"The Six-Tails, huh…"
Hatake Sakumo and his team walked leisurely through the forest.
"I wonder if Raijin's decision is the right one."
Jiraiya shook his head at the thought. Finding the Six-Tails and killing Uchiha Madara—neither task was easy.
"Of course, it's the right call. Enemies are enemies. The fewer, the better."
Hatake Sakumo chuckled softly as he spoke.
"Especially now, when Konohagakure is in a strong position."
"It just feels a bit… aggressive."
Jiraiya pursed his lips. But since Raijin had given the order, they had to find a way to make it happen.
"It's not aggressive. Things are different now. Back then, Raijin and Tsunade couldn't kill Madara with Jigen interfering. But now, it's possible."
Hatake Sakumo explained to Jiraiya.
"Yeah."
Jiraiya nodded, agreeing with Hatake Sakumo's reasoning.
"Legendary shinobi are truly something else."
Just then, Might Duy suddenly spoke up.
Might Duy had also fought Madara before.
That level of strength was truly admirable.
"That's why we need teamwork."
Might Duy chuckled and turned to his companion.
Otsutsuki Toneri glanced at the three Sannin chatting happily, then at the unresponsive Kangping beside him.
He remained silent.
Toneri knew exactly what state Kangping was in.
One of the abilities of the Tenseigan—Toneri himself possessed it.
"Roar!"
At that moment, a powerful roar echoed through the forest, causing Hatake Sakumo to freeze.
No way… this can't be a coincidence, right?
"Let's go!"
Before Hatake Sakumo could react, Otsutsuki Toneri had already activated his Tenseigan Chakra Mode.
The Rinnegan? I've been wanting to test myself against it!
Watching Toneri charge forward, Hatake Sakumo gritted his teeth and followed.
"Really…"
Madara, seeing the green-clad figure suddenly appear in front of him, couldn't help but clench his teeth in frustration.
Is my luck… really this bad?
Or did Uchiha Raijin plant something on me?
That shouldn't be possible…
He wouldn't have had the chance…
"Clang!"
A flash of golden light appeared, but it didn't aim for the chains spat out by the Gedo Statue.
Instead, it targeted both the Six-Tails and the Gedo Statue simultaneously.
"You've got to be kidding me…"
Madara gritted his teeth in annoyance. A complete Susano'o instantly rose from the ground, shielding both the Gedo Statue and the Six-Tails.
At the same time, the giant wielding a sword blocked the incoming Golden Wheel Reincarnation Explosion.
Different auras, but the same ocular power.
Though the difference in strength was significant.
Who is this guy?
"Long time no see, Madara…"
Just then, a familiar voice rang out.
Madara's heart sank.
This situation today…
Is going to be the death of me…
"Long time no see."
Madara crossed his arms, standing proudly within the diamond-shaped mark in the Susano'o's forehead.
"This meeting will be our last."
Raijin, looking at Madara, didn't hesitate. He launched his strongest attack without delay.
Raijin had a pretty good idea of Madara's methods. He didn't learn this from his past life, but through countless battles in this life, slowly figuring things out step by step.
A golden light, as if cutting through heaven and earth, slashed diagonally toward Uchiha Madara. During his time in Konohagakure, Raijin hadn't just been spending his days doing... *ahem* private things with Tsunade.
Thanks to Namikaze Minato, Raijin was able to focus more on his training. The Tenseigan Chakra Mode represented the peak of Raijin's achievements in the chakra system. Having permanently unlocked the Four Gates, it also symbolized his mastery in the Senjutsu system. Combined, this was Raijin's strongest attack—well, one of them.
As the golden light flashed, Madara's Susano'o shattered into pieces.
In this world, there's no such thing as an absolute defense. In the end, it all comes down to a clash of energy! However, Madara narrowly dodged the attack. But the Six-Tails was completely obliterated in an instant.
"What a lively scene…" A space-time vortex appeared, and Otsutsuki Isshiki emerged, looking at the chaos with a smile.
