Chapter 402

Hearing the familiar voice in its ear, the fur on the Nine-Tails stood on end. Subconsciously tucking its tail, it asked in a trembling voice,

"You... how did you wake up?"

"Hmph!"

Uchiha Madara stood in the consciousness space with his arms crossed, letting out a cold hum, his scarlet eyes filled with chilling intent.

"Beast, you've grown bold. It seems that not being leashed gave you the illusion of freedom."

"Hey! Listen to my explanation..."

The Nine-Tails shivered, its two eyeballs spinning non-stop. Just as it was thinking of an excuse to absolve itself, Uchiha Madara acted first.

His eyes narrowed, and a cold, obscure aura instantly filled the entire consciousness space.

The dominance occupied by the Nine-Tails was being reclaimed. The blood-red compound eyes on the faceplate gradually faded from their previous tyranny.

"You can't treat me like this! Even if I haven't worked hard, I've suffered. Look at that raccoon-head outside, I've almost beaten him to death~"

Sensing that it would have no good end, the Nine-Tails hurriedly played the emotional card, wanting to appeal to Uchiha Madara's reason and sentiment.

"If it weren't for you causing trouble, I would have ended this match long ago. What a waste of time."

It would have been better if it hadn't spoken; the moment the Nine-Tails brought it up, Uchiha Madara became furious. A mere One-Tail was something he could handle with a flick of his finger, yet this beast had delayed him, using his body to peck at the opponent like a chicken.

If someone who didn't know better saw it, they would think he, Uchiha Madara, couldn't beat a Tailed Beast.

"I..."

"Shut up! Once I finish off that guy outside, I'll teach you a lesson, you traitor!"

Having regained control of his body, Uchiha Madara raised his hand to grab the Nine-Tails by the neck, threw it back into its den, and left a harsh threat: he would definitely give this traitor a "good juice" later.

"Mmph, mmph, mmph..."

The Nine-Tails, with a bitter face, buried its head in the ground, emitting painful groans. Seeing this, Uchiha Madara nodded with satisfaction.

After Uchiha Madara left, the Nine-Tails secretly raised its head, a flash of malice in its narrow eyes. Licking its sharp teeth, it fixed its gaze on its own drooping belly.

This guy actually dared to treat it like this; it would definitely make Uchiha Madara pay the price!

A warrior can be killed but not humiliated; even if it meant entering a rebirth cooldown, the Nine-Tails would make Uchiha Madara feel the pain!

"Clang!"

"Huh?"

On the battlefield, Shamon, who was struggling to block the fox knight's attacks, looked at the opponent stopping its movements, his eyes full of confusion.

Following that, he saw the Tailed Beast Cloak outside the fox knight gradually dissipate, and the confusion in his eyes turned to solemnity.

"Oh no, that idiot Nine-Tails has been dragged back!"

Keenly sensing the change in his opponent, Shukaku jumped out to warn him.

"I can see that."

Shamon nodded, his taut face carrying a hint of gloom. The next part would be a tough battle. With the "Darkness of the Ninja World," Uchiha Madara, personally taking the helm, could he really hold out?

"Creak~ Creak~"

"Kept you waiting. Didn't leash the dog at home properly, and it ran out."

Loosening up his muscles, Uchiha Madara fixed his gaze on the black raccoon knight waiting in battle formation not far away, his ignited fighting spirit visible to the naked eye.

"Hoo~ Come on."

Taking a long breath, Shamon slowly raised the Wu Shidao in his hand, his entire body's power condensing at this moment.

Even if the mountain before him was treacherous, he wanted to be the one to reach the summit. Even if he died halfway, Shamon wanted to prove that he had once been here.

"Courage worthy of praise."

Without a hint of contempt, Uchiha Madara raised his hand, emitting dazzling light particles that condensed into a white longsword. He pointed the blade at Shamon to show respect.

"Hum!"

Accompanied by a teetering pebble hitting the ground, the two figures, one black and one white, instantly disappeared from where they stood. When they reappeared, the two sharp blades had already collided, erupting with a piercing sonic boom.

"Hoo... Heaven bless the Uchiha, the Clan Leader actually suppressed the Nine-Tails."

In the viewing area, Uchiha Kagami, who had been nervous for half a day, slumped back into his seat with a look of lingering fear.

"That guy, what method did he use?"

