The rain was icy, mingling with the mist rising from the lake and shrouding the entire battlefield in deathly silence.
At that moment, it was as though an invisible hand had choked off the breathing of tens of thousands of Allied Shinobi Forces.
Every gaze converged on the figure slowly emerging from the mist.
He wore dark red armor from the Warring States period, his wild black hair whipping freely in the damp air.
The gray cracks characteristic of Impure World Reincarnation covered his cheeks, only adding an ominous air that made hearts tremble.
"Ma... Madara... Uchiha!"
Among the allied ranks, an elderly jōnin who had lived through the old era saw that face, and his pupils instantly shrank to pinpoints.
That nightmarishly familiar face seemed to transport him straight back to an age ruled by absolute terror. His legs buckled, and he dropped uncontrollably to his knees, trembling all over.
That name was like a forbidden curse, instantly igniting panic throughout the allied forces.
"Impossible! Is this genjutsu?!"
"That legendary shinobi... how could he still be alive?!"
Far away, the atmosphere among the Five Kage grew heavier still.
"That face... there's no mistake. It's him!" Ōnoki's clouded old eyes widened, and he instinctively rubbed his overburdened lower back.
As someone who had faced Madara at his prime and survived, he felt the fear carved deep into his soul stirring anew.
"You've got to be kidding! Didn't he die at the Valley of the End long ago?!" Raikage A roared in disbelief.
The Lightning Release Armor that had just faded from exhaustion erupted around him again amid his violent emotional turmoil, wild arcs of electricity lashing out uncontrollably.
Minato said nothing, but his gaze was more solemn than ever.
He stared at the cracks on Madara's face, like parched earth, and at the black backgrounds of his eyes.
Those eyes... there's no doubt. It's Impure World Reincarnation! Minato instantly reached his conclusion.
On the other side of the lake, the Akatsuki camp also fell briefly silent.
Only Nagato calmly watched Madara across the water. His single purple Rinnegan remained untroubled, and deep within it were reflected Madara's pupils, bearing the same eerie rings.
"Not a bad welcoming ceremony." Madara Uchiha finally spoke, casually tossing Fū aside.
He flexed his wrists, producing crisp cracks from his joints.
He swept a contemptuous gaze over the tens of thousands of elite shinobi before him, like a god looking down at the ants beneath his feet.
"Have you gathered all this small fry to hold a grand celebration for me?"
His Rinnegan shifted slightly. His gaze passed over the tens of thousands of allied shinobi before finally settling on Nagato and his four companions.
Hmph, the Rinnegan... my eyes have been in your keeping long enough. It's time to return them, Madara sneered inwardly.
With Pero currently away from Amegakure, he could save himself some trouble.
His impression of Pero's strength still rested on the intelligence Black Zetsu had overheard at the Five Kage Summit.
But the intelligence Black Zetsu had overheard at the Five Kage Summit described only some of Pero's abilities.
In his view, once he was revived through Rinne Rebirth, with both Rinnegan as well,
he would be able to contend with any unforeseen developments.
"But before that..." Madara Uchiha slowly turned back, directing his indifferent gaze at the Allied Shinobi Forces again as a cruel smile curled his lips. "Let's clear these interfering nobodies off the stage."
"Let me show you what true power is."
"Do you want to dance too?"
That signature catchphrase echoed through the cold curtain of rain like the whisper of the grim reaper.
The instant his words fell, Raikage A moved first!
"Enough of your cheap tricks!"
Extreme fear could turn into anger.
Fury completely overwhelmed his reason. He became a dazzling streak of blue lightning, crossing hundreds of meters of lake in an instant at a speed almost impossible to follow with the naked eye.
A heavy punch infused with chakra shot straight at Madara's head!
Madara Uchiha did not even lift his eyelids.
His indifferent Rinnegan merely flicked a casual glance.
An invisible repulsive force suddenly erupted.
Raikage A's rampaging figure stopped dead two body lengths from Madara!
As though he had struck an invisible barrier, the lightning around his fist shattered inch by inch, and he could not advance any farther.
Time seemed to stand still at that moment.
"The strength of an ant."
Madara uttered those words flatly, casually lifting his foot and driving it into the Raikage's abdomen in a kick that looked slow yet was impossibly fast.
Like a kite with its string cut, A flew backward faster than he had come, throwing up a series of ungainly splashes across the lake before crashing heavily back into the allied ranks, breaking the bones and tearing the tendons of the shinobi in his path.
In just one move, the Fourth Raikage, renowned among the Five Kage for his physical strength and speed, suffered a crushing defeat!
"Come to think of it, I have those brats to thank for wearing you down." Madara glanced at the Akatsuki members opposite him.
"Cleaning you up won't take the slightest effort."
The entire battlefield fell deathly silent.
It was the despair of being ruled by absolute power.
"Attack together!" Ōnoki was the first to recover from his shock. He screamed hoarsely, slamming his palms together before his chest.
Dust Release: Detachment of the Primitive World Technique!
A white beam that annihilated everything shot out in an instant!
The other three Kage attacked at the same time, with countless shinobi behind them following closely. Ninjutsu filled the sky, once again forming a torrent.
Facing this world-shattering assault, Madara Uchiha simply stood where he was, slowly raising his arms and folding them across his chest.
At that moment, his single Rinnegan actually changed into a scarlet Sharingan.
Two Mangekyō Sharingan spun rapidly before finally settling into a pattern.
The next instant, blue-violet chakra energy surged into the sky!
A warrior god's form rose from the ground, so enormous that it blotted out the sky, holding twin swords and completely enclosing Madara.
Perfect Susanoo!
"Wh... what is that monster?!" At the rear of the allied forces, young shinobi witnessing such a sight for the first time screamed in terror.
Boom, boom, boom-!
Countless ninjutsu slammed into Susanoo's enormous Chakra Armor, only raising clouds of smoke that filled the sky.
"I... I can't see him!" The smoke temporarily blocked everyone's view.
Suspended within Susanoo's chest, Madara lowered his eyes with a god's contempt to regard the allied shinobi below, who were already no different from corpses in his eyes.
"Now, it's time to dance."
The enormous Susanoo vanished in an instant, and Madara leaped into the allied army of tens of thousands like a phantom.
He used no earth-shattering ninjutsu, only the purest taijutsu.
He strolled leisurely through the army of tens of thousands.
Wherever he passed, bodies went flying.
Fire Style: Majestic Destroyer Flame!
He drew a sharp breath and exhaled a sea of fire, instantly inflicting heavy losses on the allied formation before him.
The human-wave tactics the allied forces took such pride in became a laughable target before him.
Madara Uchiha danced alone among the allied forces.
"Th... this is Madara Uchiha?" Across the lake, Yahiko's eyes were filled with unprecedented shock.
Even if he entered Jinchūriki Mode, he would struggle to fight at this level.
So combat could reach such an inconceivable realm.
At last, this one-sided "dance" drew to a close.
On the lake, more than half the allied shinobi had fallen. The survivors had long since been terrified out of their wits, losing all will to fight as they slumped helplessly down.
Every one of the Five Kage was wounded, their chakra exhausted. They could only stare at the figure standing on the lake with eyes full of despair and defiance.
Madara Uchiha slowly landed in the middle of the lake. He glanced at the battlefield he had created with his own hands, yet there was not the slightest satisfaction on his face.
Instead, a hint of weariness appeared.
"As I thought, an Impure World Reincarnation body still can't make my blood boil."
He slowly turned, directing his gaze at the five Akatsuki members on the other side.
"The warm-up is over."
His voice was not loud, yet it reached everyone's ears clearly.
"Now, it's your turn."
Before you continue