But deep down, he was struggling fiercely. Should he go all out to help Uchiha Madara kill Uchiha Raijin? But if he did…
"Well, if it isn't Jigen-sama?"
Raijin chuckled. As he spoke, the Five Ninja, led by Hatake Sakumo, moved to confront Jigen.
Today, no one was going to stop Raijin from killing Uchiha Madara! Jigen knew space-time ninjutsu, so if he wanted to leave, Raijin couldn't stop him. But Uchiha Madara didn't have that luxury. He was stuck here, and he was going to die!
"Uchiha Madara!"
Jigen glanced at Madara and finally made up his mind. In this situation, it was unlikely Madara would survive. Jigen himself was injured and couldn't offer much help. But there was one way to give Madara a chance.
Madara instinctively looked at Jigen. At that moment, an even larger space-time vortex appeared, and a monstrous creature began to emerge from it. That was…
Madara's eyes widened in shock. He recognized it immediately—the Gedo Statue!
No, it was the Ten-Tails, a complete and dormant Ten-Tails!"
Stop him!" Raijin shouted instinctively, charging toward Madara at lightning speed.
Eternal Mangekyou—activate! Thunderclap Flash—I'm going to cut you down!!!
The massive Gedo Statue appeared in front of Raijin. A sharp, ear-piercing sound rang out as Raijin and the Gedo Statue clashed in an instant.
A bolt of purple-gold lightning struck the waist of the Gedo Statue, slicing it clean in half.
However, such an injury wasn't enough to destroy the Gedo Statue.
In that brief moment of delay, Uchiha Madara had already become the Ten-Tails Jinchuriki.
Raijin looked at Madara, now clad in a white Hagoromo robe and holding the Six Paths Staff, and felt a wave of despair wash over him.
Who could tell him why a second Ten-Tails had appeared?
This made all his efforts to compete with Madara over the Nine Tailed Beasts seem... utterly pointless.
It felt like...
After working hard for most of his life, he suddenly realized the rules had changed.
Not just Raijin, even Black Zetsu was stunned by what he saw.
This.....
What's going on? A second Ten-Tails? Is it a relative of Mother Kaguya? Black Zetsu's mind was in turmoil.
This scene completely shattered Black Zetsu's understanding of the world.
"Truly... an unexpected level of power..."
Madara tightened his grip on the Six Paths Staff, floating in mid-air as he looked down at Raijin.
"Yeah, you're really something."
Raijin sighed helplessly as he looked at Uchiha Madara.
Today... it seemed like he would have to retreat empty-handed again.
A second Ten-Tails? Seriously?
"You seem... disappointed?"
Madara asked, his tone curious and amused.
Now... there was no rush.
Time was on his side.
Seeing this, Otsutsuki Isshiki didn't hesitate to leave.
The space-time vortex was still open, and escaping was easy.
"Shouldn't I be disappointed?"
Raijin pursed his lips and shot the question back at Madara.
He didn't care about Otsutsuki Isshiki's departure.
After all, Isshiki wasn't his target this time.
"True, strictly speaking, you and I are enemies."
Madara nodded, gently running his fingers along the staff.
"But I think that mysterious ninja is more of a threat to both of us, don't you agree?"
Madara tilted his head slightly as he spoke to Raijin.
"Are you suggesting we team up?"
Raijin raised an eyebrow, looking at Madara with suspicion.
"Why not?"
Madara chuckled, turning the question back on Raijin.
"Now that I don't need the Tailed Beasts, I can cast the Infinite Tsukuyomi whenever I want."
"Then go ahead and cast it."
Raijin replied irritably.
Thanks to the Tenseigan, Raijin wasn't afraid of the Infinite Tsukuyomi.
"Don't be so angry. You know what I mean."
Madara shook his head, his tone calm.
"*Sigh*"
Raijin rubbed his temples, forcing himself to calm down.
"Aren't you curious about where this second Ten-Tails came from?"
Seeing Raijin slowly relax, Madara asked softly.
Before, Madara had only been curious about Otsutsuki Isshiki, wanting to know his origins.