Beside him, Senju Tobirama frowned tightly as he watched Uchiha Madara reclaim his body.

Logically, Uchiha Madara shouldn't have had any means to counter the Nine-Tails, right?

"Master must win!"

Chiyo, sitting beside Uchiha Gin, clenched her small hands together, her gaze fixed on the fighting black raccoon knight, not moving for even a second.

"Clang!"

Uchiha Madara traded blows with Shamon in an orderly fashion. Facing the raccoon knight's fierce attacks, he appeared at ease.

It formed a sharp contrast to the Nine-Tails' reckless and clumsy appearance just moments ago; his elegant posture was like a dance.

"Hoo... hoo... hoo..."

After several exchanges, Shamon's heart grew heavier, and his slight panting gradually became more intense.

As expected, the real deal is different; Uchiha Madara's swordsmanship is far above his.

"You're not bad. You truly have the qualifications to stand on the final stage with me."

Twirling his sword in a gorgeous flourish, Uchiha Madara looked at the slightly disheveled Shamon with a calm gaze, no contempt in his eyes.

"You are strong, but I also have reasons why I cannot lose."

Shamon stroked the Wu Shidao in his hand, a look of determination on his face. After shaking his head at Uchiha Madara, he turned to communicate with his partners.

"Shukaku, help me one last time."

"Hmph! Since you've said so, I'll reluctantly help you one more time."

Shukaku held his belly, his coin-like eyes filled with a rare determination.

"Lady Dragon Pulse..."

"Shamon, this time, let me protect you."

A slightly youthful voice came. A giant dragon formed of purple chakra lowered its head to look at the apologetic Shamon, no blame in its eyes.

"Thank you."

With that, Shukaku and the Dragon Pulse turned into two pillars of light, pouring fiercely into Shamon's body, stimulating the power of the Knight System to its maximum.

"Oh?"

Uchiha Madara raised an eyebrow, looking at Shamon, who had suddenly erupted with a terrifying aura, a hint of anticipation in his gaze.

"Very good. Among all the people from other villages I have fought, I, Uchiha Madara, am willing to call you the strongest!"

Shamon, pouring all his energy into the next move, could no longer hear Uchiha Madara's praise.

The powers of Shukaku and the Dragon Pulse intertwined and flowed into the driver at his waist, and the buckle of the Wu Shidao instantly flashed with dazzling light.

Shamon slowly raised his hand, and after pushing and closing the Wu Shidao buckle twice, a lifeless electronic sound rang out.

"Bujin Sword Victory!"

The Wu Shidao in his hand drew a scarlet full moon in the black mist again. Seeing this, Uchiha Madara's eyes flashed red, and he held the white longsword in his hand in front of his chest, waiting for Shamon's curtain call.

"Whoosh!"

Backed by the full moon, Shamon took a step and charged toward Uchiha Madara. The Wu Shidao in his hand was wrapped in black-green energy, and he swung it, unleashing several fierce slashes.

"Well done!"

Uchiha Madara's gaze sharpened, and he swung the white longsword in his hand as well, a blue slash shooting out.

"Boom!"

The two-colored slashes collided, instantly producing a violent explosion that kicked up dust into the sky. Uchiha Madara moved; under the cover of the smoke and guided by his Sharingan, he charged toward Shamon.

A blue blade several meters long extended from the white longsword in his hand. He also decided to give Shamon, this worthy opponent, a perfect curtain call.

"Clang!"

The huge energy blade slashed down head-on. Shamon, in the middle of running, couldn't dodge in time and had to raise his Wu Shidao to block.

"Mmph..."

The heavy force pressed down on Shamon, and the arm holding the sword couldn't stop trembling. Looking at the blue blade about to touch his face, he gritted his teeth and held on.

"Is this the final blow?"

Everyone in the viewing area held their breath, staring unblinkingly at Shamon, who was holding the sword to block the blue energy blade.

They knew this might be the final swan song of the match. Regardless of who won or lost, this would be the scene at the time of settlement.

"Snap..."

Suddenly, a crisp snapping sound caught everyone's attention. The Wu Shidao in Shamon's hand was crumbling inch by inch at an extremely fast speed, and it looked like it was about to be swallowed by Uchiha Madara's energy blade.

"Baldy! This is my final power, take it and use it!"

At this critical moment, Shukaku's sharp voice rang out in the arena.

