Chapter 202: Ninjutsu and the Power of the Fruit

Extreme heat distorted the very air, the fire tornado dyeing the sky a crimson red.

"Sizzle!"

The Susanoo began to deform under the extreme heat, even its muscle layer melting and dripping away.

Just as the flames were about to reach Madara, his right hand rose, and he shouted coldly: "Hungry Ghost Path."

In an instant, all the flames, Wind Release, and chakra were drawn as if by an invisible vortex, surging madly toward Madara's direction.

In the blink of an eye the firelight scattered completely, and Madara's figure was revealed once more.

At this moment, a violent tremor suddenly came from the ground.

"Earth Core Technique!"

At this moment, Huangtu abruptly formed hand seals, slamming both hands down.

"Boom!"

The ground instantly cracked open, a massive earth pillar erupting from beneath Madara's feet, launching him whole into the high sky.

"Right now!"

Yamanaka Inoichi's voice detonated in everyone's minds.

"Whoosh whoosh whoosh!" The sound of breaking air rang out in succession, several figures shooting toward the high sky like arrows loosed from a bow.

Kizashi Hatake's whole body flashed past like white lightning, sharp blade light tearing through the long sky.

"Eight Trigrams Empty Wall Palm!"

Hyuga Hizashi shouted coldly, striking out a palm; the palm wind tore a visible ripple in midair.

"Summoning Technique: Ten Machines Linked!" Chiyo's hands danced rapidly, manipulating the puppets to launch an attack.

White Fang, Hyuga Hizashi, Dual-Blade Flounder, A, Tsunade, Chiyo Puppet.

Six close-combat powerhouses, six killing moves, perfectly sealing off all of Madara's possible escape routes; this strike had almost no flaw to speak of.

At this time Yamanaka Inoichi's hands were clenched tight, cold sweat seeping from his forehead. All the previous attacks were to create this moment! The Hungry Ghost Path is powerful, but using it inevitably exposes the real body.

And to deal with the current Uchiha Madara, only Taijutsu can be used, not Ninjutsu; this is the time for these Taijutsu ninja to take the stage!

Even Uchiha Madara, without Susanoo's protection, could not possibly block so many attacks!

"Take this, Uchiha Madara, this is the Ninja World's combined strength!"

Yet facing the attacks of six powerhouses coming from all directions, Madara showed not the slightest panic.

"Armament Haki!"

Instantly, pitch-black Armament Haki covered his whole body like a surging tide.

The next instant, Tsunade's fist, wrapped in terrifying chakra, arrived first, smashing straight for Madara's face.

At the same time, black lightning flickered on A's hand blade, tearing through the long sky to cleave at Madara's left shoulder.

"Well met." Madara advanced instead of retreating, both hands shooting out simultaneously.

"Bang!"

Two huge booms exploded almost simultaneously; Madara's hands precisely caught A's and Tsunade's fists.

Terrifying shockwaves erupted between the three, air waves sweeping the surroundings.

"What?!" Tsunade's pupils shrank; her monstrous strength had been caught bare-handed for the first time.

"How can this be." A's face likewise changed at this moment; his Lightning Release hand blade could not budge the opponent in the slightest.

At this moment, White Fang's light blade, Hyuga Hizashi's Gentle Fist, Chiyo's puppets, almost simultaneously struck Madara's body.

"Clang clang clang!!"

The sound of metal collisions rang out continuously, sparks flying, but all attacks landing on Madara's Armament Haki failed to leave even a single mark.

"How is this possible?" Kizashi Hatake's arm went numb; this slash felt like cutting into an indestructible giant rock.

Madara's gaze swept over the crowd: "Just this level? Then—"

The words barely fell when a terrifying aura erupted from within Madara's body, black Haki spreading like lightning, pressing the surrounding air into distortion.

"Th-this aura." Chiyo only felt her chest as if crushed by a giant rock, breathing becoming difficult, the chakra threads in her hands trembling violently.

"Now—" Madara's voice rang in everyone's ears, "it's my turn to counterattack."

Madara crossed his hands before his chest, chakra and the power of the Gura Gura no Mi intertwining.

Airflow rapidly compressed, a teeth-aching hum rising from the air.

"Space Quake!"

Madara violently spread his hands to both sides.

With a "Boom" the air directly shattered under this immense force, forming visible shockwave ripples spreading outward.

"Crack!"

Cracks suddenly appeared in the air, spreading continuously like shattered glass.

"Pfft!"

The nearest six simultaneously spat a mouthful of blood, bodies flying backward like kites with cut strings.

