"Seven Formation - Rotation!" Tsunade shouted, her Senjutsu Chakra exploding within her body, forcefully breaking free from the water vines' restraints. The seven shadows instantly shifted positions, Jiraiya's Fire Style and Tian Yukihime's Bone Release activating simultaneously. Flames transformed into crimson fire serpents in the water, accompanied by swirling steam, while bone cones shot towards the mages with sharp whistles.
"Fools." The three mages sneered simultaneously, the crystals at the tips of their staffs glowing red. The fire serpent, having only reached halfway, was extinguished like a extinguished candle, while the bone spike froze into ice blocks three feet away, shattering with a crack. "Playing with fire in the water?" the tall, thin mage's voice was mocking. "Let me show you true water magic— Undercurrent Strangulation!"
The water around the Seven Shadows suddenly spun wildly, forming seven rapidly rotating whirlpools. Tsunade's monstrous strength was greatly diminished in the whirlpools, and every step she took felt like she was wrestling with an invisible, gigantic hand. "At this rate, we'll be worn down!" she roared, slamming her fist into the water's surface, trying to disperse the Uzumaki with brute force, but only managing to create futile ripples.
The warriors brought by Scarface seized the opportunity to launch an attack. Their battle axes swung with black aura, striking the Seven Shadows' defensive barrier with dull thuds. Suddenly, a short, stout warrior threw a flying axe that grazed Orochimaru's ear and precisely severed Tian Yukihime's rune pouch.
"Be careful, their coordination is excellent!" Nara Shikanei's voice was panting as he quickly calculated the enemy's formation. "One of the three mages is maintaining a magic circle, Jūni warriors are divided into three groups of four, rotating attacks, which will perfectly fill the gaps in our defenses!"
Orochimaru suddenly threw a glass jar on the ground. The purple smoke inside didn't dissipate upon contact with water; instead, it transformed into countless small snakes that lunged at the warrior. "Poisonous snakes, huh?" Scarface scoffed, sweeping his battle axe across the battlefield. His battle aura instantly incinerated the snake swarm to ashes. "The poison masters of the Western Continent are far more sophisticated than you."
Just then, the Azure Dragon trapped within the ice crystals suddenly let out a silent roar. Its chains trembled violently, and drops of blue blood fell into the puddle, making the dragon core's light even more dazzling. The three Blood Rose mages' expressions changed simultaneously. "Not good! It's actively activating the burning dragon core!"
"How could I allow you to destroy what my lord desires!" The tall, thin mage suddenly bit his fingertip, dripping blood onto the crystal at the tip of his staff. "Sacrifice Spell: Blood Bind!"
Suddenly, a blood-red light shone from the Jūni warriors, and their battle aura surged along the blood on the ground towards the ice crystal chains. The Azure Dragon let out a painful roar, its golden pupils rapidly dimming, and its scales began to fall off one by one. The dragon core pounded wildly like a heart, its red light almost completely engulfing the blue.
"We can't let them succeed!" Tsunade suddenly slammed her fist into her chest, blood trickling from the corner of her mouth. " Strength of a Hundred Technique - Full Power!"
The burst of Senjutsu Chakra temporarily freed her from the vortex's restraints, and her fist slammed into the nearest warrior with earth-shattering force. The warrior raised his axe to block, but was only forced back several steps, the black leather armor on his arm instantly cracking. "Interesting, little girl," the scarred man's one eye flashed with excitement, "Too late—"
Before he could finish speaking, a red light, brighter than the fluorescent stone, suddenly shot out from the depths of the passage, instantly piercing the chests of the two warriors. The red light carried a scorching wave of air, which actually burned a fleeting fire dragon in the water.
"Who?!" However, the two injured men simply used their fighting spirit to protect their heart meridians and turned around sharply, their battle axes shielding them in front of them.
From the darkness at the end of the passage, an old man with white hair slowly walked out. He was dressed in a simple black combat uniform, followed by five disciples of the Holy Land, including Tenchu and Tenpei, each radiating Immortal Power that could make water boil. Madara Uchiha Rinnegan rotated in its socket, the red light reflecting off the wrinkles on his face, making them appear even more menacing.
"Who just said they were going to chop them up and feed them to the fish monsters?" Ban's voice wasn't loud, but it boomed like thunder in the cave. "I'd like to see if this pile of rotten flesh is enough to fill the gaps in the Water Clan ' teeth."
Scarface's bronze eyepatch suddenly cracked open. "A Saint Warrior-level expert?! Impossible! How could there be such a monster among the ninjas of the Eastern Continent? We're all only level nine warriors. Everyone, be careful with your defenses—"
"Enough with the nonsense." Madara Uchiha suddenly vanished from his spot, reappearing behind the tall, thin mage. Before the mage could turn around, his hand was already pressed against the mage's back. " Fire Style: Great Fire Annihilation."
The dark red flames instantly engulfed the mage, evaporating the water around him into white mist. The other two mages retreated hastily in fear, causing the magic circle they were maintaining to collapse instantly, and the vortex around the Seven Shadows vanished in response. "Kill him!" Scarface's battle axe, imbued with black battle aura, slashed at Ban, and the Jūni warriors charged forward simultaneously.