Following that, the Wu Shidao in Shamon's hand erupted with an unusual brilliance. Black patterns appeared on the silver blade, and the cracks that had just formed were restored to their original state.

"This is?"

Uchiha Madara frowned. He discovered that the Wu Shidao in Shamon's hand actually carried the power of sealing jutsu; the chakra on his longsword was being slowly sealed.

"Nine-Tails! Give me a hand."

Now was the time to compete in stored power. Uchiha Madara definitely couldn't fight a long-term battle against Shamon, who possessed Shukaku's chakra, relying only on his own. In desperation, he had to grab that fox, which was harboring ulterior motives, once again.

"Alright, alright~"

This time, the Nine-Tails surprisingly didn't say much and was very cooperative.

"Don't mix anything else in."

Uchiha Madara, vaguely feeling that something was wrong with the Nine-Tails, warned coldly.

"Got it, got it~"

The Nine-Tails nodded repeatedly, its huge beastly pupils filled with sincerity.

"I definitely won't mix in my own private goods."

I only said there's none of mine, I didn't say there's none of someone else's~

"Hmph~ I assume you wouldn't dare."

Plucking a mass of bright red Nine-Tails chakra, Uchiha Madara turned and left, completely unaware that there was a faint touch of ink-black in that mass of chakra.

"Roar!"

With the help of Shukaku's power, Shamon's pressure was reduced quite a bit. Just as he was preparing to seize the opportunity for a counter-kill, he suddenly felt the force of the blue blade increase by a few points. At the same time, the blue was mixed with a lot of scarlet, carrying tyrannical roars.

"It's that stinking fox's power, damn it!"

Shukaku, seeing the red chakra, was instantly stifled; they could have won immediately.

"Roar~"

The next moment, a dragon's roar rang out. Shamon, who was about to exhaust his strength, suddenly felt a warm power rise from within his body, winding along his arm onto the Wu Shidao.

Accompanied by a flash of purple brilliance, an exquisite dragon pattern appeared on the sharp blade, radiating an inexplicable force that actually caused faint ripples in the surrounding space.

"Lady Dragon Pulse!"

Shamon looked excitedly at the buff-stacked Wu Shidao in his hand, feeling deeply moved. He then pulled himself together again.

He could not let down everyone's expectations!

"Master! Go for it!!!"

Chiyo's cheering reached his ears at the same time. Shamon's gaze became incomparably firm, and his arms were filled with power.

"Huh? You still have strength?"

Uchiha Madara, who had used the Nine-Tails' power to reinforce the blue blade, looked in surprise at Shamon, who was slowly lifting his attack. He couldn't figure out where the opponent got the strength, no matter how hard he thought about it.

"I am the ace ninja of the Hidden Sand Village, the mighty Great General of Loulan, and the strongest protector of the Land of Wind!"

Lifting the blue-and-red blade over his head, Shamon's voice grew louder, echoing throughout the battlefield. Chiyo in the viewing area was already in tears, and the other spectators couldn't help but show admiration.

"I didn't expect this baldy to have such resolve."

Kinkaku looked dumbfounded at Shamon, who was contending with Uchiha Madara, the appreciation on his face not appearing fake.

"He's fighting so hard, it makes the two of us look like we're slacking off."

Ginkaku curled his lip, though there was a hint of appreciation in the corner of his eyes.

"Isn't that the case?"

"Hehe~"

"Good resolve."

Even though his attack was being blocked, the expression on Uchiha Madara's face remained calm. He first affirmed Shamon's will, then poured all the chakra given by the Nine-Tails into the weapon in his hand.

"But unfortunately, power is different from will; it is the interaction between substances."

The blue energy blade turned completely bright red, and a black mark was branded within it—not very conspicuous, but hiding a crisis.

"To be able to end like this is your honor."

A red glow lit up, and the longsword in Uchiha Madara's hand pressed down again. Shamon, suddenly struck by the heavy blow, had his legs embedded directly into the ground, leaving only his upper body struggling to support him.

"Won! Can we make a wish now?"

Senju Tobirama, seeing this situation, started celebrating halfway through the match, excitedly flashing to Uchiha Gin's side with a look of anticipation.

"Don't be in such a hurry~"

"Is this even worth watching? If he could lose, I would... eat his big thunder on the spot!"