The tremor wave's remaining force undiminished, continued spreading outward, countless ninja blown away, miserable cries rising and falling.

Even the Four Kage maintaining the barrier far away felt the violent shaking.

Afterward, Madara stood in the center of the ravaged battlefield, gaze sweeping the surroundings, landing on that red barrier.

"You think this thing can trap me?"

"Bad! He's going to destroy the barrier!" Minato's forehead beaded with cold sweat, he hurriedly poured in chakra, but it was already too late.

Uchiha Madara widened his eyes: "Limbo!"

Chakra circulated within his body, four Limbo Clones instantly taking form. Each clone emitted the same terrifying aura as the real body.

"Swish!"

Four body flickers vanished from their original positions almost simultaneously, each appearing at a key node of the barrier.

They simultaneously raised their right hands, white light spheres condensing in their palms, the power of the Gura Gura no Mi circulating in their palms.

"Quake!"

Four loud shouts rang out simultaneously, four fists almost simultaneously slamming into the barrier's support points.

"Hum!"

Terrifying shockwaves formed ring after ring of visible ripples on the barrier, creating a terrifying resonance.

Cracks spread rapidly across the barrier's surface like a spider web.

"Bad, the barrier won't hold!" Yagura's forehead veins bulged, continuously increasing his chakra output.

"Crack!"

Amidst the crisp sound of shattering, the Four Red Yang Formation shattered with a boom, the massive chakra backlash causing the four Kage to simultaneously grunt.

Madara Uchiha withdrew his Limbo clones, his steps unhurried: "Let me see what interesting abilities you've gained."

At this moment, Minato panted rapidly, his peripheral vision sweeping the surroundings.

Large numbers of ninja lay sprawled on the ground, some having even lost consciousness.

"This won't do." Minato frowned tightly, his voice transmitted to the other three Kage, "Too many wounded are here; continuing to fight will only cause more people to get injured."

The three Kage instantly understood his meaning, nodding almost simultaneously.

Just as Madara was about to close in, Minato suddenly formed hand seals: "Flying Thunder God Technique!"

"Swish!"

Four figures vanished from the spot instantly, leaving only a golden flash.

Madara halted his steps, a trace of amusement flashing in his eyes: "Flying Thunder God, huh."

Madara slowly closed his eyes, Observation Haki outputting at full power, sensing every trace in the surroundings.

"Over there." Madara opened his eyes, the corners of his mouth curling up slightly.

Then his right foot stomped heavily on the ground, his whole body shooting skyward like an arrow from a bow, rapidly chasing in the direction the four Kage had vanished.

On the ruined battlefield, the surviving ninja only now dared to slowly raise their heads.

"Hah, we survived."

"That monster finally left."

Watching Madara's departing back, many ninja slumped to the ground, cold sweat soaking their clothes.

Just a few minutes of battle had left them with psychological shadows that would be hard to erase for the rest of their lives.

"Don't stop!"

Yamanaka Inoichi's voice rang out in everyone's minds: "Take advantage of now to evacuate the wounded! The Hokage and the others probably want to move the battlefield to an uninhabited place."

High in the sky.

Madara's Observation Haki spread outward like radar: "Found them."

"Whoosh!" Madara pushed off with his foot, his whole body rushing toward the sensed location.

Just then, Madara's Observation Haki sensed a dangerous presence.

"Dust Release: Detachment of the Primitive World Technique!" Onoki's voice rang out ahead, blinding white light condensing in midair, shooting straight at Madara Uchiha in the sky.

"Hmph."

Madara's figure swayed, his whole body shifting three feet to the right, the white light brushing past his armor, leaving a straight trace in the air.

"Missed, Onoki?" Madara's voice carried mockery, "Looks like you really are old."

"Who said I was aiming at you?"

Onoki instead revealed a cold smile: "Momo Fruit: Tenfold Amplification!"

"What?!"

Madara's pupils shrank sharply. He saw that beam of white light suddenly swell, instantly expanding over tenfold.

Terrifying energy fluctuations swept over, even the air distorting.

"Hungry Ghost Path!" Madara shouted coldly, purple patterns in his Rinnegan spinning rapidly.

The Dust Release light pillar crashed into the vortex, being frantically absorbed.

However the light pillar's speed was too fast, Madara's activation was still a step too late.

"Crack!"

Cracks appeared on the armor over Madara's chest, some areas directly vaporized by the Dust Release energy.