Madara didn't even lift his eyelids before a massive Susanoo skeleton suddenly unfolded behind him. The sound of bones colliding shook the rock walls, causing them to crumble. With a swing of his blue Chakra arm, he swatted the four warriors at the forefront into a bloody mist, as if swatting flies.
"Heavens, Tenchu," Jiraiya swallowed hard. "After Madara Uchiha recovered from his injuries, his strength seems even more outrageously terrifying than the legends say."
Taking advantage of the opportunity, Hatake Sakumo launched a counterattack, his blade flashing like lightning, instantly severing the hamstrings of two warriors. Tsunade, meanwhile, hoisted a boulder the size of a millstone and slammed it down on the scarred man, forcing him to parry with his axe. "Now you know who the trash is?" she sneered as she pounced, her fists raining down like raindrops.
The Blood Rose members clearly hadn't expected such a formidable opponent to suddenly appear. One of the three mages was killed, and the remaining two attacked Madara Uchiha with magic, but the ice storm they unleashed was shattered by Madara's Susanoo.
The Jūni warriors were severely injured. Although Scarface was fierce, he was suppressed by Tsunade and Hatake Sakumo together, and his single eye under the bronze eyepatch was filled with fear.
"Retreat!" Scarface suddenly feigned an axe strike, then turned and ran deeper into the passage. "The master won't let you get away with this!"
The remaining four warriors and two mages also wanted to retreat, but were blocked by Madara's Susanoo. "Since you're here, stay." Madara's voice was devoid of any emotion. The Susanoo's arm suddenly clenched, crushing the men and the surrounding rocks into dust.
The cave suddenly fell silent, save for the heavy breathing of the group and the faint breath of the Azure Dragon. Tsunade shook her numb fist; her waterproof suit was stained with black blood. "Just who is this Blood Rose? Their combat power rivals that of Sage Level expert. Together, we are no match for them. And that mage is incredibly strange."
Madara Uchiha ignored her question and walked straight to the ice crystal. The trapped Azure Dragon looked at him, its golden pupils revealing a pleading expression. "This seal is a product of a hundred years ago." Madara Uchiha reached out and touched the chains on the ice crystal. "Those madmen from the Western Continent probably want to use dragon cores and dragon blood to open something—look at the end of the chains."
As they drew closer, they discovered that each chain ended in a black crystal, within which patterns of galaxy rotations could be faintly seen. Nara Shikanei suddenly gasped, "Spatial anchors! They want to use the energy of the Dragon Pill to connect this space to the space of the Western Continent!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the entire cavern suddenly shook violently. It wasn't the previous tremor, but a tremor that seemed to come from the depths of the planet, as if it would tear everything apart. The trapped Azure Dragon let out a deafening roar, this time not a mental fluctuation, but a real sound—the seal on the ice crystal was shattering inch by inch, and blue blood gushed out, forming a winding stream on the ground.
"No!" Madara whirled around, the Susanoo's skeleton unfolding once more. "Its power is out of control! The entire abyss is resonating with it!"
Tian Yukihime pointed at the dragon core in the puddle, her face pale. " The Inner Core is glowing! And... listen!"
Countless muffled roars came from all directions, more terrifying and massive than the previous groans of the undead. Wherever the light of the fluorescent stone reached, countless enormous tentacles emerged from the cracks in the rock walls, and Yin Shadow that blotted out the sky appeared in the darkness in the distance—the true Water Clan overlord, alarmed by the energy of the Dragon Pill.
"Go!" Madara grabbed the nearest Tenchu in the sky. "This place is about to collapse!"
The seven knights exchanged a glance and then hesitated no longer. Jiraiya, Tian Yukihime, and Hatake Sakumo brought up the rear, and the rest of the group followed Madara Uchiha as they raced toward the teleportation tower. Behind them, the roar of the Azure Dragon grew louder and louder. The moment the ice crystals shattered completely, they seemed to see a colossal azure dragon, blotting out the sky, burst through the cavern and collide with the enormous creatures surging from the bottom of the abyss.
"Hold on!" Madara Uchiha activated the teleportation token at his waist, and a pale blue portal opened in front of him. "Don't look back!"
Tsunade took one last look at the darkness behind her, which was now filled with countless glowing eyes, like a boiling sea of stars. She suddenly remembered Scarface Blood Rose's words—"waste on this planet"—and her heart sank.
The Setsuna they passed through the portal of light, the dampness and oppressive feeling vanished instantly. The group collapsed onto the grass outside the mid-level tower, gasping for breath, their waterproof suits stained with mud and blood. Madara Uchiha, staring at the slightly warm token in his hand. "The people of the Western Continent have already extended their reach into the abyss of the ocean, and..."
He looked up at the sky; something seemed to be writhing deep within the clouds. "The energy of the Dragon Pill has likely alarmed more than just the Water Clan."
Tsunade touched the cloth bag in her arms, which contained Inner Core Dragon Race's inner core that she had picked up in the chaos. She suddenly noticed that the originally blue crystals now had a faint blood-red hue. And at the entrance of the intermediate tower in the distance, a thin layer of frost had formed, and within the frost, she could vaguely see twisted runes that did not belong to the Shinobi World.