But now, with the appearance of the second Ten-Tails, Madara's understanding of Isshiki had completely changed.
What is the Ten-Tails? It's the source of chakra.
It's the foundation that allowed the Sage of Six Paths to create the ninja system.
How could a mysterious shinobi, with no known background, possess the Ten-Tails?
If he had some connection to the Sage of Six Paths, why isn't there any legend about him?
This suggests that this person is an enemy of the Sage of Six Paths.
At the very least, not a friend.
And the Sage of Six Paths' enemies…
Legend has it that the Sage and his brother sealed away their mother, Kaguya Ōtsutsuki.
So, could we make a bold assumption that this mysterious shinobi is a being like Kaguya Ōtsutsuki?
And if that's the case… would the Infinite Tsukuyomi even work on them?
After all, chakra exists because of them.
And right now, Uchiha Raijin doesn't seem affected by the Infinite Tsukuyomi either.
So, even Uchiha Madara feels a bit stuck at this moment.
But, relatively speaking, Madara still wants to figure out the origins of that mysterious shinobi.
"Honestly, I don't want you to cast the Infinite Tsukuyomi."
After quietly staring at Madara for a couple of seconds, Raijin slowly landed on the ground.
Casually sitting on a rock, Raijin spoke to Uchiha Madara.
"Oh? Why's that?"
Madara chuckled lightly, also descending and sitting across from Raijin.
The new power he had gained gave Madara enough confidence in his strength.
Besides, at such close range, shouldn't Uchiha Raijin be the one worried?
"Because you don't know anything."
Raijin shook his head. If Madara were to cast the Infinite Tsukuyomi, Raijin wasn't sure if Black Zetsu would take the opportunity to strike.
If Kaguya Ōtsutsuki were to be released, it would only make things more complicated.
A real headache…
"Oh? I'm curious, what do you know?"
Madara asked Raijin.
Madara's biggest need right now was to figure all of this out.
Killing Raijin could wait.
Konohagakure wasn't going anywhere; it wasn't going to run away.
But that mysterious shinobi was different. First, Madara couldn't be sure if the Infinite Tsukuyomi would affect him.
And if he carelessly cast the Infinite Tsukuyomi, giving that guy an opening…
"That person's name is Jigen."
Raijin looked up at Uchiha Madara and spoke slowly.
"And then?"
Madara continued to press Raijin.
"He… comes from…"
Raijin dragged out his words, and just as Madara thought he was about to reveal the answer, Raijin abruptly closed his mouth.
"Go find out for yourself."
Standing up, Raijin turned and walked toward Hatake Sakumo and the others.
"Sigh…"
Madara closed his eyes in frustration, then stood up, his back still turned to Raijin, and asked softly,
"What? Do you really think I can't bring myself to kill you?"
"You're really something, huh? What, you think you can kill me anytime you want now?"
Raijin paused for a moment, then turned slightly to face Uchiha Madara, responding with a question of his own.
Cooperation?
Cooperation, my foot!
In this ninja world, who the hell is truly trustworthy?!
So-called cooperation is just being used as a tool by Uchiha Madara to achieve his goals, only to be kicked aside afterward.
"Oh? You think I can't do it?" Madara turned around and asked Raijin.
"Yeah, that's right," Raijin nodded without hesitation.
"Then go die!"
Madara lightly tapped his staff on the ground, and several Truth-Seeking Orbs shot toward Raijin.
Seeing this, Raijin focused his mind, and several of his own Truth-Seeking Orbs flew toward Madara.
The next moment, the orbs from both sides collided in mid-air and canceled each other out.
Madara frowned slightly.
This level of power... it shouldn't be like this...
"I admit, you've reached the pinnacle of what a ninja can achieve. No one in the ninja world has ever reached such heights," Raijin said softly, looking at Uchiha Madara.
"But, Madara-senpai, times have changed. Do you really think I came here without a plan to kill you? Did you think I didn't know how strong you are? Or that I didn't prepare for the possibility of you becoming the Rikudo Sennin?"
(End of Chapter)
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