"This is..." A trace of interest flashed in Madara's eyes, "A Devil Fruit ability?"

"Lightning God's Wild Fist!!" The Raikage's voice exploded overhead; at some unknown time, he had already appeared above Madara.

Madara looked up, only to see a black magic circle on A's right arm spinning rapidly, electric light dancing on his fist.

"Boom boom boom!"

Electric light fell like raindrops, each fist able to blast a lightning trace in the air, fist shadows dense as if to turn this space into a sieve.

"A bit interesting."

Madara crossed his arms to block, pitch-black Armament Haki instantly covering his whole body.

Each fist landed precisely on his defense, stirring up ring after ring of visible air waves.

"Boom!"

Madara's body was blasted downward, his feet sinking into the ground, rubble flying.

Just then, Yagura's figure appeared at the side, his hand seals already complete: "Water Release: Exploding Water Colliding Wave!"

A massive water sphere formed instantly, spreading across a radius of over a thousand meters in the blink of an eye, roaring waves rushing toward Madara's location.

"Hmph, you never learn." Madara sneered, "Ninjutsu against me."

Before he finished speaking, Observation Haki went into a frenzy of warning, Madara's pupils shrank.

"Wrong!"

Madara's figure shot up from the ground in an instant, rushing rapidly toward the high sky. Just as he left his original spot, that water sphere slammed heavily onto the ground.

"Ssssss"

The moment the water touched the ground, the rocks melted rapidly as if corroded by sulfuric acid.

In the blink of an eye, a giant pit hundreds of meters deep had been corroded into the ground, and it continued to extend downward without stopping.

"Not ninjutsu?" Madara's gaze swept over Yagura, "It seems each of you has obtained something different."

"Melt-Melt Fruit." Yagura formed hand seals quickly with both hands, chakra circulating rapidly within his body, "Kirisutegakure no Jutsu!"

"Ssssss—"

A strange white mist sprayed from Yagura's mouth; wherever the mist passed, a pungent corrosive smell permeated the air.

The mist spread at an astonishing speed, covering a range of hundreds of meters in the blink of an eye.

"Shinra Tensei!"

Madara pushed his right hand forward, an invisible repulsive force spread outward from him as the center.

Amidst the rolling air waves, the white mist was instantly dispersed.

Just as the mist was blown away, everything around began to corrode at a speed visible to the naked eye.

"Flying Thunder God again?" Madara frowned slightly, Yagura's figure had already disappeared from sight.

Suddenly, an ear-piercing humming sound came from the horizon.

The sound grew louder and louder, and the air began to tremble.

"This is..." Madara looked up, only to see Minato and Onoki's figures appear in the high sky.

His eyes had already turned into toad-like horizontal pupils, orange markings appeared at the corners of his eyes, and a giant Rasenshuriken condensed in his hand.

"Sage Art: Rasenshuriken!"

"Momo Fruit: Hundredfold!" Onoki's voice sounded beside him.

In an instant, the Rasenshuriken in Minato's hand expanded rapidly, growing to a hundred meters in size in the blink of an eye.

The terrifying chakra fluctuation made the entire sky tremble.

"Copy!"

Minato separated his hands, and the giant shuriken instantly split, turning into dozens of identical Rasenshuriken floating in the air.

Each emitted a heart-palpitating energy fluctuation.

"Go!"

Minato roared, dozens of giant Rasenshuriken like a meteor shower smashed toward Madara, the air was torn apart under this terrifying energy, emitting an ear-piercing shriek.

"Boom!!!"

The first explosion sounded, followed by a chain reaction. Clusters of blue energy balls exploded in the sky.

The terrifying shockwave swept across the surroundings, distant mountain peaks were uprooted like building blocks.

At the same time, on a battlefield over a hundred li away.

"Look! Over there!" A ninja bandaging his wounds suddenly looked up and pointed into the distance, exclaiming.

A blue light shot into the sky at the horizon, followed by a dazzling white light, dyeing half the sky blue.

"Grab! Quickly grab anything nearby that can be fixed!" Suddenly Yamanaka Inoichi's voice exploded in everyone's minds.

The words had just fallen when a violent hurricane swept over.

"Ah!"

Countless ninjas were thrown into the air by this force, tumbling in the air. Distant trees were uprooted and blown away like straw.

Jiraiya formed hand seals with both hands, a giant toad appeared instantly, opening its large mouth to catch several flying wounded.

The rocks on the ground cracked inch by inch in the gale, gravel flew like shells.

"That is..." Tsunade looked toward the horizon, her pupils suddenly shrank.