Senju Tobirama, who didn't believe Uchiha Madara would lose, pointed at Kinkaku, who was stretching his neck to watch the match not far away, and swore an oath.

"Oh ho~ Are you sure?"

"If I can't do it, I'll be the last of my line!"

Wait, what kind of oath are you making with something you don't have?

"Am I going to lose..."

Feeling the scorching heat against his face, memories of the first half of his life played back like a revolving lantern. Shamon's eyes were filled with deep regret.

"I'm sorry, Shukaku, Lady Dragon Pulse."

"Hmph! I knew you baldy were unreliable."

Shukaku pouted, seemingly scolding him, but its eyes were filled with worry. After this blow from Uchiha Madara, Shamon would be either dead or crippled.

"Sorry, I can only help you this much. The distance is just too far."

The Dragon Pulse shook its head, lowering its head in self-reproach, not daring to look Shamon in the eye.

"It's fine. It should have been me protecting you, Lady Dragon Pulse. I never thought that in the end, I would still have to rely on your help."

Shamon shook his head. He was about to be unable to hold on. Being able to fight this match until now was all thanks to the help of these two; he was too grateful to them to ever blame them.

"Sigh... Huh? Wait! Baldy, hold on a little longer!"

Letting out a long sigh, Shukaku had already started calculating how many tables to set for Shamon's funeral. However, with its keen sense of smell, it caught a familiar scent. After being stunned for a few seconds, the expression on its face instantly became spectacular.

"Huh?"

"Little Gold, I'll make a bet with you. The Nine-Tails is going to lose."

In Kinkaku's consciousness space, Gyuki, who had been healing for half a day, suddenly spoke, his tone filled with strangeness.

"How is that possible? If it can lose like this, I'll eat that white-haired guy's big thunder!"

Kinkaku, who was watching the match seriously, rolled his eyes at Gyuki's words and expressed his disdain.

"Alright then, keep your eyes wide open and watch. The power of my Ink-Cow-Bull... eating things randomly will give you a stomachache~"

"Huh?"

Uchiha Madara, who had the victory in his grasp, had already started brewing his acceptance speech, considering who to thank first.

Hmm, let's thank the cousin first~

However, before he could list his thank-yous, he felt a faint restraint on his body and looked down in confusion.

Uchiha Madara was surprised to find that, at some point, several pitch-black tentacles had crawled onto his body, clinging tightly to his joints. Not only did they hinder his movement, but they also carried a bizarre sealing power.

"What is this? Is it that baldy's trick?"

Even at this point, Uchiha Madara still didn't suspect that it was the work of a certain fox.

With a cold snort, Uchiha Madara didn't take such tricks to heart and was just about to draw some chakra to crush the tentacles on his body.

"Mere sealing jutsu, watch me—mmph, mmph, mmph!"

As it turned out, these tentacles, upon touching the Tailed Beast chakra, grew wildly as if they had eaten stimulants. They instantly bound him tightly, covering his mouth and nose, and quite a few were even reaching toward his lower regions.

"What is that? Did the baldy from the Hidden Sand Village leave behind such a method?"

Senju Tobirama, who had been sitting securely on the fishing platform, saw Uchiha Madara entangled by the black tentacles, his eyes widening in disbelief, his face full of incredulity.

"Eww!"

The few women present, seeing the tentacles binding Uchiha Madara without restraint, all wore strange expressions, their eyes filled with indescribable meaning.

"Old Eight! Isn't that your..."

Kinkaku opened his mouth wide, pointing at the tentacles crawling on Uchiha Madara, his face full of disbelief.

He recognized this move, but he had been out of the fight for so long—how did Gyuki secretly release this move?

"Hehe~ That's right, it's the 'Eight-Tails' Ink-Sealing Technique.' I originally wanted to ambush that bastard Nine-Tails, but I didn't expect it to discover it and use it on its own knight."

【Sealing Jutsu: Eight-Tails' Ink-Sealing Technique】

A sealing jutsu that uses Gyuki's ink as a carrier, capable of binding a target and completely blackening them after a period of time, thereby sealing them.

"Hehehe, I guessed right. Gyuki's ink is indeed poisonous~"

In the consciousness space, the Nine-Tails saw Uchiha Madara's embarrassing state and laughed excitedly, holding its belly.

After drinking Gyuki's ink, its stomach had been uncomfortable the whole time, always feeling like tens of thousands of tentacles were wriggling inside.

