteor, letting it drop freely.
Yet at that very instant, the Raikage moved as well. Over a dozen Impure World Reincarnation individuals gathered around him, unleashing various jutsu as they fought desperately against the giant meteor...
Boom, boom, boom! Fragments of the meteor constantly fell, forming a massive meteor shower.
Their efforts were not in vain; they finally succeeded in destroying it right before it could fully descend. Meanwhile, Madara's side had also concluded battle, his soul-absorbing ability acting as a direct counter to Impure World Reincarnation.
"Not entertaining enough. Can you still dance? Give me a bit more amusement!" Madara yawned in sheer boredom.
The Raikage struggled for a long time before finally dropping to one knee. "We won't fight anymore. You win; we surrender."
Along with him, the remaining surviving ninja and samurai of the Land of Lightning all dropped to one knee in unison,
shouting their surrender.
"Sigh~ How dull."
Suddenly, the remaining Impure World Reincarnation figures charged at him collectively in a fast assault. As he dodged, four flame dragons struck from behind.
Just as they were about to hit Madara, a powerful repulsive force instantly erupted from his entire body, shattering the four flame dragons and sending those people flying in the process.
Shinra Tensei!
"Finally couldn't help but make your move, Black Zetsu!"
Izuna, possessed by Black Zetsu, gradually emerged from the soil. "Nisan, save me~"
Just as the other half of Black Zetsu prepared to threaten Madara, he suddenly found the pair of eyes on his opponent rather familiar, and said in astonishment, "The Rinnegan?!"
Before he even had time to react, he was bound in place, continuously battered by punches imbued with natural energy.
Yet there was clearly nothing around him, leaving Black Zetsu utterly shocked. "Invisible attacks? Is this your power?"
"Heh," Madara mocked with his eyes, "To die beneath these eyes is your honor."
This was his ability, Limbo: Border Jail!
Four transparent Madara clones were currently attacking Black Zetsu, making him suffer intensely-the goal was precisely to force him out of Izuna's body.
Black Zetsu screamed, "Madara Uchiha! How could you possibly obtain the Rinnegan?!"
"Ah!" Even as he was being slowly and forcibly stripped away by three Madara clones, they were frantically absorbing the chakra within his body.
Suddenly, the opponent activated Susanoo, separating the Limbo Clones. How could Madara let him have his way? He swiftly raised his hand toward him, triggering the gravitational pull-Banshō Ten'in!
An irresistible gravitational force sucked Black Zetsu right over.
In his panic, Black Zetsu had no choice but to undo the possession, plummeting rapidly to the ground and sinking straight into the earth.
The moment he completely burrowed underground, the terror on his face vanished instantly, replaced by an unfathomable expression. "Very good. Although deviations occurred, the overall plan remains unchanged."
Seeing his opponent vanish once more, Madara immediately brought his palms together, condensing a glowing small black ball in his hand. "Ants, forfeit your lives! Chibaku Ten-"
Ugh, what is happening to me? Madara suddenly doubled over in discomfort.
"Madara~" Hashirama's voice echoed within his mind.
"Could something have happened to Hashirama? Damn it, the distance is too great."
Suddenly, a surge of energy welled up from within his heart, and following the sensation, he chose to accept it.
His body rapidly faded. "Izuna, leave the cleanup to you."
The moment he finished giving instructions, he vanished completely.
At the same time, on the verge of death, Tetsuhiro suddenly thought of the necklace's ability.
He immediately activated its attached skill: Bond Everlasting! The bound target-Madara Uchiha-
flashed instantly from ten thousand miles away right to his side.
Amidst everyone's sorrowful and astonished gazes, Madara saw "Hashirama" lying in Tobirama's arms. Sensing the other's weak life force, he immediately formed hand seals.
"Hashirama! With me here, you'll be fine. Although I don't know why I suddenly came here, I'm just in time to save you! Even if it costs me my life!"
"Grand ambitions and hegemony... fall short of you every single time..."
Bringing his palms together, he let out a furious roar: "Rinne Rebirth!"
A majestic wave of life force surged out from Madara, pouring straight into Tetsuhiro...
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