The distant mountain range was devoured by a giant fireball, the clouds were torn apart by the shockwave, forming a huge void.

The entire earth shook violently under this force.

"Is this the power of the four Kage?" A young ninja muttered to himself, his face full of shock.

Dozens of kilometers away from the center of the explosion.

"Swish!"

Golden light flashed, Minato and the other three Kage appeared on a highland.

"Did it succeed?" Yagura supported his knees with both hands, panting heavily. That strike just now had almost exhausted all their strength.

Onoki narrowed his eyes: "An attack of this level, even if it is Madara Uchiha..."

The words had not fallen when a suffocating oppressive feeling suddenly descended, the four Kage looked up simultaneously, their pupils suddenly shrank.

"Boom!"

The edge of the explosion's fireball was suddenly torn open, a pitch-black figure rushed out from within.

Only to see Susanoo's surface covered with a layer of Armament Haki, gleaming with a metallic luster under the sunlight.

Although the surface was covered with cracks, that oppressive feeling was even more terrifying than before.

"Damn it!"

The Raikage stomped and shattered the ground, lightning radiance surged all over his body, "Lightning Release: Lightning God Mode!"

Onoki formed hand seals at flying speed with both hands, "Dust Release!"

But just then, Madara Uchiha's voice suddenly rang out beside their ears: "The game ends here."

"When did he?!" Minato's expression changed, intending to activate Flying Thunder God in an instant.

But it was too late.

"Limbo: Instant Body Beheading!"

Four Body Flickers manifested simultaneously, each one precisely locking onto one person.

The surface of Limbo's fists was covered in pure black Armament Haki, mixed with the radiance of the Gura Gura no Mi.

"Boom!"

The four Kage were seen like they had been struck by giant hammers, directly embedded into the ground. With them as the center, the earth cracked inch by inch, spider-web-like fissures spreading outward.

The four Kage simultaneously spat out a mouthful of fresh blood; aside from the Raikage, the other three instantly lost combat capability.

Amidst the rubble, Raikage A propped himself up with both arms, muscles knotted, veins bulging.

"Ah!" He let out a roar, lightning release armor flaring wildly around his body, forcibly standing up from the ground.

"Bastard!"

Raikage A stomped his right foot heavily on the ground, the entire rock instantly shattering, his whole body entangled in waterfall-like black lightning release armor as he charged at Madara.

"Clang!"

The black lightning release armor heavily slammed onto Susanoo's Armament Haki outer shell.

Terrifying energy erupted instantly; at the moment of collision between lightning and Armament Haki, countless electric arcs scattered and splashed in all directions.

Just then, Madara's icy voice rang out: "Shinra Tensei!"

"What?!" The Raikage's pupils shrank violently; before he could react, his whole person flew toward Madara uncontrollably.

"Bang!"

Susanoo's palm grabbed the Raikage's body in one grasp; he struggled with all his might, but the immense power left him unable to move.

"Tell me where the jinchuriki are." Madara's cold voice came.

"Heh." The Raikage grinned: "You think I'll tell you?"

"Is that so?" Purple patterns in Madara's eyes rotated rapidly, "Then let me find out myself, Human Path: Soul Mind Probe!"

"What?!" The Raikage's pupils shrank violently.

A bizarre power surged from within his body; the next instant, a fake figure was forcibly pulled out from inside him.

Several scenes flashed through Madara's eyes, and he soon revealed a hint of a smile: "I see, so it's within the borders of Raikoku?"

"You're of no more use." Madara slowly raised his right hand, intending to directly extract the soul completely.

Just then, a cold mechanical voice suddenly rang out in his mind: 【Warning! Killing Reincarnators outside of the Task is prohibited.】

"Hm?" Madara's brows furrowed tightly, the movement of his hand involuntarily pausing, "There's actually this kind of taboo."

"Hmph!"

Madara Uchiha then flung his hand, casually tossing the semi-conscious Raikage onto the ground with a dull thud: "Consider yourselves lucky."

Afterward, the wings behind Susanoo suddenly unfolded.

"Boom!"

With a huge roar, Susanoo soared into the sky, instantly breaking through dozens of sound barriers, flying rapidly toward the direction of Raikoku.

"Cough cough."

On the ground, Minato propped up his upper body with difficulty, looking toward where Madara Uchiha had left, fists clenched: "Damn it!"

I changed the name of Rasenshuriken back; I added a new setting earlier, the name was taken by Kushina.

This one still rolls off the tongue better.

(Chapter End)