After guessing that there was something fishy about this ink, the Nine-Tails didn't mention it for the time being. It didn't expect Uchiha Madara to dare ask it for chakra.

The mischievous Nine-Tails naturally wouldn't be polite and directly sent the ink-laden chakra to Uchiha Madara for free, wanting to see him make a fool of himself. It didn't expect to see such a spectacular scene so soon.

"Mmph, mmph, mmph..."

Uchiha Madara, wrapped in black ink, couldn't make a sound. He was locked into a pitch-black space where he couldn't see his own fingers.

"Click~"

Because his whole body was sealed by the blackness, the white longsword in Uchiha Madara's hand fell to the ground, and the bright red chakra instantly dissipated.

Shamon, who had been struggling to hold on, suddenly felt his body lighten. He looked up in confusion, only to see that where Uchiha Madara had been, there was only a mass of blackness wriggling in place.

"Baldy! Good opportunity, what are you waiting for!"

Opportunity knocks but once. Shukaku, knowing whose trick this was, immediately urged him.

Hearing this, Shamon's chakra bloomed again. He pulled his legs from the ground, swung the Wu Shidao, and charged toward Uchiha Madara.

"Mmph... damn it, don't you dare!"

Even though he had been ambushed by the conscious little black things while off guard, Uchiha Madara gritted his teeth and struggled. The pupil power of his eyes erupted suddenly, and golden light descended from the sky, piercing straight toward him.

【Kotoamatsukami: Light】

"Boom!"

After the black seal took a few hits of "justice from the sky," it began to shrink, finally revealing Uchiha Madara's head. Just as he saw the light of day again, before he could be happy, he was met with a cold, gleaming blade. Shamon, holding the sword, was already almost upon him.

"Kotoamatsukami!"

The patterns in his eyes began to rotate. The golden light tore through the gloomy dark clouds, turning into a giant golden sword that pierced toward Shamon.

"Swish!"

Victory was right before his eyes; how could Shamon retreat easily? He immediately swung his sword, and several black-green energy blades shot into the sky, shattering the light sword that had not yet fallen.

But the next moment, an even larger rain of swords fell.

"Boom~"

For a time, the sound of violent explosions was incessant.

Several large craters were smashed into the ground, and rocks of all sizes rolled down. In the dust, a cold light moved forward without hesitation.

"Pfft!"

The blade pierced the body. Uchiha Madara, with his scarlet eyes wide open, turned his head in disbelief to look at the Wu Shidao stuck in his back, the black patterns and purple dragon pattern on it clearly visible.

The sealing power attached to the Wu Shidao took effect. Uchiha Madara felt the meridians in his body instantly stagnate, his chakra nowhere to be found; he felt as if he had become an ordinary person.

I... lost?

Without the support of chakra, the driver at Uchiha Madara's waist gradually became dim. The Nine-Tails buckle popped out on its own, turning into two blank buckles that fell to the ground.

After regressing to the most basic fox-head base form, Uchiha Madara's face was somewhat pale. Recalling the ins and outs of this match, he found that he seemed to have borne the brunt of everything—not only having to face the knight's challenge but also having to guard against the backstabbing of his own teammates.

This is too hard for me~

"Snap!"

A crisp cracking sound rang out again. Uchiha Madara felt a sense of emptiness at the wound; it turned out that the Wu Shidao stuck in his back was breaking inch by inch.

"Cough, cough, cough... worthy of the famous 'Darkness of the Ninja World.' Even with only a pair of eyes left, you can still reach this point."

Shamon's weak voice rang out behind Uchiha Madara. The black general's heavy armor was completely shattered, and his majestic faceplate was pierced, revealing his eyes filled with exhaustion.

Under the baptism of Kotoamatsukami's light, even the general's heavy armor could not be preserved.

The Wu Shidao held in his hand turned into yellow light particles and dissipated between heaven and earth. Shamon, his body falling apart, finally collapsed to the ground.

The Wu Shidao buckle at his waist turned back to blank. Shamon closed his eyes bitterly, and his base armor gradually turned into particles—this was the omen of his transformation being undone.

"As expected, I still couldn't win."

"No, there are no winners in this match."

Uchiha Madara's cold voice rang out, and the fox-head base armor was also disappearing.

"Shamon, Uchiha Madara, out~" (End of chapter)